SB Nation User Blog: The Ol Goaler

Set 'em Up, Knock 'em Down

The Ol Goaler — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:27:59 -0000

After watching the Cardinals and Astros empty the dugouts (and bullpens) twice in as many days, I found myself musing about the differing reactions of the umpires viz-a-viz the ballplayers, fans, and announcers involved; and the changes in baseball culture since the late 1970s.

Cards' skipper Tony LaRussa praised the umpiriing crew in this article; kudos to the "Men In Black" for stopping any possible fights before they got started. Nobody got ejected; nobody gets suspended... as an erstwhile umpire myself, I can testify that umpires really don't want to have to fill out the paperwork required when they have to send the "boys" to their clubhouse for baseball's version of "time-out."

I can also testify that getting hit with a thrown or batted baseball hurts! (It's an occupational hazard for umpires; foul tips are no respecter of persons, and sometimes you simply can't get the heck out of the way of a line drive.) So, I can understand batters objecting to having baseballs whiz past tender parts of their anatomy. But the game's reaction has changed since the late 1970s.

Take Saturday's contest; Cards' catcher Jason LaRue gets plunked by 'Stros ace Roy Oswalt... ouch! LaRue takes his base without comment. Cards' hurler Adam Wainwright apparently took it upon himself to remind the Houston club that he also has a baseball that he can throw close to a batter's body; sailing a pitch well behind Brad Ausmus' backside in the following half-inning. Ausmus objects, vehemently; but is restrained by the umpiring crew, LaRue, and Astros' coaches. Now, had Ausmus complained, "Whaddaya throwin' at me for? I'm hittin' oh-freakin'-80!!!," he could have claimed the moral high ground. From my admittedly comfortable seat in front of the TV, it appeared to me that Wainwright's pitch sailed away from Ausmus, and never really got close to him. The Wagonmaker (sounds like the title for a '50s TV Western, doesn't it?) never says a mumblin' word to Ausmus, and the game continues without further incident.

On Sunday, fan "favorite" Brandon Backe got lit up for four runs and consecutive extra-base hits by Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus (First Homer As a Cardinal.. Hooray!!) When plate umpire Jim Joyce granted "time" to Yadier Molina just prior to a Backe pitch, the next delivery sails up under Yadi's chin. Quoting from Matthew Leach's MLB.com article,

"I wasn't expecting it," Molina said. "I wasn't expecting that pitch that close, right in my face. If you're going to try to hit somebody, you've got to do it in the body. You can't throw it in the head. That's not professional. That's not baseball. That's not human."

Later, Leach quoted "Bad-Boy" Backe:

"I can understand him getting a little upset because it was so high," Backe said. "But I didn't try to hit him by any means. I'm trying to get in there. Part of the scouting report against him is to throw the ball inside on him and jam him.

"I think he overreacted as far as causing such a big scene. But I don't think that he shouldn't have gotten mad at me for throwing the ball up around his head. Like I said, I didn't mean to do that. But it's the game. That's just the way it goes. He can get as mad as he wants, but it wasn't on purpose."

Molina was still seething over the pitch after the game, and not apologetic for his reaction on the field.

"Overreacted, man? You see that replay?" he said. "He tried to hurt me. I'm 100 percent. That's not professional. If somebody is trying to hurt you, you're going to react that way. You react that way, you want to let him know that you're mad. You can't play with other players that way."

Nobody threw a punch, nobody got ejected... Although, when mild-mannered Cards' broadcaster Ricky Horton was surprised that Backe was allowed to continue, Backe's protestations of innocence ring a little hollow. There's a b-i-g difference between "in on the hands" and "up under the chin."

Twasn't always thus... the players used to police themselves back in the day; although "retaliation" was often fairly subtle... Bob Gibson used to throw over a batter's head to send a message that "decking" Cardinals' hitters came with a price. The batter would duck, the "message" was delivered; nobody got plunked, nobody got suspended, move along, nothing to see here, people...

Now, had the umpiring crew known of Backe's previous contretemps over Albert Pujols' baserunning, they might well have excused the Galveston native to the showers on Sunday. The two teams don't meet again until May 27 at Busch, and there's no guarantee that Backe will even pitch against the Cards in that series. If any batters are hit with pitched balls in that series, I suspect the cause will be an inside pitch that "misses" too far inside.

