WOOOO CARDS, man i cant believe it, its still sureal, to think this happened and so little was done by Albert amazing. Im kinda shocked Eck got the MVP, I thought Rolen played a bigger part in every game for the Cards but no complaining Eck came up with the big hits the last two games so. And Weaver man what can you say, I guess now you can see why in Detroit they had such high hopes for him when they drafted him, hopefully the Cards can re-sign him at a reasonable price, and the rotation would set up with Carp, Mulder, bring back suppan too, Weaver and then I say give Wainwright a shot in the starting rotation I agree with you Jacob, to much talent for jsut a closer, besides their payin izzy so much no one will take him so what would you do with him next season?

Now every Card fan is prolly asking ok your rotation will never happen wheres Reyes they wont resign both Weaver and Suppan, but they should, and trade Reyes, Im not a huge fan of his stuff, sure he pitched great in game 1, but its not overpowering like wainwrights and doesnt have that next great pitch that you need, Id trade him for a real number 2 hitter, and then sign one more big bat to play behind pujols and infront of rolen then you can call for a repeat

Lineup 07
1)Carl Crawford (some type of trade common walt you can do it)
2)Eck
3)Pujols
4)Rolen
5)Duncan
6)Edmonds
7)whoevers at 2b
8)Yadi
9)carp
Id maybe not even bring back jimmy as much as it pains me and go out and buy a big time bat for behind pujols and move everyone down one..someone like Lee or Soriano (wishful thinking i know)

To Jacob Luft and other "experts": HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sincerely,
St. Louis Fans

Whew. Series over, and where are all the posts? Are Cards fans out puking with joy in the streets? Tiger fans sobbing in bed with the lights off?

As a transplanted New Englander (now in St. Paul, MN), I had no real favorite in this Series -- although the Tigers return from the ashes of three years ago was a compelling storyline.
No, it wasn't the best World Series by a long shot. Nor was it the worst. (aside: what is the problem out there in Fan Land with Tim McCarver? He knows the game, anticipates strategic moves, and communicates succinctly.)

Because postseason baseball attracts the Casual Fan (read: ignorant), and lots of 'em, TV networks have a harder sell on their hands. Our media-saturated, celebrity-obsessed, multi-tasking culture would have preferred a competition with more "big name" stars.

Pffft. For all its horrors (Detroit's defense) and improbable suprises (David Eckstein), this World Series was summed up by Jim Leyland who, when asked about his pitchers' fielding lapses, said with a perfectly straight face: "That's baseball."

Indeed, it is. And it needs no apology.

Thank you Cardinals! You've restored respect for the National League. I got so sick about hearing how much better the AL was this year. Now an NL team is world champions. The Cardinals did us a favor.
Now we just need the Braves to win it in 2007.

“BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME” The city of Saint Louis built a new stadium for the Cardinals and the miracles came! Even I was mildly surprised; I called the Cardinals in six.

As a lifelong Cardinal fan, following the Redbirds this year has been a struggle. Witnessing the ups and downs through injuries and losing streaks was difficult, but they came together at the right moment. These last two weeks have been a joy for one who remembers the excitement of 1982 and the heartbreaks of 1985, 1987, and 2004.

“Hats off” to the city of Saint Louis, the Cardinal organization, the fans, the players, the coaches, and the manager. (Personal names were omitted deliberately; this was a collective effort.)

Congratulations to ALL!!!

The party here in StL rages on. Pandemonium.

As for the non-believers out there: you're not alone. There were more than a few non-believers right here in Cardinal Nation. But we always knew this team was talented; they just hadn't really shown it consistently all year. We knew that in the playoffs, anything is possible.

As for Tiger fans: My sincere condolences. Every St. Louis fan knows what you're feeling right now. Your team went out there and suddenly couldn't hit or throw. We've seen it before in the playoffs, and spectacularly in the 2004 WS against the Red Sox. It's just so disappointing to see your team fail to play up to it's potential and gift wrap a series for the opponent.

But fear not! Your core is solid and your (mostly) young pitching staff is going to be fearsome. You'll be back in the postseason again very soon.

Finally, for Card's fans: This one is Jack Buck and Darryl Kile, who could only watch approvingly from overhead...

"More than anything, Weaver finally showed some backbone this postseason."

I know Weaver doesn't pitch for a New York team, but he's been pitching with backbone all postseason, and for September for that matter.

so much for all the experts and their expert predictions - "tigers in 4 or at max 6". the cards gave the best answer to all the predictions. the yankees and A's are one-dimensional teams unlike the cards. as hardworking unit as tigers are, they simply got found out when facing a class team and classy manager.

Leyland made a huge mistake in not pitching Rogers. The man's stubbornness, lack of analysis and downright FEAR made him choke in the biggest decision of the WS.

Here is why he should have started Rogers:

1) Rogers was hottest pitcher in the post season. 0.00 ERA and Dominant

2) Rogers is a Gold Glove fielder. He would not have made the errors that the rest of the staff did.

This is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT in a National League setting, where BUNTS were such an integral part of the game!!!

What was was Leyland thinking...why not pitch Rogers where his fielding skills were most important??

3) Rogers presence on the mound would have brought a calming influence and confidence back to the young Tigers team. It was that way all year long. The young Tigers look up to Rogers and believe in him.

4) Leyland stated before the game that he "wouldnt put Kenny out there in that situation"...what?? So Leyland is admitting to allowing the Cardinal fans and also the nasty reporters dictate his starting rotation?

This couldnt be more gutless and illogical rational.

5) Kenny was extremely motivated. Motivated to continue his 23 inning streak. This was his moment in the sun and he would have given anything to have a shot at continuing it + making a difference as the STOPPER to the losses. This man was emotional and on fire. He could have and probably would have made a difference.

6) Pitching Verlander at home would have been better for the Rookie. He was so obviously shaken out there... it was awful watching him struggle with that 30 pitch first inning. That set the tone for the entire game...and his WPs and throwing error were just incidents stemming from his nervousness.

Why not start the Rookie at HOME after the ACE Rogers gets a chance to bring it home?

7) The Cards lineup has MAJOR problems with Left Handed pitchers...everyone knows this.... and Rogers is a good Lefty!

8) Kenny has much more Post season and overall experience. The past was the past and Kenny had overcome it...it was his MOMENT IN THE SUN and Leyland took it away from him.

9) Rogers is a GOOD HITTER for a pitcher... the best on the staff! Why not utilize that ability in the NL Park???

10) Verlander had an ERA of over 7 in the post season, and had not pitched well. He also was over 5 ERA in the second half of the season. Clearly he had faded and was not the same pitcher as he was early on.

Leyland Blew it. I lost a ton of respect for that man. He owes the Tigers and their fans an apology.

Only n the days of "Shock and Awe"can the quality of this WS be underestimated...The Cards took it all! Perhaps it wasn't the greatest WS ever (everyone has their favourite), but I don't recall a team falling apart in September and putting it all together for Octoberin such a clear and decisive fashion...It was like god took a beat-up VW and turned it into a smooth Rolls Royce.
Big PART in Saint Louis! I heard the noise across the big pond (nothing to do with the Mets, the POND)
They deserve it...What a team!
The Tigers will be back next year...and a few more after that!
I also think the CNN/SI sports writers will be back next year, hopefully a little more humble and objective! Thanks Baseball!

Looks like the rain stopped like I called it, just in time for a great game. I called 5-3, but Ill take a St Louis win nonetheless. The weather is still looking great for the weekend celebration.

Congrats St Louis...Party like its 1982.

I think the Cards fans, like I was last night, were rather incoherent and too busy partying to post last night. But I can put my thoughts together better today, so here I am. This team shocked me, shocked the world and tho they won't admit it, probably shocked themselves. The pitching staff put together their best performances BY FAR in the post season, seemingly getting better for each series. I kept telling myself, in the games that Weaver and Reyes were scheduled to pitch, that it wouldn't be so bad getting a loss there because we had Supe and Carp ready in the next 2 games. I won't deny it. But they had the heart, they had the coaching and they had the talent when it mattered most. The Cardinals truly played team baseball...I always figured if we won a series, it would be because Albert would hoist us on his broad shoulders and hack us through 8-7 games, but that's not what happened. And that's what makes baseball so much fun. Who'd have thought it? Not me, but I'll take it, every time!

