Last week, I promised myself I would not write another sports related column. I am the ‘mommy’ after all and we do have a very well-spoken Sports Reporter on staff.

So last Wednesday morning, before heading into our staff meeting I told myself … win, lose or draw in Game 7, I would not write about the San Francisco Giants or the game of baseball.

I don’t live under a rock. I realize our fan base is a limited one. I know people are tired of hearing about the San Francisco Giants.

In my retail days as a buyer we would call it narrow and deep. In other words, it’s primarily segregated to a very limited demographic but just like water it runs deep.

So for the 12 readers, not yet tired of the mommy writing about sports or reading about the San Francisco Giants, here goes.

We won the World Series … again.

Okay, sure on November 5 this is now ‘old’ news, but for the handful of us who have grown up in black and orange or even for those who grew into being a fan … it’s just a really big deal. This is about more than men being overpaid to ‘play a game.’ This … for me, for our little family … is about watching what one can achieve when working as a team. Most importantly it’s a tremendous lesson in leadership and trust.

Last Wednesday, as I sat on my couch watching in disbelief (choking back tears as I grasped the win), I could not help but think of Bruce Bochy. I could not escape the leadership he demonstrates as a Manager. The decisions which he must make with each painstaking moment of a baseball game.

As fans, we sit and question often, from the comfort of our couches or stadium seats. What is he thinking? Why did he put ‘him’ in? … and then we pray.

Yes, again this is just a game and to some he is an overpaid Coach. To some degree I would agree with that. Yet once again for me and mine, it boils down to lessons.

As the game wrapped up, as the team jumped for joy on the infield and later the champagne flowed, I discussed it with my kids.

Sure, as with anything critics and commentators are quick to add their two cents. Some would call it a ‘one man win.’ It’s an easy comment to make. Pitcher Madison Bumgarner, was placed on the mound in a critical point with an unheard of one day’s rest. It was a risk; well, not really.

Bochy knew what his player had left to give and Bumgarner knew he still had it in him. This however, was Game 7. Six games preceded this one, as well as playoffs and the regular season. This was a team win. Bum just served as insurance to finish it from the mound.

There were many epic plays, as well as boo-boos by both teams in that seven-game series. In the end however, it came down to the master chess player. The manager who pulled and placed his players at just the right time (and sometimes not).

It was a team effort, a third win in five years in a season where as fans we were just thrilled to make the playoffs.

As a Bay area kid we grew up in the era of Hum Baby, coined in 1986 by former Giants Manager Roger Craig. Many of us still like to use it, especially in the post season.

As I close this out, my final sports column (insert wink here), I can’t help but recall a text exchange with a friend during the postseason. As I’d send the ‘We won!!!’ text through four of those seven games, each time it would be returned with ‘It’s all Giants Baby.’

In the end, for this fan … this pretty much sums it up. Win, lose or draw for this kid whose heart forever stays tucked between those two bridges … It’s all Giants Baby.

What a gift.

Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.