St. Louis Cardinals Comfort Zone

The St. Louis Cardinals are in their third round of the National League playoffs. They are in their third elimination game. They have had their opponent one game away from elimination three different times and failed to advance. Should the defending World Series champions trail in the ninth inning or later of tonight’s Game 7 of the National League Championship Series and be down to their final strike, it would be the third time in the past year the Cards have had their backs against the wall.

THE CARDINALS ARE DOOMED, OR ARE THEY?

In a vacuum, the Cardinals journey in the National League Championship Series looks like wasted opportunities and an omen of doom. St. Louis takes advantage of a light hitting Giants lineup and puts San Francisco into a 3-1 hole with their two best career postseason pitchers, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, on the hill for Games 5 and 6.

Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong, taking the hill for the Giants in those games, respectively, have their best outings of the postseason at a time when they could ill-afford anything but their absolute best. Now the Giants have their ace, Matt Cain, at home matching wits against the Cardinals best starting pitcher in 2012, Kyle Lohse. Lohse has pitched well in the 2012 playoffs, but has been frequently touched up prior to this year.

Don't get too excited! 3

NINE LIVES

Baseball is not played in a vacuum. Regarding the St. Louis Cardinals recent postseason performances, they appear to have an advantage when their backs are against the wall. Being on the edge of the postseason cliff is beginning to appear like a walk in the park for this team, like they don’t wake up until their season is about to be ended.

This is the same Cardinals team, last season, that was 8½ games back of the Atlanta Braves for the (only) Wild Card spot at the beginning of September. This is the same Cardinals team that trailed the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies two games to one in the best-of-five 2011 National League Division Series only to rally and win Game 4 at home then go on the road to nip the Phillies, 1-0, in the decisive Game 5. This is the same Cardinals team that was down to its final strike of the season twice in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, trailing the Texas Rangers three games to two, only to win in extra innings and rout the Rangers in Game 7.

The good fortune extended to 2012, beating the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta in the Wild Card game then coming back from a 6-0 deficit in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS to beat the Washington Nationals. In short, during the past two postseasons the Cardinals have played in five playoff rounds prior to this NLCS, been one game away from elimination six times, down to their final strike in four at bats, and have safely reached base, survived the elimination game, and won the series each time.



Ask Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals about dancing on the Cardinals' grave prematurely. 2

WHAT’S PAST IS PAST

While the Cardinals have a track record of surviving the pressure cooker, the only relevant performance, right now, is their performance tonight. Matt Cain vs. Kyle Lohse at AT&T Park in San Francisco is a matchup that would appear to ever so slightly favor the Cain and the Giants. Cain has not been lights out in the playoffs while Lohse (by and large) has been, but Cain has never been rocked while Lohse has only made it to the seventh inning once in his three starts. This means the Cardinals touch and go bullpen will have to come into play.

These dynamics play into the hands of the home team, which gets the final at bat if necessary and has, from top-to-bottom, a better pitching staff. The Giants bats, often flaccid during the regular season, have risen to the occasion this postseason. The Giants know about having their backs against the wall as this will be their sixth game during this postseason in which the Giants have had to win or go home. The scales are very close, but the tipping factors all appear to tip the Giants’ way.

That’s why they play the games. The Cardinals have a longer and deeper recent history of bending in the postseason. Until they break, I expect the Cardinals to win this battle of the last two World Series champions.

Advantage: Cardinals

1

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One for the Ages

The 2011 World Series was a treat to baseball fans, which have been in need of more treats and fewer tricks. The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals took their series to seven games, the first time in nine years the World Series was extended to seven games, with more dramatic twists and turns than any viewer could have asked for. For a sport that has suffered from declining playoff television rating and declining interest in its regular season over the past decade, this series is just what the doctor ordered.


MAGIC CARDINALS RIDE

The St. Louis Cardinals path to their 11th World Series Championship looks like it came directly out of a movie script. The Cardinals trailed the Atlanta Braves by more than nine games in September for the final spot in the National League playoffs. They took the lead on the final night of the season on the same night that the Braves were one out away from beating the Philadelphia Phillies and forcing a one game playoff for the Wild Card berth. The Braves would lose in extra innings, sending the Redbirds to the playoffs.

What did the Cardinals get for their valiant effort? The booby prize: a trip to Philadelphia to face the team with baseball’s best record in a best of five series. What was the prize for matching blows with the Phillies to force a fifth game? A return trip to Philadelphia to face Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in the National League…. And how much success would the Cardinals have? They would only score one run. And what good would one run do on the road against baseball’s only hundred-plus win team? Send the Cardinals to the National League Championship Series on the strength of Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter’s complete game shutout.

After disposing the favored Milwaukee Brewers in six games in the NLCS, what is the Cards’ next prize? They get to face the two time American League Champion Texas Rangers, who were either in or near the top 5 in Major League Baseball in almost every major team statistical category for pitching and hitting. After being down to their final strike two times in Game 6, trailing the Rangers three games to two, the Cardinals came back to tie the score not once, but twice before David Freese’s walk-off home run in the 11th inning. The Cards capitalized on their second chance with a 6-2 series clinching victory in Game 7.

Freese-ing a moment in time 1

LONE RANGERS

What of the Texas Rangers? The crushing defeat in Game 6 will be a bitter pill for Rangers manager Ron Washington and his team to swallow and digest over the offseason. However, the Rangers are one of the most talented teams in MLB, with a young core that is expected to remain intact for several years. The Rangers will have as good a chance as any team of winning the American League pennant and becoming three time league champions. They may be one ace pitcher, such as free agent C.C. Sabathia, from being a clear front runner to win the A.L. in 2012. They will have ample opportunities to win the World Series in the future.