Did you notice how Brandon Inge repeatedly hung his teammates out to dry? A decent infielder would have at least tried to make plays on the bad throws that he got from the pitchers. He might not have been able to turn them into outs, but he could have at least stopped them from going into the dugout.

But, he didn't even tried to catch or stop them - from what I could see on TV he looked like he took the attitude of, "if you can't give me a perfect throw, f*** you, I'll let you take the error." And he falls over to let the runs score.

Letting your co-workers hang themselves might be good corporate strategy, but it's no good for winning the World Series, as we saw. Detroit needs to cut him or bust him down to single-A ball to have any kind of chance to win. They couldn't make any plays at third with confidence and the Cards exploited that.

It is time to get off of the "lousy WS", "Cards don't belong" train. This was a sterling WS, with brilliant pitching, a little controversy, teams trying to manufacture runs, and guys just gutting it out. Weather played a role, and maybe it should be looked at to play games in warmer climes, but this was an outstanding series.

I am not sorry that no NY team was there, and all of the bashers weren't there. Two teams with solid pitching played a series. Hitters were scrambling to scratch out a hit, and defense was under pressure to make a play. Scoring went back and forth, and you can't fault either manager for the moves that they made. Finally, a series in which baseball was played.

Nobody hit well, except for Eckstein, but timely hitting was at a premium. It was probably the biggest factor in the win for the Cards. Two out singles were the name of the game.

Casey was the man for the Tigers. Battling and providing a spark that they just couldn't capitalize on. Pudge catching like only a hall-of-famer can. Rogers with the pine tar, and then pitching without it, superbly.

Don't take anything from Detroit. They are a good baseball team, that is just coming into their own. They didn't give anything away, they just made a few mistakes. The Cards made mistakes too. They just played well enough to not take as much of a hit from them.

I am not a baseball fan, but this is one of the best series that I have seen in years. Scrappy baseball, good managing, and timely hitting.

The NY's and the media could take a lesson from this series and learn how the game is really played.

Jon Heyman finally jumped on the Cards badwagon; I salute him. Not because he jumped, heck! he had no rel choice, but because he did it with the class I expected from him!
Cards in 6!!!!!!
Sorry it s RSM:(

Hear ye, hear ye! I do decree from this point forth, whenever any so-called "expert" wishes to speak, he must first get permission from a Cardinals fan. Long live the Cards!

Pat,
That's what I was trying to say exactly -- that he's been showing backbone during this postseason. Sorry if I worded it poorly.

ari garcia said "but I don't recall a team falling apart in September and putting it all together for Octoberin such a clear and decisive fashion." really? i remember a team in 2005 which actually the same exact thing happened to... i guess your memory sucks?

To JayPMac (2:44 am): [..."Series over, and where are all the posts? Are Cards fans out puking with joy in the streets? Tiger fans sobbing in bed with the lights off?"...]

Here's my post, JayPMac: This Detroit Tiger fan, now living in Indiana (since '73), ... IS still getting over his hangover, thank you very much. Oh well, the Cardinals played great baseball [...I just wish the Tigers wouldn't have 'stunk up the field' with their amateurish play...] The most depressing sign I saw, on last night's TV coverage, was: "HIT IT TO THE PITCHER."

That sign was noticed by everyone, including my next door neighbor, who is a Cincinnati Reds fan. Also, Mitch Albom [Detroit Free Press] mentioned that sign in his latest article entitled: "Dream over," and subtitled: "As defense rests, big bats flail, Tigers exit." Amen. End of story. Time to "wait until next year..." and then to basically say:

Congratulations, both to the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinal Nation! One heck of a good job. Great play by everyone on the Cardinal team ... and I love it that the smallest person [..in stature (from BOTH teams!!)..] was awarded the MVP. As Albom said in his Free Press article, Eckstein was "a gnat that wouldn't go away" [to the Tigers].

We, in Indiana, can take pride ... in that Scott Rolen is a native Hoosier, at least. My bicycling buddy, Rex, is super glad for Rolen's sparkling performance in the series.

My comment to "silvag" (2:16 am) is that:
" awwh, come on ... we wouldn't want to see youse guys get Soriano too!! [...to back up Pujols, as you said...]. Heck, Cardinal Nation would go into defibrillation then ... since the Cardinal lineup would most probably be THE most formidable 'nine' in all of it's long and storied history. In any case, I don't think the redbirds could really afford Soriano [..as you said: "wishful thinking i know"]...

And, to 4:43 am 'anonymous:' ...hey, lighten up on Jacob, will you!?! The poor guy, along with the rest of the SI staff, is already pulling out the Tabasco sauce ... to go along with an off-season of "...crow, crow and more crow..."

walter - Anderson, Indiana

Congrats to the Cards. You played fundamentally sound baseball, while my Tigers picked the wrong time to melt down on defense. You deserved it.

As for a previous poster's question about McCarver: he has zero knowledge of statistics, yet he likes to spout things as if they are meaningful. He loves hearing his own voice as much as annoying singing fan sitting behind you at a concert.

Please, Fox. Give us a bearable pair of announcers next time. I'd even take Dick Vitale over these clowns.

"To Jacob Luft and other "experts": HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sincerely,
St. Louis Fans"

Please don't try to singlehandedly destroy St. Louis fans' reputation for baseball knowledge and class. Luft actually picked the Cards to beat the Tigers.

Enjoy your championship with the style that Cardinals fans are known for.

Three reasons the Cardinals are the Best Team In Baseball.

1) San Diego had homefield advantage... Cards win!

2) NY Mets have homefield advantage... Cards win!

3) Detroit had homefield advantage... Cards win!

The reason it is called the "playoffs" is to determine the best team by actually playing the games. In this sysmtem teams with more regular season wins get homefield and if the other team wins on the road then they must have been better. Period. End of discussion.

Congrats Cards. You are clearly the Best Team In Baseball!

P.S. Want to know the difference between an "expert" and a fan. Experts get paid to sound like idiots.

Hey Pharaoh! "Nobody hit well, except for Eckstein," Were you watching the same Series as everybody else? Rolen hit .421 and Molina hit .412! If batting over .400 is not "hitting well" then what is?

The reason Leyland didn't go with Rogers was obvoius to most people outside of the Detroit area. He knew that Rogers would not stand up well to the scrutiny and hounding of the red-clad fans in St. Louis. Even before the series began Leyland arranged the rotation for Rogers to pitch twice in Detroit. The cheating only reinforced this was the right thing to do.

"Posted: 10:59 AM, October 28, 2006 by Anonymous
ari garcia said "but I don't recall a team falling apart in September and putting it all together for Octoberin such a clear and decisive fashion." really? i remember a team in 2005 which actually the same exact thing happened to... i guess your memory sucks?"
The Sucks had a better record and were the favourites...Suckaroo!

I'm not surprised at the result, because the "worst team to win the World Series" stuff is nonsense. When healthy, the Cardinals are a better team than the Tigers, and probably most of the other teams in the playoffs, with the possible exception of the Mets (if they had a healthy Pedro). The Cardinals stunk up the regular season largely because of injuries. Pujols, Rolen, Eckstein, Edmonds, Mulder and Isringhausen all missed significant numbers of games or were playing with significant handicaps. These all are veteran, all-star caliber players, and when finally most of them were at least somewhere near 100%, they represent a solid nucleus for any championship team. When coupled with some seasoned role-playing vets, like Wilson, Belliard, Taguchi and Spezio, and some talented youth, like Molina, Duncan, Reyes and Wainwright, that's a pretty formidable squad. While the Tigers have some great talent, I really never understood why they would be overwhelming favorites. They didn't hit well because the Cardinal pitching was better than what they saw from the Yanks or Oakland. The Cardinal staff contained a Mets lineup (Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Wright, Green, etc.) that was far scarier than Detroit's and far more familiar with the Cardinal pitchers. Therefore, the silence of the Detroit bats was not a big surprise, especially since a lot of them are young and have had little experience against the Cardinal pitchers. Sum total, a more experienced team that was finally healthy beat a bunch of very talented kids.

