The 2009 Giants have brought meaningful innings to their side of the Bay for the first time in too long.
But just when that anticipation has reached a crescendo it has come crashing down.
It has risen, and then painfully and quickly it has finally fallen flat.
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Last Wednesday was the last great chance the G-Men had to get close to the Rockies and position themselves to sneak into the playoffs.
They fell behind 4-0 and managed to get three across in the ninth before falling 4-3.
The magnitude of that loss? 3.5 back instead of 1.5 with just 16 to play.
But they won the opener at Dodger Stadium and the Rockies lost. 2.5 back, 15 left, there's still time!
Then Saturday happened. Penny got shelled and an early 1-0 lead was long gone.
Same thing Sunday. Torres leads off with a homer and Timmy was going strong until he walked Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf. A 3-2, 2-out, 2-run bomb from Ethier gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the third and the Giants never recovered.
To make matters worse Colorado took the next two from Arizona and the Giants looked finished again.
The Giants win Monday while the Rockies are off but fall short in their rally Tuesday night just like San Diego does in pursuit of Colorado.
Five back with 11 to play, things aren't looking good.
But Colorado loses Wednesday night and the black and orange hold on.
And Colorado loses again Thursday night and the Giants have a 2-1 lead when John Bowker takes a pitch into the right field seats.
Wait a second, if the G-Men hold on they will be three back with nine to play. And Carpenter and Wainwright are pitching for the Cardinals at Coors the next two days. Timmy and Zito are going for the Giants.
We might be alive still!
And then it happened.
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ESPN's Bill Simmons calls it the "Stomach-Punch Game." It feels like there have been 10 this year.
With two outs, two strikes and still leading 2-1 Jeff Baker takes Brian Wilson deep for a two-run homer and the Cubs lead 3-2.
If your a fan of almost any other big league club there is still solace in the bottom of the ninth.
Giants fans don't really have that luxury.
Even with two on and one out there it still that feeling that they will blow this chance and yet even when they do it hurts.
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With one out Rowand strikes out. He looks so overmatched at the plate, I can't imagine why Bochy would even let him near the dish at this point in such a pivotal game. I would rather see Matt Cain up there, at least he got a triple the other night.
Three pitches and Rowand strikes out. Everyone is quick to criticize the Zito signing but even at half the cost Rowand looks like a bigger bust.
Pinch hitter! Fred Lewis? He strikes out too.
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And there you have it. In recent memory there has not been a worse team at doing the little things right when it comes to producing runs.
The Giants don't take pitches, they don't work counts, they don't walk.
They don't steal bases, take extra ones, they don't hit-and-run.
No one can get down a sacrifice bunt, they don't try to, or worse, if they do they pop it up.
No one knows how to execute.
They will get a lead-off man on 2nd and strand him. Runners on 1st and 2nd and strand both.
Did I mention they can't bunt?
Not only can no one, or will no one bunt, but no one will move a runner over.
The Giants give up outs like millionaires give up 20 dollar bills.
When that lead-off man gets to 2nd base a good team will find a way to get him to third. Then somebody will knock him in.
Even if that means a groundout and a sacrifice fly.
Sample Giants inning twice a game: Leadoff double, groundout to third (runner has to hold), strikeout, pop out.
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For a team that generates so few opportunities the ease and carelessness at which the 2009 Giants squander them is beyond frustrating and downright appalling.
This is not the 1927 Yankees. There are no three run homers just waiting to fall out of the sky.
This is a team that has to manufacture runs and they refuse to do it.
There is only one guy hitting over .300 and Pablo Sandoval has been near the league leaders in hitting for most of the year.
The only other guy close is Juan Uribe. He has had a great September and it's scary to think where the Giants might be without his emergence.
Everyone else has struggled. Even the guys brought in to shore up the spotty offense are gone. Freddy Sanchez is hurt again and Ryan Garko can't get off the bench.
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The Giants don't need superstars at every other spot in the order but they do need a few decent hitters. They need professional hitters.
Guys that are willing to do the things I talked about.
They need unselfish and smart guys at the plate that will bunt, move guys over by hitting ground balls behind the runner and driving in runs via the sacrifice fly.
A few of those guys and the Giants are on the verge of a playoff spot. Better yet they are at least a 95 win team.
They would have at least ten more wins. They have squandered way too many close games because they blew chances to score a run here and a run there based on poor hitting approaches and guys failing to acknowledge or execute the right way based on the situation.
That kind of play is downright unacceptable time and time again at the big league level and people need to be held accountable.
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Not sure but you sure can set a tone and let them know what is expected. The time for winning 75 games has long past for a proud franchise and the mediocrity needs to be put to bed.
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It's gonna be a long winter for Giants fans wondering what could have been if this team could have come up big in a few spots where they really needed it.
The core of the team will be back and in many ways that's a good thing.
The future is still bright but I have my serious doubts whether Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy should really be pulling the strings anymore but after a surprise run at a playoff spot both seem near locks to return.
If the Giants are serious about contending and Buster Posey's rookie year won't include 60 home runs and 180 RBI's then they really need to find more bats lest we sit through another year of putrid and futile attempts to push a couple of runs across each night.
It's been a great ride but I think it's about time to jump off this one and onto the next one headed towards the 'Stick. I know you miss October's there.
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