I can't be the only one desparate for a convincing victory. Wins are wins, I understand that much - and winning extra-innings games has not been this teams forte the last few years (maybe some stat-head can give us the real numbers on that; I don't have the time or I'd do it myself), so the three longer-than-regulation game victories are a good sign.

Getting opponents on the mat early and keeping your collective feet on their throats is obviously preferable, but since The Beloved haven't shown a whole heck of a lot of ability to do so, they have to preserve the slight edges they've been carrying into late innings.

This bullpen scares me - Woody's been erratic, and I don't se him being long for that role. Wuertz - what can I say. Even Marmol has been up and down.

When do we stop allaying our fears by reminding ourselves that "it's early"? That works both ways. It's early for the Cards and White Sox, too - two purported cellar-dwellers that are leading their divisions.