Congratulations to the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2023

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York expanded its list of players by two this past Sunday afternoon.  Inducted into the Hall were Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen.

I Consider myself fortunate to have seen Rolen play for the Cardinals at Busch II and the new St. Louis stadium that opened in 2006.  He was a key to the Cards National League title in 2004 and the Birds run to the World Series championship in 2006.

Rolen played for four major league teams during his 19 year career but note he's wearing a Cardinal cap on his HOF plaque.

The Baseball Writers Association of American selected McGriff, who was a unanimous choice of the Hall's Contemporary Baseball Players Era Committee, in December.  I saw McGriff play  in person on many occasions during his career when he would come to St. Louis as a member of the Padres, Braves, Cubs and later the Dodgers.

I particularly remember the 1996 NLCS series in which McGriff played a key role in the Braves win and return to the World Series.  It seemed as if McGriff was at the plate whenever runners were in scoring position.  He homered twice in the seven game series and drove in seven runs with an .858 OPS.  McGriff also destroyed the Cardinals in the last three games of the NLCS that year in which Atlanta outscored St. Louis 32-1.

Images courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Chicago Cubs announcer Pat Hughes was also inducted into the Hall of Fame Broadcasters wing as the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award winner.  He was joined in the Hall's Writer's Wing at the Cooperstown festivities by John Lowe who received the Baseball Writers Association of America's Career Excellence Award.

So Long September

My St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up the 2019 season by playing mediocre baseball in a mediocre division.  The Birds won the National League Central Division with a record of 91-71, two games ahead of a beat up Milwaukee Brewers team and seven games in front of an overrated Chicago Cubs team.  Next up the Cards will play the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series starting on Thursday October 3rd in Atlanta.  I wouldn't be surprised to see the Braves sweep the Cards.

In football my beloved Missouri Tigers are off to a 3-1 start after having laid a big turd in Laramie, Wyoming in the season opener.  Mizzou wasn't ready for the Cowboys and lost the contest despite getting up 14-0 on its first two possessions.  Since then they have played two bad teams in West Virginia and Southeast Missouri.  They pounded South Carolina 34-14 two weeks ago, but South Carolina will be lucky to finish with a .500 record in the SEC.

And I won't miss the heat of September.  This has been one of the warmest September's I can remember in my life and I am old.  The temperature today was 94 degrees on the last day of the month.  I look forward to cooler fall temperatures.  But, at the same time I don't look forward to the cold and snow of the season that comes after fall.

That's my take on the completed month.  Talk to you in October.

Congratulations Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Baseball inducted six new members into its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY this afternoon.  The class is comprised of Mike Mussina, the late Roy Halladay, Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera.

I have written previously of my experiences watching Baines and Smith.  While they did not make it initially on their retirement, they were selected by the Today's Game Era committee in December. Both posted numbers worthy of Hall of Fame induction.  Smith's arrival was delayed for several years because of his role as a closer.  Baines' admission was delayed by the long overdue consideration of designated heroes.

Lee Smith's HOF plaque pictures him in a Chicago Cubs cap.  But, he also spoke fondly of his years with the Cardinals.  He thanked his former manager with the Redbirds, Joe Torre, for the guidance and direction he received while playing in St.Louis.  He also spoke highly of Cardinal fans saying they were always supportive of him during his three and a half years with the Cardinals.

I don't ever recall seeing Mike Mussina pitch in person but I saw him throw on TV many times. I can recall him battling in the World Series against the Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Marlins in 2003. In all Mussina pitched in 16 post season series and won seven games.  That may not be a lot but each of those were big wins for the Yankees. During his long career with the Orioles and Yankees he started 536 games and won 270 of them while striking out over 2800 batters along the way.

Roy Halladay joined the Hall posthumously following his retirement after the 2013 season from the Philadelphia Phillies.  He died an untimely death when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in November 2017.  Halladay's widow Brandy Halladay accepted her late husband's plaque at the induction ceremony.  In an emotional speech she thanked the Hall for voting her husband into baseball immortality.  I had the good fortune to see Halladay pitch in person at Busch Stadium III when he was a Phillie. He gave my beloved Cardinals fits.  But, there were a number of pitching gems when he battled against his former buddy Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals.  The Cardinals managed to win afew times including a classic in the 2011 NLDS.  Halladay posted 203 wins in 16 seasons with the Bluejays and Phils.  He also posted over 21 hundred strikeouts.

From the sounds of the induction ceremony there were a large number of fans from the Pacific Northwest who traveled across the country to Cooperstown to see Edgar Martinez go into the Hall.  I was fortunate to see Martinez play in person for the Mariners in the old King Dome in Seattle when visiting friends who lived there in the early 90's.  Martinez had one of the sweetest swings I ever saw and he drove the ball with authority.  Combined with his speed he led the American League in doubles twice.  Once in 1992 and again in 1995.  But, his best year may have been 2000 when he drove in an amazing 145 runs. I also remember seeing two of the most exciting players in the same lineup when he and Ken Griffey, Jr. played together for over ten years.  Junior is already a member of the Hall having been inducted in 2016.

And last but not least the Hall inducted Mariano Rivera this afternoon.  I got to see Rivera play one time in person against the Cardinals but oh what a performance it was. In June 2005 the Yankees were at Busch Stadium II.  At the time I was not a fan of inter-league play.  To be honest I am still not a fan of it.  But, I was fortunate because I saw two future Hall of Famers pitch for the Yankees that afternoon.  Randy Johnson, who was inducted in 2015, pitched the first 7 innings before giving way to Tom "Flash" Gordon in the eighth.  Gordon allowed two runners and with two out Rivera came in for a four out save opportunity.  He struck out Larry Walker to end the inning.  In the 9th he got future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to foul out to first and then struck out Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek to record his 14th save of the season.  In his speech this afternoon Rivera also gave thanks to his former manager Joe Torre.  One final note Rivera is the only player to be elected to the Hall unanimously on the first ballot.

