FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Stealing a long running bit from Nick Bakay, here is a breakdown of my favorite rivalry in baseball -- the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs:

Starting off, let's look at the lineups --

At Catcher, you've got Yadi Molina and Jason LaRue vs. Geovanny Soto and Henry Blanco.  Soto is having a wonderful year, and earned a spot on the All Star team as a starter.  First time a rookie has started at C for the NL.  Impressive.  Yadi has a cannon for an arm, has been a post season hero and surprisingly good stats on offense this year.  The backups pit a porn-star mustache (LaRue) vs. one of the best buzz-mullets you'll find (Blanco).  Advantage:  Close, but the I think this one goes to the Cards.

First Base -- Derek Lee vs. Albert Pujols.  Lee is among the best on defense and is a feared bat in the 3 hole of the lineup.  Pujols is THE BEST HITTER IN THE GAME, and plays gold glove caliber defense.  Lee has seen his numbers dip in recent seasons.  Pujols comes back from most injuries early, and is playing through an elbow injury that could make him a full time DH in a worst case scenario.  Nicknames:  D-Lee vs. El Hombre.  Lee may have the better glove, but Pujols is the better all around player.  Advantage:  Cards in a landslide (sorry Cubs fans).

Second Base -- Both teams have a bit of a revolving door here.  DeRosa seems to be the main starter for the Cubs, while the Cards usually settle on Adam Kennedy or Aaron Miles.  DeRosa has an underrated bat, is as versatile as they come.  Kennedy is a shell of the guy who played for the Angels, and Miles is a scrappy but unspectacular veteran.  Both of these guys make you miss Grudz.  Advantage:  Cubs.

Short Stop -- Ryan Theriot vs. Miles/Cesar Izturis/Brendan Ryan.  Ryan gets points for the socks, Izturis' numbers seem passable only because he has been terrible for the past few years.  Miles is as underwhelming at short as he is at 2B.  Theriot is like the poor man's David Eckstein -- short, scrappy and always collecting hits.  Plus, one of the best nicknames in the game - "The Riot".  Advantage:  Cubs

Third Base -- Troy Glaus vs. Aramis Ramirez.  Ramirez has his moments where he makes you hate him -- most notably when he hits a grounder and runs out of the box like he's 87.  But the power and average make up for that most days, not to mention he's getting to be one of the better defensive 3B in the NL.  Glaus has his moments, but he's not a long term solution for St. Louis.  Advantage:  Cubs

Outfield -- Kosuke, Johnson/Edmonds, Soriano vs. Ludwick, Ankiel, Schumaker/Duncan/Barton.  Fukodome is a typical Japanese player - fundamentally sound, with very few weak points to his game.   Soriano is a star player, but showing some signs of fading.  Edmonds and Johnson are average at best.  Ankiel is an emerging slugger capable of highlight caliber throws from the warning track.  Ludwick is having a nice year, but starting to fade.  Schumaker is a nice but unspectacular player.  Duncan is an adventure on defense, but can punish right handed pitching when he's on his game.  Advantage:  Cards get the nod here because their overall defense is better.  It's very close, though, and I might say Cubs if I weren't a Cards fan.

Pitching -- The addition of Harden seems to tip the scale widely in favor of the Cubs, but you could argue that he'll just even the score on oft-injured former A's (The Cards have one in Mulder).  Zambrano is almost an ace and has the talent to be one.  Dempster's 1st half makes you wonder why he's been in the pen all this time.  Lilly is a solid #3 and Marquis is capable of either locking down the opponents or giving up 10 runs in less than 3 innings.  Were the Cards healthy, then they'd have a nice 1-2 punch with Carpenter and Wainwright.  If those guys both come back this season, the Cards could continue to hang in the race.  The real hero for St. Louis is Dave Duncan, who has turned a rotation featuring Lohse, Looper, Wellemeyer into one of the best in the NL.  Advantage:  Cubs, but Duncan makes this closer than it should be on paper.

Manager -- LaRussa vs. Piniella.  I'm going to say it, and Cubs fans might not like it, but its true.  Piniella has brought a Yankee-like attitude to the North Side.  The Cubs are tough and resilient under his watch, and he is the best tactical manager the Cubs have had in more than a decade.  LaRussa has his critics, but it's hard to argue that there are many managers in the game that could have inspired the '06 team to a title, kept the '07 team in the race amid countless problems, and is doing the same in '08 even though most of the team seems to find the DL.  Advantage:  Even, depending on your rooting preferences.

Stadium -- Wrigley vs. Busch.  Busch stadium is a modern day palace, and as comfortable a place to watch a game as you'll find -- St. Louis summers not withstanding.  Wrigley is a throwback and has a great atmosphere.  Advantage:  I'll say push because I love going to both parks.

Fans -- Old Style vs. Budweiser.  Cardinal fans as a whole are more knowlegeable and more respectful of the game.  Too many of the folks at Wrigley are there for block party atmosphere, and would show up to drink at the park if it were open on non-game days.  This is not to imply that there aren't many great baseball fans among the members of Cubs Nation, they just are not always well represented.  Baseball is a game that you should be able to share with your kids.  If I had kids, I would think twice before taking them to Wrigley.   Advantage:  Cards, with full recognition that my answer would be different if I were a Cubs fan.

Prospects for '08 -- The Cubs look like the best the NL has to offer this year.  If Harden stays healthy, then I think you're looking at your pennant winners.  I had a feeling the Cards would be better than most expected, but I didn't expect them to be as good as they have been.  That said, I don't see them really challenging the Cubs this year (or the Brewers for that matter), but I will say that I would not want to play this Cards team in the playoffs if they were the Wild Card team.  They are scrappy, they don't quit, and LaRussa and Duncan are working magic with what they have.  In the end, I think talent carries the day, but fans of the Cardinals can at least wear their red with pride.