Five Easy Pieces

Before we make a case that Arizona cant possibly remain the Union's dumbest state, based solely on us here Pheonicks-ites glorious Cards in Five prediction, a couple words for long suffering Detroit Tiger fans.

We know.

We know your boys are better than this.

We know.

We know how much this hurts. To wait so long,  to perform so magically well on the FOX floorboards, and to turn into a pumpkin so a week early. It happens. Mostly frequently to young teams, just like you, that have never been here before.

But take stock in the fact that you beat a truly great offensive team from New York. Dont ever let bitter Bronx buffoons, absorbed in their own team's flaws, convince you otherwise. You shut them up, and for that you have this nation's - and the free world's - gratitude. So, chin up, Michigan. This one wasnt meant to be, but you'll be back soon. Dont assume I'm saying that just to be nice - I'm never nice.

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No problem here with David Eckstein as MVP. He and Rolen played excellent two way ball, three ways if you count baserunning, which one probably should. In addition to an MVP, however, every successful underdog needs something else. A player who seizes a critical moment to utter a sound that sets the Series on an irreversible course of victory.

The sound is "No" and that player was Anthony Reyes. A half hour after Game 5, his name went unspoken on FOX, but it was Reyes the unlikely rook who set the entire tone of the Series. His Game 1 win not only transferred home field advantage, critically enabled St Louis to clinch at home, and switched the balance of pitching matchups to his team's advantage, but in doing so, unleashed something in his teammates and fans more powerful than any opponent, or consensus of front running pundits. By winning, he rewarded faith and hope and fostered imagination.  The rest, with precious little help from Pujols, Edmonds, Encarnacion or LaRussa, was essentially clean up duty. 

Much like Bob Brenly in the Dbacks 2001 WS victory, the Cardinals won despite Tony LaRussa - not because of him - at least in terms of game management. We'll itemize TLR's counterproductive idiocy in a later post, as time and bandwidth permit. LaRussa's veteran team certainly didnt play great, but they were obviously more resolved and focused than their inexperienced opponents, and TLR deserves some credit for that.

On the Cards in Five Prediction, the first thing we were, of course, was abundantly lucky. Countless events occured that we didnt see coming, simply too numerous to mention. But just in case anyone out there still thinks Arizona ranks 50th in smartitude, we reprint our concluding paragraph from back on October 21st, with the author's permisssion, and indeed at his shrill insistence:

CONCLUSIONS:

We generally expect the Tigers to throw hard but lack their characteristic command. We think the Cardinals should find a way to win all three games in St Louis, with the heart of their staff facing Detroit's rusty back end. The difficult call is whether St Louis, who averaged four RPG against a depleted Mets staff, can steal one in Detroit against a superior team. Rolen's starting to come around. We suspect that they can. Cardinals in five.

Finding a way.