Tales from the 2007 World Series

My friend Bill Kelly -- a lifelong Cardinal fan and now by geography, a Rockies fan -- reported on his experience at this year's Series. It's a good read even if it isn't about the White Sox:

Had a guy in a BoSox uniform call me out on baseball history -- CARDINALS BASEBALL HISTORY -- at the WS game last night. No, I did not misspeak. He was in a Red Sox uniform. Not a Red Sox jersey. Not a Red Sox jersey and a matching hat. No, he wore a full-out, game-ready, Red Sox uniform. The finish, I note, is that his uniform was complete with two batting gloves. They started hanging out of each back pocket. He put them on in the 5th inning.

He was sitting behind my friends and me. I was saying I think the ALCS and NLCS is too long, and I asked in what year they went to a best of 7. The stranger interrupted our conversation, leaning far forward between us, to tell me that the NLCS and the ALCS was always best of 7, and that my notion that it was once a best of 5 was simply ridiculous and uninformed. He wondered aloud how I could possibly be so ignorant. It was clear that the stranger was on a campaign to be the recognized Section 133 baseball expert. Clearly, all questions were to be directed towards him and him alone in the future.

I politely told the Ghost of Bucky Dent that in 1982, the Cards swept the Braves 3-0 before beating the Brewers 4-3. And that while I cannot recall if we swept the Braves in 3 or in 4 in 1985, I am certain of that record in 1982, and that is how I know this to be the case.He said something about how I am dumb, how I could even be at the game, was a "typical Rockies fan" and then he wondered if I had $100 to bet him on the fact.

I stood up. I told him I would get the $100 from an ATM, but that when I prove that I am right, I do not want $100 but rather I want both of his batting gloves and his solemn promise that he will never wear that costume to any MLB game anywhere ever again unless he is on the roster.

About 3 rows of people -- BoSox and Rox fans united for the first time all series -- started clapping and laughing.

He said no deal.

Then we all broke out our smart phones and then I, of course, took him to school.

My 3 friends started calling him "Little League" and asking him if he wanted a juice box before we asked the coach to put him in.

He got up to leave.

I said, "One more thing: Cardinals fans don't know everything about baseball and we don't pretend to. But we don't talk SMACK. When we say they know something as a fact, it's because we do."Without a word, he left. We all high fived -- Sox, Cards and Rox fans, perfect strangers, all united for just a short but beautiful moment in time.