The Red Sox didn't hit much in the 2013 World Series, but the Cardinals hit less. Therefore they got beat in six. Poor old Wacha Wacha couldn't pull out another historic pitching performance, and with another 1-run effort by St. Louis in Game 6 it would have taken something particularly historic to win that one. They were kind of stuck on 1-run offensive outputs, and that won't get it done.
Still, it was a good year with gratifying series wins over Pittsburgh and the Dodgers to get to the World Series, and you can't win them all.
I really can't think of anything in particular the Cardinals need to worry about for 2014, other than not hitting in the World Series if they make it again.
Their only real question mark is Carlos Beltran in right field; if he takes a big contract somewhere else (I don't figure he's worth more than $15 million a year to St. Louis) then Oscar Taveras and his bad ankle will have to get better fast and be ready for next year.
They could use a least a little offense out of Kozma or some other shortstop and a little more hitting from 2011 hero David Freeze at third; offensively it should be almost all there for next year, even if Beltan bolts.
It's hard to imagine too many pitching problems cropping up, but they always do.
One thing is, they pretty much stripped their minor leagues of pitching using so many rookies this year ... or did they?
And as far as I know, there really aren't a lot of position players at Memphis or Springfield ready to come up, but maybe (probably) I don't know what I'm talking about.
I'd like to see Chris Carpenter take the mound a few more times next year, just for old times' sake, even if he doesn't make it through the year.
I guess we'll just have to see about all that.
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My incompetence in Pigskin Payoff picking is remaining steadily obvious, as I'm only ahead of the notoriously poor picker Harry Darby in this year's contest.
I invited My Dear Sweet Sainted Mother to do the guest picking this week, after she bragged about accurately predicting the score of the Cardinals' 5-4 win in Game 3 of the World Series. I'm sure she'll do as well as I ever do, even though football has never been one of her strong points.
Sure, she watched me play in high school, and watched a lot of middle son Kit's exploits as a Gosnell middle linebacker and running back back in the mid-90s, but I don't think she ever really had a command of the game such as she has with baseball.
But what's that got to do with picking winners?
I know more about football than anybody on the panel, and I can't pick winners. These high schools are just a mystery to me, that's all.
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Dr. Matt Jones made his own little comeback with pars on the 17th and 18th holes Wednesday as I three-putted away a 2-up lead and got tied in the match, thus having to buy my own post-round drink. I started off with three bogeys in the first five holes to go 3-down, then parred every hole until the 17th to go ahead before ending with the two bogeys to blow it back to all-square.
Such is life on a small town golf course.
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It is truly good that some of the excessive sales tax is coming off what Blytheville merchants have to charge their customers ... it has to be good for business from several standpoints. 9.75 percent is still too high, of course, but 9.5 after the first of the year will help a little more.
Still, what Blytheville needs more than anything is more options for people to shop or otherwise spend their money. We've got the standard Mexican, Chinese, pizza joints and fast-food options, but nothing really unique in the way of restaurants unless you count the Dixie Pig.
Who remembers the old Villa? That place had a little class, back in my high school days. After it burned down it got re-established in the Sands Motel spot, then closed again.
Harry Shearin had a really neat steak house going for a while there, and we all miss the Sharecropper, which got turned into a railroad overpass construction project.
I know Blytheville is not exactly a retailer's paradise, but another decent restaurant or two would be nice.
dtennyson@blythevillecourier.com