Most unsatisfying World Series EVER.

As I was saying the previous suddenly obsolete comments section . . .

Clearly the Baseball Gods are repaying the Birdies for playing the stooge in the Red Sox miracle a couple of years ago. Compensatory miracle, you might say.

Oh, by the way, the long layoff left the Tigers flat as they were steamrollered by a Cardinal team charged up from their hard fought playoff. I saw it coming a mile away. It was preordained.

Baseball sucks. Biggest crapshoot ever. Not a legit sport.

I knew I should have put money on the Cardinals to beat the Tigers. If this postseason taught us anything, it was to take whoever everyone thinks is going to win handily and bet against them.

Jeff freakin' Weaver

Somebody help me with this loss of faith. Vinny always says, "Baseball is a maddening game..." It wouldn't be so tragic if it weren't so true...

1 - Not even close to being true.

Immediately, 1989 and 1990 leap to mind, and I could come up with many more.

Despite the 4-1 outcome, this series had some doubt, and an underdog winning instead of a huge favorite routing.

Eckstein has two rings. I can't fault the Detroit kids. Pudge and Ordonez just could not lead the way. Congrats Cardinals and your fans who truly appeared to be baseball fans.

3 - I don't understand. George Mason makes the Final Four, and people think that's the greatest thing ever. But the Cardinals win, and baseball is defective?

The double-standard against baseball starts to get tiresome after a while.

Uh, I think 3 was a joke, Jon.

8 Maybe Kayaker is a Duke fan.

Crazy, an alumni from my HS alma mater is now a World Champion.

By the way, congrats to the Cardinals, I guess more importantly, congrats to the National League!
Can't wait 'till next year!

Good lord do I despise David Eckstein.

Mix in some Miracle Gro, you Keebler.

The difference between the Cardinals and the best teams in baseball in the regular season was 14 games out of 162. Pro-rated over a seven-game series, that's 0.6 wins. Not much. I picked the Cardinals to lose every playoff series they were in, but it's not like some big sin that they came out on top.

The teams that led their leagues in the regular season have everything to be proud of, but the hand-wringing over the Cardinals does not make sense to me.

Is it so important for baseball to be predictable?

9 - Doesn't seem that way to me, especially after reading 5. I get that he was exaggerating, but I don't think he was joking.

Anyway, I have been reading stuff everywhere from many folks saying the same thing, so I feel I can respond.

8 Sorry, I just spent the last three days, trying to convince 11 other jurors that, while the defendent was guilty of selling crack cocaine, the prosecution failed to prove beyong a reasonable doubt that the defendent committed the crime with the specific intent to further the criminal street gang, which he was judge to be an associate of (not a member, but an associate). It was like 12 Angry Men (and women), but with the rest of the 11 never changing their minds.

The person who wrote comment #1 was obviously not alive in 1966.

I may be getting cranky, but all this stuff about the postseason being a "crapshoot" is to me beyond tiresome. Billy Beane's sour grapes aside, the Tigers did not win this series because they did not play well. Too many walks, too many errors, too many baserunning mistakes.

Stan from Tacoma

14 Being the Philospher King means never having to explain.

I root against the Cardinals because they lead the Dodgers in National League WS titles. And now they have another.

I think many will be bitter because it seems like the Dodgers could have beaten the Cards, but we didn't. Congrats Cards, even though I do not like them. Congratulations for bouncing back big time Jeff Weaver.

6 An 83-win team won the title. Lousy baseball on both sides. Given the matchup, this should have been a very compelling Series. It wasn't.

I can't help but think that St. Louis really lucked out. They beat SD pretty squarely, but they got a Mets team that was injured to the point of starting Oliver Perez in a Game 7, and a Tigers team that suddenly forgot how to hit or field all week.

It may have been an upset, but the Tigers practically handed them the Series.

17 - Yeah, that part about the WS titles saddens me.

And now, in honor of the Tigers, I'm going to have some Frosted Flakes.

The Cards were battle tested in the NY series. The test for the Tigers came in this one, and Leyland never seemed to try to put the kids at ease when it mattered. Edmonds packs his bags and looks for a new home, competing with Sheff. in that regard, I guess. Weaver will certainly be smiling, with Boras, all winter in Manhattan Beach.

20 I hear they're GRRRRRREEEEAAAAAT!

Of course, it might be propaganda.

Yeah, you right. I chuckled, though. Part of the muzzy shadow world I live in: I got the idea in the early season that the Cardinals were the best team in the league, and posted a comment to the effect, not realizing what their season record actually was. Anyway it should have been apparent from the earlier round that the Cards had some serious mojo working, and were not at this point merely an undeserving team backing in from a weak division.

