Make No Mistake, The Giants Are Up For This Series

From the San Francisco Comical comes some fighting words from former Dodger Dave Roberts, about this weekend's series in PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park:

The Giants haven't yet sold out any of their games with the Dodgers this weekend, which might not be surprising considering one of the teams has fallen off the NL West map.

A club official said Saturday's game is nearly sold out, but tonight's and Sunday's are expected to be less than full houses.

While the Giants are a near lock for their first last-place finish since 1996 - they missed the cellar last year by a half-game - the Dodgers still have hopes of winning the division or wild card.

The Giants, as they did in their last homestand when they swept the Brewers, can inflict some serious damage on a contender, in this case their No. 1 rival.

"It means a lot to them so it means a lot to us," ex-Dodger Dave Roberts said. "We want to make it as difficult as possible for those guys."

Not exactly bulletin-board material, but it serves to underscore the importance of this series nonetheless. Sure, the Giants are in last place, their mercurial fan base isn't selling out and is distracted by the 49ers and Raiders, and their newspaper (and accompanying website) is a rag (and online rag, with ridiculously slow load times, no less). But the Giants would love to spoil the Dodgers' postseason hopes this weekend. Let's make sure we come to play.