LONG LIVE THE KING! HAIL TO THE KING! BUT THE KING IS DEAD

Oh, it's not 1949, but it might as well be for the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. They didn't make the playoffs then, and they won't in 2007. It's not official, but after today's loss, they are on the outside looking in. I guess it just wasn't in the Cards.

What a year! Recap. (This will take awhile, faithful readers.) They couldn't sign Soriano or Schmidt or even their own free agents Suppan and Weaver. They added a few pieces, but certainly nothing to get excited about. You knew they couldn't repeat; no one does anymore. But the playoffs were expected until: Manager La Russa gets ticketed for a DUI in Jupiter, Florida, their Spring Training home.

Then Chris Carpenter, their ace pitcher and two -time (well he should have won it last season, too) Cy Young pitcher was lost for the season after he was hurt on Opening day. Their platoon left-fielder was lost for the season shortly afterwards with a bad knee.

One of their middle relief pitchers died in April in a car accident. Their All-Star center fielder suffered through the first half of the season with leg injuries as well as a concussion he sustained last year. Their All-Star third baseman was hurt almost all season before succumbing to shoulder surgery in August. Their World Series MVP suffered from back injuries almost all season and played in fewer than 100 games.

Their number two pitcher, Mark Mulder suffered rotator cuff surgery in April and only returned to pitch last week. First basman, perrenial All- World, Mr. Pujols has suffered all season with injuries too numerous to mention. He just ices and straps it up and goes on, but he's a trooper who has hurt most of the season. Free agent 2nd baseman Kennedy was operated on in July and lost for the remainder of the season. The other platoon left fielder suffered from a sports hernia and since July has been ineffective. His season was cut short the first of September.

Also in early September their right fielder, who started the season on the DL because of a wrist injury, took a foul ball to the face while standing in the on deck circle. He sufffered (boy, have I used that word a lot) a broken eye socket and his career is in jeopardy. In late August, one of their super subs entered drug rehab and was lost for a month.

Despite all that, on September 6 they won a game in which a minor league player called up in late August hit 2 home runs and drove in 7 runs in a game to put the Cardinals one game out of first place. Then The New York Daily News broke a story that the player who had contributed so much had received a shipment of HGH in 2004. HGH is a human growth drug that was banned by baseball in 2005. But it shook the snot out of the team. The player who had driven in 29 runs in 23 games along with 9 homers, went into a spiraling slump--2 for 29. End of dream, end of season. With their 9th straight loss since that announcement, the season is over.

There will be many who will say, "Get over it." Ok, I have. But I thought one more blog entry about one terrible baseball season would help me deal with it. And I'd say, "Wait till next year," but Cardinal fans don't say that. They just count the days.