All aboard the bandwagon.

As the Giants head into the postseason for the first time since 2003, long-suffering fans are finding themselves in the company of fair-weather foam fingers embracing orange as the new black.

For those hopping on the bandwagon for the ride, take heed: You're going to need a lot more than a Buster Posey T-shirt.

Real San Francisco Giants fans carry baggage and lots of it, including a half-century of wait-until-next-years and a Game 6 that left a hole in their heart the size of a World Series ring.

Lifetime Giants fan Virginio Montorio Jr. remembers Game 6. It was Oct. 26, 2002, the Giants up 5-0 over the Angels in the bottom of the seventh inning, eight outs from winning their first World Series since moving to San Francisco in 1958.

Eight outs!

Montorio held up his hand. He couldn't go on. It was too soon to talk about how the Angels came back, and then went on to win Game 7 and the championship.

Rule No. 1

For those jumping on the bandwagon, this is Rule No. 1: "They need to know how it hurt in 2002," Montorio said.

It takes pain and patience to be a Giants fan.

And maybe some beard dye.

With closer Brian "Just for Men" Wilson and reliever Sergio Romo sporting mangy jet black beards, facial hair is starting to sprout among Giants fans. Their message to team opponents? "Fear the beard."

(By the way, Wilson hasn't admitted to coloring his beard, but if that's natural color, then Pablo "Panda" Sandoval is sipping Slim-Fast.)

Black beards might boost new fans' street cred, but they'll also need to feel the whole "torture" thing.

Giants announcer Duane Kuiper came up with the concept after a nail-biter early in the season.

"Giants baseball. Torture," he said into the microphone.

The phrase stuck, defining a season that included four straight months out of first place and 52 games won or lost by one run.

Lifelong San Francisco resident Mark Canizales said he saw it all, admitting that the Giants captured his attention an entire season for the first time in his life.

From where he sits he doesn't qualify for a ticket on the bandwagon, he said, as he carried a collectible Buster Posey pennant through the Dugout store at AT&T Park a day after the Giants took the National League West title.

"This year, I followed them all the way through!" he said.

Thick and thin

Bandwagoners can buy a Panda hat, chant OOOO-REE-BAY (see: Juan Uribe) from the upper deck and dye their beards black, but they'll never be like 89-year-old Annie Lewis.

Lewis, who has been a fan since the Giants came to town, pushed a walker through the Giants Dugout store on Monday to grab a shirt or two to add to the "closetful" she already had.

Decked out in an official team Hawaiian shirt and a happy postseason grin, the perennial season ticket holder said she doesn't mind the Johnny-come-latelies joining the party for the playoffs, but she doesn't much respect them either.

"I've been with the team when they were losing," she said. "Some of the new (fans) don't last long."

San Francisco native Dan Jacobsmeyer isn't so tolerant, calling fair-weather fans "phonies."

Lots of room on board

"It's like cutting in line," he said. "If you're not going to be in it for the good and the bad, get in the back of the line."

But if Giants announcer Mike Krukow is right and San Francisco is headed for the World Series, expect the bandwagon to get crowded.

That's fine by Krukow. He has a special place in his heart for those folks.

"Bandwagon fans are basically fans that are afraid to get hurt again," he said sympathetically. "They've been burned in the past."

Brokenhearted, they turned their back on the boys of summer.

Ah, but this year, love is in the air and the fair-weather fans have discovered they indeed left their hearts in San Francisco.

"Welcome aboard," Krukow said to those just boarding. "There's lots of room."

But you better buckle up for a bumpy ride.

"You're going to see a lot more torture before it's over," Krukow promised.

Are you a genuine Giants fan or did you jump on the bandwagon? Take this quiz to see

Answer 17 to 20 questions correctly and you're a real fan, someone with a hat covered in Croix de Candlestick pins. You still can't speak of Game 6 in the 2002 World Series.

Get at least 10 correct answers and consider yourself a gamer who has Dodgers-Giants games marked on the calendar.

Correct on fewer than 10? Don't worry. There's plenty of room on the bandwagon. Jump aboard.

1. What is the slogan on the Croix de Candlestick?

A. Veni, Vidi, Vici: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

B. Veni, Vidi, Vixi: "I came, I saw, I survived."

C. Veni, Vidi, Bibi: "I came, I saw, I drank."

D. Veni, Vidi, Zito: "I came, I saw, I threw a curve."

2. How much do garlic fries and a 20-ounce draft beer cost at AT&T Park?

A. $14

B. $16

C. $18

D. Priceless

3. Which of the following is not true about Bruce Bochy?

A. He's the manager with the most wins in Padres history.

B. As a player, he wore a custom helmet to fit his huge head.

C. His players call him "Thunder Thighs."

D. He was born in France.

4. When do the water cannons go off at AT&T Park?

A. After every Giants home run.

B. After a Giants splash hit.

C. When the Giants take the lead.

D. When the lights go down in the city.

5. What is Brian Wilson's entrance song?

A. "Back in Black" by AC/DC

B. "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple

C. "Jump Around" by House of Pain

D. "Surfer Girl" by the Beach Boys

6. How long did Crazy Crab last as the Giants' mascot?

A. One season

B. Two seasons

C. Five seasons

D. Way too long

7. When was Buster Posey born?

A. 1985

B. 1986

C. 1987

D. 0 A.D.

8. Who took the home-run trot with "one flap down?"

A. Jeffrey Leonard

B. Chili Davis

C. Candy Maldonado

D. Goose Gossage

9. How far is the right-center field wall from home plate, otherwise known as Triples Alley?

A. 366 feet

B. 400 feet

C. 421 feet

D. Halfway to Oakland

10. Who scored the winning run in 2002 to send the Giants to the World Series?

A. Kenny Lofton

B. David Bell

C. Barry Bonds

D. It's too soon to talk about the 2002 Series.

Match the nickname with the player (one point each)

11. Kirk Rueter

12. Willie Mays

13. Rod Beck

14. Will Clark

15. Darrell Evans

16. Don Robinson

17. Tim Lincecum

18. Dave Righetti

19. Orlando Cepeda

20. Pablo Sandoval

A. Shooter

B. Rags

C. The Baby Bull

D. The Freak

E. Woody

F. The Say Hey Kid

G. Panda

H. Doody

I. The Thrill

J. The Caveman

Answers: 1. B; 2. B; 3. C; 4. A; 5. C; 6. A; 7. C; 8. A.; 9. C; 10. B.; 11. E; 12. F; 13. A; 14 I; 15. H; 16. J; 17. D 18. B; 19 C; 20. G