Unforgettable!: The Giant's Spectacular Pennant-Winning Season

Thanks to some ridiculous pitching moves(removing Ortiz in game 6. bringing in Worrell to face three guys who had annihilated him in the past...also game 6, not starting Reuter in game 7, sticking with Livan after it was clear he couldn't function within the established strikezone in game 7...the relievers only allowed one hit after his removal) the Giants ended the 2002 season without a world championship. We, as fans, did however get closer than we've been to seeing our team take it all since Willie McCovey lined out to Bobby Richardson, ending game 7, thirty years earlier. We also get this wonderful look at the '02 seasons from the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle. The book is filled with rich photography, excellent columns and pivitol boxscores from the almost magical season. After the sting of defeat had time to wear off a bit, I was thrilled to find this book. We can now relive the triumph and heartbreak of such an interesting cast of characters that includes Barry Bonds, Benito Santiago, Kenny Lofton and, yes, Darren Baker hitching a wild ride from J.T. Snow. The photography makes the book worth it's price right out of the gate. If you are a Giants fan you need this book. Everyone gets his just reward in this book. It is not a Barry Bonds extravaganza that happens to have a few other Giants thrown in. They are all here, from Nen to Dunston, Shjinjo to Kent...they're all here. 96 pages packed with exciting photos and stellar(in most cases) reporting from the staff of the Chronicle. The time line is a bit out of whack in sections of the book. That is the only real flaw with the packaging. We have a better shot this year with Alou, a wire to wire division championship, a great possibility of NL home-field advantage, but nothing short of a title can surpass the thrill of these '02 Wild Card upstarts. My heartfelt sympathies go out to Barry on the passing of Booby Bonds. He was a GREAT player and coach. The loss to the city of San Francisco and the entire Giants organization has been felt by fans like me across the nation.