Okay, before I begin, I should say this.
I don’t like guaranteeing things because I know how it always end for me or in this case, my favorite teams.
During last night’s Game 7, I was talking to Kasi (notice the recurring theme here) for most of the night about various things and keeping her up-to-date on what was happening in New York City.
For some reason, after talking to her about the brick-oven, thin-crusted pizza that my friend Tom had when I went over to his house and watched (no, I was focused more on the action in Game 6) 16 Blocks with the rest of the guys , I ended up saying that the Cardinals were going to win the pennant just for her.
That’s when I said to myself, “It’s all about to come crashing down now.”
That was right before Scott Rolen threw the ball into the seats and I explained to her that he was the third baseman and he doesn’t do that very often.
Instead of giving her the play-by-play, I just listened to her problems and was kinda praying that the Cardinals or Mets would score so I could interrupt her and give her the latest score.
Which didn’t happen.
Before the eighth inning was over, she told me that she was going to let her sister get on the computer.
My friend in Chattanooga, the one who had their fingers crossed, and I was talking at the same time when Yader Molina hit that homer off Rick Heilman in the ninth to give the Cardinals the lead and possibly the pennant.
In a behavior that is normally found in those sad Chicago Cub fans, I found myself counting the outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and praying with my friend in Chattanooga that the made-up curse that I came up with during the last weeks of the regular season was ready to show up again.
Jose Valentin and Endy Chavez both got hits to start the bottom of the ninth.
Cliff Floyd strikes out looking. Two outs to go.
Around that same time, I made calls to my therapist Dr. Chris, Tracy, and my big sister Krystal and gave them the score.
Jose Reyes lines out to Edmonds. One out to go.
Paul LoDuca draws a walk to load the bases and that’s when the ghost of this past summer made a visit (please committ me to a crazy house).
This coming during the time that Carlos (Expletive) Beltran came to the plate.
With my hands shaking because I was really nervous about the Cardinals’ chances in the bottom of the ninth, I kept sending my friend pitch-by-pitch accounts.
Ball one. Strike one.
Ball one. Strike two.
Wainwright delivers the pitch.
Strike three call.
And the magical season that it’s been so far this season continued for me and most importantly, the Cardinals.
Thirty minutes after I calmed down, I sent Kasi a message that read:
“hey boo i just wanted to let you know that ur gift has been delivered by the 2006 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS and if you get this message, just remember that i love you and GO CARDS!!!!!!!!“
Before I wrote this morning’s post, I talked to Kasi briefly and asked her did she get the message.
Her response?
“Yea.”