Everybody could have won this series though, and that is what makes it great. The 13th-best record winning the Series? Against a team that lost 119 games just three years ago? This is terrific for the game, regardless of what we think about individual players.

And hey, at least it was not the (Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mets, Marlins, Braves, Giants, etc...)

Andrew will confirm that I predicted the Cardinals to win. Won't you, Andrew?

I know I say this at least twenty times a year, but who decided that U2 was the official band of every major sporting moment ever? I hate U2. Hate, hate, hate U2. Almost as much as Jim Leyland. Way to make my last memory of the season a sour one, Fox.

25- Done and done.

By the way, anybody have Elliot Spitzer's phone number? I believe this closing monstrosity demonstrates absolutely that Fox has had some kind of payola scam going with picking the music for this Series.

I think Joe Buck has to take some of the blame for the low ratings. He is certainly a professional: Well prepared; caring; and does not make himself the story. But he never rises and falls with the story, or sees conflict, hope or disappointment. I recognize that he is highly regarded, and I respect him but there is more to the game than what he sees. You gotta show people why they should care.

Yes, by all means, let's get Jesse Ventura and Dick Vitale next year.

Greg Brock and other Ecksteinaphobes might wish to peruse the FireJoeMorgan site

30: I just don't want to settle for passable. It's bad enough with Dodger radio broadcasts.

The Cardinals were able to hold on because they had on their No-Rally Caps. That's where you wear your cap the right way around.

Go back to a thread around game 1. I predicted Cardinals in 6 and Eckstein would be MVP. I only missed it by one game.

Now, I just wish I had been serious about it...

31 Oh, trust me, the FJM guys and I are kindred spirits on David Eckstein.

I think that I will call David Eckstein "Tombstone" from now on.

Every time I talk about great Westerns, some tool decides to bring Tombstone up. It's not that it's a bad movie, it's just that it's thought of so much more highly than it should be. Decent, but way overrated, and I'm tired of hearing about it.

David Eckstein is Tombstone.

Jon, I know it's abit off topic, but what are your thoughts on the hiring of Stan Conte?

26
Music to my ears. I like one U2 song and that is it.

38 Sunday Bloody Sunday? In the Name of Love?

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me lol.

40 Wow. Um, yeah...Didn't see that one coming.

I don't understand not liking the entire "Achtung Baby" album

I don't consider myself a U2 fan, but they have a few songs that are flat out great.

I am not at all surprised by the Cardinals 5 game victory. DodgerSims nailed it.
vr, Xei

I haven't really liked anything U2 has done since Zooropa. They seem to have adopted a very wimpy, "adult contemporary" sound which I don't care much for

Hey, James Taylor is "Adult Contemporary"

Don't be knockin' Adult Contemporary.

I'm not opposed to Adult Contemporary per se, but rather U2 in an AC setting. Their target audience seems to have changed, and for the worse...

No, Brock. Tell me you're not one of those people. I cannot accept it. James Taylor?

48 Seen him in concert three times. Own every album. Learned the guitar by playing JT tabs.

Oh yes, Andrew. I'm one of those people.

The only person I've seen in concert three times is George Winston

38

So was this Series "even better than the real thing"?

Crybaby rock and roll, huh? You just got a whole lot less intimidating, fella'. Jeez. This is like if Bob decided to admit that his favorite author was Judy Blume.

This series was "So Cruel"

Late news: Joe Niekro has passed, apparently from an aneurysm. He was 61.

http://tinyurl.com/yaavcx

Looks like we are going to need a Music Toaster to go along with the TV Toaster. :)
vr, Xei

Sade is pretty good for adult contemporary.

I like Sade. It's good mood music for when you're, well, ya know, in the mood...

57

... and when is that?

58
When isn't that...?

59

..... well that would mean Sade 24/7/365 .... and I don't think we'd want to think of THAT :-)

I think the Cardinals will have to go down as one of the most if not thee most efficient team in baseball history. Squeezing out just enough wins (83) to win their division and make the playoffs. Not wasting any extra energy by winning their division by 16 games. Then turning it on for the postseason. No extra wasted wins for this championship team. Congrats to the Cardinals. vr, Xei

Does Stevie Wonder's "Part-time Lover" and Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen" count as adult contemporary? I love those songs.

52 Let me tell you somethin', pal. You can love Zep, The Beatles, The Who, and Cream, and still find that special little part of the soul that loves some James Taylor.

