St. Louis can throw a party under an arch.

Really, how inspirational is that? St. Louis is known as the gateway to the midwest. Great. Go North and you reach cornfields. South and you reach Mississippi (lots of culture there). Let's not even get into East and West.

One word: Missouri.

Don't think this doesn't operate in a player's subconscious. When the moment of truth arrives in a series, and a player must dig deep to produce that critical hit or leap the extra inch for a diving catch, the rewards for execution can uncover the hidden energy that makes the play happen.

Piazza will celebrate his moon shots off Daryl Kile with drinks from the 21 Club, steaks from Bobby Vans and a rave at the Flow (and then go home to his Playmate of the Millennium girlfriend).

The best Will "the Thrill" Clark can hope for is a Bud and a hi-five from a yokel with a beer gut. And while I'm sure that Birdy means well, the deck was stacked against him from birth.

Pity the poor midwest.

The Mets and Cardinals have clashed before. This is a rivalry that flourished in the eighties, steeped in names like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. They had some epic battles during that time but when the dust had settled on the decade only one team emerged with a World Series championship.