Frayed Knot

The only kicker is that you can't do that lean and left foot thing in softball leagues where there are un-anchored bases, lest ye fall on your head.

Young - 2.2 Bay - 4.1 Parnell - 0.4 Edgin - 0.4 Rauch - 0.4 Francisco - 0.4 Cedeno - 0.6 Turner - 0.9 Davis - 0.6

Hefner - 2.5 Acosta - 0.6 Francisco - 0.8 Thole - 0.4 Shoppach - 2.4 Baxter - 0.6 Murphy - 0.9 Wright - 0.9 Duda - 0.9

G-Fafif wrote: Been a while since I ran any bases but who touches first with his left foot? I remember reading, or being told - I forget now, that the best way to run the bases was to hit each with your inside (left) foot. It seems, on the surface anyway, to be counter-intuitive but the claim is that that method best allows you to "cut" the bases (run a tighter circle) and therefore get to the next one quicker. Not that I'm claiming that's what Torres was doing there; he was clearly looking at the RF and decided to go when he saw that tiny mis-step as the fielder tried to change his momentum. Problem was that that long look took his sight off of his feet and he stutter-stepped his way to a missed (or not) bag.

It's not that you can't make that call, or that a rookie ump can't make that call, it's that if you are going to make that call in that spot that you have to be pretty damn sure that you're getting it right - and with Torres's foot on the back-side of the base (from the ump's POV) that looked a bit too iffy for my tastes.

Another 3-hour+ Cardinal game but this time we can't even blame it on LaRussa

It's outings like today which pretty much absolve Terry of the charge of not throwing away his reliever roles and instead leaning on Parnell as his go-to guy in tough spots. Bobby's as likely to have off days as any of the other culprits.

We're not quite in Thole territory where I consider hard ground-outs to be a sign of improvement ... but it's getting there.

Buffalo's final game has been rained out in central PA - so it's jail break time for the call-ups in a rush to get to StL Planes, trains and automobiles at the ready.

Now t'would be nice if Dabid chooses this AB to NOT ground out to SS the way he's seemingly done for most of his last 3 dozen ABs

Not a scoreless outing for Carson anymore. And yet another poor OF throw negates the possibility of an out.

But ARod's back today so all the problems for Yanx fans are reduced ... or multiplied depending on one's point of view.

^ Ooooh, cards of Cards ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ - We should point out the start times for the series as we'll have the odd sequence of day game (2:15) - night game (8:15) - day game (1:45) - Cards are coming off a four game showdown with the Nationals. StL took it on the chin 8-1 & 10-0 in the first two games and looked like they were in for more of the same on Saturday (down 4-0 in the 1st) before coming back to win a wild one 10-9. Nats won on Sunday by a more pedestrian 4-3 score to take the series 3 games to 1 - They were using this Kozma guy at SS for most of the weekend games. Descalsa did start on Saturday filling in for Furball but made a crucial error late in the game so I guess that ended that experiment.

Hopefully the remnants of hurricane Isaac are gone so we can get this game in and have the Cards suffer the wrath of hurricane Isaac Davis instead. It's the first game of three for the Mets who are coming off having won three straight series [2 of 3 v Houston; 2 of 3 v Philly; sweep of Miami] since that disaster of a four-game sweep against Colorado - and my IGTs are on a roll here. 2:15 EDT - McHugh vs Kelly (sounds like a prize fight from about 70 years ago) - McHugh had a meh and shortened [4.2 IP] start for Buffalo since his rather stunning ML debut 11 days ago against the Rox [7 IP, 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 9 Ks]. He figures to have a tougher time against the harder hitting Cardinals. - Joseph William Kelly is also a rookie: 6' 1"/185; R/R; 24 y/o, a 3rd round pick by the Cards out of UC-Riverside in 2009, will be making his 16th appearance and 14th start in the big leagues. 4-6; 3.61 ERA; 1.47 WHiP -- he's coming off a rough outing vs the Pirates where he got hit for 5 earned on 8 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings and took the loss. Has never faced the Mets and may not even be able to spell Mets for all we know. Also, every time I hear the name 'Kelly' I hear it in the late actor Robert Shaw's voice, or rather in the Irish brogue that Shaw used in 'The Sting' for his character of Doyle Lonnegan as Lonnegan spoke to the Robert Redford character that was posing as a guy named Kelly. "Where ya from Kelly?"

