artie_fufkin wrote:

APIAD wrote:

It maybe not be the popular vote but i enjoyed 2006 more then 2011. I think it was because it was the first time i saw the Cardinals win the ws. 2011 was better baseball but 2006 seemed more memorable to me.

My memories of the 2006 post-season, in chronological order, are:
Jake Peavy throwing a hissy fit after Piazza dropped Pujols' foul ball in Game 1 of the LDS
So Taguchi's home run in Game 2 of the LCS
Thinking the Cardinals were doomed after Edny Chavez robbed Rolen of a home run in Game 7
Yadi's homer in Game 7
Frozen Pizza
Tigers in 3
Nearly upending the buffet at the Sundowner in Niagara Falls after Pujols' homer in Game 1 of the WS
Wanting to gouge out Kenny Rogers' eyes during Game 2
Hit it to the Pitcher!

 

 

You summed it up alot pretty good.  Taguchi and yadies homer, rolen getting robbed and wainwrights curve, I remember it all alot clearer then 2011. 

I think I was just alot fonder of the players on that team.  There was alot of long time cardinals that I identify the cardinals franchise as being associated with.  Pujols, yadie, edmonds and rolen are probably the 4 position players id name if you ask me to name the greatest cardinals of my generation.  So taguchi was a fan favorite that played this solid fundamental tlr style ball that seemed to be what the team stood for.  Eck was another fan favorite that real made a name for himself in the couple good years he had in stl.  Admittedly I have a fetish for shitty to average  players being contributing factors to championship teams.  Belliard played the best baseball of his career in the post season.  Spiezio became an over night cult hero.  Chris duncan, who I unapologeticly have stated I am a fan of, had a career year.  A true slugger and shitty fielder but I liked him.  The piece together pitching staff of middle of the order pitchers.  Dream weaver.  Wainwrights coming out party.  Reyes even removed his head from his rectum and pitch a memorable lose.  It was basicly carps and wainwrights only meaningful time together. 

The level of hate that was involved in that season to have it workout like it did was amazing.  Pontoon and franklin were so fucking frusterating but now I almost want to thank them for that.  It made in an interesting year.

The 2011 roster just lacks that feeling to me.  Skip was a bandaid.   Berkman was fun but not a cardinal.  Rasmus squats to pee.  Theriot is a fucking cub.  Ive never been a huge freese fan.  While he was useful and epicly awesome in the ws he isnt memorable for anything else in his cardinals career. The pitching staff outside of carp was underwhelming.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"I ended up with 2 tickets to Game 4 of the 2006 World Series.  You may recall that game was postponed due to rain.  People with tickets to Game 5 ended up watching the 4th game of the series and those with tickets to Game 4 got to see the 5th, and deciding game."

I'm not sure I knew that you went to that game.
I've always wanted to see a game in the final series of each of the four American professional sports. My parents had season tickets to the Celtics for 25 years, so I got to see quite a few games in the NBA finals during the Larry Bird era, and I saw the triple overtime Game 1 of the NFL finals in 1990.
I don't think I'm ever going to get to a Super Bowl. I was always kind of holding out hope to see the Raiders play in it, but I just don't care about the NFL anymore. 

I'm guessing you meant NHL finals in 1990, I was about to whine and ask about hockey, when it dawned on me that the NFL doesn't have finals, and you wouldn't be hunting down a super bowl ticket to complete that list.
 

I'll throw one more out there that probably only Alz will know what I'm talking about.  I was also at the "Monday Night Miracle."  Game 6 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals against Calgary.  The Blues were down 3-2 in the series and were behind 5-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in the 3rd period before storming back to tie the game and winning it in overtime.  Sadly, Calgary won Game 7 back in Calgary.

It puts into perspective how different sports were back then.  I was 18, finishing high school and working a job that paid about $4.00/hour, but one of my high school classmates and I went to every home game that post-season and sat in the 2nd row directly behind the goal the Blues shot at twice and about 5-6 seats from where the visiting team went on/off the ice.  

I'll never forget, the Blues played Toronto in the 2nd round.  The Maple Leafs had a goon on their team named Brad Smith.  He was one of the last few guys who didn't wear a helmet.  The whole series, I was riding his ass every time they went past us.  I don't remember what I said, but whatever I said in Game 5, he had had enough of my mouth and he literally started climbing over the rail into our row.  3-4 of his teammates grabbed him and pulled him up the tunnel.   The rest of the night, whenever Toronto came off the ice, the tunnel was lined with St. Louis City cops.  

The people sitting around us thought I was a god.  Truth was, I was scared shitless when I thought he was coming after me.  I had the size advantage, but that dude fought for a living.  He'd have almost certainly kicked my ass.  I was a lot quieter after that happened.

alz wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"I ended up with 2 tickets to Game 4 of the 2006 World Series.  You may recall that game was postponed due to rain.  People with tickets to Game 5 ended up watching the 4th game of the series and those with tickets to Game 4 got to see the 5th, and deciding game."

