The Giants are headed back to their third World Series in five years on Tuesday and they do it in walk-off fashion by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 on Thursday night. If anyone is surprised by the Giants getting back to the Fall Classic, they shouldn’t be. Under Bruce Bochy, the Giants have won every postseason series. They could continue that streak with a World Series win against the Royals.

Madison Bumgarner had a great NLCS and was named MVP of the series.

“I’m thankful and blessed to have the opportunity for this. I don’t know that I’m 100 percent deserving of it,” Bumgarner said. “There’s plenty of guys that deserve it, also. We’re just excited to be moving on.”

There isn’t much I can really say that hasn’t been said already in the time since the NLCS ended. The Giants are one of those teams who just go into “October Mode” when they get to the postseason. The tale is being told just like it was in 2010 and in 2012,now we’re seeing this again in 2014. I have no idea if it will end like those prior two championship years, but no surprises here if it does.

And how about Travis Ishikawa?

Here’s a guy who had considered retirement a time or two before rejoining the Giants over the summer and he comes through when moment came for him to do so. Not only that, he redeemed himself after misplaying a fly ball earlier in the game that cost his team a run.
Redemption came in the form of the walk-off home run that we’ve all seen many times. A three run shot over the 24-foot high right field wall to send his team back to the Fall Classic.

“It’s gratifying,” Ishikawa said. “If there’s an organization I’d want to do it for, it would be this one.”

I think my favorite part of what happened is when Jake Peavy was out at second with no corrective lenses on and trying to hug him and then Ishikawa says this:

“Move! I hit it out!”

What a great story Ishikawa has been this season for the Giants. Not only did they think enough of him to bring him back,but also placed him in left field with the confidence he could fill that hole and play adequately well there. I was glad he was the guy who came up with the big hit to send these guys back to the World Series.

Also, what a great first name!

As for the World Series, I think it will be a good one. You have two teams who were the last to make it into the playoffs in their respective leagues and have made all the right moves to get to where they are.

There’s no doubt that what the Royals have done is nothing short of incredible. From their big win in the Wild Card game straight on through to now the World Series. They have played their game to their advantage. Not to mention that in the regular season the Royals beat the Giants pretty good in their home ballpark.
But that was then and this is now. The Giants will be ready for the Royals. Just like they were ready for the Pirates, the Nationals and the Cardinals. Kansas City has a great young team that plays excellent ball, but they haven’t seen pitching like the Giants and the Giants are just too experienced. I like the Giants to win this in six!

The big surprise of the early weekend was the Seahawks trading Percy Harvin to the New York Jets on Friday for a conditional pick in the 2015 draft.

The end of Harvin’s time in Seattle came after it was reported that he had several altercations with teammates during his tenure there and that he took himself out of games and refused to go back in. It was apparent that the team had just about enough of his antics and off he was to New York. If a trade wasn’t able to be completed, Harvin would’ve been cut by the team.

When I first heard about the trade, I was shocked. I thought the Seahawks were crazy for doing it and that their offense was going to suffer because of Harvin’s departure. But then when I heard why they did it, it became understandable. After a while, guys who won’t be a part of the team or want it their way are bound to be cut loose and/or sent packing sooner or later.

Not only did they send him to the Jets, they sent him to a team that had already played in Week 7,meaning anyone who had Harvin on their fantasy team was screwed. Big time.

It seems like anytime I talk about the Florida Panthers on this blog,it’s usually because of their low attendance figures,and this team is no different. The Panthers recorded their lowest attendance ever for a game that happened last week against the Ottawa Senators where they played before an announced crowd of 7,311 fans at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. Pictures,however,don’t reflect a crowd of 7,311. Judge for yourself!

I think it’s safe to say that the Panthers may have to consider relocation sooner or later if the team doesn’t either get better or butt in the seats. South Florida doesn’t exactly scream as a hotbed for hockey, but there are cities who could host an NHL franchise. You have Seattle,who is dying to build an arena for a NBA or NHL team to come play in. Kansas City has had an arena available for years. You also have fans in Quebec City that would love to have a team again.

It’s not all about the location of the team,though. if that was the case, the Lightning would be playing somewhere other than Tampa. The Panthers have only made the playoffs four times in franchise history. When that kind of track record exists, it’s easy to see why the fans in South Florida aren’t showing up. Despite that, I think in due time the team will more than likely relocate mainly because there are fans elsewhere who would support them more than the fans in South Florida ever have.