All right, I know this is turning into Nate’s personal sports blog and all that, and I’m sorry and all that, but I have to be true to myself, here. I promised you one serving of observations and one serving of snippets a week. And you will still get those. I promise. But the St. Louis Cardinals are in the post season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leading the NFC South, and hockey just started (though the Blues don’t look so good, but whatever—hockey is back). I mean, this is the time of year, you know?
All right, I know this is turning into Nate’s personal sports blog and all that, and I’m sorry and all that, but I have to be true to myself, here. I promised you one serving of observations and one serving of snippets a week. And you will still get those. I promise. But the St. Louis Cardinals are in the post season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leading the NFC South, and hockey just started (though the Blues don’t look so good, but whatever—hockey is back). I mean, this is the time of year, you know?
So, I was wrong about almost all of my predictions. I’m sorry. I’m not perfect. I did call the Cardinals victory, though I got the score wrong. I said (starting pitcher) Mark Mulder would go 8 innings and he went a gutsy 6 2/3. I called two homeruns and the Cards played small ball for much of the game. Although, Reggie Sanders did continue to hit in the post season, so I got that one. But I called out Izzy and the Cards pen and they did a hell of a job. So anyway, as I’ve said before, prognosticating ain’t easy.
But that won’t stop me from trying.
My Predictions for Game 3 of the NLDS
Padres starter Woody Williams, who I believe, lives in constant pain, will excrete approximately four gallons of bodily fluids, pitch with everything he can muster, and leave the game with the lead but with the tying run and/or go-ahead run on base.
Matt Morris will scare the living hell out of me on more than one occasion.
Tons of fans in St. Louis will bitch about getting the 10 PM central start (when they were told after 2002 that such a time slot would never happen again). Meanwhile, a single guy in Tampa who knows the perfect bar too watch the game in doesn’t mind so much. It’s all perspective.
Reggie Sanders would like to remind everyone that he has a two game hitting streak in the playoffs this year and that said streak will be continuing tonight.
I’ve sung it before, I’ll sing it again, “So, So, So, So, So Taguchi. He’s a demon on wheels. So, So, So, So, So Taguchi. He plays in the outfield.”
The Cardinals will win 6-5. After the game, Tony LaRussa will be quoted as saying, something to the effect of, “It’s a long way from over. There’s still a lot of baseball left.”