World Series title awaits Giants after historic dominance of Tigers - Yahoo! Sports

Prince Fielder walks back to the dugout after striking out. (AP photo)

From a probability standpoint, the Giants have simply improved their odds of winning about an 80/20 chance
to 97/3 chance, based on past history of teams coming back from down 2-0 versus down 3-0.

However, they know better than most this post-season that it can be done. The Tigers can, if they choose, decide to be the first WS team to come back from a 3-0 deficit. The Red Sox did it to the Yankees some years back in the league playoffs.

The mind-set has to change from viewing it as an unconquerable mountain of winning the next four games to simply winning one game at a time, three times in a row -- and forcing a Game Seven -- where momentum swings to their side.

Psychologically, momentum probably shifts to their side somewhere around the middle to end of Game Six, if they are ahead. And a come-from-behind victory in a Game Six would provide unbelievable momentum entering Game Seven and bring up the spectre of an epic, historic choke.

Sometimes, the mountain isn't as large as it is perceived.

I'm with Marco Scutaro (quote below), we ain't done nothing yet.

from Yahoo Sports:
World Series title awaits Giants after historic dominance of Tigers - Yahoo! Sports:

DETROIT – The World Series ended Saturday night. They will play a Game 4 because they have to, and they may play a Game 5 if the Detroit Tigers find some semblance of competence. Anything beyond that is not happening if we're to believe history, and we're inclined to, even if the San Francisco Giants have reminded us all this postseason that history isn't always the sage it's cracked up to be.

History, for example, told us that the Giants weren't supposed to claw back and win three straight games on the road in the division series. No team ever had done that until San Francisco. And history, remember, gave the Giants a flyweight's chance against a heavyweight facing a 3-1 series deficit to St. Louis until they went jab-jab-uppercut.

Most of the Giants took the lead of Marco Scutaro, their fireplug second baseman, who declared: "We haven't done [expletive]."

"I think I'm spoiled a little bit," Giants catcher Buster Posey said, and he certainly is: To be behind the plate for a run of this magnitude – four shutouts in their last six games, 52 scoreless innings in their last 55 – is to crouch 60 feet, 6 inches from history.

"You ask your pitchers to give you a chance to win, and they're actually winning the games," Giants utilityman Ryan Theriot said. "They're as advertised. They're amazing. Look at Timmy. What a weapon."

'via Blog this'

Gregor Blanco's catch near the wall in the ninth inning helped the Giants close out Game 3. (AP)

from Yahoo Sports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/smallest-giant-becomes-world-series--unlikeliest-hero-27221909.html

Every once in a while a story like this appears in the World Series. A player comes from nowhere to be a star. Blanco was not supposed to be a big part of this Giants team. He was a fringe major leaguer, someone who played a bit in Atlanta and Kansas City before injuring his hand last year and spending most of the 2011 season in the outfield of Washington's top minor league team – the Syracuse Chiefs.The only reason the Giants signed him to a contract and brought him to spring training is because their hitting coach Hensley Meulens said they should. Meulens was managing the Bravos de Margarita in the Venezuelan winter league last year when he saw something new from the player who had been drifting through various big-league clubhouses for a few seasons. He saw strength. Blanco was hitting line drives. His hits were getting into gaps for doubles and triples. The Giants' stadium, AT&T Park, has a big outfield, Meulens thought. He needed hitters who could get the ball in the gap for doubles and triples.

Meulens understands hitting, obviously, but years in the Venezuelan leagues taught him to understand something else. Hunger. He knows when a player is desperate to make the major leagues. He is sure Blanco was humbled by playing for the Syracuse Chiefs and he could see how much Blanco wanted to make it back to the big time.

And how Blanco worked. He came to spring training talking about making the Giants' roster. He arrived to the ballpark early. He lifted weights. He ran. He had coaches hit fly balls. He took lots of batting practice. Tons of batting practice. And it worked. He made the team. He started the year in right field and was playing decently until he suddenly went into a horrible slump. Suddenly he couldn't hit anything.