Giants' Wild Times. Forget it. Team wants L.A.

[cboy4]

S.F. GIANTS 6, OAKLAND 3

2009 Bay Bridge & 5-time World Champions

**S.F. Giants........ Season best 7 games over .500 :wow:

**S.F. Giants........ 2nd best record in NL (.Pct points ahead of SL); 5th best record (tied with NYY for 5th) in Major League Baseball, even though the Yankees' payroll is more than 100-million dollars (double-plus) than San Francisco's!

**S.F. Giants........ First place Wild Card team

If playoffs started today:

Giants @ Cardinals
Phillies @ Dodgers

************HOW BOUT THOSE METS!!! :rofl: ****************




John Shea, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Giants' wild times

Aaron Rowand was among several Giants sitting on couches watching TV when the National League wild-card standings popped up on the screen. The Giants were listed on top, though most players didn't seem to give a hoot.

"Five years from now, they'll be talking about the wild card in April," Rowand said for all to hear, then recited an old Jim Carrey line: "So you're telling me there's a chance."

The Giants beat the A's 6-3 Wednesday night in the teams' final clash of 2009. Randy Johnson earned his 302nd career victory, Nate Schierholtz hit his second homer of the year (first over a wall) and the Giants moved a season-high seven games above .500 (39-32).

Oh, and they kept their distance in the wild-card race, something that's usually not mentioned inside the clubhouse unless it's by an outsider or someone on TV.

"That's not your goal," Rowand said. "We're looking to catch the Dodgers."

On that front, the Giants are 7 1/2 games back of Los Angeles in the National League West. They haven't been within seven since May 18. Despite the gap, many players would argue it's easier to focus on winning a division than finishing with a league's best second-place record.

But after Wednesday's game, Johnson, of all people - the co-MVP of the 2001 World Series - brought up the wild card.

"There's a lot of season left, but as good as the Dodgers are playing right now and if you look at what wild-card teams have done in the past - some have won the World Series - the important thing is just to get to the playoffs," Johnson said. "Considering the struggles of this organization in recent years (four straight losing seasons), if you're getting in via the wild card, it would be pretty exciting for the team, the ownership and the fans.

"You get there however you get there. Then every playoff team starts from scratch."

It's still June, so most of the talk is about winning series. The Giants did that in Oakland, beating the A's two of three. From May 25, a month ago today, the Giants have played nine series. They've won seven, tied one and lost one. In that time, they're 19-9.

Including five wins in six games against Oakland. The Giants outscored the A's 26-12 in the season series.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/24/SP9718D94A.DTL





on edit: re-word my horrific excuse of the English language.

[Upton]

1. Great stuff cboy

remember when the Giants, after losing 6 straight in SD and LA, were 2-7? Since then they've gone 37-25..this team is for real.

Edit: the Giants have 91 games left, if they were to go 46-45 they would finish with 85 wins...last year's wild card winner had but 90 and you know the Giants are going to play better than just 1 game over .500 the rest of the way.

[Onceuponalife]

5. ........

:rofl:

Well they are about to play series in Milwaukee and St. Louis. That should tell us if the Giants are real contenders for the wild card.

[madinmaryland]

6. Get a room you two. It is just so sappy listening to you two.

:puke:

[RockaFowler]

2. It's OK, they'll lose again in the playoffs - IF they make it

We still have 1/2 the season left. And we all know that the Giants choke when it really matters (losing to the lowly Marlins 2x in the playoffs - 1997 & 2003)

[Auggie]

3. Very few who post here expected the Giants to be this successful

so close to mid-season. Kudos to the pitching staff and manager Bruce Bochy.

[Forkboy]

4. I'll be laughing my ass off all winter long if the Yankees finish worse than the Giants.

That would be like having sex with Jennifer Connelly while eating a hot fudge sundae and listening to the Melvins.