This week, a friend of mine posted a Facebook status update that said simply, ?RIP Freddy Sez.? This person is a good friend of mine and the fact that someone he knew had passed away had taken me by surprise, given that I had already spoken with him earlier in the day. However, he is originally from New York, so the likelihood that I knew the deceased party wasn?t very high. It wasn?t until later in the day, when I was doing my ritual reading of the latest sports news, did I realize that ?Freddy Sez? was actually longtime New York Yankees fan, Freddy Schuman. Schuman had been a season ticket holder to Yankees? games and was held in high regard among fellow fans of the pinstripes. I?m sure that anyone who had ever read his carefully crafted signs or banged together his trademark spoon and frying pan at one point in their lifetime took a moment to themselves in remembrance during the past couple days, rightfully dedicating a sliver of time out of their day to memorialize a larger than life figure that seemingly spent his life dedicated to cheering on the home team. All fans have lives outside of sports that we all know are far more important than a children?s game being played by adults, but that doesn?t stop us from taking the three hours to envelope ourselves in the action on the field. While we think we are giving the home team everything we?ve got in the way of passion, spirit, applause, whatever you want to call it, there are fans like Fred Schuman that remind us that you can give more. That said, we can?t all be ?Freddy Sez,? but I think it is a reminder that, under the right set of circumstances, anyone could land themselves in the realm of super-fandom. If you had a life that was devoid of much else to otherwise occupy your mind, for instance, could you see yourself wrapping your existence around cheering on the home team in your own gimmicky way? It?s a possibility, right? I don?t purport to know what Schulman?s life was like outside of Yankee stadium, whether he was a rich or a poor man, whether he had a family or not, whether he was a working man or he spent his days devising clever sayings and fashioning signs out of them for other Yankees? fans to enjoy. One thing I do know is that he loved his Yankees, just like you love your team, and Yankees? fans loved him. This time of year, the fans that are lucky enough to be rewarded for their dedication with playoff baseball mean more to their teams than ever. I am currently toe-tapping with impatience, waiting to see what is sure to be an electric atmosphere at AT&T Park this afternoon as the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies resume their National League Championship Series which is currently tied at one game apiece. Home field advantage is not something that is attained solely by way of knowing your own ballpark, sleeping in your own bed or even eating at your favorite restaurant before the game. Homefield advantage is something that is created by a legion of loyal fans, fans that are hungry for a chance to share a once in a lifetime experience. They act as though their lives are hanging in the balance with every pitch, and from a player?s perspective, I doubt that you would want it any other way. In fact, that might just be what is creating an intangible such as home field advantage inside of a player?s mind, not only the personal drive to excel, but the subconscious urge to please those that have stood behind you all season. To a team like the Giants, a group that has played close games all year due to the makeup of their team, this home field advantage has a great deal to do with their success. The momentum that spreads throughout a dugout originates in the seats and, even more specifically, with the super-fans that reside in each and every section. I?m sure it helps that the Giants are an easy team to rally around, given that their roster is virtually bereft of superstars. Outside of Tim Lincecum, there really isn?t a player that is recognized nationally as a top tier talent. Take the Phillies, on the other hand, whose roster is made up of baseball luminaries such as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, who between them have nine top ten finishes in MVP voting, ten top five finishes in Cy Young Award voting and one World Series MVP on their collective resumes. Not to mention that they are going for their third straight World Series berth. Not too shabby. Kind of makes it a little easier to push for the Giants, doesn?t it? Now at the ballpark, the atmosphere is just as suspected, as the rabid fans vehemently jeer the entire Phillies roster during pregame introductions. As loud as the fans were, they were ten times as loud while cheering on the home team. Every member of the organization, from manager Bruce Bochy on down to Head Athletic Trainer Dave Groeschner, was greeted with a hero?s welcome. The loudest cheers were saved for a select few Giants, including Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum and unlikely postseason hero to date Cody Ross. The fans were given a treat when the Giants organization sent out some familiar faces to toss out