Here it is, folks.
Cardinals over the Yankees in 7. Just like ‘64.
You read it here first. When it comes down to it, the world’s greatest baseball player — Sir Albert — will take over. Even over the Best Team Money Can Buy. (Joe, if we get to such a series, we’ll visit again about another blog smackdown. I won’t be merciful this year like I was last time.)
- - - -
The Rangers fired Buck Showalter. A good manager, best I could tell.
Note to Rangers’ Front Office: Your pitchers have been averaging about a 5.0 ERA for years. That’s not Buck’s fault. Shell out some money, make better decisions, and get some pitching!
As to Showalter… not so much.
The guy shuffled his lineup on a, seemingly, everyday basis. He grates on his players. He’s arrogant. Generally, players don’t want to play for him. As one person said, if he was such a great leader, why did none of his players come to his defense with a “we’re playing for Buck,” type statement when rumors of his baseball demise were swirling?
He had run his course. For the Rangers sake, here’s hoping they bring in a guy that the young nucleus here will play for.
By the way, I’m an Astros fan.
What was the stat I heard the other day, something like the last three teams that fired Showalter won the WS the next year? Unreal.
And no way the Yanks make it this year. My Tigers are now 1-1 and headed home to CoPa. Bless You Boys!!!
You must mean 1864. Go YANKEES!!
A’s
What makes the whole Word Series thing so “news worthy” is that the New York NAZI/Yankees have too much money to spend.
Sir Albert, Professor of baseball, Tony LaRussa, Pitching coach Phenom Dave Duncan (not to mention his son Chris) the Cardinal just may be peaking and healing at just the right time! I would love to Jim Leland and his great group of misfits beat the evil empire and play the Cardinals!! Go Cardinals!! And for you Texans, I am glad the season ended when it did, it was great seeing the Astros come soooo close and have to pack everything up Sunday.
I do hope Pujols can drop some ‘bows on the Yanks….if it comes to that. But I’d love to see Steinbrenner, Torre and company go home even earlier.
The sad thing about the Rangers’ pitching is that they’ve brought in several pitchers (excluding Chan Ho Park, even) to start for them that had been successful elsewhere–and the guy ended up doing not much better than the rest of the Rangers’ staff. (Todd Stottlemyre, anyone?) And Kevin Millwood pitched for Cleveland (an AL team–moving to the AL from the NL almost always drives up the pitcher’s ERA by a run or so) last year, and finished with a 2.86 ERA, I believe. But in Arlington, Millwood couldn’t do any better than about a 4.00 ERA this year. What the Rangers really need to be looking for is not necessarily good pitching per se, but good sinkerball-type pitchers who keep the ball on the ground, like Brandon Webb (and WAAYYYYY back in the day, Kevin Brown)–because the ball just flies out of Arlington.
Tigers over the Cards in 7 games — just like 1968.
Go Tigers!!!
I’m all for your predictions. GO CARDS!
Cards?!? Humpf!
As far as the Rangers go, I’ve heard it said that until there’s a change in the weather or a simulated change in the weather, the Rangers will never be able to win a division, much less the Series. The oppresive heat and humidity are too hard on pitchers, at least that’s what some have said.
I’m so glad the Padres are an away from home winning team, at least, they’d better be so in St. Louis. Humpf! again!!
I like the Astro’s when I watch baseball, how are the Astro’s doing? Better than the Rangers?
Go Cards! Birds over the Bombers!
I noticed you had grudgingly concluded that it’s possible to be both Christian and a Yankees fan. What I ask you now Mike, is this: is it permissible to be both Texan and a Yankees fan? I vote no myself.
I hope that you are right, Mike, but I don’t think the Cardinals’ pitching will hold up in a seven-game series. I think it will be a Subway Series again between the Yankees and the Mets. YUCK.
Don’t count out the Tigers just yet. Yesterday they demonstrated that they aren’t going to lay down against the mighty Yankees.
Tiger/Cards World Series minus Bob Gibson = Tigers Win It All!!
I’d love to see the Cards and Tigers or A’s — Yanks and Mets - not so much. The Rangers could nab the A’s’ Zito for 4 years for around $60M - bargain.
The much, much bigger issue at hand is - GO HORNS! Stampede the Sooners and go Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley!
Have you written the Braves a thank-you note yet for getting your Cardinals into the post-season?
Mike, dear Mike. We Yankee fans love that you hate us so.
We love that year after year we make the playoffs and year after year other baseball fans are left scrambling to find a team to root for since their beloved team didn’t make it. We love having a team whose owner wants to win so badly that he’ll spend whatever it takes to get us into the playoffs whereas other teams are left with front offices clinging to money as if it will go to the grave with them. (See Texas Rangers organization.) We love the drama of slumps (A-Rod) and five-for-five performances (Jeter) and aging veterans taking on new positions (Sheffield). We love fielding a team in which every starter has been an All-Star. It’s a beautiful time of year. Now, if we can just get past the pesky Tigers…
(BTW, it’s one thing to compare the Yankees with the Evil Empire/Darth Vadar but to compare the Yankees to the Nazis? C’mon Belinda. That’s a bit too much.)
Mike,
I heard on KWXI this morning, that there’s an APB out for the winner of two tickets to the Ok/TX game this weekend. The winner has only ’till the end of business today to pick up the tickets or they go to the next in line. The name of the winner?
