Cards history after 3-0 starts

[BrummerStealsHome]

It's a good one, but I will resist the temptation to read too much into it. I am on the record in the wins for the season prediction thread for 86 wins. My thinking is more like 83 wins, but whatever, I think this team is a bit above .500. That would fit with previous teams 3-0 starts. Here is the article in question:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... 5a408.html

Has it really been 19 years since the Cardinals started the season 3-0. Wow. But they won the WS that year. You have to go back 4 iterations in 39 years to find a Cardinals team that started 3-0 and finished with a losing record. The '86 team was a very good tem, as evidenced by winning pennants both the year immediately before and immediately after, so why the losing record. I remember that season very well, as the lingering effects of that horrible loss to the Royals in the WS had the fans thirsting for vindication. They started 7-1, then the hated rival Mets came to Busch for a 4-game series with early season first place on the line. Howard Johnson, Howard f'in Johnson hit a 2-run homer off Todd Worrell in the top of the 9th to tie the game, which they won in 10 innings, then went on to sweep the Cards in 4 games at Busch. The Cards never recovered. That sweep started a 1-12 slide, which led to a 9-17 May, ending the month 10 games under .500 and 14.5 games behind the eventual world champion Pond Scum. The Cards posted winning records in June, July, Aug, and Sept, but were long out of it, and closing out the year 0-4 for October put them a coupld games under .500 for the year.

I have a vivid memory of watching that last game of the year, on a dark, dank day at Wrigley. The game was almost called on account of darkness, and I sat in my living room watching the whole damned thing. A depressing end to a depressing season. I think about times like that and I don't get so worked up about the troubles with the team today.

[St. Lew]

I got your back when you start the magic number countdown, Brum!

[Lloyd Braun]

It's a good one, but I will resist the temptation to read too much into it. I am on the record in the wins for the season prediction thread for 86 wins. My thinking is more like 83 wins, but whatever, I think this team is a bit above .500. That would fit with previous teams 3-0 starts. Here is the article in question:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... 5a408.html

Has it really been 19 years since the Cardinals started the season 3-0. Wow. But they won the WS that year. You have to go back 4 iterations in 39 years to find a Cardinals team that started 3-0 and finished with a losing record. The '86 team was a very good tem, as evidenced by winning pennants both the year immediately before and immediately after, so why the losing record. I remember that season very well, as the lingering effects of that horrible loss to the Royals in the WS had the fans thirsting for vindication. They started 7-1, then the hated rival Mets came to Busch for a 4-game series with early season first place on the line. Howard Johnson, Howard f'in Johnson hit a 2-run homer off Todd Worrell in the top of the 9th to tie the game, which they won in 10 innings, then went on to sweep the Cards in 4 games at Busch. The Cards never recovered. That sweep started a 1-12 slide, which led to a 9-17 May, ending the month 10 games under .500 and 14.5 games behind the eventual world champion Pond Scum. The Cards posted winning records in June, July, Aug, and Sept, but were long out of it, and closing out the year 0-4 for October put them a coupld games under .500 for the year.

I have a vivid memory of watching that last game of the year, on a dark, dank day at Wrigley. The game was almost called on account of darkness, and I sat in my living room watching the whole damned thing. A depressing end to a depressing season. I think about times like that and I don't get so worked up about the troubles with the team today.

Pitching was great, but the offense was abysmal.

Clark only played 65 games and there was no more Cedeno to fill in and pick up the load. That team stood no chance without Clark in the middle.

Andy Van Slyke was the only Cardinal to hit above league average, and Ozzie was the only one great at getting on base.
They did pick up Oquendo, which proved to be a big piece for the future, but he only got 158 PAs.

Van Slyke led the team with 13 homers. Not to be outdone, the 1991 team's leader was Todd Zeile with 11.

[RunSup]

It's a good one, but I will resist the temptation to read too much into it. I am on the record in the wins for the season prediction thread for 86 wins. My thinking is more like 83 wins, but whatever, I think this team is a bit above .500. That would fit with previous teams 3-0 starts. Here is the article in question:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... 5a408.html

Has it really been 19 years since the Cardinals started the season 3-0. Wow. But they won the WS that year. You have to go back 4 iterations in 39 years to find a Cardinals team that started 3-0 and finished with a losing record. The '86 team was a very good tem, as evidenced by winning pennants both the year immediately before and immediately after, so why the losing record. I remember that season very well, as the lingering effects of that horrible loss to the Royals in the WS had the fans thirsting for vindication. They started 7-1, then the hated rival Mets came to Busch for a 4-game series with early season first place on the line. Howard Johnson, Howard f'in Johnson hit a 2-run homer off Todd Worrell in the top of the 9th to tie the game, which they won in 10 innings, then went on to sweep the Cards in 4 games at Busch. The Cards never recovered. That sweep started a 1-12 slide, which led to a 9-17 May, ending the month 10 games under .500 and 14.5 games behind the eventual world champion Pond Scum. The Cards posted winning records in June, July, Aug, and Sept, but were long out of it, and closing out the year 0-4 for October put them a coupld games under .500 for the year.