To 11:47 AM 'anon:' Very, very good comments, UNTIL I got to your last line; which makes me think you seriously need to "go back 'to school.'" i.e.: READ carefully the 11:31 'anonymous' post!!!

Again, to the 11:47 am poster, I tend strongly to agree with everything you said, until you decry the 'experts.' I've learned myself, during the last week, to not be so critical of these so-called experts, because as a number of bloggers have stated: "they really ARE experts, [in most cases]..."

Even die-hard redbird fans have responded (in blog comments to past JL Baseball Chatter columns), ... that they themselves wouldn't have picked their own Cardinals to win, based on the past season and the way the Cards entered the playoffs.

The best comment of all (by a self-proclaimed 'avid Cardinal fan,' incidentally) ... was: "the Cards actually 'backed into' the playoffs [due to the results of a non-redbird game]...and that writer then added emphatically, "thank you very much" (for that club's assist, so that St. Louis could sort of 'get in the back-door' of the playoffs.

If you realize that. then it makes perfect sense to NOT pick the redbirds to 'win it all.'

IF, in other words, it was NOT unreasonable to pick AGAINST the Cards, that makes a certain columnist (JL) a certified 'expert' in picking the Cards to win, right? - '11:47-poster?!?

The 11:47 blogger adversely refers to the 'experts' who were wrong, seemingly lumping JL in with the whole group, in that endline comment. If that is so, JL is a friggin' genius, based on the FACT that Jacob actually picked the redbirds over the heavily favored Tigers.

Again, '11:47:' read the 11:31 post again ... and if you STILL don't believe it, go back and check JL's archive ... and read it in 'black and white' before you - and so many others - get so darn critical of 'the experts.'

Most of all, everyone of you Cardinal fans out there in Cardinal nation, please read the following admonition of the 11:31 'anon' responder, [2 comments, below]:

"Please don't try to single-handedly destroy St. Louis fans' reputation for baseball knowledge and class."

AND also this last comment, from the same person:

"Enjoy your championship with the style that Cardinals fans are known for."

Nuff said. Thank you very much.

walter - Anderson, Indiana

Jeff Weaver should have been the MVP for closing out the series in five. I know Eckstein made a huge difference earlier, but Weaver shined, when Verlander did not. Hooray for experience! And age (30 vs. 24). I am a National League fan, so am a glad, even for, with all due respect, that stinkin' Scotty Rolan. (Guess who my team is, the one with three managers as coaches). Kidding aside, good for Scott Rolan. I am also glad that the series didn't have to go back to Detroit. It was cold and wet enough in St. Louis. No Mr. November this year, and that, my friend, is rediculous enough. Nuf said.

To the STL poster who laughed at the others...

Us Cardinal fans are among the classiest fans in baseball and we don't appreciate you giving us a bad rep.

Good luck to the Tigers next year, now I am going to continue enjoying a cold one, celebrating a long overdue STL WS!

I would like say to all of those East Coast, high priced prima-donna baseball players; and we all know who I am writing about here, to take notes on how a baseball team wins championships. You can pay a lot of money to players but you cannot pay for the willingness to have heart and team work.
Also, there were two ghosts put to rest, finally, during this World Series. Curt Flood's misque in 1968 when he slipped in the outfield and Granderson's outfield misque. Another ghost that no one is talking about as of yet was the diving play that Pujols made at first base and tossed the ball to Weaver, who just did beat the runner to first base. This brought back the ghost of 1985 when Todd Worrell beat the runner to first base and the runner was called safe by Don Denkinger. That play cost the Cards the Series and it has haunted St. Louis Fans for years. Now this time the umpire got it right. The bang-bang play at first quelled a possible rally by the Tigers.
Now we rejoice in a great series win. All of the East Coasties out there can sit and cry about how this series did not live up to standards. Their standards are gutless, high priced cry baby players who do not understand what "team" is and the spirit that goes with it.
Lets all have a great winter. Spring training cannot start early enough.

Re: Walter 1:45 p.m.,
What he said!

Mr. Luft, I asked you a question, somewhere back in my recent posts. Don't believe that you answered it.

Perhaps you thought the answer to my query [re: of how to contact other SI staff columnists] ... was all too simple. Apparently, it is.

I don't know if all of your writers are like John Donovan, in that he has a comment mailbag [tho' I noticed that that helpful aid does not always show up in my download of SI columns...]

In any case, I just wrote a short thesis (you know me by now), to Mr. Donovan's mailbag - which refers to AND copies your 5:29 am 'anonymous'-blogger's 10 point listing of why Leyland was very unwise in not starting Rogers in series game 5 last evening.

Here's my post to JD, in it's entirety (you may post this if you wish ... it's up to you):

[Posted to John Donovan, 10/28/06:]

"As you see my hometown listed, please realize I was born and raised in Detroit. Mr. Donovan, could you please write an article / or respond to a 10 item listing from an 'anonymous' 5:29 AM blogger (from Jacob Luft's Baseball Chatter column: "Game Five Grades")."

"This blog column lists 10 excellent reasons WHY manager Jim Leyland blew the decision, in being afraid to start Kenny Rogers in last night's game 5 of the series."

"I know 'the barn door is open, and the horses are all gone' ... but I'd like to know if this guy is correct, in your judgement (or if other SI columnists would like to tackle a response to this person's 10 point blog)."

Posted: 5:29 AM, October 28, 2006, by 'Anonymous'


"Leyland made a huge mistake in not pitching Rogers. The man's stubbornness, lack of analysis and downright FEAR made him choke in the biggest decision of the WS.

Here is why he should have started Rogers:

1) Rogers was hottest pitcher in the post season. 0.00 ERA and Dominant

2) Rogers is a Gold Glove fielder. He would not have made the errors that the rest of the staff did.

This is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT in a National League setting, where BUNTS were such an integral part of the game!!!

What was Leyland thinking...why not pitch Rogers where his fielding skills were most important??

3) Rogers presence on the mound would have brought a calming influence and confidence back to the young Tigers team. It was that way all year long. The young Tigers look up to Rogers and believe in him.

4) Leyland stated before the game that he "wouldn’t put Kenny out there in that situation"...what?? So Leyland is admitting to allowing the Cardinal fans, and also the nasty reporters, to dictate his starting rotation?

This couldn’t be more gutless and illogical / irrational.

5) Kenny was extremely motivated. Motivated to continue his 23 inning streak. This was his moment in the sun and he would have given anything to have a shot at continuing it + making a difference as the STOPPER to the losses. This man was emotional and on fire. He could have and probably would have made a difference.

6) Pitching Verlander at home would have been better for the Rookie. He was so obviously shaken out there... it was awful watching him struggle with that 35 pitch first inning. That set the tone for the entire game...and his WPs and throwing error were just incidents stemming from his nervousness.

Why not start the Rookie at HOME, after the ACE Rogers gets a chance to bring it home?

7) The Cards lineup has MAJOR problems with Left Handed pitchers...everyone knows this.... and Rogers is a good Lefty!

8) Kenny has much more Post season and overall experience. The past was the past and Kenny had overcome it...it was his MOMENT IN THE SUN and Leyland took it away from him.

9) Rogers is a GOOD HITTER for a pitcher... the best on the staff! Why not utilize that ability in the NL Park???

10) Verlander had an ERA of over 7 in the post season, and had not pitched well. He also was over 5 ERA in the second half of the season. Clearly he had faded and was not the same pitcher as he was early on.

Leyland Blew it. I lost a ton of respect for that man. He owes the Tigers and their fans an apology."

[END of blog comments from 5:29 am responder]

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to you (& to Sports Illustrated).

Walter Dick,
Anderson, IN

Where's Craig?

