I was thinking about the teams that I root for. Kansas Jayhawks, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cadinals, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears (kind of). Why do I root for these teams and not others? I remember when I was young, I hated KU and I wanted Mizzou to beat them everytime in any sport no matter what. Based on the recommendation of a friend, I looked at Kansas for a college choice. He talked so highly of it and I took his opinion very seriously. There were also other factors. It was a school that was close to home, but not too close. It was not Mizzou. Not being Mizzou had become a positive. So many of the usual bro's went to Mizzou from my school, I knew I could not follow that path. It was not only not Mizzou, it was the rival of Mizzou. So I could actually root against those people I grew to despise. Kansas was, from what I gathered on a visit, a great place. The campus was and still is beautiful. The town was great and the people were very supportive of the school and its sports. I was blown away seeing everyone wearing Kansas shirts, hoodies, and hats. I knew I wanted to stay. Kansas was perfect. It's weird because at one point in my life, I felt the exact opposite. I had this passion for seeing Kansas lose. Now I have this passion for seeing Kansas. My connection to Kansas is now so great, I would never waver from my love for it.
The same goes for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues, although to a smaller degree. I witnessed the Cardinals win the World Series and I witnessed the Jayhawks win the National Championship. I feel even now that it was better seeing the Jayhawks win than it was seeing the Cardinals win. But why? Throughout my time at Kansas, I became a part of something. I was in the crowd when Dickie V gave Nick Collison a standing ovation. I was standing at Potter Lake when the goal posts were carried from the field to the water. I was on Mass St. when we beat UNC and when we beat Memphis. For all of these reason and even more, I love Kansas and will forever.
What about the other teams? It seems like I don't have the connection to these teams like I do to Kansas. Why not? I have never had the experiences around these other teams like I have at KU. Pro sports come and go. Life on a college campus is year round. Basketball might not be playing but you walk by the Fieldhouse everyday and see the players walking campus. Same for football. I remember waiting for Todd Reesing to get cash so he could pay for his beer while I was bartending. He thought he could get his beer for free because of who he is but I waited for him and sure enough he came back with a twenty dollar bill. These things don't happen with other sports teams. Players play for money and usually don't give a shit about fans. Well, that's a bit harsh but they are there to collect a check. That is a fact. It's different. There is an emptiness involved in cheering for a professional sports team that does not exist in college sports.
While I know that I'll never stop cheering a rooting for Kansas, I cannot say the same about the other teams. I like to think that I'll root for the Cardinals and Blues forever but I can't be certain. I really do not care about the Rams. Every once in a while I check on how they are doing but beyond that, I don't really care. I used to love the Rams. Could the same happen for my love of Cardinal baseball and Blues hockey? Unlikely. But, still I know it will never happen to my love for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Does anyone know what I mean? Anyone have that connection to a team that is unwavering?
Showing posts with label st. louis cardinals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label st. louis cardinals. Show all posts
10.08.2009
10.07.2009
MLB Postseason Predictions
Ahh, the postseason is upon us. What a time. October baseball. This is what I love, right here. I love it even more when my team, the St. Louis Cardinals, are part of the tournament. So, with that bias in mind, let's get to the predictions....
We'll start with Colorado and Philadelphia. The season series went to Philly 4-2. Philly really dominated the season series with the Rockies only able to win the first game of each 3-game series. The second series featured Cliff Lee's first home game in a Philly uniform. He pitched extremely well. They threw out J.A. Happ and he pitched a complete game 4 hitter. In the Rockies wins, though, they outscored Philly 18-6. So I can't count out Colorado just yet. Game 1 today at 1:37 central time. It will be Jimenez v Lee. Jimenez hasn't faced the Phillies this season and Lee had that great performance shortly after coming to Philadelphia. The offense is a similar story. In beating Colorado 4-2 in the season series, Philly only outscored Colorado 31-28. That's real close for having 4 wins and only 2 losses. I expect this series to be a close one with Colorado winning at least one game and possibly two, pushing it to a decisive 5th game. Tonight though, I am going with Philly. Cliff Lee is too good and the Philly lineup is too good. It's a rough series and Colorado is dangerous, winning tons of games in the second half of the season. They give Philly a fit but not enough to overcome what they face. Philly in 5.
The second game of the night, starting at 5:07 central, is where you'll find my first complaint of the post. Minnesota vs. NY. Minnesota just defeated the Tigers to make it to the ALDS. They had to play a decisive 163rd game. MLB was waiting to set the American League series dates and times until after this decisive game. Then, after the game, one that lasted 4 hours and 37 minutes, they schedule the Twins to play at Yankee Stadium in 20 hours. How can that make any sense? It's so ridiculous. I can't believe MLB would do that. Actually, I can. They do things that don't make sense all the time. So, this is right within their character. So stupid. Ok so the prediction....New York won the season series 7-0. The just dominated in all accounts. The Twins are under matched and now tired. They were outscored 41-25 in those 7 games. They are really going to have a hard time holding down the Yankee offense and even more trouble scoring against the Yankee pitching which includes a determined CC Sabathia. Yankees in 4.
