Playoff Baseball

[-jk]

And the Nats are choking away the home field... <sigh>

_jk

[Tappan Zee Devil]

And the Nats are choking away the home field... <sigh>

_jk

not quite over yet

[Tappan Zee Devil]

And the Nats are choking away the home field... <sigh>

_jk

Well - now it is over

[JBDuke]

Ugh - Nats lose as their bats don't show up until too late. But Harper KILLED a fastball into the 3rd deck. What a shot!

Here's hoping the offense shows up tomorrow...

[Reilly]

... if you're going to be dumb enough to rely on Joba Chamberlain with the game on the line, then you deserve what you get. ...

Today, I experienced the most Cameron-esque moment outside of Cameron I ever have.

PA: "Now pitching for the Tigers, Joba Chamberlain."

48K in OPACY give a wild roar, with jovial high-fives and high frivolity. Mind you, the O's were losing 6-3 and it was the bottom of the 8th.

It was incredibly funny. Don't know if it showed on tv or not (guessing not, given he was just coming in, not even warmed up yet on the mound). A "we-are-inside-your-head-and-there's-nothing-you-can-do-about-it" moment, a la Cameron. Getting the four runs thereafter was just details ...

[YmoBeThere]

I also do not like the St. Louis Cardinals.

[theAlaskanBear]

Ahhh what a game! Way to go Redbirds, nice way to start the post-season...a late-inning heart-attack/heartburn inducing thriller...

[throatybeard]

Ahhh what a game! Way to go Redbirds, nice way to start the post-season...a late-inning heart-attack/heartburn inducing thriller...

That was one of the best things I've ever seen. And I've seen Reese Witherspoon.

[AncientPsychicT]

Seeing as both teams I wanted to lose pulled off late comebacks in infuriating fashion, there weren't too many positives to take away from the day. There was a bright spot, however, when everyone's favorite team from Missouri managed to extend their postseason winning streak to 6 with their third consecutive extra-inning victory.

GO ROYALS!

[throatybeard]

I'm re-watching MLB network's recap.

There was actually talk around here about throwing one of the rookies so as not to "waste" Waino against Kershaw, who was presumed invulnerable. Twelve hours ago, if you had told me both Waino and Kershaw would get their butts kicked by the opposing offense, I'd have said you were insane.

I'm rooting for another I-70 World Series. But I'm open-minded enough to let the junior circuit work out whether that's Kansas City or Baltimore.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm re-watching MLB network's recap.

There was actually talk around here about throwing one of the rookies so as not to "waste" Waino against Kershaw, who was presumed invulnerable. Twelve hours ago, if you had told me both Waino and Kershaw would get their butts kicked by the opposing offense, I'd have said you were insane.

I'm rooting for another I-70 World Series. But I'm open-minded enough to let the junior circuit work out whether that's Kansas City or Baltimore.

At closer scrutiny, with obvious caveats about sample size(14 games), his splits against the Red Birds are well below(worse) than his overalls. Against the Giants he is much closer to being the Man of Steel.

[theAlaskanBear]

At closer scrutiny, with obvious caveats about sample size(14 games), his splits against the Red Birds are well below(worse) than his overalls. Against the Giants he is much closer to being the Man of Steel.

Well sure, but I think more damning to Kershaw are his post-season stats and his 5+days-rest stats. I think most of the STL Cardinal success against Kershaw comes in the post-season, and that is where you see the Kershaw's ERA jump against all teams. I think not being on normal rest + the play-off adrenaline can cause an otherwise brilliant pitcher to go off the rails.

I have to say, this season I watched and followed the Cardinals less than in any other year in memory. I realized how bad it was during the second AB -- "Who the Hell is Grichuk?" I had forgotten that the Cardinals had traded David Freise. When I look back and see that Molina and Wainwright are the elder statesmen to the Cardinal team, a flood of nostalgia hits me for those double aught teams. The Cardinals have quite successfully turned over a generation of players, coaches, and GM...but despite the recent success I have grown more distant, the wins are less satisfying, the losses less hurtful. I realize few things in life match the intensity and excitement a teenager and rabid fan can bring to his obsessions. There is, and probably always will be, a deep and abiding love for the Cardinals baked into every bone of my being...but the fire? Is this the same slow decay that afflicts marriages, careers? Losing Pujols hurt. I'm still bitter the organization didn't pony up for the godhead with a golden bat. It probably makes financial sense, but it's still an emotional betrayal. Would Pujols have tied the two teams, the two generations of players together long enough for me to learn to love Matt Carpenter, Adams, Jay, like I did Rolen, Renteria, Jim Edmonds? I don't know. I think I owe it to my younger self to try to watch this post season with a teenage passion and awe, to try to emotionally reinvest in a Cardinal's team that has more new and unfamiliar faces than old hats. Three cheers (and a round of beers) for the Birds on the Bat!

