Sweetness

Tonight, the St. Louis Cardinals are World Champions of 2011. How does that sound Cardinal Nation? Improbable? Yes. Now who would have "thunk" that 2 months ago. I'm sure "Don" Tony La Russa, the madhatter manager of the Cardinals, had serious doubts about this team in late August. The fans and the media sure did.

The baseball Cardinals had a widely perceived "no chance" in late August of getting into the post season. Their play was sloppy, uninspired and inconsistent. The Cards were 10.5 games out of the wild card race. A few trades later, winning baseball and losing baseball by others in the last six weeks of the season redeemed them. By late October, they were crowned champions after beating the three best teams in baseball in the playoffs. As Tim McCarver asked rhetorically after Game 6 of the World Series, "How did this happen?" Call it a mixture of destiny, talent and a gritty will to never give up amidst it all.

Above are seven endearing and iconic images of the just concluded World Series. Starting at the top from Game 1 to Game 7 are moments in each game which defined that particular game. Each game had high drama of excellence and stupidity. Baseball always reveals both over nine innings in front of the world.

As a fan, I'm glad it's over. It's tough being a fan in baseball because it's so unpredictable, gut-wrenching and such an interminably long season. I'm happy for the Cardinals. I'm sad for the Rangers. Manager Ron Washington and his team are first class. The Cardinals and the Rangers showed the world, and the other teams in the playoffs, how baseball should be played at the highest level, with respect for the game, their teammates and for the other team. But only one team could win and that is the screaming agony of sports.

So, as the curtain drops on another Fall Classic and winter arrives, it will give us baseball fans a few months to repair from the past season and prepare for Spring Training in February. Only 106 days until Pitchers and Catchers arrive in Jupiter, Florida. See you there with or without Albert.

#11 in 2011. UNBELIEVABLE. AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. This one was for Tony.

Congratulations to the best organization in professional baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals and to the best baseball city in America, St. Louis, Missouri. You have made us all proud.

Go Cards in 2012.

Dream Big

Every baseball-loving youngster born in St. Louis wanted to play for their beloved hometown St. Louis Cardinals, particularly in the World Series. I wanted to. My brothers wanted to. My cousins wanted to. My friends wanted to. Being born in St. Louis, it's in our DNA. We had no choice but to dream of playing for the Cardinals. It was our birthright dream. But to be the home town hero in a World Series game transcended even our wildest dreams. What happened in St. Louis tonight was pure Hollywood. Dreamlike but very real. So move over The Natural and screenwriters get ready to crank out the redemption story of David Freese and of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.

St. Louis Cardinal and forever hometown hero, David Freese, 28, is exceeding in living the dream all of us had as kids. That is he in the above picture being mobbed by his riotous teammates after hitting the walk-off home run in the 11th inning against the Texas Rangers tonight. It is only the fifth walk-off home run in Games 6 or 7 in World Series history. He hit a 3-2 91mph change up at the knees over the center field wall with a swing as smooth as a cold Bud and as powerful as a double-single malt shot.

Freese, from Lafayette High School in St. Louis, gave up the sport in college. Too much failure. Became bored by it all. Partied at Mizzou and drifted away into a collegiate stupor. By God's divine guiding hand, he eventually returned to the sport he once loved. Spent years in the minors regaining his swing and confidence. Traded to the home town Cardinals. Had his demons with alcohol. Freakish crippling injuries stalled his progress. Prolonged batting slumps. Feeble fielding slumps. Team stood by him. Then, when it mattered most, he found his game.

With one more game left in this magical dreamlike season, stands one man above the rest, David Freese, a St. Louisan, who is living the dream that we, his kindred souls, wanted so much for ourselves.

I can assure you every baseball-loving kid or old man in St. Louis connects with Freese. Vicariously, he represents all of us wannabes. He has provided us baseball thrills for a lifetime in this post season. Thank you, David. Now go out there tomorrow and give us #11 in 2011.

Go Cards in Game 7.

Postscript: Was that the greatest Cardinal baseball game ever played? Maybe. It can only to be trumped by what happens tonight. But in the meantime, stay delirious Cardinal Nation!!!!

It's W's fault...

Tony La Russa, Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, in front of the National Media after the comedic bungling and Cardinal loss of game 5 of the World Series, 'I blame the entire game's outcome on George W. Bush, a Texas Ranger fan. Why not, he's blamed for everything else wrong in this country. Next question from you experts.' ;-)

Is TLR drinking again? A senior moment, perhaps?

Oh brother! Game Six is sure to be a dandy in the STL.

Go Cards!

Cheers.

"HAPPY FLIGHT"

The 2011 St. Louis miracle aka The St. Louis Baseball Cardinals just wrote another chapter in one of the most improbable championship runs in sports history.

