So how about the World Cup! So far, it's been a jolly good show, that. Messi, Benzema, Neymar, Van Persie, Dempsey, and even Rooney found the net. And hopefully you've been so enthralled by the World Cup these past two weeks (you un-American, godless communist, you!) that you've neglected to check in with the local nine. I hope that is indeed the case, because oh boy, it has not been pretty.

Since June 9, when some mindless, season-jinxing moron declared the Giants "The Best Team In Baseball," they have gone from an MLB-best record of 42-21 to 45-32. That's 14 games. That's three wins. That's 11 losses. That, friends, is a June swoon that can end a season.

But the great thing about having a nice, fat cushion is that when you do fall, you have a soft landing—and the Giants had one made of goosedown wrapped in chinchilla.

Even after having gone 3-11, the Giants still remain in 1st place in the NL West. And though the 9.5 game lead the Giants enjoyed on June 8 has been chopped at the knees to 3 games, the fact remains that the rest of the NL West is still looking up at the Giants and that the Giants still have the second best record in the National League. It just goes to show how deliriously ridiculous the initial run-up to 42-21 actually was.

Just think of this as the universe bringing things back into balance. It's easier to stomach that way.

So now we have a proper baseball season again, with the Giants on top, the bums nipping at our heels, and the rest of the division doing whatever it is they do in Colorado, San Diego, and Arizona.

And who knows, maybe by the time the World Cup ends on July 13 (with Argentina lifting the trophy above their heads at the Maracana, I hope), the Giants will have found their second wind and gone on a rampage back up to 10 games ahead in 1st place. Or, baseball can do what baseball does and keeps everyone in it until September.

Season To-Date: 45-32 (.584), 1st place in the NL West (3 games)

Last Week
Tue: at Chicago White Sox (lost)
Wed: at Chicago White Sox (lost)
Fri: at Arizona (lost)
Sat: at Arizona (WON)
Sun: at Arizona (WON)

This Week
Mon: home v. Padres (lost)
Tue: home v. Padres (lost)
Wed: home v. Padres
Thu: home v. Reds [LGBT Night]
Fri: home v. Reds [Garlic Fest]
Sat: home v. Reds [Brandon Belt or Brandon Crawford bobble-head]
Sun: home v. Reds [Pixar Day]