The FYC

As the immortal Jeffery "The Dude" Lebowski once muttered, "That's a bummer man...that's a bummer."

Is this the ending for Busch Stadium that I had asked, nay, prayed for? No. Not at all. But, did the best team win? Absolutely.

And when it comes to sports, that's all you can really ask for.

After The Pujols Home Run, I thought that this year could be it.

Destiny? Maybe? Nope.

Not quite.

But hey, thank you Albert Pujols. Thank you for giving me one last great highlight from the 2005 Cardinals season. I will be seriously pissed if nobody makes a DVD with this year's Cardinals highlights on it. SERIOUSLY PISSED.

Anyway, about the game...Um...Mark, that wasn't exactly was I was thinking when I said that we needed you to come up big. But...whatever. That's behind us now.

It's time to give props where props are due: Roy Oswalt. That was a gem. THAT is how a dominating pitcher pitches in the playoffs.

Congratulations, Houston.

Now that's it finally over, at least my nerves aren't so frayed that I can't eat. And I'm going to relish this here slice of sausage pizza.

But, shit man, what a heart breaker.

I believe it was the fifth inning of the game when my heart stopped working for a few seconds. The Cards had runners on first and second with nobody out and I started to feel the life come back into my body.

That was quickly followed up by a horrendous call by the second base umpire, saying that Yadi had been tagged out by Adam Everett. It was then that I was once again quickly submersed in a cloud of death. THAT was the ballgame.

Sometime around the seventh inning, I realized how much fun it must be to be an Astros fan at that moment. Sitting in a bar...counting down the outs. I remember that feeling from last year's Game 7, and it's feeling that will stay with me for a long, long time. Goosebumps just thinking about it.

I hope you guys are having fun with this. You deserve it. You not only beat, you destroyed, the best team in baseball, the Saint Louis Cardinals.

There's a lot to be said about the old system. Regular season winner of the NL faces the regular season winner of the AL. And while I'd like to see that come back into fruition (simply because the Cards would be in the World Series time and time again) the system is what it is, and even if it literally kills me one of these years, I still love it.

Again, congrats to the city of Houston. I'm sure you guys are going to be out all week, celebrating, and doing the stuff that Texans do (ie. Eating really fattening foods, executing innocent people, and building baseball fields which have hills on them....sorry, that was cheap. You guys won, fair and square. Celebrate however you see fit.)

So, where do we go from here? I, for one, am taking the cowards way out. I'm leaving the state for a few days and going off to the woods. Seriously.

The Lady Friend and I are taking off for my Grandparents lake house in Indiana this afternoon to do a little bit of drinking, maybe some fornicating, and definitely watching some "Wake Up Ron Burgandy." I'd like to say that we planned this trip as soon as the final out was made and I couldn't stand to be in the city of Saint Louis any longer, but alas, it had been in the works for the last few weeks.

But you can bet on this...at some random truck stop on my way driving on I-70 across Illinois, I will be picking up a White Sox hat. I finally feel comfortable enough with myself to admit it in public, but back in the early-90's, I was a HUGE White Sox supporter. Shocked? You shouldn't be.

I still cared about the Cards, but when one team has Todd Zeile, Felix Jose, Mark Whitten, Bob Horner, and Donovan Osbourne...and another team has Frank Thomas (who, for the record, was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols was Albert Pujols...let's just hope the injuries stay away from Pujols), Robin Ventura, Jack McDowell, Bo Jackson, Wilson Alverez, Alex Fernandez, Jason Bere...well, I'm following the team with the studs, not the team with Luius Alicia.

I'm sorry, but I was 13. I also thought that "Tesla" and "Hootie and The Blowfish" were the best bands since "The Who" and "Pink Floyd." I was young and confused.

Conclusion: Al Fritz as a 13 year old was one dumb bastard. Although, I could have out-masturbated anyone this side of Minneapolis.

But I'm still cheering for the White Sox. I can't just not cheer for anyone, so why not bring an old flame back into my life?

I know my buddy Gene would be proud.

One final thought...As I was driving back home from Hammerstone's bar after the game, TLF and I were listening to Mike Shannon do the post game and he was obviously choked up, and rightfully so. The last ever game at Busch II, the place where he has worked every day since it opened in 1966, and also his last ever sign off on the mighty KMOX. A very emotional moment, all around.

His last words (as best as I can remember them):

"Well folks, we just couldn't pull it together for one last win brought to you by the Wheezy Company tonight.

The final out was recorded at 10:22 and 15 seconds...and with that, we say goodbye, for the last time, from the lovely, the beautiful Busch Stadium.

Good night."

And I swear to god, you could hear the tear run down his cheek and hit the microphone.

Mike Shannon, coolest man ever.