As you probably realize by now, much of My Way of sports wagering has been molded by a kid named Sis Carvelli. Sis did things like suddenly unloading on a game after days of nothin’ but small-time action. He’d say he could feel it when he handicapped a game, like he locked in or somethin’. I’d seen him hit exact scores on more than one occasion when he was in the zone. This kid was amazing, to say the least.

 

Acourse, it wasn’t all sugar and spice and everything nice in Sis Town, though. Let’s go back to 1985 and that bastard, Don Denkinger. Sis was in the middle of an absolutely killer winning streak. He was cashin’ football plays at abouta 80% clip and he was on like an 8-0 run in the MLB postseason. It was the hottest streak in sports wagering that I have ever witnessed.

 

Sis returned from Nevada just as the World Series was starting. Fat Johnny’s two-dime limit had forced him to make a long trip for the large wager he desired on the underdog St Louis Cardinals. He flew down to Reno, made a bet at the Reno Turf Club on St Louis +132, went across the street to Cal Neva and played ‘em at +130. Harrah’s, the Hilton, El Dorado, he made the entire circuit in less than an hour. Then it was back to the airport for a return flight so he could watch game one with me and summa the boys at this little dive what Fat Johnny owned, called Bananas. I don’t know how much he put on the Red Birds, but it was enough to get Sis excited, and he hardly ever got excited. He said the Royals were goin’ down in six. He couldn’t explain how he knew, he said, but he just did.

 

So natch, Change, Snacks, Joey and me, we took everything we could get our grubby little hands on and put it St. Louis +110. That’s all Fat Johnny would give us, the cheapskate. What the hell, we figured, Sis deserved the better number anyway. Ya see what I’m sayin’?

 

They called it the I-70 series, because it featured a paira teams off the same highway in the same state. Both of which advanced to the Midsummer Classic by way of overcoming two-game deficits in the LCS. It figured to be a close buncha ballgames and it was the first time that the entire Series was bein’ played under the lights.

 

Game One - Royals Stadium

After K.C. nicks John Tudor for a run in the second, the St. Louis starter traps Darryl Motley in a rundown between third and home. He then strikes out pitcher Danny Jackson with a runner at third.

 

In the fourth with a 2-1 lead, Tudor escapes on an inning-ending double play after Jim Sundberg failed to score on Steve Balboni's foul fly to third baseman Terry Pendleton.

 

In the seventh, Todd Worrell relieved Tudor and got Willie Wilson to fly out with the tying run at third. With a 3-1 lead in the ninth, he gave up a leadoff double to Motley, but then retired the side in order.

 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals scored on Willie McGee's third-inning groundout, Tito Landrum's and Cesar Cedeno's back-to-back doubles in the fourth and Jack Clark's ninth-inning double.

 

St. Louis 3, Kansas City 1

Game Two - Royals Stadium

Manager Dick Howser saw no reason to remove Royals’ starter Charlie Leibrandt. Over the previous eight innings, the left-hander had allowed two harmless singles and a walk, retiring the previous 13 hitters and 24 of 27. He also held a 2-0 lead thanks to back-to-back RBI doubles from George Brett and Frank White.

 

But in the ninth, Leibrandt couldn't get the final out.

 

Two outs after Willie McGee's leadoff double, Jack Clark singled for the Cardinals’ first run. Tito Landrum then doubled, with Clark holding at third. Cesar Cedeno drew an intentional walk to load the bases. And up came Terry Pendleton, who chased ‘em all home with a double anda 4-2 lead.

 

St. Louis avoided the same sorta situation in the bottom half, when pinch-hitter Jorge Orta grounded into a double play to end the game.

 

It is the first time since the 1939 Yankees that a team down 2 runs in the ninth rallied to win.

 

St. Louis 4, Kansas City 2

 

St. Louis led the series 2-0 after the sweep in Kansas City. Do ya think we were confident? We was unbearable to be around we was so cocky. It’s embarrassing now to even think about it.

 

Game Three - Busch Memorial Stadium

The kid freakin’ did it to us.

 

Bret Saberhagen, the youngest World Series starter since Jim Palmer nearly twenty years earlier, threw a six-hitter. After allowing a sixth-inning run, he set down the final 11 in order. The Cardinals never threatened him.

 

Kansas City, which had moved Frank White to the cleanup slot for the series, got three RBI from the second baseman. He popped a two-run homer in the fifth and an RBI double in the seventh. He also scored on Buddy Biancalana's two-out double.

 

Kansas City 6, St. Louis 1

 

The St. Louis lead in the series was down to 2-1.

 

Game Four - Busch Memorial Stadium

Yeah, we were maybe a little nervous goin’ into game four, but we had our ace, John Tudor back, and he didn’t disappoint.

 

Backed by solo homers from Tito Landrum and Willie McGee and Tom Nieto's squeeze bunt, Tudor worked a masterful five-hit shutout. He struck out eight, and during one span, retired 13 consecutive hitters, as the Cardinals took a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series advantage.

 

Going back to the regular season, Tudor had won 22 of 23 decisions.