I have a vivid memory of watching that last game of the year, on a dark, dank day at Wrigley. The game was almost called on account of darkness, and I sat in my living room watching the whole damned thing. A depressing end to a depressing season. I think about times like that and I don't get so worked up about the troubles with the team today.

Pitching was great, but the offense was abysmal.

Clark only played 65 games and there was no more Cedeno to fill in and pick up the load. That team stood no chance without Clark in the middle.

Andy Van Slyke was the only Cardinal to hit above league average, and Ozzie was the only one great at getting on base.
They did pick up Oquendo, which proved to be a big piece for the future, but he only got 158 PAs.

Van Slyke led the team with 13 homers. Not to be outdone, the 1991 team's leader was Todd Zeile with 11.

Fast forward 1 more year to April 17,1987 and Tommy Herr hits the walk off HR to beat the Mets in 11 innings and seat cushions rained down from the stands.

What I get from the article: 101 wins and a WS victory is in play. Also 83 wins and a WS victory. Also anything in between with roller coaster of results.

Winning is fun. Go figure.

[BrummerStealsHome]

It's a good one, but I will resist the temptation to read too much into it. I am on the record in the wins for the season prediction thread for 86 wins. My thinking is more like 83 wins, but whatever, I think this team is a bit above .500. That would fit with previous teams 3-0 starts. Here is the article in question:

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... 5a408.html

Has it really been 19 years since the Cardinals started the season 3-0. Wow. But they won the WS that year. You have to go back 4 iterations in 39 years to find a Cardinals team that started 3-0 and finished with a losing record. The '86 team was a very good tem, as evidenced by winning pennants both the year immediately before and immediately after, so why the losing record. I remember that season very well, as the lingering effects of that horrible loss to the Royals in the WS had the fans thirsting for vindication. They started 7-1, then the hated rival Mets came to Busch for a 4-game series with early season first place on the line. Howard Johnson, Howard f'in Johnson hit a 2-run homer off Todd Worrell in the top of the 9th to tie the game, which they won in 10 innings, then went on to sweep the Cards in 4 games at Busch. The Cards never recovered. That sweep started a 1-12 slide, which led to a 9-17 May, ending the month 10 games under .500 and 14.5 games behind the eventual world champion Pond Scum. The Cards posted winning records in June, July, Aug, and Sept, but were long out of it, and closing out the year 0-4 for October put them a coupld games under .500 for the year.

I have a vivid memory of watching that last game of the year, on a dark, dank day at Wrigley. The game was almost called on account of darkness, and I sat in my living room watching the whole damned thing. A depressing end to a depressing season. I think about times like that and I don't get so worked up about the troubles with the team today.

Pitching was great, but the offense was abysmal.

Clark only played 65 games and there was no more Cedeno to fill in and pick up the load. That team stood no chance without Clark in the middle.

Andy Van Slyke was the only Cardinal to hit above league average, and Ozzie was the only one great at getting on base.
They did pick up Oquendo, which proved to be a big piece for the future, but he only got 158 PAs.

Van Slyke led the team with 13 homers. Not to be outdone, the 1991 team's leader was Todd Zeile with 11.

Winning is contagious. So is losing. Fans discount the psychology of sport, as if making an obscene amount of money doing something is enough incentive to always perform well. It's a lot easier for a .300 hitter to hit .330 when everyone around him is hitting and the team is winning, than for that same itter to hit .280 when everyone around him is trying to stay above the Mendoza line. There was no coming back from the April 2023 disaster. As to the two examples from the mid-80s, those early season series against the Mets in '86 and '87 set the tone for the entire season. One good, one bad.

[Strummer Jones]

That 2003 season wasn't as bad as I remembered from a record standpoint. I think it just felt worse because that bullpen was gawdawful for most of the season.

[Lloyd Braun]

That 2003 season wasn't as bad as I remembered from a record standpoint. I think it just felt worse because that bullpen was gawdawful for most of the season.

Yep and it all came down to blowing an early September series in Chicago, otherwise we win that division.

[OldRed]

It sure better than starting 0 - 3.

[Clubmaker2]

ah, when they pitched Jeff Fassero constantly....

[Strummer Jones]

ah, when they pitched Jeff Fassero constantly....

And the human Niagra Falls, Esteban Yan. And I think that was the year of Pedro Bourbon Jr. And Lance Painter. And Russ Springer. And Garrett Stephenson. And Brett Tomko.