Rangers catcher and would-be World Series MVP Mike Napoli's expression after Game 6 was an omen of things to come for the Rangers the following day. 2

SCORE ONE FOR BASEBALL

Baseball has been in need of real, competitive, positive publicity. A dramatic, hyper-competitive seven game signature event, the World Series, provided just that. In the wake of the Cardinals victory on Friday, their manager, Tony LaRussa, announced his retirement from baseball after 33 years in the dugout. The Game 7 win was a fitting send off and a perfect way to mark “The End” of a spectacular World Series script.

Going out on top 3

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3) image from usatoday.com

A Cardinals Fan's Greatest Night Ever

Here at The Daily Hat Trick, our crack team (which is usually just my half-dozen loyal readers and myself) is constantly trying to monitor what the public thinks. Last night's World Series game was something special. We went to the source of real Cardinals fans to find out what last night meant to them.

No, we didn't fly to St. Louis. We utilized 21st century technology, the Internet! Cardnials fans have a forum at http://www.gatewayredbirds.com/ with a bastion of passionate and informed Cardinals fans. One post, in particular, caught my attention. I felt compelled to share the following, posted by a Gateway Redbirds member using the handle, "longhornbaseball".

FROM "longhornbaseball"

Think of the one event you've always dreamed of attending. Then think of what it would be like if everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, went as perfectly as you could have possibly hoped it would go. I got to experience that last night.

Before Game 6 was canceled, the anticipation of a stormy night caused ticket prices to drop to around $150 on online ticket broker Stubhub, so I called my cousin to see if he could get off work to go to the game that night. He said he couldn't, but that he would see if he could get off for Thursday in the event the game was canceled. It was, and I anxiously anticipated my cousin's call as I watched prices go from a very reasonable $150 to $175...then to $200...then $250 (the Thursday forecast was clear so there was a dramatic increase in demand), until finally he called. He had gotten off, so I bought tickets for around $275 after fees. That night, I was having some buyer's remorse and wondering if spending so much on tickets to one baseball game would really be worth it. I would have that feeling many more times last night.


ARRIVING AT BUSCH

So, we got down to the stadium at around 6:50 and found ourselves amongst literally hundreds of people trying to get inside. For some reason, they don't open all of the entry gates for playoff games, so it takes quite a while to get in. While in line, we met a very intoxicated gentleman from Iowa who enjoyed talking to pretty much anyone who would listen to him. It was entertaining/annoying. Off to the side of the crowd, there were some girls selling Cardinals hats with stuffed animal squirrels glued on to them. My cousin commented that this squirrel [expletive] was getting embarrassing. I agreed. A man in front of us had bought one of the hats, and the drunkard from Iowa asked how much it cost. The guy said "Twenty dollars. Seems like a lot, but I like supporting entrepreneurs." I thought that was funny.


BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

After around 20 minutes, we finally got into the stadium and raced up the stairs to our seats in section 429. They were awful. They were on the right field side, directly behind the foul pole, and part of the field was cutoff from view because of the steepness of the stadium. We watched for the first half inning (around 15 minutes) until this guy in a black jacket came walking through the row in front of us and stopped. "Are you My Name?" he asked. "Uh, yeah," I said. At that moment a million thoughts raced through my head, because I thought he was security. Were we in the right seats? Is someone I know hurt? Did I do something wrong? "Come with me, it's something good," he said.

So, we followed him out to the concourse and he said he was from Stubhub, and that because I was such a good customer, he had lower level seats for me. What? Was he serious? "Do you know the stadium well?" he asked. "Which section would you like? I have 135, 139, 147..." Which section would I like? Is this really happening? "Anything with a 1 is good with me," I said. He said, "Great, how about 135?" My cousin started going crazy because he was so happy. At one point he grabbed Mr. Stubhub and hugged him, which was hilarious. So off we went, down to section 135, 12 rows from the field, just in time to see Lance Berkman bat in the bottom of the first inning. Boom. Berkman took the first pitch he saw and crushed it over the left field wall to give the Cards a 2-1 lead. At that moment, I turned to my cousin and said tonight was going to be a good night.


LAST NAME "EVER", FIRST NAME "GREATEST", MIDDLE NAME, "NIGHT"

Never in my life have I been so up, and then so down, and then so up once again, only to face the cold, hard reality that something I loved was probably going to come to an end that night. Then David Freese hit a triple. Unbelievable. Did the Cardinals really just rally to score two runs and tie the game after being down to their last strike in a World Series elimination game? Yes. It was destiny. We were going to win this game. Then Josh Hamilton hit a two run home run. Once again, unbelievable. The air was completely sucked out of the stadium. It was literally the most silent I have ever heard Busch. Complete nothingness. Cold, hard reality smacked me in the face and made me feel stupid for believing in such a silly thing as destiny. Then it happened again. Something that has never occurred before in the entire 107 year history of the World Series. The Cardinals twice came back from a two run deficit to tie the score and extend the game. At this point I had that awful feeling again. Hope. The Cardinals were going to win this game.

Then it happened. The kid who went to high school literally seven miles from my house got to live the dream every boy who has ever picked up a baseball in St. Louis has wished for. David Freese. Bottom of the 11th inning. Game 6 of the World Series. Walk-off home run. Unbelievable.

From a Cards fan's point of view....*

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* Original message board posting used with permission from Gateway Redbirds member, longhornbaseball.

We Will See You Tomorrow Night!

I don’t even know where to begin, Hat Trick Fam. I had originally planned to name this article, “Comedy of Errors” if the Cardinals won. I thought I would include photos of all of the slapstick defensive plays by both teams. Had the Rangers won, the tone of today’s piece would have been more congratulatory. Well, the Cardinals tied the series, 3-3, to force a deciding Game 7 tonight. It...was...epic!

