If it weren't for the rain delay in St. Louis, I would be watching Game 4 of the World Series on television right now. But since it's raining and I haven't written anything in a couple days, let me get you caught up on what has happened so far.

Think of this as a service (an unfunded, get-what-you-pay-for service). My service's unofficial slogan could be: I watch baseball so you don't have to. To keep expenses low, I fired my editor, so cliches, baseball jargon and references to games being "crucial" have been left in.

In crucial Game 1 (STL 7, DET 2), rookie Cardinals pitcher, Anthony Reyes, pitched eight innings and allowed just two runs - one in the first and one in the ninth. Other notable plays in the game included:

• Albert Pujol's two-run homer in the third inning. This is notable because first base was open and any other team would have intentionally walked Pujols. Instead, Detroit pitched to him and paid the price.
• The bizarre obstruction call in the sixth inning. Scott Rolen collided with the Tigers third baseman, Brandon Inge, who was standing in the base path between third and home. Inge was charged with obstruction and Rolen scored.

In crucial Game 2 (DET 3, STL 1), veteran Tigers pitcher, Kenny Rogers, pitched eight innings of shutout baseball. There was some controversy regarding a strange brown smudge on Rogers' palm in the first inning, but he washed his hand between innings and continued to pitch effectively the rest of the game. Detroit's closer, Todd Jones, nearly lost it for his team when he came on in the ninth. He gave up a run-scoring double to Jim Edmonds and loaded the bases before getting Yadier Molina to ground out for the final out of the game.

Finally, in crucial Game 3 (STL 5, DET 0), Chris Carpenter, the Cardinal ace, threw three eight shutout innings against the Tigers. The most memorable play of the game came in the seventh inning. David Eckstein and Preston Wilson were on first and second with nobody out. The Detroit pitcher, Joel Zumaya, got Pujols to hit a groundball back to him. Instead of throwing it to second for an easier double play, Zumaya threw the ball to third. The throw was bad, went by Inge and rolled into the bullpen. Two runs scored and widened St. Louis' lead.

So, the Cardinals enter crucial Game 4 with a one-game lead in this best of seven series. As I conclude this entry, the rain continues to fall in St. Louis, which may mean no baseball tonight.