The Rangers are playing the Cardinals again and that only means drudging up old, bad memories.

I was at Game 6 in St Louis in 2011 when baseball punched me in the stomach. I was at Game 7 the next night when baseball finished it off with a kick to the teeth.

It was heartbreaking. As David Murphy’s fly ball was heading safely into Alan Craig’s glove for the final out, I got up to leave. I couldn’t bear to watch them celebrate. But as I moved down the ramps of Busch Stadium as quickly as I could, I was nearly knocked over by the tidal wave of more than 100,000 Cardinals fans flooded in. Once the final out was recorded, the team opened the gates to the throng of people waiting outside and they rushed in to be part of the celebration.

I wanted no part of that. I didn’t want to see it. But I did want to feel it one day.

That night I had a dream. I am not kidding about this. In my dream I kept hearing the same word over and over again. Eight. Eight. Eight.

The voice in my dream was Eric Nadel and he kept telling me finally, after eight year, the Rangers win it all. Eight years. Eight years.

That year is this year. It’s not baseball kicking me in the stomach this time. It’s the Rangers front office.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Miles Mikolas (4-3, 3.85) vs. Jose Leclerc (1-1, 6.32)
Game time: 7:05