October 25, 2004
We are Cardinal Nation
by Joe Mammy
We are Cardinal Nation.
Down 0-2 in the Series? We're not happy, but we're not worried either. You haven't been to our house yet.
No offense to Red Sox fans, but just because you're desperate and pining for the trophy doesn't mean you deserve it. Sure you've won six postseason games in a row, but you need to win eight and there'll be thousands of us waiting to make sure our guys know we believe in them. You talk about curses and destiny, but frankly that doesn't interest us. Want to know what interests us? Here are some numbers:
8: Sure it's the number of games you need to win from the ALCS and the Series to claim the title, but it's also the number of errors you've made—in two games. Look me in the eyes and tell me that a team that makes eight errors in two games deserves to win the Little League World Series, let alone the big one.
0: The number of excuses you'll hear from us. It's also the number of games we've lost at home. Not to be mean spirited it's also the number of world championships you've won since the Wilson administration. And not to whine, but it's also the amount of respect we've been getting since April. And in case you haven't noticed, it hasn't stopped us yet.
1: The number of times you've won the World Series with a 2-0 series lead. Also the number of times you've lost the World Series with a 2-0 series lead. The time you won it was 1916. Seventy years later was the next time. I won't beat a dead horse. *cough* Buckner *cough*
We are Cardinal Nation.
We respect you, but we are not afraid of you. Remember Roger Clemens? We said the same with him. Now he's working on his golf game and wishing you all well. It was a great series—much like we expect this one to be—and in the end we won, even when the pundits were saying Astros-Sox and then Astros-Yankees and then Astros-Sox again. We are used to being the best and still thought of as also-rans. We know the only way to have them say otherwise is to prove it on the field.
We know it's been a long time, but everyone is fawning over your scraggly defensively challenged lineup. They all love you and are longing for a Red Sox championship—regardless of what you do on the field. You've won two ugly games and we'll tip our hats, if that'll make you feel better, but I can't help but think you expect more from your team than what they've been doing. Same with us, but frankly I think we've got less to worry about.
We see the army of the rich and famous in Fenway—Stephen King, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks. We heard Steven Tyler flounder through the national anthem. But we're not about glamour. It might not be as cool to root for the best team in the game or as romantic to talk about reversing a curse. We're just a bunch of folks who love our team and whether in victory or defeat we will remain tactful and classy. We wish you the best with your little curse thing—next year. But this year we plan to celebrate the World Championship Midwestern style. That and the thought of making Affleck cry after I had to sit through "Gigli" just seems kinda fair to me.
We are Cardinal Nation.
We welcome you to our house. We hope you're comfortable. Would you like something to drink? A haircut maybe? Just kidding.
We'll give you all the respect you deserve and all the comforts of home. We'll give it all willingly and with a smile.
Just don't expect us to give you a win.
