This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 5, 2009 - And so it's the Los Angeles Dodgers. One-hundred and sixty two games later, the National League Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals will square off against the NL West's best in the National League Divisional Series. The winner gets a berth in the National League Championship Series. But bragging rights are also at stake.
Team vs. Team. City vs. City.
Let's break it down. Since the Dodgers have home-field advantage, they go first.
Joe Torre vs. Tony La Russa.
Manny Ramirez vs. Albert Pujols.
The West Coast vs. The Midwest.
The Left Coast vs. The Flyover.
Mannywood vs. Big Mac Land.
Dreds vs. Moustaches.
Sushi vs. Barbecue.
Wine vs. Beer.
The Dodger Dog vs. Kosher Best.
Bad Pizza vs. Bad Pizza.
The Valley vs. The Hill.
Smog vs. Humidity.
Ocean vs. River.
Real Mass Transit vs. MetroLink.
Real Traffic Jams vs. Slight Traffic Inconvenience.
Arrive Late, Leave Early Fans vs. Arrive Early, Leave Late Fans.
Randy Newman vs. Chuck Berry.
LAX vs. Whatever is left at Lambert.
No NFL team vs. Well, Currently No NFL Team.
Two NBA Teams vs. Lost NBA Team.
Jackie Robinson vs. Curt Flood.
Sandy Koufax vs. Bob Gibson.
Chavez Ravine vs. The Near South Side.
Dodger Stadium vs. Busch Stadiums I and II.
Statewide Smoking Ban vs. Smoking Everywhere.
Palm Trees vs. Fall Leaves.
70 Degrees vs. Winter.
75 Degrees vs. Summer.
Blue vs. Red.
Them vs. Us.
Cardinals win series in four games.
And bring on Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies for a knock-down drag-out seven-game NLCS.
I can't wait to do the match-up with Philly!
Alvin A. Reid is editor of the St. Louis Argus and a weekend host on the new ESPN 101.1 FM. His weekly Major League Baseball - St. Louis Cardinals column, which is now published on The Beacon website, was honored by the Missouri Press Association as Best Sports Column in 2004 and 1999. He is co-author of the book, "Whitey's Boys: A Celebration of the 1982 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals" and was a member of the inaugural staff of USA TODAY Baseball Weekly.