SawxBlog

Cardinals Win 10th World Series!

World Series MVP David Eckstein (AP Photo / Charles Krupa)

Congrats to the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals for winning their 10th World Series title. The Cardinals are a shocker as the winner of the series, and it just goes to show you how any team can get hot at the right time and win it all. As we've been shown with Wild Card winners in the past, all you have to do is get to the dance, and from there all caution is thrown to the wind.

It looked like Detroit was going to be unstoppable after their stomping of both the Yankees and A's, however the time off between their sweep and the series may have taken the mojo away from their bats. I thought this series would have gone at least 6 games, and never would have picked the Cardinals to win it in 5.

You have to give a ton of credit to Tony LaRussa and his crew for hanging tough against all their opponents. I thought the Mets had the better chance of beating the Tigers, but my playoff predictions were pretty much wrong at every turn, and I'm far from being the only one who's guilty of this.

I can't seem to find the link now, but a week a go Eye Doctor Rog showed me that of all the experts at ESPN only one had the Cardinals make it out of the first round, and NO-ONE had the Tigers beating the Yankees. So not one of the experts (and there's a lot of great baseball minds over there) had ONE world series team right, let alone the winner. (If anyone can find that link please paste it in the comments, it's really incredible.)

So a team that had three less wins then the third place Boston Red Sox won the World Series, incredible. David Eckstein took home MVP honors and I just have to say how much I love this guy. He embodies what hustle and hardwork is all about and I just am enamored with the way he plays the game. If Bill Bellichek coached baseball, he'd want a guy like him on his team.

The other hero of the playoffs for the cards was 25 year old rookie Adam Wainwright. He was to the Cards what Keith Foulke was to the Red Sox in 2004. He pitched gutsy and in numerous tough situations and always laid down the hammer.

So congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals and my good friend Brent who's as die-hard as it comes. He had to endure a lot of BS when watching the 2004 World Series in Boston, and I'm glad his team won.

My 2007 World Series Predction: Boston Red Sox over the New York Mets in Game  6 :-)

Carpenter Carves Tigers, Cards up 2-1 in World Series

(L.G. Patterson/MLB)

The St. Louis Cardinals are continuing to impress me and have taken a 2-1 lead with their 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers last night. Despite the controversies of Tar-Gate, the most dominating pitching performance in this World Series was turned in by former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter. He totally owned the Tiger bats, and only allowed one runner to get past first base. Most impressive indeed.

I was saying this to my Met friend Chuck, and I believe it's turning true. The time the Tigers had off seemed to have effected the timing of their bats (that and Cardinal pitching has been prime). Their big hitters have to start producing, and if the Cards win Game 4 tonight I think Detroit will have too big of a hole to climb out of. Been a great series thus far, and I hope the Series goes to at least 6 games.

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On a side note Terry Francona will not be traveling to Japan due to surgery he'll be having in the coming weeks.

In the Cards - Molina Melts Mets

(Charles Krupa/AP)

I had a softball game near Harvard last night (it was a loss, and I speak of it no more...) and afterwards me and a few teammates raced on over to one of the best secrets in Boston, Hogans Run. Larry the bartender, who's come to know us after victories and defeats on the diamond, greeted us with a handshake and smile with a few explicits for good measure.

At the time the game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh and it had all the drama and tension that a Game 7 in October is supposed to have. Molina's (What a NLCS he had huh?) HR prompted me to announce to the entire bar that Cliff Floyd was going to hit a walk-off HR to end the game, needless to say, chuckles were abroad. Shortly after saying that prophetic statement, in the bottom of the 9th, people started looking me like I may just be the next Nostradamus, but alas big Cliff struck out looking, no big surprise there.

The Mets made the game dramatic in the end but Adam Wainwright had his breaking ball on a string, and it was as if New York was crying as the rain weeped down, with the ball dancing for a strike three looking. That last out must have been a sweet feeling on all levels for Cardinal fans. Carlos Beltran has been their bane in the post season and seeing him go down looking on three strait pitches was shocking to say the least.

This was a great NLCS and I tip my cap to both teams. The series was very entertaining, and momentum was constantly switching sides. I'm still a little shock and awed that Jeff Suppan was the NLCS MVP. The guy was garbage in his short time in Boston, and he's turned into a rock in the Cardinals organization. I think I heard a stat that said only he and Bob Gibson have started Game 7's in the post season...EVER. That's virtual insanity.

World Series Prediction: Tigers in 6...but we all know how my predictions have been so far!

Phat Albert & Cards One Win Away from Series

(MLB Photo)

Well Albert Pujols sure backed up the words he said about Tom Glavine after Game 1 of the NLCS huh? For those of you who can't remember those words I'll place them below for your eyes to feast:

"He wasn't good (Galvine). He wasn't good at all, I think we hit       the ball hard. We didn't get some breaks."

I thought it was slightly bush that he called Glavine "not good at all", but it could have been a rallying cry for him and the Cards. He helped spark the Cards last night to 4 unanswered runs which has his team poised to make the World Series for the second time in the last three years. An impressive feat.

So Game 6 is being played tonight in New York...Boston fans shudder at the thought. I'm sure if you're a Boston fan and watching the game tonight FOX is going to beat down the Buckner play beyond belief. I swear if I hear, "Behind the bag!!!!" one more time I may crack like an egg.

Should be a fun game to watch though, I'd love to see a Game 7, as well I'm sure a lot of Mets fans would.

