October 30, 2006; 4:59 pm
Saw this on CNN Headline News and felt compelled to see for myself and blog it.
According to the Morgan Quinto Press, St. Louis, Missouri was the nation’s most dangerous city for the year 2005.
Ironically, St. Louis’ World Series opponent Detroit, Michigan ranked second most dangerous on the list.
The report is based on recently released FBI statistics for the year 2005. The rankings follow six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.
I guess this means St. Louis wins again?
October 29, 2006; 1:37 am
Part photo story, part rambling. (Or really, it’s just an illustrated rambling.) If you’re reading this on Facebook, please click on “View original post” because I can’t promise the pictures will come out right if you don’t.
Some photos from this were used in a Maneater feature article on the Cards’ win, too.
And if you’re interested, view a map of the photos from this. Though the satellite photo still has Old Busch.
Prelude
Sometime after the Cardinals’ improbable Game 1 win, I turned to Alec and said, “So I was thinking… I kinda want to go to St. Louis on Thursday to see the last home World Series game. I mean, there’s a parking garage right next to it, and you can kinda see into the stadium from there. If anything, I just want to be around it, even if we’re not clinching it.”
He responded with something along the lines of “We are so there.”
The Tigers’ Game 2 win the following day (thanks to Kenny Cheatin’ Rogers) instantly guaranteed a Game 5. The plan was on.
Throughout the course of the week, I became worried that the plans wouldn’t work out, as we all had to be back for various things on Friday… And that I’d have to drive back to St. Louis for the weekend after that. Even worse was that I’d put off a journalism assignment and found Wednesday night that the event I’d planned on covering that night wouldn’t work and a Thursday night event would be the only way out. Luckily, Wednesday also brought along a rainout, which guaranteed our trip could wait until Friday.
Continue reading ‘And the folks went crazy…’
October 26, 2006; 12:45 am
Now, I wouldn’t normally enjoy having a game delayed and eventually rained out. Especially during the World Series, with all of the tension and excitement built up.
But see, I was planning a pilgrimage to the very gates of Baseball Heaven, a journey to experience last game of the stadium’s first season. And what I’d hoped would be a World Series clincher. Before the rainout, such a trip would have occurred on Thursday night with a hasty return to Columbia immediately after the festivities… Only to return to St. Louis that night, as I was already planning to go home for the weekend. (Damn those important Friday classes.) But thanks to Mother Nature, any sort of Game 5 would have to happen on Friday at the earliest. Convenient, as I’ll just be taking one trip now.
The 1923 Yankees are the only other team to win the World Series in the first year of a new stadium. 1923. ‘The House That Ruth Built.’ Now you can’t tell me that’s not good company to be in. (Ironically enough, Yankee Stadium is going to be closing in ‘08, for the new one. Definitely going to make my way up there sometime that year. If you didn’t know, the Yankees are my other team. What? I was born in Jersey and I’ve got family up there that swear by the Yankees. And Joe Torre managed the Cardinals for a few years…)
I was looking forward to this season, new stadium and all… Came in with the exciting memory of Pujols’ homer last season still fresh in my mind. And through a heart-wrenching season (and postseason) of close calls and dances with elimination, a year that led many to forget what the Cardinals are all about, look at where we are now.
Go Cards. You’ve exceeded all of our expectations to this point. We’re two shy (of clinching) and we’ve got our last two home games lined up. Let’s do it now.
October 20, 2006; 1:15 pm
Look into my eyes and it’s easy to see, one and one make two, two and one make three: It was destiny. - “Tribute” by Tenacious D
And I thought I was tense in the Division Series when Carpenter was walking in a run during the first inning.
Game 7 really was everything I wanted–and more. It was a true fight to the end by both teams. A true nailbiter: I’d never been as genuinely tense as I was during the second through ninth innings. The home run that wasn’t; the amazing Chavez catch. The error, terror, and escape from a bases loaded situation in the 6th. The unlikely home run that was. A walk to load the bases for Cardinals-killer, Carlos Beltrán. And the wicked Wainwright curve ball, called strike three, to end the game, the series, and quell the collective tension of Cardinal nation.
Yadier Molina was the hero. It was the Pujols-Lidge home run all over again. But then we had to get through the bottom of the 9th. Cliff Floyd almost became Kirk Gibson. Beltrán almost became Aaron ****in’ Boone. Then Wainwright threw his best stuff. I can’t say I’d been thorougly impressed with Wainwright’s pitch movement and strikeout potential until Tuesday and Thursday, when he provided some mad clutch to save those from certain doom.
I’m still excited from it. It’s still sinking in. It was amazing. It was fate.
You can download the full video of game 7 for free, because MLB.com rocks. It’s so on my iPod soon.
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We’re throwing a Cardinals party at my place tonight. It’s gonna be rockin’. Message me for details.
October 19, 2006; 12:40 pm
This was originally written on Facebook, sometime before Game 7 yesterday. Archiving it here, for the hell of it.
Jeff Suppan’s home run in game three was his second career home run. Both were against the same pitcher, Steve Trachsel.
The last pitcher (or Cardinals pitcher?) to hit a home run during the postseason was apparently Bob Gibson of the 1968 Cardinals. In the World Series. Against the Detroit Tigers, of all teams. The Cards had a 3-1 series lead and dropped the last three games.
What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. I just thought it was interesting, as baseball is quite possibly the most superstitious American sport. I heard the little tidbit about Bob Gibson on Sportscenter and dug a little deeper… Heh. Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon were on that ‘68 team. I bet they’d love a repeat of that World Series.
Game seven tonight had better be good. I almost want to say there’s a little bit of fate dealing in this. 2004. Suppan again. Jim Edmonds and The Catch. Except this one was at home, good ol’ Busch Stadium.
Time to be clutch, guys.
