As a lifelong Cardinals fan, nurtured by radio broadcasts early in life and working on up through today's TV coverage of virtually every game, I have to say this season has been an odd one.
I've mentioned that 16 years is a long, long time to put up with Tony LaRussa and his odd fixation on changing relief pitchers until he finds one the other team can hit.
Well, in Thursday night's game, the Mets hit them all in the ninth inning and scored six times to steal a win the Cardinals really needed in their belated run for a playoff berth.
But you do have to play all 27 outs.
As far as I can tell, the Cardinals have five relief pitchers, working backwards from closer Jason Mott, then setup men Fernando Salas, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and Arthur Rhodes. Nobody else has relieved in I don't know when, and by and large, this group has been doing a great job lately ... until Thursday night. But they are all over-pitched, especially Mott, who had probably thrown 100 pitches on the mound and in the bullpen the last two days, and it showed up quick against the fairly miserable Mets.
There's still a chance Atlanta will keep faltering and the Cardinals can catch them, but Thursday night's game hurt really, really bad.
I thought my Dear Sweet Sainted Wife was going to go apoplectic when the Mets went ahead (she never was a very good loser).
------
There have been several good letters to the editor and news stories about the city's IRS problems, but still there is no solution in sight.
But if the city fathers expect the citizens to pass a sales tax increase to cover this shortfall to the IRS, I have one thing to say: good luck.
You're going to have to come up with something besides that, and I can't tell you what it is.
------
Thunder Bayou greens superintendent Jeff Haskins, who has been on board since the get-go out there, has slipped off to Paragould Country Club and some decisions are going to have to be made soon about the continuing existence of the golf course.
If my information is correct, the 1/4-cent sales tax voted in years back to support the city Parks and Recreation Department has been used essentially to pay off the original loan (bond) to build Thunder Bayou and the Youth Sportsplex.
These loans should be retired late this year or early next year, and that will make about $50,000 a month available -- and specifically earmarked -- to run the Parks and Recreation in Blytheville, which ought to be plenty enough for everything -- including Thunder Bayou.
That was the original plan.
But if the city has to divert this money to settle with the IRS (which is probably not legal, but when has that ever mattered?) then I can see a rapid demise of not only Thunder Bayou, but the rest of the city Parks and Recreation infrastructure.
And with that, the city itself.
------
The city government has never been able to keep its various funds and spending allotments straight ... I guess the biggest boondoggle was when the city absorbed the Water Department (with an eye to its solid cash flow) a few years back.
But that's another story.
------
I want to stick in a word about my continuing Wednesday afternoon golf matches with Dr. Matt Jones, a young fellow who is converting a baseball background into a golf game that -- although a little spotty now and then -- is certainly good enough to compete with my rotten old game. But as of now, I'm one win ahead for my career against Jones, and can't help but rub it in ... especially since he hits the ball 75 yards past me off the tee.
------
I'll wrap up with an admission that my Pigskin Payoff picking has slipped even quicker than I would have expected ... first alone to tied for third in one lousy week.
That just shows to go you.
dtennyson@blythevillecourier.com