At Long Last!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first baseball game I remember going to was game one of the 1962 World Series (I'd been to many before). I was eight that year when the Giants lost in seven games to the Yankees. We were so close that I naturally assumed that a title was coming "next year." Little did I know that next year would be 48 years later.

The San Francisco Giants have been one of the great loves of my life. I have alternately enjoyed them and suffered because of them through a little bit of thick and a whole lot of thin. But when you love someone or something unconditionally you stick to it no matter what.

I'm so happy tonight that the Giants are at long last World Champions. For the team and for all the fans like me who've adored the Orange and Black, whether for 50 years, 20 or 13 like my oldest daughter (I told her I was so happy she didn't have to wait as long as I did for this experience).

I can't help but think of many past Giants who I rooted on: Cap Peterson, Ed Bailey, Jim Davenport, Willies Mays and McCovey, Juan Marichal, Jack and Will Clark, Ray Sadecki, the Baby Bull, John "The Count" Montefusco, Jeff Leonard, Kevin Mitchell, Johnnie LeMaster, Tito Fuentes, Jimmy Ray Hart, Ty Cline, Ron Pruitt, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Juan Uribe, Robbie Thompson, Mike Sadecki, Billy Swift, Randy Moffit, Greg Minton, Bobby Bonds, Steve Scarsone to name but a few.

I also want to give a shout out to some of the people who've taken in Giant games with me over the years: My late great parents, my big brother, Megan Elizabeth, Miranda Kathryn, My Giants brother Paul, Phil, Johnny, Keith, my handsome young nephews, Harvard Steve, Gary, my darling wife, Tim, Jeremy, Jesse, Michael, Natalie, Eric, George and of course many more.

Holy Christy Mathewson, the Giants are World Champions!