Let me first go on record to say that I called the Red Sox' improbable comeback over the New York Choke Artists ... I mean Yankees. You don't believe me? Go back and read last week's column.
And now the Sox are in the World Series against a historically familiar foe. Both meetings between these two teams (1946, 1967) were seven-game affairs and both ended in St. Louis victories. So St. Louis has been the bearer of heartbreakingly bad news for this city twice.
This year, the Cardinals steamrolled their way to a division title that was supposed to go to the lovable yet luckless Chicago Cubs. They are now the lone obstacle between the Red Sox and 86 years of redemption. And yet I still don't see how anyone outside of Wrigley Field can hate the St. Louis Cardinals. They are the team of the Wizard, Ozzie Smith. They're the lovable Redbirds. They are just too nice.
Let's start with their manager. Tony La Russa is the Larry Brown of Major League Baseball. He's the professor, he's successful, and he's a smart baseball man. His managing career started before any undergraduate at this school was even born and he has over 2,000 wins and a World Series ring (1989 with the A's). He's a quiet guy who does his job well.
Then there's the starting lineup. At first base: Albert Pujols. This is a guy who constantly produces and works hard. Sure he can't field that well (he's moved between left field, right field, third base, and first base) but he sure can hit. In four seasons, he has never hit worse than .314 and never less than 123 RBI and 34 HR. He keeps his mouth shut and plays.
At second and shortstop: Tony Womack and Edgar Renteria. Renteria, whose claim to fame is winning Game 7 of the World Series in 1997 for the Marlins with a hit off of Jose Mesa, has gotten better with age in his six seasons with the Cardinals (.330 and 100 RBI last season, Gold Gloves the past two seasons).
Womack helped the Diamondbacks beat the Choke Artists in 2001 and hit .307 this season, his first with the Cardinals. If you're a Boston fan, you can't hate anybody who's handed the Yankees a World Series loss. Some people forget that Womack was a Red Sox, until Boston traded him this Spring to St. Louis for a pair of scissors for Johnny Damon.
At third: Scott Rolen. He's perhaps the best defensive third baseman since Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Brooks Robinson. He would have had more than five Gold Gloves if the Veterans Stadium turf didn't sideline him in 1999. He's a human highlight film at third, and he's not a bad hitter either with at least 100 RBI and 25 HR every season since 2001.
In the outfield: Reggie Sanders, Jim Edmonds, and Larry Walker. Sanders has played for seven teams in seven years, but remains a dangerous bat. Edmonds, hitting behind Pujols, has become a very potent bat in recent years. Although most of Walker's career power numbers can be attributed to the Colorado climate, he still has 11 HR in 44 games with the Cardinals, as well as the Game 1 dinger. Besides causing convulsions for most pitchers, Walker and Edmonds each have six gold gloves and a ridiculous number of Web Gems.
Catcher Mike Matheny does just that. He catches. He can't hit well or put up power numbers. But he has two Gold Gloves, and for those of you not keeping count, that's 16 Gold Gloves for the St. Louis defense.
St. Louis doesn't have great pitching. Matt Morris and Woody Williams have been solid starters over the past few seasons. Jeff Suppan, the former Red Sox, was a steal this season, leading the pitching staff with 16 wins and guiding the Cardinals to the Series with a Game 7 victory.
The bullpen, with guys like closer Jason Isringhausen, big Ray King, and the emotional Julian Tavarez (he and Kevin Brown have dugout tantrum therapy sessions together) tow the line. Nobody on that staff is perfect, but they do the job. After all, the team won 105 games this year.
Then there are the fans and the ballpark. St. Louis arguably has the best fans in Major League Baseball. They are faithful and they worship their players. I found that out the hard way when my brother and I began booing during a 3-0 loss last season to the lowly Pirates. The Cards were terrible, yet we were the only ones in the entire stadium booing.
They're a far cry from the Atlanta Braves, who win so much that fans don't even watch their postseason games anymore. They aren't the Houston Astros, who have the familiar foes of the Rocket and Petite, as well as the Killer B's, who by their name provoke anger. And they aren't the Dodgers, with their "smile for the camera" fans, who arrive in the 4th and leave by the 6th.
Busch Stadium has gone from '60s cookie cutter to beautiful ballpark since its renovation. And with a location in walking distance from the Arch in the center of St. Louis, it's a fantastic place for a ballgame.
I can understand hatred for the biased (and poor) broadcasting we'll be seeing from Fox's Joe Buck (the Cardinals flagship broadcaster) and Tim McCarver (former Cardinals player and member of the 1967 Champions).
The Cards also win. A lot (winning records in the past five years, seven out of nine). Historically, they have eight World Series titles in 13 chances. But that still doesn't create much disdain for the organization, even here in Boston.
If you ask me, this is a tough series to take sides on. I'm taking the centennial losers, but for that reason only. The Cardinals are a great organization with great players and I hate to see them disappointed. But this is the season for idiots. It's just not in the Cards this year.
