We love the regular season, right?
The fans of the St. Louis Blues know very well what I'm talking about. This team thrives in the regular season. They have not been horrible in the regular season for a long time. There was actually a period of time that they made the playoffs for 26 straight seasons. Why, then haven't they hoisted the cup?
Well, I don't presume to know the exact answer to this question that has plagued the fans and team of this great franchise. I do, however have a possible reason why they are so good before the playoffs.
This reason shined brightly the other day against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are in the midst of a dynasty. The Blackhawks seem to know how to finish the season, when the Blues do not. The other day, this past Wednesday to be exact, the game got off to a very sloppy start. The score was 3-1 Hawks before the first ten minutes of the game were in the books.
Before they knew what hit them, the Blues were down 5-2 and all hope seemed to be fading away. A victory was just not in the cards for that night. Then something happened that keeps this team together all season (regular season) long - they didn't give up. The Blues scored the next 3 goals and sent the contest into overtime. David Backes ended the night in the overtime period and the Blues celebrated on the ice.
This is a perfect example of what we've seen for years from this team. The 'never say die' attitude they display only has one flaw - it goes into hibernation come playoff time. The Cardinals have figured out how to finish the deal and now it's the Blues' turn. Keep up the good work boys and bring home the hardware at the end of the season. Just a little tweak in mindset is all it takes.
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Did you fall under the spell of the Cubs?
The playoffs are a magical time of year. This beautiful part of the baseball season gives us the ability to follow our favorite team and be either filled with joy or beaten down in defeat. This season a recurring or regurgitating story stole headlines from coast to coast. It's almost as if the World Series was already won in April and the rest of us just had to wait it out to get to the trophy presentation.
Not so fast. Teams on paper or even ones that were created in the movies seldom pan out the way people expect. Why, you ask - simple really - there's a great game going on and it must be played on the field, not on paper. This season's example was the Chicago Cubs, who are beat on every year because they haven't won the World Series in over a hundred years. Well, be that as it may, some franchises have never won (Tampa Bay, Colorado, Seattle, Washington, San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Texas). So, while we pick on the Cubs, many have realized that this success doesn't come easily. You can have the best team ever assembled and still fall short.
Somber Look of Defeat
Don't hate your team or it's management, just because you didn't go all the way this season, enjoy the ride. This is a beautiful game and it's meant to be enjoyed. It is a game, by the way. No matter what it feels like to you. Another thing, don't always believe what you see in the movies - they're meant as entertainment. This season has proven just that.
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Old Town feels small town, upscale and touristy. For most folks there is a bit of prestige attached to an Old Town address. There are two high rises near the waterfront at the Alexandria House and Port Royal. Some folks call the Torpedo Factory condos the "flagship Old Town" because of their fantastic location.
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Historic Old Town Alexandria is on the Potomac River.
Here are some possible choices, ready for you right now:
Is your team eliminated from the MLB playoffs? Did your team fail to make the playoffs?
If you answered yes to either one of these questions, please keep reading. I am a supporter of a team no longer in the quest for another championship, because they have been eliminated from contention. This will not end the season, for me. I love baseball and I love the ups and downs of not only the regular season, but the playoffs as well. To watch my team go down was not fun and it never is either. I have, however, come to some realizations over the years supporting my team, the Cardinals and I will share some with you now.
First of all, it's almost acceptable to not continue on to the World Series every year and it's also okay to not get upset because of being eliminated. How can I say this so calmly, even though I have a crazy passion for my team? The answer is simple, but a bit complex for some people to accept. I've had this talk with young and old people alike from different cities, states and countries. I've even had the talk in different countries with sports fans and it seems there are people all over the fence on this subject.
I love my team. More than that, I love the game of baseball. The game continues on and will do so, with or without my input and participation. Since this is the case, I would much rather be involved and take sides all the way to the end of the last game of the World Series. Only one team will win, no matter what happens during the season, this will not change. The odds of winning it all are very slim. Accepting this makes it easier for me to deal with being ousted from contention.
