Finding Hope

I thought Alphonse's reaction to the news of Barry's return (in last Sunday's Farley) typified the reaction of Giants fans everywhere. Although Bonds hasn't quite lived up to my modest expectations, he has hit four home runs in four consecutive games, drawn seven walks (thereby tallying a few more rubber chickens) and boosted fan morale, giving them a ray of hope at the end of a dreary season.

Since his return, the Giants have gained three games on the Padres, placing them three games behind. Sadly, San Diego's magic number is down to four. Essentially, that means the Giants are running out of time. They need to win the next three games against the Padres and then continue to win until the end of the season if they want a chance at the championship.

If that sounds like an unlikely scenario, that's only because it is. Realistically, San Diego will clinch the division. Of course, deep down, I'm hoping the Giants have a miracle winning streak that lasts until the commissioner tells them to stop winning and wear their rings already, but I know better. Hope for this season dwindles. Now is a good time to start finding hope in the 2006 season.

On another baseball note: Last week, the evening news reported that Barry hit his 707th homer. I only remember that because they used a graphic of Bonds with the caption, "Homerun Qwest". I'm not sure what a "homerun qwest" is, but I'm guessing it's like a home run quest, but with more typos. I hope they do a better job of spellchecking. Otherwise, viewers can expect to see coverage of the "American Leg Pendant Race" and the "Whirl Ceres" in October.