THE UGLY

There were a total of five errors in the game, three by the Cardinals and two by the Rangers. Misplayed ground balls, dropped routine flies, slapstick throws…the score was inflated due to incompetence. There were four unearned runs scored in Game 6, two by each team. Through the early and middle innings, the only factor that stood out was the error factor.

Freese was the Game 6 hero, but he was shaping up into the goat earlier. 1

THE GOOD

The St. Louis Cardinals demonstrated that they had nine lives. Much like their 11th hour clinching of a playoff berth, on the season’s final day, and much like their Game 5 effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Divisional Series, the Cardinals demonstrated that the only time details like the score count is after the game is over. The Cardinals have to be proverbially shot to be killed.

The Cards were (proverbially) stabbed, drawn-and-quartered, and poisoned. The Hat Trick ran an article last month called “Rays-putin”, comparing the Tampa Bay Rays, who were often left for dead in the American League playoff race, to early 20th century Russian monk Grigori Rasputin (see article for further details). I picked the wrong horse. I could re-write that same piece today and insert the Cardinals and their players where I mention the Rays and their players.

The score in this game was either tied or had a lead change hands seven times. The final lead change was third baseman David Freese’s walk-off solo home run. It wasn’t the first.

Once the aforementioned comedy of errors ended, heading into the late innings, Rangers playoff standouts Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Ian Kinsler drove in the runs that extended the Rangers lead to (what would normally be) a comfortable three run lead. David Freese, who would finish the evening with seven total bases and three RBIs, drove in the two runs that the Cardinals needed in the bottom of the ninth inning to stay alive.

The Rangers scored two runs in the top of the 10th. The Cardinals answered with two runs in the bottom of the 10th. Back-and-forth…forth-and-back until Freese ended Game 6 in the bottom of the 11th with his homer for the 10-9 victory.

 

Freese redeemed himself. 2

THE BAD

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For the Cardinals to deliver such a dramatic finish, in victory, to the sporting world, someone has to suffer a similarly heart-wrenching loss. The Rangers blew three save opportunities in Game 6 (Ogando, Feliz, Feldman), a World Series record for a single team in a single game. The Rangers were one strike away from winning the game, and therefore the World Series, twice, in the ninth and tenth innings.

Texas has been the best team in the American League, two years running. They went from upstart in 2010 to primary contender during the 2011 regular season to back-to-back American League champions. The Rangers sought to finish what they started in the World Series last year. Twice, they were on the brink, with champagne on ice in their locker room and plastic sheeting covering the locker stalls and television equipment. All Texas needed was one final strike. It never came.

Scott Feldman after blowing a save in the 10th inning. 3

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

For people who are sports enthusiasts, memories of memorable moments may fade, but never completely disappear. A similar moment in the present may evoke special happenings from the past.

The 1991 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins, in which there was no score at the end of the ninth inning of Game 7 and Twins pitcher Jack Morris continued pitching into the 10th en route to a Twins victory, is still (for the moment) the best World Series I have watched in my lifetime. Fox aired a clip of the late Kirby Puckett’s series tying, walk off homerun in Game 6 of that series. As the ball sailed over the outfield wall at the Metrodome, the late Jack Buck, father of last night’s play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, exclaimed, “We will see you tomorrow night!”

That happened 20 years ago, almost to the day. I had forgotten about that little detail, Jack Buck’s call of Puckett’s homer, until the clip was aired last night. It came back to me vividly. As Freese’s homerun was in the process of landing, I knew that Joe Buck was going to copy the sendoff of his father from 20 years earlier. As Joe Buck said, “We will,” he paused, to be sure the hit would be a homer. Then the ball landed. “See you tomorrow night!” said Joe Buck.

History often repeats itself. History often passes from one generation to the next. Often, the repetition of history is regarded as a negative. If you are a fan of baseball…if you are a fan of sports, be thankful for this repeat of history.

"We will see you tomorrow night!" (That would be tonight.) 4

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1) Image from sacbee.com
2, 3, 4) Imgaes from photos.oregonlive.com

Must See Sports – Fifth Weekend of October 2011

The final weekend of October offers much promise. The World Series appears to be headed for a very exciting conclusion. The NFL reaches its midpoint for most teams. There is even hope that the NBA lockout will be over soon. What a great week to be a sports fan!


Thursday, October 27

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 6
Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals
Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40 ERA) vs Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA)

This game is going to come down to which Colby Lewis we see. For that matter, it depends on which Jaime Garcia we see, too. They can be like a box of chocolates, some nights.

Lewis has had three postseason starts: two good and one bad, though not catastrophic. He was average to above average in the regular season. If we see the “good” Colby Lewis for 6 or more innings, the Rangers, leading the series three games to two, may be popping champagne bottles to celebrate their first ever World Series championship.

Even if we don’t see the “good” Colby Lewis, if he does not get rocked and the Rangers have any kind of lead in the late innings, I expect Rangers Manager Ron Washington to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the Cardinals with his bullpen. And I don’t expect Washington to suffer from a bad connection.

Jaime Garcia is probably the Cardinals second best starting pitcher behind Chris Carpenter. Garcia has four starts in the postseason, his last being a seven inning, scoreless gem in Game 2 of the World Series. Garcia has pitched one clunker in the playoffs, being taken to school in Game 1 of the National League Championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers, but that performance appears, by all measures, to be an aberration.

In case I was too subtle, I think the fate of these teams in this game will come down to pitching. Only Game 3 of this series has yielded more than 6 total runs, in which Albert Pujols offered us a possible once-in-a-lifetime World Series performance with 3 homeruns and 8 RBIs. I expect more of the norm in this game, not the brilliant exception we saw from Pujols and company last Saturday.

