When I was in Illinois, baseball season was over. I couldn’t find information on the playoffs for the first week I was there and when I finally found out the SF Giants were headed to the World Series, I couldn’t find out who they would be playing. Someone in Chicago gently explained to me that as far as Chicago is concerned, “baseball season is over.” Oh. Got it.

I arrived home to find Giants fever in full swing (I couldn’t resist that pun, sorry. I know that wouldn’t cut it in the real world of writing…). Last night Al and I cuddled up on the couch with Ed the Dog (according to Al, he’s “not allowed” on the couch – Ed, not Al – which both Ed and I ignore. You never had a doggie cuddle up so close to his mom after an absence. If only he could rub me behind my ears for two hours like I did for him!) But I digress.

When did it become popular for ALL baseball players to spit at the rate of 5-6 spits per minute? I don’t remember this from previous baseball watching that I’ve done in years past. Every time the camera panned in on a player, he spit; sometimes two players at once having some kind of actual spitting contest – you spit, then I spit, then you spit again and we’ll see who can be the first to gross out Mary watching at home. It got to the point where I had to mention it to Al. Is this a new fad? He said the Red Sox used to do it alot and it would really irritate his Mother. I can just hear Ag railing in disgust, “…always with that spittin’.” Last night it was just over the top noticeable and gross, gross, gross. We didn’t even have the HD going, thank God, and I wondered what it would be like when the 3D TV that seems to be looming in our future comes to our living rooms. Globs of spit flying out at us and landing at our feet? I don’t think I can stand it. I also wonder what are they chewing? Please tell me it’s big wads of gum and not throat disintegrating chew tobacco.

This winning Giants team (hopefully tonight will be the night to open champagne!) is so young – 20+ years old – it is a joy to watch them play – the sureness of youth in their eyes, no arrogance or jadedness, just high fives and confidence that is often replaced by cynicism and bravado as the years pile onto the shoulders of professional sports players. This is a team of nobodies who came together to surprise the world. I hope they win on so many levels.

Go Giants!