30 Teams in 30 Posts: #28

I'm ranking all 30 of the MLB teams in order of how much I like them at this moment in time.  As with most countdowns, I'm starting with the worst (Cardinals) and I'll eventually end up with the best (Reds).  The real question now is, where will the other 28 teams fall in my countdown?  In my last post, team #29 was revealed to be the New York Yankees, probably no surprise to most people who follow my blog (or baseball in general).

Today, we turn to team #28:  The San Francisco Giants

I have to be honest, the battle for the title of my least favorite team in MLB was actually a tough call. Truth be told, the teams in spots 24 - 30 on my list could have been ordered a number of different ways, but there was never a doubt in my mind that the Giants would end up somewhere in my bottom three.

If you aren't a Reds fan, a logical question might be "why the hate for the Giants?"  Sure, San Fran doesn't play in the NL Central nor do the Giants seem to have overly obnoxious fans (or players).  So why the hatred?

Easy.

Buster Posey.

Image source: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/10/buster-posey-san-francisco-giants-inevitable-derek-jeter-comparisons-mlb

And here's the problem.  I like Buster Posey.  Except for that one playoff game a few years back where he helped the Giants come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best of 5 series by sweeping the Reds three games in a row in Cincinnati.  In my mind, that game was actually the beginning of the end of the last decent Reds team.  Because of Buster Posey, I've had to suffer through multiple 90+ loss seasons.  Because of Buster Posey, I've had to watch the likes of Cueto, Frazier, and Bruce all leave the Reds and join greener pastures.  Because of Buster Posey, I've had to come to terms with the fact that I'm rooting for one of the most pathetic teams in MLB for the past several years.  It's all Buster's fault, and for that, the Giants have definitely earned their spot in my bottom three.

Now, you might be wondering why the Giants didn't end up #30 (or even #29) on my list if they really ruined the Reds like I claim.  I should probably respond to that as well.

First of all, the Giants and their fans don't come off as morally superior like the Cardinals and many of their fans seem to do.  Second of all, I have always loved the look of the Giants' home ballpark (it's on my bucket list of stadiums to visit).  And third, I actually do like a lot of the Giants players.

Also, truth be told, I can't truly blame Buster for the Reds' demise.  Sure, he had the big hit that served as the final nail in the coffin but any Reds fan could see the writing was on the wall prior to the start of that game.  The Reds blew the lead, and with it, they blew the collective hope of an entire generation of Reds fans.  After all, the Reds last World Series appearance was way back in 1990.  I have college students who no longer were born when 9/11 happened, never mind something that occurred way back in 1990. 

In the end, the Giants do end up as my third least favorite team in MLB at the moment.  Who will take spot #27 on my list?  I'll give you a slight hint, we are staying in the National League for the next team.

My list of favorite MLB teams (from worst to first):
#30:  St. Louis Cardinals (post)
#29:  New York Yankees (post)
#28:  San Francisco Giants
to be continued...