With the calendar turning to September in less than a week, it promises to be a fun month for Redbird Nation. The Cardinals are cruising and poised to secure their first postseason trip since 2006. There will be other intriguing story lines too. Can Albert Pujols further enhance his MVP candidacy? Can Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter remain top-of-mind candidates in the Cy Young race? How will John Smoltz perform?
 

These storylines and others will be fun to witness. But the most important one will be watching the Redbirds clinch their 8th division title in the Tony La Russa era. Will the Cards clinch early? Will a slump derail the early celebration? Will the Cubs somehow catch fire and make things interesting? (nah...)
 

As we watch things unfold, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit past Septembers when the Cards secured playoff berths during La Russa's tenure in St. Louis.
 
1996 – The Cards and Astros were locked in a season-long battle for first place. St. Louis trailed Houston by 1.5 games entering a critical 3-game series in early September at Busch Stadium. Thanks to heroics by Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee, the Cards won the opener 8-7 in a dramatic 10-inning affair on Labor Day. St. Louis swept the series, regained first place and never looked back. The Cards clinched the division Sept. 24 in Pittsburgh before 8,611 at Three Rivers Stadium. This 88-win outfit led by the likes of Ron Gant and Brian Jordan came within one game of winning the N.L. pennant.
 
2000 – After getting drunk on McGwire mania in the late 1990s, Cardinal Nation was ready to get back to the business of winning divisions. Infused by newcomers Darryl Kile, Jim Edmonds, Dave Veres and Fernando Vina -- and mid-season acquisition Will Clark -- the Cardinals spent 158 days in first place. The team cruised to the division title and finished 10 games ahead of Cincinnati. An ominous sign came late in September when Mike Matheny sliced in right ring finger with a hunting knife. An enjoyable 95-win season crashed and burned when the Mets won the NLCS in five games.
 
2001 -- Things didn’t look good for the Cards on Aug. 8 as the club sat 57-55 and trailed Houston by eight games. But propelled by a 11-game winning streak and the acquisition of Woody Williams, the Cards pulled themselves back in the race. The Cards went 20-8 in September/October (Do you remember Bud Smith's no-no on Sept. 3 vs. San Diego?) and finished tied for first with Houston at 93-69. Since Houston won the season series, the Cards were slotted as the Wild Card team. Arizona knocked off St. Louis in a compelling five-game NLDS. 
 
2002 -- It was an emotional roller coaster of a season with the deaths of Darryl Kile and Jack Buck. In what might have been La Russa’s best managerial job, the Cards went 50-27 in the second half, including 21-6 in September, to wrap up the division. Mid-season acquisitions Scott Rolen and Chuck Finley helped the Cards win 97 games. After sweeping the D-Backs in the division series, the Giants rolled over the Cards in the league championship series.
 
2004 – After falling 4.5 games behind on May 11, the Cards played out-of-sight in June, July and August (winning 60 of 81 games in that span) and cruised to the division title, finishing 13 games ahead of the 92-win Astros. Although the Cards collapsed in the World Series, this is the best team in the La Russa era.
 
2005 -- It wasn’t even close. The Cards won 100 games and appeared just as strong as the ‘04 club. With the division title a foregone conclusion, September turned out to be a big farewell party for the old Busch Stadium. The party continued through the NLCS, but the season -- and the ballpark -- closed for good when the Astros wrapped up the N.L. title in Game 6.
 
2006 -- Thanks to John Smoltz’s strong outing against Houston, the Braves helped the Cards not only clinch on the final day of the regular season, but also avert a historic collapse. Let’s hope this September goes much smoother than it did four years ago. 
 
Perhaps my thoughts about postseason pasts are presumptuous; history shows huge leads can evaporate in baseball’s final month. But you have the feeling that the Cardinals are positioned to handle the comfortable lead and punch their ticket for October baseball.
  

World Series Matchups

Since we’re giddy with excitement about the Cardinals’ chances in October, it’s fun to start thinking about potential World Series matchups.
 
Cards vs. Red Sox – This would be the 2009 Revenge Series for St. Louis, who suffered an ugly four-game sweep in 2004. I'm sure John Smoltz and Julio Lugo would love a chance to do their thing against their former employer.
 
Cards vs. Yankees – One word: unbelievable. Pujols in the Big Apple would be out of sight. The teams last met in the World Series in 1964, the subject of David Halberstam’s fantastic book “October 1964.” This would be an ideal time to work in George Costanza references.
 
Cards vs. Angels – How would Mike Scioscia and his N.L.-style club match up against fellow esteemed strategist Tony La Russa?  
 
Cards vs. White Sox – Talk about contrasting managers. I can see Ozzie Guillen calling out La Russa for batting the pitcher eighth.  
 
Cards vs. Tigers – Detroit would be out for blood after a disastrous 2006 performance against St. Louis. Tigers pitchers would need to undergo mandatory fielding practice.  
 
Cards vs. Tampa – Hopefully “The Trop” would not turn out to be a “house of horrors,” much like the Metrodome in the ’87 Fall Classic.
 
Cards vs. Rangers – Although this isn’t a sexy matchup, you would likely see a lot of offense from both clubs. Texas can rake.


Thanks for reading.
 
Gabriel Kiley is a freelance sports writer based in St. Louis. Feel free to post your comments below or on my Twitter page.