While We’re Waiting…The St. Louis Cardinals Win The World Series

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Cardinals win the World Series: “it’s hard to think back to the early dominance of the cardinals in april, followed closely by the abject collapse of the team. i don’t have to remind you – since every other article about the season recalls it – the run of the cardinals back from a 10.5 game deficit.

the epic run to the postseason, closing on the last day was nothing but a prelude to an exciting 5 game series with  the phillies, a  challenging 6-game nlcs against milwaukee, and finally one of the most exciting  world series in recent memory.

along the way, we saw a historic single game offensive performance by albert pujols, repeated and unexpected clutch offensive performances from david freese (who – and you will never believe what i have just discovered – is actually from st. louis!), a remarkable endurancefest from chris carpenter, and a nearly perfect postseason from the stalwart members of the bullpen – including jason motte, fernando salas, and lance lynn.

posting two world series victories and three ws appearances in eight seasons (the albert pujols era)  is an outstanding showing for any team. ”  [Tom S / Viva El Birdos]

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And the Rangers don’t: “This was one helluva year — the best Rangers team that has ever existed. Those were two hellish games of baseball — the worst of my life. The Rangers did not win and the season is over.

Call it sour grapes if you want, but…This one is going to take a long while.”  [LonestarBall.com]

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Previewing tonight’s OSU – Wisconsin game: “People have been saying it all week: Ohio State can’t beat Wisconsin without passing the footed ball through the air, mostly comprised of nitrogen, and then have it settle into the awaiting arms of wide receivers/tight ends, who are mostly comprised of water. Well, maybe not in those exact same words, but the general idea is that it’s been repeated ad nauseam in a variety of different ways and it is absolutely 100% true.

What concerns me is that I’m still not sure who the hell Miller is going to throw to; sure, Stoneburner is supposed to be the de facto safety net, but he hasn’t found ways to get open consistently. My bet is on Philly Brown being the main guy, but ultimately it won’t matter if Miller wasn’t able to use the Bye week to bone up on his understanding of blitz packages.

It also won’t matter if Boom Herron can’t get consistent yards, but this I’m actually far less concerned about. I’ve fully bought into this guy. If OSU has any shot of pulling off the upset, he’ll have to play up to his full potential, and I think he will. Seriously, I completely understand why some people are way more optimistic about this game than they should be; the offensive line in full road grader mode coupled with Boom running downhill for the majority of the game is really fun to watch. It may not be enough though.”  [Johnny Ginter / Eleven Warriors]

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As the NBA Lockout continues: “So do we cheer for the landlords? To grind their tenants into a form more palatable to us?  Do we honestly believe that interests have aligned, if only for this moment, with men of wealth and power? Or that the interests of the NBPA union align or at least resemble in any manner the eroded bargaining position of the American worker?

The real debate the public should care about, if the public cares about anything but the League resuming, competition, has been presented though posturing rather than facts: (1) the owner-façade of a cure to competition issues by the institution of micro-hard caps restricting how much teams can pay players measured against (2) the player-façade that hard line negotiating owners are obstructing their ability to play the game under any circumstances. Neither is true. Neither the immediate gratification of “let us play” nor pandering to the fan desire to see the players punished for the circus of the summer of 2010 that saw fans and owners united in groveling solves any of the underlying problems that face the fan-consumer seeking a likely and ultimately less profitable fairness.

At the same time, there is an undiscovered truth between the two sides negotiating in conference rooms in New York through marathon 12 and 15 hour mediation sessions. The public, the consumer, the NBA “fan” has been denied a voice not only in that room, but in the media reporting what is happening in that room. Even though the media has been and assuredly will be quick to expose misrepresentations and assign blame, underlying everything is that these parties have both exercised control over the dialog.” [@WayneEmbrysKids / Stepien Rules]

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Exchange w/ 49ers blogger about Blake Costanzo:

“Chris: “I was a big fan of special teams ace Blake Costanzo, who Brad Seely brought over with him from Cleveland. Has Costanzo remained a beast on special teams in San Francisco?”

David: “Costanzo and the entire special teams have been fairly beastly. The 49ers are among the league leaders when it comes to their punt and kick coverage units. It’s hard to fully assess individual special teams players, but given that the units are performing so well, everybody involved deserves praise. It should make for an interesting matchup when Josh Cribbs is attempting returns.” [Chris Pokorny / Dawgs By Nature]