Mike C.
????
The Rangers pitching is horrific. I blame the cure of Chan Ho Park.
I am rooting for a Padres vs. Tiger’s match up. Two pretty big recent nobodies. I like the underdogs.
But in a Yanks/Cards series. I’ll be the biggest Cards fan in Lubbock (sorry Joe).
By the way, Mike, my sweet wife came in this morning and said “I read on Mike’s blog that the Cardinals beat the Yankees.” We can only hope you’re both right
The Cards are doing their best impression of Lazarus. Prince Albert is showing he is deserving of all the accolades. I don’t know who the second best baseball player in America is, but who ever it is, they are not within shouting distance of AP. I love the fact that he is a disciple.
GO CARDS!!
DU
Mike, you seem so knowledgeable about baseball. So how is it possible for a team to play in the World Series after they’ve been eliminated in the first round by the Detroit Tigers? You’re only half right. The World Series will be a repeat of the ‘68 series, with the Cards jumping out to a 3-1 lead only to watch helplessly as the Tigers win three in a row to win it all.
The Cardinals look awful tough. Which leads me to politics. I think we should talk about how the Republicans stand for Christian principles and …….
Just kidding. Go Yanks. (Alex needs a ring.)
A Cards fan, I don’t think Albert’s shoulders are quite that big. For now, I’m just savoring yesterday’s games.
A ring is the LAST thing A-Rod needs. He needs a new team that will appreciate him.
Agreed on A-rod. Only Philly fans would be harder on a class act than the Yanks have been on him. Just think - if NY does manage to not choke another one away - that will be one ring for approximately $1.2 BILLION in salary King George has spent over the past six years. Only in America would we call that money well spent.
Preacher Man said: “I like the Astro’s when I watch baseball, how are the Astro’s doing? Better than the Rangers? ”
The answer is, “Yes, better than the Rangers.” Finished the season 82-80 (vs. 80-82) and won the season series.
Quick aside, my fiance and I were shown “fighting” over the Silver Boot during one of the games in Arlington. We’d love to have film of the game to use in the ceremony.
This year, the Rangers problems can be traced more easily to the continuing downward spiral of Hank Blaylock and the amazingly bad pre-All Star Break season of Mark Texeria than to the pitching. It could be better, but this was a marked improvement of the AA fodder they’ve thrown out there the last three years.
Why am I talking about the Rangers so much???
Pujols is amazing and but he needs his pitching staff to do there part as well. Weaver and the bullpen rookies were great yesterday. Thanks to my Dad I will be cheering on Pujols, Suppan, and the gang from my seat at Busch tomorrow! Oh, and Joe, how bout that A-Rod.
Mike — as a fellow Cardinal fan, October ‘64 would be the greatest! We had the family in StL last weekend for the final 3 regular season games and it was unbelievable to see 44,000 + fans doing the Tomahawk Chop as Ernie Hayes played it on the organ. WOW … what a special moment and memory for our grandson.
Sir Albert did hit #48 & #49 while we were there, but the big blow came off the bench w/ Spiezo hitting the 3-run triple on Saturday! He has to be back in 2007.
Sunday was a special day w/ the morning re-dedication of the statues of all the HOF’ers w/ Brock, Gibson, Scheodienst, Smith, and of course Stan the Man in attendance, along w/ family members of the others. Lou Brock closed his remarks w/ “But … all the glory goes to God!” Coming around the corner after entering the stadium, I was priviledged to run right into him, shake hands and speak w/ him … letting him know how much I appreciated his closing words. A true class gentleman!
Now … only two remaining living HOF’ers to meet … Sutter and “the Man”!
Cards in a sweep over the Padres … in 6 over the Mets … and in 6 over the Yankees!
Yankees over the Mets in 6. . .subway series. . .go Yanks!
OK, I’m not reading Larry James’ blog anymore. How can one be for the evil empire in one breath and champion the cause of the poor in the next? How stark the contrast between rich and poor can you get?
(Just kidding about not reading Larry…he’s still my hero.)
Chris Field:
“I am rooting for a Padres vs. Tiger’s match up. Two pretty big recent nobodies. I like the underdogs.”
Yeah! May I join you in the smallest minority opinion here. The Pads only have one more chance to fulfill that dream. They are, however, a better away team than home players. We’ll see about it tomorrow. Yipes!
Um, Mike… how are the Yankees doing on their royal road to the series?
Um, Mark…Bye, bye Yankees!! Yeah, Tigers - you did it!!
The Padres managed to get past the Cards for at least one game, and hopefully will continue doing so in the next two games.
I really wish the Dodgers would come alive and get rid of the Mets. IF and big IF it is, if the Padres are able to win two more games, they’ll face the Dodgers, hopefully. A team we nearly ALWAYS beat.
The Tigers, “A”s series is going to be exciting, maybe the most exciting of the whole post season.
btw Mike, glad you’re back online.
The Evil Empire has been suppressed for one more year!
(insert evil laugh here)
Yankees…as usual…overrated. How does a team with a budget like the A’s get further than the team with the largest budget? They play like a team.
Go Tiger’s!
I was really hoping for the Mets to beat the Cards. It would really be nice to see the Tigers takes 2 bites out of that Big Apple !! GO GO GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DODGERS OVER YANKEES