Are you there, God? It's me, Andrew.

61
That is one way to look at it.

Anyone wanna talk baseball? You know that sport with the ball that you are suppose to throw over the head of the first baseman.
vr, Xei

60
Yeah, she doesn't have enough albums for that...

61
And David Eckstein will have to go down as one of the most if not the most efficient players in baseball history. No wasted HRs, or SLG% or OPS...Just enough to get the job done...

65 Let's talk some TV, Xeifrank.

What did you think of this week's Battlestar Galactica? Good stuff.

67. We were flipping between the last inning of the W.S., and the Charlie Brown (Great Pumpkin) Halloween special at our house this evening. I'm not sure who was more emotional Linus or Jeff Weaver. vr, Xei

68 I always tape the Charlie Brown Halloween and Christmas specials.

Truly classic stuff. Especially when Linus recites the Nativity during the Christmas special.

I enjoy the Charlie Brown specials, but I'm always surprised at how sombre and dark they are. BTW, there's also a Thanksgiving special, which for some reason is not as well-known as its Halloween and Christmas siblings

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" first aired on TV the day before I was born.

One of the great Christmas scenes of all time, whether you are religious or not:

http://tinyurl.com/y89xlp

63- You have to change your screen name to Whitey, now. You can throw a Ford, or Herzog on the end if you want.

71
Are we supposed to do the math...?

73 Well, I also have an extensive collection of Sam Cooke, Robert Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and Aaron Neville.

The music collection is eclectic, to say the least.

74
Yes, you have to do the math.

75- Alright. I withdraw my racial slur. For now.

I watched the DVDs of the Battlestar Galactica while I was sick, this week, on your recommendation. It's possible that I wasn't giving it a fair shot, because of my illness, but I'm not really digging it. Why did they have to make my favorite one (Sharon) a clyclon? Anyway, I can see why people like it now, but I don't know if I'll keep up.

I don't know if anybody's noted it yet, but the real most underrated player in the game, Juan Encarnacion, now has two rings. It's like he knows how to win.

77
I must tell you, if you can get through the first season with some modicum of enjoyment, the second season will knock your socks off. The third season, thus far, has been unbelievable.

It's not very often a cable television show wins a Peabody Award, even less common for a sci-fi show. BSG won for it's second season.

XStein rules, couldn't be happier that he has two rings playing the most important position on the diamond. Whenever he plays I can always count on every play being close at 1st base and who can ask for more then that. I don't ever want him to be a Dodger but I will always root for him. The fact that it ticks GregB off is just icing on the cake.

There's a great story about James Taylor in Geoffrey O'Brian's "Sonata for Jukebox" (tremendous book, by the way). You know of course that Taylor's most famous song "Fire and Rain" was about a girlfriend of his who committed suicide while he was institutionalized. Well, O'Brian had been romantically involved with the same woman before Taylor. So one day he's sitting in a bar and he hears "Fire and Rain" on the radio for the first time, and not only does it bring back a flood of painful memories, but he realizes that this experience is going to be repeated over and over again because he's going to be hearing this song on a regular basis for the rest of his life. If you saw the documentary on the first Ali-Frazier fight you know that the only practical date at Madison Square Garden had already been booked by Taylor, who graciously agreed to give up the date in return for a couple of tickets. They were lousy seats, too. In the genre of soporific-singer-songwriter-who-exhausts-his-material- shortly-after-finding-his-voice, I think you'd have to rate Taylor second only to Cat Stevens, and he earns extra points for not turning into a religious weirdo.

Getting back to this here World Series, I think it's criminally sloppy the way people are confusing "team with the worst regular season record to win the World Series" with "worst team to win the World Series." The Cardinals had a mediocre regular season record not because they were a mediocre team but because of injuries. It's not like the 1988 Dodgers who were batting Mickey Hatcher third; they're clearly a championship caliber team, and have been in the Series before. It's been pointed out before that baseball has a championship series whose imperatives are completely different from its regular season. Winning in the regular season is a matter of pacing and endurance that depends on things like the quality of your fourth and fifth starter, while the World Series is a matter of no tomorrow where a couple of pitchers with a hot hand can make the difference.

The Tigers hit .192 in the Series
The Cards? .228

The Cardinals had Eckstein and his lucky charms luck, the Tigers didn't. Plus the Cardinal pitchers didn't panick everytime a ball was hit to them.

17/20 i feel the same way. stupid cardinals. they passed the A's with this one too, i believe. #10, no?