My Giants.. 2014 World Series Champions

Everyday is a chance to write history. October 29, 2014 was one of those days. The San Francisco Giants wrote the final page of the 2014 Major League season and World Series and did this all the while being the team that was told that they had no chance.
The 2014 San Francisco Giants story began in spring training. New faces, new start but same drive and passion. The season started off with a bang. At one point the Giants were considered the best team in baseball, going head to head with the Oakland Athletics for that title. After a few key injuries and a stretch of bad baseball, the Giants had become one of the worst teams in baseball. The Dodgers caught then and surpassed them in the standings. When the season came to a close the Giants ended up with a 88-74 regular season record and tied with the Pirates. Both teams were going to go head to head on October 1st to determine who would enter the tournament as the wild card team.
Giants vs Pirates
Winner take all game. Madison Bumgarner (SF), or better known as MadBum to Giants fans was  be the starting pitcher to get the Giants in. Since this was a winner take all scenario, all hands were on deck. The Giants won the game with big contributions from both Brandons (Belt 3-RBIs and Crawford with a Grand Slam) and MadBum threw a 4 hit shut out and with that the team that the experts said would not, could not beat the Pirates at PNC Park, were officially in the dance.

Giants vs Nationals
The National League Division Series (NLDS) The favorites coming in were the Washington Nationals. The first game was played on October 3, 2014 in Washington DC. The starters were Jake Peavy (SF) vs Stephen Strasburg (WASH) The Giants were up 3-0 going into the 7th inning when Hunter Strickland was brought into the game. 2 Solo Home runs later the lead was 3-2, but the Giants were able to hold and Santiago Casiila (SF) got the save.
Game 2 was a 6 hour and 23 minute classic. The Nationals scored in the 3rd inning and Jordan Zimmerman (WASH) was dealing. With 2 outs and one on in the 9th inning Matt Williams pulls him for the closer Drew Storen (WASH) . The Giants tied the game on a double by Sandoval (SF) and the game went into extras when Buster Posey (SF) was thrown out at home. The game went to the 18th inning, great pitching from both bullpens. Brandon Belt (SF) hit a monster home run to put the Giants ahead and Strickland (SF) got the save. 2 quality starts for the Giants in this game one from the starter Tim Hudson (SF) and the other from Yusmeiro Petit (SF). Giants took a 2-0 lead and were heading home.
Game 3 was a match up between MadBum and Doug Fister (WASH). In the top of the 7th inning, MadBum misplayed a bunt at 3 runs scored. The Giants dropped the game 4-1 and the chance to sweep the series.
Game 4 The Giants won this game on a run scored on a wild pitch. The Giants took that 3-2 lead and Casilla  (SF) shut the door for the win and the series 3-1. The team that the experts said would not, could not beat the Nationals, were heading to the NLCS to face the Cardinals who had defeated the Dodgers earlier in the day

Giants vs Cardinals
This was the 4th time that both teams met in the National League Championship Series. The Cardinals winning in 1987 and the Giants taking both series in 2002 and 2012. Now it was 2014 and game 1 was about to begin.
Game 1 was played on October 11, 2014 in St. Louis. Madbum and the San Francisco bullpen combined for a 4 hit shut out and earned a game 1 victory to go ahead in the series 1-0
Game 2 was an exciting game. The Cardinals were up by 2 when the Giants answered back with a runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th to go up 3-2, but the Cardinals aided by solo home runs from Carpenter, Taveras and Adams got them the lead. The Giants tied the game in the top of the 9th only to have Kolten Wong (STL) hit a walk off home run to tie the series at a 1-1 heading to San Francisco.
Game 3 was an extra inning affair. The Giants raced out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st only to see the Cardinals chip away and tie the game in the 7th. In the 10th inning Brandon Crawford scored on a wild throw on a bunt by Gregor Blanco (SF) and the Giants took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Game 4 The Cardinals were up 4-3 by the end of the 3rd inning and the Giants mounted a 3 run 6th inning along with a strong performance by Petit (SF) to win the game and now had a commanding 3-1 lead.
Game 5 was played on October 16, 2014. The Cardinals lead the game 3-2 after 4 innings. In the 8th Michael Morse came off the bench and sparked the crowd and his teammates by hitting a Home Run to tie the game. In the bottom of the 9th, Travis Ishikawa (SF), who was on the 2010 World Series team, launched a walk off 3 run home run to send the Giants to the World Series for the 3rd time in 5 years.
The Giants won the series 4-1 and the team the experts said would not, could not beat the Cardinals were now National League Champions and going to the World Series.

