simply miraculous

I turned off the game after it looked like they had no hope left. I was punished for my lack of faith by missing one of the biggest home runs in baseball history...especially if they come back in the series.

BUT, I got to see it played over and over and talked about and analyzed. So, I've lived it sufficiently now.

Albert. What a player. The only people you can compare him to, statistics-wise, are Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio. And he's only 25.

He also makes $14.25 million a year! I didn't know that for some reason.

Anyway, I was virtually born a Cardinals fan, you see. Some of my earliest memories are of not being able to go with my dad to the 1982 World Series games he'd won tickets to. He took HIS dad.

Sports is a funny thing. I mean, THE BETTER TEAM'S GOING TO WIN! That's how it works! Yet, anyone with any attachment whatsoever to any team is invariably going to experience at least some disappointment when that team loses.

And, of course, the exceptions to that aforementioned rule exist...like how the Cardinals weren't granted the final out in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series due to a clearly bad call by the first base umpire, Don Dentkinger, that Jorge Orta was out.

It's been named The Worst Call of All Time by many sports media outlets.

See...

OK...

CAN'T THEY CHANGE IT AFTER THE FACT IN SUCH CASES?!?!

I mean, if the call is WRONG, if the umpire just made a mistake, CAN'T THEY SAY "Well, the video clearly shows the call was errant. The team that deserved to win has now been awarded the out."

Anyway, whatever happens, the Cardinals showed everyone tonight what's made them the winningest team these last two years. There really are inspiring characters on that team everywhere you look.

Fortunately, it is still just a game. It can be great theatre [and tonight was some the best sports theatre in quite a while], it's pretty metaphorical of life, and, of course, it's great to be able to share in something in a communal way in a fashion that sports can provide.

It's pretty awesome, really.

So, 'just' a game?

Sure.

But, hey?

Isn't EVERYTHING just a game?















But Jorge Orta was SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!