Yup, This Was Izzy's Fault

So despite the fact that this Cardinals team wasn't very good, and that they should have been swept by the Padres, and the Mets, and the Tigers, they've just won the World Series. Blame it on the rain -- or just on the Tigers' refusal to throw balls into the gloves of Sean Casey and Brandon Inge. It's been tough out here in Columbia watching Cards fans who had given up on this team back in August and September return louder than ever, pretending as though that late-season collapse never happened. Everyone around these parts always says that Cards fans are the most loyal in baseball, and I think it's safe to say that after watching this season, it's pretty obvious that Cards fans aren't as loyal as they think.



That being said, I don't think the Cardinals won the World Series because they were so great offensively (Pujols only hit .200), and I don't think the Tigers lost exclusively because of their defensive mistakes. No, I can only blame this World Series championship on one person:



Jason Isringhausen.



At the end of the season, Cards fans were a wreck when Izzy came into close games. He was frequently wild, finishing the year with an ERA of 3.55 and a mediocre WHIP of 1.457. He was the anchor of a below-average bullpen, and that said something.



But when Izzy got hurt, it opened the door for Adam Wainwright to close games. Wainwright responded this postseason in tremdendous fashion. In five save opportunities, he had four saves (and he got the win after blowing the one save). He pitched 9.2 innings, allowing only seven hits (opposing teams hit .194 against him). He had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 15-to-2. He did not allow a run. In the process, he became the star of the Cardinals bullpen.



Those 9.2 innings would have gone to Isringhausen had he been healthy, and based off of his 2006 regular season, he probably would have blown at least one or two saves this postseason had he pitched. A blown save against the Mets would have changed the series. A blown save against the Tigers would have sent the series back to Detroit. But with his absence, the Cards were able to find their closer of the future (or maybe even a starter) and avoid the chaos that came whenever Isringhausen took the mound.

Yup, This Was Izzy's Fault

So despite the fact that this Cardinals team wasn't very good, and that they should have been swept by the Padres, and the Mets, and the Tigers, they've just won the World Series. Blame it on the rain -- or just on the Tigers' refusal to throw balls into the gloves of Sean Casey and Brandon Inge. It's been tough out here in Columbia watching Cards fans who had given up on this team back in August and September return louder than ever, pretending as though that late-season collapse never happened. Everyone around these parts always says that Cards fans are the most loyal in baseball, and I think it's safe to say that after watching this season, it's pretty obvious that Cards fans aren't as loyal as they think.



That being said, I don't think the Cardinals won the World Series because they were so great offensively (Pujols only hit .200), and I don't think the Tigers lost exclusively because of their defensive mistakes. No, I can only blame this World Series championship on one person:



Jason Isringhausen.



At the end of the season, Cards fans were a wreck when Izzy came into close games. He was frequently wild, finishing the year with an ERA of 3.55 and a mediocre WHIP of 1.457. He was the anchor of a below-average bullpen, and that said something.



But when Izzy got hurt, it opened the door for Adam Wainwright to close games. Wainwright responded this postseason in tremdendous fashion. In five save opportunities, he had four saves (and he got the win after blowing the one save). He pitched 9.2 innings, allowing only seven hits (opposing teams hit .194 against him). He had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 15-to-2. He did not allow a run. In the process, he became the star of the Cardinals bullpen.



Those 9.2 innings would have gone to Isringhausen had he been healthy, and based off of his 2006 regular season, he probably would have blown at least one or two saves this postseason had he pitched. A blown save against the Mets would have changed the series. A blown save against the Tigers would have sent the series back to Detroit. But with his absence, the Cards were able to find their closer of the future (or maybe even a starter) and avoid the chaos that came whenever Isringhausen took the mound.

God, I Miss That Theme Song

Sometimes I wonder how stuff like this gets on YouTube. How many people been keeping a copy of the '92 Finals in their basement all these years? I will say this, though: there was a time when showing the NBC cameras at the start of the 4th quarter was a classy TV move. Those were simpler times.

God, I Miss That Theme Song

Sometimes I wonder how stuff like this gets on YouTube. How many people been keeping a copy of the '92 Finals in their basement all these years? I will say this, though: there was a time when showing the NBC cameras at the start of the 4th quarter was a classy TV move. Those were simpler times.

Hey, Aren't You The Guy Who Was Kinda Supporting Black Power?

See that guy at left? The white guy who looks like he'd rather not even acknowledge the two other guys on the podium? Well, his name's Peter Norman, and he died today. It's rare for non-American, recently deceased Olympians to end up in the sports pages. Norman, it should be noted, is Australian, but you'll see his name on the sports pages tomorrow.



And why would any care about an Aussie track star from the '60s? Because he was in that photo you see at right.



Apparently, all you have to do to get an obituary these days is to appear in a landmark civil rights photograph. Easier said than done, I guess.

Hey, Aren't You The Guy Who Was Kinda Supporting Black Power?

See that guy at left? The white guy who looks like he'd rather not even acknowledge the two other guys on the podium? Well, his name's Peter Norman, and he died today. It's rare for non-American, recently deceased Olympians to end up in the sports pages. Norman, it should be noted, is Australian, but you'll see his name on the sports pages tomorrow.



And why would any care about an Aussie track star from the '60s? Because he was in that photo you see at right.



Apparently, all you have to do to get an obituary these days is to appear in a landmark civil rights photograph. Easier said than done, I guess.

Random Observations...

❡ Mark Brunell completed 22 straight passes today, setting an NFL record. FOX showed the stat on screen after the 22nd pass, and, of course, Brunell threw two imcompletions immediately afterwards. Nice job, FOX Sports. Point of tangency: Clinton Portis finished with 164 combined yards and 2 TDs, but on the long shuffle pass and a pitch inside the 5 (in which he got to the outside but was tripped up at the 1), he did not look as fast as usual. Maybe he's just not up to full game speed yet. Maybe he's still playing at 80%. Maybe it's hard to get excited to play the Texans. I'm not sure which one it is.



❡ Uually in Columbia, either the Chiefs or the Rams are playing at 1 pm. Not today. The Chiefs had a bye week, and the Rams are playing at 4. It's very strange to be in a sports bar where the loudest folks are Packers or Bengals fans.



❡ Did anyone notice that Miami and Tennesse were playing today? I was in a bar with no less than 35 TVs, and there wasn't a single one tuned to that game.



❡I'm still not sure why FOX has their pregame show on the road. I don't know anyone -- not even here in Columbia -- who loves Joe Buck so much that he/she'd tune in just for him. FOX should just move the show back to L.A. and let Curt Menefee host. And please, can we get one guy to host the show and to provide the in-game updates? This Buck-Menefee-Chris Rose trifecta just isn't working.



❡I still get a good laugh out of hearing the words, 'Now let's show you the Arizona Cardinals defense.'



❡ A funny sequence in the Rams-Cardinals game: Matt Turk's punt dies at the 1 yard line, followed by a shot of Turk raising his hands towards the sky, followed by the announcer saying, 'Give all the praise there to...', followed by a fleeting moment in which I thought the announcer was going to commend Jesus, followed by the disappointing words ...'Tye Hill, corner out of Clemson.'



❡ Is there a worse feeling than waking up late Sunday and realizing that you haven't changed your fantasy team, and then watching as T.J. Houshmanzadeh and Nate Burleson combine for 3 TDs as they sit on your bench?



❡ Mizzou is in the top 25. Colorado is next week. I'm trying not to get too excited, but.... Tigers!



❡ Speaking of which, why'd Maryland drop out of the 'Also Receiving Votes' category in both polls? What, that 14-10 win over Florida International wasn't impressive enough for the voters?