Basebrawl: Goodbye to the Giants edition

It seems like less than two weeks ago that we launched Basebrawl, a trash-talking battle between Westword and the San Francisco Giants lovers at our sister paper, the SF Weekly -- maybe because it was less than two weeks ago. And in that short amount of time, the Giants managed...

By Michael Roberts

October 1, 2009

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It seems like less than two weeks ago that we launched Basebrawl, a trash-talking battle between Westword and the San Francisco Giants lovers at our sister paper, the SF Weekly -- maybe because it was less than two weeks ago. And in that short amount of time, the Giants managed to be passed in a fairly tight wild-card race by the Atlanta Braves, who'd been given up for dead by everyone other than those who noticed how many times they play the Washington Nationals before season's end -- not that it'll probably matter by then, given that the magic number is down to one.

As for the Giants, they've been slain by cruel mathematics. But the Weekly bowed out of Basebrawl in typical style, declaring that they hate the Rockies more than the Braves. Why? Because the Rocks' failure to knock off Atlanta even once in 1993 kept the Giants out of the playoffs.

Yep, the Weekly crew's been nursing Colorado hatred for sixteen years simply because the Rockies couldn't manage to top one of the best squads in baseball, during a year (their first) that they hardly defeated anyone in MLB's upper tier. That's the equivalent of us still carrying a grudge against San Francisco because of the 1990 Super Bowl, in which the Giants absolutely destroyed the Broncos 55-10.

Yes, that game remains one of the most painful sporting moments of my life: I imagine it was a lot like childbirth, if the baby had been the size of a 1965 Buick LeSabre. But I've moved on. I have nothing but respect for Joe Montana, not to mention the state of Montana, and I think San Francisco is a lovely place as well. And I wish Giants fans the best as they watch the Rockies figuratively beat the Braves in ways they couldn't manage during the previous millennium but have gotten damned good at in this one.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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