I had a dream, Last Night

 SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG...

Dear 'Birds,

I  had a dream about that one game wild card playoff deal...
Albert was still on the team, so like all dreams it was whack.

What made it even wackier is that we were playing the Cubs--
I don't think that anyone believes they're going to make the playoffs
in the next 5 years. Or 10.

If the Cardinals hold on to their current spot (insert spiel about playing the Dodgers
this week here), I will suffer through the biggest nervous breakdown as they play that
Wild Card game. 

I worry that the team just won't hit. At all.  This team has the best offense in the league, sure,
but we've all suffer through those games where they couldn't even buy a hit.

I also worry that our pitching will fail  us.

I am working on making my faith stronger than my doubt.


Til Later (but a bit earlier than this time)

East Coast Swing

08/27/2012

Cardinals 4 Pirates 3

Dear Cardinals,

A great thing about East coast road trips is the fact that games

start at six o'clock! I hate waiting for things.

You know, August is the longest month of baseball. I can't believe 

we aren't in September yet.  We already have a play-off spot, and it's weird

that we won't be fighting to sneak in this year.  Still plenty to fight for---we need 

to focus this month on playing our best baseball and hope we earn a better play-off spot.

The two wild-card  teams per league will make this September particularly interesting

because so many teams are still in the battle for those spots.

 

Til Later

P.S. Please, can one of ya'll send a homer into the Allegheny River before we leave Pittsburgh?  Much appreciated.

Waino Dominates, The Road Trip, #HighSockSunday

08/21/2012

Astros 0 Cardinals 7

Dear 'birds,

I had meant to post this days ago.  But, things go in the way.
Basically, I got lazy.

But Waino, this was a very impressive start for you.  I know
it was against the lastros and all, but throwing a complete game shutout with twelve strikeouts
is nothing to sniff at, right? (Even if your opponent looks like they'll
struggle against college teams).

Last night was another great start by Waino.  He only allowed 2 runs and the Cardinals
beat the Reds 8-2.

I have to say 'birds, I'm impressed.  I hope
that you continue to win series from here on out, especially
on this road trip because it is a really important one against post season contenders.

Til Later

Recap of  Astros series:
7-0 W, 4-2 W, 13-5 W

Recap of Reds series:
8-5 W*, 2-8 L, 8-2 W

* Lance Lynn went 2 innings, Joe Kelly pitched 3 innings in relief and got the win. This outing came five days after Joe's five and two-thirds (I think, I'm too lazy to check if its true or not) relief outing in that 19 inning game versus the Pirates.  The Cardinals made the decision this weekend to put Lynn in the bullpen and Kelly as a starter, the way my gut felt it should be all long.  (But, of course, after this was made official, for a second I felt sick and thought Lynn should still be the starter because it will possibly be more annoying to watch a reliever come in and not shut down the opposition than to have a starter who struggles through five innings.  However, I believe that Lynn will excel in this role and that Joe will be able to keep the Cardinals in games while pitching deeper into games because he gets outs in far fewer pitches than Lance (thank God).  I hope Lance goes into that bulldog bullpen mode he had last year-- he told the media that he still considers himself a starter. Lance-- please bring the heat and attack hitters out of the pen, don't try to be cute!) 

Let Us Lay the Cardinals Hopes to Rest, Pretty Much

A post for pessimists looking for a silver lining

08/17/2012

Pirates 1 Cardinals 2

08/18/2012

Pirates 4 Cardinals 5

08/19/2012

Pirates 6 Cardinals 3

Final/19

Dear 'birds,

There is nothing to say.  I can't do anything about this.

But I can accept that you all are under-achievers,

find the joy in the small thrills that turn up during games

and ignore the disappointment from suffering the same failure over and over.

I promise to ignore the standings, because they are obviously not going to change, not

with this team being what it is: a team of bad luck, a team of absurdity, a team of missed opportunities. 

I will only watch to appreciate the heart and the effort you 

all have always shown.  I will watch for the love of game.

I will watch for love of the St. Louis Cardinals.  I will watch

because that's what fans do, we stick with our team through world series victories,

late season drives, and those dog days of summer that always leaves things looking 

especially bleak.  I will watch because I remember Albert Pujols' home run that extended the 2005 post 

season, I will watch because I remember those times Jim Edmonds scaled center field walls and snatched home runs, I will watch because I remember a bases loaded 3-2 curve ball, I will watch because I witnessed Jaime Garcia's rookie year, Matt Holliday's bat carrying us to October baseball in 2009, David Freese's 2011 post season, Jon Jay's emergence as a great center fielder, and Yadier Molina becoming a force in the lineup.  I will watch with no expectations, while trying to smother the hope for a post season burning in my chest, because, as Yogi Berra said, "it ain't over til it's over."  

For the optimists: We are not done until we are out, Cardinals, and we are not out.

Que Sera, Sera

08/16/2012

Diamondbacks 2 Cardinals 1

Dear 'birds,

I have officially given up on figuring you guys out:

Whatever will be, will be.

This team is a good team, but I no longer will try

to figure out why it fails to be consistent.

I was thinking about differences between this team and last year's.

Both teams blew a lot of games and lost a fair share of close games, but

last year's teams also FOUGHT and staged amazing comebacks-- and the whole 

country witnessed their best comeback during Game 6. They were resilient, and that resilience

was prevalent throughout the postseason.

This year, the team is inconsistent. Is that inconsistency going to haunt us if we do

make the post season?

Que sera, sera

Well, at least we are in a better position right now than we were last year.  I hate

that the only thing I'm sure about with this team is that we're going to take two steps

back as soon as we take one step forward.  I'm through waiting for this team to take off

the way the numbers and pundits say they should.  I'll just watch for now on.

Que sera, sera

I will be happy if we win the Wild Card, but I really want to win the Division. A one

game play off will be way too stressful.

Que sera, sera

Til Later