Here's to Hoping I Get to Make Several "House of Cards" Puns in the Near Future

10 years ago, the Giants squared off against the Cardinals in the NLCS. That one worked out pretty well. What I remember most is how quickly it all ended. There were two outs, nobody on, and then...single, single, walk-off single. Just like that. World Series bound. Glorious. Strangely, I remember almost nothing about that series other than that inning. Of course I watched every game, but I was away at college, and was just not as plugged in. And interestingly, it was the result of that World Series that followed that made me the Giants fan I am today. Never forget (believe me, I've tried). But I digress.

Mike Matheny was behind the plate, calling the pitches that led to those 3 quick, glorious singles. Now 10 years later he's managing against Giants. So that's interesting.

By virtue of a miraculous comeback by the Cards, the Giants have homefield advantage in this series. So that's something.

Counterpoint: the Cardinals have some sort of magic pixie dust that gives them incredible eyes at the plate, which allows them to grind out at bats in the most pressure-packed situations, taking balls that are mere inches out of the strike zone, which allows them to make those previously mentioned miraculous comebacks. So are the Cards really the team the Giants want to be facing? I could write about that.

But what I can't get out of my head is this: If Melky Cabrera got suspended about 10 days earlier, he'd be the Giants starting left fielder. But because he appealed the suspension, the sentence was delayed, and it took him through the end of the regular season and first round of the playoffs. The Giants removed him completely from their minds, and now there's a Gregor Blanco/Xavier Nady platoon in left. Had he been eligible to return for the last few games of the regular season, I'm betting they would have welcomed him back, just as they did Guillermo Mota. Having Melky Cabrera on the roster would allow the Giants to not have Nady, have Blanco for speed off the bench, and have Melky Cabrera on the roster. Sure, he'd likely be PED-free Melky. But from what I understand, the testosterone he was taking mainly aided him in recovering from the daily grind of the long season. Kept him fresh. I'm guessing after not playing for 50 games, one is pretty fresh. I'm not saying he'd hit .350. But he's good on defense, and he's good on offense. It's almost as if he's like if you combined Blanco and Nady into one, and then....ah never mind that's not even close. He's simply way better than both.

Maybe there's some sort of clubhouse chemistry thing going on. But you know what also helps clubhouse chemistry? Winning. There's also no doubt that public relations are being considered. But you know what's good for public relations (and revenue)? Winning a World Series. The decision is just....interesting. And I'll leave it at that.

Giants in 7.