The ubiquitous, rally killing, pom-pons joined the chorus of curses for the Giants Thursday night at AT&T Park/Don Miller
I’m not superstitious.
But …
When I walking into last night’s NLCS Game 5 at AT&T Park and was handed an orange … pom-pon … I knew, viscerally, historically, the Giants would lose to the Phillies and the San Francisco Curse would have to be dealt with in the land of Philly-Phanaticism.
It didn’t take the 3rd inning comedy of errors by the G-Men to deliver this soul deadening punch. Long before Pablo Sandoval’s foot forlornly searched for third base on a wierd fair-or-foul bunt by Phils’ pitcher Big Roy Halladay, and long before Aubrey Huff’s red thong must have tightened around his … throat as Maui boy Shane Victorino’s ground ball clanked off his glove at first base and caromed into center field, it was over.
Orange shades of 2002, of Russ Ortiz and Scott Spiezio … still too painful to remember Game Six of the doomed World Series … much less the epic meltdown of 1987 and Cardinal utilityman Jose Oquendo’s career defining home run off Giants pitcher Atlee Hammaker. (I was in a hospital waiting room moments before the birth of our daughter when this insult to all that should be but never is happened — and remember still my feelings about the injustice and cruelty of baseball for the lifelong fan.)
Last night, in the electricity of a huge crowd anticipating clinching the National League pennant, and Willie Mays lined up with Giants’ stars of yore before the game, and the redoubtable living remnant of the Grateful Dead harmonizing on the Anthem, and amid the intermittent rain and drizzle, the Giants just needed to play their game. And the fans would urge them on with Rally Rags — not the hideous plastic pom-pons, which were discarded by the thousands in the ninth inning, after Phillie rightfielder Jayson Werth, who looks like an outlaw in a Clint Eastwood western, had homered to right field and after the Giants reverted to their meek offensive selves against a suspect Philadelphia bullpen.
Why tamper with success? The Rags had provided two wins. Pom-pons were a relic of the season ending series against San Diego and there was no reason to hand them out again.Might as well have given every fan a red thong to wave, for all the good it did the home team.
But, like I said, I’m not superstitious and I really don’t think the Giants are cursed, no matter what the past tells me.
Onward to Philly.
Tim Lincecum pitches to Jayson Werth in the second inning of Game 5 Thursday night/Don Miller
