twilight of our journey

The World Series last year was almost like a reward from the baseball gods for a great stretch of Cardinal baseball.  The Cardinals were one of the best teams in the game for an entire decade.  Last year, it finally culminated in a championship, albeit with one of the worst teams during this stretch.  We celebrated it because our beloved Cardinals had won, but we celebrated too because it was Albert, Jimmy, Scottie, and Izzy who were on the field.

The problems with this team, which were already very evident last year, may have arisen because it did have such a great run.  During this string of success, fans fell in love with the team and the players.  Perhaps like the fans, the members of management let their hearts do the thinking too.  If Walt had taken a step back this winter and evaluated the situation from a distance, he might have realized that signing Edmonds to a two year deal would be a mistake, or that Bennett, Spezio, Taguchi, and Wilson aren't that good, or that giving pitchers 5 year contracts often turn out badly.

I think those re-signings were made in part out of a sense of loyalty and that inhibited Walt's baseball judgment.  Several years ago, the same thing happened with Isringhausen - Walt extended him when there wasn't any reason to do so (Izzy was under contract already).  That type of thinking seemed to have repeated itself this past winter with Edmonds and Carpenter.  And while it didn't happen with Suppan, it may repeat itself again with Eckstein next year.

In a sense though, this loyalty is refreshing in modern baseball.  I loved rooting for Edmonds, Izzy, and Carp, and I too would have had trouble letting go.  Their careers were defined as Cardinals and in a perfect world, their careers should end as Cardinals too.  But loyalty can be a problem when trying to build a contending team.  It is only natural for older players to fade away, even if our memories of their glory days have not.

And so, this team will likely continue its downward trend, but at least it is doing that with the same players from a better time in our memories.  I'm not sure how to feel about this.  Winning is great, but really, why do we really follow baseball - why do we skip work to attend a day game, or pour over the box scores late at night - but for the memories and the enjoyment it gives us.  It is sad that this team is losing, but I would probably be sadder without all the familiar faces.  As long as they are playing, I can still hear the cheers in my mind, reliving the dramatic home runs and acrobatic catches of yesteryear.

Perhaps, I'm willing to sacrifice winning this year, so that for one more year, I can hold on to those memories of Edmonds in center and Izzy closing games.  It seems a fitting way to celebrate the past decade of Cardinal baseball.