Advantages – Game: Cardinals, Series: Rangers

LaRussa's backup plan for the bullpen phone. 1

Friday, October 28

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 7 (if necessary)
Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Harrison (14-9, 3.39 ERA) vs TBA

I am going to go out on a limb and assume that, if this series goes to a seventh game (for all of the marbles for the entire season), Tony LaRussa is going to give the ball to his ace, Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA). LaRussa has yet to announce a Game 7 starter. In addition, Carpenter would be pitching with just three days of rest prior to Friday.

Still, what choice does LaRussa have? A partially rested Carpenter should give the Redbirds a better chance of victory than any of the other available pitchers, fully rested or otherwise. Should Carpenter struggle early, LaRussa will likely not hesitate to make a call to the bullpen and replace him with another starter, if necessary. Then again, after Game 5, perhaps LaRussa should hesitate to pick up that phone. He should walk over to the bullpen himself and speak directly into Bullpen Coach Derek Lilliquist’s ear.

Rangers Manager Ron Washington has been adamant that he will start Matt Harrison. Like LaRussa, Washington has options should Harrison run into trouble. I have very little doubt that Washington would not hesitate to summon Derek Holland into a Game 7, coming off of the heels of a brilliant 8-1/3 shut out inning performance in Game 4.

I think Washington has more weapons in his back pocket than LaRussa and I think Texas has a stronger batting order. St. Louis has had a magical season, but, if the Cards can force a seventh game, I think the ride ends here.

Advantage: Rangers

As amusing as Holland's Harry Caray impression was, he may need to ditch the comedy in Game 7. 2

Saturday, October 29

NCAA Football

#9 Oklahoma Sooners at #8 Kansas State Wildcats

Coming off of a shocking loss to Texas Tech, all but slamming the door on the Sooners’ national championship hopes, I expect the Sooners to take out the frustration of the embarrassment on K. State. The Wildcats are unbeaten, and therefore ranked one spot ahead of their in-conference rival Sooners. Oklahoma is looking to return the rightful order to the Big XII.

The Sooners may need to brush up on their defense after surrendering 41 points to a Texas Tech team that had a losing record in conference play prior to last Saturday. However, Landry Jones (2589 yds., 21 TD, 7 INT, 65% comp.) did not forget how to pass and Heisman hopeful Ryan Broyles (67 rec., 899 yds., 9 TD) did not forget how to run routes and catch the ball. K-State, on the other hand, while effective on defense (19.7 PPG against), has only faced one ranked opponent all year. In addition, they have not thrown the ball well. Through 7 games, Wildcats quarterback Chris Klein (934 yds., 8 TD, 3 INT, 59% comp.) has yet to pass the 1,000 passing yard plateau. The Wildcats’ ground and pound combination of Klein (670 yds., 14 TD, 4.4 avg.) and John Hubert (637 yds., 2 TD, 5.2 avg.) is simply not going to be enough against the Sooners’ offense.

Advantage: Oklahoma


If these Sooners fans look disgusted, imagine how Coach Bob Stoops and his team felt after having their 39-game home winning streak snapped. 3

 Sunday, October 30

NFL

New England Patriots (5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

The Steelers were 2-2 at one point in this season. After ripping off successive wins against Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Arizona, they proved that they are capable of comfortably handling the teams that they are “supposed” to beat. The match with the Patriots will be the toughest competition for the defending AFC champions since their Week 1, 35-7 shellacking at Baltimore.

The Patriots continue to win, but there are some warning sings in Beantown. The Patriots have the best passing attack in the league. It is a good thing because their defense gets torched in the air worse than any other team in the league, coughing up 322 yards per game.

Approaching the midway point in the season, the Patriots are on pace to surrender more than 5,100 yards in the air, which would completely shatter the record of 4,541 yards given up by the Atlanta Falcons in 1995.*  The ’95 Falcons made the playoffs, which the Patriots appear on track to reach in 2011. Those Falcons were cleaned out of the playoffs in their first game, just like the Patriots were last year.

Being unable to stop the pass is not as winning-prohibitive as not being able to stop the run, especially when your quarterback is Tom Brady and he is putting up the monster numbers he is producing. On the road against a team like the Steelers, however, who give up very few yards of any kind, the Patriots will have to step their D up to walk out with a victory.

Advantage: Steelers



Braylon Edwards and other receivers had a field day against the Pats last year. You'd think they would have addressed this glaring weakness in the offseason. 4

 Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)

While the loser of this game will fall into a deep hole in the NFC East race, the Eagles are the more desperate of the two. It has been slightly more than two months since Eagles quarterback Vince Young uttered his soon-to-be regretted “dream team” declaration. Now the Eagles are, practically, in a must-win situation, in just the seventh game of the season.

The Cowboys have had their fair share of ups and downs. However, they appeared to turn a corner, in spite of a loss, against the 5-1 Patriots in Week 6. Tom Brady needed to pull a rabbit out of his hat in the final two minutes to leave Dallas with a victory. None of the Cowboys three losses have been by more than four points. Their defense is stingy, with MVP hopeful DeMarcus Ware having a monster season, including 8.0 sacks through six games. In spite of Tony Romo’s well publicized struggles, the Cowboys have the 4th best passing offense in the league, with just under 300 yards per game.

The bottom line is that the Cowboys have cause for optimism while the Eagles have cause for panic. Were this game played by robots, I would say the Eagles have a 50/50 shot at winning, maybe even a slight advantage, playing at home. But the game is played by people and the Eagles’ people are not clicking.

Advantage: Cowboys

I wonder if Young is ready to eat his words yet. 5

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*Source: 2011 NFL Record and Fact Book
1) Image from thekidswindow.co.uk
2) Image from huffingtonpost.com
3) Image from crimsonandcreammachine.com
4) Image from nwe.scout.com
5) Image from profootballzone.com

1-800-DISCONNECTED

The St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the World Series. Nothing odd about that…. It has been a competitive, back-and-forth series. What is odd is the series of events that led to Texas taking the lead for good.