Walter,
Most, if not all, of our writers have the mailbag widgets where they can be reached. If you don't see one in a particular column, go to their "archive" pages and just click on a column until you find one. Believe me, they do read the reader e-mails very carefully. So be rest assured your queries will not fall on deaf ears. Whether they choose to respond to you or post your email in a "mailbag" column is entirely up to them. Hope that helps.

3:21,
I'm sure Craig The Cards Fan is still tripping the light fantastic. Either that or he's working on his 5,000-word manuscript/blog post.

"Lets all have a great winter. Spring training cannot start early enough"
Amen! It is over. But, I thought that it was a great October!Hasta pronto compañeros!

I think that the reason the experts take so much heat regarding their predictions has little to do with the predictions they make but how extremely CONFIDENT they sound in their conclusions. The fact is that if the cardinals have been anything this year, they have been inconsistent with flashes of both stellar and aweful play. So when experts say 'no way the cardinals can win this series' - it is clear that they forgot how fickle predictions are - no one can predict the future. If they had said 'if the cardinals don't start playing up to their potential they will get beat' no one would be in an uproar over this. It is the tone of know-it-all-ness that rubs fans the wrong way.

Oh! I almost forgot to say thanks, THANKS, to JL for this blogg; without it I would be a lonely Baseball fan in the swamps of Europe; and, it was "free speech"all the way! Kudos to you Señor Luft!

WHere is Craig? Probably looking, very drunk, for his grammar teacher..;:)

I can complain, not about the experts picking us to lose, but HOW they picked us to lose. Everyone laughed at us all the way to the World Series. But guess what? Right now, I really don't care because the Cardinals are WS champions. Our rings will do the talking for us.

"Leyland Blew it. I lost a ton of respect for that man. He owes the Tigers and their fans an apology."
Come on! He did his best....The Tigers neede to go thru this; so did Lyland. For the next few years, you can count on the Tigers! They are freaking good! Now they are better...Strange thing..LIFE?

Re: 9:24 AM, October 28, 2006 by Anonymous on Brandon Inge.

Were you actually watching the games? Both Zumaya's and Verlander's throws to third base were BEHIND Inge as he moved to the bag. He would've had to defy laws of physics to handle either throw.

In those kinds of situations, players are taught to throw the ball to the bag so that ball and fielder reach the bag at the same time.

That aside, if Inge really had that kind of Me First-F*** You attitude, he wouldn't be playing a team sport at a professional level. He'd need Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens all-world talent to get away with that kind of BS.

As for holding Rogers out of Game 5, Leyland did the right thing. Yes, I can understand the argument for putting Detroit's best post-season pitcher into a must-win game on (thanks to the rain delay) normal rest. However, in the first place, Rogers isn't the most emotionally stable individual. Add the Game 2 Pine Tar controversy, and a hostile St. Louis crowd, and you have a recipe for a meltdown.

There's a reason Rogers had a better record and ERA at Comerica Park. And Leyland knew it.

I really don't think starting Kenny Rogers would have mattered because the Cardinals were hitting better than they have since the early part of the season. Rolan, Edmonds, and Eckstein got hot at the right time. And they got better in the health dept, which except maybe for Pujols, was a big positive. The week off for Detroit definitely hurt them; their rythym and timing was off the whole series, especially at the plate. You have to hit in baseball, especially to overcome sloppy fielding. Give the Cardinals credit they caught the ball, they threw the ball and hit the ball well all postseason. I wish the Astros had as good an organization as the fans of St. Louis have. The reason I say this is your owner doesn't meddle in baseball decisions like ours does. The most successful run organizations let the GM's or Player Personnel People do their jobs and make good decisions. Congratulations St. Louis, Well Done.

I was able to watch most of the playoff games, & I went downtown for game 5 and let me tell you there is nothing like it, it was a madhouse! I think the biggest difference for the Cardinals from the regular season to the Playoffs is during the regular season the hitting was always at the wrong time and you always felt there was no lead the bullpen could hold. During the Playoffs it was the exact opposite; solid starting pitching, timely hitting and good defense. I don't know if the team will be kept together, there are a lot of questions (Edmonds and Rolen are a year older, they need another outfielder, and better depth on the starting rotation and in the bullpen, ect. ) but after this playoff run I can't complain, this team got hot as the Sun at the right time of the year, and St. Louis is again center of the baseball universe. As to the crouds that complain about low ratings, sloppy play, and the "weak" National League, I can't talk right now, I have to go watch the championship parade on Market St.

Steve H.
Baseball Heaven, MO.

Starting Pitching

Back in spring training, I was ROFL when John Donovan filed this story about how Jeff Weaver would blossom into a star someday. He didn't mention it would be for another team after ruining the Angels' season but, hey, nobody's perfect.

It's about damn time somebody said it! I've taken flak here on this board for mentioning that, had Jeff Weaver pulled his psyche out of his ass and pitched .500 for my beloved Angels this season, we MAY have made the playoffs. I wish him the best and am happy he did well in the playoffs, but watching him pitch well in the playoffs and World Series felt like a piece of beef jerkey stuck in a decaying tooth. In April, I had visions of him pitching like that in this exact situation in a red uniform, but little did I know it would be for the Cardinals.

At least now everybody knows that David Eckstein is the man. Seeing him capture the MVP was bittersweet, as one of my favorite players in baseball, basically a "Rudy" with talent, showed his stuff on a national stage and was recognized for it. But I also have to remember that, in 2004, we didn't even offer him a contract. Sure, the Angels have Orlando Cabrera at SS now, but Eckstein's drive, his energy, his leadership, and his heart are things we've been sorely lacking in the clubhouse these last few years.

Congrats, Cardinals. You've shown the world that it ain't over 'til it's over, and that a New York team doesn't need to compete to make it a good World Series. Nobody outside of the St. Louis area is going to consider this a "classic" Fall Classic, but, as an Angels fan, it's nice seeing a team that everybody left for dead rise up and win it all.

http://thecaliforniateam.blogspot.com/

Hey Walter, and "Craig the Cards Fan" and all the others who think that you should have opportunities to write columns or articles: you're only fans- your contributions to articles/stories are only judged as appropriate by the actual writers!

Was it a good World Series for St. Louis? You better believe it?

Was it a good World Series? No.

It certainly won't go down as a classic. It makes for a nice "against-all-odds" story, but like Luft said, the series ended just when it was starting to show some promise. When people look back on the different WS stories of this decade, the 2006 series likely won't come to mind.

It will be interesting to see how these two teams fare in 2007. The Cards will always have a shot because they play in baseball's easiest division, but for Detroit, this may have been their only kick at the can. Getting all their key guys to have repeat performances and asking people like Rogers and Jones to hold up for another year might be a task that is beyond Leyland's genius.

Bring on the off-season, and all the endless A-Rod rumours (who actually cares about the Yankees?!).

"...in the first place, Rogers isn't the most emotionally stable individual."
Kind of flaky, I would say...Leyland save his life by no pitching him in Saint Louis...It would have been a "good old fashioned lyncing"; for all the good reasons...

Place to be this weekend?... I would have to say Saint Louis!

To John Heyman:

Thank you very much for consuming your big plate of crow graciously.

Some of us Cardinal Nation expatriates also approached the World Series with skepticism after the 2004 Series. However, this time showed us that baseball truly is a team and not an individual game.

It was such a breath of fresh air to see a team win by playing hard, playing smart and just plain havin' fun!

Doubtless, the Tigers will be back in the WS. Leyland is no slouch and the young Tigers very talented.

As for the '07 Cardinals, who knows? Half their pitching staff could be different next year due to free agency; impossible to say.

For now, what a delightful end to an unbelievably bumpy rollercoaster ride.

Still enjoying the big win. Great season by the Tigers - dont let losing the series take away from it. After we got spanked by the Red Sox, everyone forgot the good year we had.

In the end I just have two points that I have to get off my chest.

1. Why is it that the major media writers only feel it will be a great WS if a team from New York of LA is in it. This game had everything from highlights to low-lights, a lot of great stories. I loved seeing Detriot make it back.

