This has been a wild ride for the past six weeks, with the Cardinals charging from 10.5 games back to steal the wild card on the last day; then coming back from down 2-1 to the 102-game winning juggernaut Phillies to get into the NLCS; now coming back from losing the first game to the Brewers to win the next two. Can the Cardinals really make it to the World Series? I guess the answer is yes, and my reason for thinking so is that they won 90 games during the year with Albert Pujols missing time with a broken arm and having his worst season; with Matt Holliday missing time with a variety of ailments and having his worst season; with a second baseman playing shortstop (Ryan Theriot) for most of the season; with an outfielder playing second base (Skip Schumaker) for most of the season; with a truly bad back-end of our bullpen for most of the season (most blown saves in the majors); and without arguably the game's best starting pitcher, Adam Wainwright. 90 games is still a lot in baseball, and that suggests that they were a better team than they shohwed. Now that they have Rafael Furcal (a legitimately great fielding shortstop); Pujols hitting like, well, Pujols; and the back-end of the bullpen shored up with fireballing youngsters (Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Fernando Salas, Lance Lynn), the Cardinals look a lot more like a 100-win team.
I think I just jinxed them.
Please, please, please.... go Cardinals!