If you did not see the game, the Rangers had two runners on with one out in a 2-2 tie game in the bottom of the 8th inning. Conventional wisdom would dictate that Cardinals closer Jason Motte would be likely to enter the game in such a critical situation. Instead, the Cardinals sent reliever Marc Rzepczynski to the mound.


THIS CALL TO THE BULLPEN SPONSORED BY….

Tony LaRussa has been known throughout his career to micromanage late game situations, especially those involving the bullpen. The red flag has yet to go up in the minds of Cardinals fans. Rzepczynski gave up a go-ahead 2 RBI double to Rangers catcher (and series MVP to date) Mike Napoli. LaRussa signals to the bullpen again. Certainly Motte is on his way out to stop the bleeding and give the Cards their best chance in the 9th. Out from the bullpen trots Lance Lynn…LANCE LYNN????

The seldom used reliever, who only pitched 34.2 innings in the regular season, was not scheduled to pitch last night. What is LaRussa thinking? This must be one of those “gut instincts” by the manager, right?

WRONG! Lynn intentionally walked the first batter he faced and was removed from the game for Motte, who finished the inning. LaRussa’s explanation for the head-scratching chain of events in the Cardinals’ bullpen? The instructions to bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist could not be heard properly over the bullpen phone due to the crowd noise. REALLY?

LaRussa: Lance Lynn?
Lynn: HEY...!
LaRussa: What the f%$& are you doing here?!? 1

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

I’ve been watching baseball for over a quarter century. I thought I had seen every imaginable unusual happenstance in the game. I have seen nothing like this.

I’ve seen the George Brett pine tar incident. I’ve seen the ball rolling through Bill Buckner’s legs. I’ve seen Chuck Knoblauch fake a throw to second base, without having the ball, and make Lonnie Smith hesitate and likely prevent a winning run in a World Series game. I’ve seen Joe Carter’s walk-off. I’ve seen the Steve Bartman fiasco. I’ve seen a team blow a 3-0 series lead in a league championship series. I’ve seen a rainy game halted and resumed the next day (in the rain, again) just to play less than half of a close out World Series game. The wrong reliever was sent out...twice...because the bullpen coach couldn't hear the manager? Baby, I’ve seen everything!

I don't think LaRussa believes his explanation himself. 2

WHAT IF THAT HAPPENED WHEN….

We’ve put a man on the moon. It’s a good thing LaRussa and Lilliquist were not in mission control that day. Neil Armstrong may have been given instructions to head on over to Mars after the moon landing.

God forbid we are ever on the brink of a nuclear act of war. But if we were, how much trouble would we be in with the LaRussa-Lilliquist connection to the red telephone in the President’s office? We may have instructions to bomb Iran and end up wiping out Iraq!

Capital punishment? I guess it depends on your political views. If you are against the death penalty, the Cardinals crack management team could be your heroes! If the governor calls at the last minute, with that caliber of communication, it could be the wrongful execution that ends all executions, because the guy in the chair is gonna get cooked!



LaRussa is not allowed near the red telephone. 3

ALTERNATE SOLUTIONS

In the 19th century and early 20th century, there were no telephones in the bullpen. Managers communicated the old fashioned way: face-to-face. We have some other alternatives like cell phones, text messaging, computers, laptops, iPads, bullhorns, carrier pigeons, American Sign Language and the old message in the bottle. If the instructions seemed unclear or questionable, any of these alternatives could have cleared this up nicely.

But the Cardinals did not get the correct message down to the pen. Now they head back to St. Louis needing back to back wins against a team that hasn’t suffered back to back losses since August. If you are the sponsor of the Cardinals Call to the Bullpen, will you renew the deal next season?

If you can understand this imperfect message, you'd think that Lilliquist could decipher "Motte" from "Lynn". 4

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Putting the “Classic” Back in the Fall Classic

The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals have played four games in the 2011 World Series. We have no more vision as to who will emerge as the champion than we did before the series started.

The series started even; the series is currently even at 2-2. St. Louis had one more home game available to them on the schedule before the series started; St. Louis still has one more home game available to them on the schedule remaining, with Game 6 and Game 7 (if necessary) in St. Louis. After clinching their respective pennants, the following game for the Rangers and Cardinals would feature Chris Carpenter on the Mound for the Cardinals against C.J. Wilson for the Rangers. The next game will feature Carpenter vs. Wilson.


WHAT’S THE STORY?

Baseball has fallen far…FAR behind the NFL in popularity over the past 25 years. World Series games are receiving television ratings under 10.0, comparable to a prime time NFL regular season game between two high profile teams. For the Fall Classic to appeal to the casual fan, it has to have story lines. The ready-made story line would be any World Series involving baseball’s high profile, historic franchises.

Television executives can sit back and wait for the ratings to roll in should teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, or Cardinals be involved. Half of that equation has been filled in, but the Rangers are a team with relatively less legacy and almost zero postseason accomplishment to speak of prior to 2010.

St. Louis slipped into the National League Wild Card spot by the skin of its teeth on a combination of its miraculous September rally combined with the epic collapse of the Atlanta Braves. The Rangers won their second consecutive American League championship this year. Yet, ironically, the Rangers are the weak link for television appeal. For this series to be memorable, both teams needed their big players to step up big in big situations.



This country will never be as captivated, ever again, by a World Series as it was by the 1986 World Series (Mets vs Red Sox). That doesn't mean the games aren't really good! 1



NOT SO LONE RANGERS

To say that Texas has stepped up in key situations is an understatement. This series could conceivably be over had key Rangers not stepped up when the heat was on. Trailing 1-0 in the 9th inning and facing the prospect of falling into an 0-2 hole in the series, the Rangers had two options: score at least one run or be forced to win 4 of their next 5 games to win the World Series, a rarity in postseason play.

