Dead Simmons

Better get used to the idea.

1923.... At the Polo Grounds, the visiting Yankees score five runs in the eighth inning, beating the Giants in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, 6-4. The victory over their crosstown rivals gives the franchise its first World Championship. 1946.... In Game 7 of the WS , the Cardinals beat the Red Sox, 4-3 when Enos Slaughter "mad dashed" home from first on Harry Walker's dbl. The play surprises everyone including cut-off man shortstop Johnny Pesky who hesitates, just for a second, before throwing the ball home. It was considered at the time to be the greatest WS moment ever. By 2001 SI still named it the #10 moment. The legend has it that Harry's hit was a single because the ball didn't get past the outfielders, and the official scorer may have ruled it a single, but it was a double and risky, heads up play. Slaughter's new hero status may have bolstered him enough to lead a planned players strike the next year against Jackie Robinson, but Ford Frick got wind of it and squashed the revolt. But that didn't stop him from taunting Jackie with vulgar, racist insults, to the St. Louis crowd's delight. He further got his point across when he slid hard into Jackie, cleats high, opening a seven inch gash on his leg. Enos denied the planned Robinson strike (it was hushed up) for decades, but in a filmed interview he finally came clean, saying that he was just a country boy from the South, and that was the general attitude in the forties. His voice cracking, the old man said he was sorry for his behavior and if he could do it all over again, blah blah blah. http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mY0ZFJn0cmN13DBl-bQ1DQA.jpg

LOL....he'll probably be the MOY. I don't know, but this 7 straight must be nearing a record in the playoff era.

That's a good question. In the case of Carp I figured out that Matheny wanted him to take pitches, run up the pitch count and when down 2 strikes shorten his stroke for hits to set the table. He could have been hitting homers all along, and now he's been unleashed. Wong was hitting homers all along, but he didn't play every day. Adams played with an oblique strain after the ASB and couldn't hit lefties to save his life. He must be better now. Oscar Tavares' power was known, but he's in the Matheny doghouse and saw limited action all year. The LHB Cards are doing all the damage, 11 HR to 2 for RHB , one from Grichuk, one from Holliday, who is predictably sub Mendoza this post season. He disappears every October. I suspect that the Royals had that power available all year too, but it was not the focus of their speed/defense approach. The Cards are in bad shape right now. The Ace is shot, the closer is shot and Molina is shot, out for the season. The pixie dust bag is leaking like a sieve. The Giants WILL take advantage. Frankly, It's a mystery to me how the Cards made it this far. Led the division in VERY few catagories this year, near the bottom in most. Go figure.

It was mock devastation. The guy's so disinterested in baseball that he was damn near falling asleep in the booth a couple of years back. The internet and radio sports shows exploded on his deadpan delivery (VERY similar to Jack Buck before Harry Carey was fired) and he's since projected a more "I care" attitude. Apparently he was scared to death at the thought of returning to the St. Louis broadcast booth if Fox axed him. But like Mc Carver, when he gets too long in the tooth he'll be right back in St. Louis, faking allegiance.

Johnny Sain never played for the Milwaukee Braves. Yeah, you're right. He was gone by '57. Feel free to also add positives to the thread, Super Collector.

LOL! What have you been telling the child? The schedule makers must be insane. If they are going to make the playoffs so widely spaced and start the NLCS today, why not do both games, and travel on Football Sunday? At any rate I'm becoming a rooter of KC. They hooked me. I'm picking them over the O's in SIX.

1923.... One year before that first WS game ever on National TV, veteran Giants' outfielder Casey Stengel breaks a 4-4 deadlock in the top of the ninth inning with an inside-the-park home run off Joe Bush. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3aoEYUNg-bA/Uc_M2IokEDI/AAAAAAAAub8/GMuHS4AuwMY/s300/Casey+Stengel+28.jpg __http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/1923wsprogram.jpg http://www.legendaryauctions.com/ItemImages/000121/124777c_lg.jpeg Regular season tickets varied from a nickel to a quarter in the '20s, but how much was this game? Although the Yankees had lost two consecutive World Series to the Giants, they were fast becoming the more popular of the two. The soon to be nicknamed Bronx Bombers boasted the game's top player, the largest arena, and the best record in baseball after winning their third American League pennant by a sixteen game margin. Once again, the Subway Series was on as the Yankees and the Giants met for the third consecutive year, but this time the Yanks won it. 1957.... Starting Game 7 on just two days rest, Lew Burdette pitches the Braves to a World Championship as he blanks the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, 5-0. The 30-year old righty, named the Series MVP, tosses 24 consecutive scoreless innings and posts a 0.64 ERA in his three WS victories. http://cdn.thebaseballpage.com/sites/default/files/images/baseball_entity/burdette.jpg This game put Burdette in rare company with Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth, to be followed by Ford, Gibson and Koufax as the top single series WS performers in baseball history.

Pretty cool for the day McShane. Washington DC and my boy, Tony Kornheiser are more than ready to see a repeat this year, and they still have a shot with the O's. I think the O's are the better team, but KC is on a mission.

