Deadspin
For the third consecutive season, we are proud to introduce the Deadspin Baseball Season Previews. Yes, baseball is starting today.
Every weekday until the start of the season, a different writer will preview his/her team. We asked a gaggle of writers, from the Web, from print, from books, to tell us, in as many or as little words as they need, Where Their Team Stands. This is not meant to be factual, or dispassionate, or even logical: We just asked them to riff on why they love their team so much, or what their team means to them, or whatever.
Today: The St. Louis Cardinals. Your author is Will Leitch.
Will Leitch is the editor of Deadspin and the author of three books, including God Save The Fan, released by HarperCollins in January. His words are after the jump.
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You know, all told, it's not all that bad of a time to be a Cardinals fan. Sure, it's probably gonna be a long year — unless you're overly persuaded by the fastball stylings of Todd Wellemeyer — but we know that coming in. It's not like we're the Giants or anything; we clearly see that the Cardinals need to get younger, so this is a transitional year, purging the Rolens and Edmonds and giving kids like Brendan Ryan, Ryan Ludwick, Brian Barton and, yes, Rick Ankiel a chance. If the Cardinals finish .500, it will be a success, and no one will consider the year an unmitigated disaster of they don't.
As a sports fan, I tend to only find myself truly passionate when I am attempting to head off failure. (It's like this in life too; it's really quite awful.) Don Denkinger in 1985 was awful. Losing to the Giants the year Darryl Kile and Jack Buck died was awful. Being swept by the Red Sox in four games — and having Drew Barrymore and Jimmy freaking Fallon run on our field directly afterwards, like they owned the place or something — that was awful.
This year? Nothing too awful can happen this year. When expectations are low, it's difficult for the news to be too devastating. Barring an implosion of Albert Pujols' aorta, nothing can go too wrong this year. We're looking at positive increments forward, with the inevitable steps back easily shaken off.
Except: The Cubs.
The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is every bit as storied as the Yankees-Red Sox, but, you know, a little nicer. Neither team's fans are ever in danger of being throw off the balcony when they show up at the opposing team's stadium, for example. But do not mistake this for passivity; Cardinals fans and Cubs fans revile each other teams with considerable fervor. May I remind you of my favorite Cubs memory:
October 2003. I was at my apartment in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan, listening to Cubs-Marlins Game 6 on the radio because I didn't have cable. Cubs were up 3-0, bottom of the seventh. My phone rings. It's my father. I know what he wants.
"Jesus, it looks like they're really going to do this."
"I know."
"I don't really know what to do with myself now. I don't know if I'm ready to live in a world where the Cubs have made the World Series."
"I know."
Pause.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been listening to the game on the radio. But you know what? I think I should go downstairs and watch the end. I mean, I've hated them for so long, I feel like their history is kind of my history. In a weird way, I feel like I owe to them. I should watch them do this. They've earned it, I think."
"You go ahead. I'm going to bed.
I put on some pants and went to the bar downstairs. The top of the eighth began. I ordered a cool, icy Budweiser, brewed in St. Louis, Missouri, and settled in, ready to begrudgingly salute the enemy.
So yeah: That's probably my favorite Cubs moment.
I like to consider myself a reasonable nice person, but, jesus, that's just mean. And that's what I'm talking about. In a season in which the Cardinals have no real stakes, the only thing that can truly go wrong is the Cubs making/winning the World Series.
As you've all heard ad nauseum, this year marks the 100th year since the Cubs last won the World Series. In that time, the Cardinals have won 10 World Series. Obviously, that was not a number any Cardinals fan has to look up. We all take much pride in this number; in my home town of Mattoon, it's about 65 percent Cardinals fans, 35 percent Cubs fans. We loved to remind that 35 percent of that number repeatedly.
But lo, the Cubs look far superior to the Cards this year — and it hurt my soul just to type that — which means that the only thing that can go wrong in 2008 is the Cubs winning the World Series. Imagine it. Lou Piniella on the cover of Time. The Cubs becoming America's wild success story (we're sure Chicagoan Obama, White Sox fan or no, would get some mileage out of it too). And someone would certainly drag poor Steve Bartman out for Matt Lauer too. The Cubs would be everywhere. It would be poetic and wonderful and all we dream of for our great game.
And God: It would be awful.
Comments
Will wrote a book? Man, I wish he had mentioned it on this website.
@Steve Trachsel, Ace: And he's from Mattoon, IL? Geez, you think you know a guy . . .
This post was approximately 52,000 words shorter than I expected.
Leitch? Never heard of em.
The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is every bit as storied as the Yankees-Red Sox, but, you know, a little less tortuously imposed on us.
But what about that pitcher that suddenly couldn't pitch but then became an outfielder who hit lots of dingers and was on the juice?
Seriously, that would be the worst thing to happen this year. Guh.
It's weird to know that Will and I both wear the same thing when listening to a baseball game on the radio.
and, yes, Rick Ankiel a chance.
For one brief moment, when I couldn't find The Name, I was certain that time had stopped and that the anguished wail of angels' horns declaring the judgment caressed my ears.
I will now retire to a cave, where I shall weep.
At least the Illini had a good year
Fucking Brett Myers.
Oh, and Cardinals something something something.
That was a dart to home by BInge.
65/35? Is there a special section on the southern IL census form for that or something?
(we're sure Chicagoan Obama, White Sox fan or no, would get some mileage out of it too)
Because that worked so well for Red Sox fanatic John Kerry in '04.
Needs more Colby Rasmus
Baseball season has officially started with Vin Scully saying "it's tiiiime for Dodger baseballlll."
Weird for ESPN when two of its five games get rained on.
