My all time favorite baseball team is the San Francisco Giants. This is not exactly by choice– in a way, I was born loving the Giants. My father was an absolute die hard fan and that love transferred to me. My first Halloween costume was a Giant’s cheerleader, something my dad undoubtedly picked out.

My father grew up watching Giants baseball in his hometown of San Francisco. Baseball was one of the few joys in his childhood and he held onto the joy well into his adulthood. He was a season ticket holder, had tons of Giants memorabilia, followed the team to their spring training sessions in Arizona and went to as many home games as he could. He even worked for the Giants at one point– that man was obsessed with this team.

However, I was born a “girly girl”. I was not athletic and didn’t understand baseball despite my father’s efforts to teach me everything he could. Going to games, for me, was an opportunity to get hot dogs, ice cream and peanuts. However that all changed after my father passed away. My mother and I relocated to Arizona and I began to like baseball. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in me and suddenly I was interested. Once that switch was flipped, my mind didn’t say to just like any team, it said “You like the Giants”. I began going to games in Phoenix when the Giants were in town. My own obsession started to grow. By my high school years I loved my Giants. I went to a spring training game before buying my junior prom dress. I made a point to visit the Giant’s new stadium in San Francisco when I was there for a school trip. I even spent my 18th birthday at a Giants game.

Now I will not say the Giants are the best team in baseball. They have had their horrible seasons and their good ones. However, I loved them all the same.I am with them through the good and bad, and am not a “fair weather fan”. I was there cheering them on when they made it to the World Series in 2003. I stayed up watching the final game of the Division series, screaming and jumping up and down when they won. Now, I am watching my Giants try to make it to the World Series again, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team.

So here is to my Giants, whether they make it all the way to the Series (and hopefully win, (which lets face it, they complete deserve to do so)) or loose to the Phillies, I will be there next season cheering them on.