It just feels weird

This whole season has been difficult to wrap my head around.  With the possible exception of the remarkable April this Cardinals team had, following the team just hasn't felt quite right this year.  Something has been a little off, and I can't put my finger on it.  Maybe it's that on some subconscious level, I've been looking into that dugout for familiar faces like TLR, Pujols or others.  Maybe it's that World Series hangover I keep hearing about.  Maybe it's just some inexplicable thing that ill never be able to discover and/or articulate.  Maybe I'm the one who has changed in some way, who knows?

Either way, the whole thing has just been weird.

I mean, here I sit (watching LAD @ SD for wildcard implications) on the 27th of September, and the Cards are on the bubble for that new 2nd wild card spot.  How did it get to this point?

Most of the Cardinals lineup is batting .300 or better, and those that aren't are barely shy of the mark.  There is a 16-game winner and a 17-game winner in the starting rotation, and Wainwright (who has 13 wins) looks like he'll finish the year just shy of 200 strikeouts & 200 innings.  In spite of those facts, there's a very real chance that this team could miss the playoffs this year.

Then, on the flip side you've got the better part of the AAA roster playing on the big club day-in, day-out.  Maybe that's the difference.  So many rookies, the vets are hurting, and the roster has expanded enough for everyone to have their share of playing time.  I don't know.

Whatever it is, I hope I'm wrong.  At the very least I hope I'm wrong enough to shake the feeling, and enjoy any kind of run this team may make.  Either way, these next six games are sure to be big!