Giants vs Royals
The 110th edition of the World Series was set to start on October 21, 2014 in Kansas City. Although both teams were evenly matched, the sports nation and so called experts had the 'unstoppable' Royals claiming their 'Destiny' and 'Taking the Crown" The Mayor of Kansas City was quoted as saying 'We've waited 29 years for this and not even a Giant can stand in our way' and it seemed that a lot of real and Bandwagon Royals fans believed it. So the stage was set, Dynasty vs Destiny... Giants vs Royals... Game on

Game 1: MadBum vs 'Big Game' James Shields (KC) The Giants went up right away 3-0 in the first with the help of a 2-run Home Run by Hunter Pence (SF), they added 2 more in the 4th and in the 7th. The Royals got a Home Run from Salvador Perez (KC) which was the first earned run given up by MadBum in his World Series career. The Giants won 7-1, handed the Royals their first post season loss and went up 1-0.

Game 2: The game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 6th and then the Royals attacked and put up 5 on the board. The Royals went on to win 7-2 to tie the series 1-1 heading back to San Francisco.

Game 3: Tim Hudson (SF) finally got to start a World Series game. Huddy gave up a run in the first, the Royals added 2 more in the 6th and although the Giants answered with 2 of runs of their own in the bottom of that inning, it was not enough and the Royals won 3-2 and took a 2-1 Series lead. At this point the Giants knew that if they were to win the series, they would have to go back to Kansas City.

Game 4: The Giants took an early 1-0 lead. The Royals answered back with 4 in the 3rd after a miscue. Petit came in a pitched lights out while the Giants scored 1 in the 3rd, 2 in the 5th, 3 in the 6th and 4 in the 7th to make it 11-4 and that score would stand and now the series was tied 2-2. The Giants knew for sure there would be at least one more game in Kansas City.

Game 5: MadBum became the first pitcher to toss a shut out in the World Series since 2003. The game was a tight game until the 8th inning when Juan Perez (SF); who earlier heard the unfortunate news of his friend and Cardinals out fielder Oscar Tavares passing away at age 22, hit a booming double and eventually scored on a Crawford single. The Giants won on a 4 hit shut out, 5-0. Took a 3-2 series lead back to Kansas City.

The Giants have been in the position before, 2002 against the Anaheim Angels, they were up 3-2 going on the road, but they lost the series in 7 games. Would history repeat itself? or would the Giants finish what they started?

Back to Kansas City for at least one more game. Game 6 would be on October 28, 2014.
Game 6 would be a rematch between Jake Peavy (SF) and Yordano Ventura (KC). This game was over by the 2nd inning. The Giants gave up 7 in that frame and Ventura (KC) just dominated. The game ended 10-0. Ventura (KC) dedicated the game to the memory of Oscar Tavares, Just a quick note, while watching the game I must say that I did not like the attitude that Ventura (KC) had. He pitched out of his mind, the Giants were off balance they had no chance that night. But the theatrics with the high leg kick, the staring down the runner while they ran to first was not needed. But that's baseball. So now the series was tied 3-3 and just like that game on October 1st against the Pirates, this would truly be a winner take all game.