But if he did, and I was his mound opponent... well, in the words of Nolan Ryan (about Lenny "Nails" Dykstra,) "That young man needs a bow tie." And bow ties, as we all know, are worn right under the chin!

What do you think? Does today's "warning" system keep hitters safer, or not?

We're one fan down (or Up)...

The Ol Goaler — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:43:22 -0000

with the passing of my father, Bill Merritt, of St. Louis at his home Sunday evening. He left this world surrounded by both his children, his wonderful second wife (who succeeded my late mother) and her two children.

My father had a brief baseball career as a catcher in Class "D" with the (then) Washington Senators. He passed along his love of baseball and the Cardinals to me, and some of my fondest memories of my father came at Sportsman's Park and Busch II, watching our Redbirds.

He also attempted to teach me how to play the game, but as I could neither hit, run, throw, hit for power, nor field, he settled for teaching me the game... which has brought me much joy through the years. (He was pleasantly amazed when I turned out to be a pretty good street-hockey goalie in my teens... it seems I had inherited my Dad's quick hands!)

His burial is scheduled for this Thursday in St. Louis, with any remembrances requested to be sent to the Multiple Sclerosis Association.

So, while there's one less Cardinal fan on this Earth, there's one more Birdfan in Heaven!

Z melts down

The Ol Goaler — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:54:33 -0000

After a five-run inning where the Northsiders proved (once again) that they're Still The Cubs, Carlos Zambrano blew up in the dugout, sccording to this story.

The Braves had already scored runs when the Cubs were unable to catch routine pop-ups... twice!

I'm mildly surprised Sweet Lou didn't just hand Z a bat and his permission to "kill 'em all"...

Baseball Thoughts From the Goal Crease

The Ol Goaler — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:11:28 -0000

In honor of the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, I thought I'd pitch in with some of my baseball-related thoughts from a full day of watching baseball (while my patient, long-suffering bride read at least two full novels...)

While watching the Cubs-Astros game from Wrigley, I said, "Y'know, seeing Jason Marquis standing on the mound in a Cubs uniform just seems so... right!" (To which my bride smiled and replied, "You're terrible!")

We may complain about the Cardinals' lack of outfield depth, but the 'Stros' everyday lineup featuring Adam Everett, Brad Ausmus, and the pitcher at 7-8-9 doesn't exactly strike terror into opposing pitchers' hearts...

Jason Bay has already been ripped for his throw to the wrong base in the 9th inning... but I had another question. Bay caught Albert's would-be homer (after a struggle) and looked toward second base! Since I was watching the game on TV (as opposed to actually being at the ballpark,) I wondered... Was there anybody there to throw to??? Jack Wilson was lined up as a cutoff man to third base, when the proper throw would have been to second, to keep Chris Duncan out of scoring position. Bay made matters worse by overthrowing Wilson, and allowing Young Dunc to move up a base, but Bay may not have had a choice!

When VEB Hero Gary "Sno-Cones" Bennett scored the eventual winning run, I turned to my wife and said, "The people in Hell just got ice-cream sundaes after that!!!" The catcher on that play must hold onto the ball... Ronnie Paulino had plenty of time to "set himself" to make the tag...

Play the game properly, and it will reward you, more often than not. The Cardinals did, the Pirates didn't, and now the Birds are tied atop the division at .500...

Oh, the hockey playoffs? Well, since my beloved Blues are nowhere to be found, I don't really care who wins the Cup... wouldn't surprise me to see Detroit get stoned by Miikka Kiprusoff in the first round, though...

"New" Song for Cardinals fans

The Ol Goaler — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 13:54:27 -0000

This has been one thrill-ride rollercoaster of a season... but as with hockey's Stanley Cup playoffs, the Cards and Tigers have proven that the most important part of the post-season is to get into the playoffs...

With that in mind, I've changed the words to one of my favorite cartoon theme-songs ever... (You'll recognize the tune as soon as you see the chorus)

Ooo-ah-ooo
Ooo-ah-ooo
Ooo-ah-ooo-ah-ooo-ah-ooo

Although sometimes the Cardinals seem
to be a mediocre team
This October they're "on the beam"
And all of Cardinal Nation screams,
"THEY'RE UNDERDOGS!" (Underdogs!)
"UNDERDOGS!" (Underdogs!)

