World Series Champions! San Francisco Giants capture World Series "deep in the heart of Texas"

The wait is over.

52 years and one cross-country move later, the San Francisco Giants are World Champions for the sixth-time in their illustrious history.

Their last World Championship? Try 1954, 56 years ago back when they were the NEW YORK Giants, just four years before they would move all the way out west to San Francisco, and were led by a fella' named Willie Mays.

2010? Their first World Championship since they've moved to San Francisco. The first World Championship for the SAN FRANCISCO Giants, led by a pot-smoking, 5'10 guy with long, mangy hair, who the fans by the bay call "the freak."

How about that?

Behind the aforementioned "freak," ace Tim Lincecum, and World Series MVP shortstop Edgar Renteria, the Giants defeated Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers by a score of 3-1, winning the best of seven series 4-1 in 5 games (I predicted they would win it in 7, but so be it ;) )

After World Series losses in 1962, 1989 and 2002, teams that included the likes of Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Willie McCovey as well as home run king Barry Bonds, the Giants felt this was their year.

"This group deserved it, faithful from the beginning. We're proud and humbled by the achievement." said Giants Manager Bruce Bochy, who spent 15 years as a catcher in the game and never won a ring.

"For us to win for our fans, it's never been done there, and with all those great teams," Bochy said.

Lincecum faced a worthy adversary in tonight's game. Fighting fire with fire, the Rangers countered with their ace, Lee, who had paired up against Lincecum in Game 1 of the series and took the loss in an 11-7 rout. They were hoping tonight would not be a repeat.

Though not as much of a rout, sadly, it was the same.

Lincecum, who was credited with the win, pitched 8 dominant-innings of 3 hit, 1 run, 10 strikeout baseball, his only blemish being a Nelson Cruz solo-homer in the 7th inning. In the series, he was 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA.

Mr. Lee, on the other hand, took the loss, his second in the series (0-2 with a 6.94 ERA). It was a very unorthodox series for Lee, who had established himself as one of the best postseason pitchers in postseason baseball history, going a postseason lifetime 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA, prior the World Series. Lee was supposed to be unbeatable. So how was it that he shut down the New York Yankees, who had an offense that included AL MVP candidate Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira, but could not defeat the Giants, a team that was called a "team of misfits," with cast-offs from other big league clubs?

Lee did not pitch bad in this game (7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 K). A pitcher's duel, Lee matched Lincecum....

At least through 7 2/3 innings.

His only mistake, and I mean only mistake, was the one that sealed the Rangers' fate.

A 3-run home run by Edgar Renteria.

"It was a classic pitchers' duel down to that home run. Nobody in this room is more disappointed than I am," Lee said.

"They beat us soundly," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "They deserve it."

For Renteria, he wasn't exactly new to game-winning hits in the World Series.

In 1997, Renteria, then a 21 year-old rookie with the Florida Marlins, delivered the game winning base-hit in walk-off fashion against the Cleveland Indians to give the Marlins their first ever championship.

Now, fast-forward 13 years later, and he did it again.

Not bad for a guy who spent three stints on the disabled list this year and has been considering retirement.

"It was a tough year for me," Renteria, who batted .412 with 2 home runs and six RBIs said. "I told myself to keep working hard and keep in shape because something is going to be good this year."

Renteria joins elite company with the Yankees' Yogi Berria, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig as the only players to have two game-winning hits in the World Series. He was also named the series MVP.

Woah.

"It is pretty crazy, just because he's been around so long," Lincecum said. "You can see he's still got it. He comes up clutch in a clutch situation."

"Sat on the bench for four months of the year. Hits two clutch home runs," said Buster Posey, the Giants' 23-year-old rookie catcher, "and is going out a World Series champion."


While I picked the Giants way back in March to go to the World Series, it was hard to imagine the Giants arriving at this point. They had no offense, their pitching, while deep and successful, was too young to be considered battle-ready, and they were truly "a team of misfits."

So how did this team, whose highest paid player (Barry Zito, $126 million/7 years) didn't even make the postseason roster, win the World Series?

Chemistry.

It was the work of GM Brian Sabean bringing in good clubhouse guys and proven veterans this winter and during the course of the season.

Aubrey Huff, who, in his 13 years had never BEEN to the postseason, slugged 26 home runs for the Giants and was a vocal part of their clubhouse-wasn't even signed until mid-January!

Pat Burrel, who was released by the Tampa Bay Rays mid-season after hitting a measly .202 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs, was picked up by the Giants on a minor league contract and woke up, hitting .266 with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs for the boys from the bay.

Or how about Cody Ross? Ross, who was picked up by the Giants on waivers from the Marlins, FOR FREE, hit .294 with 5 home runs in the playoffs. That's including hitting .350 with 3 HR in the NLCS, where he was named the NLCS MVP.

Chemistry is an element that made the Giants. Every player on this team, from the three mentioned above to second baseman Freddy Sanchez, third baseman Juan Uribe, Renteria, Posey, Lincecum, closer Brian Wilson, outfielder Andres Torres, 32, who most of his career in the minors, and more, had HEART. Gamers. They were the grind-it-out guys. The guys most powerhouse teams would keep as a fourth-outfielder, utility, or bench player.

But no.

On the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, they were starters.

While these "misfits" are the ones who made the Giants champions, there is another element which led the Giants to their sixth-franchise title:

Depth.

The Giants had it.

Consider this:

- Their surplus of young pitching which over-exceeded expectations was made up of Lincecum (26), Matt Cain (25), Jonathan Sanchez (27), and rookie-phenom Madison Bumgarner (21). They held the Rangers' offense to a .190 batting average. That could be a dominant rotation for years to come.

- A rag-tag lineup which was made of veterans and castoffs: Torres, Sanchez, Posey, Ross, Huff, Burrell, Renteria, Uribe, and outfielder Aaron Rowand.

- Buster Posey himself, who, in his rookie-campaign, carried the Giants offensively on his shoulders and ignited a spark for this team down the stretch; finishing with a .305 batting average, to go along with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs in what-could-be his NL Rookie of the Year Award winning season. He also batted .300 with a home run and two RBIs in the World Series, an overall .288 (17-59) in the playoffs.

- Their shut-down bullpen, which included journeymen like Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Guillermo Mota, as well as their shut-down, league saves-leader, All-Star closer Brian "Fear the Beard" Wilson.

- A deep bench on which outfielder Nate Schierholtz and veteran infielders Mike Fontenot, Travis Ishikawa and Pablo "Kung-Fu Panda" Sandoval were at the ready.

This was a team that was defined by one word when you put it all together:

Fun.

"San Francisco is going nuts, we're going nuts and it feels really good," Wilson said.

A deserving Championship to a team who fought hard the whole season in a year where Huff called watching Giant baseball "torture" for the fans. A rag-tag team with all the heart in the baseball world, the Giants truly define the term World Champions.

And I don't think the fans are "tortured" anymore.

"This team will forever be legendary in San Francisco," Huff said. "We better never have to pay for a meal there again.

Congratulations to the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants.