I've waited since 4th grade for that?

So my beloved Cardinals went down faster than Mark Chmura's reputation as a family man after a night in the hot tub and I'm just now able to rationally talk about it...well you know, as close to rational as I ever get.

I really didn't want the season to end like this... to which you may be saying, "Nobody ever wants there season to end in a sweep." This I grant you, but this just seemed like a very inappropriate way for such a great season to finish up.

As a Cardinals fan since birth, I have been waiting on a World Series appearance since I was 10 years old. Now, this is not some horribly long stretch but when you've only lived 27 years it sure seems like a long time. I mean, imagine if you waited that long in between...um, cuddling, uh, yeah cuddling.

This was to be the first World Series that I could really enjoy (if you can ever "enjoy" watching one of your teams in a championship series and/or game) since I wasn't exactly well-versed in the nuances of the game when I was learning my multiplication tables and trying to make a move on Christie Holcomb. Which, by the way, turned out about as well as this series (I'm not talking about the multiplication tables either).

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I would've loved to have seen the Cardinals win just one game during the series because I think the fans of St. Louis and, more importantly, the players on this Cardinals team deserved that, at least. As my Dad said last night, "Sometimes you run into a team that is destined to win" and that definitely applied in this case. I mean you don't get back-to-back performances from Pedro and Lowe like that and not run away with a series, do you?

I'm not complaining...no Cardinal fan in their right mind should be complaing at this point. Its not like the Cardinals were exactly pitching rich to begin with but when they lost Chris Carpenter (I refuse to call him our "ace") before the playoffs I was hoping that we could make it TO the NLCS much less pull it out in such dramatic fashion. Don't get me wrong Edmonds' homer in Game six wasn't exactly Ozzie off Tom Niedenfurer but it was defintiely the most exciting Cardinal moment of my "informed baseball watching years." So for that I should be grateful...and believe me, I am. But being the spoiled American that I am...I want more, damnit.

Anyway, that sound you hear isn't the window closing...this is certainly not the 2002 Oakland Raiders here. There is still some time left for this team provided that they go out and pick up a couple of front rotation starters in the off-season...either that or if they can get a group discount rate at the local hypnotist for Rick Ankiel and Matt Morris. Does anybody else remember when these guys were supossed to be No. 1 starters for the next ten years? I didn't think so. I would say that the way this season ended already has me looking forward to next year but since I work in baseball and for a completely different team (rhymes with "Rex Throws") that means I would be looking forward to 13 hour days and 10 game homestands. So we'll just say that I hope Walt Jocketty and Co. can continue to work the magic of the past few years and the Cards can use this year to propel them to an 80's like run of making the palyoffs 3-4 times. That would be nice, no?

Thank you 2004 Cardinals for the most enjoyable baseball season that I can truly remember. Lets just not make it another 17 years before we do it again.

Zook fired? I'm shocked...

First off...aplogies to my friend Greg's friend Jerry...yeah I'm stealing your idea but then again you stole it from Sports Guy.

Random thoughts to get me going for the first time.

What's with the uproar over Ron Zook being fired? Are you kidding me? There should be an uproar about him not having to take a bus back to Gainesville from Starkville, MS.

All due respect but Starkville, MS is even worse than you would imagine, just trust me.

When your baseball team loses two runs due to the defensive wizardry of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, it is probably time to start looking at tee times. This means YOU Jose Oquendo.

Who is more excited about Lamar Odom being back in L.A.? Me or the editors of High Times?

Has anybody besides me seen the Larry Elder show? I mean other than his son B.J.

If you ever are offered a job in Minor League Baseball be sure to ask if you will getting paid extra for you work as a skilled laborer...trust me.

I was working a Bush rally on Saturday and Jeb Bush said there were 25,000 people there. Mind you, the stadium holding the rally seats just over 7,500. Unless the secret service guys were carrying people in their pockets then I think I may have an idea of how the whole election in 2000 may have gone wrong...I'm just saying.

I'm not saying Spurrier was great in Washington but I am saying that maybe people in Washington should review his tenure in light of the unmitigated disaster that is Joe Gibbs Version 2.0...I mean he acquires Portis and Brunell and THIS is what we get. I don't know if Dave Wannstedt could do worse than this...nevermind.

Could somebody explain to me why Cleveland traded for Drew Gooden...he has no post moves, can't guard a house plant, wants 15-20 shots per night and has an ever growing rep as a late night partier? Why would you put him with Lebron? Was Danny Ainge just asking too much for Ricky Davis?

Do you think that Caron Butler cries himself to sleep at night? Just wondering.

Why hasn't that slutty capitol hill intern chick with the blog posed nude yet? Can I get a ruling on this?

I don't think that Chris Gatling gets enough credit for starting this whole headband trend.

I've been to Atlanta, exactly WHERE in Atlanta was Rod Coleman driving when he flipped his car while swerving to avoid a deer? Somebody, anybody.

Am I the only person who knew how the Gerard Warren era in Cleveland was going to turn out?

ESPN 2K5 is vastly superior to NBA Live2005 if only because Grant Hill is not even on the roster for the Magic...but wait, his ankle feels great this time. Somebody shoot me already.

Can we PLEASE stop calling Champ Bailey the best corner in the NFL? C'mon, Chad Johnson hasn't burned anybody that bad since that girl he slepped with during his senior year at Oregon State. Hey, at least she could get a cream for her burning sensation.

Couldn't the Bears have picked up Richmond Flowers when they signed Chad Hutchinson...you know for the kids?

I hate cold weather but I DO love women in boots.

Speaking of those kinds of women...I'm off to Jacksonville for the annual Florida-Georgia showdown also known as the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party". Even if you don't care about football it is worth the trip if only for the women of questionable morals and copious amounts of alcohol.