Cardinals meltdown -- and I got to see it live! Well, I did get to go to the Cardinals-Mets game last night. My buddy came through with tickets, but what we watched wasn't all that pretty. (Thanks, Len, for your note of condolences.) We were way back under the shelf in left field. With the overhang above us, it was like watching through a panoramic window. Correction: like watching a train wreck through a panoramic window.
A flawless bullpen, an immaculate defense and a manager on a gambler's rush brought the Cardinals to Busch Stadium on Sunday night in control of the New York Mets and their National League Championship Series.
Then the fifth inning happened, and then the sixth.
Pushed toward the bullpen after rookie Anthony Reyes carried a tie score for 12 outs, manager Tony La Russa tried to slip righthanded relievers Brad Thompson and Josh Hancock past the lefthanded-heavy midsection of the Mets' batting order.
The bullpen frayed as the defense stuttered. La Russa's rush ended.
But I was wearing my lucky Jim Edmonds jersey (just for you, KJo, on your birthday, no less), and Jimmy Baseball came through with a good catch off the center field wall to end one inning, followed by a solo blast, so the night had a couple of redeeming qualities.
Game 5 tonight, unless it's rained out. I'll be watching from home.