Cards win the 2011 Fall Classic!
by Wendell Beitzel on Oct.29, 2011, under 2011, St. Louis Cardinals
It is going to be a high scoring series, with pitchers being changed out like clockwork. I predict Cardinals in 7.
This was the final paragraph from my blog post prior to the World Series starting last week. Out of these 3 statements I went 2 out of 3!
Let’s start with the last one. The Cardinals did win it in 7! This was a close one though. On 2 separate instances during the 9th and 10th inning of Game 6 they Birds on the Bat were down to their final strike while trailing by 2 runs in both cases. Somehow they found a way to come though and force a Game 7. The last lead the Rangers would get in the Series they had during the top of the 1st of Game 7 when they led 2-0.
The statement before that was almost too easy to call with a manager like Tony La Russa at the helm. During Game 5 he broke the record for the most number of pitching changes in a World Series, with what turned out to be two games to play! Whether you are in the camp that things La Russa tends to over manage, or like me, thinks that he seems to pull the right strings at the right times (mostly), This was a series destined to be in the record books.
Finally, the one I got wrong. With the 2 powerful offenses that were in play with the Rangers and the Cardinals I assumed that the hitting would get to the pitchers early and often. With the exception of Game 3 when the Cards blew the game out 16-7, this did not happen. The games were all close, and we have pitching and defense to thank for that. Mostly…
The worst thing about this World Series, and mostly during the historic Game 6, was a comedy of errors. Errors that are the type that even a little leaguer would get. David Freese missing a very routine pop fly on the infield, miscommunication between the left fielder and the shortstop on what should have been a routine fly ball to left. In my mind these are the types of errors that doomed the Tigers against the Cardinals in the 2006 World Series, and they are the kind that usually results in a loss. Luckily the Cardinals were able to overcome these errors in the crucial Game 6 and put a win on the board to force Game 7.
This has been a season and postseason to remember as a Cardinals fan. Being 10.5 games out on August 25th, and 8.5 games out at the beginning of September, most people had all but given up on the Cards. Then they began a run for history. Squeaking into the playoffs with the help of the Phillies sweeping the Braves to finish off the season, these Cardinals proceeded to defy all expectation and beat the very team that helped them get in. After an amazing 5 game series against the Phillies, the Cardinals went on to beat the Brewers, who had dominated the NL Central during the regular season. And finally, against the Texas Rangers, a team that everyone assumed would win, they showed their never quit, never go home attitude that had gotten them to that point.
This is has been a special one, one that I will remember for the rest of my life. Congratulation to the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, World Champions!!!
Cardinals in the World Series…Now What?
by Wendell Beitzel on Oct.19, 2011, under 2011, St. Louis Cardinals
As anyone that knows me can attest, I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, so when they clinched their 3rd spot in the Fall Classic since 2004 I was, shall we say, ecstatic. But now what? Tonight the Texas Rangers will be in St. Louis for Game 1 and what should we expect to see?
Let’s start with the Rangers. Their line up is deep and has power to burn, their starters are good (if inconsistent) and their bullpen has been fantastic. In many ways the Rangers and Cardinals look very similar on paper. If these teams have a weak spot I believe it is the starting pitching. In both the NLCS and the ALCS the starting pitching for these two regularly failed to get past the 5th inning. It is thanks to both bullpens being brilliant that either of these two are where they are! The Cardinals have a former Cy Young award winner in Chris Carpenter. While the Rangers don’t have an ace of this caliber on their staff, Carpenter has struggled at times throughout this postseason.
Their isn’t much to say about the relievers. Both teams have relied on their bullpens to get more outs overall throughout the Championship Series than their starters. This is generally not the way to find yourself in the World Series. They key to this series is going to be which team’s starters keep their team in the game the longest, and with these two powerhouse offenses at play this could be more difficult than it sounds.
The Cardinals lineup is anchored by Albert Pujols, and followed up by Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday, all of whom can easily turn any inning into a rout. The bottom of the Cards lineup features less power than the Rangers, but still consistently good hitters who can put together good at bats and make a pitcher work. The Rangers lineup features very similar three, four, and five guys, but the bottom of their order has more power than their counterparts in the Cardinals lineup. With the power available for these two teams it is going to be the job of the pitchers to stop the big inning from happening.
My belief is that whichever team is able to do this more successfully will come out the winner. It has always been a widely accepted fact that pitching and defense beat hitting when it comes to the postseason. This is why, while the Rangers lineup is daunting, I predict the Cards to win this one.
It is going to be a high scoring series, with pitchers being changed out like clockwork. I predict Cardinals in 7.
Our mini vacation on Orcas Island!
by Wendell Beitzel on Feb.18, 2011, under Hiking
Thanks to my amazing girlfriend we went and spent the night at the West Beach Resort on Orcas Island for my birthday. We got there on Wednesday just after noon, and left late on Thursday evening. We were able to check in as soon as we arrived, and I just want to commend Darcy at the West Beach Resort. She was very welcoming, and was very helpful in answering all of our questions. The cabin was just what we had pictured, small with 2 bedrooms right along the water.
Once we had unpacked we headed over to Eastsound to grab a bite to eat and do some hiking. Our lunch at the Madrona Bar and Grill was very good! Renee got Dungeness Crab Cakes and I got one of the best Bacon Bleu Cheeseburgers I have ever had.
After lunch we headed over to Cascade Falls and did a small 3 mile hike. The trail was in pretty good condition, although it was not the most scenic until we actually got to the Falls themselves. We decided to follow the road back to the car instead of taking the trail since it was shorter and we wanted to head back to the cabin. We got back to the cabin and enjoyerd a nice fire outside and then made dinner (grilled salmon!)
Thursday morning we packed up and headed back into town, grabbed bite to eat, then headed to the trail head for Mount Constitution. The route that we had decided to take started out at Mountain Lake, went up to Twin Lakes, and then climbed the Mountain to the Summit. The guidebook said this would be a “strenuous” hike, and they were not kidding. The first several miles were fairly flat, but after leaving Twin Lakes it was steady steep uphill for 2 miles. As we climbed higher we started to see snow and clouds. When we finally came out on the summit we could not see more than several hundred yards away because we were up in the clouds. It was cold and windy, but was very enjoyable!
On our way up we had met another couple who suggested taking a different route back to the car that would take us near Little Summit, and then would be a shorter route to the car. While we were heading back to the car a bald eagle flew up out of the trees about 50 yards in front of us just off of the side of the mountain. After a pretty steep downhill section we came out of the trees at the car, exhausted but feeling good about the day!
We decided to hang out in Eastsound for awhile and went to Bilbo’s Festivo, a Mexican restaurant that seemed to be themed as though it was in Middle Earth in the Shire. The food was good, and we headed back to the ferry full and sleepy!
It was an amazing 2 days, and I can’t thank Renee enough for the amazing birthday present!
Feel free to check out pictures, GPS tracks of the hikes, and Trail Reports at the links below.
Cascade Falls
GPS Track
PNW Report
Mount Constitution
GPS Track
PNW Report