2. I agree with the one post writer that stated he was mad at how confident the writers/experts were about the Tigers winning it. Some of the ESPN guys had people believing that Cards should not even play the games. But with everyone healthy (except Marquis and Mulder) this Cardinals team could play with anyone. Thats why we have the playoffs and we play the games in the field and not on paper.

Great season. Great playoffs. Look forward to seeing what happens next season - in the meantime (as one other person said) can we go without a story about the Yankees everyday from here until Spring Training starts. Sheesh.

It's funny. Many wrote that baseball "purists" would have an issue with an 83 game win DIVISION WINNER taking the series. When Florida and Boston won, the "purists" had a problem with a Wild Card team winning the series. So today, are they more upset about the division winner winning, or would they have really preferred a wild card team to win?

I can die in peace now.
Congrats to the Tigers for a great season. You guys will get back again real soon. That pitching staff is AWESOME and I mean that. You can teach pfp but you can't teach 100mph.
To Cardinal Nation I say, "AND THAT'S A WINNER!!!" Jack and No 57 are upstairs drinking a Bud with Auggie right now. Here's to them...

Not only is it great to see a team play together as a real team and Grind-it-Out, but it is even better to once again NOT crown the Overpriced Pinstripes as Champions.
Six straight years and $1B down the drain. Hopefully they won't take any lessons from the World Champion Cardinals.

I gotta give it up to the Cards. They took my beloved Mets to 7 games and won. I hate to see the Mets lose but the Cards won fair and square. They outplayed the Tigers and they deserve to be called champions. Regular season is just that regular season. The idea is to get into the playoffs and begin fresh and thats what they did. Im embarrased for these so called "experts". The AAAA league won and im happy for the Cards. Baseball is the greatest sport!

Way to go St. Louis Cardinals, World Series Champions. As the series began, the TV guys were sitting four (or five) across and making their predictions about which team would win the series. Making their predictions from the right side to the left, every one of them picked Detroit is some amount of games less than seven. Only the last announcer picked St. Louis, and he picked them to take it in seven. CNNSI writers were not very different. I don't remember any of them picking the Cardinals, although one blogger wrote that Luft picked them (way to go Luft). I wrote a comment before the series began, picking the Cardinals in seven, mostly hoping for that result, not seeing much reason for it to happen (except for Carpenter and Pujols having phenomal series and leading the way).
Well, what a great series for Cardinal Nation and all Cardinal fans (of which I am one - going back to Bob Gibson and Lou Brock). Great game pitched by Reyes the rookie. In it, the man, Pujols starts the Cardinals out right by blasting a home run to the opposite field (a hit that surely stayed in all the Detroit pitchers' heads through the series). Rogers may or may not have cheated in game two, not sure if I care. Great game pitched in game 3 by Chris (Cy Young) Carpenter. Game four was good drama and kept me on the edge until the final out and a third Cardinal win (how many doubles did Eckstein hit??). Great game pitched by Weaver (whose purchase by the Cardinal front office and subsequent next few horrendous outings, originally made me want hurl) in the clincher and so the celebrations began. David Eckstein MVP - I think everyone who knows anything about the game loves that.
Rolen hitting .421, driving in the final run and playing a great third base, beautiful.
Here are my World Series Awards:
*Best sign in the stand - "Hit it to the Pitcher"
*Best shot of a fan - actually happened in the NLCS, shot of father consoling his tearful daughter after Mets lose game seven
*Second best sign in stand - "Go Crazy fans! Go Crazy" a tribute to Jack Buck
*Worst fan hat - lady with straw hat and huge Red bird on top, can you imagine sitting behind that all game?
*Best post championship moment - this time from the ALCS, the Tigers spraying champaign on their fans, I was hoping the Cardinals would do the same
I'm really sad that the ratings weren't what the network wanted (but not really). I watched every moment and savored the game by game drama. Now for a great offseason of dreaming for a St. Louis Cardinal repeat as World Champions.

Screw the Cardinals just because they won the world series DOES NOT make them the best team in baseball ...lucky is more like it...they beat a WEAK Padres team an INJURED Mets team(not making excuses but if Martinez and Hernandez were not hurt they would have swept the Cards) and an INEXPERIENCED Tigers team who even though it was a good story were OVERRATED so go ahead and celebrate cardinals fans just make sure that the trophy is nice and shiny for a real team to take it next year

3:35 p.m.,
I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Keep coming back for all the Hot Stove League debates. I promise it won't just be about the Yankees or Mets every day.

Re: Next season,
The Cardinals will be an improved team because of their young pitchers -- Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright -- hopefully being in the rotation from Opening Day. The offense (Albert Pujols) is coming back, so it should be fine, though they need to find a second baseman (how about bringing back the underrated Grudzielanek?). The big problem for St. Louis is the NL as a whole be improved -- Philly, Florida, Atlanta and Arizona will be up-and-coming ballclubs. The Mets and Padres will be tough again, too.

For Detroit, the pitching and defense that carried them this year isn't going anywhere. If they can add a big bat, they will contend again in what willl be the best division in baseball again. I can Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland or Detroit winning the division.

In response to Mr. Luft's predictions about next year, you really don,t know who is going to do what till after free agency, trades, off season player situations, and spring training situations. The Cardinals will be about the same team with the exception of maybe Belliard who might go back to Cleveland. Nobody knows about how Isringhausen will be after hip surgery and what if Suppan or Weaver leave? I believe both will stay, however Suppan would be the one to bolt. The Mets will be better because Omar Minaya will get pitching and the Cubs, Astros, Phillies, Padres,Marlins, and Braves will be better. My hunch is that either the Mets or Padres will be real formidable next year. Detroit will have to deal with a whole lot more good teams. The White Sox, Twins, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, and A'S will all be there next year and I think the White Sox will be back due to their outstanding front office aggressiveness it getting players to win.

As a Pittsburgh native and a 15+ year St. Louis resident, it should not be a surprise that my favorite sports teams are the Steelers and the Cardinals.

What an amazing year not just for me personally, but for the underdog. The Steelers win 3 playoff games on the road in January; meanwhile, in October, the 83-win Cardinals shock the world without the benefit of the homefield in any of their 3 playoff series. Statistics don't lie, 2006 has made them a little less important!

I'm here in STL and can say I've never seen anything like it...i'm only 21 so I wasn't around, obviously, for our last WS championship and this is just awesome! I just can't say GO CARDS enough...

My only concern is what's gonna come in the offseason; i know it's only been a day, but historically, a lot of World Series teams have been dismantled after it's over, and I would hate to see any of these guys go...it'll be interesting to see what Jocketty does though.

That's pretty much it...all I can say is GO CARDS! :D And i'm about to go out tonight and celebrate what is turning out to be a great weekend!

To paraphrase Peter King, here are a couple of things I think think:

I cannot believe that I have read all the way dowm the page and no one has mentioned Tony La Russa. I'm no expert, but I came to know Tony when he managed the "A"s in the late '80s - Canseco, McGuire et. al. - and a bunch of lame and broken pitchers and took them to the World Series. Seems to me he did pretty much the same thing this year with the Cards. I like a manager who uses all the tools in the bag - bunt, hit-and-run - aggressive, in-your-face baseball.

And by the way, am I the only one who has looked at La Russa's record over the last 8 - 10 years? If he is not the best Manager in Baseball, he is right up there!

I have discovered in the last few years that I am a fan of The Game rather than a fan of one team or another. This affords me the opportunity to pick and choose and not be wrapped up emotionally (though that's fun, too) in the outcome. I picked Detroit to win, but I did say that it is always tough to pick against Tony La Russa because he is so awfully smart.

I am delighted that the Cardnals won. I am old enough to have seen Musial play - it took me years to learn not to hit with my "foot in the bucket". It's great fun to see two of the "old" teams in Baseball battle it out. It was a pleasure to watch La Russa make his moves and contrast his decisions with those of his good friend Leland's.

