Life Over Coffee

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!!!