I haven’t written much as of late. I’ve been trying to find something good to be hopeful about. All I have thus far is our new aquisistions are playing well, and the rookies are playing better than we expected.

If I see you at the park, I hope you’re  wearing orange.

I don’t know what else to say other than,

“I feel sick.”

To everyone who jumped all over Benitez today for blowing the game . . . don’t. He blew the save (yes jimmy, there is a difference.)

There was a problem with getting squeezed by the umpire. Those watching from home saw it - a strike teacup like zone. But let’s not forget that Armando managed to get out of that inning without letting another run score. He lost the save to a mental lapse. It hurt, it happens, it sucks, get over it. He proved he could handle the escalated pressure by shaking it off and getting out of the inning without losing the game. We could talk about Mr. Wilson, but why hate? We just won 5 out of our last 6 games people, no reason to hate.

I will also point out that this was the first blown save in 8 outings. Last I checked that’s pretty damned good. 87.5% like a 3.5 GPA, how many of the haters out there can boast a 3.5 GPA at a top 50 school? How many of you can hit 9 out of 10 free throws. How many of you can do it to win a game? series? Championship? They guy is doing well. He is becoming a good closer. Not great yet, but good.

So I say if your going to jump all over a guy for getting an A- in closing, Don’t.

4 games in a row. 4 games. Not the monumental momentum that Atlanta has been enjoying, but the longest Giants streak of the 2006 season. And it couldn’t come at a better time. 1/2 a game out of first with two more games against San Diego. Our main man Schmidt takes the mound tomorrow, and things are just looking really good on the clubhouse side.

Speaking of the clubhouse. Thank you for team leadership. Vizquel shut the doors and spoke his mind. Omar does indeed have a posse, and that posse is me, and everyone else who is stepping up their efforts this year to make this team better.

Lowry said there’s an upbeat attitude permeating the team now, a one-for-all, all-for-one mentality. He can feel it, touch it.

“It’s a new mentality here and everybody is believing in what we talked about,” said Lowry. “Everybody’s buying into what we talked about. It’s a different feeling, to tell you the truth.”

Thank you to the franchise leadership for doing the same. Brian Sabean, I love what you are doing with the team. Close the doors, make the trades, keep doing what you are doing. The 2nd winningest team in baseball doesn’t come about by accident.

And to all of you ney-sayers:

Shea Hillenbrand is exactly what the Giants need. 2 time allstar with a near .300 average, exactly what we need. I will explain from the point of view of Monday nights game. Twice the Giants had the bases loaded with no outs. And the result of the loading? 1 sacrifice RBI. One more hit was all we needed to turn the game early and quite possibly prevent the 6th inning hemmorage.

So I ask you, what will 1.5 hits, with potential pop, give us every game? The division.

I missed it. I was in class, or on BART, or heading to my car. I don’t know. But when I heard the wrap up I screamed for joy mixed with sorrow.

The suicide squeeze. There is no greater thing of beauty in baseball. A split second of carefully orchestrated chaos. Grand slams happen weekly. Perfect games are rare but long and drawn out, and are for the most part an individual effort. The sqeeze requires everyone on the bases and in the box to be focused, and perform. It says ‘we can score at will,’ it throws a defense into a panic.

So not only did they pull the squeeze off, they did it without an out at first. Better than textbook. Oh yah, the back to back to back homers were pretty special too - 10th time in Giants history. You know, this could be the turning point.

Little Kruk texts it best, “they’re going to win the freakin’ world series!”