The Padres, Mets, and now Detroit
were all this season quite adroit
The Cardinals were not anointed
In each series, but the point is:
"UNDERDOGS!" (Underdogs!)
"UNDERDOGS!" (Underdogs!)

Pitching lightning, Pujols thunder!
Take advantage of each blunder!
UNDERDOGS! (ooo-ah-ah-ah-ah)
UNDERDOGS! (Underdogs!)

Why "Pond Scum"? Here's the answer...

The Ol Goaler — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:18:50 -0000

For those that don't (or can't) remember, there were several reasons Cardinal fans thought of the Mets as "Pond Scum".

First of all, the Mets were supposed to be the dominant National League team of the 1980s, according to the national media. (Yes, East Coast Bias [TM] existed even before the advent of ESPN!)

Never mind the fact that when the teams went head-to-head during the regular season as NL East Division foes, the Cardinals won three division titles to the Mets' alleged "dynasty" of one!

Add to that the fact that, well... the Mets featured several players that had the personal characteristics of (ahem)...

Keith Hernandez had admitted his cocaine abuse during the "Pittsburgh Cocaine Trial"... and while he had apologized to Mets fans for his transgressions, he didn't say a mumblin' word to Cardinals fans for snortin' snow while wearing the Birds On The Bat! Didn't sit well with a lot of folks in Cardinal Nation.

Howard Johnson had inexplicably developed a tremendous power surge out of nowhere, instantly transforming himself into a home-run hitter. Then as now, guys who suddenly started hitting the ball farther were assumed to be cheating... but in the 1980's, the assumption was that HoJo was corking his bat, along with several of his teammates.

For whatever reason, Gary Carter was also intensely disliked... I suspect Carter was a victim of what I call "Steve Garvey Syndrome"... simply too good to be true.

Darryl Strawberry carried himself with an arrogance that brought jeers and chants of "Darrr-yllll" anywhere but Shea Stadium. Doc Gooden was scary good, before these two players became the poster children for "Wasted Talent."

Mookie Wilson (our own P-Dub's stepdad!) was the closest thing to a likeable Met on the roster... but he had to share time in CF with Lenny "Nails" Dykstra. 'Nuff said...

Those Mets were supposed to be a dynasty... but they weren't, and largely because of the Cardinals.

This year's Met squad is largely devoid of "hate-able" players. Oh, Pedro's a headhunter, but he's hurt and won't pitch, anyway. Guys like Glavine, LoDuca, Delgado, Valentin, and Floyd are all hard-working pros who don't "show up" the opposition. I can't stand Beltran... but only because he's good, and not because of his personality.

But they still play in that dump of a stadium (I'm of the opinion that "Flushing, New York" would be a good idea on general principles...) and they'll still get all the pub, 'cause they're in Noo Yawk... so...

GO CARDS GO! BEAT THE POND SCUM!!!"

Adam's Yellow Hammer

The Ol Goaler — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 17:20:30 -0000

While it's admittedly been a frustrating season for the Cardinals, I found myself screaming my lungs out in front of the TV on Speezer's game-winning, bases-loaded triple yesterday. Win, lose, or draw, it's moments like that that make me remember just why I'm a fan.

Watching Adam Wainwright close it out in the ninth also stirred an idea... being a fan of a certain age, Beatles songs come to mind more easily than ditties of more recent vintage, so, for your enjoyment (I hope) I present:

ADAM'S YELLOW HAMMER!

(To the tune of: "Maxwell's Silver Hammer")

Adam Wain-uh-wright, awfully young but mighty bright,
warms up in the 'pen:
Izzy's hurt, the Cards need a closer,
Oh-Uh-Uh-Oh!
Tony and Duncan say, "Is this the guy to save the day?"
Call him on the phone --
Adam sprints right out to the mound
Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh!
But as the batter's licking his chops,
the pitch is on the way --

Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer drops down into the mitt!
Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer is sure tough to hit!

Yadi grins and squats --
a knee-knocker is what he wants,
Adam nods again.
The pressure situation's unfolding
Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh!
The batter's not so sure what he should be looking for,
So he lags behind.
Wond'ring if he'll get the good fastball
Oh-Uh-Uh-Oh!
But as he dithers there at the plate,
the pitch is on the way --

Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer drops down into the mitt!
Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer is sure tough to hit!

