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MLB: Cubs vs. Cardinals Divional Play

Ok folks this is it. The big one. The East Coast has the Yankees and Red Sox, the West Coast has the Giants and Dodgers, but the Teams now known as the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals have been playing each other in one form or another since Organized professional baseball's earliest days. Yet They have never met in the National League Playoffs. That will change tomorrow evening as the Cubbies head to Saint Louis for the first game of a Diviisional playoff series. The series will determine which club gets the right to play the winner of the Dodgers/Mets series for a chance to hoist the Pennant as National League Champions. The Pennant winners will represent the National League in the World Series.

Anyone who follows baseball, is familiar with the fact the Cardinals have been the benchmark for sustained success in the N.L. while my beloved Cubs have been quite the other thing. As we like to say on the North Side, "Anybody can have a bad century." I'm hopeful that this series will be a watershed, reversing the fortunes of the Cubs for the foreseeable future.

There are so many great story lines here, but I'm interested to know what some of the B&B faithful think about this series. Predictions analysis, and insights especially from anyone without a dog in the fight would be most appreciated.

Good Luck to the Cards. I think you may need it this time around!
 
Cubs right back in it after tonight's game, with Arieta in game 3...shaping up to be a great series.
 
The highs and lows of post season baseball. Wow! Joe Maddon is a genius. Two safety squeezes in one inning? Ridiculous. I read that there have never been two safety squeezes in One post season game before. Look, the Cards were better in game one. Lackey dominated even though Lester pitched well and our big bats were silent. Hendricks did what we needed him to do, and now it's back to The Friendly confines with Arrieta on the hill. The Cubs just need their big bats to come around and I like our chances of moving on.
 
First off.....Go Royals!!!

I hope St. Louis goes down in flames. Not a fan of the Cardinals......nor their fans.
 
Well, the boys in blue came through yesterday at the friendly Confines, allowing them to prolong a truly remarkable serason. Winning the divisional playoff against the Old Enemy was particularly satisfying, as the Cardinals have truly been the benchmark team in the National League for more time than I care to remember. Although I've had issues with Cardinals fans from time to time over the years, my respect and admiration for the Cardinals as a baseball organization remained undiminished. As it does now. Looking forward to the NLCS. Who would I prefer to face? Absolutely the Mets. Not because I believe that we will have an easier time of defeating them, but rather because we have old scores to settle.

CAN'T WAIT!
 
The 1969 Miracle Mets broke the heart of this 12 year old (at the time) Cubs fanatic. I'm hoping like mad we get some payback in the NLCS. Go Cubs.
 
Well, the boys in blue came through yesterday at the friendly Confines, allowing them to prolong a truly remarkable serason. Winning the divisional playoff against the Old Enemy was particularly satisfying, as the Cardinals have truly been the benchmark team in the National League for more time than I care to remember. Although I've had issues with Cardinals fans from time to time over the years, my respect and admiration for the Cardinals as a baseball organization remained undiminished. As it does now. Looking forward to the NLCS. Who would I prefer to face? Absolutely the Mets. Not because I believe that we will have an easier time of defeating them, but rather because we have old scores to settle.

CAN'T WAIT!

Agreed. The Cardinals are the model franchise for building a consistent winner through player development, rather than deep-pocketed signing of top dollar free agents *cough* Yankees *cough*. The best-run organization in baseball, and in all honesty I think the Cubs magical season might have ended in a much less magical way had the Cards not been so devastated by injury throughout the year and the postseason. But that's all conjecture - the Cubs are in the LCS! Personally, I'd rather they face the Dodgers, only because I might have an outside shot at getting tickets to a game. :001_rolle
 
I agree with you on the injury front, but injuries didn't stop them from winning 100 games. They ran into the hottest team in baseball, and had to play them in a short series. Once the Cubs split in STL, I felt very good about our chances, especially with Arrieta pitching game three. Injuries are a part of the game, and in baseball more so than in just about any other sport. What makes baseball players great athletes in my opinion is that they have to play virtually every single day for six months. Billy Heramn The Cubs great second baseman of the thirties was once asked about Ryne SAndberg. Herman said good things, but asked if Sandberg played every day. When he was told yes, he said that really matters, because when you play every day, you play hurt. Attrition always takes its toll on teams during the course of a 162 game season.
 
This has to be the most fun I've had in the postseason in years. As a Rays fan I don't have a dog in the fight and should probably be mad at Joe for leaving, but with what he's done with the Cubs, how could you not be rooting for them?! Damned great playing all around. Every single Cubs/Cards game was fantastic.
 
This has to be the most fun I've had in the postseason in years. As a Rays fan I don't have a dog in the fight and should probably be mad at Joe for leaving, but with what he's done with the Cubs, how could you not be rooting for them?! Damned great playing all around. Every single Cubs/Cards game was fantastic.

I've been a Cub fan for 46 years. I was six when the Mets overtook us in 1969. Beating the Cardinals in the first ever playoff meeting between the two clubs was magical. Should the Cubs knock out the Mets, it would settle two old scores for me in one post season. My brother never got to see the Cubs in the playoffs, and whenI was watching the celebrations after the NLDS I just felt that he and my father were there with me.
 
Here's one for you. A Cubs fan use an app to access the Internet connected jukeboxes at bars in St. Louis during the Divisional series and had the song Go Cubs Go! Played in all the different bars. Each time the bars would turn off the song, he asked the system to replay it, because he was entitled to have his song played in its entirety. I guess this went on all night. Good harmless fun. Thought it was great.
 
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