Congratulations to all six 2019 Hall of Famers and their families!

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This Team is Brain Dead

Last Friday night I wrote how poorly the 2017 version of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team is playing.  After I wrote that the 'Birds" won three out of four and got my hopes up for a possible pennant run.  Because St. Louis plays in the weakest division in baseball, I thought in the back of my mind they still have a chance.

But, after watching them get to within a game of .500 the Cardinals have lost two straight to a mediocre New York Mets team.  Last night the Mets won 7-3 after a poor start from Cardinal right hander Mike Leake.  Leake gave up seven runs in two innings.

The trip to New York could have finished on a bright note but mis-management and lack of focus cost the Birds the final game of the series.  The Mets won 3-2 today after the Cards had taken a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning on a Tommy Pham home run.

I don't know why, but for some reason Cardinal manager Mike Matheny sent left-hander Brett Cecil to the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. Cecil was promptly lit up by Met's pinch hitter Wilmer Flores, who jacked his 17th HR of the year to tie the game.  Cecil is OK against left-handers but I have no idea what Matheny was thinking.  Hopefully, it was the upcoming left-handed hitters in the Mets lineup that prompted the move.

Then in the bottom of the ninth the Mets put runners on the corners against Cardinal setup man Trevor Rosenthal with two outs.  Rosenthal gave up a sharply hit ground ball to Jose Reyes that Cards first basemen Matt Carpenter fielded on one hop.  But, Rosenthal didn't get off the mound right away and with no one on the base Reyes beat Carpenter to the bag.  The Mets scored, the Cardinals lost and go three games under.  So, much for my new found enthusiasm.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the team and it's not going to get any better until management gets rid of the attitudes and players going through the motions.  At this point the Cardinals should be sellers at the trading deadline.  This team has no chance of winning even in a weak division.

Tomorrow it gets even tougher as the team opens a three game series against the Cubs in Chicago.  If you haven't noticed the Cubs are unbeaten since the All Star break.  They will probably remain unbeaten through the weekend.

Fearless World Series Forecast

This is a day late and the Indians are up one game to none as I write this, but here is my prediction on the winner of the 2016 World Series.

My pick is the Cleveland Indians.

I've seen the Indians play a number of times this year on TV.  Their lineup is very productive, their starters are good and the bullpen is deep.  Granted the Cubs led the Major Leagues in wins this year but my heart is with the Indians.

You really don't expect a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals to cheer for the Cubbies do you?

My take on Baseball's Post Season

It's taken me about three weeks to get past the Cardinals being eliminated from the MLB playoffs to be able to write about their demise and this post-season.

The Cardinals were beaten by a better Chicago Cubs team three weeks ago.  The Cubs pitching and timely hitting for power was more than the worn out Birds pitching staff could handle.  I am a fan of Cardinals manager Mike Matheny but also think he may have over worked his staff during the regular season.  But, then who am I to argue with his success.  The Cards won 100 games this year, more than any other club in Major League Baseball.  Matheny did a great job of running the Cards even when the club was torn up with injuries.  I will remember this season because of all the lost games to key players all season long.

As far as the rest of the Playoffs:

-I was surprised at how easily the Mets swept the Cubs in the NLCS.  I thought the Cubs had their best chance in years to make it to the World Series.  But the Mets' pitching was even better than the Cubbies.  And pitching and defense win championships.  As I write this the Mets are down three games to one in the Series.  The Mets' defense has cost them two games already and I would not be surprised to see the Kansas City Royals clinch the Series tonight.

-Royals and Blue Jays players showing up the other team after hitting home runs is disgusting.  José Bautista's flipping his bat after his home run in the final game of the Blue Jay - Rangers' series was sickening.  Bautista had better be looking for a fastball in his back the first game they meet in 2016.  Likewise, Kendrys Morales' behavior after jacking a homer against the Astros was also immature.  His skipping around the bases like a six year old girl will also be welcomed with a fastball to the back the first time those two teams meet next year.

I am looking forward to the 2016 MLB season and watching my beloved Cardinals play in the NL Central, the toughest division in baseball.  The Cubs are going to be good for a while, the Pirates are good and the Brewers and Reds should also get better.  And it all starts in just 155 days! Woo-Hoo!

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It'll Be a Cold Day in July...

Today is that proverbial cold day in July.  Normally the high for the first full week of July is in the upper 80s.  Today it was 59 degrees when I left for work and only 66 when I went to lunch.  After sitting in a chilly office all day I came out to a cold damp car and turned the heater on for the drive home.  And I have to say as funny as it sounds the heat felt great.  I do enjoy the cooler weather but it won't last.  The temperature is forecast to reach into the mid 90's by this weekend.

Maybe the cold day in July explains the Chicago Cubs sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in a day night doubleheader yesterday at Wrigley Field.  The Cubs won the day game 7-4 and the nightcap 5-3.  Still at the halfway mark of the season the Cardinals are 24 games over .500 at 54-30 and 7 /12 games ahead of the Cubbies.

Hopefully when the weather warms back up to where it should be the pennant race will be all but over.  If the Cardinals play .500 ball the rest of the way it will give them a total of 93 wins.  That will easily put them into the playoffs.