The NL Central Revolution

Man, you have no idea how long people have waited to see this.

And no, I'm not talking about Aramis Ramirez back on the Buccos.

You see, the entire year the St. Louis Cardinals have been on top, not only of the NL Central, but on top of the MLB. They have hoisted themselves up to the very top rung of this ladder, and for all this time they have refused to come down.

Yet now...they're just beginning to run out of steam, having a very down week. And it's just in time, because the Pirates, a team that has become stronger with every passing week, are just 2 and a half games out of first place.

The Pirates have all started hitting at the same time, especially Aramis Ramirez, back for his final semester in the bigs. But Josh Harrison, Frankie Cervelli, Andrew McCutchen, Jung-Ho Kang and Starling Marte are ALL hitting, and the team is moving mountains right now. They're even getting Michael Morse to hit pretty damn well off the bench.

Bottom line is if the Pirates overtake the Cardinals for the NL Central lead, the entire league would explode. Dethroning the Cardinals, especially now, is a pretty big deal. Which is why the Pirates need to do it in a big way. They're about to start a 4-game series with the Cubs, and that's gonna be pretty tough on its own. So they really need to out hit the Cubs, because this is an opportunity that might not come around again. And they need to take advantage of it before it slips away and wins another world series. If the Pirates take the first seed, that means the Cardinals will have to play the Cubs, and that could be a pretty tough matchup. But something tells me this will come down to a Cardinals-Pirates NLDS, and whoever has kept the most momentum will be the team to beat, which is why the Pirates need to stay hot.

I know the Pirates can pull this off. Which is why they absolutely need to.

Coming Today or Tonight- One of the commanding arms currently facing off in the Battle of Texas this week.

A Return Home

It's always kind of nice whenever somebody finishes their career in the place where they started, especially if they've been a lot of places.

Aramis Ramirez has said he's gonna retire at the end of the season. And, thanks to a last minute trade, he'll be retiring in a Pirates uniform, which I think is pretty damn cool. I think it's going to be nice to put a 2015 or 2016 card of Aramis as a Pirate right next to the 2003 and 2002 ones of him as a Pirate.

I just think it's kind of fitting.

Custom Card of the Day: Aramis Edition

 

I think the end is coming for Aramis Ramirez. The guy had his best days with Pittsburgh and Chicago, and obviously isn't as good as he was. He can't hit very well, he can't play the position very well, and he's old. The Brewers are circling fourth, which is really the worst they can get (because the other two positions are kinda constant), and they need Aramis to perform. If he can't, then what do they do. Then only have Ryan Braun and Corey Hart to rely on, because Weeks and Morgan are both having down seasons. 

If Aramis can't hit, then the Brewers are in for a rocky rest of the season.

Coming Tomorrow- I forget if I ever made a custom of this guy while he was on the Cubs. Now that he's joined the AL's (unfortunately) best team, he's a much bigger deal.

Year by Year Customs: 1978

Sick Day #2. The custom above is currently hanging above my wall, if my blurry logo can't show you (have no idea what the deal is with that). I made this one a while ago, for the postseason. Look how that turned out. Still, him and 3 others make up the customs today.

Now taking Casey McGeehee's spot on the Brewers.

Coming Tomorrow- A decent set, with some cards I need to churn out today.