As compelling as those intercity series may appear, I’d much rather watch games between division rivals, even if I don’t have strong feelings for either team. This past week, the Cubs already split a series with the Pirates to end their losing streak and the Sox took a series from the Twinkies. Those games matter much more than last weekend’s series and not just because the Cubs got spanked by the Sox.

Tonight the Cubs face legit rivals in the Cards who just got swept by the Brewers and the Pale Hose host the lowly Tigers. Whether fans of these teams yell at one another over fences in their respective neighborhoods is irrelevant. Bragging rights and positions in the standings matter more to the players. When you play another team 13 times there’s a decent chance you build up some animosity. That sells whether it’s apparent to the viewers or not.

And as of 2p.m. CT, there were plenty of great seats available for each of the three night games in STL. More importantly, the prices are right and easy to access on their website. As a crazy Cub fan, I’ve always gotten great customer service from the Cards ticket office. Not so much from the guest services though. See my post from last June.

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoying real rivalries. I expect there will be a game or two in the NL East as well and the three major players (Mets, Braves, and Phillies) don’t care for one another.