Good morning, Viva El Birdos!
The Cardinals have me hooked again. It didn’t take much. Just a couple of wins over a division rival in late August. One of those came in dramatic fashion from the team’s flagging former MVP candidate. That’s all it took to get me hooked again.
Well… believer is a little strong. Very strong. But here I am, wearing my best Lloyd Christmas Aspen flannel, smiling with broken teeth, and saying with heartfelt sincerity, “So what you’re saying is there’s a chance!”
The Cardinals can make the playoffs. They just have to win.
And keep winning. And win some more. And then win some more. And after that they probably have to win some more.
At this point in the season, I don’t care that the season was ugly. That the team had to demote two of its key young hitters. That their run differential is still terrible. I’ll break all of that down in the offseason.
At least tonight, I don’t care how they got here. But I still care that they can possibly turn this mess into something. And that’s what I want to see. Because I really love playoff baseball.
So I’m watching the games with my fingers crossed. And I’ll continue to watch them that way, hoping that fate/luck/devil magic/pixie dust/whatever you want to call it can save this season from the abyss of despair it’s teetering on the brink of.
I’m writing this on Friday night with the Cardinals leading the Twins 3-1. This feels good. The Cardinals play the Twins again today. They have to win this series. Then they have to win the series against the Padres. Then the Yankees. And then pretty much every series for the rest of the season.
Win. Win. Win. Win. Win. They can still afford a few losses. But I’d bet if they win every series from now until the end of the season, we’ll get October baseball.
It can happen. It’s not likely at all. But it can happen.
The day is yours. Cross your fingers and toes. Get your rabbit’s feet out. Find the lucky cricket. Let’s cheer for a win. And hope for a little playoff baseball that I sorely miss.
Have a nice day, Viva El Birdos!
