Astros 5, Cardinals 1. It sure felt like more than a four run difference. Oswalt dominated the Cards like he was, well, like he was Roy Oswalt. The man can pitch. The Cards' bats laid dormant all NLCS and could not wake up against the likes of Roy. And, that, basically was all there was to it.
I never got upset as I'm prone to do. No errant F-bombs, no creative string of curse words that had never before been connected and probably never will be again (I consider that one of my specialties -- makes me feel better about myself when I lose control. No, I'm not a maniac, I'm a creative genius who just linked fornication, the Lord, pets, prostitutes, and a destitute donkey. Who can beat that?)
I don't know if the relative calm was residual satisfaction from Game 5 or that I had all game to get used to the idea of losing. I was disappointed, a little surly, and I couldn't watch any Astro glee, but I kept my wits about me. Almost like a real-life adult.
There wasn't much to the game. Mulder looked great for two innings coaxing four grounders and getting two K's. When he's on, this is what he does. But, the third started poorly and just kept getting worse. A single, a grounder where Mulder was late covering the bag, a bunt where Mulder could have thrown to third but hesitated, a wild pitch, a single.... Mulder really screwed the pooch. With all the writing I've done on Mulder this year, I feel that pointing out his mediocrity is redundant. I like him. I've seen him dominate in the way a pitcher who can't dominate dominates. Follow? He keeps the ball low and gets outs on the ground. He doesn't make guys miss like Oswalt. But, when he isn't perfect, though, it can get ugly in a big fat hurry. That was the third, fourth, and fifth inning.
Sure, I was pissed at Mulder. It was too early in the game to totally lose my cool, so when Duncan came out to talk to him in the 5th, I made some composed comment suggesting that Mulder inhales a lot. No big deal, but my son was alone with me and he at that time found my interest in the game riveting.
Aside: you might be wonder why my son was watching the game with his deranged dad during Game Freaking Six of the NLCS. That's fair. My lovely wife had plans to go to dinner with some friends, leaving me with the two kids. I was honest and said "that is fine, but they will be neglected and likely exposed to parental behavior that will cause them to alternately be afraid of me and lose respect for me." She gave me a peck on the cheek and ran off to her cold beer and normal adult conversation. I totally respect her decision. In fact, I love her for her decision. How bad can one night alone with dear old dad be on their development? Turned out it wasn't too bad after all -- and they weren't neglected because I hired this wonderful little girl named Dora to keep an eye on them. She even brought her monkey Boots. And, like I said, I kept my cool.
Anyway, I had already put the girl to bed by the time Dunc came out to give Mulder a talking to. As Dunc approached the mound, the boy pointed at the TV and said, "What's that?" That phrase was really cute the first 2,014 times he said it. The following exchange between boy and father transpired:
"What's that?"
"That's the pitching coach. He's going to tell Mark Mulder that he sucks."
"What's that?" [indicating Mulder]
"The pitcher. He's messing up bad."
"How we gonna fix him, daddy?"
"I don't know."
"Me either [pause while he thinks as only a 2.5 year old can].... Oh, I know. Sticky tape!!"
That's probably another reason I kept my cool. A kid can provide perspective. You're damn right, boy, let's get some sticky tape on that mo-fo and see what happens. I just loved that he considered the problem and was not satisfied with "I don't know." There just had to be a way. He's a little problem solver, I tell you. Of course, I mocked his naive idea of using sticky tape on Mulder, but that's just because I don't like him knowing that I think he is the most perfect human being on Earth.
I was busy putting the boy to bed during the Cardinals' only "rally" of the day and didn't see the botched call at second base live, but rather on the DVR when I got back downstairs. Yadier was safe. He was called out. Seriously, the Cardinals couldn't hit, but they never caught a break either. Nothing went right. I don't blame the umpire for getting the call wrong, but I don't like that he lied about it. He told Yadier that he was tagged out, but there is no way he could have seen that. He was just guessing. He should have said "I think you were tagged out" or something qualified other than a blatant lie. These umps suck. I wonder if they'll let the real umps work the Series. Not that I give a damn.
The Cards put up no resistance the rest of the way, just pleading for the Astros to take the pennant. It was OVER quickly and I appreciated that. So much for all the "momentum" talk. I was thinking about that before Game 6 -- the idea of momentum is silly. If there was such a thing as baseball momentum, no team had more of it than the Astros going into the 9th inning of Game 5. Seriously. They'd won three games in a row. The Cards' bats were deader than dead. The best closer in the game on the hill. Then, two outs on strikeouts. That, my friend, is some serious momentum. How'd the Cardinals win? Momentum advocates might say that the Cardinals wrestled it away. Of course, that doesn't affirm momentum. If the Cardinals could simply take it back, then why didn't they do that earlier or do it in Game 6? Why would the Astros relinquish it? It's hard for baseball fans, or humans for that matter, not to attribute some force other than luck on any series of events. Momentum is perfect for that, but there's just no "proof" that it exists in this way. I'll tell you what exists -- random chance, and it's great. The Cards won Game 5 because with two out, they managed to get two on base and Pujols managed to make us all happy. The Astros won Game 6 not because they got the momentum back (if that were the case, then "momentum" would merely be a self-filling notion that subsequently means nothing and about which nobody should ever speak again), but because Oswalt was money, the Cards couldn't hit and got no breaks, and the Astros got to Mulder. That's it. Move on. There's nothing to see here. Stupid baseball.
I hit the power on the TV just as the last out was made. There was no dramatic comeback, no choke-jobs. It was just a standard-issue anti-climactic 54 outer. The Astros, the second place Astros who finished 11 games behind the Cardinals, are going to the Series to play the White Sox. Bully for them.
A few random thoughts:
- Now that the Astros have won, I think I can ask this without sounding petty, did anyone else see that giant banner in CF in Minute Maid that read "Wild Card Champions?" A wild card, by definition, is not a champion of anything. It's like finishing in second place in the state fair pumpkin growing contest and calling yourself "Second Place Champion." Dumb.
- Another possibly petty observation: Lance Berkman runs like a girl. He even walks like one. He also happens to be my favorite Astro by a fair margin. I wonder what that says about me.
- I don't care who wins the World Series. I might care when it starts, but right now I'm overwhelmed with apathy.
- Next year's Cardinals will still be tough, especially if they sign Brian Giles to replace Larry Walker. Giles was third in the NL in OBP -- if he hits in front of Pujols he's going to score 150 runs. Good times are sure to be had. He's likely the top free agent OF, though, so suitors will flock and money will flow.
- Next year's rotation: Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis, and Anthony Reyes. I'll take that. I can't wait to see what Anthony Reyes can do if he stays healthy. A mighty big "if."
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