 

St. Louis 3, Kansas City 0

 

Game Five - Busch Memorial Stadium

Despite striking out 13 freakin’ times, Kansas City avoided elimination and sent the Series back down I-70.

 

The Royals built a quick 4-0 lead after two innings, capped by Willie Wilson's two-run triple. From there, it was a lotta swings and misses. Ya see what I’m sayin’?

 

Five different Royals struck out twice and all but Jim Sundberg fanned at least once. Frank White and Danny Jackson, who tied the World Series mark with five consecutive strikeouts, both whiffed three times.

 

Cardinal’s reliever Todd Worrell actually tied Moe Drabrowski’s 1966 World Series record by fanning six consecutive batters. He was pulled in the seventh for a pinch-hitter, who fanned when Jackson struck out four straight.

 

Kansas City 6, St. Louis 1

St. Louis still led the Series 3-2

 

Game Six - Royals Stadium

I saw it again recently on ESPN Classic and it still looks the same. Horrible.

 

St. Louis first baseman, Jack Clark's ninth-inning flip to pitcher Todd Worrell beats pinch-hitter Jorge Orta to the base. Worrell catches the ball cleanly and plainly steps on the middle of the bag. It was obviously the first out of the ninth.

 

First base Umpire, Don Denkinger thought otherwise, "Safe!" He yelled.

 

Safe? We were three outs away from a substantial payday! Safe?! I mean, what in the hell was goin’ on?

 

I peeped Sis, who suddenly looked like a zombie starin’ blankly at the screen. A study streama profanities and spittle gushed outta Small Change. When he realized what had happened, Joey stood up, grabbed his chair and busted it up on our table. Also breaking was about a dozen cocktail glasses of various shapes and sizes. It was so surprising that it stopped Change cold. The whole joint went silent, in fact. We all looked first at Joey, standin’ there with a chair-back in his hand. Then over at Fat Johnny, who we thought might actually kill the stupid bastid, but Fat Johnny just looked on, quietly, as we all moved away from our freshly destroyed table. All of us except Sis, that is. He still hadn’t moved. He sat there and stared at the television. A cigarette butt was now sticking to his shirt and bourbon and vodka dripped slowly off his chin, but Sis didn’t move. Snacks walked over and whispered somethin’ to me. "We’re fucked," he said. It was truly unbelievable.

 

Acourse, the umpire’s call immediately pumped life into the Royals, whom Danny Cox had shut out for eight innings on seven hits. The Cardinals had broken the scoreless deadlock just an inning before, when Charlie Leibrandt, who had been perfect through the first five innings, surrendered Brian Harper's RBI pinch single in the top of the eighth.

 

But it was as obvious as a hooker’s smile. Don Denkinger’s ninth-inning call had not only revived Kansas City; but seemingly it had also destroyed the St. Louis Cardinals, not to mention that chair what Joey had been usin’.

 

The next batter, Steve Balboni hit a high foul ball that dropped untouched near the dugout because Clark lost sight of it. Taking advantage of his second chance, Balboni then singled. When Jim Sundberg’s sacrifice attempt failed and Orta was out at third, it seemed for a moment that maybe justice would prevail, but a passed ball promptly did the job and forced Cards manager Whitey Herzog to have his pitcher issue an intentional pass to pinch-hitter Hal McRae.

 

With one out and the bases juiced, pinch-hitter and former Cardinal Dane Iorg stepped up to the dish and promptly singled to right plating Orta with the tying run. Rounding third on the play was Jim Sundberg. The play at the plate would be close, but Sundberg eluded the tag of catcher, Darrell Porter to score the game-winning run.

 

Kansas City 2, St. Louis 1

 

St. Louis never recovered.

 

Game Seven - Busch Memorial Stadium

The only noise the Cardinals made in the seventh and deciding game was verbal. Both manager Whitey Herzog and reliever Joaquin Andujar were ejected in the fifth-inning when Andujar went after the home plate umpire, Don Denkinger. Fortunately, he was restrained, because I believe he mighta actually given the crowd what they were shouting for.

 

"Kill him!" They screamed. "Kill the umpire!"

 

It mattered little.

 

Kansas City led 5-0 at the time, and immediately scored six more runs as soon as play was resumed. The Cards tied another Series mark by using five pitchers in the frame.

 

K.C. needed only one man the resta the way ... Bret Saberhagen. The right-hander finished with a five-hitter for the Royals' first World Championship.

 

Kansas City had become not only the sixth team in World Series history to overcome a 3-1 deficit, but the first team ever to do so after losing the first two at home.

 

Bret Saberhagen won two games posting an ERA of 0.50 and became the youngest MVP in World Series history.

 

George Brett batted .375 and teammate Willie Wilson, .367.

 

The St. Louis Cardinals ended up hitting a seven-game series record-low .185, but believe me, Sis, Snacks, Small Change, Joey and Cow were a helluvalot lower than that.

 

I’ll be back in two shakes with more a this crap, but right now I need a break. Man; yesteryear can sure be a depressing sunnuvabitch. Ya know what I mean?