As a Cardinals fan, I can comfortably say the playoffs could not have gone better on the National League side. While I always like to see the Redbirds win at home, nothing could have beat being able to see Philadelphia fans as they watched in stunned disbelief while not the Cardinals celebrated a 3-2 series win, but their star first baseman lay injured on the ground. After being counted out entering September, the Cardinals not only stormed into the playoffs by outplaying the heavily favored Atlanta Braves down the stretch, the Cardinals entered Citizen's Bank Park for a game 5 against the overwhelming World Series favorite. The only thing missing from the victory was a sense of rivalry. I personally dislike the Phillies fanbase, but, as an organization, the Cardinals have never had bad blood with Philadelphia. My satisfaction with the win, aside from getting one step closer to the World Series, was solely because I greatly dislike the Philadelphia fanbase.
The NLCS is a different story. In Milwaukee, St. Louis has a natural division rival. This isn't a rivalry based on history, however, as Milwaukee has just recently started to perform well as a team. These two teams serve as great rivals due to vastly different organizational philosophies. While the Cardinals have incorporated some playful team-building mantras like “Happy Flight,” “Do It For Torty,” and of course the faith in the rally squirrel, on the playing field they are all business. The Brewers, on the other hand, have a lot of fun on the field. Between “Beast Mode” and the untucking of the shirts, they are very loose which aids in their success.
To get a better feel for the differences between these two teams, one needs only to look at the two players I feel embody their teams' personalities. For the Cardinals, a lot of the heart and soul comes from Yadier Molina. He is a very intense competitor who takes great pride in his team and his own abilities. He'll throw a fist pump when he guns a runner out at second and is quick to express himself to players who badmouth his teammates or the organization like he did with Brandon Phillips last year. The Brewers, however, have really taken a lot of their personality this year from Nyjer Morgan. Nyjer is a player with a history of showing unstable and egotistical behavior. When he was with Washington last year, he attempted a leaping catch at the wall and threw his glove down in anger when he didn't make the catch. He thought the ball had gone over the fence for a home run.
The ball didn't go over.
As Nyjer threw a tantrum over not making the catch, the ball had actually bounced off the wall and fallen on the ground behind him. The opposing player scored an inside the park home run because of Nyjer's complete lack of awareness and disrespect for the game.
Since coming to Milwaukee this past offseason, Nyjer has been embraced as the heart and soul of the Brewers. He has developed the “Beast Mode” rally cry and embroiled himself into the blossoming Cardinals-Brewers rivalry by starting an argument with Chris Carpenter and hurling insults at Albert Pujols over Twitter. He encompasses everything that is the antithesis of the Cardinals organization. He does his talking off the field. He is a polarizing figure that the Cardinals players and fans can rally against. As one of those fans, I want the Cardinals to shut Nyjer Morgan up. I loved when the Cardinals lit Zack Greinke up after he said in an interview that he felt Carpenter's on-field intensity was fake. The Cardinals showed that Greinke's comments were just the chirpings of another Brewer.
Which is exactly what the Brewers' braggadocios talk sounds like to fans of the game. The Cardinals are the most storied team in the National League. They have the second most World Series titles in history. They have won 17 NL pennants and seven NL Central titles. The Brewers NL Central crown this season was their first, but they have NL pennants and no World Series titles to their name. There isn't a team in the National League Central that can match the Cardinals in terms of legacy and prestige, but every year a new contender puts together a good season and challenges the throne. This season, though, the Brewers simply don't have the resume to back up all of their talk. If they want a rivalry with the Cardinals, they have to do more than just win the NL Central and beat St Louis in the NLCS. The Cubs have a far better history than the Brewers and even they struggle to claim they have a rivalry with St Louis. The Brewers don't have the credentials to attack the alpha wolf in the National League.
This season, though, they have chirped. They have chattered. They have thrown rocks at the walls of Busch stadium begging for the Cardinals to take notice. At the very least, they got my attention. I hate Nyjer Morgan and his big talk Twitter insults. How was that double “Alberta” hit over your head? I hate Prince Fielder and his veggie burger filled gut. Not like he matters since he can't wait for this series to be over so he can get the hell out of Milwaukee. I hate Ryan Braun, but only because he's too good to play on this joke of a team. I hate Zack Greinke. Who are you to call Chris Carpenter's personality fake when you're on the same team as “Tony Plush”. I hate K-Rod's fist pump. How'd that vesting option for games finished work out for you? I hate the Brewers more than I've ever hated the Chicago Cubs. You want a rivalry, Milwaukee? Try to keep up. This series is your first lesson in respecting your superiors.
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