Giants 3, Dodgers 1

Ned Colletti, who grew up in Chicago and used to take the El to Cubs games at Wrigley, just told us this great story about his Uncle Frank, whom he'll be taking to the games this week. When the Cubs were last in a World Series in 1945 (they lost to Detroit), Ned's dad, who was the seventh of eight kids and was 14 at the time, was about to catch a bus to the nearest El stop the night before the first Series game at Wrigley, along with two of his older brothers and a friend. Their plan was to camp out overnight and buy their tickets the next morning, as soon as the window opened. At the last minute, their youngest brother, Ned's Uncle Frank, came running up the street yelling, ``Wait, I want to go with you guys.'' Frank, who Ned estimates was 10 or 11 at the time, was told that he was too young to tag along. ``They told him, `Frank we promise you that the next time the Cubs are in a World Series, we'll take you with us.'' Sixty-three years later, Uncle Frank is still waiting (although Ned, then the Giants' assistant GM, did take him to some of the 2002 World Series games against the Angels). But Frank is definitely rooting for the Dodgers in this opening-round series with the Cubs. ``Unless (Cubs GM) Jim Hendry is getting him some tickets,'' Ned said. ... Dodgers finish the regular season 84-78 and win the division by two games over the Snakes.