Dear St. Louis Cardinals,
Sure, we’ve had our differences in the past, but now that you’re mathematically eliminated from the post season, I think we should put our differences aside and cheer each other on. It has been sad and somewhat painful to watch the defending World Series Champions fall flat on their faces this year. Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, I would never have believed how a once mighty team could implode in such dramatic fashion.
But it is time to stop dwelling on past embarrassment and to look forward. You need to pull yourselves together for one three game series and sweep the Brewers. I do not say this because they are a mere 1 1/2 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs. No, you need to play hard and play to win, not only for your loyal fans who have stuck with you through this painful year, but also out of respect for the game of baseball.
I am certain that the Cardinal Nation, whatever that is, will also be cheering on my Cubs during our final series against Cincinnati, as we will be doing our best to keep them from overtaking you in the standings. It would be a shame for the Cardinals to finish in 4th place.
I’m glad that we can all finally get along.
Sincerely,
PeoriaIllinoisan
Baseball Fan
Update: Journal Star sports writer Kirk Wessler linked to this post in his “Captain’s Blog.” Thanks, Kirk, just don’t get yourself fired for linking to a blog.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:48 am
First, thank you for acknowledging that the Cardinals are still the defending World Series Champions.
Second, I will always cheer the Cardinals on no matter where they are in the standings and no matter who is in first place.
Third, I will never cheer for the Cubs. I cheered for the Cubs in 2003 when they almost made it to the World Series. I stood beside Cubs fans and cheered on their team because I love baseball and I wanted to see them end their decades-long drought of World Series appearances and nearly century-long drought of World Series wins. So, like a fool, I thought that Cubs fans would do the same for the Cardinals in 2004 after they won 105 games and the Cubs finished 16 games back in third place. I thought they would “put aside their differences” and stand and root for the Cardinals to end their 21-year drought of World Series wins at that point because they love baseball and their loyal to their League and Division.
Nope.
Every step of the way, every Cubs fan I knew specifically rooted against the Cardinals. They rooted for every opposing team along the way. And it was the same way in 2005 and 2006. In fact, in 2005, I remember Cubs fans obnoxiously rooting for second-place finisher Houston in the playoffs. Houston! Even after the Cards won the Series in 2006, all Cubs fans would talk about was how terrible the Cards’ regular season record was that year, as if that mattered.
So you can forget about me ever, ever rooting for the Cubs. Won’t happen. They suck. They’ve sucked for 99 years, and they’ll always suck. The Cardinals are still the World Series Champions for another month, and next year they’ll be back in contention again. GO CARDS!
Oh, and GO REDS, too.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 am
Ok, that is just so much BS, PI. You know ALL of you Scrubs fans will be STLCard fans for that series. That does NOT mean we will be Scrub fans. Baseball is baseball. One can love the game but love their CARDINAL NATION far better, just as you Scrubbies only root for the Cards when it benefits you. Alas, my dear, dear Cards have hit the toilet in September. We UZTA-B contenders, until we took a mighty dump. I say it’s BEARS season now. Let your Scrubbies land where they may. I am certain there will be yet another Bartman to rain on the parade and I hate watching when it gets ugly. I’m just glad TPTB FINALLY sucked some cool, hard cash into your team, for whatever reason. The rivalry was really beginning to suck. We were out there all alone.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:18 am
Dear PeoriaIllinoisan, Baseball/Chicago Cubs Fan:
I recognize that you are nervous and somewhat uncertain about the final eight games of the season. The questions must fill your mind, making sleep come slowly, if at all: Will your squad fold under the intense pressure? Will the Cubs bow to their pre-determined destiny to fail on a monumental scale? Will the ghost of the Billy Goat conjure up a veritable army of Bartmans, singularly determined to rip the collective heart from the fans of the very team these Undead Bartmans profess to love? Will Carlos Zambrano simply suck?
Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it. And, based on historic trends, I predict the Cubs’ only chance of making the playoffs depends solely on the outcome of the upcoming Cardinals versus Milwaukee series. Therefore, instead of requesting mutual support, I suspect you should get down on your knees (after the appropriate sacrifice to the Baseball Gods) and pray for Divine Intervention. At very least, I advise you to buy a round for your favorite Cardinals Fans and hope that the gesture of goodwill translates into Cardinals victories.
Sincerely,
Kevin Lowe
Baseball/St. Louis Cardinals Fan
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:32 pm
You Cardinal fans are a sensitive lot.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
They have a lot to be sensitive about.
I have stated this before. I am a Cubs fan. I do NOT root for any other team. I do not cheer for any other team. I hope the Cards beat the Brewers. I hope the Cards sweep the Brewers. I do not and will not root for the Cards. There is not a single atom in my body that gives a flying rat’s ass about the Cardinals as a team. I am, however, holding out hope that Albert Pujols captures the all-time home run title from Barry Bonds. There are enemies common to us all, after all.
As I have said repeatedly before the start of the season, the Cubs had a dismal record last season. The Cards were World Champions. The Cubs will finish this season much, much, much better than last. The Cards, not so much. In fact, the Cards spent most of this season sniffing around behind the Cubs. In a way, I pity Cardinals fans for having to spend most of the season with the realization their team is a team in decline. No doubt that puts “Cardinal Nation” in a foul mood. The question is whether or not the Cardinals as a baseball team can muster enough dignity and self respect to actually bother to put up a fight.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:21 pm
A team in decline? Bwahahahahahaha! No, no, Billy. A team that hasn’t been to a World Series since 1945 and hasn’t won a World Series since 1908 is a team in decline. A very, very long, slow, painful decline. Don’t worry, the Cards will finish in first again next year.
September 22nd, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Keep telling yourself that, Ceej ….
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:08 am
I have history on my side, Billy. As opposed to Cubs fans who always say “wait till next year” like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:34 am
It dawned on me last night. WTF? The Cards/Brewers series should not even matter to the Scrubbies if your team is all that! Your Scrubbies should be in first place, period. No matter what the other teams do at this point.
And no, Billy, we in CARDINAL NATION are not in a foul mood. We KNOW our pitching sucks, ROYALLY. We have spent the season missing Carpenter. Rolen is out, probably for good. He hasn’t been right physically since the 1st injury with the Cards. See, we are realists! We don’t think that every year is ‘OUR’ year. We were all quite shocked last year in winning the World Series. But at least, WE WON IT! AGAIN. And we know we will do so again in the near future. Can you say that about the Scrubbies?
September 24th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Billy,
Alex Rodriguez will DESTROY the record before Pujols even comes close. I read somewhere that if A-Rod hits as many home runs after age 38 as Barry Bonds, he’ll end up with over 900.