I'm not sure I knew that you went to that game.
I've always wanted to see a game in the final series of each of the four American professional sports. My parents had season tickets to the Celtics for 25 years, so I got to see quite a few games in the NBA finals during the Larry Bird era, and I saw the triple overtime Game 1 of the NFL finals in 1990.
I don't think I'm ever going to get to a Super Bowl. I was always kind of holding out hope to see the Raiders play in it, but I just don't care about the NFL anymore. 

I'm guessing you meant NHL finals in 1990, I was about to whine and ask about hockey, when it dawned on me that the NFL doesn't have finals, and you wouldn't be hunting down a super bowl ticket to complete that list.
 

 
Yes, of course. Good catch. The Bruins played so poorly last night I think I'm trying to subconsciously pretend they don't exist.

forsberg_us wrote:

I'll throw one more out there that probably only Alz will know what I'm talking about.  I was also at the "Monday Night Miracle."  Game 6 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals against Calgary.  The Blues were down 3-2 in the series and were behind 5-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in the 3rd period before storming back to tie the game and winning it in overtime.  Sadly, Calgary won Game 7 back in Calgary.

It puts into perspective how different sports were back then.  I was 18, finishing high school and working a job that paid about $4.00/hour, but one of my high school classmates and I went to every home game that post-season and sat in the 2nd row directly behind the goal the Blues shot at twice and about 5-6 seats from where the visiting team went on/off the ice.  

I'll never forget, the Blues played Toronto in the 2nd round.  The Maple Leafs had a goon on their team named Brad Smith.  He was one of the last few guys who didn't wear a helmet.  The whole series, I was riding his ass every time they went past us.  I don't remember what I said, but whatever I said in Game 5, he had had enough of my mouth and he literally started climbing over the rail into our row.  3-4 of his teammates grabbed him and pulled him up the tunnel.   The rest of the night, whenever Toronto came off the ice, the tunnel was lined with St. Louis City cops.  

The people sitting around us thought I was a god.  Truth was, I was scared shitless when I thought he was coming after me.  I had the size advantage, but that dude fought for a living.  He'd have almost certainly kicked my ass.  I was a lot quieter after that happened.

 
Epic. I'd still be telling that story in bars for free drinks if that happened to me.

artie_fufkin wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

I'll throw one more out there that probably only Alz will know what I'm talking about.  I was also at the "Monday Night Miracle."  Game 6 of the 1986 Western Conference Finals against Calgary.  The Blues were down 3-2 in the series and were behind 5-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in the 3rd period before storming back to tie the game and winning it in overtime.  Sadly, Calgary won Game 7 back in Calgary.

It puts into perspective how different sports were back then.  I was 18, finishing high school and working a job that paid about $4.00/hour, but one of my high school classmates and I went to every home game that post-season and sat in the 2nd row directly behind the goal the Blues shot at twice and about 5-6 seats from where the visiting team went on/off the ice.  

I'll never forget, the Blues played Toronto in the 2nd round.  The Maple Leafs had a goon on their team named Brad Smith.  He was one of the last few guys who didn't wear a helmet.  The whole series, I was riding his ass every time they went past us.  I don't remember what I said, but whatever I said in Game 5, he had had enough of my mouth and he literally started climbing over the rail into our row.  3-4 of his teammates grabbed him and pulled him up the tunnel.   The rest of the night, whenever Toronto came off the ice, the tunnel was lined with St. Louis City cops.  

The people sitting around us thought I was a god.  Truth was, I was scared shitless when I thought he was coming after me.  I had the size advantage, but that dude fought for a living.  He'd have almost certainly kicked my ass.  I was a lot quieter after that happened.

 
Epic. I'd still be telling that story in bars for free drinks if that happened to me.

I actually had another similar, but much less terrifying incident around the same time

When I turned 16, I started working out at this total sweatshop of a gym. A guy's gym--nothing but free weights and a bunch of sweaty dudes pumping iron--and it wasn't part of a chain. Eagle Gym.

Whenever they were in town, Eagle Gym was where you could find the pro wrestlers. Back then, St. Louis was primarily the NWA (Harley Race, Ric Flair and the Von Erich's were regulars), but the WWF was just starting to gain traction and came to town as well. I got to know several of them pretty well, and they used to always give me tickets. In particular, one wrestler named Jim "the Anvil" Niedhart and I became pretty good friends because he was a really good shot putter, and that's what I was lifting for.

Anyway, one Friday the WWF was in town and Niedhart gives me tickets. Before he leaves, he points over at another wrestler, Big John Studd, and tells me, "feel free to kick his ass tonight." I have no idea what he was talking about, but during the show, I'm sitting on the aisle where the wrestlers walk to the ring. Studd is announced, and since he's a bad guy, the boos start immediately. He walks out hamming it up for the crowd and acting pissed about the boos. He gets to where I'm standing, and he stops, looks at me and starts giving me shit (as if I had been giving it to him first). I finally figure it out, so I start yelling anything I can think of. He goes crazy (on purpose) and grabs me like he's going to hit me. His "manager" grabbed him and "pulled" him away and to the ring.

