The majority of the board are football fans, or soccer fans since so many live outside the U.S. No one seems to like or care about baseball. I doubt anyone will reply on this thread due to the lack of baseball fans, but I wanted to offer my congratulations to my hometown Cardinals on winning the World Series and hats off to the Texas Rangers for a great series. I've no doubt the Rangers will will be just as strong next year. In the meantime it's a big celebration here in St. Louis. It's a team that never gave up despite being underdogs, the players should be proud of this accomplishment. As a former high school player and sometime coach of the sport in little league I've never seen anything like it in winning against all odds. Congrats St. Louis Cardinals.
Being that I work evenings & don't get to watch the baseball playoffs or World Series much anymore,(just on weekends & it's been that way for many years), I didn't get to watch the last 2 games, but that was a heck of a (game 6)comeback for the Cards & tough loss (a strike away, twice?!)for the Rangers. A big congrats to the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!
(*)(*)(*)(*)ing Rangers. I'm so frustrated with them. This is the second year in a row they've choked away the world series. They seem to fall apart under pressure. I've been using them as a secondary team while I'm waiting for my beloved Astros to rebuild (we're the worst team in baseball right now), but they just can't seem to get the job done when it counts. Although I do wonder if Cliff Lee is rethinking his decision to go back to the Phillies now. Had he been pitching tonight, it might have been a different story. Personally, I would have gone with Derek Holland on short rest tonight instead of that Harrison guy, but I guess Ron Washington didn't want to do that. Congrats to the Cardinals, though. Unlike 2006 when the Tigers basically handed them the championship (so many errors), they earned it this year. They played hard and they played well. In fact, they almost seemed to get better as the post season went on. They deserve to be the champions this year. Everyone stepped up and contributed. Carp, Freese, Craig, Motte, Albert..... And I guess I have to be happy for Lance Berkman now for finally getting the ring he could never get with us.
The Cardinals did play a tough gritty series against a very tough Rangers team. Their comeback ability was simply amazing, especially David Freese. I don't mean to minimize their accomplishment but I would be remiss if I didn't mention something about the umpiring in game 7. Repeatedly I saw pitches from Rangers' pitches which were strikes and the umpire called them a ball. On at least 2 occasions that I remember, these were on 3/2 counts and it resulted in a Cardinal baserunner instead of an out. When Scott Feldman was pitching, on his last batter, on a 3/2 count, he threw a perfect pitch on the outside edge of the plate (confirmed by Foxtrac), and then stared in disbelief (me too) when the home plate umpire called it a ball, and gave the batter first base. I think there was 2 outs then, and the inning should have been over. Instead, the rally kept going. Making this even worse, the Rangers' next pitcher had the same thing happen to him. One wonders how many Cardinals were given bases on what should have been strikeouts. Maybe the same thing happened when the Cardinals were pitching, but I just remember those 2 instances that worked against the Rangers. I'd like to see MLB do something to improve this overall situation.
You did see Holland's strike zone in game 4 didn't you? And the lower left portion of the plate wasn't called all night for anyone. It was a great series all around, the Rangers have nothing to be ashamed of. But I am very happy!!!
It was a good series; game 6 reminded me of the 1986 game 6 of the NY Mets vs. Boston, when the Mets made a comeback based on an error by Buckner and went on to win game 7.
I'm not happy. The Cardinals have won more world series than any team in mlb (11) except the New York Yankees. The Rangers are one of just a few teams that have never won one, and of those, they have been waiting the longest (50 years). It would have been great if they had won, especially when they were so close twice. BTW I'm not a Rangers fan. I'm a Rays fan.
I'm a Texas Rangers fan all the way! AND we are still licking our wounds; it will take some time to get over this loss. What hurts the worst is the fact that TWICE in game SIX, we were within only ONE STRIKE....Not one out, but ONE STRIKE of being the World Series Champs. That's about as close as a team can come. I think the Home Field advantage was helpful to St. Louis and the way it's decided is dumb, IMO. I also think we need one more ACE pitcher...and hopefully we can look into that during the off season. I have no doubt, we'll get there and the Rangers or their fans won't give up. I love our coach, Washington. He exudes baseball and his love for the game is catching!! Having said all that..... CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS. We lived in St. Louis once....and next to the Rangers, they are my favorite team.
Well said JP5, and a very gracious sentiment considering the heartbreak being so close to victory. Thanks to all those who replied also, it's nice that there are a few of us baseball fans left... with the exception of Really People, who if memory serves me correctly is a basketball fan. A sport I also enjoy watching, it's just that my city doesn't have a pro team. Anyway, there's always next year when Springtime hopes renew. Onward to football, basketball and hockey! And of course soccer! Baseball is done for the year, congrats to the Texas Rangers ALCS champions in their own right!
-- From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals announced this morning that manager Tony La Russa has retired after 16 seasons with the Cardinals. "Tony leaves behind a legacy of success that will always be remembered as one of the most successful eras in Cardinals history," chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said at the announcement. "I knew this day would come. I just hoped that it wouldn't." La Russa said he told owner Bill DeWitt and the players Sunday evening of his decision. He said he actually made his decision to retire in August, and informed general manager John Mozeliak at the time. "There isn't one (factor) that dominates (my decision)," La Russa said at the news conference. "They all just come together telling you your time is over. "We went through the season and I felt that this just feels like it's time to end it and I think it's going to be great for the Cardinals to refresh what's going on here. "I'm looking forward to what's ahead. I'm ready to do something different." His announcement today came just three days after the Cardinals won the World Series and less than 24 hours after the parade and victory celebration downtown. La Russa also said that while he decided in August, and the team was 10 1/2 games out of the wild card toward month's end, that was just a coincidence. "That's a good connection to make because of the coincidence, but it's inaccurate," he said. Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/base...3ca-11e1-8e4b-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1cNaTvDXx
