I finally got to see the Redbirds in person a couple of weeks ago. It was against the Royals and I really didn’t have a good feeling coming in. It wasn’t because of the competition so much. It was mostly because I was staring right into the face of an all-you-can-drink buffet in one of those fancy schmancy club rooms. I was basically like the Cards at that point: just trying to keep my head above water.

Both of us barely did.

We ended up losing not only that game, but every damned game of that series. I wasn’t really surprised or even all that disappointed. This entire season has been like a soap opera where only bad things happen. At that point, staff ace Adam Wainwright had been on the DL for a week or so. Albert Pujols finally succumbed to a calf injury that had been ailing him and also went to the disabled list. It could have been the beginning of the end of this season, but once again, the other fellas didn’t quit.

There was a moment late in Sunday’s game against the Astros that I felt may be indicative of the Cardinals this year. The birds had just scored five runs on two hits, a couple of errors, and a passed ball to take a 5–4 lead. When Houston came up to bat in the eighth, it was pretty apparent the game was on the line with Tejeda and Berkman coming up. It struck me as an important moment not only in the game, but maybe the season.

I said earlier in the year that this Redbirds team was fun to watch and I still can’t waiver much from that statement. They’re also sort of excruciating to watch sometimes. It’s understandable because this is the youngest team we’ve had in a long time. They leave men on base like it’s a life calling. Still, a certain degree of slack comes with youth. If you shit your pants when you’re thirty — kind of a problem, but when you do it at three years old, it’s all just part of growing up. The young cardinals seem to be growing up quickly, with a fewer pains along the way than I expected.

Not to seem overly pessimistic, but with high expectations often comes excruciating pain. At the beginning of the year, my hopes for the Cardinals were somewhat optimistic with a certain amount of understandable trepidation. All of a sudden, we start looking pretty good and I assume we should win every damned game we play. It’s easy to complain, much harder to be realistic.

The Cardinals are still hanging in there. The pitching has remained pretty decent to almost great and the hitting has been just good enough to win more than a few ballgames. I would have been much happier if they could have managed to put a hurting on the lowly Giants, but they took two of three from the Astros, so that will suffice. It’s at least better to play tough within your own division. The team still doesn’t seem that great on paper, but since that isn’t where the games are played, I suppose that’s just fine. I’ve been frustrated quite a lot with the managing so far this year, so I feel I should write about that this week.

I’m just going to admit it. Tony LaRussa is smarter than me about baseball.

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m very happy and somewhat surprised by the Cardinals so far this season.

Sure, we’re towards the top of the standings, but that’s not why I’m happy necessarily. We’ve had great pitching thus far, and though that gives me a nervous thrill, that’s not even why I’m happy. Our hitting looks functional and our defense looks vastly improved, but even those things aren’t really why I’m so happy with the redbirds.

I’m happy because they are once again fun to watch.

It’s hard to know what to think of the St. Louis Cardinals this coming year. Like a first trip to a Thai restaurant, I’m both excited and fearful. Actually, it may be more comparable to taking home an insanely drunk girl after last call. I’m fairly sure it will be sloppy, with a few exciting moments, eventually leaving me with a sort of unclean feeling. In reality, it will probably be most like a cancer patient: good days and bad days with an ending I had dreaded yet totally anticipated. The Cardinals may end up being just fine, but I really have my doubts.