10.27.06: St. Louis Cardinals: World Champions

Story by Brady Holtzhauer

"The experts are idiots!" read the fan-made sign in the crowd. Yeah, it was a year like that, a year where the St. Louis Cardinals were counted out from July through the end of the season. Baseball analyst Keith Law said the Cardinals would lose to the Padres in the NLDS, then he said they would lose to the Mets in the NLCS, and finally he said they would lose to the Tigers in the World Series. On October 27, 2006, the Cardinals cemented their team into history as they took four of five games in the World Series.

The moment St. Louis Cardinals' rookie closer Adam Wainwright got Detroit 3rd baseman Brandon Inge to swing and miss for the final strike and out of the World Series was one that will never be forgotten in the city of St. Louis or in the minds of that team's beloved fans. It's something of beauty: a magical, indescribable moment. All year long, prognosticators said this team wasn't good enough. The Cardinals didn't have the pitching or enough consistent hitting outside of Albert Pujols to make it in the postseason.

Then, when Pujols went down in June with a strained right oblique muscle, things looked pretty grim in St. Louis. Less than 3 weeks after Pujols got hurt, "El Hombre" came back - only to be part of a season worst eight-game losing streak. Fans were losing faith in Manager Tony LaRussa, and even General Manager Walt Jocketty couldn't escape the scrutiny forever. Owner Bill Dewitt caught his share of flack, too. Some assumed that this season was going to end up as a forgettable one, as the Cardinals were progressively getting worse from the 2004 season. In '04, when the Red Sox swept the Cardinals, it was definitely one of those times that St. Louis wanted to just forget. Then, surprising everyone, in 2006, the Cardinals made a forgettable regular season into a magical ride that no one wanted to end.

In Game 1 of the World Series, a rookie starter by the name of Anthony Reyes came in and dominated the Detroit Tigers (need I say, on the road). No one would have predicted that Reyes could shut down a lineup featuring Curtis Granderson, Craig Monroe, Magglio Ordoñez, and Placido Palanco. Then, Reyes did exactly what everyone thought he couldn't do. He won Game 1, his second career playoff start (both coming in the 2006 postseason). The Cardinals seemed to dominate in a way no one expected on the offensive side of the game, as well. Scoring seven runs to Detroit's two runs made the future look extremely bright in St. Louis. Of course, Game 2 would be stained by the Kenny Rogers controversy.

When Kenny Rogers took the mound against New York in the ALDS, no one even would have guessed that he had smudges of pine tar on his hand. In the ALCS against Oakland, it was the same story. No one even noticed that Rogers had the same smudge on his hand in that game. Then, when he was put on the national stage, he got caught "brown handed". LaRussa mentioned something to the umpires, but before anything could be done, the head ump went to Rogers and asked him to "go and wash your hands". The Tigers did win the game, but Rogers wouldn't see any action again for the rest of the postseason.

When the series returned to St. Louis, it was all Cardinals. For the first time all year, that sea of red really made a difference. As utility outfielder John Rodriguez said, "This will be my first World Series home game -- me along with probably half the team. Especially with it being in the new ballpark, the fans are probably just going to go crazy. I expect them to be crazy."

When he expected them to be crazy, he wasn't let down. It was a beautiful scene at Busch Stadium III, one that will never be forgotten. The crowd was more into the game than most have ever seen in St. Louis - which is to be expected during a near 25-year World Series championship drought. Then, on October 27 (my birthday, no less), the Cardinals were 27 outs away from winning a championship. As unlikely as it may have sounded, they were on the verge of actually pulling it off. As each Detroit batter was retired, the Cardinals were that much closer to winning the title. Then, in the ninth inning, the Cardinals put Adam Wainwright on the mound. The same rookie pitcher who clinched the NLCS was in to clinch the World Series. After getting out number one and out number two, Wainwright allowed two runners to reach base. With men on the corners and two outs, it was a scene of mass hysteria in St. Louis. The rally towels were waving, the fans were screaming, the players were nervously waiting on the outcome.

Strike one.

The crowd erupts into a roar that could be heard around the stadium. Wainwright knows Brandon Inge is a dangerous hitter, and he doesn't want to lose it for his team. He winds up, and throws the pitch.

Strike two.

The crowd erupts into a roar that could be heard around the city of St. Louis. The Cardinals are just one out away from being the best team in baseball. Wainwright looks at Molina behind the plate, gets the call, and prepares for the wind up. He throws the ball, and the whole game goes into slow motion. Inge takes the bat off his shoulders, swings, and...

Strike three.

The crowd erupts into a roar that could be heard around the world. Molina jumps into the air and runs to Wainwright. The fans are going crazy, confetti is falling from the sky. The fireworks start going off and the noise level could have been registered as a small earthquake. The entire team swarms Wainwright and form a huge pile on the infield grass. They battled through injury, controversy, hardships, speculation and scrutiny, and even the elements. The St. Louis Cardinals are the 2006 World Champions, and they earned every bit of it. What a moment it was, something all Cardinals fans of this generation will remember forever. It's moments like these that truly define why sports are enjoyable. As passionate a Cardinals fan as I am, I still have trouble putting into words what watching my team win a World Series is like to me. Or watching it again, and again, and again, and again. That is one highlight I wouldn't mind watching over and over again for hours. It's just that special to me. It was, in effect, the greatest birthday present ever - especially when they were counted out all year long, especially when the majority of the fans supported them even at the roughest times of the season. So yes, perhaps the experts are idiots. Perhaps Detroit beat themselves. So what if the 2006 Cardinals were the worst team to ever win the World Series? The fact of the matter is that they won it, and the guys like Keith Law are invited to my house for dinner. Just for the record, we're having crow.

"The Cardinals' Magic Number: 2006!" read the fan-made sign in the crowd. Yeah, it was a year like that, a year where the St. Louis Cardinals were counted out from July on...luckily, there is more to baseball than a regular season, and when it mattered most, the Cardinals came through. Just remember this: the Cardinals have had their stadium for one year, and the Cubs have had theirs for 90 years, and St. Louis has exactly one more championship in their stadium than Chicago. Man, it's sweet to be a Cardinals fan. I was right about one thing, though...a World Series championship was in the cards.

Story submitted by aspiring sportswriter Brady Holtzhauer. Brady is a 17 year old high school student from Gillett, Arkansas.

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