Signs are much more than a shitty M. Night Shyamalan movie.

Maybe it's naivet'e or blind faith in a larger being, but things always seem to come around in little moments of realization that make you wonder if everything can truly be random. Maybe events are interconnected in some bizarre and confusing puzzle that only some higher being is capable of knowing?

Case A: Wednesday the Cardinals played the Tigers in Detroit. The game was delayed by rain for nearly 90 minutes after inning 6. Hundreds of miles away in Omaha Nebraska the Fresno State Bulldogs were on the brink of becoming the lowest seeded NCAA team to win a championship. In any sport. Ever.

Was it just random coincidence that the easiest Cardinal team to root for in decades was able to see another team summarily dismissed by pundits, critics and competition prove everybody wrong? Most likely these guys were smoking cigars wrapped in golden leaves and dipped in the shame of another illegitimate child. But still; a part of me wants to think that somebody had the wherewithal to point out the similar story arcs of the two teams during the weather time out. If Hugh Grant was starring in this movie, that moment would have certainly been part where he glances furtively at his co-star as we feel the rise of the protagonist beginning to build. Or something.

Case B: Sunday I was on a flight home from a wedding in Oregon. As if the writing God's knew I needed some material they unexpectedly scheduled a stop in Kansas City on the way back to St Louis. My half-full comfortable ride home was about to turn into one of the worst flights in the history of aviation. Instead of getting a hot 21 year old chick wanting me to pimp her exhibitionist barring of ample titty, I got a fat one. A real fat one.

Right smack dab in the center seat. She wore a Mickey Mouse watch and she wore fake gold jewelry. She wore horrible perfume and a life of eating nothing but greasy foods all over her thighs. Before she even opened up her Jackie Collins novel (seriously) I knew she was a Royals fan. She verbalized this to many of the other members of Cardinal Nation boarding for the flight home. As an added bonus- she went to the game Sunday and had 'too many nachos and Buds'. Soon a carpet bombing of noxious odors starting hitting the plane that would make George Bush blush. She was a machine.

So much so that at the baggage carousel the other girl on the aisle said she took a shower before she got on the flight but was taking another one when she got to her hotel. Another random woman that was 3 rows and the opposite side away from me was not convinced the bathroom wasn't broken. Either way, the 36 minutes in the air and 54 minutes from gate to gate were either 1) Symbolic of the Royals franchise as a whole since 1982. 2) Symbolic of the Cardinals road trip where they gave away 3 games because of a weak bullpen or 3) A stereotypical reinforcement of every single thing ever printed on this website about Kansas City. Take your pick. But it was a sign. She was at least ready to go on a diet.*

* There is no diet. 

Case C: The Substitute Teacher, AKA Mitchell Boggs. I call him that because he gives me the same feeling I got when the principal announced to the class that a substitute teacher was coming in for the day. Sure, they might suck at life and be a wretched mouth breather- but I always liked having one. It was different, you could get a clean slate and sometimes it was a hot college chick that needed a summer job. Boggs may not be qualified to be a starting pitcher on championship contender, but I'll be damn if I don't look freaking forward to every fifth day when his spot (not really his spot) comes up.

The Birds just play better when he plays. The problem is that this particular contextual conundrum is the reason why the Cardinals are where they are. Stopgaps and immature rookies are put in to bridge the gap for more experienced players to return from injury- yet when the vets do return, we realize it was better off the other way around. In a confounding season, the Baseball Gods seem hell bent on making TLR play young. Izzy found out the hard way this weekend that this is no country for old men along with 10 other guys before him. Signs?

The story is being scripted everyday for the 2008 Cardinals, but heading into the end of this week this team just might be able to overtake First Place with a sweep of the Cubs. With everything that's transpired with the team this season that's not really a sign. It's more of a miracle.