Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Hunt for a Red October

No, this isn't a post about the movie starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. (Although that was a great movie). This is about the St. Louis Cardinals!!! Duh! Well, the Birds on the Bat did it!! They clinched the Central Division League Championship title! After 3 LONG days of having the magic number at 1, the Cards finally clinched the division. And in spectacular fashion too. Coming from behind to defeat the Colorado Rockies (who are vying for the wild card spot) 6 to 3. Adam Wainwright was fantastic going 8 innings. Yadier Molina was lifted from the game after taking a foul ball on his left knee. Backup Catcher Jason LaRue entered the game and went on to hit a solo homeun which broke the tie in the 7th inning. This solo home run was the game-winning hit, and secured Wainwrights 19th win!! It was fate, although I was upset (as were many Cards fans) that Molina was hurt. LaRue came in and got the job done. Brendan Ryan went on to hit a double in the ninth which paid off when Ryan Ludwick hit a 2 run homerun which added a nice cushion to keep the Cards ahead When John Mozeliak took over as the new General Manager for the Cards, I was a little dubious in regards to his ability in handling the Birds on the Bat. However, Mozeliak has made some major moves that have paid off big time. He started off by trading Chris Duncan for shortstop Julio Lugo. Then came Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, and vetran starting pitcher John Smoltz. Mozeliak has made all the right moves at the right time. Although I miss our former GM Walt Jocketty, Mozeliak has demonstrated the agressiveness towards making the right trades that the Cards needed. When spring training started, nobody saw this particular team going to the playoffs. Skip Schumaker was no longer an outfielder, he was going to start at second base. Brendan Ryan also made a change from second base to shortstop; now he is recognized as one of the best defenisve shortstops in both leagues!! Chris Carpenter went from not pitching for nearly 2 seasons to having a phenominal season with 16 wins! Joel Pinero has 15 wins! Most teams have one star pitcher, the Cardinals have 3!! First baseman Albert Pujols now has some backup in the line up in the form of Matt Holliday. Before Holliday came, a lot of pitchers would intentionally walk Pujols to get to the 4th batter. They can't do that now, as Holliday is just a big of a hitter as Pujols. Now with a great team, the St. Louis Cardinals are entering the playoffs for the 8th time in the 14 years under Manager Tony LaRussa. The goal: to go deep into October with a World Series win as the ultimate goal!
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

September

Aye! It's September already! Where did the summer go? Haven't blogged in forever b/c I was working so much. Here are some updates:
*Job Front: Got laid off in August, so I'm back to collecting unemployment and applying to jobs like crazy. I hate sitting around doing nothing; I feel like a drain on the economy. I like to work. My job at QRT was the worst job I've ever had, I will never do a call center again. Seriously, I feel like I'm being insulted and slapped in the face when I get those offers. Um, hello I have a college degree, can't you find something on my level? Anyways, I've got a new head hunter/recruiter, so hopefully that will help.
*Family: Family is good. Mark is still out in Florrisant (thank goodness), and still working part time here in Fenton- not much luck on the job front for him either. Dad is out of work too, so sometimes if mom isn't working (as a substitute for the day), the three of us are home with the dog. Day time tv sucks. All of us would so much rather spend the day at work, and being productive. Although dad has done a lot of work on the basement. It looks good. The project goes in spurts. When its done, it will look great.
*Loki: Loki is good, although she did have an ear infection that took 3 weeks to get over with. I always feel like a lousy owner when she gets those. She is calming down, I hardly believe it myself but I've seen her.
*Cardinals: The Birds on the Bat are RED HOT!!! The magic number to clinch the central division title is 8 :) The additions of Julio Lugo, Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, and John Smoltz have really boosted the team. Holliday is amazaing!! The moves management has made this year is awesome. In the past, we wouldn't have gotten these amazing players, but this year. WOW! This is the Cardinals year! I serioulsy believe that the Cards will win the World Series this year. I have a theory on it: in 2006 the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl (yay), that same year the Cardinals won the World Series. Well, this year (2009) the Steelers won the Superbowl again (Six time Champions!!! Whoot!), so I think the Cards will win the World Series.
*Steelers: My favorite football team (current Superbowl Champs- The Pittsburgh Steelers) won their opening game :) It looks to be a promising season. I ordered a Steelers shirt, and it arrived today :) I am soo excited, hopefully the weather will be cool enough for me to wear it on Sunday when they play next. The shirt is a long sleeve shirt that says "Six Time Superbowl Champions" I love it!!
Fall is almost here and I am excited. I am ready for the cooler weather. I can't wait to start wearing long sleeve shirts, hoodies and sweaters and boots again! The mums and asters are blooming; speaking of which I have some to plant t/m. I like the daisy like mums and the different or two toned colored ones.
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!!!
and... Let's Go Steelers!!!!