The 3 game of the day, starting at 8:37 central, pits the St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's a story of two of the most storied franchises in the National League. It's a rivalry that goes back decades. And it's a series that features two of the best hitters in the game in Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez. It also features two Cy Young candidates in Chris Carpenter (my vote) and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter gets the start for St. Louis and Randy Wolf gets the nod for LA. In the 5 wins versus LA this season, the trio of Carpenter, Wainwright and Pineiro have combined for 38 innings pitched and given up only 6 earned runs. That's ridiculously good. It's an ERA of 0.95. I think this stat is the story of the series and possibly the rest of the postseason. I have St. Louis in 4 games.
The last game, taking place on Thursday at 8:37 central, is Boston vs. LAA of A. LA won the season series 5-4 and outscored Boston in those games 43-40. It's extremely tight between these two teams. Boston has tons of depth at starting pitching but has injury question marks. LA has imporved their offense but has pitching questions. I think this series is the closest of all and it goes to a 5th game. I'm taking LA in a decisive 5th game back in Anaheim.
NLCS matchup of St. Louis and Philadelphia
ALCS matchup of LAA of A and NYYankees
I want to continue the predictions but I'm afraid it would be a waste of time if I am wrong, which is a strong possibility. Getting to the postseason is extremely hard. Winning in the postseason is even harder. The 8 teams are so close in their abilities, it makes predicting these playoffs almost impossible. Can Minnesota actually knock of New York? Probably not but you can't rule it out. Can LA beat the NL Central two years in a row? Can Manny hit? Can the Angels actually overcome an AL East opponent? What about Colorado? Philly is going for a repeat. It seems like a strong possibility at this point. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see.
We'll start with Colorado and Philadelphia. The season series went to Philly 4-2. Philly really dominated the season series with the Rockies only able to win the first game of each 3-game series. The second series featured Cliff Lee's first home game in a Philly uniform. He pitched extremely well. They threw out J.A. Happ and he pitched a complete game 4 hitter. In the Rockies wins, though, they outscored Philly 18-6. So I can't count out Colorado just yet. Game 1 today at 1:37 central time. It will be Jimenez v Lee. Jimenez hasn't faced the Phillies this season and Lee had that great performance shortly after coming to Philadelphia. The offense is a similar story. In beating Colorado 4-2 in the season series, Philly only outscored Colorado 31-28. That's real close for having 4 wins and only 2 losses. I expect this series to be a close one with Colorado winning at least one game and possibly two, pushing it to a decisive 5th game. Tonight though, I am going with Philly. Cliff Lee is too good and the Philly lineup is too good. It's a rough series and Colorado is dangerous, winning tons of games in the second half of the season. They give Philly a fit but not enough to overcome what they face. Philly in 5.
The second game of the night, starting at 5:07 central, is where you'll find my first complaint of the post. Minnesota vs. NY. Minnesota just defeated the Tigers to make it to the ALDS. They had to play a decisive 163rd game. MLB was waiting to set the American League series dates and times until after this decisive game. Then, after the game, one that lasted 4 hours and 37 minutes, they schedule the Twins to play at Yankee Stadium in 20 hours. How can that make any sense? It's so ridiculous. I can't believe MLB would do that. Actually, I can. They do things that don't make sense all the time. So, this is right within their character. So stupid. Ok so the prediction....New York won the season series 7-0. The just dominated in all accounts. The Twins are under matched and now tired. They were outscored 41-25 in those 7 games. They are really going to have a hard time holding down the Yankee offense and even more trouble scoring against the Yankee pitching which includes a determined CC Sabathia. Yankees in 4.
The 3 game of the day, starting at 8:37 central, pits the St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's a story of two of the most storied franchises in the National League. It's a rivalry that goes back decades. And it's a series that features two of the best hitters in the game in Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez. It also features two Cy Young candidates in Chris Carpenter (my vote) and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter gets the start for St. Louis and Randy Wolf gets the nod for LA. In the 5 wins versus LA this season, the trio of Carpenter, Wainwright and Pineiro have combined for 38 innings pitched and given up only 6 earned runs. That's ridiculously good. It's an ERA of 0.95. I think this stat is the story of the series and possibly the rest of the postseason. I have St. Louis in 4 games.
The last game, taking place on Thursday at 8:37 central, is Boston vs. LAA of A. LA won the season series 5-4 and outscored Boston in those games 43-40. It's extremely tight between these two teams. Boston has tons of depth at starting pitching but has injury question marks. LA has imporved their offense but has pitching questions. I think this series is the closest of all and it goes to a 5th game. I'm taking LA in a decisive 5th game back in Anaheim.
NLCS matchup of St. Louis and Philadelphia
ALCS matchup of LAA of A and NYYankees
I want to continue the predictions but I'm afraid it would be a waste of time if I am wrong, which is a strong possibility. Getting to the postseason is extremely hard. Winning in the postseason is even harder. The 8 teams are so close in their abilities, it makes predicting these playoffs almost impossible. Can Minnesota actually knock of New York? Probably not but you can't rule it out. Can LA beat the NL Central two years in a row? Can Manny hit? Can the Angels actually overcome an AL East opponent? What about Colorado? Philly is going for a repeat. It seems like a strong possibility at this point. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see.
9.29.2009
Indisputable Evidence
The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals in an important game this past Sunday. The play that ended the game was a double play. Clint Barmes made what seems like an amazing play. He went over his shoulder and had the wherewithal to double Albert off first. The replays looked legit. Well here are some still photos from the stands.....
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