Game 7 was played on October 29, 2014. Tim Hudson (SF)  got the start against Jeremy Guthrie (KC). The Giants went ahead 2-0 in the top of the 2nd, the Royals answered back quickly to tie it and Huddy got the hook. Bochy brought in Jeremy Affeldt (SF) and he was really on top of his game. Quick aside here, in 1985 the Royals took advantage of a blown call by first base umpire Don Denkinger and the Royals ended winning game 6 in comeback fashion and blew out the Cardinals in game 7. Let's get back to game 7. Eric Hosmer (KC) hits a ground ball to 2nd basemen Joe Panik (SF) and he dives, flips the ball out of his glove to short stop Brandon Crawford (SF)  who flings the ball to 1st basemen Brandon Belt (SF) and he's ou.... wait.. SAFE! what do you mean safe? Bochy comes out and they review the play, showing that the ball did beat Hosmer (KC) to the bag and the double play was called. The correct call was made. Starting the 5th inning out of the bullpen was MadBum.
After he gave up a hit, he settled down. It wasn't until with 2 down that Alex Gordon (KC) hit a single that was misplayed by not only Gregor Blanco (SF) but by Juan Perez (SF) as well that made it more stressful. Now with a runner on 3rd (single and 2 base error) and 2 outs, the hitter was Salvador Perez (KC), who had hit a home run off of MadBum in the first game. The pitch and he popped it up in foul territory and Panda secured the out and the Giants, the team that was not supposed to be there, the team that would not, could not defy the odds, defy history, deny destiny were the World Champions again for the 3rd time in 5 years.

The Giants wrote that last page of the story, they won the last game. I guess the Mayor of Kansas City can clearly see that a Giant can stop destiny. Bruce Bochy (SF) did it again, he should be in the Hall of Fame. MadBum was World Series MVP and the celebration was on. I wrote myself a note before I left work before first pitch:
"Last game, last call
up against the sports nation, up against history.
Backs are up against the wall,
 but that is when the Giants stand tall.
They will write a new chapter in baseball history'

The Royals were a great team, which helped make this a great World Series. Parade is set for Halloween an awesome Orange and Black affair! #VamosGigantes

"Oh the last goodbye's the hardest one to say. This is where the cowboy walks away.."