LaRussa's already drinking the season's sorrows away.
Will, bringing Bartman up as your favorite Cub memory is bad juju in this, the 100th anniversary of you-know-what.
Bad Cardinal consequences are sure to follow. Like Ankiel testing positive or something.
Will, your first mistake was spending your cable money on pants. Bad call.
You know what's sad?
Going, "where's the Braves preview? I never saw one!" and then realizing the Braves preview came 2 weeks ago, on the ONE afternoon you took off from work.
Sonofabitch. At least I looked before I posted this.
@The White Boom Boom: If Will only put on pants before going down to the bar, he probably looked just like this guy, but with emo bangs:
[deadspin.com]
Who is this "I" person will is talking about?
Finally, another Cubs preview.
When did you turn into a White Sox fan, Will?
And Ankiel the Natural starts the season with a bases-loaded double and 2 RBI's...
Ankiel doubles to right, knocking in two. Mr. Leitch your table is ready.
Orioles pitching, a tradition for making other teams look like the 1927 Yankees since 1988.
implosion of Albert Pujols' aorta > explosion of Harry Pujols
[www.holytaco.com]
Leitch!!
He actually works at Deadspin? I thought they just flew him in for Pants Parties.
Ankiel had an RBI double in the first off lefty Jeff Francis, but this game's getting called for rain soon.
@UkraineNotWeak: he's become the mascot, like Billy Bob at ShowBiz.
The Cubs - Cards rivalry may be a little nicer, but that didn't stop some douche from sucker punching my friend Seth who was wearing a Cubs hat at Busch Stadium in the ramps after the Cards had BEAT the Cubs last summer.
"we're sure Chicagoan Obama, White Sox fan or no, would get some mileage out of it too"
No way. That's not how Sox fans roll. We hate them more than you do.
I hate fancy bars that make you put pants on before you go to them.
THE SANTANA ERA...HAS BEGUN!
Skip Schumacher is my Homeboy!
@Doyle McPoyle: Yes, if it doesn't have to do with The One They Call Johan, I don't think I give a shit anymore.
PUUUUUUJOLS!
....and Pujols homers.
Cards are on pace for about 5800 runs this year (as of the second inning today.) Pujols is on pace for about 300 home runs. But they aren't gonna play the NL champs in every game, so you have to figure those numbers will go up.
@whodatmaninablacksedan: Yeah, I never understood that. My friends that are Sox fans get more excited when the Cubs lose than when the Sox win. One would assume that they would care more about the Tigers or Indians.
I don't root for the Mets, but I also don't hate them, like I do the Red Sox. Like, really hate. With the power of a thousand suns.
haha. looks like people are picking my Royals to have a better record than the Cards.
Long live Don Denkinger! (still had plenty of time to win that series and they didn't)
@Barry Lutz: I could just kiss you. Opening Day RULES.
also, what's the over/under on when Pujols and Ankiel get busted for HGH?
@Planet B:
Pujols won't, and Ankiel already did
The Mets do plan on hitting something other than popups against Mark Hendrickson, right?
I'm at school and don't have access to a TV. How long is the delay supposed to be. Hope we don't lose this great start to the season to the weather. Go Cards!!
@verbal213: there's no word yet. Hopefully not long.
@BubbaCJ24: It's socio-economic. Cub fans come from more comfortable northside neighborhoods and suburbs. Wrigley is about way more than baseball, it's sceney, the place to be in the summer. Lots of casual fans, frat boys, and pretty girls. They look down on Sox fans, Sox fans resent their higher incomes, their trust funds, and casual attitude about losing. Sox fans are blue collar, Cubs fans are white collar. Jimmy Buffet and Dave Matthews were perfect to play Wrigley, while The Cell was a better venue to host Springsteen and The Rolling Stones.
great game at Yankee Stadium today. Looks like it'll be a magical last season for The Ashtray that Ruth Built.
You raise the spectre of Albert's aorta imploding AND the possibility of the Cubs winning the Series ... Jesus, Leitch: Why don't you release 1,908 black cats into the Busch outfield while you're at it.
I walked into a bar in Los Angeles to watch my Cardinals on opening day. Midway through ordering a Bud Light, a balled up napkin hit me in the mouth. Damn Cubs fans.
@BubbaCJ24: Ferris Bueller, the archetype for lying swine like Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Kozlowski, was a Cubs fan from the north suburbs. Elwood Blues was from the south suburbs, Calumet City, and was sent to jail while trying to save an orphanage. It's a lot like Clippers-Lakers in LA, if the Lakers acknowledged the Clippers' existence.
Let's see:
1) Cardinals preview: Check
2) Ankiel gets first RBIs of season: Check
3) Noah-like rain washes away Opening Day: Damn, is Will in town?
In the game-after-Kile-died game at Wrigley, I was wearing my McGwire jersey (simpler times) and while walking to the stadium some old lady yelled out to me "Sorry about your pitcher."
At another game in Wrigley with Vinnie Castilla prominently involved, I saw an older guy intently listening to the game on his Walkman, clad in a Ron Santo jersey and hanging on every word.
I will not think of either of these people when dancing on the grave of the 2008 Cub season.
@BaseballBookshelf: VinnY, smart guy.
Sorry that a competitive team every 100 years is SO goddamned offensive, Cards fans. Maybe you can lure Garrett Stephenson out of retirement to shore up that pitching staff.
You sound like a whiney White Sox fan in this preview. A preview for your team should be about your team. Not my team.
You sound like a whiney White Sox fan. A preview about your team should be about your team, not my team.
@The White Boom Boom: You don't wear underwear, either?
JH48!
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