By now, you know their story. Their ace pitcher, Adam Wainwright, blew out out his elbow the first day of spring training. The Pujols contract distraction. Played uninspired ball for months. Controversial trades. TLR's shingles. 10.5 games out of the wild card race end of August. Rallied to win the Wild Card race on the final day of the regular season. Beat the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies in five games. Beat their Central Division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, in six games with a bullpen that pitched more innings than their starting pitching. They played huge games on the road down the stretch and coined the sing-a-long line "happy flight". Yet, they won amidst all odds and oddities when it mattered most.

DO YOU NON-BELIEVERS BELIEVE NOW? Believe it. Scoreboard. The Cardinals are the National League Champs of 2011. Has does that sound Cardinal Nation? SWEET!

This coming Wednesday, the Cardinals, previous winners of 18 National League pennants and 10 World Series championships, second only to the New York Yankees, open up the Fall Classic, The World Series, in St. Louis against the American League Champs, the formidable Texas Rangers.

Nauseatingly, the sports media talking heads are saying the Cards have no chance against such an overpowering force. By now, haven't the underdog Cardinals dispelled any doubt about their team will to win, their heart and their skills?

Never underestimate the heart of a champion. These Redbirds are champions. Just ask the National League. Now all they have to do is convince the American League.

4 more wins. For #11 in 2011.

Go Cards.

2011 Chicago Marathon

Somewhere in that mass of humanity at the start line of the 34th running of the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday, is our son, Jack, amongst 45,000 of his closest friends. No, that's not he in the second picture or the third picture. Jack is pictured in the bottom frame in blue shirt/white cap making the final turn to the finish line after 26.2 miles of kicking "ass-phalt." The two pictures above Jack's are of the Men's Champion, Moses Mosop of Kenya, and the Wheelchair Champion, Kurt Fearnley of Austria, both pictured at the finish line. But, for all intents and purposes, all 45,000 runners were winners in my book for participating in one of the truly great road races on the planet.

The Chicago Marathon is considered one of the top five marathons in the world. The other four major marathon cities of the world are: New York, Boston, Berlin and London. These are all premier running events that attract runners from all over the world. This year's Chicago Marathon had runners from all 50 states and over 100 countries. It was truly a spectacular event of epic proportions not only for the runners but for the supportive fans that lined the course from start to finish. It was estimated that over 1.5 million spectators watched the race wind through the 29 ethnically-diverse neighborhoods of Chicago.

Not so long ago, Chicago's first marathon in 1977 had 4,200 runners. Since then, running Chicago and other marathons, has become so popular that entries to premier marathons have sold out quickly. Some, notably Boston and New York, have strict qualifying standards to even apply for an entry form.

And why do they, the runners, run? For as many reasons as there are runners. But, I think the baseline reason is that running for many is a daily addiction, albeit, a healthy addiction with risks. Just wondering if the timeless quote, "pain begets joy" by the 19th Century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, applied to running long distances. I don't think so. Nietzsche had loftier pursuits. What remains is this inexplicable contradiction that running almost simultaneously stimulates both suffering and pleasure within the runner. A physiological mystery indeed!

There's a question asked many times about marathon running, "what's harder, the months of training or the actual day of the marathon?" As I looked in the faces of many of those runners on a rather warm Sunday morning, I'd say race day was harder. Severe pain and suffering was evident from many of the runners. In fact, a fireman from North Carolina, a father of two, and an experienced marathoner, William Caviness, 35, tragically collapsed and died 500 yards from the finish line from cardiac arrest. Cruel way to die. He was running to raise money for burn victims.

Another runner, Amber Miller, 39 weeks pregnant, ran all 26.2 miles with CONTRACTIONS. Within hours after the race, Amber delivered her healthy daughter, June, at a nearby hospital. (And I thought pepperoni pizza accelerated delivery.) Amber passed her husband, also running, at mile 10. Spectators were yelling, "Go, pregnant lady, go!" It took her 6 and a half hours to run the race and alot less to deliver their baby girl. When asked if she would do it again pregnant, she responded like any addicted runner would, "Definitely again."

So, Jack, why did you run it? "I ran it...to finish it." Pithy. Finish what you start. I like that. And boy did he finish well, 3 hours and thirty minutes. That's an 8 minute mile pace over 26 miles. Not bad for a non-Kenyan, hard-working Irishman from Monterey.

So, see you next October in Chicago, Jack?

"I'll let you know when my body recovers."

That's marathon-speak for "definitely again."

Baseball Ecstasy!

A picture is worth a thousand words, which I have but won't use tonight. Enjoy the picture. It says it all.

Go Cards against the Brew Crew.

Cheers to Cardinal Nation!

Believe it. Does it feel like '06 yet?

Autumn glory

A friend told me years ago, "The East has beauty...the West has grandeur." This was never more evident and on display than this fall season in the Rocky Mountains. I hope you enjoyed a sampling of our recent weekend hike into aspen heaven.

One can only marvel at the ethereal and fleeting magic of one small insignificant leaf among many to create such a seasonal spectacle of autumnal beauty.

Only God can create such a canvas...for God is good. He created it for all living creatures.

Do I hear an Alleluia, my brethren?

Yes.

Amen.

...and wherever you are, may the fall colors be just as glorious.