With apologies to Joe Strauss and my boss, who's waiting for stuff, I give you incontrovertible evidence that October is random.  Or perhaps just a visual of other awesome teams that have rolled over "when it counts." 

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For all those feeling confident:

We were 15.5 games up on September 18, 2004.

From the recap:

As for the game, Chris Carpenter felt a twinge in his biceps and called it a day after pitching just three-plus innings. He and the Cardinals thought a serious injury probably was avoided by the decision.

The 15-game winner left in the fourth inning with a strained right biceps, but four relievers helped complete a six-hitter. Carpenter is expected to miss only one start, partly because he didn't try to gut it out."It's against normal pitching, they keep going," catcher Mike Matheny said. "Fortunately, I think he stopped in time to give us a chance to let the trainers get him right. Hopefully, that'll be the case."

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Yes I was happy to see the Small Bears flame out, but the Cubs-Dodgers exposed what a travesty the current playoff format is.  The Dodgers played like absolute crap for five months, they got into the playoffs because they managed (barely) to finish north of 500, and now they have a shot at a pennant because they put together a run of three good games.  Remember when teams actually had to be great to win a pennant?

Baseball should establish a system that 1) creates exciting finishes, and 2) doesn't devalue the regular system.  The current system achieves #1 to an extent - watching the Brewers, Mets, and Dbacks slump to the finish line is more pathetic than exciting.  And it completely fails on point #2.  25% of National League teams should not make the playoffs, and teams that win 52% of their games like the Dodgers (and '06 Cardinals) should be seen for what they are: mediocrities in need of improvement.  Baseball is going to turn into the NBA if real meaning isn't added to the regular season and soon.

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The 2008 Chicago Cubs are certainly an imposing bunch, but if you want to feel a bit better about things take a look at what's just over the horizon for the small bears.

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It's nice that Washington finally got a chance, but the Cardinals need a high-quality, backup corner infielder to spell Glaus and Pujols.  Wes Helms has been DFA'd and Philly wants someone to pick up the $2.9 million left on his contract.  That's a lot for a 31-year-old Matt Stairs-type who might be over the hill, but if he reverts to 2006 or even 2005 form he could be useful.  He posted a 149 OPS+ in '06 in about 250 PAs and he's tough on lefties.  I don't want to oversell someone who was bumped aside by Pedro Feliz, but this seems like an obvious chance to upgrade the roster.

What does a baseball fan care about when there is zero chance his/her team will achieve any success? My quick and dirty list:

What are the possibilities?

Brendan Ryan - This would bring Miles and Eckstein, into the lineup now, and perhaps Kennedy when he returns. Hoff-power could help bolster the middle infield once September rolls around.

Scott Spiezio - Is he done for the year?

Albert Pujols - Duncan to first, Enc and Ankiel at the corners. Would LaRussa dare?

A trade - Who's out there? Shea Hillenbrand (shudder)

The calendar has flipped to August and speculation on the end-of-year awards can officially begin. This is especially welcome this year as the Cardinals are brutal on the field, stagnant in the front office, and barren of any exciting talent in the high minors. Yes, yes I love Rick Ankiel and Jarrett Hoff-power as much as the next guy, but here in Arizona they're about to see the big league debut of Justin Upton. Now that's exciting.

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One thing to keep in mind when judging Reyes is that he's only started 28 regular season games. Is this a sufficient number to start making conclusions about his likely future? To help answer that I thought I'd look at what other notable Cardinal hurlers did in there first 28 starts:

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Chris Burke for Brad Thompson

I know, not very exciting... Burke just got sent down. He's stuck behind Everett, Loretta, Biggio, and now Hunter Pence, the Astros' top prospect.

Burke has never posted an OPS+ higher than 94, but he has a little pop, he can get on base, and he can steal a base. In short, he's not a creaky old geezer.

He would make a nice platoon partner in center with Edmonds or at second with Kennedy, or he could pinch run, pinch hit, and even take over at short if necessary.

Unfortunately, he's arb eligible at the end of this year, so he's due for a raise.