Sadly, the World Series has not shaped out to be the series most people expected. From my angle, it appears as if the Cardinals' pitching has broken down. After a long season -- and without their top pitcher Chris Carpenter and an extremely ineffective Matt Morris -- the Cards look whipped. Worse, the middle of the Cardinals' tough offense has been reigned in. Albert Pujols has picked up a few hits, but hasn't been able to leave the yard. Meanwhile, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds are 1-for-22. Throw in Reggie Sanders and the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters are 1-for-31.
Forget Jeff Suppan's base-running blunder, the hitting and poor starting pitching are the reason for the Red Sox being ahead 3-0.
Then again, it doesn't take a rocket scientist or baseball writer to figure that one out.
Now, all of New England is on edge like Bahgdad the day before the bombs dropped. It's like Apocalypse Now up there. After 86 years of waiting, living and dying, suffering with their Olde Town Team, it seems as if the inevitable is going to happen.
The better story, of course, will be a big fold, but there is no way that can happen now.
Right?
Dan Shaughnessy, the so-called inventor of the Curse of the Bambino, on a program aired by my employer, said: "This is the end of the Red Sox as we know them." He added that this story has become the biggest thing in the history of Boston (I beg to differ, but whatever) and that it has transcended sports in New England.
As far as that is concerned, he's right.