Backward "K" for Brian on Ryan..

Or, you might just call this "The Life of Brian":

The Giants knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, 3-2, to win the National League Championship Series 4-2.

Juan Uribe’s home run with the bases empty, off a two-out fastball from reliever Ryan Madson, broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.

In relief of Tim Lincecum, who had started Games 1 and 5 and opened the eighth in relief, Giants closer Brian Wilson got the final five outs to bring San Francisco its first NL pennant since 2002.

Wilson’s final pitch was a dandy: a cut fastball over the outside corner, which caught Phillies slugger Ryan Howard looking with Phillies on first base and second. The strikeout was Howard’s 30th in his last 56 postseason at-bats and sealed Wilson’s third save of the series.”

Evocative -- in some minute degree -- of a storied a moment in the Giant's past and Russ Hodges' famous call:

..o.k., o.k., grew up in S.F. and have been a Giants fan since they moved there in '58. Doubt me? I used to go to Seals Stadium and watch Willie May, Willie Kirkland, Jackie Brandt, Hobie Landerith. I was in the stands for the game where Wiilie McCovey broke in, saw the game when Don Newcombe (a pitcher for the Cincinnati reds) beat the Giants 1-0 on a home run he hit. Was at the game where Johnny Antonelli got beat by a wind-blown fly ball and criticized Seals Stadium as a "band box" thereby relegating him from darling to despised in the eyes of the SF fans.

Was at the game where the three Alou brothers (Felipe, Matty, and Jesus) played in the same outfield; also the game where Tommy Davis of the hated Dodgers lost a fly ball in the fog..

..seen it all. Love the "Say Hey" kid, Orlando Cepeda, bled blood and shed tears when Willie Mc's line drive wasn't a foot higher, and hope against hope that the Giants win their first World Serious since coming out to SF.

Now, don't get me started on the 49ers and Oakland. Bled red and gold and black and silver in those days too.

Still think Nancy Pelosi sucks swampwater..

..she's probably not a baseball fan anyway.

This is dedicated to my oldest son, TWP III, who loves the Giants.

(..yeah, yeah, I don't know how you bleed black and silver, but if the old Raiders got ahold of you, guaranteed they could make it happen.)

-30-