It’s like we’re stuck in a Disney movie and all that’s missing is Dennis Quaid in the role of Chris Carpenter.
In 2006, the Cardinals slunk into the postseason and at some point between the end of the regular season and the start of the post season, the defibrillator paddles were warmed and the talent that we knew was latent in September of that year was jolted to life. The Cards cruised past a good San Diego team, battled, arguably, the best team in baseball that season, the NY Mets, all the way to the World Series where the Detroit Tigers just got overmatched.
It was a delightful turnaround to what many of us were preparing to be another lost season of promise. That gooey story arc that gets the audience misty eyed.
20011 was different. For months, getting to 10 games over .500 was an epic challenge. Every action had an opposite negative reaction. Every ‘must-win’ game was pretty much lost before September. Hell, the Cardinals didn’t even get a 5 game winning streak going until 4 weeks before the season ended.
Maybe you had illusions that this was a good Cardinal team, but up until a week ago, I still had my doubts.
Too a certain extent, I guess I still do. But what the Cardinals lacked in fire power against the Phillies, they more than made up for in sheer balls. That team the Cardinals beat was loaded, perhaps more loaded than any MLB has been in a decade, and they got worked by Chris Carpenter and some stellar defense for a 1-0 loss to end their season.
Slay goliath. Face your arch-rival that has been bullying you all year. Yes. This is turning out to be an interesting plot line after all.
This will never get old: Crowd reaction @ The Post sports bar in Maplewood last night…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=I5KIPxq1Bmo?rel=0&hd=1
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