Meet Me In St. Louis

Last weekend it was the Yankees and the Red Sox, but this weekend sees the commencement of what former Cubs' star Ryne Sandberg calls 'the battle of the Midwest, as the Cubs take on the Cardinals in a four-game series at Busch Stadium. Although the series is less hyped by the media than those up on the East Coast, it promises to be an intense weekend in Missouri, especially after all the hoopla surrounding last year's Spetember meetings between the two teams, which saw six batters hit in the space of three games.

The two clubs played a total of 17 games against each other last year, and the Cardinals came out ahead, 9-8. It'll be interesting to see whether the division-leading Cubs can keep up their current momentum (7-3 over their last ten games), or whether the slightly lukewarm Cardinals (who are playing .500 ball right now) will be buoyed by Jim Edmonds' game-winning home run in extra innings last night against the Pirates.