Let’s backtrack to the day Brian Sabean signed Edgar Renteria, eventual World Series MVP two years later. That’s quite a dubious yet fitting ending for a player who spent most of his time riding the pine or on the disabled list. And this is the type of story that defined the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Now let’s backtrack, or rather, take back every criticism we’ve had for Brian Sabean. Because, his baby, the roster that is the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants, produced when it mattered most. We can call it luck, we can call it talent, but at the end of the day, we’ll just call it World Series Champions. Brian Sabean went all-in on home grown pitching (he locked in Matt Cain and Brian Wilson), hungry veterans, and a prospect that became a 23-year old superstar in less than a full season of work behind the plate. His stood behind his philosophy that pitching, defense, and timely, situational hitting is what would get San Francisco to the promise land. No longer is it a philosophy, it’s a reality. From Freddy Sanchez, crawling back from injury, slowly bringing his batting average to .292, showcasing a gold glove caliber 2nd baseman skills, and becoming one of the most reliable hitters in the World Series to even Aaron Rowand who came into a key hitting situation in Game 2 and producing a triple for 2 RBI’s. All the players Giants’ fans have complained and wrote-off came to play. What about the elephant in the room that we call Barry Zito? Well, this is where Bruce Bochy hedged his bet. In the last month of the season and going into the postseason, Bruce Bochy became a shrewd decision maker influenced by results, not heart. Unfortunately for Zito, he didn’t get a chance to redeem himself here, but what happened was Bruce Bochy allowed his team the best chance to win. The list of perfect decisions by Bochy can now be engraved in marble and encased in a vacuum sealed case to be displayed in Cooperstown. Duane Kuiper said on KNBR with Murph & Mac that Bochy approached Aubrey Huff on September 1st to practice bunting as there might be a situation in which he’ll need to bunt; Huff didn’t record a single sacrifice hit in his entire career up until the 7th inning of Game 5 where he successfully (and beautifully) bunted Cliff Lee’s pitch up the 1st base line, putting runners on second and third base and preventing the very likely event of a double-play. This was Bochy’s call and what do you know, it was perfect. As the postseason evolved, so did the need for reliable defense and this is where Bochy decided to go with Renteria at shortstop fulltime after the Division Series, solidifying the left side of the infield with Juan Uribe. And somehow, someway, and so fittingly, Renteria became the World Series MVP. This World Series victory addressed or negated every questionable decision made by upper manager to management on the field either by sheer luck or hunch. From trading Bengie Molina to allow Buster Posey become the fulltime catcher to trading for Javier Lopez to claiming Cody Ross from waivers, every move and every decision paid off in unimaginable ways. As Ned Colletti informed Tim Kawakami about a text he received from Brian Sabean, “you don’t pick the time, the time picks you.” And so it went, the San Francisco Giants caught every break like Ian Kinsler’s certain homerun off Matt Cain bounced off the top of the centerfield wall and back into the field to hold Kinsler to a double – and the Rangers didn’t score that inning and the entire game. 2010 was the year of give and take where fans doubted the San Francisco Giants and was awarded with “torture,” and where torture rewarded the fans with a World Series Champion. The year of the underdog, or perhaps it was just the year of ultimate pitching, perfect decisions, and timely hitting. No matter the argument, the 2010 San Francisco Giants are the most deserving team of this honor. And so are the fans, who have patiently waited over half a century to celebrate a championship in San Francisco. No longer do they need to hang their hat on past San Francisco Giants’ postseason failures, the San Francisco 49er dynasty that has now turned into a comedy show, or the Golden State Warriors “We Believe” first round playoff escape. The hat now hangs on a World Series trophy. It’s tangible and it’s now. Congratulations to the fans and congratulations to the San Francisco Giants’ organization – its players, staff, and owners. Original posting at Sports History Now
