It all blows up

And so it all blows up . . . the dream season, the big contract, maybe the Giants' season. All because Melky Cabrera needed to be sure in his walk year that he could be all he could be.And it isn't like he didn't know, or couldn't have figured it out. Even his statement makes that clear. He knew it, and did it anyway. He rolled the dice and delivered three months of passes and one of snake-eyes.RELATED: Melky Cabrera suspended 50 games for positive PED test
Oddly, this was the Twitter rumor that CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly chased a few weeks ago, and back then was told no such positive test existed. That it turned out to be exactly that weeks later suggested that drug tests still aren't confidential, or that there are always leaks if one knows where the drip is coming from.But that's journalism stuff, and for Giants fans, this isn't anything but pure-on panic. The man who gave their lineup credibility and a linch-pin when other components weren't working is now gone for the rest of the regular season, and unless the Giants find someone to be the new three-hitter who doesn't punch a hole in spots four, five or six, they have a problem that may mean the regular season is the only season there is.This puts renewed pressure on Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence and yes, Brandon Belt, to deliver what Cabrera takes home with him. They will deliver the increased workload, or they will not.As for Cabrera, the big contract is gone, like that. The eight-figure, multi-year deal has evaporated, and so has his leverage. Even the Giants are unlikely to chase him in the off-season, even though they needed him more than any other team. And while this may take one thing off Brian Sabean's off-season to-do list, it means he's back in the market for another outfielder in the off-season, still with the minimal amount of minor league prospects to deal. Some things change, and some things remain maddeningly the same.But those who saw the Giants positioning themselves for another deep postseason run now know the location of the other dropped shoe. It wasn't dropped at all, but kicked, right into their stomachs. The season may not be over, but it has a new brackish taste.Ray Ratto is a columnist for CSNBayArea.com