So it's all over. The baseball season is over. After an embarassing sweep my St. Louis Cardinals are cleaning out their lockers. It was an awesome season. They made it to the World Series, after all. That's no small feat. It was the team that had the best record in baseball in 2004. They were fully expected to go the distance and they did. They had a defense that could stifle anybody and an offense that could open up a can of whoopass anytime.
So what went wrong in the World Series? After Game One, they only scored a single run - a home run. How could that possibly happen? How could things get so bad? It was not the same team. It was bizarre.
Sure you have off nights, even the best teams have them. Sure the Boston Red Sox were riding an incredible high after their amazing 0-3 series comback against the Spankees. But, still, how can the Cardinals possibly get swept, and get swept so badly?
I've heard from more than one person - several, actually - one of them was even a Boston fan - the idea that, to break the BoSox's 86-year-old curse, somebody with deep pockets paid the Cardinals, and possibly the Spankees, to lie down and let the Red Sox win.
I am certainly not suggesting this. After all, if my team was paid to blow a series, first of all I'd tell the rich bastard to fuck off, but even if I did do it, I would at least take the opponent to task and go to a Game Seven. I just find it interesting that that same idea has come up in several conversations with several different people, that's all.
Everybody in St. Louis is more perplexed and bewildered, than heartbroken. We're proud of their performance up until Game Two of the World Series. We hope, with the same core group of players, they'll make it that far next year.
At least now we've got the Blues to watch. No, wait...