I need to talk about some baseball.. so I'm going to pick your post apart a little here
One thing I love about the post-season is that it renders the regular season meaningless. The game is played in an entirely different way. On paper the Rangers should win in four or 5 games, but that isn't how it always works out.
On papers the Cardinals are much better then people are giving them. But not even the regular season is played on paper.
The Cardinals shouldn't even have made the playoffs. They only scraped in because Atlanta lost their top two starters to injury. The Cardinals were undermatched in every facet of the game to Milwaukee and Philly, their best pitcher has missed the entire season due to surgery, and one of their best up-and-coming hitters was traded midseason for four nobodies. Furcal is healthy and almost playing to his full capacity, Berkman has exploded, Freese came out of nowhere...
The Cards should of made the playoffs, they played better over 162. They were only that far behind because they spent so much time without Holliday, and had no Wainwright and Pujols was struggling in the first half. A 10 games losing streak in September is just as bad as a 10 game losing streak in April. Cardinals had better pitching then Milwaukee does and a millions time better defense. Defense is HUGE in the playoffs and the Brewers have some of the worst defenders at multiple positions. (Fielder, Betencourt, Braun, McGehee) the Brewers lack an Ace, a pitcher that is more often then not overwhelming.
The Phillies lack a shut down bullpen and their offense is very one sided. Victorino is really their only right handed threat but he is more often then not hitting from the left side. If Philly really want to be all that, they need a better bullpen.
Furcal isn't really playing all that well, is been great in the field but offensively there isn't much there. And Berkman really didn't 'explode' he did have a hell of a season buts only an 'average' season for him. He did have a off year last year but his line is about the same as his career average.
2011: .301/.409/.547/.959
Carrer: .296/.409/.545/.954
And Freese is pretty well known for people in the prospect circle, so is Allen Craig. They both have tons of potential. Freese dealt with injuries this year, but other then that hes been good.
Yes the Rangers have one of the sickest lineups 1-9 + bench that I have ever seen, but so did this years' Red Sox. For crazy reasons like that I ofgive the Cardinals more of a shot than my traditional baseball logic allows. The last time the Cardinals won the World Series they barely had a winning regular season record. They only got into the playoffs because someone out of the NL Central had to, no matter how horrendous the record.
Yeah but the Red Sox had very meh starting pitching and a very meh bullpen. Crawford isn't half the player they are paying him to be. In any other division he would struggle to hit more then 10 HRs. That's his biggest problem, he tries to be the big middle of the order bat he is payed to be. He needs to learn discipline and get on base where he is effective. For heavens sake, his career OPS+ is 105 in a division where every park is a huge hitters park and no team with an very good pitching staff. Do you know who else has a career with a OPS+ of 105? Cody Ross. Who has more patience and much more power. Food for thought. Red Sox still have a very good team but they aren't that mega all star team they were taunted as.
Your right, playoffs and regular season are completely different. In the playoffs its all about individual match ups and getting early leads and going all out every second of the way. You can't play like that in the regular season or your whole team will end up like the Giants, injured, tired and struggling.
All-time mediocre player David Eckstein was the WS MVP that year. David Eckstein: he with heart, scrappiness, grit, and completely unremarkable measurable stats in every category.
Eckstein isn't bad, he isn't good but hes a smart player. One thing that is remarkable about him, he doesn't strikeout. He can take a walk, but hes the guy that puts the ball on the ground to the second basemen with a runner on third and less then two outs. And I swear he can pop a bloop hit at command. I hate him, but it have a lot of respect for him. He's a poor mans Freddy Sanchez
I give it to the Cardinals in 7 games, even though my brain says I'm wrong.
I honestly don't know who will win it. My gut is at a standstill. Hamilton isn't 100% and their starting pitchers can't seem to have a good game. Young needs to step up and get some big hits. Texas has a better balanced offense but the middle of the order of St. Louis is the best in baseball. Not. Even. Close. I don't care if Pujols has a down year he is head and shoulders the best hitter in baseball and Holliday is best left fielder in baseball. And Berkman is... well a future HOFer that can still kill the ball. Its going to be a good and well fought series.
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