the ceremonial first pitches. Among the players chosen to kick off the first League Championship Series in San Francisco since 2002 were four players from that Giants team. Shawon Dunston was a reserve infielder, but the rest of the quartet played significant roles on a Giants? team that came within six outs of a World Series Championship. J.T. Snow was the starting first baseman and Robb Nen almost literally pitched his arm off as the closer in 2002. The energy was palpable as the fourth player from the squad was introduced; it was none other than all-time home run leader and Giants? legend Barry Bonds. It?s hard to imagine a crowd more pumped up than San Francisco fans are right at this moment. Up until this point, the Giants have yet to have a batter reach base, as Cole Hamels has done a fantastic job of keeping hitters off balance. Through three and a half innings, the San Francisco faithful haven?t had much to cheer for other than Matt Cain?s ability to get himself out of jams. While he has been masterful in stranding base runners, the throngs of fans clad in bright orange and black are on the edge of their seats waiting for the offense to do anything that warrants applause. Eager to please, Edgar Renteria singles to lead off the bottom of the fourth, which leads to a thunderous ovation from the home crowd. Right on schedule, Freddy Sanchez then dutifully sacrifice bunts and successfully moves the runner into scoring position, a move that generates just as much noise as the single that preceded it. The San Francisco fan base has long been a knowledgeable one that appreciates the nuances of the game of baseball, especially given that scarcity of runs so far in the 2010 postseason. A one out walk drawn by Pat Burrell sets the stage for emerging folk hero Cody Ross to continue his postseason magic. Right on cue amid chants of, ?Co-dy, Co-dy,? Ross elevates his already lofty standing in Giants? postseason lore by lining a base hit into left field and bringing Renteria home. Following the game, Hamels did not lament the at-bat whatsoever, admitting that Ross is ?definitely hot and you can?t take anything from him.? He also went on to describe the low and away fastball that resulted in San Francisco?s first run of the game, ?I don?t know too many guys that can lift that up over the third baseman and most guys hit that into the ground.? Ross concurred, stating, ?I probably shouldn?t even have swung at it.? The next batter, Aubrey Huff, produces a mirror image of Ross?s single to bring home the second run of the inning. The crowd is hereby thrown into a frenzy. After Matt Cain contributes the ever-important shutdown inning to follow up an offensive rally, the Giants continue to please its hungry fans by adding to their lead in the sixth as a result of a Freddy Sanchez RBI single. The crowd is now cheering every defensive out made as if were the 27th, with the loudest coming after Cain escapes another two out, two on jam in the top of the seventh. The postseason brilliance of Giants? starting pitchers is on display yet again, as Matt Cain leaves the game having contributed a seven inning, 119 pitch, scoreless effort and the bullpen will be entrusted with a three run lead. The payoff is nearing for fans who have gone to great lengths to be here and share this moment with their team. Among other things, fans have likely endured a hellish commute just to get here, parking fees ranging from $40 to $70 and ticket prices some might consider highway robbery. However, each and every last one of them will tell you that it was worth every last second and penny if the Giants are able to secure a win and vault themselves to a two to one series lead against the defending National League champions. The exuberance displayed by the sellout crowd has been a special sight to see. If torture is what has characterized Giants? baseball this season, then these fans are masochists, because they have taken pleasure in every second of it. The enjoyment that one takes from sport is something that goes misunderstood by those who don?t subscribe to the notion of team spirit. However, whether or not others understand is immaterial when the notion of having been a part of something bigger feels so real. Exchanging high fives with complete strangers after a home team victory is evidence of this, seeing as that kind of camaraderie is nonexistent in virtually any other context. As Brian Wilson begins the ninth inning in an effort to close out the victory, a sea of orange rally towels are waving at high speeds. The intensity is evident as Jimmy Rollins lines a one out single off of the right field wall. This is something that the home crowd is used to, as Wilson rarely makes it easy to watch. However, on the next pitch, Raul Ibanez grounds into a game ending double play that sends the 43,000+ fans into a joyous lather. The jubilation begins now. Postseason baseball is something that I?m sure Freddy Schuman enjoyed year after year as a Yankees? fan and I?d be willing to bet that it never got old. But, then again, he treated every home game like it was the seventh game of the World Series.