It's in the Cards

Funny thing — despite my season-long sympathies with the Mets and their long-suffering fans, and the underdog-makes-good allure of a Mets-Tigers World Series (not to mention my inherited allegiance to the Cubbies*), I can't bring myself to root against these Cardinals.

It's their roster that gets me. How can you not pull for guys who really play the game the way these guys play? Total-effort players like Rolen and Edmonds and Eckstein... and even our old friend Spiezio, who just suffered two seemingly terminal seasons with the Ms, only to become the unlikely hero of the NLCS a year later.

And I tip my hat to La Russa, who so far has managed the postseason like a brilliant chess game. Spiezio in place of Rolen? Taguchi in for Duncan? Madness! But the results speak for themselves.

Nothing's sewn up yet, of course — 2004 taught us that lesson. Still, with Carpenter taking the mound tonight, the Mets need to summon the spirit of Schilling's bloody sock if they're going to pull this one out of the fire.

*Oh yes: Lou Piniella giving the Cubbies a swift kick in their hapless asses? That's a show I will not miss.