Cardinals Soar High in World Series Victory

It is hard  to admit that I was wrong, but I was. I didn't believe. I thought there was no "team of destiny," I thought there was no way that the Cardinals could out hit the Rangers. I was wrong. It was after game 6 I knew I was wrong, it was after the Ranger bullpen that I touted as the better of the two gave up TWO, not one, TWO two run leads in the 9th and 10th inning that I knew I was wrong. As soon as Nelson Cruz decided to go all Bill Buckner on his team and blow game 6 with a terrible defensive play I knew the Cardinals were going to be World Series champions.  So before I continue, congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, you earned it.

The entire World Series was actually watchable this year, the first time in a long time that I have seen such passion about two teams, not many people in my neck of the woods (Upstate New York) care about. Sure you have those people who "just. love. baseball." but I'm talking about the casual fan, tuning in for every game, in fact every pitch of every game. The kind of fans who don't know any of the players names, except for the stars, and who, with every game, learn something new about the manager or second tier players. Heck, even I was bored to death by Rangers vs Giants last year.  But this time I didn't want to miss a pitch. 

Part of what played into that is the story of the St. Louis Cardinals. It has been said so many times over the last month that I'm only going to mention it once: they were 10.5 games back a month away from the postseason and they won the World Series. Those of us that don't believe in "team of destiny" stuff have to stop and think that MAYBE just MAYBE there was something more than just "momentum" driving St. Louis. Just look at what transpired in this World Series. Game 2: The Cardinals blow the game after manager Tony LaRussa, pulls his closer, the Rangers tie the series at 1-1. Game 3: the Cardinals, (or as they could be called for that game, the St. Louis Alberts.) blow the lid off Texas in an absolute drubbing. Game 4: Rangers win, by SHUTTING OUT the red birds in a pitching gem by Derek Holland. Game 5:  the so called "Phonegate game," a game that the Rangers won after a screw up with bullpen phone caused a mismatch, that Mike Napoli took advantage of. Game 6: St. Louis goes down it it's final strike of the World Series against one of the best closers in the game and David Freese hits a 2-run triple. Then, after a Josh Hamilton 2 run HR, Lance Berkman drives in the game tying run in the bottom of the 10th. Finally, Freese hits a walk off HR in the bottom of the 11th to win the game for the Cards. Game 7: It was all over but the celebration from the first pitch. After Freese tied the game in the bottom of the 1st inning the whole stadium knew what was going to happen. Eight innings later St. Louis had the trophy. 

David Freese won the World Series MVP after his
Game 6 and 7 heroics

The Cardinals shouldn't have won this series. They were beaten time after time by the Rangers and yet they wouldn't die. The Cardinals, as strange as it is to say, were the little kid on the playground that gets the snot beaten out of them but keeps getting up. Here's the thing though, that kid eventually wins the fight, whether it's through force or brains he wins, and that's what the Cards did: they won. 

Now, three days after the victory was completed another story line has emerged, the story of the end of Tony LaRussa's career. LaRussa, is without question one of the top 5 managers in baseball history. He has won the Manager of the Year award four times and has won three World Championships and is one of the few to have done it in both the American and National leagues. True greatness is found when the game changes because of one person, and with LaRussa that is the case. Before LaRussa's success no one would have thought to use a bullpen like he did, he changed the game and won while he did it. And in the end he got to go out on top. Congratulations Tony and congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Courtesy of MLB.com