My support, as of today, is with one team that is from a city that I love and I loved visiting. This team is actually in the league that I prefer and they are playing a team that I don't particularly support, because they are from the same division as my favorite team. I am supporting the New York Mets and I hope they go all the way. It's been a number of years since they hoisted that beautiful trophy and I hope they enjoy the feeling again. In 1969 they were called the Amazing Mets (or 'Mazings if you prefer). The fans of the team are getting enthralled once again, expecting big things.
No matter who I pull for, when watching or listening to the games on the MLB app, at least I still have the fun stress of the games to feel and I love it. This time of year has many sports in their regular seasons, but for me, baseball is still here - for a bit longer.
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What does Playoff Time Feel Like?
I am a huge baseball fan and I love rooting for my team, The St. Louis Cardinals win or lose. I count down the days until Opening Day every off season and absolutely love the tradition involved with the scene at Busch Stadium every year on Opening Day, watching the Clydesdale's and motorcade of players. This time of year, however, is quite different than any other in the world of sports.
Fan expression of opinion (2006)
Hockey and football are well underway and the playoffs just started for major league baseball. It is quite an awesome feeling I get when my team clinches the division championship, which has happened three years in a row now. The feeling after winning a World Series and going downtown to watch the parade in the streets of St. Louis can't be beat by anything. But, the ride itself is special. The 162 game marathon with it's nuances is entertaining, to say the least. I don't say this just to throw out phony alternative feelings to the high I get being a fan of my team, but the road to the playoffs is genuinely thrilling.
The highs and lows that are thrown at us as fans of the game are at times almost too much to swallow. The feeling that is thrust upon us when our favorite player is helped off the field because he just crashed into the wall and hurt himself, maybe severely is not something that can be manufactured. These guys that I root for I will never know as friends, but they sure feel like it after all these years.
K Michael Nesbitt at the game
I have the shirts, bobble heads and ticket stubs to display proudly proving, yeah - when we lost in 2004, I was there. The extreme emotional swings that this ride takes me on is what it's all about. Knowing that somewhere out there in this vast world there is another fan thinking just as much about their team hoping they beat us tonight it - well - awesome! I love seeing all the opposing teams shirts, jerseys and pennants with all of their different color schemes. I don't hate the other teams at all. I used to have those feelings towards the opposite teams and their fans, but years ago I figured it all out.
Without the other teams, we simply wouldn't have the sport and more importantly my team. The importance of fans and their support can never be fully appreciated. Fan support in baseball is directly related to the success of the franchise and vice versa. It is also directly related to the level of effort at times of the home team. Crowd support at home and quality upper management of the team's funds make a team either successful or otherwise. I am extremely lucky and happy at the same time that I have an ownership group in charge of my team that is so tirelessly in tune with improving this team. Year in, year out, the squad is ready to go.
This season is a perfect example of how things can go with the right amount of support from a fan base and ownership group. The crowds that packed Busch Stadium this season and enjoyed many an evening at Ball Park Village, just over the left field wall, have put this franchise, once again, in a great position financially for next season. Options that otherwise wouldn't exist simply have become normal for this team. If we need to make a big splash to acquire a free agent, if he has proven himself worthy, we can. If we need some help from down on the farm, we have youth ready to come up and contribute to the big league squad. This point is well appreciated when I see a season like this past one go by. The amount of severe and repeat injuries to key players this season was unbelievable. What's more unbelievable is the success that we enjoyed in the standings, despite this. Wonderful control of the day to day operations of the team by the ownership group has allowed this to happen. What's more, we still have a chance to win. The players who took the spots of integral regulars in the lineup, make this franchise the success that it has been for years. Because of this, the team is poised to be just as successful for years to come.
All of this, the ownership preparation and fan support is focused on getting to today, the playoffs and a battle with a divisional foe looking to change their history - forever. Tonight is game four of the NLDS and the Cardinals have their backs against the wall, a familiar spot for us. If we get past tonight successfully, game five at Busch will be tense for sure. If the opposition wins out this evening, I will tip my cap and congratulate them. This game is one constant in my life and I'm happy to embrace it as I have. The love of the game was given to me by my parents at an early age and it's not going away any time soon. Are you playoff ready?
