It was a frequently unpleasant ride while it lasted
The Cards' hopes to repeat as World Champs are slipping away. A loss today against the Reds capped an 0-7 road trip to Phoenix, Chicago, and Cincinnati, and rendered a four-game series this weekend at home against the Cubs nearly meaningless, at least for one of the two teams. The just-concluded roady is the team's first winless trip of at least 7 games since 1972 when the Birds were pounded in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati by the likes of Roberto Clemente and Johnny Bench. Let us not forget that the Cardinals endured an 8 game losing streak even later in the month of September just last year-- during the season's final week-- but they were comfortably in first at the time that that streak began.The bad news is that the season's almost over, but the good news is that the season's almost over.
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I say, Free the Birds! Let LaRussa walk.
The starting pitching went back into the tank this week, and Rick Ankiel, who promised to be a streaky hitter all along, slipped into a deep funk at the plate, but the manager pouting-- this time to USA Today about "players responding" to his leadership-- didn't help one iota. LaRussa's imbecilic switch to a 6-man pitching rotation, on a team that can't produce even two quality starters, severely damaged the team's chances as well. The Cardinals need to return to competing against the teams across the diamond, not against the local media, their own lethargy and inner demons. LaRussa bunkers down in a crisis like Dick Cheney, and he's more sensitive to criticism than my mailman with the enormous gut.
It looks and feels like the Cubs' year.
9/16/07 am update: St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz concurs on LaRussa.
posted by CM @ 8:33 PM
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