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Beware: ROCKTOBER

Ok, so I got a lot of flak for my last post. I was criticized for being too negative. Especially since the Giants immediately turned things around and won the series against the Rockies and have now crept back to 1 game back of the division and the wildcard.

Let me clear some things up here. I'm a Giants fan. I am a HUUUUUUGGEEE Giants fan. There is nothing I want more (besides money and women) than a Giants championship. But being a Giants fan for 30 years has jaded me. I want to believe like my optimistic Giants fan friends, those poor naive innocent optimists. But I can't. Why? Because I'm a Giants fan!!! I've already recited all the ways the Giants have broken our hearts when they've been in contention the past decade plus. Why would this year be any different? Because the clubhouse chemistry is so good? No.

This team has been frustrating, amazing, scintillating, and yes Kuip, torture to watch this season. So many good story lines. So many things to feel good about (except you Zito and Sandoval). And man, would it be great to hear about Aubrey Huff in the playoffs for the first time as a regular. Or Posey getting a taste of October in his first full season.

And I'm not a "sky is falling" dude. I actually think the Giants would have as good a chance as any team to reach the World Series IF they made the playoffs. But that is a big IF. Why? Because while the Giants have begun striking fear in the Padres, they've simultaneously opened the door for the Rockies to squeeze in.

The Rockies are the Giants biggest nemesis. Don't get me wrong. The Dodgers are our arch rival. But the Rockies are our nemesis. Remember 1993? All they had to do was beat the Braves once in the entire season and the Giants would have gone to the playoffs. Instead? They lost 13 games to Atlanta. If you pay attention (and seriously, go back and look at it), the Rockies almost always have a hand in f'ing the Giants. The Rockies love to play the Giants tough down the stretch. But when the Giants need them to win against other playoff hopefuls, they almost always lie down. Don't believe me? Look it up. Seriously.

It would be poetic in that Romeo and Juliet kind of way if the Giants stormed all the way back to knock the Padres off their perch only to be passed up by the Rockies. And trust me, it's going to happen. The Rockies have the most favorable home schedule the rest of the way. The Rockies play ricockulously well at Coors Field. I think they mess around with those damn humidor balls personally. The Rockies came back from a 5-0 deficit today to beat the Reds... ON A STEAL OF HOME!!! If that doesn't just reek of good omens, I don't know what does (it almost perfectly wipes out Darren Ford's wild pitch score against Ubaldo!).

The Giants are playing well right now. They're playing really well. They're doing what they need to do to get to October. The only problem is... so are those damn Rockies. And the Rockies live to eff the Giants out of the playoffs. And I just can't help but feel that's going to happen again. Because it's like clockwork. Just like how the Giants almost always bring heartbreak. Combine those two elements and I see reason to be concerned.

I'm enjoying the ride. I live and die with every pitch. But I just can't allow myself to start believing. Because if I start believing, I'm setting myself up for the heartbreak that is almost sure to come...

On a side note, the McCourts spend $150,000 on haircuts per year. Just another reason to hate those lovable Dodgers. May they never be relevant again...

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