The past two series have been dreadful to watch. The only positive I have taken from them is that my 14 month old daughter is still too young to understand and question why daddy is yelling at the TV and why mommy looks at me funny when I say certain words. Since taking over first place from the 2006 Cardinals, excuse me Reds, and everyone in town (me included) dubbing this team awake and ready to take charge of the division our towns Cardinals have gone 3-8. Are your freaking kidding me, 3-8, and wait for it....against the Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Pirates and Nationals. Take away two those wins were against a team in contention and that makes it 1-7 against teams well under .500.
Just like everyone else on the radio, TV, web, news paper or where ever you get your news, I cannot figure it out. The only conclusion I can come to is this team is (Reds series aside) lacking in heart, character, commitment and desire. It is also of my opinion that our boys on the diamond have taken it for granted and just assumed we were already hanging up the 2010 Central Division banner before a game was ever played. To quite good 'ol Denny Green "they are who we thought they were", it's just that none of us wanted to admit it (and many still won't) and now that it is becoming to large to ignore, the evidence is every where that this years version of the Cardinals is not a great team.
A lot of the pundits, experts, talking heads or whatever you might call them always come back to the idea that because the Reds haven't been here before they will soon crumble under the pressure or a playoff chase. Well guess what, in a way neither have the Cardinals. In their last 4 trips to the post season it's not as if we truly been in a pennant chase. In 04-05 it was assumed that both STL and Houston would make the playoffs one as division winner the other the wild card so it's not as if they were fighting to not be left out. And in 06 when there was a chance we would miss out on the playoffs we saw how the Cardinals responded, losing down the stretch and backing in because apparently nobody wanted to win the Central that year. And last year we won the thing going away (no thanks to a terrible September). My point here is the Cardinals for all the years we have made it to the post season this last decade haven't exactly had to face this pressure either.
Now that they are we see how they are responding it doesn't look good. Not to mention how embarrassing it would be, and I can't imagine it has ever happened, to have the MVP, CY Young, ROY and a Triple Crown winner and not make the playoffs.
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