Now he's 0-and-2,
what on earth'll Adam do?
Sawdust from the bat!
The hitter's tense in this situation,
Oh-Uh-Uh-Oh!
He thinks he'll look "Dead Red,"
Adam's curve is in his head,
So he's not so sure
He's waiting for another delivery
Oh-Uh-Uh-Oh!
And as he sits there, ready to go,
the pitch is on the way --

Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer just blows the guy away! (Strike Three!)
Bang-Bang! Adam's Yellow Hammer again saves the day!

YELLOW HAMMER -- Blows the guy away! (Bang!-Bang!)

Paranoia Strikes Deep...

The Ol Goaler — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 14:24:24 -0000

(and a middle-aged-fart "gold star" if you know where that musical reference comes from...)

I just don't get it. Gerald Perry gets an eight-game suspension for sucker-punching Dave Duncan... Lloyd McClendon gets a one-game suspension for arguing with Dunc... and Dunc gets a four-game suspension for getting sucker-punched????

Okay, maybe Dunc shouldn't have said anything to Rick White (the pitcher who buzzed Luna, and a pitcher Dunc formerly coached. But c'mon, players and coaches from opposing teams talk to each other all the time! (Officially, they're not supposed to... it's called the "fraternization rule." But it's been basically ignored since Kenesaw Mountain Landis was commissioner.)

The upshot of this brouhaha, imo, hurts the Cardinals far more than it hurts the Pirates.

McClendon will probably be in the clubhouse, watching the game on TV, and making his decisions known to the "interim" manager.

ANY batting coach's work is mostly done before the ballgame... watching at the batting game and making suggestions and reminders to the hitters. With the advent of video, batters can go into the clubhouse and watch their last at-bat -- and who's to say the batting coach won't be lounging around the video room, conveniently out of sight of the umpires, to offer his years of wisdom (if any?)

But the pitching coach needs to see his staff working... to tell if they're getting out of whack mechanically, or if they're tipping pitches, or just when to trot to the mound to calm their man down (or pump him up, as the case may be.) Tony La Russa has always claimed a large part of his success as a manager has been in trusting the pitching staff to Dave Duncan, with quotes along the line of, "I don't know pitching, and he does." Now, the bullpen pitchers (most notably Jason Isringhausen) have sung the praises of bullpen coach Marty Mason for some time now, so maybe Marty just trots down to the dugout and away we go. But I can't help feeling that the Cardinals got the short end of this deal (particularly with an ailing Mulder set to go tonight.)

Grumble-mumble commissioner's office... [editor's note, by The Ol Goaler]Would any suspensions been handed down at all if there hadn't been video crews there? The gates hadn't yet been openend, and the umpires werern't on the scene yet!

Daric Barton

The Ol Goaler — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:49:05 -0000

I read on this site and others throughout the blogosphere much wailing, cries of woe, and (figurative) gnashing of teeth over the fact that the Cardinals gave up Daric Barton in the Mark Mulder trade. Now, I'm not here to make any comments about Barton's bat so far as a minor-leaguer, nor his projection as a major-league hitter. Suffice it to say, he's been a very good hitter to this point in his career, and may well become an outstanding major league hitter.

Having said that, I have just one question for those who claim the Cards never should have included him in the Mulder deal...

Had Barton remained with the Cardinals' organization, WHERE WOULD HE PLAY???

He was signed as a catcher, and has moved to first base (and DH) with the A's organization. The current catcher, Yadier Molina, is 23 years old. He supplanted a three-time Gold Glove winner (Mike Matheny) largely because of Yadi's own defense. While Molina's offensive numbers will most probably never compare to Barton's, that point is moot... the Cardinals want the "D" from their catchers first, and any offensive output they get from them is gravy. If Barton is going to be as good with the bat as many think, it would be foolish to have him be the "backup" catcher behind Molina.

The Cardinals' first baseman is 25-year-old Albert Pujols. He ain't going anywhere. (Remember the elbow problem AP had in left field a couple years ago?)

It's doubtful Barton has the speed to play in the outfield, and he would be blocked at third base by an All-Star with a long-term contract, as well.

So, to get a lefthanded starter for the top of the rotation, the Cards gave up a promising young starter, a middle reliever, and... a guy who would have had to find a position in the major leagues, in a league without the benefit of a DH... a guy they wouldn't be able to use, anyway!