Since we're smack in the middle of not just Giants' fever, but Giants' pandemonium-bordering-on-religious-hysteria, this lovely, even-keeled personal reflection on the childhood roots of Giants' fandom, from Jerie Sandholtz Jacobs, might prove salutary.

The piece aired Thursday on KQED's Perspectives.

Also...

• Attention, gamblers! Check out Ranger-Giants World Series odds (Yahoo! Sports) - Interview with a sportsbook oddsmaker before the Series began. The Rangers were -135 favorites to win, meaning you had to bet $135 to get back $235 total. If you bet on the Giants, you could have put down $100 to win back $215. The Rangers were 8-1 to sweep (not a great bet anymore); the Giants 18-1, which must have gone down considerably at this point.
• What to Say to Sound Smart About the World Series (NPR 2-Way) - tidbits from NPR correspondant Mike Pesca
• Interactive timeline: A Brief History of Bay Area Baseball (KQED) - from the 1860s to the present, told in pictures and text