[Duvall]

Angels and ministers of grace defend us.

[YmoBeThere]

Well sure, but I think more damning to Kershaw are his post-season stats and his 5+days-rest stats. I think most of the STL Cardinal success against Kershaw comes in the post-season, and that is where you see the Kershaw's ERA jump against all teams. I think not being on normal rest + the play-off adrenaline can cause an otherwise brilliant pitcher to go off the rails.

I have to say, this season I watched and followed the Cardinals less than in any other year in memory. I realized how bad it was during the second AB -- "Who the Hell is Grichuk?" I had forgotten that the Cardinals had traded David Freise. When I look back and see that Molina and Wainwright are the elder statesmen to the Cardinal team, a flood of nostalgia hits me for those double aught teams. The Cardinals have quite successfully turned over a generation of players, coaches, and GM...but despite the recent success I have grown more distant, the wins are less satisfying, the losses less hurtful. I realize few things in life match the intensity and excitement a teenager and rabid fan can bring to his obsessions. There is, and probably always will be, a deep and abiding love for the Cardinals baked into every bone of my being...but the fire? Is this the same slow decay that afflicts marriages, careers? Losing Pujols hurt. I'm still bitter the organization didn't pony up for the godhead with a golden bat. It probably makes financial sense, but it's still an emotional betrayal. Would Pujols have tied the two teams, the two generations of players together long enough for me to learn to love Matt Carpenter, Adams, Jay, like I did Rolen, Renteria, Jim Edmonds? I don't know. I think I owe it to my younger self to try to watch this post season with a teenage passion and awe, to try to emotionally reinvest in a Cardinal's team that has more new and unfamiliar faces than old hats. Three cheers (and a round of beers) for the Birds on the Bat!

I only looked at regular season stats over his career.

[weezie]

Don't know if it showed on tv or not...Getting the four runs thereafter was just details ...

Oh, rest assured, it made it to the television viewing audience. Here at home I was only able to drown it out by my own screaming and crying on the couch.

[throatybeard]

Well sure, but I think more damning to Kershaw are his post-season stats and his 5+days-rest stats. I think most of the STL Cardinal success against Kershaw comes in the post-season, and that is where you see the Kershaw's ERA jump against all teams. I think not being on normal rest + the play-off adrenaline can cause an otherwise brilliant pitcher to go off the rails.

I have to say, this season I watched and followed the Cardinals less than in any other year in memory. I realized how bad it was during the second AB -- "Who the Hell is Grichuk?" I had forgotten that the Cardinals had traded David Freise. When I look back and see that Molina and Wainwright are the elder statesmen to the Cardinal team, a flood of nostalgia hits me for those double aught teams. The Cardinals have quite successfully turned over a generation of players, coaches, and GM...but despite the recent success I have grown more distant, the wins are less satisfying, the losses less hurtful. I realize few things in life match the intensity and excitement a teenager and rabid fan can bring to his obsessions. There is, and probably always will be, a deep and abiding love for the Cardinals baked into every bone of my being...but the fire? Is this the same slow decay that afflicts marriages, careers? Losing Pujols hurt. I'm still bitter the organization didn't pony up for the godhead with a golden bat. It probably makes financial sense, but it's still an emotional betrayal. Would Pujols have tied the two teams, the two generations of players together long enough for me to learn to love Matt Carpenter, Adams, Jay, like I did Rolen, Renteria, Jim Edmonds? I don't know. I think I owe it to my younger self to try to watch this post season with a teenage passion and awe, to try to emotionally reinvest in a Cardinal's team that has more new and unfamiliar faces than old hats. Three cheers (and a round of beers) for the Birds on the Bat!

In January 2012 at Winter Warmup--that is, like five or six weeks after it happened--Mozeliak explained why they let Pujols walk. The crowd actually gave him a standing ovation afterwards. "Yeah, I know we let the most iconic player in this town since Musial in this town jump ship, but here's why. Work with me, y'all." People bought it. We're looking forward to the day #5 is retired, but Matt Adams will do at first base. Nothing against Albert, but Albert isn't the bridge between the 2000s and the 2010s.

