Blog Buzz
By
Amanda
Posted at 12:25 pm
Reds Blogs
Most of the Reds blogs have something to say about beating the Cardinals. See WHTR, CRB, the pessimist, RLN, JABOR, CoB, and BRM.
Cardinals Blogs
Alternately, the Cardinals bloggers mostly have spaced out this series:
The terminally Shift-key-challenged lboros at Viva El Birdos ponders why La Russa used Falkenborg in last night's game. lboros thinks it's because La Russa was saving his other pitchers for the series against the Astros, which he agrees is most important. That's fine. You can keep saying that being swept by the Reds isn't important as long as you want. You can say it straight into October, for all I care.
RedBirdBrain is picking a fight with a fan of every team in the majors. I say why fight? The contest for second awesomest after the Reds just isn't that important, in the scheme of things.
Scott at Cardilly is still talking about uniform numbers. I can barely keep the Reds' jersey numbers straight; I'm sure never going to know anything about the Cards' numbers. I guess that's what people end up doing on their way down in the division.
Saving the best for last, Ms. Scratcher at bellyitcher posts a video about the Cubs and doesn't mention the agony of being swept by the Reds at all. It's probably better that she's blocking it out.
Rockies Blogs
The only one I visit is Purple Row, written by Rox Girl. She doesn't say anything in particular about the Battle of Surprising Divisional Leaders that's coming up tonight, but go check her out anyway. I plan to go pick a fight.
All of that purple hurts my eyes.
Clearly Tony LaRussa spent some time at a local bar with Jim Bowden before this game.
Cards fans may blow off this game, this series, off, but they darn sure won’t be taking this series lightly if they miss the playoffs or the NL Central title by one or two games.
Oh… look… RHM thinks she can bring something. Better come out with your claws, grrlfriend.
Oh no you didn’t, girl. It is sooo on.
Cool, I love a good catfight.
In response to DPardue’s comment about LaRussa: I can see not playing Pujols, if the guy’s back hurts, it hurts. He hadn’t had a game off all month. And as for resting Edmonds in the same game, Edmonds is only hitting about .200 so it’s not like he’s going to make up for Pujols being out all by himself. And he had the chance to drive in the go-ahead run. Mercker got him on a fly to right center. Besides, if the Cardinals are that bad without those two guys in their lineup, I’m not going to go all pity-party for them, because how many times have the Reds gotten their butts kicked over the last four years because Griffey and Kearns and Casey were hurt? So, LaRussa not playing those two, I don’t second-guess that.
LaRussa pinch-hitting for Ponson in the seventh and then having Marquis bunt (which a Cardinals fan on Usenet questioned): OK, tie game, he wanted to bunt to get Miles over. If he sends Ponson up there it’s obvious as hell there’s going to be a bunt. So he had Marquis bunt (successfully). The reason it didn’t produce a run for old Saint Lou is because first White whiffed Gall and then Mercker got Edmonds (who pinch-hit for Luna) on that harmless fly ball to right center. Narron did the same thing, had LaRue bunt in the ninth. It was just that, unlike Edmonds, LLM delivered. So, I don’t second guess LaRussa calling for that bunt, either.
Now…sending Falkenborg, a kid who was in AAA Memphis the night before, out there with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth to have his ass handed to him by the #1 offense in baseball? THAT I wonder about!
HMZ (John)
So, I couldn’t help notice that Brandon Claussen’s pitching for your team tonight… I mean, if you’re okay wearing that, I’m not going to stop you, but I’d personally go with something a little less loose with the longball if you know what I mean. I mean how many homeruns did he give up his last time away from the GAB? Like twenty? In one inning?
Yeah. That just wouldn’t be my thing. But you go ahead with it if you think it suits you.
KC, I don’t fault LaRussa for sitting Pujols either. Like you, I do fault him for hanging Falkenborg out there to dry. I would also question why LaRussa doesn’t walk Valentin. The runner on first is a non-factor and the bases juiced forces a play at every base as well as keeping a double play in order. And I darn sure don’t pitch to Valentin on a hitter’s count with one out and runners on second and third, particularly with an inexperienced reliever in such a clutch situation.
I would have expected someone of LaRussa’s managerial caliber to have managed that situation more wisely, but hey, I’ll take it.
I’m just dressing for the occasion. This particular game seemed like the sort of event that merited a Claussen. I’d hate to get my Arroyo dirty.