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.