How fitting!
From a perch at "Show Dogs " Pub on Market Street - I not only caught the top dawgs of Baseball crush the Texas Rangers, but also - swagger into celebrated Sports History in the process.
In the 9th inning, the Giants - once a rag-tag band of cast-offs - pulled off a shut-out.
And, along the slippery slope to greatness, the motley baseball crew captured the imagination of a Nation, hungry for heroes!
Last night's game wasn't just a case of "playing ball" - or working up a bit of sweat - to meet and surmount a challenge, though.
No Sir!
On occasion, in fact, there were a few stand-out magical moments that hinted that an invisible hand was guiding the ball, the players, and what-have-you.
"Is God a Giants fan?" many must have wondered at home and in the bleachers.
For instance, during the unpredictable course of one zany play, the ball - with millions of hairy eye-balls scoping it from near-and-far - didn't just "fall" to the turf after it rudely smacked the wall.
Nope!
It nicked the top of the fence gracefully, bounced off gently, then fell back into the ball park without penalty.
Talk about horseshoes up the ass, eh?
The fans went wild!
In fact, the chant was so deafening, that strains of the Mantra could be heard emanating from flat-screen Television screens above the noisy din of trendy watering holes packed to the rafters with ecstatic fans, tourists, and locals alike.
The riot of orange and black also signalled the unwavering loyalty of a slew of the team's devoted admirers.
The effervescent crowds sported jaunty caps, t-shirts in ubiquitous team colors, and sported fake beards in jest.
On the busy downtown streets, drivers excitedly honked their horns when they spied memorabilia gracing the bods of sports enthusiasts, or when they caught sight of a posse of folks scutinizing the plays alfresco at any number of the crowded cafes along the electrically-charged bustling streets in downtown Frisco.
Pedestrians were inclined to dash up and quiz total strangers sitting ringside.
"What's the score?"
Pandemonium is the best way to describe the knee-jerk reaction that erupted everywhere around me when an outfielder snatched the final ball and ended the match in the Ninth.
Or, should I say, when the Giants "closed it"?
At a time when folks who normally don't follow the sport are jumping on the bandwagon - I've noticed that "terminology" (being able to give a run-down on the plays in ball "lingo") - has become a stickling point to fussy fanatics of the sport.
Baseball "speak" - and the ability to cite stats at the drop of a bat - separate the men from the boys!
For the truly picky, the uncanny ability to dredge up obscure feats, is something to boast about.
But, a trifle unsettling, to some.
For instance, when it was announced that the next game would be played in Arlington (Texas), one sports reporter quickly blurted out that no left-handed pitcher had won a World Series Game in a couple of decades.
"And, the Giants have two left-handed pitchers," he groaned hesitantly, to a fellow newsies.
A young female fan wasn't going to let any superstitions rain on her parade, though.
"That's just speculation," she retorted, smugly.
The same ballsy dame sighed a bit when I touted the evening match, to all within earshot.
"But," she interrupted rudely, "there wasn't any challenge. Boring!"
When she put it that way, I was inclined to agree.
The Giants won 9 - 0.
A shut-out!
A piece of cake.
And, the icing?
All the hoopla, surrounding the team, right now.
The next day, for instance, the paparazzi camped outside the stadium to catch candid shots of the players as they boarded the bus bound for the Airport.
Shots of star players with diaper bags and babies in tow were the editor's order of the day.
The Manager of the team noted that families (and quite a few workers in the front office) would be flying out to attend the game in Arlington.
"This is a moment you want to share with family and friends," he emphasized to one reporter.
The stadium in Arlington is an American League Park, so rules under that banner, will be followed.
The Texas ball park is set on 270 acres, while the AT & T diamond is situated on a mere 13.
The teams will be playing to a slightly higher gang of ticket-holders (49,000).
This afternoon, the President and owner of the Texas Rangers was slated to toss out the 1st ball.
The two former "Bushes" - George H. & George W. - have been invited to do the honors at Sunday's game.
No political pitches, please!
Play ball!
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