World Series: Before Giants’ golden era, a lot of heartache (w/video)

Young whipper-snapper Giants fans should know things weren’t always so glorious, so simple and satisfying. It wasn’t always autumn and the living easy.

Young fans should realize the Giants’ third World Series appearance in five years is something that hasn’t happened since 1933-37, more than 20 years before the team left New York for San Francisco. They should appreciate how rare it would be if the Giants were to win the 2014 Fall Classic that starts today, giving them three championships in a five-year span. How rare? It would be a franchise first. And Giants World Series history dates to 1905.

Yes, yes, yes, let the good times roll. But young Giants fans should know their elders have shed blood, sweat and tears (OK, the blood is metaphorical, for the most part) over one colossal gut-wrenching, spirit-shredding postseason heartbreak after another. In our day, we elders have done the emotional equivalent of repeatedly walking miles to school barefoot in the snow. We’ve paid our dues, and we’ve earned a right to spell out to our callow comrades what those dues entailed:

1962: Losing the World Series in seven games to the Yankees.

In Game 7, down 1-0, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, Willie Mays on second and Matty Alou on third, Willie McCovey lined out - the groan heard ’round the ’Stick - to second baseman Bobby Richardson.

1971: Losing the National League Championship Series to the Pirates in four games.

The Giants took Game 1 behind Gaylord Perry. But Pittsburgh’s Bob Robertson hit three homers in the second game; and in Game 3 Robertson and Richie Hebner homered off Juan Marichal in a 2-1 Giants loss. The Giants and Perry got clobbered in Game 4.

1987: Losing the NLCS to the Cardinals in seven games.

The Giants led, three games to two, when the series returned to St. Louis. But Candy Maldonado misplayed Tony Pena’s fly into a triple, and Jose Oquendo’s sacrifice fly drove in the only run of Game 6. In Game 7, the Giants got shut out by Danny Cox.

1989: Losing the World Series to the A’s in four games spread over 14 days.

The Battle of the Bay was instead a Blowout by the Bay. Over the first two games in Oakland, the Giants scored one run. Minutes before Game 3 was to start at Candlestick, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. When the Series resumed 10 days later, the Giants finally scored runs, but not nearly enough. Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco kept the A’s rolling.

1997: Losing the National League Division Series to the Marlins in three games.

In the fifth season of the Barry Bonds era, the Giants were no match for the upstart Marlins, who took two one-run games in Florida, then came to Candlestick and delivered a 6-2 coup de grace.

2000: Losing the NLDS to the Mets in four games.

After posting the best regular-season record in the majors in their first season at the new jewel of a waterfront ballpark in downtown San Francisco, the Giants took the opener, 5-1, behind the pitching of Livan Hernandez and a three-run homer by Ellis Burks. But the Giants lost back-to-back in extra-innings, including Game 2 that featured a tying three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by J.T. Snow. The Giants went meekly in Game 4, one-hit by Bobby Jones.

2002: Losing the World Series to the Angels in seven games.

The first World Series title in San Francisco history appeared within reach, with the Giants having already won three games and up 5-0 after six innings of Game 6 at Anaheim. They were still up, 5-3, in the eighth inning. The Angels rallied for a 6-5 win. Game 7 was a desultory 4-1 Giants defeat.

2003: Losing the NLDS in four games to the Marlins.

The Giants took the first game behind Jason Schmidt’s three-hit shutout. But they were victimized by Juan Pierre (four hits, three runs, three RBIs) in the second game, by Gold Glove right fielder Jose Cruz Jr.’s error in Game 3 and by a runner cut down at home to end Game 4.

And those are only the postseason dues old-time Giants fans have faithfully and painfully paid. That’s not counting the September collapses in 1959 and 1978, or winning 103 games in 1993 and still coming up short, or losing a wild-card playoff (then still part of the regular season) in 1998, or five consecutive second-place finishes from 1965-69 (long before wild cards), or getting eliminated on the final weekend in 1982 and 2004.

Sure, all Giants fans should enjoy what may truly become the team’s golden era. But don’t take it for granted.

And respect your elders.

Remember, we’ve walked miles barefoot in the snow.

Robert Rubino can be reached at RobertoRubino@comcast.net.