the rix mix

"I think we shocked the world," Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said.
Why would you think that, Jim? It ended up no more than it what it was;
a weak divisional winner beating a fading wild card.

The sneaky dark horses toward the end of the season were the Phillies & the Astros. The Padres & Dodgers were finally looking halfway worthy, & in the American League the hot teams were wildcard longshots or out of it. The Yanks? I suspect their early exit really surprised no one, even George. The Mets glued together some pitching & the bats dozed off after they clinched. They woke up too late to the realization that the regular season record doesn't mean squat in the postseason, which is not only something every older Mets fan knows, but something we've counted on a number of times with mixed results. Willie Randolph managed by Willie's book, & it's probably not in him to inspire a team to play like underdogs. Jim Leyland demonstrated that the Wise Old Manager approach has its limitations, too: His walks to the mound were interesting interludes.

In the World Series, we accept dominance when it happens, watching a hungry team devour an overmatched opponent. We all like David vs. Goliath battles no matter who wins. But we really love the 6 & 7 game wars between great clubs playing at or near their highest levels, probably the rarest of series, actually. St. Louis didn't shock the world because nothing they did was shocking. Good pitching beats good hitting, & if your hitters are going cold along with the temperatures .......