St. Louis Cardinals & Baseball
Such a totally foreign place to be for me, but as I have noted a long time ago I can live with out football, could give not an iota of care for pro basketball (college is a different story), but baseball – take away what has historically been America’s sport and a little part of me would die. Oddly enough this season has been one of the more exciting to have come around in several years and that is without the Reds in the picture since really before the All Star break. Sure, they had a chance after the break, but when you are taking at best one of three against teams you should sweep it is hard to make up a great then ten game gap. But that right there is just what one team did that made things so exciting for the season end and they are now heading to the World Series.
It is really odd for me, to really consider supporting the Cardinals at all. Think about it, they have been the division rival to beat most years for the Reds since that last realignment. Beyond that, there are enough friends around, and family now that I have a wife who hails from Missouri, that makes that rivalry even more dramatic. So, as a general rule I support the Reds and who ever happens to be playing the Yankees (I just think the money there makes for an unfair advantage most of the time, but that is another story) and generally someone playing the Cards to keep any wins the Reds make to where they actually matter.
But then something exciting happened at the end of the season. With about a month to go the Cardinals seem to really get their act together and from ten games back of the wild card slot into the playoffs to within one with the last games of the season. It ended, win Atlanta had to beat Philly or St. Louis was going to the playoffs and Philly shut the door big time on Atlanta. There was similar drama in the American League, but it is the American League so who really cares, right?
Up first was the Philly’s for St. Louis. And it was a toss-up for who to root for on that series. The Philly’s are almost as despised as the Cards. But it is a big money team with all that pitching and similarly for the Reds to get in the series they would have to face the Philly’s the last several years. So take the underdog fully expecting the pitching for the Philly’s to take them out fairly quickly. But a stretch to five and the Cardinals do a win and Carpenter looks the better pitcher in the series.
Up next, the Brewers, who I thought might go to the series, having looked strong almost all season and especially with the home field advantage where they have played so well all season. But the Cards did not get that memo either. They took one of the first pair up North and finished the series tonight in six with impressive bats and more than a fair share of errors on the Brewers part. So now, the underdog that I have tepidly supported in October is now in the series and on paper would still have to be the underdog – but all I got to say is a very weird, “Go Cards!”
** – Image is Cardinals Logo.