What happened? Powerful, speedy Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler delivered a clutch single with no outs, followed by the biggest display of testicular fortitude by a base runner in this postseason, narrowly stealing 2nd base and getting into scoring position. The success or failure of the stolen base may have determined the outcome of the game and, perhaps, the series. After being moved to third on a subsequent single, Kinsler scored on a long sacrifice fly RBI by reigning American League MVP Josh Hamilton. Elvis Andrus of the Rangers would score what would turn out to be the winning run on a subsequent sacrifice fly by Michael Young.

Last night, trailing 2-1 in the series, the Rangers faced another near-must-win situation. A loss would put the Rangers down 3 games to 1, a kiss of death in the vast majority of best-of-seven series in American sports. Derek Holland, a good pitcher, but seldom dominating, spun a gem.

Holland pitched 8.1 scoreless innings, with 7 strikeouts, before being relieved by Neftali Feliz for the Rangers’ shutout win over the very potent Cardinals lineup. Holland pitched four shutouts in the regular season, but had an ERA of close to 4.00 and a batting average against of .262. In other words, Holland was a feast-or-famine pitcher in the regular season. He feasted when his team absolutely needed him to do so.

Even Dubya had to stand up and get crunk for Derek Holland. 2

RED HOT BIRDS

The Cardinals stars also rose in a way that helps put the “Classic” in “Fall Classic”. In Game 1, Chris Carpenter gave the Redbirds six solid innings, followed by a posse of five relief pitchers, strategically inserted by Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. The Cards pitching performance concluded with a save, earned by Closing Pitcher Jason Motte in the 9th inning.

Game 3 treated baseball fans to a performance for the ages. Rangers fans would have been thrilled if they were told, before Game 3, that the Rangers would put up 7 runs. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Albert Pujols put up a historic performance, going 5 for 6 with 3 homeruns and 8 RBIs. Pujols joined elite company, as only Babe Ruth (1926, 1928) and Reggie Jackson (1977) hit three homeruns in a World Series game prior to Saturday night.



Pujols didn't just "go yard", he "went legend". 3


WATER COOLER WORTHY

Through four games, the Rangers and Cardinals have given even the most casual fans of baseball something to talk about. If you have been following the action, I need not explain more. If you have not been following, but have some interest in baseball, or did once upon a time, you will have at least two, possibly three, opportunities to reconnect with the game in what has been a compelling and intense World Series.


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Must See Sports - Fourth Weekend of October 2011

World Series…NFL…BCS jockeying…this is a great time of year to be a sports fan, unless, course, your favorite sport is basketball. In which case there isn’t any.

(Note: Statistics are as of the morning of October 19, 2011.)


Thursday, October 20

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 2
Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals
Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40 ERA) vs Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA)

Jaime Garcia has suffered some hard knocks in the playoffs, with an 0-2 record in 3 starts, a batting average against of nearly .300, and an ERA approaching 6.00. Garcia’s last start was not a bad one only giving up 1 earned run in 4.2 innings pitched. Still, it is better when starting pitchers get the win, for a multitude of reasons, and Garcia has either failed to hold the opponent from the lead, been torched, or been unable to deliver enough innings to earn a win in October.

In two postseason starts, Colby Lewis has been okay, much like he has all year. Texas has a collectively strong pitching staff, but Lewis is not particularly exceptional among his fellow starters. He is good enough to get the job done when he does not make mistakes and receives adequate run support. Lewis has one win and one loss in two October starts. One of his starts, against the Rays in the ALDS, was very good (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6K) while his other start against the Tigers in the ALCS was not very good (5.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits). Which Lewis will appear in Game 2? That depends on Colby Lewis.

Advantages – Game: Cardinals, Series: Rangers

Catcher Mike Napoli picked up, in the World Series, where Nelson Cruz left off in the ALCS, tying the score on this two run HR in Game 1. Texas will need more from where this came to avoid an 0-2 hole. 1

Saturday, October 22

NCAA Football

#6 Wisconsin Badgers at #16 Michigan State Spartans

Coming off of a huge win last week against rival #11 Michigan, the Spartans have vaulted into the top 20. Buoyed by a spectacular 167 yard, 1 touchdown rushing performance by junior running back Edwin Baker (419 yds., 2 TD, 4.8 avg.) and an unlucky break to the Michigan quarterback, the Michigan State was able to gain a big second half lead an pull off the upset.

The Spartans will face the undefeated Wisconsin Badgers, a BCS National Championship hopeful since the beginning of the season. Wisconsin leads the nation in scoring with 50 points per game and allows less than 10 points per game. With all respect due to Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, the Spartans have faced nothing like the opposition they will face on Saturday. Badgers senior quarterback Russell Wilson (1557 yds., 14 TD 1 INT, 74% comp.) continues to be exceptional. Coming off of a fairly easy win over Indiana, Wisconsin faces a much higher quality defense in Michigan State that only allows 11 points per game.

The Badgers may have to rely more heavily on their 1-2 punch in the backfield from running backs Montee Ball (653 yds., 16 TD, 6.1 avg.) and James White (416 yds., 4 TD, 6.0 avg.). Ball was particularly impressive last week, averaging over 10 yards per carry in a 3 touchdown performance.

Still, Wisconsin has run opponents over all season. Michigan State lost to Notre Dame. Wisconsin is explosive. Michigan State has shown that it can be contained by good opponents, and Wisconsin’s defense is among the best.

