For Mike Volonnino's sake, even I, a St. Louis Cardinal fan, have to admit that it's a good thing Volonnino's New York Mets won the National League Championship Series.

I didn't want to see him cry.

I can take it, though, even after watching the Cardinals fall apart more times than an Edsel, crashing and burning in five games.

The Mets ran more like a Ferrari, but then again, you'd expect that when a team spends at a Ferrari-like pace.

Granted, the Cardinals have also spent a lot on players, but it's also hard to rely on a car without a consistent starter. Cardinal pitching Coach Dave Duncan is normally a great mechanic, fine-tuning his pitchers into well-oiled machines. But this postseason, I wish he would have spent a little more time on Rick Ankiel's mechanics.

Speaking of starters, Darryl Kile starting three of the seven games (seven games...sigh) was a mistake. Cardinal Manager Tony LaRussa's gamble was like nearly any bet made in Vegas: a losing one. Of course, the odds always look good when you're approaching the table.

The only bright spot in the starting rotation came from Andy Benes in the Cardinals' only win. Benes, who didn't pitch in the Cardinals' three-game domination of the Atlanta Braves, gave up just two runs over 8 innings in Game Three.

St. Louis rookie right-hander Britt Reames did show promise out of the bullpen, pitching 4.1 innings of one-run relief in Game Two after Ankiel started the game wilder than Ricky Vaughn.