Don’t always fear the beard
I went to my very first World Series game last night. The Giants won 11-7. Very nice.
I look like I have boobs
However, the thing that I have most enjoyed about this post season came in game 5 of the NLCS. As I mentioned earlier, I have enjoyed being sanctimonious Steeler fan for the majority of my life. As we were building up to the series, I was following with increased interest the tales coming out of the Rangers/ Yankees series. I read a recent account of the Yankees fans apparently being more than a little mean to Cliff Lee’s wife. Now, I don’t know how the giants fans behaved last night but there’s been nothing in the press about it yet. Maybe that’s because we took Cliff Lee from “unhittable” to “guy who got completely shelled”. So Giant’s fans didn’t have to have that whole I’m so mad that I can’t believe this and I have to aim that anger somewhere. I also don’t think that Giant’s fans would have that simply because all of us are just shocked speechless that we’re even here. There would never be any incredulity with a loss, sadness sure, but not shock. There’s more shock associated with the fact that we’re even here.
Anyway….so I’m at NLCS game 5…Phillies are up 3 to 1… we’re one game from clinching…it’s the last chance we have to clinch at home. Every single Giants fan, while hopeful and well wishing, has some serious fears about sending this game back to Philly. As the innings progressed and the runs failed to appear, some fans started to move towards that kind of directionless frustration. It was at this point that Philly knocks a pretty good ball into the outfield. I can’t remember who hit it, but it was one of those insult to injury moves. The time when you throw your hands up into the air and just sigh.
or
If you’re a philly fan it makes you jump up and yell something about how awesome the phillies are. If you’re one Giants fan, it makes you hurl your empty plastic beer glass at that Philly fan. And in an incredible twist of fate…your beer cup hits the Philly fan in the head. This was one of those points where things could have gone two ways. The first way, the bad way, would have been if those Philly fans yell back and then the Giants fans get riled and then there’s a melee.
What happened was not that… and what happened was so refreshing it made me suddenly sanctimonious again. From the cheap seats, walking on the backs of the bleachers comes this guy, wearing an orange Giants be-logoed suit, a foam beard and a pair of Elvis sunglasses replete with side burns. Suddenly he’s right on top of these phillies fans and he’s got a hand on the philly guys head and he’s yelling in the direction of the cup.
It completely diffuses the situation. Suddenly, this crowd that could have gone to riot, feels guilty about what it’s just done and just sort of stops it’s antagonism.
In a night that had little to recommend itself…Giants lose, series goes back to Philly, it rains…there was this one thing. And honestly, it was a pretty good thing.
Tags: Baseball, Beards, SF Giants, World Series