GO GIANTS!!

Hooray for the best team in baseball, the San Francisco Giants!  When we left the United States for Israel in early August, I must admit I didn't think they'd even make the playoffs.  But here we are, sleepless and ecstatic in Ramat Gan, after they managed to make the playoffs on the very last day of the regular season!  And I certainly wasn't about to celebrate until it was all over and done, given the heartbreak at the end of Game Six against the Angels in 2002.

I've been waking up dutifully in the middle of the night to watch the games, and I'm very thankful that the Israeli cable package for our apartment includes the Fox Sports channel, which - in addition to showing the MLB playoffs - offers a nice complement to the cricket, snooker and team handball matches available on the Eurosports channel.  Other than rooting for the Giants, I was hoping that each game would be quick and low scoring, so that the game would end and I could go back to sleep.  The day after the long Game One 11-7 slugfest was especially grueling, as my parents were visiting and I couldn't tell them to go out touring by themselves while I stayed home to sleep!

As you might imagine, there aren't many Giants fans in Israel - indeed, most Israelis have probably never even seen a baseball game.  But several people from the Bay Area who are traveling here have stopped me on the street to say "Go Giants!"  Apparently, they noticed my bright orange Giants t-shirt, now desperately in need of a wash.  Eden asked me last night if the shirt was ready to stand on its own.  (I got the message.)

Well, it's time to celebrate - with some beer (it's not Anchor Steam, but it will do), a giant block of halvah, and some delicious pistachio nut pastries.  And some sleep.  Go Giants!