Game Six

I am not sure that there is anything that I can say that will capture what a ball game last night's Game Six was. If you went to bed early, you missed an absolute classic. If you stayed 'til the end, the improbable end, you will not care in the least that you might be just a little sleepy as you go through your day today.

In his blog today in the Trib, Dejan Kovacevic states it perfectly:

Baseball is awesome.
It’s beautiful even if it’s ugly.
It moves at just the right pace even when it’s long.
There’s no clock, no hope truly dashed until the last pitch … once, then twice, then as many times as St. Louis can send up David Freese to illustrate it again and again.
If you didn’t stay up last night, suffice it to say you missed the best World Series game since the last time Bill Mazeroski faced Ralph Terry.

So, so much to talk about, but let's pick one strategic point:

Bottom of the tenth, two outs, Rangers lead 9-8, runner on second, Albert Pujols due up, Lance Berkman on deck. What do you do?

Well, on of the oldest adages in baseball is that "you never intentionally walk the winning run." But this is Albert Pujols coming to the plate. And, save for that inhuman Game 3 that Albert had, he has been impotent at the plate throughout the Series. And, Berkman has been the Cardinals best hitter in the Series, and has two hits already in this game. But, Pujols doubled in his last at bat. So, what do you do? Ron Washington elects to walk Pujols intentionally, Berkman then gets his third hit of the night, ties the game and sets the stage for David Freese's 11th inning heroics.

I said at the beginning that while I had no particular rooting interest in either team, what I really wanted was a Game Seven. Many folks on Facebook echoed those thoughts. Well, we are getting a Game Seven, and can it possibly top what we saw in Game Six? Hard to imagine, but I cannot wait to see it. Two schools of thought as to what might happen. (1) The Rangers will be so thoroughly demoralized for letting that one go in Game Six, that they cannot possibly win Game Seven. (2) Cardinals will be so emotionally spent after coming from behind in ninth and tenth innings, and winning in the eleventh, that they cannot possibly win Game Seven.

I am not going to even try to predict what might happen, but the way these two teams have played these first six game, I'm not sure either of those premises will hold. I'm guessing another gut-wrencher tonight. It will only be fitting for one of the best World Series in recent memory.

And I loved how Joe Buck called the home run in the eleventh, echoing his father's call in Game Six of the '91 Series: "We'll see you tomorrow night, folks."

I can't wait.