Damn it feels good to be a Cardinal

Cardinals are not native to California’s Bay Area, but this weekend there were red birds on the trains, busses, and streets, plus of course at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It was comforting for me because I had not seen the Birdinals play since 2009 because I was living abroad. Even when I was in Asia, Cardinals were spotted, and naturally we were proud.

This weekend showed a great deal about the team that is working towards its 12th title. Friday was a disappointing loss that continued the Barry Zito mystery, but at least Jake Westbrook looked strong. Yesterday revealed that Shelby Miller is the real deal and our bats did enough to get the job done. Also, it was encouraging to see Mitchell Boggs get his second save.

Today was generally full of bliss for Cardinals nation. While the first pitch was listed at 1:05 PCT, the game started after 1:30 PCT thanks to the ring ceremony’s hoopla. I had to leave the seats to have a brew and look at the boats in the bay while Tiffany’s boxes were handed out. It was a bit much and my stomach started to turn with NLCS and World Series highlights playing on the jumbotron.

After Adam Wainwright gave up a couple runs due to extra base hits and our fielder’s lack of vigilance, he then settled in and pitched a gem. It was marvelous to see our new ace pitch like he is expected to.

What was even better were the role players and the infield shuffle that proved to be concrete. Matt Adams had a huge game with the stick including a bases loaded ground rule double while looking solid at first. Ty Wigginton finally got a hit, and it was a big one to keep the lineup moving in the nine run fourth inning that proved to be too much for the Giants.  What was most encouraging was the success of the infield rearrangement. Daniel Descalso had the day off, and his replacement’s (Matt Carpenter) bat continued to smolder, but more importantly Little Carp turned double plays and made moving from third base to second base look simple.

This was the win that we needed before going home to host Cincinnati tomorrow. No one unbuckled their jersey after today’s win, because there is no reason to get cocky, just reason to be a bit more confident after a 3-3 road trip versus two solid squads.

The highlight of my day was chatting with various fans in both red and orange. No one cursed at me like years ago at Shea Stadium, and a Dodger Fan stopped me and for a high five downtown. Next stop is the Oakland Coliseum in late June after we play the Angels.

Until then my boys.  Go Cards!