Same Old Same Old Same Old: Threading the 2013 World Series

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

And... it does.

[Frayed Knot]

After Papi smacked the first pitch he saw off the lefty reliever in Game 1, I would have left Martinez in there too.
Relievers who don't let hitters get the ball out of the infield sure do make managers look smart.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, granted. It was the pitch-around that got me preemptively second-guessing.

But man, those young arms. The back end of that Cardinals bullpen is so frighteningly robust, it's practically Brazilian.

[Frayed Knot]

And yet Carlos Martinez had a 5+ ERA and 1.4+ WHiP this season.
He then seemed to turn the corner once he hit September with only one bad outing out of nine. IOW, he caught fire just as former closer Mujica was turning to shit so Rosenthal took Mujica's spot while Martinez simply became the new Rosenthal and both are now untouchable.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Freakin' Cardinals. I hate 'em.

[metirish]

Can the baseball media please fuck off with their self righteous digs at "NY area" baseball fans(mets fans) who think Beltran is soft...."hey NY area fans, you think Beltran is still soft?"....fuck off...I am sick and tired of you and quite frankly Beltran too.

[Edgy MD]

metirish wrote: Gomes is a winner...has he ever actually won anything?

May be the post of the thread right there. Anything could still happen, but that was well played.

[metirish]

Thanks, pretty easy when McCarver is uttering such nonsense...I think his words were " a proven winner wherever he has played" .

[MFS62]

Y'mean a late inning relief pitcher is allowed to pitch more than one inning?
Amazing!

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

One point in the Cardinals' favor, I've decided (though they need lots of points to gain my favor): Bill DeWitt really sweats the things an owner should sweat, as Paul Lukas found out over the past offseason. Uni Watch: How big a role did you personally have in the development of this new alternate uniform design? Bill DeWitt III: A big one. I led the whole effort. UW: What sorts of things did you consider along the way that ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak? BD: Going back a bit, when we redesigned our logos in 1998, at that time we�d been using a circular primary logo with a cartoon bird. I always thought it was crazy that we had a cartoon bird for our primary logo and a different kind of bird on our uniform. That led to a redesign of the bird, which we then used on our uniforms and for a new logo and for some other things. It was a good refresh of our brand at that time. In the 14 years since then, there have always been little things about that 1998 redesign that bugged me, but none of them bugged me enough to go through the effort of changing them. Along the way, though, I gathered ideas of things I�d like to see. I love that [placket] piping on old retro jerseys, I love the old �St. Louis� script we had back in �32, I love off-white cream jerseys that teams like the Giants, Phillies, and Indians have used. And I thought, rather than messing with perfection by altering our home and road jerseys, let�s have an alternate jersey that incorporates some of these older, archival elements that go well together. So what didn�t we do? At one point there was some thought about doing a black bat, instead of yellow, because that�s what we used to have. We considered doing the really thick piping on the shoulders, we could have done belt piping, those types of things. But you don�t want to overload the Christmas tree. UW: In the announcements and press releases and so on about the new uniform, there were these quotes from you, and I could almost feel the tension between your desire to be thought of as one of the old-school franchises that don�t dabble in alternate uniforms, like the Yankees and Dodgers and Tigers, while also wanting to do something new. Was that a difficult internal conflict for you? BD: There�s no question about it. You nailed it. We proudly consider ourselves to be among those elite few who don�t change just for change. So that tension was clearly there. For part of me, it was almost like my wedding day � like, �Are we really unveiling a third jersey today?� UW: I�m sure your wife will be happy to hear that comparison. BD: I should be okay as long as she doesn�t read Uni Watch. But to get back to your point, yes, there�s some tension there. But the announcement �Cardinals Do Third Jersey� � that�s not the whole story. Once people see the jersey, they�ll see that this is still in keeping with who we are and what we�re about. UW: I�ll tell you one aspect of the design that disappoints me: Although the overall design is very retro, the birds on the bat are the exact same birds, in the exact same poses, as the ones on your home and road jerseys. Since the inspiration for the jersey comes from the early 1930s, why not go back to the version of the birds on the bat that was used in that era? BD: You�re referring to the tails-up birds, as we call them. And it�s funny you say that, because we gave that a little thought. But remember, this isn�t a throwback � it�s a modern uniform, and it�s part of our portfolio of modern uniforms. The guys are gonna be wearing it every Saturday. So for that reason, I thought the birds had to be modern. Also, we have this enhanced stitching technology that allows for better detailing of the birds themselves, and we think the modern birds showcase that better than the tails-up birds. And then finally, those older birds are much smaller, and that causes problems with the proportion of the birds compared to the script and the bat. So you�d either have to enlarge the birds, in order to fit the modern size of our bat and script, or you�d have to shrink the bat and script. So it�s a good thought, but it has a bit of a Pandora�s Box element to it. Try to picture certain other club owners in the National League a) giving such matters any thought; being able to articulate it; or c) not just leaving the whole thing to the discretion of the crooked equipment manager for a generation.

