David cut Goliath down to size with a sling shot. Rocky turned the tables on Clubber Lang after suddenly realizing that the brawler "ain't so bad". And then there is Ralphie unleashing years of frustration on noted neighborhood bully Scotty Farkus with a profanity-laced thrashing.

There comes a point when that intimidation factor vanishes and when it does, you just can't get it back. Mike Tyson learned this. So did the 1990s Detroit Pistons. I suspect Ronda Rousey will learn this soon as well.

The Cardinals are learning it now.

Regardless of what happens on the field, the Cubs are simply not afraid of them. There is nothing the Cardinals can do about it anymore. That intimidation factor, that voodoo magic that had us all spooked no matter how big the Cubs lead or what kind of adversity the Cardinals faced, no longer exists.

That is not to say the Cubs don't respect the Cardinals. They do. But respect is different than fear. Fear makes you irrational. It trips you up. It causes you to back down. Respect, on the other hand, keeps you grounded. It keeps you from underestimating our opponent, But respect doesn't mean the Cubs think the Cardinals are unbeatable anymore. The Cubs don't just believe they can beat the Cardinals. They know it.

And I have to think that is a little unnerving for St. Louis. There was a time not so long ago when they'd walk on the field with those vaunted uniforms and it seemed like they had already won half the battle.

It has been a little shocking to see the Cardinals talk about how the hype could be dangerous for the Cubs. It initially struck me as faux concern but even beyond that, there was almost an implication that they were hoping the weight of expectations would eventually crush the Cubs. That doesn't sound like the Cardinals I am used to. Those Cardinals teams used to get in the Cubs heads and just know they could beat them on and off the field, the way the Cubs know they can win now. Now it seems the Cardinals are passively waiting for the Cubs to collapse under the graviy of their own massive hype.

The Cubs, however, seem to have no designs on letting that happen. The disastrous Kyle Schwarber injury could have sent them spiraling, but it has not sent them off course at all. The slow start for many of their hitters seasons could have done that too -- especially the slow starts of their big free agent signings. There were also times last year when a big strike zone would frustrate the Cubs into abandoning their patient approach -- but this year it seems that has all changed. Despite the huge strike zone yesterday, the Cubs hung in and stayed disciplined.

What makes this team confident is their success last season. What makes them even better this year is a more resourceful, persistent offense. I've often called them relentless and while much of that is a factor of one of the best lineups 1-8 in all of baseball, it also is a factor of a more mature offense that is willing to do what it takes to get runs home. This is no longer a team that relies solely on the HR. It's a team that can score with a sac fly, good baserunning, or simply wearing down a pitching staff with a methodical patience that is both willing and able to outlast their competition. It's relentless because it will exhaust every inning, every AB, every pitch, in it's quest to score a run, so much so that even when they fail to score, it still manages to to slowly drain the life out of their opponent, as if the energy it takes to survive battle after battle eventually takes it toll. Opponents cannot afford to let their guard down for a moment, even when the pitcher is up. That was literally the case on Tuesday as Jason Hammel won the game with his arm and his bat. His two out, two run single just when the Cardinals were thinking they could escape was a crushing blow from which they did not recover. And on the one occasion where they did rally, it was the Cubs defense that snuffed it out, specifically the powerful, accurate arm of Jason Heyward. They would never seriously threaten the Cubs again in that contest.

The Cardinals used to win games that way too. And they undoubtedly will continue to do so, but the Cubs are no longer going to relent and let it happen. They're not intimidated anymore. They're no longer expecting that somewhere along the line, something will go wrong and they'll lose the game. They know they have the talent to beat any team on the field and now they have the kind of disciplined approach to make it happen game after game. This was no accident. This is the kind of team the front office aimed to build since day one, not just bringing in talented players, but also players with the kind of makeup and approach to grind out and compete from the first pitch to the last in all phases of the game -- pitching, hitting. and defense. That is not to say they are invincible. Far from it. But this front office and Joe Maddon have done and will continue to do whatever it can to increase the probability of winning any given game. That is really all we can ask of them. The rest will be settled on the field.

Whatever happens this year, we can at least be assured that the Cubs will field a talented team that, despite the Cardinals hopes, won't find a way to implode. Some team is going to have to beat them on the field and hang with them game after game, at-bat after at-bat, and pitch after pitch.

And that is not going to be easy.

The Cardinals know that now. For many years, they've been the team to beat, so they know what that means more than anyone. The Cardinals are still good enough to win, but they'll never have that psychological edge over the Cubs the way they did in past years. These Cubs are not going to crumble at the first hint of adversity. They won't be stared down and they won't be going away anytime soon. And that is why this 2016 Cubs team has the Cardinals attention, whether they like to admit it or not.