Good luck beating these Giants next year.

The new NPB champions had only been crowned for a few minutes Saturday when manager Tatsunori Hara proclaimed his team good enough to repeat. Japan Series MVP Tetsuya Utsumi agreed, and really, who could blame him?

A few of the team's core players are still fairly young, and the Giants' deep pockets have helped keep those young players surrounded by capable veterans. So it's not at all a stretch to envision the Giants taking another lap around Tokyo Dome, Japan Series trophy in tow, this time next year.