Do you believe in miracles?

The above question was asked famously by a sports commentator just before he answered himself with a resounding "YES!" He asked and answered a question that had to be on a LOT of minds in the moment the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team won the critical final game against their arch-nemesis, the Soviet Hockey Team, and later earned the gold medal in 1980.

By all rights, that immortal, incredible moment in sports history shouldn't have happened. The road the U.S. team took to redefine themselves, rewrite their own playbook and finally beat the Russians at their own game was one helluva longshot from the start, when the late, great coach Herb Brooks believed he could do it. For any team anywhere in the world -- even the Canadians -- to beat the Russians at hockey was as unlikely as the U.S. Team getting into a Winnebago and DRIVING to the Moon. Actually, driving to the Moon was slightly more possible in comparison...the odometer would have had to be checked, naturally.

You could have called it a miracle, what happened at the Olympics in 1980. Or, you could have called it a triumph of will and spirit. A testament to grit, teamwork, and heart and soul invested into a remote chance of success...and that chance paid off. Most, though, still call it a flat-out miracle, and it's hard to argue with them.

People are fortunate to see that kind of event once in their lifetime.

Well, guess what? Something just as miraculous happened yesterday: the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series against their opponents, the Texas Rangers, after seven long, dramatic games.

To put this in the proper perspective, the Cardinals would have had better chances winning the Lottery. Two months earlier, the Cards weren't even in the running. Their odds of even getting the Wild Card slot were long. But with a combination of the right circumstances and the heart and spirit of a team that wouldn't say die, destiny was rewritten...the improbable became possible...and the unlikliest team became the World Champions.

Or...do you believe in miracles? :)