Advantage: Wisconsin

Wisconsin RB Montee Ball 2

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 3
St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers
Pitchers TBD

While the starting pitchers have not yet been named, I said, yesterday, that I expect Texas to win this series in 5 games. That was before the Cards won Game 1. I also think the Cardinals have an edge in Game 2, meaning that, for my prediction to be accurate, Texas would have to overcome what I think is a pitching disadvantage in Game 2, then win games 3, 4, and 5. I think that Texas will simply be too much for St. Louis in Arlington. Should Texas be able to even the series at 1 by winning Game 2, I doubt that this series will return to St. Louis, but that is why the games are played in the real world and not among bloggers and their predictions.

Advantages – Game: Rangers, Series: Rangers


Sunday, October 23

San Diego Chargers (4-1) at New York Jets (3-3)


Through Week 6 of the regular season, I am not sure which is more surprising. Prior to 2011, I cannot recall the Chargers, under coach Norv Turner, ever getting a season off to a fast start, yet they have done just that, in spite of the quality of their opponents that they defeated. I, like many, expected the Jets to be a bona fide Super Bowl contender. A .500 record through six games is not found along the typical road traveled by a future conference champion. 


This game will be telling for both teams. It will tell us if the Chargers have what it takes to contend with a talented team; the only game the Chargers have played against an opponent with more than one win, this season, is their loss the the New England Patriots in Week 2. This matchup will also tell us if the Jets are capable of beating a quality opponent without the aid of a comedy of errors.

While the Jets' issues on the offensive side of the ball are well documented and very alarming to any fan with Super Bowl ambitions, the Jets have made opponents pay dearly for going to the air. The Jets are 5th in the league against the pass and have forced nine interceptions this season. While the Jets have been vulnerable to the run, coughing up 132 yards per game on the ground, games in this league against talented opponents are won with passing, where the Chargers will be challenged like they have not been before during this season.

Advantage: Jets

Jets QB Mark Sanchez (bottom) has to be getting tired of this. 3

Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Detroit Lions (5-1)


Slowly, I am getting used to discussing the Lions in "Must See". This is another telling game. For the Falcons, this game will tell us if they are going to be a force to be taken seriously as a contender for the NFC playoffs. For the Lions, this will tell us if they are "for real". After a 5-0 start, the Lions lost their first game last week to the San Francisco 49ers, also 5-1. This game will offer us a more precise measurement of just how good the Lions are this year.

Ndamukong Suh and company have swallowed QBs, whole, this year. 4

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 4
St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers
Pitchers TBD


Monday, October 24

MLB

2011 World Series – Game 5 (if necessary)

St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers

Pitchers TBD

Wednesday, October 26

MLB

2011 World series – Game 6 (if necessary)

St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers

Pitchers TBD

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2011 World Series Preview

3

Another October…another Fall Classic is upon us. This year gives us two very different, almost opposite teams. One team is in the National League, the other is in the American League. One team won its division, leading for most of the season and pulling away in the final two weeks of September. The other was a Wild Card team, mounting a record September comeback and defying seemingly insurmountable odds just to reach the post season, clinching on the most dramatic final regular season day in the history of baseball.

One team is loaded with pitching talent and explosive hitters, from top to bottom. The other is loaded with experienced, reliable hitters, but pitchers who, collectively, did not appear to come to life until the final six weeks of the season. One team has just clinched its second consecutive pennant*; the other had not won a playoff game in 5 years, prior to this postseason. One team has won 10 World Championships. The other team only had one playoff win in its history before 2010. One team is a legacy franchise, in operation since 1882. The other team came into existence in 1961 as the Washington Senators, only to move 11 years later.


ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

Unless you have had zero interest in baseball during the past 20 years, you know that the underdog team with the lasting legacy is the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds story of reaching the playoffs after being more than 10 games back of the Wild Card in August is historic and incredible, to the point where the story sounds like something from a movie script.

Often lost in that story is how the Cardinals took the heavily favored National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies to a decisive fifth game in the best-of-five National League Divisional Series. The Phillies, with 102 wins, had the best regular season record in baseball. The Cardinals could only muster a single run against the Phillies, with their ace, Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA), on the mound. However, one run was enough as Chris Carpenter, who pitched only four complete games all season, threw a shutout.

One other story that will not go unnoticed is that future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols (.299, 37 HR, 99 RBI) is in the final year of his contract. With an asking price of $300 million, we may be seeing the last of Prince Albert on his St. Louis throne. The Cardinals success or failure will depend heavily on how consistently Albert can produce in key situations.

Another story is the “Mr. October” story. Every season, one player rises up and is exceptional in the postseason. A journeyman becomes household name, a good player plays like a great player, or a great player becomes legendary. With only two years of service, Cardinals third baseman David Freese (.297, 10 HR, 55 RBI) has been that story in the National League playoffs. Freese is the Cardinals leading hitter in the postseason, with a .425 batting average, 4 home runs, and 14 RBIs in October, including 4 multi-RBI games.

"FREESE IT!" David Freese is emerging as a star in the postseason. 2

TEXAS RANGERS

The Rangers, of course, are the favorites. As underdogs against the New York Yankees in the 2010 American League Championship Series, the Rangers were able to conquer the then-defending world Series champions with smothering pitching and defense. In their four wins over the Detroit Tigers in this year's ALCS, they held the Tigers down with pitching, then beat Detroit senseless with their bats.

Texas is no underdog. They proved, convincingly, that 2010 was no fluke. When challenged by a late season run from the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West Division race, the Rangers stayed with their core strengths and tightened up their loose ends. The Rangers were in the top 6 in the majors for team totals in runs scored, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, quality starts, walks and hits per innings pitched, and batting average against. Texas is solid, top-to-bottom and across-the-board.