It is always hard to say goodbye to anyone. But this one really hurts. On Saturday, June 7, 2014; My family lost an important piece to our family structure. My Mother lost her husband, my niece, nephews and son lost their Grandfather, my wife lost a Father-in-Law, my brother, Sisters and I lost our Father.
David Michael Thomas was called up to Heaven to watch over us from a better place, where he will be without pain. As I sit here trying not to cry while writing this, I am comforted by all of the warm memories I have of him. I cannot speak for my Mom, siblings or niece and nephew, so I can only speak about what I am going through and what I feel.
With every Father and Son relationship there are many peaks and valleys. There are learning moments and times where you may butt heads. David was 'old school', it was not always easy to talk to him because of that. He did not take well to excuses and if he was not satisfied with the answer, he kept on asking questions. I often felt intimidated and uncomfortable at times because he was so knowledgeable about a lot of subjects. He loved to read and to be up on current events. Be it local or national politics, sports and electronics to name a few. But I would not have changed it for anything.
I was really young when Dave came into my life. To me he was Mr. Thomas until I was 18, then he gave the go ahead to call him Dave. I was able to experience a lot of things because of my Mom and him. I am so grateful that they helped me with my education and many other things. I was and am so proud to have shared many of my great life moments with him.
Dave shared with us my High School and College Graduation. My civil and Church wedding and the birth of my son. When I look back on those moments and I look at the pictures, the smile he had was so big and bright and I will have those pictures and memories forever.  One of the things that I know that will always get me is that my son only have 20 months with him, but I know that he will know about him and any future children I have will know about him.
When my Mom told me that Dave's time was coming sooner rather than later, I sat down and I wrote down my thoughts. We had already planned to go up there to visit on Sunday, also celebrate Father's day with him the following week. On Saturday my Sister called me to tell me that he did not look good and that he probably would not make it through the night. I could not move, I cried, but then my Wife encouraged me to go. I left alone, wishing that the phone would not ring. But it did, I missed the call and I called back to hear that he was gone.
I was driving on the Great Highway and my eyes filled with tears, I could not breathe well, but I kept driving. On the drive up to the house, I cried on and off. When I got there I parked the car and I could not get out.  When I finally did, I was pacing back and forth for some time. When I finally found the strength to walk in, I saw my sister Vanessa first and we embraced and cried. Then I embraced my Sister Karen and my Mom. I missed Dave by an hour or so. But when I saw him he looked at peace. Resting without pain, although I was very saddened, I felt relief that he was no longer in pain.
I was able to tell him in private that I was thankful for everything. For treating my Mom so well, for treating us like his own children, for treating our children like his own Grandchildren. I told him that I love him and that I will miss him and that I will not let his memory fade. My Sister Karen and I stayed with my Mom that night, we were helping her sort out some things and helped pick out his suit for the services. He will wear the suit he wore at my Church wedding,so needless to say, he will be looking great.
It is going to be a long and difficult road up ahead with the tough decisions that my Mom and us have to make. I wanted to share with you what I wrote that day I found out that the Doctor's gave him '2 more months' to live:
'It's not fair, it's just not fair.
For so many years you have taken good care of my Mom.
You have taken us in as your own kids and have loved us as such.
There have been many times that you have given advice and we did not follow it,
but you were there to help support us each time.
When I heard what was going on, I did not and still do no want to believe it.
Praying everyday for a miracle to cure what is taking you away from my Mom and us.
I truly believed this would be that one in a million shot.
But now they say it's gotten worse and only a few more memories we will be able to make.
When I look back on the many memories we have shared, graduations, birthdays, my wedding day, the birth of my first son, his baptism, my first Father's Day and Javier's 1st birthday.
I smile and thank God that I was able to have those moments to share with you.
When people ask my about my parents, I always mention that I have 3. My Mom and 2 Dads.
I can never repay you or show you how much I appreciate what you have done for my Mom, for me, Ulisa and Javier.
I can only say thank you and that I will make sure that Javier knows all about what a great man you are.
I still can't believe what is going on and my world will be a lot different when you are gone.
But I will take the many lessons and the words of advice you have given me and share them with my kids.
I know that if I said these words out loud, they may not be heard correctly, so I had to write them down to do them justice.
I know you will watch over Mom and all of us.
I love you Dave.
I'll miss you Dad."

"Oh the last goodbye's the hardest one to say, this is where the cowboy rides away...' -George Strait

WrestleMania XXX

So it has been 16 days since WrestleMania XXX. A lot happened WrestleMania weekend and hopefully some was for the better. Here is the recap of the event from my view.
First, back in February the WWE launch the WWE Network. The main thing with this network was that for a 6 month commitment of $10 you would get access to all of the Pay-Per-Views starting with WrestleMania XXX. So the plan for WWE was to have a 1 hour pre-show on the network and that is where we start WrestleMania XXX.
Pre-Show:
Match 1: Elimination Fatal Four-Way for the World Tag-Team Championships (My prediction was The Usos would retain)
The Usos (C) vs Los Matadores vs Rybaxel (Ryback/Axel) vs The Real Americans (Cesaro/Swagger)
This was a great match for the tag-team division to shine. There have not been a lot of good tag-teams in the WWE for quite some time as they may have lost focus on it. There was a lot of action. The crowd was filing into the Superdome and there was some mixed reactions through out. From the beginning of the match it was clear to me that the favorites to win were either the Usos or the Real Americans.
Los Matadores were eliminated first, followed by Rybaxel and the Real Americans, leaving your winners and still champions... The Usos..
When I say Uce, you say O

Now the show begins....
Here comes your host of WMXXX The Immortal Hulk Hogan. This started off as a possible forgettable moment as the Hulkster had a moment and called the Superdome the Silverdome. Soon after that the segment became epic as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock joined the opening in an exchange of 3 of probably the biggest stars the WWE has ever produced.

