For most of my life if I had to pick one professional sports team that I actually care about, it would be the Giants, although they have been bad enough lately that I don't much care about them now. Yeah, I'm basically a fair-weather fan. I wasn't back in the day, but the championships spoiled me and having young kids who needed more attention than my local ball club pulled me in a different direction. Players like Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, and Sergio Romo were fun to cheer for. Cain was the guy I always liked the most. He pitched through the hard years in the aughts, post Bonds, when the team didn't generate any offense, and he would throw gems, only to lose 1-0 or 2-1, or turn the game over to a reliever who would give up 6 runs. His career ended with injury problems and a couple of rough years afterward, but until the injury in 2014 he was a workhorse. He also only ever played for the Giants. Dude was a baller.
And yeah, the '14 WS was incredible--especially the last five innings of game 7.
Those Giants teams (2010, 2012, 2014) set the standard for my strong belief that leadership and team cohesion matter more than aggregate skill. None of those teams were the "best" in baseball, they just played the best when it mattered.
FWIW, I enjoyed the Royals winning in 2015.
I've been wanting to wade in. This job would be great, if it weren't for the people.
KC had several guys like your description of Cain, a standout in my memory was Zack Greinke for several years, particularly in 2009, when the team lost 97 games. He only went 16-8, but if had been on a team that didn't get outscored by 200 runs across the season, probably would have been looking at a 25-3 type like iirc Ron Guidry had for the Yankees in my youth. He had a kinda flaky personality, so I wouldn't say he was a warrior or a bulldog, but the boy had talent. He ended up asking for a trade, which who can blame him, but sending him brought back 2 major pieces that helped lead them to the pennant twice and a championship.
And re 2014, how can that one be mentioned without saying one of Joe Buck's love of his life's names. Madison F'ing Bumgarner. Absolutely dominating in 3 of their 4 wins. And the Royals could not get Pablo Sandoval or Hunter F'ing Pence out. Like, I don't remember them not getting on base.
A lot of Royals fans think the team won in spite of Ned Yost and his game managing decisions. I think the team played like their hair was on fire and would run through a brick wall for the guy, for years.
Anyway. That's turning into a while ago at this point.
Everything will probably get mucked up with another work stoppage, like the one that derailed 94. KC was surging up the standings when the plug got pulled, and who knows how that one might have turned out.
