Cardinals back their way in to the playoffs? Go ^%*&# yourself

I'm seeing and hearing about the Cardinals backing their way into the playoffs. And I'm calling bullshit. They played their asses off, hurt, missing key components and won the sumbitch. So if you're a Braves fan, you can whine about how they choked. (And you're right. BIG TIME chokers, they are.) But if you're a Cardinals fan, here's what I think you need to tell people when they say the Cardinals backed their way in to the playoffs.

1. They won 15 out of their last 20.
That's .750 ball. Talk about peaking at the right time. Go crazy, folks. You think anyone is looking forward to playing the Redbirds? Even the Phillies, the team with the best record in the National League. The best thing the Phillies could've done for themselves was sit their starters for the series in Atlanta. Especially after the Cardinals took three out of four in Philadelphia. But this is the big leagues and you play to win every game.

2. Yadi freaking Molina.
That guy is All World. Hitting like he did in September. Yadi hit .400 in the last 10 games. He had some clutch hits, too. And handling a taped together pitching staff while Dave Duncan was gone. Everyone may be wondering where Albert Pujols will be next year, but Yadi is an incredible ball player and will probably win another Gold Glove this year. If I had a vote, he'd have mine for team MVP.

3. TLR
Love or hate Tony LaRussa, and usually the haters will say he out-manages himself (including me, but I'm no hater) but he only stepped on his own foot once during this run when he left Motte in too long and they blew a huge lead to the Mets. And he probably was responsible for four wins in September. Theriot pinch-hitting for Shumacher... a Pujol-Holliday double steal... both were game-changers.

4. Cardinal Nation
I'm not acquainted with any Cardinals fans who didn't think it could be done. Never lost hope. The Atlanta Braves couldn't even sell out the last series of the year with the playoffs on the line. If the Cardinals are trying to play in to the playoffs, the area around Busch Stadium would be pandemonium. They'd wheel in Jumbotrons and shit. Hotdog and peanut vendors would make more money outside the stadium. And beer... forget about it.

What I learned playing catch

I put this in my Facebook profile a couple of weeks ago. It may be an old adage, or a variation of one, or it may be something I just made up. In the last two weeks, I realize how true it is.

"The more I become like my parents, the better I like myself."

I like simple things now. A fire outside on the patio. Cooking out. Having a beer with friends. A memory long forgotten, brought back by a song on the radio. Here's one that I never really considered until the recent bout of warm weather...

Playing catch.

It's so simple. And I don't mean to get all "Field of Dreams" on everybody, but bear with me. (That was a beautiful thing, though, at the end. Makes me cry every time.)

When he's in the mood, Tristan will join Aidan and me outside to play. He's more difficult to play catch with, for a few different reasons, most of which stem from his autism. He has a VERY short attention span. Shiny things and squirrels and cars and the dog and sticks and grass and rocks and dirt and other things all tax his concentration. He likes to play, but it seems like he always wonders about doing something else.

He gets frustrated when he doesn't do something well. He doesn't get very far away because he wants to catch and throw every ball just right. When he misses, or more accurately, when I fail to make it land squarely in his glove, he lets out a little scream while he's chasing after it. But when he catches the ball, he has an absolutely priceless look on his face. He gets a little too close to throw the ball back, and I've taken a few unfortunate hits, but he's fun to watch.

Aidan, however, is my catch-playing partner. We've been playing every day since it got warm. We even play in the morning while we're waiting for the bus. I can't help but think about Ralphie's kid brother in "A Christmas Story" who can't move his arms while I'm watching Aidan try to throw while wearing a winter coat. But he's so eager to play catch whenever we can, even in the cold.

He's hard to teach because he's left-handed, but like everything else, he's good at it. He can really throw pretty hard. He doesn't catch particularly well yet, because he's just a little bit afraid of the ball. I think he's got "pitcher" written all over him.

Most of the time, we don't talk, and there's a rhythm that we get into, and it's just nice to watch him. He uncorks a wild one every now and then and we have to crawl into the bushes to get it. Or he'll miss one and has to chase it into the street.

Occasionally, he asks questions and a few days ago, he came up with one that is really the point of this whole story. "Did you play catch with your Dad, Daddy?"

His question made me stop what I was doing for a moment. I hold my Dad in high regard, and I learned a lot from him, but my Dad was a long-haul trucker when I was a kid.

I held the ball when I answered his question so Aidan would fully understand. "We played catch sometimes, but Grandma Shirley was who really taught me to play catch."

"Gramma Shirley played catch?" he said, his voice getting really high on the end, as it is prone to do when he's surprised by something.

"You bet. She was really good. And she was a good teacher," I said.

"Do you think Gramma Shirley will play catch with me next time we're in Wichita?"

The thought of that made me laugh. "Suuuure, buddy. Grandma Shirley would LOVE play catch with you."

Sorry, Mom.

Oh. And thanks.

Listen up Royals Fans

As a dyed in the wool, lifelong Cardinals fan and longtime resident of Kansas City, I think the time has come for me to drop a little knowledge on you.

The Cardinals don't consider the Royals rivals.  Mostly they look at it as a chance to rest a few of their regulars.  Honestly, I don't see how the players get geared up to play those games.  They really don't mean anything.  There's no chance they'll see them in the World Series, and probably won't see any of them at the All Star Game, except Zack Greinke.

Here's a little more knowledge.  The only reason a Cardinals fan circles those games on the calendar is because they can drive to Kansas City, get a hotel room for two nights, eat out for two days, and see two ballgames for the price of seeing the same teams play twice in St. Louis.

And, to be completely honest, no one in St. Louis really wants to go to the Royals games. There's only a one in four chance they'll get to see anyone who's any good. (Greinke).

When the Cardinals beat the Tigers in 2006, I took a lot of abuse from Royals fans at my bar. They rooted for the Mets. They rooted for the Tigers. I had no one to celebrate with when the Redbirds earned their victory on that Friday night.  I just drank a celebratory Irish Car Bomb and took a couple of phone calls from family members.

Of course, now I'm hearing the grumblings once again. Royals fans, who have no vested interest in the Dodgers, are rooting for them because they're playing the Cardinals.  I can understand a Cubs fan suddenly becoming a Dodger fan because there's a rivalry.  I do that myself, rooting for any team that plays the Broncos, or any team that plays Missouri. 

But I can't understand the Royals' fan mentality when it comes to the Cardinals. 1985 was a long time ago.  Concentrate on winning the weakest division in baseball, then maybe you can talk smack.

Go Cardinals.