Cards, On the Brink. World Series 2006

Look at this, St. Louis. Three games won, one game lost.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of spectation. I was lucky enough to attend two turning point games recently. I was in the Bleachers on the last day of the regular season as we woefully lost to Milwaukee, but clicnched the NL Central title when Atlanta finished off the surging Astros.

I was there again in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series. We pulled off the victory then to go up 3-2 and came up big when Yadier Molina hit the go ahead home run in the top of the ninth of Game 7.

I must say my favorite moment of the run came when So Taguchi hit the most unlikeliest of home runs off Billy Wagner in the NLCS game 2 to go up 7-6 in the game and totally deflate the Mets. I celebrated with dozens of friends at Nick's Pub and basked in my Japanese connection. My bro, Taguchi.

This evening, I constructed a shrine to So. I included a personal photo with So, a life-size So head, burning candles and poker chips. I made sure the attendees bowed as they passed by. "So lays down the sac bunt, Rodney picks it up, tosses to firs...it's high! Eckstein scores easily, Cardinals go up 4-3!!!"

Tomorrow, I will not be inside the stadium. I will be watching and waiting for that final pitch when we prove the 'experts' wrong. I will join my sister Lynn when she emerges victoriously from the stadium. I will join my friends for a drink and a dance down on Clark Street. When the Tigers go down and St. Louis is once again the World Champion, I will applaud these guys and embrace St. Louis.

Go Cardinals.