Yanks Cursing Under Their Breath

[See Red]

Do you really believe that the Wild Card team was the best team in baseball in 2004? They weren't. Just as the Marlins and the Angels weren't either. They were the best team in baseball over the final week to a month maybe, but not the best team of the 2004 season.

They were the wildcard in the division with the Yankees!!!! That's why they were the Wildcard. And yes, I do think that because they were better down the stretch than the Cardinals!

The fact that the St. Louis Cardinals went into a "4 game slump at the end of the season" as you say only cements the fact that they weren't the best team in the league!

Good teams don't slump in the playoffs.

The Cardinals were out-pitched, out-hit, and out-played.

[STL FANATIC]

I agree...I'd have rather had the World Series trophy than the best overall record.

Fact remains the Cards dominated throughout the season. Played great in the postseason. Hit a slump in the World Series. Win the important ones...I know...but the Red Sox snuck in with the Wild Card. That's not what the best teams do, that's what the pretty good teams do that get hot with a month left.

Everybody wants to win the final prize more than anyother award, but with a Wild Card and three rounds, the playoffs have become a crapshoot.

I guess it comes down to how you judge best.

My judgement is that if I have to pick one team from 2004 to play against some extradinary team, I'd take the Cards. They'd have the best chance of winning. That's the thing about baseball and sports really, the best doesn't always win. Hooray for the team that does, but that doesn't mean they are the best.

While I'm at it, I think I'm gonna express my dislike for the Wild Card now though. I think it works great for baseball at the end of the season. It's awesome how many markets stay excited because they have a chance to win. That's good for baseball. However, they should have a chance...a very small chance to win...and that's repeatedly being proven false. The Wild Card keeps winning because they get hot...it doesn't work...and it's not fair to the team that sustains being best over the longhaul.

And now my tone has detriorated from one remembering the great times of this season by the Cardinals and heaping them praise over my disappointment as well as trying to make baseball fans in general more aware of what they missed to an unintentional tone of complaint and bitterness, so with that, I'm going to stop and go to bed.

Goodnite.

[STL FANATIC]

Do you really believe that the Wild Card team was the best team in baseball in 2004? They weren't. Just as the Marlins and the Angels weren't either. They were the best team in baseball over the final week to a month maybe, but not the best team of the 2004 season.

They were the wildcard in the division with the Yankees!!!! That's why they were the Wildcard. And yes, I do think that because they were better down the stretch than the Cardinals!

The fact that the St. Louis Cardinals went into a "4 game slump at the end of the season" as you say only cements the fact that they weren't the best team in the league!

Good teams don't slump in the playoffs.

The Cardinals were out-pitched, out-hit, and out-played.

One last hurah...

By using the Yankees as an excuse for being the Wild Card you state that the Yankees were better than them. Thus, how could the Red Sox be the best in baseball?

You said that good teams don't slump in the playoffs. The Cards did and the Yankees did. Do you really believe they weren't good?

Congrats to the Red Sox for a well timed hot streak that sent you all the way.

Congrats to the Cardinals for a special season of domination that earned you a pennant.

[See Red]

Keeping in mind that I have gone on record as saying that the Red Sox got off to a slow start and underachieved at the beginning of the season, I'm not saying the Yankees were a better team. getting Cabrerra and getting rid of Nomar at the trade deadline was also huge.

You're under this crazy impression that outside of getting a team to the playoffs -- that the regular season means anything. The best team wins in the postseason. Bottomline.

You KNOW the Cardinals pitching can't even compete with the Red Sox pitching. The Cardinals didn't slump, the Red Sox pitchers are dominating.

Curt Schilling's career World Series ERA is under 1.00. Pedro Martinez is still a dominating pitcher and Derek Lowe got back to his old 20+ win form for the postseason.

The Red Sox handed the Cardinals game 1 and 2 on a silver platter and your 'great team' couldn't take advantage. Great teams take advantage of others' mistakes. It holds true in any sport. The Cardinals couldn't take advantage of 8 errors in the first two games and countless numbers of stranded runners in game 3 and 4.

'Team' is the key word. The Red Sox are a great 'Team'. They came together and did what they had to do everynight. Look at their last 8 wins and in about 5 or 6 of them, you'll find a different hero in everygame. THAT is a team.

You played two games by OUR rules, and we played to games by YOUR rules in terms of the DH and you got swept in all 4.

I'm not trying to discredit the Cardinals as a good team or take away from their accomplishments. But ask most people with an unbiased opinion and they'll tell you the Red Sox were the best. They'll have a World Series Championship banner to prove it.

[JQK]

Congrats to the Red Sox for a well timed hot streak that sent you all the way.

Congrats to the Cardinals for a special season of domination that earned you a pennant.

Wow..... why can't you just come out and say "Fu*k the Sox"...

'Cause that statement right there, is basically what you're saying.

[shiznit1083]

My theory of the best team is the team that won the championship. What comes out during the playoffs as opposed to the regualr season is that the playoffs are a true showing to the overall ability of the club. When it comes down to it, over the course of the playoffs, the most well rounded teams show their true colors. The better team ALWAYS wins during the playoffs. The fact remains that this year the Sox were the most well rounded team in baseball. The Red Sox, when their players played to the best of their ability, were better than any team in baseball. Your weaknesses in are exposed heavily in the playoffs. The Sox hit the ball well, stole when they needed, had the deepest and best rotation during the playoffs, and the deepest and most reliable releif pitching in the playoffs and the deepest bench. Where as the Cardinals starting pitching was a HUGE weakness and thus was exposed.

The most well rounded team in baseball is always the best.

[DEAD!]

getting rid of Cabrerra and getting Nomar at the trade deadline was also huge.

Um..... shouldn't it be the other way around?

[stimpy]

Do you really believe that the Wild Card team was the best team in baseball in 2004? They weren't. Just as the Marlins and the Angels weren't either. They were the best team in baseball over the final week to a month maybe, but not the best team of the 2004 season.

Yes they were the best team after the trade. Take their record after the trade deadline trades and if you projected it matamaticlly they would have teh best record. It is true that the Cards may have gone into a little slump but the Red Sox were the better team. No doubt.

[JQK]

STL, this pains me, but......

The Boston Red Sox were better than:

St. Louis Cardinals

New York Yankees

Houston Astros

Anaheim Angels

Minnesota Twins

Atlanta Braves

Los Angeles Dodgers

They were. They get the Ring, they are the best. That is the point of the playoffs, to determine who is the best.

[See Red]

getting rid of Cabrerra and getting Nomar at the trade deadline was also huge.

Um..... shouldn't it be the other way around?

Yes, it should. My bad.