MAKE IT POST HATE
Cubs, Cardinals bring animosity to playoff meeting for the first time, and I can’t wait
ST. LOUIS— Could it get any better than this? Of course, it could. For extra tension, the Cubs and Cardinals could be playing each other in the National League Championship Series instead of the NL Division Series. That way, they’d have a possible seven games to cultivate their dislike for each other instead of a possible five.
And if there were some cosmic force running baseball, the Cardinals could be realigned right into the American League so the teams could meet in the World Series, which the Cubs would win after 106 years of trying, leading, of course, to the end of the world. But this will do. How the Cubs plan to top the wild-card victory Wednesday over the Pirates, I know not. But starting Friday in Game 1 of this NLDS, they’ll aim higher. They have risen to the occasion at almost every turn this season. They have done what they weren’t expected to do. Some of these Cubs are rookies who don’t know better. Some are veterans who know enough to know this is special.
We know it’s Cubs-Cardinals, with all the attendant bad blood and historical antipathy. The only thing missing is Tony La Russa’s nose in the air, all a-sniff in dismissal of the Cubs. Too bad.
This is the first time the archrivals will face each other in the postseason. The Cardinals are the gentry with the (world) titles, the Cubs the peasants with the pitchforks who want something better out of life. That’s a onedimensional oversimplification for which we make no apologies. Let the easy narratives begin. They happen to be true.
“They’re proven, we aren’t,’’ Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said Thursday. “They have a lot of guys with a lot of experience, we don’t as far as position-player-wise. But we’re ready for it. We know we can play with them.’’
“There’s great storylines out there, without question,’’ Cards manager Mike Matheny said. “It helps build this up. But you’ve got two rival teams already, two very good teams that won a lot of games this year and have had some tough matchups already.
“There’s plenty to help boost the excitement about this series, but for us and for them, it comes down to let’s just play the game. We can talk about it all we want. We can build it up all we want, but it gets down to let’s go out and do this and see who’s standing last.’’
The Cubs and Cardinals engaged in a battle of hit batters last month, adding a few more logs to the competitive fire. Recall Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s anger after the Sept. 18 game at Wrigley Field, in which Cards pitcher Matt Belisle plunked Rizzo:
“That really showed me a lot today in a negative way. I don’t know who put out the hit. I don’t know if Tony Soprano is in the dugout. I didn’t see him in there. But we’re not going to put up with it, from them or anybody else.’’
On Friday, Jon Lester will face St. Louis’ John Lackey, his onetime Boston teammate. Both know something about intense rivalries, having been through the Yankees-Red Sox battles. This is that, without the accents. Both pitchers say they will work the corners of the plate, with dominance in mind, not malice.
“Everybody, even on their side, knows I’mnot going to back off on coming inside,’’ Lackey said. “I think I’ve got enough of a reputation. They know what time it is.’’
The Cardinals think it’s their time, again. They won 100 games this season despite some significant injuries.
The Cubs think it’s their time, and who’s to argue? Look at the wild-card game. Untested playoff team beats the Pirates in Pittsburgh with a killer combination of unblinking confidence, childlike wonder and a lights-out Jake Arrieta. Kyle Schwarber, a half-season of bigleague baseball under his belt, accounting for three of the Cubs’ four runs in an elimination game? If you say so.
Arrieta will step on stage for Game 3Monday at Wrigley, raising the question, What happens when you cross a zoo with a funny farm?
But that’s for later. For now, sit back and enjoy Cubs-Cardinals, a rivalry fueled by passionate fan bases and the occasional errant pitch.
“All-out war? No,’’ Rizzo said when asked what he expects from this series, especially after the bad feelings from last month’s meetings. “I look for baseball, up to five games.’’ That will do. Follow me on Twitter @MorrisseyCST.