Well, with the loss last night of the NL-Leading St. Louis Cardinals we saw the end of two major things: The Astro's luckless Postseason streak, rivalled only by that of Tony La Russa, and the old, if somewhat forgettable, Busch Stadium.
It was a landmark among ballparks, really, with it's long-outdated look bringing back memories of Barry Goldwater, freezing games in the NFL playoffs and the Johnson administration. Yes, it was truly a sight for the ages. And that is where it's headed, off to the history books and a page on Wikipedia under the "Default Sports Facilities" heading.
I had never been there, personally. I had rarely seen it on television (We don't get too many NL games in Jays Country). And it didn't even mean anything special to me. Why, I'm not even too sure why I'm writing about it, in all honesty. Whatever.
The point that I never even addressed is that finally, after years of being so goddamn close (1986, 2004 come to mind) the Astros have finally done it, finally made it to the Final Series, as it were. Finally getting a chance to not only beat the best team in a league, but to actually become it. And, as usual, they couldn't have had worse luck.
They are facing the Chicago White Sox, the best team in the AL, a team that has outstanding hitting and pitching, a team that has something to prove, even if it's only to those damn Cubs fans (George F Will, et al). They don't just want this win, they need it - to finally put that damn Black Sox scandal (the one that everybody remembers only because of a semi-decent movie) behind them for good. The Cubs have the "Billygoat Curse", the Red Sox the "Curse of the Bambino" and Billy Buckner. The White Sox have a gambling scandal that would curl Pete Roses hair - and a chance to beat those Texans and put Shoeless Joe to rest, for once and for all.
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Remember how I said that Joe Sakic was the Last Nordique? Well, he ain't for much longer: the Aves will let him become a free agent at the end of the season.
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