St. Louis Cardinals, Champions: This Blog Gets the Credit

I know. Somee benighted beople might give the credit for the Cardinals winning the World Series to David Frese, Caprpenter, Berkman, Craig, Molina, Pujols, and/or even Tony LaRussa.


Those in the know, howe er, KNOW werhere the credit really belongs: THIS BLOG.


What happened in late August, when the Cardinals started their run? No, the plaers did NOT change. The manager did not change from the manager who had done a LOUSY job up to late August--cumliimnation in loising 3 out of 4 to a mediocre Dodger team, AT JHOOME, afeter LOSING game after game AT HOME to inferior opponets.


What changed was THIS BLOG. I wrote an article in late August noting that Tony LaRussa was a FAILURE. He hhad done nothing since 20056, and had put the Cardinals in an impossible hole this year, against INFERIRO oppositoin.


From the time that article came out, the Cardinals weree (mainly, as they still seemed to lose to INFERIOR teams too much) a different temam. LaRussa gaets (too much?) credit for "motivating" players. The question is; WHO motivates LaRussa? Well, you now know the answer,. THIS BLOG motivated LaRussa. The ONLY thing that changed was this blog article, and you will probably find a copy oseted in LaRussa's ofice. There is just no doubt. This blog DESERVES the credit for what the St. Louis Cardinals have accomplished. I shouldl ahve received the trophy for "most valuable player", except I guess I donn't qualify, since I am not a player.


I will even admit that LarRussa managed peretty well in the post-season. Oh, he managed Game 5 ATROCIOUSLY, and there were a number of questionable lineup decisons throughout. Still, a pretty good job (which is praise I am sure LaRussa appreciates, from an EXEPERT like myself). Having Craing run in the nith inning of Game 5 was one of trhe WORST ddecisons a manager has ever made, but LaRussa, overall, had a pretty brilliant post-season.


As I have said, I have been a Cardinal fan since my childhood in the hill country of Arkansas (Mt. Ida), where I listened to Harry Carey describe the exploits of Stan Musial. One of the disappointments of my life was that I neverf saw Stan the Man in a World Series, since the last on e he was in was in 1948 (when I was 1 year old). Albert Pujols has probably been a bettter player (although not better than Musial was in 1948), but my heart still belongs to Musial. It is amazing for any franchise besides the Yankees to have had players like Pujols and Musial (I don't count Barry Bonds, for obvious reasons). It was ONLY the Cardinals, in the National League, who could stand toe to toe with the legendary Yankees, unntil they were unable to get backinto the World Series between 1948 and 1964 (and the era of Bob Bibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, et. al.).


I know that I am a prophet unapprecaited in my own time. So I don't expet to receive the credit I deerve for MOTIVATING the Cardinals, and especailly LaRussa.


What is funny is that LaRussa is STILL full of it. He specifically mentioned, in his post-game comments this Friday night, a game against Chicago (a bad team, AT HOME,, in September. I remember the game well, because I almost wrote an artifcle mentioning it at the time. The Cardinals had just blown a 4 run lead in the ninth inning against the Mets, in a game which could have DOOMED them . Then they LOST a game against the lowly Cubs. TGhey were lalmsot OUT. They could not afford losses like that, and LaRussa had to take some of the blame for those losses (yep, losses in the middle of the Cardinals' amazing run to the World Series). Then came an amazing game against the Cubs. Again, the Cubs were a LOUASY team. Yet, the Cardinals were SHUT OUT until two werer out in the ninth inning. The SEASON was on the line. The Cubs had their closer, Marvel, on the mound. What happened? LaRussa would have you believe that the Cardinals, inspired by their crowd, cAME BACK (like tin Game Six of this World Series). Hogwash. Marvel WALKED in (or Cub relievers did--I don't remember if Marvel was there at the end) TWO RUNS. The Cardinals got a GIFT. There was no "comeback" involved, unless you say that a meltdown by the other teams relievers is a "comeback". That game was, indeed, crucial. But it was TOTAL LUCK., and a gift frfom the Cubs. Sure, maybe this waws just "karma", since the Cardinals gave the Mets that gift a few days earlier, but it was still a gift (rather than a "comeback").


Yes. I congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals. They are still my team =, and they really did come back in the most amazing baseball game I have ever seen (Game Six). I congratulate the city of St. Louis, where I saw ONE baseball bgame in my life, and still remembr it as one of the highlights of my life (although one of my borthers found a hornet's nest in the middle of St. Louis, and almost got killed). It is the bets of all possible worlds. The St. Louis Cardinals wontghe World Series, and I APPARENTLY will have Tony LaRussa to "kick around" again, and "motivate", since the rumor is that he will be coming back. Will Albert Pujols be there? I don't know, but mayber Albert should consider whether he needs the Cardinals more than the Cardinals need him (although it may be a close thing).


No proofreading or spell checking (bad eyesight) . Feel free, you Cardinal fans, to comment, by THANKING me for being responsible for this latest triumph of your Cardinals. And consider poor Ben Bernanke. I said, in my previous article that turned around the Cardinal season, that Bernake had FAILED since 2006, just like Tony LaRussa. Now Bernanke stands alone: The Worst Failuer in the History of World Finance, and showng no hint of being properly motivated by this blog (mroe shame to him).