San Francisco Giants Win World Series

They labeled themselves a group of "outcasts and misfits." Underdogs in each of their playoff series, the rag tag Giants team managed to level the competition and has brought their city of San Francisco baseball's ultimate prize: a World Series Championship. It marks the franchise's first championship since 1954, when they still played their home games in Harlem, New York. On Monday night, it was "SF" in blazing orange on their caps, as they defeated the Texas Rangers 3-1, in Texas, to clinch their Series win in five games.

Closer Brian Wilson, the one they call "The Beard," for his distinctive facial hair, struck out the final Texas batter. He saved 3 games in the Series. (AP)

He was then mobbed by his teammates. Fear the Beard. (Reuters)

'Improbable' is an understatement. The Giants spent a grand total of 37 days in first place during the regular season -- luckily, one of those 37 happened to be the last one, when they beat the San Diego Padres to qualify for the playoffs. In Monday's decisive Game 5, the Giants started Buster Posey at catcher, who started this season in the minor leagues. Pat Burrell, their DH, was signed to a minor league contract after he was cut by the Tampa Bay Rays in May. Shortstop and eventual Series MVP, Edgar Renteria, spent four months of the season injured or on the bench, and was almost left off the postseason roster. Aubrey Huff, their first baseman, was unemployed as of January. Their starting left fielder, Cody Ross, was claimed off waivers at the end of August because his old team, the Florida Marlins, did not want to be sidled with his upcoming pay raise. Manager Bruce Bochy had been in the Major Leagues since he was first drafted as a catcher in 1975, and is just now tasting his first World Series victory. The team's vaunted pitching staff featured "the Freak," "the Fro," "the Beard," and a 21-year-old kid named Madison Bumgarner.

Which is all to say, if ever a city were tailor-made to host a baseball team, one need look no further than San Francisco and their 2010 World Series champion Giants.

Tim Lincecum, "The Freak," gets lifted on his teammates shoulders after pitching eight masterful innings in the clinching game of the World Series. (AFP)

World Series MVP, journeyman shortstop Edgar Renteria. He had the World Series winning hit for the Marlins in '97, made the last out for the Cardinals in a losing effort in '04, and hit the winning 3-run home run in '10. Oh, the places he has been. (Reuters)