The NYT catches up with the uni-conscious and detail oriented DeWitt

On Baseball
Cardinals� History Remains in the Details
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: October 25, 2013

ST. LOUIS � The apostrophe in the Baltimore Orioles� alternate logo faces the wrong way. The Mets have no pattern for their choice of jerseys on any given day. The Philadelphia Phillies forgot to make a press pin for their last World Series appearance. It was DeWitt�s bat-boy uniform that the St. Louis Browns� Eddie Gaedel wore in 1951. Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press In keeping with tradition, David Freese and the Cardinals will wear their Saturday alternate jerseys, with St. Louis across the chest, for Game 3. Such oversights might not bother most baseball executives. But most executives are not named DeWitt. In this family, whose roots reach back nearly a century in the game, details matter. When the St. Louis Cardinals take the field for Game 3 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, they will wear their cream-colored Saturday alternate jerseys, with St. Louis across the chest. In Game 4, they will wear their Sunday navy cap, with a red brim and the logo of a bird on a bat. On Monday, in Game 5, they will wear their usual home combination: primary white jersey, primary red cap. The Cardinals never wear a colored, softball-style jersey, and they never deviate from their schedule. The consistency of a classic look is part of who they are. �In some respects, what makes the Cardinals fun and interesting and cool is that some of these other franchises don�t do it,� said Bill DeWitt III, the team president, whose father owns the team. �If every team stayed to the pattern of home whites and road grays, there wouldn�t be anything special to preserving it. When other teams do that stuff, it doesn�t necessarily bother me, in the sense that we can play off of that.� Bill DeWitt Jr., 72, bought the Cardinals for $150 million from Anheuser-Busch in 1995. He had previously been a limited partner in the Texas Rangers, putting together the investors in George W. Bush�s ownership group, and had nearly purchased the Orioles. Owning the Orioles would have been fitting, since Bill DeWitt Sr., who died in 1982, had owned their ancestors, the St. Louis Browns. But the Cardinals also had special appeal, because DeWitt Sr. had started in baseball selling soda at Cardinals games in 1916. He soon became a favorite of Branch Rickey, the Hall of Fame executive and father of the modern farm system. �He was very focused on scouting and player development,� DeWitt Jr. said of his father. �He grew up under Branch Rickey, and when they were adding all those teams, he would go out in the field and do a lot of that work for Rickey. He thought a lot of him and would say so.� By the 1940s, DeWitt Sr. was running the Browns, winning their only American League pennant in 1944 and selling to the maverick Bill Veeck in 1951 but remaining in the front office. That August, Veeck hatched a stunt to send the 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to the plate in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Gaedel wore the uniform of the team�s 9-year-old bat boy: Bill DeWitt Jr. �It was a doubleheader, and between games of the doubleheader he popped out of a cake,� DeWitt Jr. said, recalling that Gaedel pinch-hit for Frank Saucier, a top prospect who was struggling. �Bobby Cain pitched, and I think the first two pitches were overhand. They were up there � balls � so I think he threw the last two underhand. He couldn�t throw strikes, walked him, and then they pinch-ran for him. That was it. So I got my uniform back at the end of the game.� For 25 years or so, through DeWitt Sr.�s eventual ownership of the Cincinnati Reds, the uniform � with jersey number 1/8 � hung in a closet, part heirloom, part costume. DeWitt Jr.�s sister, Dede, once wore it for Halloween. When Veeck was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1991, the family lent the jersey to Cooperstown. Jeff Idelson, the Hall of Fame president, said the museum usually accepts only donations, not loans, unless no other artifact can be used to tell a story. DeWitt�s jersey � like Willie Mays�s glove from the 1954 World Series, on loan from the son of Giants pitcher Don Liddle � is the only known artifact of an indelible moment in history. �When you look at owners in the game today, there�s probably no one with a deeper historical sense of the game and its history than Bill,� Idelson said. DeWitt Jr.�s foundation in the game is reflected in the Cardinals� largely homegrown roster. DeWitt Jr. adopted his father�s interest in the farm system and has emphasized its importance over the last decade. He communicates daily with the Cardinals� general manager, John Mozeliak. DeWitt III, 45, oversees the Cardinals� business operations and spearheads the team�s Ballpark Village project, a restaurant/retail space on the site of the old Busch Stadium beyond left field. It will open next spring and include a St. Louis baseball museum, a special passion for an avid collector. DeWitt III owns a full set of World Series press pins, dating to 1911, and designs the Cardinals� versions. He took special care in designing the team�s Saturday uniform, wanting to give it a retro feel that fits with a modern portfolio, and not make it a Turn-Back-the-Clock-Day gimmick. He also added a touch of authenticity this season that fans cannot even see. Decades ago, DeWitt III noticed, uniforms included the player�s last name, chain stitched, on the bottom left tail of the jersey front. That part of the jersey was tucked in, out of view on the playing field, but it was there, and DeWitt III wanted to bring it back. This was surprisingly problematic. Retailers are supposed to market authentic jerseys to fans, down to the last detail, and adding a tiny, chain-stitched last name would add to the cost of an already pricey item. DeWitt III grew tired of the haggling. �Eventually I said, �We�re just going to do it for the players,� � DeWitt III said, and so it was done. When your name is DeWitt, you have the authority � and the sensibility � to make stylish statements of history.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/sports/baseball/cardinals-history-remains-in-the-details.html?_r=1&