Yes there was some pretty sloppy play out there this time. Put it down to nerves, inexperience and maybe the cold. I cannot imagine playing baseball in 45º weather. It has got to sting a great deal if you don't catch it just right. But there were some real fielding gems too - though they were too few and too far between for the Tigers. And Jeez fellas, lets have the pitchers work on some defense how about?

And lets not have any more whinning about starting the games earlier. Where I live, the games started most times at 9 or 9:30. You can always tape 'em.

It will be a long cold winter in Detroit and in St. Louis as well But March and April will be here before you know it ans we can do this all over again.

Sorry, but 4 am came early and I was just heading to bed at that time. I am not a drinker but I did designate drive some friends down to the epicenter of the baseball world. I walked into Busch Stadium around 10:45 P.M. to see all the World Champion Cardinal gear and papers gone. Like a total idiot I forgot my camera so all I have is one pic taken by camera phone. The memories I have burned into my memory are priceless I saw Jeff Weaver and his brother Jared make their way around the field. Scott Spezio and Braden Looper both came out to give the fans love. It was as great a moment in Cardinal history as any. I consoled some Detroit fans and gave an entire career worth of hi-fives to any person who would scream “Go Cards!” This will be something to remember for a long time.

I missed a couple things… I missed my Grandma Parker who taught me to love this game. The history of it, the passion to play, and an oral history of the legends she saw play. I am sorry she missed the 10th World Series crown because she saw all the rest. I missed Jack Buck his call of “That’s a Winner, a Worlds Series winner!” I missed KMOX broadcasting strong at 1120 on the AM dial. Time marches on and things change but this is still special it brings new traditions that I will pass to the next generation.

I got to celebrate with my friend the Red Sox fan and another who loves the Yankees but has adopted the Cardinals since he moved to St. Louis 8 years ago. I spoke with my family and was on the phone with my wife who was watching out of town on business when the last out happened. I will remember this where I was just like I recall as a 13 year old in the living room of my moms house with the 70’s green shag carpet watching Bruce Sutter strike out the last Brewer and get a bear hug from Darrell Porter. I miss Darrell also, he was an acquaintance of mine while I lived in Kansas City, it is a shame he left us so early.

I’ll wrap up with this 10 down and only 16 more championships and we will catch the Damned Yankees. I hit the score of the Cards but it would seem Sean Casey has something against my predictions. Jacob I am still waiting for your offer to guest write. To all those who want to know what I was shouting last night in the crazy down town it was this: Kenny Rogers pitched 23 scoreless innings and still no ring! It all goes with my strategy to keep the pine tar issue out finish it in 5 games so he can’t pitch.
GO WORLD CHAMPION CARDS!

Craig

FREE CRAIG THE CARDS FAN FOR A GUEST COLUMN

Nice comment:

Screw the Cardinals just because they won the world series DOES NOT make them the best team in baseball ...lucky is more like it...they beat a WEAK Padres team an INJURED Mets team(not making excuses but if Martinez and Hernandez were not hurt they would have swept the Cards) and an INEXPERIENCED Tigers team who even though it was a good story were OVERRATED so go ahead and celebrate cardinals fans just make sure that the trophy is nice and shiny for a real team to take it next year

I guess a "real team" throws the ball away more than Rick Ankiel (Sorry Cards fans) and can't hit a pitch to save their lives. This Cards fan will be celebrating my "fake" team's victory for the next 5 months. Big congrats to Eckstein. You are an inspiration to us small guys.

To JL: Re: Your 3:24 PM note, today. Just got back from a shopping trip & read your post. Thanks for your kind and helpful comments. Walt

How do give a team that scored four runs an "A" for offense? The Cards offense was adequate - nothing more. They won because their pitching was superb and the Tigers couldn't execute fundamentals that are generally more "NL," i.e. fielding bunts.

That being said, I take nothing away from the Cards - they richly deserve their championship.

Re: 'Nasty comment from 3:58 PM poster to Walter'

What's your problem with me? ... or with Craig for that matter [I don't know if Craig is any problem, JL puts his posts up too]. Why are you complaining about us?

Secondly, you don't know me ... or anything about me. How could you assume that I "was only a fan?" As if by saying that, you mean I have no right to offer my opinions?

Are my posts too long for you to read? NOTE: I was asking John Donovan to write an article and / or possibly respond to an earlier long 10 point blog submission. That's why my 3:14 pm comments ran long. Why is that a problem with you? I don't understand.

Thirdly, you wrote something based on an assumption:

You wrote: "Hey Walter ... and all the others who think that you should have opportunities to write columns or articles..."

True, I am only a participant, like you ... and many, many others, 'Anonymous 3:58.'

But, for your information I DID win a journalism award sponsored by the Detroit News, when I wrote for a newspaper. So, you are perhaps incorrect in calling me "only a fan." That's my feeling, anyway.

One final point in reference to your negative comments. At least, I have the courage to use my own real name, "Anonymous 3:58 person." And, I don't think you should be verbally insulting submitters to this blog. I may be stupid in using my own name, but I've done so. Again, I don't see what your problem is. Nor should I really care... I guess.

P.S. Back to the W.S & baseball, which were the topics of this column. I didn't mean to imply that I do not like Leyland, or that I think that he's a bad manager. He's a great person, and a very good manager; he just got out-managed by TLR in this series.

Thank you, walter from Anderson, IN

The St. Louis Cardinals are World Champs! Tony Larussa is the greatest manager there ever was. 10 WS titles best in national league and only 2nd to the yankees! Congradulation STL Cardinals!!

GO CARDS!!!

Lifelong Cards fan living in Los Angeles now, and I am still giddy with the win almost 24 hours later. I too was bummed by the talking heads mostly picking the Tigers. I felt like they had overlooked a few things. My boys win when they're supposed to lose and lose when they're supposed to win (anyone remember 2004?) We were banged up but getting healthy. And no-one from the 2004 team wanted a repeat of what happened two years ago. I knew there was no way they would not go down without a fight. I know I have cardinal colored glasses on, but it just seemed that picking the "Tigers in 3" (as I believe one of the national papers did) was a bit harsh.

Nuff said.

Hats off to the Tigers for a great season. I know the loss sucks. I still wince when they show highlights of the Red Sox dancing on my field. But your guys are young, your pitching is fast, take a deep breath (practice a little fielding)shake it off and come out swinging in the spring.

And finally to my Boys of Summer.... what an amazing, dizzy, heartsick, stomach turning ride its been. I grew up with the White Rat, Coleman and the killer tarp, The Out that wasn't, stupid rally towels, back flips, and Jack Buck's voice sailing into a summer nightfull with promise. What a blissful ride its been. I've wanted it so badly to come again, and it truly is sweet.

To all the great fans whose teams struggled to make it and just miss. Hang in there. Wipe the slate clean. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Spring. Let's go win it on the field?!

Go 2006 World Champion Cardinals!

To Walter and all... I am the poster from 5:29AM who stated 10 reasons why Leyland Blew It by not starting Kenny Rogers.

Im glad that you gave my points some serious thought. I stand by those points, as they are logical and well thought out.

Its a shame that Leyland turned a blind-eye to such obvious logic. It was shocking, in fact, that he disregarded the NL Park and key strategic advantages that he would have had by pitching Rogers under those rules... this is not to mention Rogers stellar post season this year, calming influence, Verlander fading etc. etc.

Anyway, one comment that Id like to take back: Leyland doesnt owe anyone an apology. He did well in getting the Tigers to the big game this year...HOWEVER I (and many Tiger fans) truly would hope that Leyland would allow himself more insight to make a key decision next season, should a similar situation come up.

They asked LaRussa if he would have pitched Carpenter if he was in a similar situation down 2 and he said 'absolutely'. It only makes sense.

Now, one final note...its truly a shame that Leyland took the Tigers best Post Season Weapon out of their hands...had Rogers started he would have had a great shot at bringing the Series back to Detroit for at least game 6.

But this was not meant to be, Kenny Rogers lost his chance at immortality, Mike Illitch and the City of Detroit lost millions in revenues, and Tiger fans sit bewildered and disappointed.

