Face it – the Giants chances of catching the Padres in the NL West is slim to none. Sure, I guess it’s possible that the Padres could totally shit the bed and go 1-6 against the Giants the rest of the way. It’s also possible that I could win the mega lotto next week AND find a magical pony in my backyard that knows the recipe for Krispy Kreme’s. I mean, anything is possible. Other than the fact it’s not.

As I speak, the G-men (who are idle today) sit 6.5 games behind the Swingin’ Friars who will play the Diamondbacks later on this afternoon and win – cause hey – what else do the Padres do other than win? Either way, the Giants will end the day either 6 or 7 games out of first place with only 34 games left on the 2010 schedule.

On the bright side (or maybe not…) the Giants DO have seven games left remaining against the Padres, and it’s simple mathematics combined with the law of averages to say the Giants will play the Padres a little better in those remaining seven, right? I think? I hope? I pray? Fuck, we’re screwed.

In all seriousness though, barring a total collapse (and that includes melting down versus the Giants) or a 14 of 15 winning streak, catching the Padres just doesn’t seem like much of a concern any longer. Even if the Giants were to take, let’s say, 5 of 7 from the Padres…and the Friars played .500 ball the rest of the way (which is not happening)…the Giants would need to *starts counting on fingers* – fuck it, I can’t count that high.

My point is – forget the West. It’s a near impossible task. The Phillies are currently in the process of crapping their own pants, losing to the Astros (who’ve already beat them three straight, *nojinx* and are in the hopefully process of doing so four straight)…meaning the idle Giants would overtake the Wild Card spot by a 1/2 game and be tied in losses. That means our orange and black would control their own destiny from this point forward (well, 99% of the way…St. Louis has a small say in that, record wise…but we’re getting too involved here). Plain and simple – the Giants control their own destiny in the Wild Card chase.

The Rockies are mounting their normal Summer surge right now – but they still sit behind the Giants by 4 games. So while they’re a minor concern, it shouldn’t be that much of one yet.

The Phillies and Braves still have two slugfest series left to play, and the East is far from decided. It very well could be the Braves the Giants are battling for the Wild Card come season end, not the Phillies.

Either way – the Giants hold their own cards right now. I’m not discounting the Braves/Phillies or Cardinals – they’re all solid teams. But, the Wild Card is there for any team who wants it. It’s a sprint to the finish.

34 games left for the Giants….buck up, boys. It’s gonna be one hell of a ride.

He wasn’t the fielder Willie Mac was. His bat couldn’t compare to Mays’. But he ensured that he will always live in Giant history with a single swing of the bat on October 3rd, 1951.

Thompson’s shot off of Brooklyn Dodger Ralph Branca sent the Giants to the World Series (breaking the 1-1 series tie), a moment that capped a historic comeback. The Giants trailed the Dodgers by 13 1/2 games in mid-August but went 37-7 over the final 44 games to force the three game tie-breaking series with the crosstown rivals.

The Giants eventually went on to lose the World Series in 6 games to the Yankees and ended up moving out west to the Bay a few short years later. But Thompson’s historic blast will always be Giants history, be it in New York or San Francisco.