The Departed - Boston Red Sox Style

(SawxBlog Illustration)

Sigh...it was only a year ago that we were in the playoffs but it seems like we've been Departed for quite some time now...ecspecially from some of our favorite players. Anyway...

Make sure you see The Departed, the movie's amazing and set entirely in Boston. Aside from Jack refusing to wear a Red Sox hat, there's not too much bad you can say about the movie. I watched it at the Commons yesterday and was impressed with the acting, directing, and location shots around Boston.

Two Sawx Thumbs up.

Mets Bats Come Alive

(L.G. Patterson/MLB)

Well so much for the Mets bats being asleep huh? The boys from Queens, NY came back in Game 4 of the NLCS with a vengance as they cruised to a 12-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Carlos Delgado continued his hot playoff bat as he cranked out 5 RBI including 1 HR. Carlos must be very happy playing for the Mets, and in the playoffs, now that he's out of the shadows of the Red Sox and Yankees in the AL East. Homeboy is just crush grooving the ball.

Speaking of crush grooving, how about the other Carlos, Mr. Carlos Beltran? This guy is a strait-up Cardinal Killer as he belted another 2 HR's against the Cards en route to having a 4-Run day. I fully expect the Mets to do well again tonight with Glavine on the mound. If he can be 1/2 as good as he was in his last start the Mets may be partying like it's 1986/2000 sooner then later.

Detroit Rock City!

(Duane Burleson/AP)

It seems like during the last three postseasons there just seems to be an American League team who is destined to win it all. First it was the Red Sox telling the Bambino to take a hike, then it was the White Sox of last year, and in 2006 it looks like no-one's going to be able to stop the train that is the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit swept Chokeland out of the playoffs yesterday and won their 7th strait game of the post season and stamped their ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1984. Now the only question for the Tigers is if all of the time off cool down the red hot streak that they're on. Time will tell, and it looks like the winner of the NLCS is going to have their hands more then full.

I watched Game 3 of the NLCS last night with my friend Chuck who's a die-hard fan of the Amazings. Chuck helped "support" me during the past few years with the Sox so I feel it's my duty as a fan and friend to help cheer on his Mets. It's like baseball fan karma, plus I know that the better the Mets do the more pissed off Yankee fans become :)

I may be bad luck for Chuck and the Mets though as they just looked horrible last night. Their bats were non-existent and starter Steve Trachsel was horrible. On the other side of the mound Jeff Suppan pitched (and hit) the game of his life, something he definitely never did in his short time in Boston. An important Game 4 is tonight for the Mets in what will most likely be a high-scoring affair.

Tigers Roar, Cards Fight Back

(SawxBlog Montage)

Friday the 13th proved to be lucky for the Tigers and not so much for the Mets. Kenny Rogers has apparentlly the same time machine access that Tom Glavine has, as he pitched a gem of a ballgame for the roaring Tigers. Kenny went 7.1 innings giving up only 2 hits while K-ing 6 in the process of a 3-0 Tigers win. This win makes for 6 in a row for the Tigers and they truly seem to be a team of destiny right now.

The electricity from their ball park and city is huge, and with the passing of each game their confidence seems to be growing and growing. We all know that a 3-0 ALCS lead can disappear in a New York minute (I couldn't help myself there...), but I'm pretty confident that Detroit and the Tigers will be stamping their ticket to the World Series soon enough.

Over in the NLCS it looked as if the Mets were going to take a commanding 2-0 lead after Carlos Delgado smacked a first inning 3-Run shot. Mets pitching could hold the fort down however, and the house of cards fell down upon them when Taguchi, the most unlikely of power threats, started a 3-run 9th inning rally off of Mets closer Billy Wagner. This series is going to go to at least a game 6 or 7 and it should be a fun one to watch.

I'm pulling for a Mets / Tigers series because I think the fans and cities would appreciate it more. That and I feel like the Cardinals are a lot like the Braves of the 90's, always in it, but never as the winner.

Glavine Gorgeous in Mets 2-0 Win

(David Bergman/MLB)

Tom Glavine had another solid start for the Mets as he blanked the Cards and took a 1-0 advantage for the Mets in the NLCS. What I find most impressive about this start is that it was the 34th of Glavine's career. That is just unbelevable. Tom has been a huge part of the Mets success this year, and I think his starts are very important ones from here on out for the Mets. He held the Cards to only 4 hits through 7 innings while walking 2 and K-ing 2.

Carlos Beltran gave Glavine all the support he needed as he rocked a HR off of Cardinal pitcher Jeff Weaver. Beltran's really come into his own this season with the Mets and is looking like the player Omar wanted when he first picked him up.

Big win for the Mets at home, and if they can take Game 2 I don't see any reason why they won't be playing in the World Series.

Not in the Cards for Padres

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The San Diego Padres ended their playoff run last night as the St. Louis Cardinals pulled away from a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 6th inning. San Diego had a good year, thanks in large part to a lot of former Red Sox players, however they just looked overmatched by the Cards.

The Cardinals are in the NLCS for the third year in a row which is truly an impressive achievement. I think the Mets will give them a tough fight, I just don't think the Mets are strong enough to win a seven game series. We'll see though, I've been pretty much wrong on every playoff prediction I've made this year!

For what it's worth I'll say it'll be the Tigers vs. Cards in the World Series. I think the momentum and emotion Detroit is riding will carry over into the ALCS. This can also be viewed as a negative aspect as well, but I don't see the Tigers folding now.