National League Championship Series

A couple of quick NFL hits to start things off. Did anyone else see Reggie Bush’s punt-return touchdown? He was untouched after he broke the initial tackle. This guy is a special player. And am I alone in thinking I’d rather watch two scrub teams battle it out on a Monday night, and maybe actually see some points scored? I wasn’t exactly glued to my seat throughout the 3-3 “defensive struggle.” It was a struggle alright, a struggle to watch.

The National League Championship Series may also be a struggle to watch.

Starting on the bump, the Cards have exactly one thing in their favour: 13 to 16 innings over two starts (if this thing goes seven) from Chris Carpenter. Carpenter shook off a terrible first inning in game four of the Division Series, and absolutely dominated the Padres thereafter. The Mets will counter with Tom Glavine, who at this point in his career isn’t as dominant as he once was, but is still a proven playoff performer, and will give the Mets a chance to win every game he starts. The Mets also counter with a much deeper bullpen, which could be the determining factor in the series.

At the corners, the Cardinals are theoretically set. Albert Pujols is a National League MVP candidate, and a healthy Scott Rolen is about as good as it gets at third base. If Rolen can’t go because of injury, Scott Spiezio has a proven track record in the playoffs, with his most recent triumphs coming just this past Sunday night. The Mets, however, counter with the best young third baseman in the game in David Wright, and one of the most prolific power hitters of the last decade in Carlos Delgado -- whose performance has led to at least six Jays fans’ suicides when they finally saw what October Carlos looks like.

Up the middle, Ronnie Belliard and David Eckstein look like something of an odd couple in St. Louis, but they get the job done with both the leather and the bat. They’re an effective pair, but once again, the Mets counter with flash and dash. Jose Reyes is held in the same esteem in Flushing as Derek Jeter is in the Bronx, and he seems to like old-man Valentin beside him.

And if you’re trying to teach someone the finer points of playing the outfield, you may want to skip this series. Both the Cards’ Jim Edmonds and the Mets’ Carlos Beltran are capable of the spectacular. They’re human highlight reels, but Cliff Floyd and Shawn Green in New York are on the down-side of their playing days, and whoever else the Cards throw out there (Chris Duncan, So Taguchi, Pedro Wilson, Juan Encarnacion, even Timo Perez is an option), well, when there’s that many of them, they can’t all be Cinderella, right?

And if it comes down to a managerial decision, even after reading Three Nights in August, I’ll still take Willie Randolph over Tony LaRussa.

It all adds up to a quick series, with the Mets winning, probably in five.