In an era in which too many athletes point to the heavens and otherwise invoke God to explain why they won, say, a baseball game, this week might represent one instance in which a divine act might be in order for the World Series.
Weather forecasters are predicting that there is a good chance rain will wash out Game 6, scheduled for Wednesday in St. Louis. That would mean Game 6 would be played Thursday and—were the Cardinals to win—Game 7 would be pushed from Thursday to Friday.
That, in turn, would mean Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter would have had three days between yesterday’s start and Game 7, and it’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t then be manager Tony La Russa’s first choice to take the mound in a one-game showdown for all the marbles, especially since all of the team’s other starters have been struggling at best.
It’s true that Carpenter faired poorly during the only time he's pitched on three day’s rest in his career—on October 2, in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against Philadelphia—but as the team’s best big-game pitcher since Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson, he would have to be given the ball. It’s also true that the Texas Rangers could counter with their ace, C.J. Wilson, but he doesn’t have Carpenter’s pedigree in key games.
So those of you who like to mix sports and religion have a role to play this week: Pray for rain.
SLM co-owner Ray Hartmann is a panelist on KETC Channel 9’s Donnybrook, which airs Thursdays at 7 p.m.
