MLB National League Central: St. Louis Cardinals brace for more resistance
The St. Louis Cardinals have never remained underdogs. They have held their nerves during testing times and have always competed relentlessly. It is the characteristic poise of the team that has served as the distinction of the club, helping them triumph
in almost every endeavour.
If anyone is to substantiate this claim, evidence is aplenty. Take for example, last year’s feat. Putting on a display of professional dexterity and strength, the Redbirds came from nowhere to clinch the World Series title, beating the otherwise formidable
Texas Rangers 4-3 in the nerve-wrecking best-of-seven finals.
Their march to success, however, was not smooth. They faced intense challenge by other competitive teams as well. Looking back, the wild card race that involved the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros was a treat to watch. While the Cardinals trailed
by 10 and a half games in the regular season, their ability to overcome the Houston Astros paved the way for bigger success.
Just when the Cardinals had initially seemed out of the season, their staging a comeback was astounding. This started with their victory over the Astros whom they beat 2-1 to make their way into the playoffs.
Chris Carpenter had said, "We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it," Carpenter said. "People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it."
Faced with the otherwise invincible Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs, the St. Louis Cardinals did not falter in doing what they had always done best. They won an amazing victory over the Phillies 3-2 in the best of five National League Division Series,
inching ever closer to the World Series finals.
When it came to the Milwaukee Brewers, which were not easy rivals to fight, the Cardinals did not lose sight of bigger feats. They decided to come down hard on the strong defence and offence of the Milwaukee Brewers to beat them 4-2 in the best-of-seven
National League Championship Series.
When the World Series finals kicked off against the Texas Rangers, the task ahead was indeed uphill. Given the fact that the Texas Rangers had qualified for the 2010 World Series finals only to lose to the San Francisco Giants, the Cardinals had to formulate
a winnable strategy to do the difficult, if not impossible: Beat the Texas Rangers.
They did it eventually. Not that it came easy for them. They fought and competed hard to win the World Series, beating the likes of the Texas Rangers in some of the best games in the history of baseball.
Nevertheless, 2012 will be replete with challenges. The players will be expected to perform outstandingly against the teams in the National League Central. The fact that every team in the division has revamped their whole strategy and filled the roster with
strong players presents an enormous challenge for the Cardinals to surmount.
Taking on the resurgent Chicago Cubs will not be easy, as neither will the games against the Cincinnati Reds’ be child’s play. The Milwaukee Brewers are already a formidable side, so are the surging Houston Astros, not to mention the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Thus, while the Cardinals are the current champs, they must be very calculated in their approach, resilient and penetrating in their strategy and subtle in the tactics that are to be employed. Only then will they be able to not only defend their title, but
also win it with grace this year as well.
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