MLB PLAYOFFS: TAGUCHI! (GESUNDHEIT)

By the way, if you went to bed last night before the end of the Mets-Cardinals game, and then woke up with a strange feeling, it has nothing to do with So Taguchi's sudden home run power.

Joe Buck, the whitest guy alive, used the word "ho" on the air last night. While signing off after the Cardinals beat the Mets 9-6 to level the National League championship series at a game apiece, Joe freaking Buck said, "Hey, ho... we'll see you in St. Louis," over the strains of The Ramones' Blitzkrieg Bop.

Gabba gabba we, gabba gabba hey, Joey Ramone must be spinning in his grave today.

That's neither here nor there, though.

The Cardinals, the 83-win Cardinals, could conceivably win the NL pennant without even having to return to Shea Stadium. Now that would be too bad for us Blue Jays fans who would like to see Carlos Delgado play in World Series, so much for sentimentality (and last night at least, the Mets relief pitching).

Everyone was so smug about a Mets romp, and they make it take it in five games yet, but Thomas Boswell's column in today's Washington Post points out that the baseball gods may have decided to throw Cardinals manager Tony La Russa a frickin' bone: "After a managerial lifetime as an overdog, La Russa finally has an underdog club with a chance to be the people's choice."

Long story short: La Russa's always been the genius manager whose teams have had that unfortunate knack for being on the wrong side of baseball history.

• His favoured Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series;
• The '96 Cards blew a 3-1 NLCS lead against the Braves, getting outscored 32-1 in the final three games
• In '92, his A's committed the biggest collapse in ALCS history, blowing a five-run lead in Game 4 against the Blue Jays, who went on to win in six
• The A's were swept by the Reds the 1990 World Series... no team had ever won as few regular-season games as the Reds (91) and swept the Series.
• Two words: Kirk Gibson

As for the ALCS, where the Tigers put a chill into the A's yesterday, winning 3-0 to move within a game of the Olde English D's first Series trip since 1984. Associate Blogger Neil Acharya, by the way, is the Prediction King. Neil called Tigers left-fielder Craig Monroe for ALCS MVP, and he's gone 4-for-10 with four runs scored, a homer and three RBI. If he gets a hit or two today and the Tigers finish off Oakland, he'll get some MVP consideration.

Oh, and Delgado, Neil's pick for NLCS MVP, hit two homers last night in a losing cause.

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.