The Rangers' Mr. October, unequivocally, has been right fielder Nelson Cruz (.263, 29 HR, 87 RBI). Cruz hit 6 home runs and 13 RBIs in the ALCS (including a walk-off grand slam in Game 2), after going 1 for 15 against the Rays in the ALDS. In spite of nearly going 0 for the first round, Cruz's on base plus slugging percentage is over 1.000.

The Rangers have had two heroes out of the bullpen in the postseason. Closer Neftali Feliz (32 saves, 2.74 ERA) has four postseason saves and a postseason ERA barely north of 1.17. Alexi Ogando (13-8, 3.51 ERA) has received relatively little fanfare, but has been the quiet champion of the Rangers' bullpen. Ogando recorded two wins in the ALCS, has a postseason ERA of 0.87 and 12 postseason strikeouts over 10.1 innings pitched.

Cruz hit a walk off grand slam, the first, ever in MLB postseason history in Game 2 of the ALCS.

PLAY BALL!

Because the National League won this year's All-Star Game, the St. Louis Cardinals, champions of the National League, have home field advantage in the best-of-seven World Series. Still, in spite of a valiant effort to come back from a historic deficit in September and clutch performances, thus far, in October, I think the Cardinals may have finally met their match. With a Cinderella storyline, the clock may finally strike midnight as they face a hot Texas team that has no glaring weaknesses.

Still, the games are played for a reason. The stage is set. Someone will go down as World Series Champions and someone will go down as the pennant winning footnote.

Hat Trick Projection: Rangers in 5 games
 
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*Statistics from espn.com and baseballreference.com
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Around the Sporting World in 80 seconds

October is a special month in sports because SO MUCH is going on. The NFL is in full swing. Major League Baseball is in its post season. Ordinarily, the NBA is preparing for the start of its season with preseason games and the season opening around October 30th, give or take a few days (instead we are treated to labor negotiations and European league contract updates). The NHL season is underway. College football begins its jockeying, in earnest, for BCS positioning. There is something for every sports fan!

Because there is so much on the menu, I had trouble picking a single topic for today. Instead, I will throw in my two cents, three cents after the tip, on different regions of the sports world, readable in 80 seconds or less.


NFL

The Green Bay Packers are the last of the unbeaten in the NFL. No surprise there.... What is surprising is that the Detroit Lions were the next-to-last to fall from those elite ranks...to the San Francisco 49ers, who have the second best record in the NFC. Really? Yes, really.

The Dallas Cowboys may be two games back of the New York Giants. However, considering the talent level of the Cowboys, if they perform at the level they performed in their loss to the Patriots, I think they will take over the NFC East. Washington had serious quarterback issues, Philadelphia feel behind, out of the gates, too far, and the Giants simply do not have the talent level of the Cowboys, outside of their offensive backfield.

Out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons, one of these teams are likely to miss the playoffs. This is good for football, yet somewhat unfair at the same time. The competition is great, but top tier teams shouldn't be penalized by missing the postseason for being in the same division with rivals superior to those in other divisions. Even the 1-5 Carolina Panthers are a tough out, who might be above .500 if playing in either of the league's West divisions.

The AFC has some interesting story lines. Still, the main objective for these teams is to win the conference. Right now, in spite of the quick start by the San Diego Chargers, the resurgence of the Oakland Raiders, and the demise of the Colts opening the door of the AFC South to the Texans and Titans, it appears to be the Patriots, the Ravens, and "everyone else" in the AFC.

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh (left) and Lions coach Jim Schwartz (right) should just lace up the gloves and get it on. 1

MLB

Given the large, historic following of the St. Louis Cardinals, I cannot help but wonder if there was some rigging involved in the landslide win by the Cards over the Milwaukee Brewers in the deciding Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. For all of the offensive talent and personality the Brewers have, the Cardinals are going to be a greater draw for television than the Brewers.

The unlikely, Cinderella-like late season comeback of the Cardinals is a made-for-movies storyline. The Cardinals were more than 10 games back of the National League Wild Card in August only for their pitching to get red hot in September. The Cardinals caught and passed the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card race on the final day of the regular season.

The Texas Rangers' story is the polar opposite. An underdog in the 2010 American League playoffs, the Rangers upset the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees to win the American League pennant, but fall to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. Expectations, naturally, were high this season, with most of the key players in the lineup returning in 2011.

The Rangers met those high expectations disposing of the Tampa Bay Rays, who some analysts declared a favorite in the American League playoffs, and crushing the Detroit Tigers with pitching while overpowering them with their bats, particularly the bat of ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz.

On paper, the Rangers appear to be a favorite, with a pitching staff that looks difficult to solve over a seven game series. The Cardinals, however, have been beating the odds for the last two months. If anything, this series should be entertaining.

How many more times will Cardinals fans be treated to this post home run spectacle? Could this be the Grand Finale for Prince Albert in St. Louis? 2

NCAA FOOTBALL

I think the ultimate prize will go to the winner of the November 5th game of #1 LSU at #2 Alabama. The race for "also ran" is getting interesting, however. The Oklahoma State Cowboys made a big statement by beating the University of Texas on Saturday. The Oklahoma-Oklahoma state game could decide who will be cannon fodder, in January, for the LSU-Alabama winner.

I would not sleep on Wisconsin, either. I would pay little notice to Boise State. Whether Boise runs the table or not, the BCS powers that be will find a way to keep them out of the championship game, as appears to be the annual tradition.

November 5th: It's ON! 3

NBA

There is no basketball. It is not likely that there will be any basketball in this calendar year. Based on the rhetoric of the players and the unwillingness to further compromise by the owners, there may not be any basketball this season.

The Birdman (right) and the Birdman, Jr. A.K.A. Lil' Wayne...betcha this would get settled quickly if NBA Commissioner David Stern were locked in a room with these two until he convinced the owners to offer something suitable to the players. 4

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