One of my father’s favorite stories is from one of his worst moments as a sports fan. It was Game 6 of the 2002 World Series and the San Francisco Giants, my father’s favorite team, were a matter of outs away from winning their first championship in his lifetime.
Fans already know where this story goes. With a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, starter Russ Ortiz allowed back-to-back singles with one out. Manager Dusty Baker then emerged from the dugout and brought in Felix Rodriguez. My father screamed in anguish.
Rodriguez promptly gave up a three-run homer to Scott Spiezio and the Angels pulled off a 6-5 victory.