Giants - Dodgers with the Kiddo

by SonDog

Last weekend was my son's formal indoctrination into the Giants/Dodgers rivalry. We weren't at Dodger Stadium, mind you, we were in our living room in Colorado, some 10 million miles (rough estimate that's probably way off) away.

Entering the three-game set, the Giants were 4.5 games back in the National League West; basically, they were in veritable spitting distance from first place. Granted, the Giants were heading into the series as the coldest team in baseball while the Dodgers entered the series as the hottest team, but I still had high (if not false) hopes that the Giants massive collection of old-farts could pull out one more inspiring hot streak (inspired, of course, by the recent birth of my son).

Those of you reading this probably already know that the Giants were bludgeoned to death with the Dodgers' spikes over three days, the culmination coming with Russell Martin's walk-off, 10th inning homer on Sunday Night Baseball (dropping the Giants to 7.5 games behind first-place and in a coffin). I tried to discuss the Giants' plight on numerous occasions with my son throughout the weekend, but he didn't really want to talk about it. He was as frustrated as I was. After watching three days of "How to Lose a Baseball Game in Nine Innings," Jackson was simply worthless. Just sat there. Couldn't even look at the television. In fact, he even crapped his pants right after Martin's aforementioned homer.

I was somewhat pleased that my son learned about how painful and frustrating it is to be a Giants fan at such an early age. Jax may not appreciate this now, but someday he will. I envision him sitting with me on the couch when he's 10-years-old, both of us pulling down a fine Irish whiskey (I mean... um), discussing the not-so-magical Giants-Dodgers weekend from August 2006. Many tears will undoubtedly be shed between now and then, but as long as those tears are shed with him at my side, life will be good.

On to today's list:

-- My father-in-law's response to Felipe Alou's insertion of Armando Benitez into the ninth inning of Monday's 1-0 game against the Padres: "What the bloody hell are you bringing in that worthless bastard for, you silly old man?"

-- On second thought, that quote could as well be the title to the story that is the 2006 San Francisco Giants season.

-- So, Brian Sabean continues to make trades for guys who were great in 1998 (see: Stanton, Mike) on the premise that youth will screw up your chances of winning, while his former assistant Ned Coletti (now the GM of the rival Dodgers) trades veterans like Denys Baez and Milton Bradley for 26-year-old 3B, Wilson Betimit and sweet-swinging Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, Andre Ethier. And tell me exactly what Coletti learned under Sabean? And why exactly did they give Coletti permission to talk to the Dodgers last off-season?

-- Headline from Sunday's Sacramento Bee, "Kings find Backup Center."

Later I would read that the "backup center" was Loren Woods, who pretty much hasn't done anything since his days at Arizona. Put another way, it was an absolute waste of a story. If Woods cracks the Kings' rotation this year, I will buy his jersey.

-- When your son is a newborn, always remember to cover up his water-cannon when changing him. I've been pissed on more times than Paris Hilton behind closed doors in the last two weeks.

-- The cocktail of quad-shot latte's, gingko baloba, ginseng, ibuprofen and hotel-cafeteria coffee that I'm currently on to combat sleep deprivation is working wonders for my nerves. Yesterday the phone rang in my office and instinctively threw it against the wall. "Wait... What?" has become my most common response to those who ask me a question.

-- Fatherhood is the coolest thing I've ever done in my life.