And if the Dodgers were in town, you had to watch your back.

AT&T has a much different vibe. It’s not as cold. It’s not as nasty. And the Giants haven’t completely sucked for as long as they had back in the day (though, in truth, they’ve been pretty sucky lately – just in a nicer environment and with better pitching). But tonight the vibe could get downright Stick-ish.

That’s because this is finally a game with real meaning and urgency between the Giants and the Dodgers.  It’s been a long time.  The Giants haven’t had many meaningful September game recently; these are not only meaningful, but basically must-win games.

Last time the Giants had a must-win game against the Dodgers? Oh, you don’t want to remember. Steve Finley grand slam off of Wayne Franklin on the second-to-last day of the season.

The Dodgers won the division. The Giants finished second.

Since then, they’ve finished third, third, fifth and fourth. September hasn’t held a whole lot of meaning.

But tonight it does.  And despite the $8.75 beers, and the coke slide, and the Cha-cha bowl and the lounges where everyone’s far too comfortable to start a brawl, there should be an edge to the crowd. For one thing, far too many Dodgers fans have felt perfectly comfortable invading China Basin in recent years since tickets have become readily available. That always the recipe for fights – sitting too close to a fan of a different religion.

So there’s going to be plenty of fans in both teams colors. It’s a Friday night, in an economy that’s even worse than the late ’70s, with a bunch of thirsty people who not only want their team to win but are wondering about Buster Posey, worried about Tim Lincecum and irritated by the inability of the team to execute the most fundamental play in baseball.

Dodgers-Giants. And it means something.

The excitement of finally getting a chance to see the prospect the Giants prize above all others is severely tempered by concern over the player the Bay Area prizes above all others. Tim Lincecum was scratched with a back problem, making way for Bumgarner. That raises the specter of concern that followed Lincecum into the draft – that the incredible torque he puts on his small frame is a recipe for injury.

Lincecum, in two seasons, has become the superstar of the Bay Area. He has been elevated to top shelf – not the referential status reserved in the past for Joe Montana and Barry Bonds, because he hasn’t achieved that much yet – but just a notch below. I think the word “beloved” isn’t too strong.

Granted, part of that fast lane to wild popularity is because there’s a huge void in star power in the Bay Area. But it is also because Lincecum is an electrifying presence on the mound and a charismatic personality off – a genuine young phenom who does cartwheels in the clubhouse and looks like the second coming of Joey Ramone.

There’s already sports-talk speculation that this move is just a ploy to let Bumgarner pitch against the lowly Padres and adjust the rotation so that Lincecum gets both the Dodgers and the Rockies at home. No way. There’s no chance the Giants would fool around with Lincecum – his psyche, his starts, his reputation – in the midst of a September race. He’s too valuable to the team. He is, after all, nicknamed “the Franchise.”

If I’d known Bumgarner was going to be on the mound tonight and that the Bay Bridge would be open relieving traffic issues I would have gone to the ballpark tonight. But Rafa and Monfils are in a great match. So it’s remote flipping for me tonight.