Well, the 2006 season is officially over and hat’s off to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning the World Series. As soon as Adam Wainwright struck out Brandon Inge to end the game, I could not help but have an empty feeling. Not only is the season over, but for the second straight season I had to watch one of the Cubs biggest rivals celebrate a World Championship.
This Cardinals championship is their 10th, second only to the Yankees. I remember the last time they won in 1982 when they beat the Brewers and I remember when they lost to the Kansas City Royals in 1985 and to the Minnesota Twins in 1987. I have been following baseball for nearly 30 years and have seen all but one fall classic over that span but the last two have been very difficult to swallow. The Cardinals were the better team when it mattered the most….and the keyword there is team. They played solid fundamental baseball, made very few errors, either mentally or physically; they capitalized on the Tigers’ mistakes and received tremendous pitching performances from very unlikely sources. I am a fan of the game and they played the game the right way throughout the post season. What they did proves the point that anything can happen in a short series.
So while it would be very easy to whine about it not being the Cubs, I suggest taking the “high road” and realize that the 2007 season starts on Saturday. Now it is time for Jim Hendry to put his money where his mouth is.
Let’s no longer dwell on the past….we all know how that story ends.