To me, Molina is the bridge. Last year's World Series included exactly two players who met in the 2004 World Series. Yadi, and David Ortiz. Not coincidentally, Yadi's current contract is roughly the size of Albert's old one. Yadi is the bridge between young me and old me, at least for me.

I sympathize with your waning interest in sports in general. Indeed, if you're aging, and you don't have less interest in sports than you did when you were 21, you're doing life wrong. There are things that are more important, chiefly, loved ones, and the fine arts and letters. When I was 21, the 11:00 East SportsCenter was appointment television, and I followed everything except soccer, which they didn't cover. Now they cover soccer and I follow it with the same glance of ADD with which I follow everything else. I think between about 2000 and 2005 I lost roughly a sport or two a year in terms of avid interest. Probably the only sport I follow more intently now than then is tennis, and that's because of Federer and Nadal. I used to watch NASCAR, for God's sake. Now I'll tune in for ninety seconds to see where the pretty brunette is in track position and then I'll watch something else. Fifteen years ago, if Duke lost in the sweet sixteen, I'd throw things. Now we routinely lose to VCU and Mercer and Lehigh and almost to Belmont in the first round and I'm like, well, the sun will rise tomorrow. I need to do some laundry and grade some tests. I didn't even watch the last four minutes of the Mercer game because I had a meeting. Lame.

Even given that level of apathy, here's how I feel about Yadier Molina. I think this best describes it.

Sports Illustrated came in my mail on Thursday. It sported what I suspect is a regional cover, with Wainwright and TJ Oshie on it. In fact, I can't imagine two Saint Louis athletes being on a national cover. I don't remember what Oshie was wearing, a hockey sweater of some sort, no doubt. Waino was wearing the Saturday jersey.

I think I talked about the Cardinals' Saturday jersey on this board last year. It's a work of art. It belongs in the damn Uffizi. Two birds, one bat, and instead of "Cardinals," it reads "St. Louis." No gimmicky pinstripes. No tacky teal. No large mammalian mascot. Simplicity. It looks like it was sewn by hand in the 1930s, and it says the name of the city instead of the team, even when they're at home. On the best day of the week.

I'm not a jersey guy. I think grown men generally look silly wearing someone's jersey. I mean, I still have a Robert Brickey jersey (autographed, even), a Wojo jersey, a Marino jersey, and a couple others. I don't wear them to the grocery store. I don't wear them, actually.

I spent $130 on a stitched Saturday Yadier Molina jersey and I wear it routinely, in public, even though I turn 38 next week. I taught class in it the day after he scored the winning run in a game about a month ago. That's right, I have tenure, so I wear what I want. I'm sure the girls from Europe were perplexed. When I was 21, I wanted to be buried one day in my t-shirt that commemorates Coach K's 500th win against UNC in 1998. Now I'm too fat to fit into that, and I'm not looking like the sort of guy who lives to 80, so death is a lot less notional. I think I'm going with the Saturday Yadi jersey. Sorry, Duke. Actually, sorrynotsorry. When I wear the thing, I feel like Jerry Seinfeld did in that leather jacket before he ran afoul of Elaine's father.

I even love the number. 4. It's so nondescript. I mean, yeah, Lou Gehrig wore it, but since 1941, if you walk up to someone (who isn't a JJ Redick fan) and say "who in sports wears number 4?" the answer you would get is probably "I don't know, some NFL kicker."

My little boy, who is shorter than average by at least a couple standard deviations, can still wear his 4T Yadi t-shirt jersey at almost age 5. I think my heart is going to break into a million pieces when he outgrows it. At least until I get a replacement in whatever size comes after that. One day, I'll frame it with his 2T 2010 Duke and 2011 Cardinals shirts.

In summary, Yadier Molina. Because Yadi.

[sagegrouse]

The guy in the first row behind the plate, who looks like Newt Gingrich, appears to be AOL founder Steve Case.

[Duvall]

Wait, Buster Posey can be called out just because he was tagged trying to advance on the basepaths? I didn't realize that was allowed.

[YmoBeThere]

Well, that was disappointing.

[JBDuke]

Well, that was disappointing.

Yep. Hard to even hope that the Nats can win 3 in a row at this point. What a crashing disappointment after such a great ending to the season.