It was hysterical, and we had a good laugh about it the next time I saw him at the gym.

I have no idea what the current crop is like, but back then, most of those guys were really nice.

And big shock, I think the gym closed a few years later because the owner was dealing steroids.

The only time I've ever said something that I know someone heard was a routine game where I had great seats behind the Cardinals at bat circle. McGwire came up and his little Guns and Roses At Bat Diddy was tuning down and he was stepping in. I screamed "We love ya Mark!" and he actually looked up and back at me and smiled. 

I can't even fathom antagonizing a hockey goon to the point where he wanted to come work things out with me, I would have also been scared shitless in your position fors. That is a great great story!

Another good one--During the strike/lockout in the 94-95 season, a group of guys decided to drive to Peoria to watch a couple of games.  Peoria was the Blues farm team, but one of their defensemen, Darren Veitch was a former Red Wing, so as far as we were concerned he was the enemy.  We were sitting maybe 4-5 rows from the ice and we're just destroying him every time he makes a mistake.  After the 2nd period, a woman sitting off to the right of us came over to let us know that she and her friends were members of the Darren Veitch Fan Club and didn't appreciate our commentary.

You may remember a couple years ago Southwest Airlines did a "Wanna Get Away" commercial with a guy at a hockey game screaming at a Russian player and the PA announcer introduces his parents and they're sitting in front of the fan.  We were the exact opposite of that guy.  We were bad during the first 2 periods, but we were merciless in the 3rd period.

I'm not 100% sure, but alcohol may have played a role.

I got a nephew who's a Mormon... and man if this sentence here doesn't fit him to a tee.

the blond-haired, blue-eyed devils in our section congratulate each other and yell "Super!" or "Great!" every time BYU picks up a first down.

I'm not even sure the words "Darn" or "Heck" are in his vocabulary. They sound too close to the real deal, and that's the same as sinning....
 

"I think it's a cynical East Coast thing, but I can't be around shiny, happy people very long."

Do you have Chick-fil-A up there? 

I have no idea how they do it, but every Chick-fil-A in the St. Louis area employs the happiest, most polite people on the planet.  Every time you go through the drive-thru it's, "It's a great day at Chick-fil-A, it'll be my pleasure to serve you," or something close to that.  I have no idea how they find people to be that happy.

Don't get me wrong, I love their food, and the service is always exceptional.  I just have no idea how they get people to act the way they do.

artie_fufkin wrote:

We have a limited number of Chick-fil-as, and as far as I know they're all in mall courtyards. Weren't they involved in some sort of controversy a couple of years ago about refusing to hire homosexuals? That wouldn't fly here. Massachusetts is probably the most gay-friendly state in the country. The last thing you want to do here is even feign the appearance of discrimination against militant lesbians.

Yeah the business chain is owned by very strong believing Christians. They won't allow their franchises to be open on Sunday, and they expect exceptionally high spirits from their employees at all times. To them homosexuality is a choice and constant state of sin, and would be a very terrible thing to put in front of a customer. Right or wrong, that's their belief. To be honest, I'm not sure I disagree with them. While the rest of society seems content to welcome and promote homosexuals and transgenders, I'm unfortunately a result of a very Christian upbringing that considers that nothing more than sinful deviance. I'm very thankful I don't own a business in this present age. I can quietly disagree with anyone's lifestyle choice and avoid them without it being a PR nightmare. 

Read something a month or two ago about transgender kids being allowed to use whichever locker room they identified with, regardless of their progression through the gender reassignment path... Which means every other child who is set in their biologically assigned gender now gets to shower with a biological member of the opposite sex. Parents of other children were outraged (as I would be having a daughter...), and were told they could move their kids to some other school. While I understand that mistreating these people is fundamentally wrong, I believe any parent should be able to demand their daughter shower in a penis-free environment. Apparently that makes me wrong. So be it. 

Like I said, I'm glad I don't own a business in this modern age of fucked-up'edness....
 

forsberg_us wrote:

They didn't refuse to hire homosexuals.  The owner of the franchise was quoted as being opposed to same sex marriage which is an opinion he's absolutely entitled to, but, as Alz pointed out, would have been better left unsaid.

There I will admit I am on the new line of thinking. 

I don't consider homosexual marriage an affront to anything/anybody. If they want to marry that is fine with me. 

When they sue a cake-maker for not making them a cake because he doesn't believe in same sex marriage.... That's a little gray to me. I want to say he should have the right to refuse whatever business he wants to refuse, but if you allow that, half of the inbred south will refuse to serve blacks on a religious basis....