Is there anything more to say?
Obviously, a Cardinals win would’ve been the ideal outcome. Albert’s eighth-inning homer to put the Cards ahead 5-4 was the perfect comeback.
Not possible? They had to lose?
OK, it would have been fine if the score stayed 2-0 with two Chris Heisey homers off Jake Westbrook. Even a 4-3 loss with Joey Votto’s ground-rule double providing the game-winning RBI would have been tolerable.
But, no. For whatever reason, the baseball gods decided to punish us — after teasingly allowing Fernando Salas to strike out Heisey and get Votto to hit a fly to right for a nice Lance Berkman catch. Zack Cozart had singled in between and was at first base when Brandon Phillips undoubtedly strutted to the plate. He was hitless for the night with a strikeout, two foul-outs and an intentional walk.
I’m not sure what was said on the Fox Sports Midwest broadcast during his at-bat, as my remote’s mute button was used often throughout the game. It had nothing to do with Al Hrabosky’s painful voice (apparently the result of neck surgery?) and everything to do with Dan McLaughlin. His bipolar descriptions — dull, negative monotone when things weren’t going the Cardinals way and giddy joyfulness when they were — got on my nerves more than usual. Silence was golden.
The on-screen graphic when Phillips was up surprised me. Why even mention a homer? It’s not like he’s a big power hitter. Yet, there it was: one career walk-off home run on May 20, 2003, vs. Detroit.
And now it’s two.
What did the Cardinals do to deserve this?
I didn’t see any of his apparently not-as-bad-as-they-could-have-been histrionics (there’s an off button on my remote also) and can only imagine how much worse the press for the already intolerable attention whore is going to be. Hopefully, though, we can avoid a repeat of the “Brandon Phillips is such a great guy!” speeches we were subjected to by the Cardinals TV and radio broadcasters last week.
All of this made a crappy ending to an already bad day, as news broke before the game that Eduardo Sanchez is being shut down for at least another six weeks with more discomfort in his right shoulder. The search for pitching help that’s the Cardinals priority for the trade deadline seems more important than ever.
The Cardinals do remain in first place, as the Rockies beat the Brewers for the second straight night. However, the Cards have some company right now: the Pirates. Their success this season is a nice story … for another week, until the Cardinals face them again. Then it might not be so cute.
But, for now, the true villains remain the Reds, and Brandon Phillips the worst of them all. Hopefully whatever the Cardinals did to tick off the baseball gods can turn around tonight in Cincinnati. And I suppose it’s fitting Chris Carpenter is starting, right?
Something tells me I’ll be using that mute button a lot again tonight.
Christine Coleman is the senior St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates.
Sometimes, life is a character builder.
And there will be karma. Remember, last year, the preening, jumping, bragging, wagging Reds were, in the playoffs, first humiliated by being no-hit in front of a national audience, then had their 106-mph throwing reliever blow a lead spectacularly, then meekly bowed before Cole Hamels in being swept unmemorably out of the playoffs.
Baseball is never permanent.
And in my 30-plus years as a fan, I have come to understand the Gods of Baseball never waste time in punishing the arrogant.
… besides, starting Monday, the Reds go to Pittsburgh.
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That ending was one of the worst things I could have imagined. But worse yet? I was at dinner with a combination of Cards fans and Cubs fans. As if my own misery wasn’t enough, the crowd from Chi Town certainly didn’t let me suffer in peace.
Can I hope for a silver lining here? Perhaps that result after such a hard-fought game (and the fact that it HAD to be the biggest loud mouth of them all who doomed the Redbirds) will be motivation not only to fans, but also to our guys. They CAN’T be okay with that … or be interested in letting them get away with it from here on out. Cautiously optimistic? Maybe.
But like Michael said, arrogance tends to lead to an embarrassing fate. Let’s hope that holds true…
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It certainly holds true for Cubs fans.
Hey, Cubbies Fans, want to know why your team alternates long periods of year after year losing with short, brief bursts of contending play only to come up agonizingly close? Look in the mirror. Your behavior has so pissed off the Gods of Baseball that when they do allow you good fortune, you think you’re entitled to it instead of being grateful.
… nothing gets me quicker to rant than the classless behavior of mookish Cubs fans. Want to know why a nation of baseball fans hate you?
Even though he’s been frustrating this year, I’d have faith in Carp grabbing each player by the collar as if they were metaphorical Brendan Ryans and willing them by force to victory.
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