J.T. Snow is unique among those who wear a Giants uniform these days. He actually remembers what a winning September feels like.
Of course, Snow is no longer on the active roster. cheap nfl jerseys
He's a batting practice pitcher, minor league instructor, front-office adviser and part-time broadcaster.
And maybe, for the next few weeks, a life coach, too.
As the Giants begin the pennant stretch with two plausible routes to the playoffs, it's worth noting that the club hasn't posted a winning record in September since 2005 -- the last year Snow was the club's first baseman.
Matt Cain, the Giants' longest-tenured current player, was a 20-year-old rookie during that 15-13 September run that got the Giants nowhere. They finished 12 games under .500 that year.
For the Giants to halt their playoff drought at six seasons, they'll likely have to finish like the 2002 World Series team, which went 18-8 in September. Or the 100-win club in '03 that also went 18-8 in the final month. The Giants were at their September best in 2000, when they went 20-9 to complete a 97-win season.
"It was the personality of those teams," Snow said. "We had a bunch of guys who didn't panic. We didn't get caught up in what they were saying on the talk shows or in the paper. And now, with all the wall-to-wall coverage, I don't know how guys do it. But that's the challenge."
It's a brand-new challenge for the younger Giants as well as veterans like Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez who have played for losing teams their entire careers.
"It's different for guys who haven't been there before," Snow said. "It's a pressure cooker. Each inning is big. Each defensive play is big. You want to make those situations even bigger than they are, but you have to stay away from that."
There is another factor that no contender can escape: Those little, colored boxes that remain on the schedule.
For instance, the Giants have 12 games remaining against teams under .500; the NL West-leading San Diego Padres have just four.
But that can be misleading. Ask anyone who's played the surging Arizona Diamondbacks or Houston Astros lately.
"You don't want to play those teams that have no chance," Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria said. "They have nothing to lose. I'd rather play a contending team. You're always motivated to play teams in the race. And you need to beat the best."
Spoilers present problems for the coaching staff, too.
"They can do unpredictable things to beat you," Giants third base coach Tim Flannery said. "They've called up young guys. They can play reckless. They don't care if they lose. So when somebody looks at the schedule like that, it doesn't mean as much as you think."
So where is the true advantage in the remaining schedule?
"Oh, home games, without a doubt," said Giants special assistant Colts jersey
Shawon Dunston, a member of the '02 World Series team who went through pennant races with the Cubs and Giants. "You have your family with you. You have your fans with you. You sleep in your own bed. What more could you want?"
The final at-bat? You get that, too.
"Ask the Angels about home-field advantage," Dunston said. "They beat us twice when they had to in 2002."
The Padres are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, their first serious funk in more than a year, but they are about to begin a 10-game homestand. The Padres pitch and play well at Petco Park, and their 17 home games are the most remaining among NL contenders.
But the Padres also have just one more day off the rest of the season; the Giants, along with several others, have three.
"This time of year," said Snow, "one day off feels like two or three for your body and mind."
The Giants will play just 12 of 28 games at home, but the schedule will get a lot friendlier if they can survive their 10-game trip that begins today. They play three-game series at Dodger Stadium and Arizona's Chase Field before a four-game showdown with the Padres at Petco Park.
As a player, Snow recalled tricking himself into feeling he had the upper hand on the road, too.
"You don't have to entertain anyone," he said. "Your family isn't there. You're checked in under an alias, and you unplug your phone. Nobody can get to you. No distractions."
But if you lose a tough one, a few distractions might be a good thing -- anything to help turn the page and come out with confidence the next day.
"As coaches, that's our job," Flannery said. "Don't let these guys get caught up in anything negative. Keep one game from affecting the next one.
"You have to remind yourself: If it takes 95 games to win the division, it doesn't matter where you get 'em."
Well, a few of those seven remaining head-to-head matchups with the Padres Cowboys jersey
wouldn't be a terrible idea, even if the Padres' 9-2 record against the Giants thus far doesn't inspire confidence.
"Don't care," Renteria said. "The team that gets hot today, that is the team. It doesn't matter what you did four months ago. This is the time."
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