World Series 2011: St. Louis Cardinals Born for Role of Lovable Underdogs

There aren't many that are willing to give the St. Louis Cardinals a shot to win the World Series over the Texas Rangers, and that is perfectly fine by them. 

The disparity is huge heading into the Fall Classic Wednesday. The majority of opinions have the big bats of the Rangers steam rolling to a World Series title over a Cardinals team that struggled just to get an invite into the postseason. 

The Cardinals will have to wear the wardrobe of underdog once again, something they have grown quite accustomed to. This isn't a sport that you can merely win with brawn. It takes a great deal of pitching and a does of luck to reap Fall Classic rewards. 

The Cardinals have both in droves. This is a team that managed to avert disaster doled out to them in the Adam Wainwright injury to start the season. 

If you think that another round of criticism that they are not worthy of this stage would derail their efforts, you would be wrong. This team has taken every last ounce of naysaying and used it to fuel their camaraderie. 

The Cardinals may have needed the very last day of the season to clinch a playoff berth, but they have proved they are worthy of this stage time and again. 

Granted, the Rangers lineup is as deep as any we have seen at the World Series, but they have holes to exploit in their starting rotation. 

The San Francisco Giants blazed the path last year with timely hitting from unlikely heroes. If you are looking for a carbon copy of that squad, the Cardinals will do. 

One may be so inclined to say they have even more power than the Giants squad in 2010. Albert Pujols can always be counted on with the hot bat, and Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday are no slouches. 

The emergence of David Freese as the probable x-factor has me hopeful that the Cardinals will give us a lot more excitement than we expect. 

The Cardinals may be underdogs, but they flourish under that label. Go ahead and count them out, because that is exactly what they want.