2008 Woodie Awards
The Looper
Lessons from St. Louis
Austin Danforth (managing editor)
Issue date: 11/6/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Note to self: being at the World Series is fun even if it's not your team (the Red Sox) who wins.
OK, amendment to 'note to self': being at the World Series is fun as long as it's not the Yankees who win.
This recent wisdom is the result of my good fortune. Your faithful looper just happened to be in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago when the Cardinals won the World Series.
Not only did Chance land me in downtown St. Louie a mere four blocks from the new Busch Stadium, it also gave me a view of the stadium from my hotel window.
Not too shabby, when you consider that the reason I headed to the glorious Midwest wasn't even to go to the series. In fact, when the travel plans were booked, the Cardinals were still in jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs.
The 2006 champs boasted the lowest winning percentage of any previous World Series winner. Not only that, the team finished the season with a lowly 83 wins and nearly blew a 12-game lead in the process.
This is even more amazing considering this team has pound-for-pound one of the three best ballplayers in the league in Albert Pujols, Super-Slugger - probably the man with the best chance of hitting for the first Triple Crown since the 1970s.
But forget Pujols. The Man on this team is their mite-sized MVP, David Eckstein (5'7", if that), who did just short of everything (no pun intended) in helping the Cards win their 10th World Series, their first since 1982.
The Cards didn't just overcome their own short-comings in winning the World Series; in going through Detroit they also had to beat the #2 Cinderella in all of baseball (yes, Cubs fans, that means you're #1).
In terms of mystique, its hard to beat such a David (Eckstein) versus Goliath battle.
Thankfully the Cardinals won, turning the cloud of doubt and controversy surrounding the Tigers and their possibly-pine-tarred pitcher, Kenny Rogers, into a frenzy of fireworks and jubilation - the likes of which I had never seen before, and probably won't see for some time.
So when I hopped in the elevator with Tigers manager Jim Leyland before game five (he was staying on my floor, with some of the team) I really did want to say, "I'm rooting like hell for you." I kept myself from doing so, though, because that would've been a lie.
What I was really rooting for wasn't the Tigers and not necessarily for the Cardinals, but rather I was rooting for a St. Louis victory - on that once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a city turn on its head and start dancing in the streets.
And honking horns in the streets.
And maybe even having a drink or two, in the streets.
OK, amendment to 'note to self': being at the World Series is fun as long as it's not the Yankees who win.
This recent wisdom is the result of my good fortune. Your faithful looper just happened to be in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago when the Cardinals won the World Series.
Not only did Chance land me in downtown St. Louie a mere four blocks from the new Busch Stadium, it also gave me a view of the stadium from my hotel window.
Not too shabby, when you consider that the reason I headed to the glorious Midwest wasn't even to go to the series. In fact, when the travel plans were booked, the Cardinals were still in jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs.
The 2006 champs boasted the lowest winning percentage of any previous World Series winner. Not only that, the team finished the season with a lowly 83 wins and nearly blew a 12-game lead in the process.
This is even more amazing considering this team has pound-for-pound one of the three best ballplayers in the league in Albert Pujols, Super-Slugger - probably the man with the best chance of hitting for the first Triple Crown since the 1970s.
But forget Pujols. The Man on this team is their mite-sized MVP, David Eckstein (5'7", if that), who did just short of everything (no pun intended) in helping the Cards win their 10th World Series, their first since 1982.
The Cards didn't just overcome their own short-comings in winning the World Series; in going through Detroit they also had to beat the #2 Cinderella in all of baseball (yes, Cubs fans, that means you're #1).
In terms of mystique, its hard to beat such a David (Eckstein) versus Goliath battle.
Thankfully the Cardinals won, turning the cloud of doubt and controversy surrounding the Tigers and their possibly-pine-tarred pitcher, Kenny Rogers, into a frenzy of fireworks and jubilation - the likes of which I had never seen before, and probably won't see for some time.
So when I hopped in the elevator with Tigers manager Jim Leyland before game five (he was staying on my floor, with some of the team) I really did want to say, "I'm rooting like hell for you." I kept myself from doing so, though, because that would've been a lie.
What I was really rooting for wasn't the Tigers and not necessarily for the Cardinals, but rather I was rooting for a St. Louis victory - on that once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a city turn on its head and start dancing in the streets.
And honking horns in the streets.
And maybe even having a drink or two, in the streets.
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