To St. Louis Fans: Congratulations on your win, your team played well and better than the Tigers....however please do not kid yourself in to thinking and stating that pitching Rogers couldnt have made a big difference. It certainly could have made a huge difference in that game 5, as any insightful baseball fan would attest.

Nice comment:

"Screw the Cardinals just because they won the world series DOES NOT make them the best team in baseball ...lucky is more like it...they beat a WEAK Padres team an INJURED Mets team(not making excuses but if Martinez and Hernandez were not hurt they would have swept the Cards) and an INEXPERIENCED Tigers team who even though it was a good story were OVERRATED so go ahead and celebrate cardinals fans just make sure that the trophy is nice and shiny for a real team to take it next year..."

Why is it, I wonder, that EVERY time Martinez and El Duque's injuries are mentioned, neither Mulder nor Izzy's are brought up? Just sayin.' (BTW: Want some salt with those sour grapes?)

Go Cards. See you all next year.

Question for Cardinal fans:
Why do y'all think that you were supposed to win in 2004? That Boston team won 98 games, had possibly 2 future hall-of-fame starters, and was running as high on emotion as any team in world series history. I'd think that more of y'all would be glad to see a role reversal from 1987.

I'm a St. Louisan and a big Cardinal fan. But I'm also a fan of baseball and would like to see MLB fix a bad playoff system. St. Louis was only able to muster 83 regular season wins. Detroit had 95 regular season wins including a sweep of the Cardinals. AND let's not forget the AL won that magical All-Star privelege and had home field advantage. But the Cardinals actually had three home games to the Tigers two! That's NOT home field advantage, and that's just NOT RIGHT. MLB needs to fix this. Division winners deserve more than one extra (scheduled) home game for a 162 game season of excellence. Heck, San Diego and the Yankees never saw a third home game.

Let the Division winners stay at home to play all five if necessary in the division series and let the NLCS/ALCS competitor with the best record have five or more home games. That's a real reward (to the fans and the local economies) for a season of excellence. Heck, with the current system, Tampa, Pittsburgh, or any other team that's played poorly can get hot or lucky and win the World Series. The Cardinals and the wild card teams of recent history are proof. Give the teams that excelled for the 162 game grind a REAL REWARD. (Otherwise, why play so many?)

MLB needs to let the teams that dominated from April through September play in front of their screaming fans...night after night after night after night....I think all good baseball fans could then recognize the World Series winner as a legitimate champion. In the meantime...GO CARDS! YEAH BABY!!!

Loved to see some of the exhilarating comments of deliriously happy Cardinal fans.

Like 'silvag' earlier today: "man i cant believe it, its still sureal, to think this happened and so little was done by Albert amazing."

And the person who almost waxed poetic ... what a beautiful posting came up in the past hour or so:

11:10 pm 'anon:' "And finally to my Boys of Summer.... what an amazing, dizzy, heartsick, stomach turning ride its been. I grew up with the White Rat, Coleman and the killer tarp, The Out that wasn't, stupid rally towels, back flips, and Jack Buck's voice sailing into a summer night full with promise. What a blissful ride its been. I've wanted it so badly to come again, and it truly is sweet."

I'm more a fan of baseball, but naturally root for my hometown Detroit Tigers. My move to Indiana in ’73 (where we have no major league team) ... has left me variously rooting for other national league teams, besides the Tigers ... (I now actually prefer NL style of play; don't really like the game management in the AL with the DH and all...)

But right now, I am vicariously living the joy of you St. Louis Cardinal fans and Cardinal Nation ... from the well-spoken St. Louis fan out in LA posting at 11:10 pm ... to 'silvag' at 2:16 am, 10/28.

I'd only like to say to the more recent poster who spoke so eloquently at 11:10 ... that I hope you don't go out and get Soriano ... like 'silvag' wishfully hopes for. Darn, your Cardinals, with a Soriano backing up Pujols [the latter, simply the greatest player in baseball today] ... and with your team-pitching that we all saw in the series ... would make the Cardinals virtually unbeatable.

Enjoy those wonderful words, Cardinal Nation: when the local baseball franchise in St. Louis answers the phone in upcoming months "... the WORLD CHAMPION St. Louis Cardinals..."

You deserve the glory. Great Team, great team spirit, great manager and the best pitching coach in the majors...

How very sweet, indeed, it must be. I was there at the 1968 series, and the Tigers stole back from a 3-1 St. Louis lead [ 2006 was the payback for that ] and I watched with dismay (1985?), where there was that horrible call at first base that stole a W.S. title from the redbirds [again, I hope 2006 eased some of that pain]. And the sweep by the Red Sox in ‘04 can seem now, perhaps, like a distant memory: “…the World Champion St. Louis ….”

To Eck, to Scott Rolen, to Albert Pujols (who deserves this crown so much, no matter how many hits he got in the series [he plays great defense – how about that play, falling down and throwing to Weaver covering first … (wish our Tiger pitchers were half as good in fielding their position, BTW) … but Pujols is just outstanding, the total package of a true great athlete] … to the Cy Young pitching performance of Chris Carpenter. And Weaver, Suppan and a super bullpen. All of them, Molina, So Taguchi, the clutch hitting of Duncan through most of the postseason, the great D shown by Edmonds and Belliard. What a great world series, indeed.

Enjoy every minute of it.

Cardinal fans, most ALL of them, are truly a very classy bunch of people.

walter - Anderson, IN

Thanks, JayPMac, for your thoughtful comeback on the 'why not pitch Rogers in Game 5 issue:'

JayPMac at 3:40 PM:
"As for holding Rogers out of Game 5, Leyland did the right thing. Yes, I can understand the argument for putting Detroit's best post-season pitcher into a must-win game on (thanks to the rain delay) normal rest. However, in the first place, Rogers isn't the most emotionally stable individual. Add the Game 2 Pine Tar controversy, and a hostile St. Louis crowd, and you have a recipe for a meltdown.

There's a reason Rogers had a better record and ERA at Comerica Park. And Leyland knew it."

You bring up a number of valid points that counter the other person's 10-point argument. I almost forgot about the "camera guy incident down at Arlington, TX ... with a KR that desperately needed 'anger management' therapy."

Also, Jim Leyland, said during series game 2 I believe, that Rogers showed "...so much emotion out on the mound, it almost scares me..." So, yes, I get your point.

But, that doesn't negate all of the 10 points brought up by that earlier blogger. You've partly convinced me, though. And, I do have a lot of faith in Leyland. Of course, I understand Leyland's argument that he'd have to go with the inexperienced rookie Verlander sometime (needing THREE wins).

But, I still think Verlander would have been less nervous at his home park. It was awful watching him struggle through those 35 pitches in the first; including 2 wild pitches and three walks in one inning! I felt uncomfortable just watching that. And, I think I'd have felt as uncomfortable [watching] a Cardinal pitcher who was showing such a bad case of nerves.

Thanks for your input, however.

walter - Anderson, IN

To Walter Dick,
I think that there are people, on any forum, willing to provide gratituos insults; with all due respect, as far as your post are concerned, it is not that they are long...It is that you go over the same points over and over...Your first posts I truly enjoyed...the rest were redundant and boring. Honest. But, God bless you for sharing your thoughts.

I am an admirer of TLR; I am no sure that he outmanaged Leyland...Maybe he did...But the fact is that the world is still blind to the greatness of the SL club...What a shame....

Another G-R-E-A-T response from a St. Louis fan, posted at 6:54 PM, Oct. 28th.

Among many good comments, that writer also gives credit to the Tigers baseball club and it's fan base (way to go, classy redbird fan):

Naming his awards for various categories: One of awards at the latter part of his list was "Best post championship moment - this time from the ALCS, the Tigers spraying champagne on their fans, I was hoping the Cardinals would do the same."

Thank you so very much. I don't know if you know it, but the Tigers team got some adverse criticism for this seemingly 'spur of the moment' display. I don't believe it was planned.

It just happened that the players wanted to reward fans that had stuck with them through 119 losses, just a few years ago. Not to mention, fans that were loyal to the Tigers through something like 12 straight losing seasons (obviously, we Tigers are NOT the St. Louis Cardinals). We win a world series title about once every generation, while youse guys have 10 titles already. Congrats. You deserve it, big time.