Match 2: Daniel Bryan vs Triple H for a spot in the Triple Threat Main Event (My prediction: Daniel Bryan wins, but somehow Triple H makes the main event a fatal 4 way)
This was an obvious opening match for the actual PPV. Triple H still has a lot to give as a performer. His entrance was awesome. The match was good, it got the crowd into the event right away. There was a lot of back and forth action, times when HHH was the aggressor and time Bryan was the aggressor. I was surprised that Daniel Bryan got the clean victory. However, the aftermath was brutal for D-Bry. HHH took out his rage on his shoulder, leaving him questionable for the main event.

Match 3: Corporate Kane, The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) Vs the Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins) (My prediction Shield wins)
This was a qucik match. A lot of action and ended with a Triple Double Power Bomb. Shield wins. Side note, the Shield may be broken up soon, all 3 seem to have potential to have great careers in the WWE. Only time will tell.

Match 4: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (My prediction Rey Mysterio would win)
Battle Royals are very messy. There are so many wrestlers in the ring and sometimes hard to keep track of them. The final two were The Big Show and Cesaro. There was a nod to WrestleMania III when Hogan body slammed Andre, as Cesaro Body slammed the big show over the top rope to the outside for the win. The power showcased by Cesaro was crazy. Big future for him if they play their cards right with him.

Match 5: Bray Wyatt vs John Cena (My prediction Bray Wyatt would win)
The build up for this match was 50/50. Bray Wyatt's promos were excellent. Cena's build up and lead in were very much the same as they always are, but this time they made him seem scared of the Wyatt family. But that was all for nothing as once again 'Super Cena' won the match. In my opinion WWE could have used this opportunity to elevate Bray Wyatt to a higher level, but instead they went the other way. I hope Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt family do not lose their momentum because of this.

WWE 2014 Hall of Fame Class:
Jake "the Snake" Roberts
Mr. T
Paul Bearer
Carlos Colon
Lita
Razor Ramon
The Ultimate Warrior

Match 6: The Streak is on the line: Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (My prediction 22-0, Undertaker wins)
Well son of a ..... He lost. The Undertaker lost. I still can't believe it. That Superdome is cursed. First the Niners lose for the first time in the Superbowl and now the streak ends. The crowd was so shocked and defeated. After the match, there were reports that the Undertaker had suffered a Major Concussion and was rushed to the hospital afterwards. The Undertaker took 3 F-5's during the match and when the refs hand him down for the 3 count, I really couldn't believe it. A part of history died, a part of my childhood died. It's been over two weeks and when I think about it, I can't believe that I live in a world where the Undertaker is 21-1 at WrestleMania. Whatever the reasoning was for Brock (The Beast Incarnate, not the 'Beast and Carnage' as some folks mislabel him) was the right one. I for one, would have loved to have the Undertaker go out undefeated at WrestleMania. Let's see where this goes next.


Match 7: Vickie Guerrero Invitational (Prediction AJ retains)
AJ Lee retained the Divas championship. This was another match like the battle royal, too many people in the ring. However, they gave a few spots to some of the Divas, like the Bella Twins (Surprise, surprise).

Match 8: Randy Orton (C) vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan (My Prediction Daniel Bryan will win)
This match had it all. Broken tables, big hits. Big spots. Daniel Bryan being taken out in a stretcher. A Batista Bomb-KO (Combination Batista Bomb and RKO)
This was a great moment for Daniel Bryan. Great pay off for all the storyline BS that the character was put through. This match got people into the event again as they were still in shock with the Undertaker loss.

Overall the event was good. Good moments, good matches. But the Undertaker losing will be what this WrestleMania will forever be known for.

The next night on Monday Night Raw the Ultimate Warrior cut a promo thanking the fans again. The next day 4/8/14 the Ultimate Warrior suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. The Warrior was away from the WWE for so long and he finally started his comeback home late last year and was rightfully placed where he belonged in the WWE Hall of Fame. The weekend was special for the Warrior and his family. During his hall of fame speech the Warrior told his daughters 'The most awesome thing that I'll ever do is be your father' That is what sticks with me. The promo Warrior did on Raw was almost like he was saying goodbye, like if he knew the end was coming. One thing for sure is that we must try to appreciate everyday and not take for granted every day, every minute we have.

Now the road to WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara begins.....