World Series Game 6 Recap... Wow

Any type of analysis of tonight's game would be like trying to explain why puppies are cute. This game, amid its flops, mishaps, bobbles, and blunders, was baseball at its very finest, one of those instant classics that might just fall under the "legendary" category a few years from now... like, tomorrow.

It had all the side stories and manufactured intrigue that make Joe Buck salivate, but beyond the fluff, this was an incredible example of the random and unforgiving nature of America's pastime. The up-and-down roller coaster ride of emotion is woven into the very fabric of the sport, but the beauty in what we just saw tonight is that we never see it. Quite frankly, 99% of the time, this never happens. We all know those moments: the called third strikes, the inning-ending double-plays, the pop outs to the warning track.

We don't live for nights like tonight, and that's OK. Baseball is a great game in its anti-climatic nature. It's what we're used to, a metaphor for the anti-climatic nature of life in an overly-dramaticized culture. (Thanks for the inspiration, Joe Posnanski) No, we live for the hope of nights like tonight, even if it often ends fruitless. It's in our human nature to run on hope; without it, there wouldn't be a whole lot to live for.

However, every once in a while, we have our hopes confirmed. The fact that we actually got to see the fruition of the collective wishes of several million Cardinals fans is what makes baseball the greatest sport in the world. I honestly didn't think there would be anything that topped that Wednesday Night of Baseball on the last day of the season, when we saw two walk-offs and an extra-inning win to squeak the Cards into the post-season, but in Game 6 of the World Series, we sure did.

Tonight was remarkable. There's not much more to say other than that. A remarkable night of baseball, and we could not have expected anything less in a game that is built to drain our emotions and, every once in a while, blow our minds away.

Have a fantastic Game 7, Cardinal Nation.
-Bryan