Sabathia and Fielder Are the Fat Ladies, and They're a-Singin' for the Cardinals

In an effort to avoid anything Bronx/Sawx related, let's turn our attention to Midwest, and the official funeral for the Cardinals' 2008 season.

It's remarkable how long St. Louis was able to stick around in the National League's best division. In their pre-season predictions, Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News had the Cards finishing fifth, with SI foreseeing a 73-89 record.

They were reportedly, "exposed as an aging franchise built around fragile stars."

And that quote was pretty much dead on. The Cards have suffered serious amounts of injuries, losing three key starters, their closer, and All-Star Albert Pujols for extended periods of time. They had to depend on a lineup consisting of unproven players thrust into unexpected duty, with a former pitcher anchoring the offense. Plus, Kyle Lohse, yes this Kyle Lohse, was their new ace pitcher.

Yet, somehow, this patchwork team was able to not only hold on, but excel, keeping pace with the vastly superior Chicago Cubs. Lohse, in some soul-selling deal with the devil, pitched like an ace, and the influx of talented youth changed the entire image of the Cardinals.

Then the Brewers got CC Sabathia. And the Cubs pulled the trigger on the Rich Harden deal. And then Milwaukee came through and took four straight in spirit-crushing fashion. The death toll of the Cardinals' bell is beginning to become more audible.

Ironically, it wasn't the aging pitching nor the fragile stars that did this team in. Cardinal starters held the Brewers to three runs or less in each game, and the offense kept it tied or took the lead in the late innings of three out of four.

In fact, it was the bullpen, considered a secondary problem at the start of the season, that signaled the beginning of the end. With the pen's staggering 24th blown save last night, St. Louis fell three games behind Milwaukee, a deficit that might as well be thirty-three games with the opposite directions these clubs are heading.

The Cardinals' front office now has a decision to make: Pack up shop and be satisfied with a surprising season, or go for the gusto by sacrificing some of those young players to get pitching help. From the looks of it, they'll try to find a way to improve, but not too hard. The Cubs and Brewers are set to battle it out for first, armed with weapons that make St. Louis look about as powerful as Guam.

It's been a positive season for the Cardinals, something to build on, but not until next year. In a league of buyers and sellers, they can stand pat, lick their wounds, and move forward with a solid core for 2009.