A different perspective (St. Louis Cardinals)
For what it's worth, I was actually there, hanging out with Red Sox fans until 1 AM in the the streets and bars of St. Louis, volunteering like so many other St, Louisans to take pictures of the jubilant Red Sox supporters. And, Gonzo, you know what: every goddamn one of 'em said that they couldn't believe how truly great our fans were and the way that we congratulated them and were happy for them. We are a FUcking class act!
For a good read, check out what local scribe Bernie Miklasz says about the travesty:
"In the end, the world never saw the Cardinals play baseball. And that's the
regrettable thing. The wonderful team that won 112 games this season never
clicked, never competed, never surfaced.
The big, devastating lineup went dark, afflicted by a strange power outage that
didn't seem possible. The starting pitching ran out of gas, and couldn't reach
the finish line. A smart team suddenly flunked Baseball 101 on the base paths.
Perhaps it was stress. Or maybe it was just the worst possible moment to
experience the most dire slump of the season.
As this World Series began to slip away, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa stayed
upbeat and kept encouraging his players. Before Game 4, he changed the lineup
in search of a jump start. Nothing happened. Nothing fired. The Cardinals had
no response to the forceful baseball brought to the World Series by the Boston
Red Sox.
But in the immediate aftermath of the 3-0 loss in Game 4, La Russa tried to
find words and perspective and struggled mightily. He broke down in the
interview room, overcome by raw emotion. La Russa represented the team's
players, and fans. He was numb, almost speechless.
"In spring training, we thought we had a chance for the ring," La Russa said
after a long pause to collect his thoughts, his heart. "We had to play good in
the regular season, to win a tough division. We did that. We survived two
playoff series. It's a huge disappointment. It's an outstanding club, one of
the neatest clubs to be around in my 27 years of managing. It's terrific ...
but we were short. It was disappointing."
The Red Sox took the Cardinals' magic and swept through St. Louis and this
World Series as if they were, in fact, a dynamo of destiny. The Cardinals were
almost helpless against this Boston surge. A great team went bad. A joyous
season turned sad. But don't lose too much sleep; clearly the superior team
won. Sometimes, you just get outplayed in every phase, and that's what went
down in this quick, merciless Red Sox march to a championship.
How ridiculously hot were the Red Sox? At the finish to Game 4, they'd
completed 61 consecutive innings of never trailing in a game. They had been in
the lead (or tied) since the fifth inning of the fifth game of the American
League Championship Series. This is no fluke. This is no miracle. The Red Sox
are a team with a $130 million payroll and enormous talent, and they peaked
just in time to wallop the Cardinals.
I'm happy for Red Sox. Actually, I think most Cardinals fans feel this way: If
the Cardinals couldn't win it, then let Boston be the one. The Red Sox earned
this by showing incredible character in the ALCS, falling behind 3-0 and
fighting back to vanquish the dreaded Yankees. The Red Sox deserve their spot
on the mountain top. They've invested lots of heart and soul in this endeavor.
Generations of Red Sox fans and players have suffered for the last 86 years,
tormented by the failure to win another World Series.
Outside of St. Louis, the Red Sox captivated and charmed the baseball nation.
Some Cardinals fans sold tickets to Red Sox fans for Game 4, and it was
unfortunate to see a minority of St. Louis fans bail out. Or maybe they just
weren't prepared to deal with an inevitable, unhappy ending.
If you can separate loyalty to the Cardinals team from a greater love of
baseball, it was a sweet scene to behold, seeing all of those Red Sox fans
smiling and hugging and chanting by the visiting-team dugout at Busch Stadium
long after the clincher. Cardinals fans certainly can appreciate such devotion.
And now Cardinals fans will try and stitch up the wounds. Maybe this will help.
This is what La Russa told his players as they filed into his office to express
regrets for having gotten this far, only to go bust.
In retrospect, the demise of the Cardinals' starting pitching was predictable.
We could see it coming. We could see the increasing strain of this rotation
late in the season and into the playoffs. Losing Chris Carpenter was a blow.
And that's no excuse, just the simple reality. A resourceful starting staff
that pitched above its ability level all season finally crashed. They didn't
have enough. There is no shame in that.
There is no excuse, however, for the mistakes on the base paths. And there is
no rational explanation for the missing offense. The offensive futility was
remarkable.
So Taguchi had an RBI in this World Series. Albert Pujols did not. How could
that be? Scott Rolen went 0 for 15. How? Jim Edmonds was one for 15, and the
hit came on a bunt. How?
That's the most shocking aspect of this defeat - the almost complete lack of
offense. The Cardinals scored three runs in the final 28 innings and managed
only 11 hits in 91 at-bats (.121) in the final three games. That's crazy.
La Russa will be blamed, because he's a convenient target for frustrated fans.
But what was he supposed to do? When the pitchers can't blow fastballs by
anyone, and you write in the names Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds and watch them
struggle to go six for 45 (.133) with one RBI, no manager can win, no team can
win, no series can be saved.
Some things are just incomprehensible. And some things are just too painful to
watch.
The real Cardinals never showed up.
In a few days, the bitterness and the sting will ease, and we'll savor the
memories of a special team and a spectacular summer. It ended too soon, too
suddenly, and in a way that defied belief. That's the peril of being a sports
fan. The love of a team can lift us up, and it can bring us down. But we always
come back for more. There's always next season."
There you have it... :confused: :(
