A let down by Lidge

Last night I watched with baited breathe every inning of the 5th game in the NLCS. I went up and down on a rollercoaster of feelings as the Astros gained a run, then got behind when the Cardinals hit a home run with a runner on second, and towards the end the Astros had Berkman hit a beautiful homer with two runners out on the field, thus bringing the game to a score of 4 to 2 Astros.


Then Lidge came out for the 9th inning to close this baby down and get the Astros to the World Series for the first time in the history of the team franchise. We all thought it was over...I mean Lidge never fails. They don't call him "Lights Out" Lidge for nothing. The first two outs went as planned. Easy, 1 and 2 and they were heading back to the dugout. But then something went wrong. Lidge started to falter, and then there was a big let down. The Cardinals kept hitting and got two runners on base. I watched with fear as Pujols, the best hitter in the League, walked up to bat. Then it happened...A home run by Pujols. There we were, in the 9th inning 5 to 4 Cardinals. Lidge looked stunned and didn't know what to do. It was over...We would be going to a 6th game in the series; only this time we would play at Busch Stadium (and we all know the Astros don't fair to well when they aren't at home). I fear that this is looking way to much like last year's series. I need to keep the faith.


Now I have a new boy on the pitching team that I have put my faith in, and his name is Brandon Backe. Backe is a young one, but he is already a starting pitcher for the Astros. He was born and raised in Galveston (which is a good thing) and has always dreamed of playing for his home team. He has managed to play some pretty flawless games so far this postseason, so I have decided to back Backe. I have noticed that he is also a great motivator for the rest of the team. He has been caught on tape many times telling his teammates how good they are going to do, or giving high fives and words of encouragement (what a nice guy). I watched last night as he was caught bouncing up and down let a giddy school boy as the 9th inning drama unfolded before him; and a World Series run was being dangled in front of his young career. He's kind of funny looking...But I like him!