The Chris Moeller Archives

A letter of apology from a Cardinals fan

Dear national and New York sports media,

I am truly sorry that your beloved Mets and Yankees are not participating in this year's World Series. Only three weeks ago, it must have looked like a matter of simple destiny that both teams would meet in what you jokingly refer to as a "true" Fall Classic, one that involves at least one team from the Big Apple.

It took some audacity for the Tigers and these arrogant Cardinals to deny a potential matchup of the Yanks and Mets. You were ready to make household names out of Jose Reyes, that dugout dancing machine who makes you feel oh-so-young again watching him play with such exuberance, and Robinson Cano, the final piece of a new 21st Century "Murderers' Row" in the Bronx. It must be so embarrassing now to see their post-season positions filled by a powerless little twerp like David Eckstein, who probably didn't even dance on camera at his own wedding, and a work-a-day grunt like Placido Polanco in Detroit.

And why can't America see what a prick that Albert Pujols is? I agree with you, Bill Simmons, that Pujols has taken over the mantle from Barry Bonds as the biggest jerk in the league. Well... except for the fact that he's beloved by his teammates. Albert does hate it when you camp out in his locker, and he insulted Tom Glavine to help fire up his teammates, then had the audacity to homer off Glavine in the pitcher's next start, which I thought was going to make for some big headlines. But I had forgotten the fact that it was the only run Pujols drove in in the entire NLCS. And who cares if that's only because he was walked five of the six times he batted with runners in scoring position, still managed to carry a .315 batting average in the series, and scored big runs in St. Louis' wins in Games 2 and 5.

It must be particularly humbling to see your teams lose to pitchers like Kenny Rogers, Jeff Weaver and Braden Looper. Although they're each respected hurlers west of the Hudson River, they made for convenient scapegoats for the failures of their higher-salaried teammates when they played in New York. Do we really have to watch Rogers and Weaver go head-to-head Sunday night in Game 2 of the World Series? NBC doesn't even have the decency to put a Giants or Jets game on opposite the telecast.

I agree with ESPN's Phil Rogers, who on Friday called Jeff Suppan the "best forgettable pitcher in the majors." Although if Jeff wins one more Game 7 during his career, he might have to be upgraded to "worst memorable." That took some balls for him to stop giving up hits after the first inning Thursday night, and to turn Endy Chavez's remarkable catch for the Mets into a post-season footnote by getting the outfielder to pop out with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the same inning. Like you, I'm just going to forget the last half inning ever happened and rejoice in that great defensive moment for Chavez and the Mets. That was the best catch in New York City-- and therefore, post-season-- history since Willie Mays great catch at the Polo Grounds in '54, although I'm remembering that the Cardinals' Willie McGee robbed a home run in 1982, and he also did it with his back to the diamond and in the World Series, and also hit two home runs himself in the same game. But then he made his spectacular catch, not in Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium, but in Milwaukee, so fuck it.

I really thought it was the Mets' year myself. They had been magical since April. I'm not sure what in particular had been magical about them, but they did win 97 games. Of course, that's at least three fewer than the Cardinals won each of the last two years and I don't remember any of you calling those seasons magical. They were hardly noticed.

This year, the Cards won only 83 games, which I guess is what prompted FOX's website on Friday to post a picture on their home page of Tony LaRussa being drenched with Champagne under the heading "The Worst Ever?" I almost forgot that it was the 1973 Mets who actually have the distinction of posting the worst regular season record of any World Series team in history at 82-80, and I hate to have to correct you, the anonymous AP writer in all the newspapers this morning, but just because you heard someone on TV say the Cardinals won only 83 games this year, it's wrong to assume that they lost 79. They actually had a rain out that was never made up so the loss total was only 78. If they'd have lost just one more game then maybe the Mets would be in the World Series, but now I'm rubbing it in.

Your Mets did suffer from key injuries to pitchers Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, but maybe you've also heard the names "Mark Mulder" and "Jason Isringhausen." Those were the Cardinals' All-Star pitchers who were injured and unable to participate in this year's post-season. Their injuries were so severe that they couldn't even play through them heroically like their banged-up teammates David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Albert Pujols, and Scott Rolen, who collectively have had more needles in them this past month then Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield have had during their entire careers.

New York's baseball fans and sports media deserved better than they got this year. Mets fans were particularly classy Wednesday and Thursday nights in the way that they booed every Cardinals batter that was announced at Shea Stadium-- even Preston Wilson, the son of Mets great Mookie Wilson. Hopefully, one of your two favorite teams will be able to deliver for you next year the World Championship trophy you so richly deserved in 2006. That's why I'm willing to offer those New York teams a little friendly and unsolicited advice on how they might better succeed in the '07 baseball campaign:

Try spending a little more money.


(Signed, but not notarized)
Chris Moeller
25 year Cardinals fan
Des Moines, IA
10/21/06

posted by CM @ 1:41 PM