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Sounds anal.

[Frayed Knot]

If the Red Sox had even average arms in left field they might have won Game 2 and would only be down 1-0 so far here.
But neither Gomes on Thursday or Nava tonight showed anything approaching a decent gun.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Anyone catch the bird falling to a crash on that muffed
pop up hit by Holliday?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It would be only be appropriate if Beltran tipped his hat in Victorino's direction after that not-moving-out-of-the-way HBP.

[Zvon]

OOO, nice slide by Beltraan. That HBP was bullshit.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

BOOOOOOOO, HOLLIDAY! SHOULD HAVE BUNTED! #PlayTheRightWay

[metirish]

Why are the Cardinals wearing tops sporting St.louis at home?

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: Why are the Cardinals wearing tops sporting St.louis at home?

That's their (new this season I believe) alternate third jersey which they wear only on home Saturdays.
Normally both their home and road jerseys have the same script 'Cardinals' on them, just differing in the gray or white.

[Zvon]

I really like those jerseys.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Kolten Mothertruckin' Wong.

[Zvon]

Wow, tied in the 8th.

[metirish]

Frayed Knot wrote: metirish wrote: Why are the Cardinals wearing tops sporting St.louis at home? That's their (new this season I believe) alternate third jersey which they wear only on home Saturdays. Normally both their home and road jerseys have the same script 'Cardinals' on them, just differing in the gray or white.

thanks FK...they are nice...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Pete MotherTruckin' Kozma.

It's a good thing the Best Fans In Baseball are used to his shtick, or he might have to watch his ass on his way to the car.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Holliday jammed. Game stays tied. On to the ninth.

This has been a really, really taut, tense, engaging game for a game I don't really give a shit about.

[Zvon]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Holliday jammed. Game stays tied. On to the ninth. This has been a really, really taut, tense, engaging game for a game I don't really give a shit about.

exactly. Great baseball. We've seen a little of everything this post.

[Frayed Knot]

I kind of like this strategy by Farrell and the Sox -- let your pitcher hit because it's Rosenthal's 2nd and probably last inning and with 8-9-1 you probably weren't going to score anyway.
Yeah, you still have to hold the Cards in the bottom half but, if you do, it's Victorino-Pedroia-Papi in the 10th with Martinez and Rosenthal out of the game.

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: metirish wrote: Why are the Cardinals wearing tops sporting St.louis at home? That's their (new this season I believe) alternate third jersey which they wear only on home Saturdays. Normally both their home and road jerseys have the same script 'Cardinals' on them, just differing in the gray or white. thanks FK...they are nice...

See the articles BatMags posted at the end of the previous page on this thread. The NYTimes article talks all about this particular uni and the StL obsession with them.

[metirish]

Wild finish

[Zvon]

no,no,no

[Zvon]

Wow, that was exciting. And different. Crazy end.