2008 Woodie Awards
Rockhurst Cards fans revel in victory
Jeff Russell
Issue date: 11/10/06 Section: Sports
Toot your horns, pat your backs, and lay claim to the most coveted hardware in baseball, Cardinals fans. In the 102nd fall classic the St. Louis Cardinals finally got over the hump and became World Series Champions with a 4-1 series win over the resurging Detroit Tigers. St. Louis moved into second place by winning their tenth World Series. They only trail the New York Yankees who own 26 championships.
This series came down to clutch hitting from Cardinals centerfielder Jim Edmonds, .235 ave., who had two big doubles and drove in four runs. Third baseman Scott Rolen, .421 ave., and shortstop David Eckstein, .364 ave. contributed hugely in constantly getting on base and creating havoc. Eckstein, the World Series MVP, went 0-9 in the first two games, but caught fire and went 8-13 in the final three games, scored three runs and drove in four more. He had been the catalyst for the team all year long and it is no surprise that once he started getting on base the Cardinals started to score.
The Cardinals shut down the offense of the Tigers with superior pitching from starters Anthony Reyes, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. The Tigers were toothless in their attacks at the plate with a team BA of .199. Former Cardinal, Placido Polanco, the ALCS MVP, pulled a 0'fer when he went 0-17 at the plate. All-star Ivan Rodriquez didn't fair much better going 3-19, and Curtis Granderson couldn't get it going either going 2-21. The Cardinals starters dominated from the start and it proved the deciding factor in the Cardinals win.
The Cardinals were helped not by one, or two, or three, but five errors committed by Tigers pitchers. Those errors led to eight unearned runs and helped the Cardinals dominate and take the series in five. This was the first World Series ever that a pitcher had committed an error in five straight games. It proved costly and the Tigers couldn't get past there own mistakes.
The Cardinals had the least wins, 83, of any playoff team this season and their .518 winning percentage is the lowest of any World Series champion ever. A team with fewer wins than the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second half of the season shouldn't have even been in the playoffs, yet this proves why baseball is such a great sport. The Cardinals survived numerous injuries, a watered-down central division, and a horrific September plunge. And after the seven month marathon the Cardinals overcame all that adversity and was the last team standing. So celebrate and go crazy Cardinals fans because no one else can say that they are the world champs.
This series came down to clutch hitting from Cardinals centerfielder Jim Edmonds, .235 ave., who had two big doubles and drove in four runs. Third baseman Scott Rolen, .421 ave., and shortstop David Eckstein, .364 ave. contributed hugely in constantly getting on base and creating havoc. Eckstein, the World Series MVP, went 0-9 in the first two games, but caught fire and went 8-13 in the final three games, scored three runs and drove in four more. He had been the catalyst for the team all year long and it is no surprise that once he started getting on base the Cardinals started to score.
The Cardinals shut down the offense of the Tigers with superior pitching from starters Anthony Reyes, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. The Tigers were toothless in their attacks at the plate with a team BA of .199. Former Cardinal, Placido Polanco, the ALCS MVP, pulled a 0'fer when he went 0-17 at the plate. All-star Ivan Rodriquez didn't fair much better going 3-19, and Curtis Granderson couldn't get it going either going 2-21. The Cardinals starters dominated from the start and it proved the deciding factor in the Cardinals win.
The Cardinals were helped not by one, or two, or three, but five errors committed by Tigers pitchers. Those errors led to eight unearned runs and helped the Cardinals dominate and take the series in five. This was the first World Series ever that a pitcher had committed an error in five straight games. It proved costly and the Tigers couldn't get past there own mistakes.
The Cardinals had the least wins, 83, of any playoff team this season and their .518 winning percentage is the lowest of any World Series champion ever. A team with fewer wins than the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second half of the season shouldn't have even been in the playoffs, yet this proves why baseball is such a great sport. The Cardinals survived numerous injuries, a watered-down central division, and a horrific September plunge. And after the seven month marathon the Cardinals overcame all that adversity and was the last team standing. So celebrate and go crazy Cardinals fans because no one else can say that they are the world champs.
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