Giants seek amazing WS 3-peat

Sometimes the journey to an ultimate destination can be arduous, perilous and seemingly impossible to reach.

With an unrelenting spirit driven by belief, determination, resilience and, so often the case, some luck, the goal of the vital quest will be achieved, and the feeling becomes euphoric.

In baseball, the World Series is the ultimate destination and claiming the championship is attaining the Shangrila at the end of an odyssey.

But, to become a World Series finalist, a Major League Baseball team must win a league title, which is not by any means an easy task, and to accomplish it also takes the belief, determination, resilience and that dose of luck which drives that unrelenting spirit.

For the third time in five years the San Francisco Giants are the National League champions and are ready to begin their third World Series in a half a decade, with a chance to attain the ultimate baseball title three-peat after claiming the 2010 and 2012 crowns.

When the Giant players who have been on all three World Series teams, or the 2012 and 2014 squads, are asked to compare them, they say there are similiarities and differences. But all compare in character and determination, along with talent, and of course, without hesitation, the best of coaching.

This year's NL champion Giants surely have all the above, but this 2014 team has its own resolve to winning.

The 2012 Giants pulled off the amazing, and possibly unequalled in professional sports, run of six straight elimination game en route to capturing the World Series title.

The 2014 Giants won their seventh consecutive elimination game when they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, and after then first disposing of the Washington Nationals, they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals for the NL championship in their own unique way – scoring 10 runs in various ways without the benefit of an RBI hit.

After everybody was wondering if they would ever hit another home run having gone way more than 200 plate appearances without a homer.

For the record, I wasn't one those "where are the four-baggers," having told others that San Francisco is just saving them up for the World Series.

Well I was wrong – the Giants decided to just launch a few in game five of the seven-game series to snare the NL pennant.

The home-run obligers, who accounted for all six San Francisco runs, were, in order, Joe Panik and his over-the-wall two-run poke for an early lead, followed by Michael Morse's eighth-inning solo, game-tying blast that puts him in the Giants history books.

Then Travis Ishikawa – owner of a 2010 ring, then wandering the MLB prairies until the Giants welcomed him back to the by-the-Bay fold – of all players, and why not on this 2014 team, connects on the monumental and historic ninth-inning three-run "Shot heard round the world-2" homer that puts the Giants in their WS3.

The San Francisco Giants begin their three-peat title quest in today’s World Series game one, with game two tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the American League champion Kansas City Royals home field, returning to their home of champions AT&T Park this Friday, Saturday and, if needed, Sunday.

Hopefully I’ll be writing next Tuesday’s column with World Series title three-peat elation.

Ciao!

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