'Twas the most nervewracking game of the season. Well, I thought it would be. My heart was in my nostrils minutes before the first pitch was thrown. It had nothing to do with the wild-card race, though it should be noted that...

 

Yes. But it wasn't the importance of the game in a playoff context that was giving me the jibblies. No, it was the most nervewracking game of the year because it was the first start for Tim Lincecum after his first missed start. Would he throw hard? Would he throw strikes? Would he throw crisp breaking balls? Would he wince after every pitch?

The exit polls after the first inning: dude's fine. NBC called it in the third inning, even. We can all stop worrying about Tim Lincecum. Hoorah for the small victories in life.

And a quick in-game strategy note:

...bottom of the eighth, two runners on, and a left-handed pitcher on the mound. Last year, Bruce Bochy would have pinch hit for Travis Ishikawa if it were the bottom of the third. This year, nope.

 

Garko: Okay, so I light the bag, and then I leave it where?

Frandsen: In front of room 129.

Garko: Wait, is that the Skipper's room?

Lewis: Nah, man. Don't get weird on us. We wouldn't do that to you.

Garko: I thought that's where Bochy's room was.

Frandsen: You're not yellow, are you?

Posey: I think the Stanford boy's yellow.

Lewis: Light the poop bag, knock on the door, and run away. We've all done it.

Garko: Well, I guess so.

Quirky-yet-effective decisions aside, I don't not believe.