Marty- It is time to draw some conclusions with respect to the Giants performance this season. This is a team which has gone wire to wire. Only good teams do that.

How good are the Giants, let Ed explain.From the opening bell, with it’s 18 to 4 start, to the present, with a 12 game bulge on the losing side over LA and Arizona, this club has fought off every effort by the Dodgers and Arizona. There was a point, earlier in the year, when the Dodgers, coming off a very successful road trip actually drew even. Face to face, the Giants beat them back and LA has not made a meaningful move since then. Respecting Arizona, every time it appeared as though they were ready to challenge the Giants, they were met in hand to hand combat and conclusively wiped out. They cannot beat the Giants, that is clear and it has been clear since the beginning of the year. The possibility of catching the Giants, remote though it was at the time, was decisively eliminated when they came into SF and proceeded recently to lose all of a four game series. Nothing is left for LA and Arizona except the remote possibility of a successful wild card move. This is remote, if for no other reason than that they each have to face the Giants in more than a few games during the remaining thirty odd games left. The Giants will show them no mercy. Two weeks ago, in commenting on the Giants’ target and objective, it was noted that the target was the playoffs, the objective, to clinch early. The target has been met. There is no way they will not be in the playoffs. It is more than likely that the objective, to render the last ten games or so of the season meaningless, will likewise be met. During the past eleven games LA and Arizona have closed no ground. The Giants will have the opportunity, as the season draws to a close, to get everyone rested and as healthy as possible. The deal for Young is enlightening. They didn’t need Young for some future, full time, help. They wanted Young for one reason only, to allow them the luxury of dealing with Durham’s injury without putting any pressure on him to return to the lineup before he was completely healed. They wanted Durham ready for the playoffs. He will be and a rested Bonds will be and a rested pitching staff, bullpen and rotation, will be. This team will be tough to beat in the playoffs. About three weeks ago, the refrain which had been heard since the very beginning of the year was once again played out here. Why does this team win? Why do they spreadeagle the field as only Atlanta has succeeded in doing? The question was being asked as far afield as in NY where the sports pages of the Times carried the same inquiry. The answer given by Jack Curry of the Times was “What they do have is a veteran club built to win.” That is about as good an answer as there is. They were built to win by Sabean. They were turned over to Alou. Alou didn’t miss a beat. He took a bunch of players, veterans for the most part, who had been around this game long enough and successful enough to recognize what it took to win. Alou, and the team, then went ahead and did it. There are no all star position players on the team with the notable exception of the unbelievably talented, greatest of them all, Bonds. The combination,Sabean, Alou, Bonds, the veteran position players,Schmidt, as well as an extremely accomplished bullpen, did the job. And don’t forget Righetti. All that is left for them to do is to carry on through the World Series. When it is all over, and we are relaxing over the winter, replaying the past year, waiting for spring training to start, we can listen to the same question, once again, and still, being asked. However, we will be able to smile and give the answer.They won because they were a good ball club, better than the opposition.