Two more starts for Strasburg and then it's Operation Shutdown That means he'll miss what would be three more regular season starts. And, oh yeah, all that October stuff also.

Yanx still have a ways to go before they'll be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether - although a scenario where they need the 2nd WC is certainly in play and their 16-18 record since July 27 says something. To miss entirely they'll have to get passed in the division by either Baltimore or Tampa, and then at least two of the West loser between Oakland & Texas (and maybe LAA), the Central loser (Detroit/ChiSox) and whichever of Baltimore/Tampa doesn't win that division Yanx are 2 games behind Texas 1 game ahead of Oakland 2 games ahead of Baltimore 3.5 up on Tampa 3.5 up on Chicago and 4.5 up on Detroit -- both pending Sunday Night's outcome

Yanx lose two of three to Baltimore at home - and were a bit lucky to get the one they did. In all they scored just 8 runs in the whole series on only 15 hits. Naturally half the runs came via HRs. The Saturday game was the killer in that the Yanx, down by two in the 8th, were handed three runs via Walk - Walk - Error with 2 outs and the bases-loaded. And this series is going to really drive Yanx fans crazy. In my limited FAN listening lately what I've heard has been an endless stream of YLDBs complaining about, of all things, that their teams hits too many HRs. It seems to me that they've always been a sensitive bunch about that topic because it interferes with the fantasy about how their team is actually a scrappy, underdog crew that just happens to be disguised in a $200,000,000/year costume. So the complaints about how they hate the make-up of this lineup of theirs and are calling for more bunting and more hitting behind the runner (as if they're willing to adopt that strategy as a replacement for all the runs they've scored this year) -all egged on by the fact that most of the hosts blindly agree with them. And it's tough for them to blame the injuries since the presence of Teixeira and (especially) ARod were seen as part of the problem rather than the solution. O's now 2 back and the Rays 3.5 And who do the Yanx have coming up? 3 at the Rays, then 4 more with Baltimore, then (following 3 with the Sawx) the Rays again. Should be a fun two weeks.

A tale of two 1st inning fly balls: the one by Turner that Stanton over-ran and the one by Bay that carried about 6 feet far enough. Slight alterations in either of those and it's a very different game.

Josh Thole & Jason Bay are both having a better series than Giancarlo Stanton

Sweep dreams are made of this Cedeno - SS Turner - 2B Wright - 3B Hairston - RF Davis - 1B Shoppach - C Bay - LF Torres - CF Young - RHP Obviously it's 'haul out the RH bats for the lefty' day. Mark "The Quick" Buehrle (now who exactly decided on THAT spelling?) is playing the part of today's designated LHP

Gwreck wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Um, Ike bunting. W.T.F. Can somebody please hit Ike and/or Terry and/or Teufel and/or whomever with a blunt object until they STOP FUCKING BUNTING. I suspect that the bunt play was never really on. I think Ike, either on his own or via orders, was merely taking a pitch and went into the bunt stance so as to plant the idea in Ozzie's head and get the infielders moving around. Problem was that he's so unfamiliar with bunting that he didn't pull the bat back in time. If it was a planned play then I agree it was stupid.

Sign Shoppach NOW!!!!!

Well, so much for the rumors of Josh Johnson not being on his game. Our [u:3horb9l6]two[/u:3horb9l6] hits thru seven innings indicate otherwise.

(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday night [youtube:2y7wgzrf]f7UHd7NVegE&feature=related[/youtube:2y7wgzrf] It's September so it's time to get rolling. Only 9 games out of the WC spot you know. Tejada-SS Murphy-2B Wright-3B Davis-1B Duda-LF Baxter-RF Torres-CF Thole-C Hefner-RHP This lineup and Jeremy Hefner seems like a bad match-up for Josh Johnson, but with JJ's ERA up at 4.00 and a high WHiP he's clearly not the pitcher he's been in past years so, yaneverknow. Zach Lutz & Mike Nickeas (24 for 66 in Buffalo with 6 2Bs & 1 HR) are expected to be called up in time for the game.

Not to start the year I wouldn't think, but quite possibly at some point in the season. If he proves at all worthy of handling 2nd base it would help since the other three IF positions are less likely to be open.