Especially after 1985, 1968, 1987 and 2004.

Another comment that the 6:54 pm responder said may well come true: "...dreaming of a St. Louis repeat as World Champions..." The GM of the redbirds may not have to do much tweaking, if the players stay healthy. You need a 4th. starter, but an obvious choice (if Izzy comes back as closer) is to convert that great arm that Wainwright has, into the starting rotation. Then, you've got your basic four.

It's not unreasonable to think of a repeat, St. Louis. What a great team. As a Tiger fan, I admire your spirit and your team.

I think that the 6:54 'anon' person also posted on Oct. 20th. at 10:45 am ... in picking the Cardinals in 7. May be wrong, though, since it's hard to tell one 'anon' from another. :-)

Almost everything I see from Cardinal fans shows nothing but pure class. I add that, because I was highly disturbed one time - long ago - by running into a bunch of extremely arrogant New York Yankee fans (sorry JL), who thought the whole world began and ended in the Big Apple. They were abusive in the worst way.

I know one can't class all people, according to one meeting. But, I love how classy the Cardinal fan base is behaving ... after their great victory.

walter - Anderson, IN

You all can expect the ratings for this World Series to rise; it would be the most analysed and srutinised series of all time; this whole winter you can expect the pundits dissect every game...In fact they will begin re-hasing the SD burial from by Sl; and the Mets; and the Tigers...In their trying to prove that what "should have been, should not have been", Saint Louis and the Tigers will get redemtion; It was one for the pundits!

My dearest Walter,

I apologize if I came off as "nasty" as you see it. My only point is that you and Craig, myself, and the hundreds of others who make posts on this blog or other writers' mailbags, are only fans- journalism awards from random competitions notwithstanding.

The sportswriters are the ones who are paid to write their columns, and we can only respond as they allow us to. We have no special privileges for "guest columns" or other fun treatment.

You're right in that I know nothing about you, but I recognize that you appreciate the game of baseball, as I do.

"Anon 3:58", Matt, in Canada

the guy in 10:08 oct 28 is right since the cards are the direct champs 'experts' must ask permission from cards fans to speak for we are the kings (and queens if that even exsists) OF BASEBALL!!!!



WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO CARDS ARE THE MASTERS!!!!!

Playoff baseball. You've got to love it. But for those haters out there who think that this WS win was just luck, consider this:

The Cardinals were one game behind the Mets for the best home record in the NL. They did this even though they played one less home game (rained-out) and including their season-ending losing streak.

Mulder, Marquis, Ponson. Not on the post-season roster. Combined record: 24-27 in 63 starts with an ERA of 6.17, a WHIP of 1.59 and opponents batting 0.370 (!) against them. Try to find a worse trio in MLB.

Add to that Isringhausen (also not on the post-season roster) and his 8 losses (from 10 blown saves) and 3.55 ERA (horrible for a closer).

Then add in the loss of Edmonds, Pujols and Eckstein for significant number of games each during the season.

The addition of Weaver (as bad as he had been pitching in LA) gave the Cardinals one ace and two decent starters. Reyes is very inconsistent but has very good stuff so he can surprise you. The emergence of Wainright as a closer fixed that hole and stabilized the bullpen.

The Cards were able to take home field away from each of their opponents and only the Mets were able to take it back. Playing at home, with a healthy lineup and playoff experience was the difference in this playoffs.

We don't have to wait for next year for a "real" team to win the WS. A real team has already won it.

The sports bars were ultra quiet in Detroit, per my neighbor. He phoned a friend in Tiger-town yesterday, and said that one main sports bar was simply silent.

Much thanks and respect to 'Craig the Card fan,' who said:

"The memories I have burned into my memory are priceless I saw Jeff Weaver and his brother Jared make their way around the field. Scott Spezio and Braden Looper both came out to give the fans love. It was as great a moment in Cardinal history as any. I consoled some Detroit fans..."

As evidenced by the hushed sports bar, Detroit fans could use some consoling ... and that was very kind of you, Craig.

To Matt in Canada (1:01pm today): I am sorry. I'm too damn sensitive, I know that! Probably mistook your comments. Very nice complement you gave. Yes, I love the game; watch every postseason, no matter who's playing - even if it's a Subway Series.

To a 6:20am poster this morning, who wrote:

"I think that there are people, on any forum, willing to provide gratuitous insults; with all due respect, as far as your post are concerned, it is not that they are long...It is that you go over the same points over and over...Your first posts I truly enjoyed...the rest were redundant and boring. Honest. But, God bless you for sharing your thoughts."

I'll take that as constructive criticism. Maybe I'm getting too old (my dad used to repeat the same old stores over & over, ad nauseum - but, I loved him a lot anyway). I know I've revisited some points more than once, but I tried to give some variance in thought if I did ... Hope I didn't bore everybody out there.

Anyway, thanks for the blessings. Need that a lot. I'll also admit I'm new to the whole 'blogging' thing. Never participated before this past week. It's been really interesting reading the variety of postings.

Now, I guess I'll go see how our unbeaten Colts will be doing out in Denver. They're underdogs this week, and probably next week in Foxboro as well. Oops, Sorry JL, I forgot this is a BASEBALL forum...

walter - Anderson, IN

Walter,

You're right, I posted on 10:45 AM, October 20, 2006 by Anonymous

"The Cardinals will battle the Tigers for every out, every hit and every run. The series will be a good one. The improbable Cardinals with the worst regular season record of any of this year's playoff teams, will continue to amaze and prove all the experts wrong.

Cardinals in seven. In the finale, Suppan blanks the Tigers for six and two thirds innings. Pujols has a two run double and a home run. Wainwright closes the door."

Okay, they win in 5, I can take that kind of a blown prediction.

Go Cards, 2006 World Series Champions

Listen, good for the Cards fans, but no fan, nobody, can watch this and say they are the best team. The best team doesn't always win, and when one team plays its best baseball, and the other can't hit or play any defense, and still be two short throws to third away from being up 3-2 before heading back to Detroit, you can't tell me the better team won. No sour grapes, just real facts. The A's played their good baseball, they said so, everyone said so, the Yankees played ok, and the Tigers steam rolled them. The A's and yanks would have killed the Cards, the Tigers just folded under the spotlight, nothing else to say. Reyes? Weaver? Suppan (who they actually hit)?...They are better than the A's and Yanks pitchers who the Tigers demolished? No, the Tigers need just crapped their collective pants, and its a shame. If the Tigers played there best, I have no problem, but no one can say that happened, and no one can say the Cards had anything to do with it. The Tigers just had to get a bigger strike zone, and throw the balls to 3rd, just two throws, and this an entire different series, oh, and the Granderson slip, come on people.

Oh.....my......god.

David Eckstein continues to get credit on a dribbler to 3rd THROWN AWAY by Brandon Inge, and a blooper to center that Granderson FELLon.It's AMAZING how you sportswriters praise him for other's mistakes. If this were A-Rod, you'd all be saying "he was just lucky". STOP THE DOUBLE STANDARD! We all know he's little. We all know he hustles down the line, LIKE ALMOST EVERY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER! We have all heard about little David Eckstein! Why don't you write about OTHER PEOPLE for a change?

Is anyone surprised that this WS had the lowest ratings ever when no major sports writter even tried to promote it? Rather than cry over the lack of a NY team, why not talk up the great young pitching (Verlander, Reyes, Wainright), the catchers (With Molina and I-Rod calling the pitches is it any surprise that pitching was so dominant over offense?), or the battle of wits between two of the better managers in recent history? It seems like real baseball fans should appreciate a series like this, not turn it off to watch Project Runway reruns.

I am not a Cards fan but they were clearly the best team of the post season. They played hard every minute, maintained their playoff intensity throughout, especially the pitchers. I think LaRussa deserves a lot of credit but my MVP is Molina. I think he set and maintained the tone and allowed the Cards to win despite a quiet Pujols' bat.