I almost got sucked back in. Despite shitting the bed in Houston and blowing the first game in Arizona, I allowed myself a glimmer of hope Wednesday afternoon. The Cards trounced the D-Backs Tuesday, had a 3-0 lead Wednesday, and the Brewer were on there way to losing back to back games in what seemed like forever. I was sitting there thinking: “You know, Ben Sheets is hurting, Adam Wainwright looked great yesterday and Kyle Lohse looks great today, the Birds could get this thing back to 4 1/2 games which is doable...right? Maybe it’s not over after all.” Then the bullpen imploded AGAIN and a heavy dose of reality slapped me in the face. This team is not the ’07 Rockies, the season is over, and I need to accept it.

This season has turned into one giant frustration. It’s so frustrating to come into the season with little hope, but it’s more frustrating to exceed everyone’s expectations just to fall flat in the final month of the season. It’s even more frustrating when you realize that your bullpen, your supposed only strength prior to the season, has been the main culprit in letting you down. It’s frustrating that the seasons of Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick. Yadier Molina, Skip Schumaker, and even Troy Glaus have been wasted. It’s frustrating that one of the best players to don the Birds on the Bat in the history of the organization, Pujols, isn’t getting any younger. It’s frustrating that since opening the new stadium and winning the Series in ’06, the franchise has made a ton of money and wasted two productive seasons from El Hombre, a talent that comes along once in a lifetime. It’s frustrating that the Cubs and Brewers don’t even have to worry about us until next year.

As hard as it is for me, I know it’s time to move on. The Cardinals minor league system is in pretty good shape and the team is going to have over $30 million in player salaries coming off the books this winter. It’s time for the organization to spend some money to improve this team for ’09. A good starting pitcher to complement Waino and Carp, a lot of bullpen help, particularly from the left side, and a middle infielder with some pop are at the top of my list. I also think it might be time to see what you can get for Ankiel. I like the guy, but the outfield is crowded, Colby Rasmus is the future, and Ank is just too damn streaky. He’s one of the few players that might have some value to other teams, why not see what he’s worth?