2000 will be a difficult season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Their chief foe will be the Cincinnati Reds. All the Reds did in 1999 was win 96 games and acquire the best player in baseball in the off-season. Despite losing a 22 game winner, Houston must still be considered stronger than the Red Birds. The first exhibition game will be in two weeks, with opening day a month later.
Baseball is a long marathon that needs to be paced one step at a time.
That is one of many reasons why Baseball is God's most perfect game. Time will tell whether the 2000 Cardinals can run with the big dogs. That is why the games are played. But the Red Bird fans have the luxury of knowing that in the wild and wonderful world of professional sports, strange things can indeed happen. Just ask the Rams or perhaps the Blues.