AnythingChicago Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 As a Cubs fan and fellow Cardinals hater who agrees with everything that's been said here about the Cardinals' frustratingly good luck, I'm sad to say that everyone who is dreaming of the Cardinals sucking in the next few years can dream on. The Cardinals are just getting started. They have the best and deepest bullpen in baseball, with about four guys who you hadn't heard of before this season who throw 96+ MPH, and the worst part is that they're young and still developing. They've got one of the best and deepest starting rotations in baseball, with a veteran in Wainwright and oodles of young talent and fulfilled promise in guys like Wacha, Kelly, and Miller. Offensively, they're a juggernaut with endless depth, (depth a theme here, isn't it?) power, and ability to hit in the clutch (see David Freese's outlandish postseason stats and the whole team's average with RISP, especially Allen Craig's.) And of course, with the exception of Holliday, the team is absolutely stellar defensively as well.So, yeah, the Cardinals have had a helluva lot of luck in the past few seasons, but the 2011 and 2012 teams that got lucky were not nearly as good as this 2013 team is. And I expect the 2014 team to be even better, and so on. I'd say you can pencil in a Cubs playoff birth well before the Cardinals have a sub-.500 season again. And I'm not one of those overly optomistic Cubs fans. That's how solid this Cardinals team is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 But as Branch Rickey said, luck is the residue of design. Appropriate, because who, after all, built the Cardinals' farm system? As for St. Louis being a dump, I mean, Forest Park is nice, The Hill is neat, I never made it to the Landing (in the summer, another and another) but it certainly looks neat, but most of St. Louis City just gives you the distinct feeling that it should be a lot more than what it is. It's basically a dumpier Milwaukee with a giant croquet wicket. The County is nice, but again, it looked a lot to me like suburban Milwaukee. There's a great barbecue joint in Eureka, though! ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy! Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Man, 3 straight NLCS appearances for the redbirds. Kind of makes you wonder if their fanbase, along with others like the Yankees, gets spoiled with such continued success after a while. I've always thought it does, because really, how can you not take winning for granted as a fan? I mean, look at the Steelers right now. Luckily, the Pirates came along when they did, otherwise I think you'd see more people jumping out of windows near Heinz Field on Sundays.On a slightly different note, anybody but Boston or Detroit please. Especially Boston for reasons mentioned above.There's different ways to define spoiled, but absolutely we're getting there. It's an expectation now. The games always sellout and fill up, but NLDS tickets aren't gone 10 minutes after they go on sale any more because "well, maybe we should save our money for the NLCS."Like you said, it's sort of unavoidable, but it IS spoiled. I think you can appreciate something and be spoiled at the same time, though, and I try to stay in that zone.Not to defend Cardinals fans (although I'm not a Cardinal hater), but enjoy it while you can. Baseball is a cyclical sport. Good teams aren't always going to be good. "I secretly hope people like that hydroplane into a wall." - Dennis "Big Sexy" Ittner POTD - 7/3/14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HedleyLamarr Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I'll take the Cardinals somewhat pretentious "best fans in baseball" vibe over the Dodgers "wait, baseball is NINE innings?!?!/ AL AY DOYERS, homes! Lets beat some opposing fan to death, yo!" vibe any day of the week.Because Giants fans are well above this, right? Right?http://www.trentonian.com/article/20130927/NEWS/130929665/policestabbed-dodgers-fan-was-killed-by-giants-fans-over-rivalryGuess not.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I'll take the Cardinals somewhat pretentious "best fans in baseball" vibe over the Dodgers "wait, baseball is NINE innings?!?!/ AL AY DOYERS, homes! Lets beat some opposing fan to death, yo!" vibe any day of the week.Because Giants fans are well above this, right? Right?http://www.trentonian.com/article/20130927/NEWS/130929665/policestabbed-dodgers-fan-was-killed-by-giants-fans-over-rivalryGuess not....Yeah except there's a difference between being jumped from behind and beaten to within an inch of your life on stadium property and being stabbed at a bar downtown because your brother was swinging a metal chair at people's heads. Either way, both acts were incredibly senseless and there is no place for that kinda crap in the game. The Dodgers have a lot of extremely knowledgable and classy fans, BUT I've never run across a group of fans in any sport that are worse than bad Dodgers fans. And it's not only Giants vs Dodgers and it's not only at Dodger Stadium or AT&T Park either. The apathy that one end of the spectrum shows is pretty sad considering that team's history, and the violence that the other end of the spectrum shows is downright abhorrent for many of the same reasons. I don't simply hate the Dodgers because I'm a Giants fan. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramerica Industries Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Miggy goes boom, and at the moment, Oakland's ugly history in home Game 5's in Divisional Series play is rearing its ugly head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL FANATIC Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Eh, St. Louis is kinda a dump. (And didn't you grow up in uber-burbia, STL?)When's the last time you really spent much time in the city? It's really, really not. It's awesome and it's undergoing quite a renaissance.And I sure did. I'm not ashamed of it, but I'm not very supportive of the surburban minded thinking that led to the demise of the city that required it's current renaissance.I digress, but there's a pretty incorrect perception out there about the city, and I won't stand for that. JUSTIN STRIEBEL | PORTFOLIO | RESUME | CONTACT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Oakland is really outdoing themselves tonight. Getting no hit through six innings. Same old, tired A's. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maz Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 WARNING: If you hate people getting emotional and melodramatic about their sports teams, keep scrolling. I felt the need to share my feelings...Well, it's a day later. The Pirates are done. But damn am I happy they even got this far. I honestly gave up on them three years ago. Then they started to make a little noise in '11 and piqued my interest. I watched with cautious optimism through 2012 only to see the catastrophic collapse. But I had a feeling. I saw things in them I saw in the Pens a few years ago. I saw a young and hungry team and an ownership finally willing to do what it takes to put together a winner. I knew the days that I only knew from videos and pictures of seas of black and gold gathered around a baseball diamond in October were coming back, and soon. And this year they finally did. Not only did the Pirates finally make it over .500, they were competitive. They were exciting. They were consistently one of the best this year. And they are young. They made a run to the playoffs and showed a maturity and poise of veterans. And so a city stood up and took notice and got behind them, dressed in black, and screamed like they haven't screamed in decades. The Pirates regalia being worn around town. The jolly rogers flying from houses, cars, and waved in droves at PNC. It was beautiful. They got Pittsburgh to fall back in love with its oldest and most storied franchise and pastime. I will admit, we're pretty damn lucky here in Pittsburgh. The Steelers were one of the dominant teams of the previous decade and lead everyone in Super Bowl wins. The Penguins have played home to some of the greatest ever and are in the thick of an era led by arguably two of the world's finest talents. But something has always been missing. Those summer nights down by the river mean something again. The washed-up alcoholic uncle of the Pittsburgh sports family has metamorphosed into a black and gold bird of optimism. They're back where they belong. As someone who has not been alive to see what real, good, competitive, and overall fun baseball is like, this is like a rebirth. It's a whole new world I never knew existed. I've always really liked baseball, and the Pirates have always been my number two, and for them to be where they are now is, in a way, even better than when the Penguins returned to relevancy a few years ago. They gave this city one hell of a ride, and it's far from over. It's a new day in Pittsburgh, and for that I couldn't be happier, no matter what the outcome was. We will never forget the 2013 Pirates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramerica Industries Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Like I've said - there is not a pitcher on the planet I would rather have in a winner-take-all game, especially on the road, than Justin Verlander. What a freaking STUD.And if the Tigers hold on for three more innings, that's three straight seasons of winning Game 5 of the ALDS on the road. As much as I thoroughly wish the 2011 one never happened, I can't deny that there is some serious mental toughness and character in that organization to routinely do that.--I was talking with McCarthy on Twitter and his mention of the A's as the "anti-Cardinals" is absolutely on the money.St. Louis is 8-1 in elimination games since 2011.Oakland is 1-11 in series clinching games since 2000. This is their fifth ALDS Game 5 at home, and they are on the verge of falling to 0-5 in those games. It's remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Same old tired A's. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmm Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Tying run up! Exciting!EDIT: Game over! Never mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordsketor Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Lets go Dodgers???!!! Many thanks to Discrimihater for making the sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FGM13 Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Sigh. Go Dodgers. Go Tigers. :censored: the Cardinals. :censored: the Red Sox. GO OILERS-GO BLUE JAYS-GO ESKIMOS-GO COLTS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramerica Industries Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 "My doesn't work in the playoffs...what happens after [the regular season] is ing luck."Sure thing, Billy.1-12 in series clinching games since 2000. 0-5 in home Game 5's in the ALDS. After a while, it's not just luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFB Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Justin Verlander everyone. I'm pretty surprised the A's didn't try to bunt down towards Miguel Cabrera at least once in those middle innings to try to get something going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Another October. Another first round Oakland exit. Moneyblueballs strikes again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Sharkletics. San Jose is a worthy destination. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I wanted a Pittsburgh-Oakland series and now I want a Los Angeles-Detroit series. I can see where this is heading. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Six Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 The Cardinals are the Great Red Hope of the National League. Defend the honor, boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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