By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Cards will take out Yanks in World Series
Book Nelly for the victory parade and break out the cases of Budweiser. The St. Louis Cardinals are going to be the 2000 World Champions.
They're not from New York. They don't have Barry Bonds. They didn't add Andy Ashby or David Justice or Glenallen Hill or Jose Canseco for the stretch run.
They've been good enough to win the World Series from day one, which should be reason enough to root for the Cards, a team that has had the offensive firepower for years but has been dogged by poor pitching.
After adding pitchers Daryl Kile, Pat Hentgen, Dave Veres and Andy Benes last offseason, the Redbirds steamrolled through the 2000 regular season despite losing first baseman Mark McGwire for most of the second half.
The Cardinals replaced the oft-injured "Big Mac," seemingly rigid from years of muscle development, with Will Clark, who can best be described as a salty veteran.
Clark, known as one of baseball's worst people - has a killer instinct that makes him exactly the kind of player who can put a team over the top.
In 1998, the San Diego Padres added front-line starter Kevin Brown just before the season in an attempt to get the team angrier and more focused.
St. Louis has seemingly done the same thing in acquiring Clark, a wily veteran who will motivate Tony LaRussa's troops for the stretch run.
The Cards' infield - Clark, second baseman Fernando Vina, shortstop Edgar Renteria, and third baseman Fernando Tatis - is the best defensive front in the playoffs.
Renteria and Vina both honed their skills in two of the smallest markets in the league - Florida and Milwaukee, respectively - and will get a chance to shine in October.
With J.D. Drew, Jim Edmonds and Ray Lankford patrolling the outfield, the Cardinals should excel in the large outfields of Seattle's Safeco Field and Yankee Stadium.
The Cardinals should see their biggest challenge today, when they open up the Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
The Cardinals' chances against the Braves - which last played up to their potential in the Carter Administration - is as close to a sure thing as there is this in the 2000 playoffs.
I know: the Braves are the Braves. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Andres Galarraga make Atlanta the uniformed fans' favorite to repeat as National League Champs.
The Cards, however, have two intangibles that the Braves don't - a desire to win and an exciting crowd.
The Braves are used to the playoffs - hell, Turner Field can't draw more than 35,000 people until the N.L.C.S. comes around in mid-October.
The people of St. Louis - perhaps the best baseball city in America - will help propel the playoff-virgin Cardinals past the first round, and into the N.L.C.S, where St. Louis will cruise past the Mets for the National League title.
Then it's off to face the Yankees in the World Series. The Yankees - a team that has redefined arrogance in the past three seasons - will fall victim to the Cardinals, a team that will usher in a new era in major league baseball.
The Cardinals are a talented team that's actually watchable. What a concept.
