A Giant Win

San Francisco Finally Wins World Series

There were many who told the San Francisco Giants that they were not going to win the National League West division. They clinched it on the last day of the season, beating the San Diego Padres, a team that had held first place for 150 days.

Analysts and critics then said that the Giants weren’t going to beat the Atlanta Braves. They finished them off in four games.

Beating the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies? That wasn’t supposed to happen either. It took six games to finish them off, with closer Brian Wilson striking out the Phillies’ best hitter, Ryan Howard, looking.

Almost everyone said that there was no way the Giants were going to win the World Series against the Texas Rangers. Once again, they didn’t listen, and finished off the best hitting team in Major League Baseball in five games.

For all the “TORTURE” talk, for all the rally songs that were created along the way, for all the quirks and idiosyncrasies that come along with this team, they can now say that they are the best team in the league. “Maybe we’re not the best team, but we certainly played the best,” conceded Giants General Manager Brian Sabean to Comcast during the postgame celebration.

Maybe not, but the pitching staff was the best. Tim Lincecum pitched the game of his life, striking out ten batters in the penultimate game. Matt Cain never allowed a single run during the playoffs. Madison Bumgarner, who turned 21 three months before the Series victory, was the winner in the clinching game against the Braves. He kept the Phillies from scoring in the clinching game against the Phillies, and shut out the Rangers in Game 4 of the World Series.

There are many who say that the Giants won this all without big name stars, but after performing like they did on the national stage, everyone knows about the “names” on this team now.

These names include Buster Posey, who put on a great performance, cementing himself in record books and sealing his bid for National League Rookie of the Year. Another big name is Brian Wilson, who is out in his own world when he’s off the field, but when he is in game mode, there is no standing in his way. That is why fans coined the rally cry, “Fear the Beard!” due to the monstrous beard that Wilson started growing in late July. Who can forget Cody Ross? The man who was named MVP of the National League Championship Series came out of nowhere with his five home runs, the most of any player on the team. This list goes on and on.

Once Wilson got the final out, the team and Giants fan in Texas and all around the world exploded with joy. There was such a euphoric feeling during the entire celebration, and many players got emotional. Many of them were picked up off of waivers or traded because their previous team didn’t want them. Aubrey Huff, who played over 1,500 games before even getting to the playoffs this season, was visibly emotional. Players cried tears of joy, fans cried tears of joy and the baseball gods smiled down upon the newly crowned World Series Champions.

All these characters and self-described “misfits” ended the 56-year drought for the Giants organization, dating back to when the franchise was still the New York Giants. The city of San Francisco and the all the surrounding areas fully embraced all the players, and the Orange and Black Fever was not lost on Presentation. Pres girls got the chance to show their Giants pride on two free dress days, thanks to lifelong Giants fan Ms. Schrader, and many wore their colors with pride.

“It was a big relief for them to win because the last time they won they were in New York. This is really fun for our generation to see our team be the World Series winners,” said freshman Kat Wreaves.

It has been fun; it has been really fun. People counted this team out so many times, and it has been very entertaining watching them prove everybody wrong. The only thing left to say is “Thank you.” We never stopped believing.

November Game of the Month: Varsity Volleyball

On October 29, a row of four proud Presentation athletes stood in front of a raging crowd. The rest of their teammates stood behind them, cheering for them and congratulating them for their final home game at Presentation High School. The four seniors, Claire Hansen, Sarah Blach, Motade Atanda, and Stephanie Dvorak, were excited for their last volleyball game. The opposing team, Saint Ignatius, mentally prepared themselves for what they knew would be a hard game.
Senior Night, a tradition for volleyball as Pres, is a game that draws many viewers and really represents our school pride. Usually, all the members of the seniors’ families attend this game to see their girls’ final moment on the volleyball court. Traditionally, the rest of the team makes signs for the seniors and hang them on the walls for all to see. The seniors receive flowers and a special presentation from the announcer.
After these festivities were over, the girls got ready to start their game. Starting off strong, Presentation attacked SI with kill after kill. Atanda played a key role with plenty of sturdy blocks, shoving the ball back down onto SI’s side of the court. Pres won the first game quickly and easily, 25 to 16.
The second game was also quite successful and had plenty of exciting moments. Hansen and Blach were on their game and were hitting spectacularly. Blach, an outside hitter, slammed the balls down at SI fiercely. Her serves were also very strong and resulted in a lot of aces. Hansen, a right side hitter, crushed balls into the corner of the court. These hits almost always hit the floor on SI’s side of the court. Though they were working hard, SI’s frustration was apparent by the time they lost the second game 25 to 15. Presentation’s spirits were up as they entered the third game with a lot of confidence.
The third game surely made Pres girls proud. All of the girls were working as hard as they could, even with the advantage against Saint Ignatius. Dvorak, a libero, was also playing very well. She was on her toes and ready to dig any ball hit at her. Whenever SI would try to trick the defense and tip the ball instead of hit it, Pres’ defense was there to pick it up and make a kill out of it. Nothing could get past the Presentation defense. Every girl on the team also had very consistent serves. With around half the team jump serving, balls were being fired at SI. There were not many serves that did not make it over the net or went out of bounds. This third game was won 25 to 14.
All in all, Presentation performed very well against Saint Ignatius. The girls worked together as a team and truly made the spectators proud. Coach Cooling, excited about the win, stated “It was an amazing game. We couldn’t have played any better. The seniors were phenomenal. The game was a must-win for us and we dominated from beginning to end.” The team is now competing in CCS; best luck to them and go Panthers!