Summer of Sports '16 - Rise of the Giants

A DCBLOG Sports Special
BY DC CUEVA                     

> @DC408Dxtr / @DC408DxNow

Today is the 3rd day in the last four of that time in this Summer of Sports where there are no games scheduled in any of the four major sports in the U.S., although we do have two big events taking place overseas in the first round of the year's third golf major - The Open Championship, and Stage 12 of the 103rd Tour de France. And of course, the Rio Olympics are fast approaching with three weeks until the Games begin with preliminary soccer before the Opening Ceremony.
   This affords us the chance to look back a bit to one of our past sports posts that we posted two years ago when we presented a special edition of DC SocialPulse covering Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, which you can check out here. Considering that the Bay Area has now become a major sports hub in the past six years, as well as the occurrence of this being an even-numbered year, we felt this was appropriate to repost the original portion of that article which followed the diary that brought presented how players, media and fans saw one of the best games of recent memory in U.S. sports.
   Since then, the Giants now hold the best record in the majors at the All-Star break, while the Warriors have not only won a title but have made a major power move of recovering from their 2016 NBA Finals collapse by signing Kevin Durant. And this year has seen Super Bowl 50, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup, U.S. Women's Open golf, the U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastics Trials and the Copa America tournament be held in the Bay Area.
   As you prepare for the beginning of the second half of the baseball season starting tomorrow, enjoy this special bonus edition of Summer of Sports '16 as we look at the rise of the San Francisco Giants.

DC SocialPulse: 2014 World Series Game 7

By DC Cueva

@DC408Dxtr/@DC408DxNow

Welcome everyone to this Special Edition of DC SocialPulse powered by DCNOW, and to our 100th post of this year on this site in what has been a landmark 2014. Normally, the 'Pulse brings you the play-by-play of MTV shows and big events as seen by the twitter world. But as we are in the last two weeks of what's been an eventful year for sports fans, DCBLOG is proud to bring you this special diary documenting something's that near to me as a devoted Bay Area sports fanatic as, for the very first time, we present a twitter diary of a sporting event. And what better way to kick off the Sports SocialPulse than with the latest milestone in Bay Area sports history.

   It seems in the past several years, sports fans here in Northern California have been living the good life. There's been a resurgence in one of sports' greatest franchises as Jim Harbaugh taking over the head coaching position of the Niners have seen the team make it to three straight NFC title games, a Super Bowl appearance and hope for the 49ers Faithful. The Warriors have once again become a force in the NBA thanks to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and arguably the NBA's most-rabid fan base who've seen a record start for the team. Fans of the Oakland A's have also been enjoying their run as consistent contenders in the AL West against all odds perhaps best portrayed by the money Moneyball. And there's also the Raiders, Sharks, Cal, Stanford and more.

   But one team has stood above all others not just in Bay Area sports, but also in all of Major League Baseball. And what happened the night of Wednesday, October 29 helped bring back a word that was last used two decades ago in Bay Area sports lore by a team it once shared the same stadium with: "dynasty." In 2010 by way of their 5-game triumph over the Texas Rangers, the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series title in the Bay Area and their fifth overall, first since their 1954 surprise sweep of the Cleveland Indians as the New York Giants. In 2012, they dominated the heavily-favored Detroit Tigers in a stunning 4-game sweep, led by Pablo Sandoval's heroics. And in 2014, the Giants became the first team since the Yankees to win 3 World Series titles in a 5-year span.

This special edition of DC SocialPulse will look back at Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, where the Giants and the team of destiny, the Kansas City Royals, faced off in the 36th Game 7 in the 111-year history of the Fall Classic. This will include real-time tweets from the @MLB and @SFGiants accounts, media & more and of course myself, covering the events as they unfolded. From the build-up and the early part of the game, to Madison Baumgartner being put in to protect the Giants' lead in the 5th inning on only a few days rest in an MVP performance, to of course the celebration that took place in both America's heartland and in the Bay Area.

   And after twitter's view of Game 7, the celebrations and the parade that followed, I'll offer some perspective on the team, its glorious history, their run to the trifecta and what it means to fans. This five-year have made all of us here in the Bay Area feel like kids all over again.
   Join DCBLOG after the jump and relive the game that turned a team into sports' newest dynasty.