I'm the kind of guy who just LOOOOOVES the hard slide at home.  Now why the hell didn't Hannegan simply barrel through Pujols on the play at first, try to break his body and end his career???  It's just hard-nosed baseball, not first and foremost an attempt to injure anybody.

FWIW, I'm not so sure I agree with the announcers take that the shortcoming this season was that the Cards were too long fixing the bullpen / they stuck with Franklin too long.  My problem with that analysis is that we were in first place in last July . . . maybe the 26th? 

The problem with this team is less tangible than that, but a common one for recent La Russa teams (2009, excepting): they don't win enough games in August.  I'm not sure why that should be:

a) the front office doesn't give the team a big enough lift with the mid-season fix (2009 was the exception)
b) La Russa mismanages the strength, conditioning, and momentum of his team (several seasons this has been most noticeable in starting pitching wearing down).
c) the players themselves don't step it up.
d) all of the above.

Last edited by Max (9/04/2011 4:31 pm)

Max wrote:

FWIW, I'm not so sure I agree with the announcers take that the shortcoming this season was that the Cards were too long fixing the bullpen / they stuck with Franklin too long.  My problem with that analysis is that we were in first place in last July . . . maybe the 26th? 

The problem with this team is less tangible than that, but a common one for recent La Russa teams (2009, excepting): they don't win enough games in August.  I'm not sure why that should be:

a) the front office doesn't give the team a big enough lift with the mid-season fix (2009 was the exception)
b) La Russa mismanages the strength, conditioning, and momentum of his team (several seasons this has been most noticeable in starting pitching wearing down).
c) the players themselves don't step it up.
d) all of the above.

This was discussed on Friday by Hungo as well. He was about to say "Because the manager pushes the team too hard in April and May," but backed off because the last time he said something remotely critical about Molina not running hard to first, LaRussa threw a tantrum.
I don't know what the answer is. I've never entirely agreed with the concept that if you lose one now to avoid squandering your personnel, you might win two later, but there have been too many instances when the Cardinals have run out of gas late in a season to say it's not coincidental.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

How come when Holliday gets hit in the nuts, the Cardinals lose a playoff game, but when Arroyo gets hit in the nuts, he saves himself two runs?

because his nuts are only 60 feet from home plate?

(Cockney accent): The distance don't enter into it. Nuts are nuts.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"I'm the kind of guy who just LOOOOOVES the hard slide at home.  Now why the hell didn't Hannegan simply barrel through Pujols on the play at first, try to break his body and end his career???"

Just spit-balling, but because it was a play at first, and not at home?

I do NOT accept that.  You jar the ball loose even if you have to separate his head from his shoulders.

I think you're confusing baseball with full-contact foosball.