On August 18, I made what I thought would be my last trip to
Busch Stadium this season to watch the Cardinals take on the Pirates. I got
invited by my brother at the last minute (almost literally the last minute. He
called at 11 a.m. that morning and game time was at 4:15) I quickly packed a
bag, made the three hour trek solo and got there about 25 minutes before the
first pitch. If you don’t know me, this is almost like getting to a game late.
Typically I like to get to games when the gates open so I can watch batting
practice and possibly get some autographs, although anymore, I feel like I’m
too old to get a baseball signed by some guy who’s my age or younger.
Anyway, I went through the gate and straight to our seats
with my sister-in-law Trisha, as my brother and his friend tried to get rid of
some extra tickets (They didn’t have any luck). Normally an August game between
the Cardinals and Pirates wouldn’t mean much, but this year was different. The
Pirates had a game and a half lead for the final wild card spot. The Cards
ended up winning the game, 5-4, and as you’re probably aware (despite dropping
two of three in the series) they stormed past the Buckos for the final wild
card spot. (Pittsburgh actually finished the season 12-30 after that game…
pretty typical unfortunately)
But the one thing that stood out about that game was when I
saw this. It’s entitled “Some Nights You Win the World Series." It’s a clip of
home videos taken during Game 6 and 7 of the 2011 World Series, spliced
together to the song “Some Nights” by Fun. Between the first and second innings this
video popped up on the big board at Busch Stadium. It almost instantly gave me
chills, and to be completely honest, my eyes welled up a little bit.
As you probably know if you’re reading this, I was at Game 6
of the World Series last year, which has been called by many experts as one of,
if not, the greatest World Series game ever. That right there is enough to make
it a special championship. I even bought the game on iTunes for $1.99 so I
could always take it with me on my iPod.
But there’s more too it than that for me. Last season was an
incredible ride, from beginning to end. That’s why I love this video too. It covers it all, from Wainwright’s season-ending injury in Spring
Training, to the collapse of Ryan Franklin’s career, Tony LaRussa’s shingles
issue, Daniel Descalso’s close-and-late clutch stats early in the year, Pujols’
broken wrist against the Royals. Add to that that I attended six games at Busch
Stadium in 2011, while seeing each pitcher in the Cards rotation make a start.
Also I went to two games at Chase Field in Arizona where I saw my first ever
walk-off home run at an MLB game, hit by Justin Upton. I saw my second walk-off
home run a month later when Pujols hit his second walk-off in as many days
against the rival Cubs. I never fully connected the dots and realized I saw a
third walk-off home run until about a month after the World Series ended. Yes,
I was THAT caught up on the moment. It was just a very special season for me
personally.
I knew something special was happening for the Cardinals on
September 20, 2011. The Redbirds had just finished a big win over the Mets, so
I immediately flipped to see how the Braves were doing, since that’s who the
Cards were chasing. I had just tuned in when the Marlins’ Omar Infante hit a
walk-off home run off Craig Kimbrel to deal the Braves another loss. (This is
pretty much the only reason I’ll be rooting for the Tigers to win it all. Thank
you, Omar.)
You know the rest.
This year the Cardinals snuck into the playoffs, and I have
to admit my expectations were tame. I mean, I knew a World Series run was
possible because I was less than impressed by the other NL playoff teams, but
Lance Berkman, a hero from last season, was gone, a rookie that came out of
nowhere was now starting at short, and as much as I like Descalso, I don’t
really trust him starting every day.
I’m not going to rehash what happened in the wild card game
with the Braves, because I could probably write an entire blog about it, but long story short the Cardinals got a questionable call that went their way
and ended up winning the game. I was listening to the game on the radio while
watching my brother coach at a high school football game. I’m not sure I’ve
told anyone this until now, but as soon as Jason Motte recorded the final out
of the game, the siren went off to signify the end of the the third quarter.
Almost immediately from the PA speakers came the song, “Some Nights.” It truly
seemed like a sign that something magical was happening again.
My feelings appeared to be reinforced one week later. The
Cards fell down, 6-0, early against the Nationals and things seemed pretty
bleak. I opted to go to a friend’s house and eventually headed out to bar to
watch the conclusion of the game. As you the Redbirds rallied for four runs in
the top of the ninth, as I yelled like a madman when Descalso and said rookie,
Pete Kozma, got the game tying and eventual winning hits. That magic or luck,
whatever you want to call it, from last season wasn’t going to end. It was
definitely a memorable night, and a repeat trip to the World Series seemed
inevitable.
Again, you know the rest. The Cardinals got a 3-1 series
lead over the Giants before the pitching and hitting completely vanished for the final three games, and when we
fell behind, the magic was no where to be found. It was definitely a
disappointing end to the season, especially since I returned to Busch Stadium
for Game 5 to see the Cards try and clinch the pennant.
So what’s next for the Cardinals? Well, it’s tough to count
them out of contention next year. They’ll likely get a full season out of Chris
Carpenter to go along with Adam Wainwright and likely Jake Westbrook. After
that the rotation is a question mark, but it will probably be in good hands.
Jamie Garcia should be back, but his late-season injury makes him a question
mark. Kyle Lohse is gone, as it’s not likely the Cardinals will want to pay a
34-year-old pitcher the $12-15 million a year he’ll be asking. The holes in the
rotation will be filled by bullpen studs Trevor Rosenthal, Joe Kelly or top
prospect Shelby Miller. That staff should equal or better the 2012 version.
The bullpen is a question mark. It seems likely Motte,
Mitchell Boggs, Fernando Salas and Marc Rzepczynski will return if I understand
their contracts correctly, but the rest is up in the air. Cardinal fans
probably aren’t excited about the return of the latter two, but bullpen
pitching is such a volatile position. In 2011 Salas served as a part-time
closer, part-time rally killer, and this year he was horrendous. I believe he
and Rzepczynski can turn it around next year. Likewise, I never trusted Boggs
in 2011 but he was pretty reliable this season. So, like always, the bullpen is
up in the air.
The outfield seems pretty well set. I have a big concern
about Carlos Beltran matching this year’s numbers, but assuming he’s close to
the same, we should be pretty solid. Yadi Molina is a lock behind home plate,
and David Freese and Allen Craig are good to go on the corners. Up the middle
is where it gets tricky. Furcal is under contract for next year and is likely
to get the nod at short assuming he’s healthy, but second base, as always, is a
question mark. Descalso did an admirable job there, but it’s hard for me to
imagine he’ll be the starter going into next season. Skip Schumaker is a
possibility, but again I’m doubtful. I’d love to see the Cardinals spend money
for this spot next year, but given the history, it’s unlikely (and I’m not even sure there’s
anyone worth a big contract available).
All in all, if everyone stays healthy, the Cardinals should
be right in the mix next season. But I don’t think anything will ever compare
to the 2011 championship.
That’s one of the reasons I got over Monday’s loss
relatively quickly. Sure, I was upset, but it served as an important reminder... A reminder of how difficult winning a
championship can be, and thus it made last year’s run that much more special. I'm not sure it will ever fully sink in. Not the championship, but the fact that I was actually there for it. Nothing will ever be able to take away the memories of that crazy ride away from me. And in just about four months that ride starts back up again.