Well since I'm old I should have known if I thought it was 1 to 2 months ago it was really 4. If I think something happened 4 years ago it was 15. Anyway in June there was a thread about why the Cards and Brewers don't get along and somebody mentioned that the Brewers had Prince and CC and Cameron and Morgan and Weeks and Hall etc. and the Cards, not so much. You commented that La Russa had systematically weeded out all of the black players, that Oquendo should have had Metheny's job, that the Polanco for Rolen trade was terrible, etc. - by the end of it La Russa was Hitler, which of course doesn't go nearly far enough but hey you're a Card fan, I understand! You commented that it was still an issue now with La Russa gone. Like I said, 4 (not 1-2) months later it rang a bell today. Oh, yes. I remember. If you look in the stands in Card games you would be hard pressed to see a black face these days. It's a sore spot with me and a lot of St. Louis (enlightened) fans. I hate to admit it, but St. Louis is basically a red neck town. By the way, I don't live there anymore. But my 1st wife does...in Ferguson.

Sorry for the gaffe. You'll notice that I made no significant comment to offer on the list. That's because I was mentally exhausted after the 2 hours it took me too compile it. Spacing is tricky. Halfway through I wanted to quit. If someone knows of a more efficient way to do lists, making columns match up, etc...I'm all ears. The little comment I did make concerning "inconsistencies" was the Yanks (2nd). Red Sox (4th) not being close to the playoffs, and the Pirates (27th) making it.

Your comments from a month or two ago on the organization's recent treatment of black players, so far removed from what it was when I was growing up, has hit home as I've been looking at the reports from after the game. I didn't catch that show. Please fill me in.

What are you referring to, Bombers? I saw Molina/Matheny freak out at one point when Lackey was getting wild and stall the action, but not Rosenthal. That guy gives up hits in every game he saves. He has Card fans are on pins and needles every time out. I was listening to Vin and not watching but according to his call right after Rosenthal put 2 straight on all of a sudden there was a problem with the mound and play stopped while they all futzed around with it for it seemed like forever and it seemed like a pretty transparent attempt to stall. Your comments from a month or two ago on the organization's recent treatment of black players, so far removed from what it was when I was growing up, has hit home as I've been looking at the reports from after the game. Oh yes. I'd forgotten. You may be right on that. I put nothing past Tony La Theny.

There were a lot of things to like on those late '50s teams. Frank Torre and Adcock platooned 1B and produced well. SS Johnny Logan and catcher Del Crandell were among the top defenders in the league. Crazy Trader Lane dealt the super gloved, triples machine Red Schoendienst to the Braves to improve an already good infield. And don't forget the other half of the "pray for rain" pitching duo. (and Lew Burdette!)

What are you referring to, Bombers? I saw Molina/Matheny freak out at one point when Lackey was getting wild and stall the action, but not Rosenthal. That guy gives up hits in every game he saves. He has Card fans are on pins and needles every time out.

The towel wagging disgusts me. I'd rather see the wave.

_____AL EAST______________________NL EAST EAST_______ Yankees__$203,813 (2nd) _____Phillies__ $180,052 (3rd) Red Sox__$162,817 (4rd) _____ Nats____ $134,704 (9th) Blue Jays_ $132,628 (10th)_____Braves_ $110,897 (14th) Orioles___ $107,406 (15th)_____ Mets___ $89,051 (22nd) Tampa____$77,062 (28th)______ Rays___ $77,062 (28th) _____AL Central____________________ CENTRAL_____ Tigers____$77,062 (5th)______ Reds____ $112,390 (12th) Royals___ $92,034 (19th) _____ Cards___ $111,020 (13th) Chicago__ $91,159 (20th)______ Brewers_ $103,844 (16th) Twins____ $85,776 (26th)______ Cubs___ $89,007 (23rd) Indians__ $82,534 (26th)_______Pirates__ $78,111 (27th) _____AL West_______________________NL WEST___ Angels__ $155,692 (6th) _______Dodgers_ $235,295 (1st) Rangers_ $136,036 (8th) ______ Giants___ $154,185 (7th) Mariners_ $92,081 (18th) ______D'Backs__ $112,688 (11th) Oakland_ $83,401 (23rd)______ Rockies__ $95,832 (17th) Astros___$44,544 (28th)______ Padres___ $90,094 (21st) Lots of inconsistencies here!

Well knowing the irony rampant in baseball, I fully expect Bumgarner to LOSE the game this afternoon. Right now, it's tied in the 2nd.

1946... And I thought this play happened last year....During Game 1 of the World Series, Whitey Kurowsk is awarded home plate on a controversial obstruction call after he gets tangled up with Red Sox third baseman Pinky Higgins, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. 1957... In Game 4, Eddie Mathews' two-run shot off Bob Grim in the bottom of the tenth inning at County Stadium gives the Braves a 7-5 victory, and knots the WS at two games apiece. The Milwaukee third baseman becomes the third major leaguer to end a World Series game with a walk-off HR. Eddie often batted ahead of Aaron, and the the prolific 1-2 punch combined to hit 863 homers from 1954-66, the highest total for teammates in ML league history, passing Ruth and Gehrig with 859. http://www.whenitwasagame.net/photos_bat_stories/aaron_adcock_mathews.jpg That's Joe Adcock, center

Good call, dead Simmons. I wasn't sure what you meant by this in a 2-2 tie game, but you got it right. Yeah. I know the Cards have had some recent success being tied or down late, but it's not really their DNA, especially on the road So far this has been an incredible post season. KC is on a mission, and SF hasn't lost a post season game since the year of the blue snow. An exciting end to a frustrating, pitcher friendly regular season.

LA still has the advantage.

The Cards will have to come from behind again.

Oh, I agree. But when I last did that for another game the Mod closed it down, saying to add it to the Brewers Game thread instead . Well, this looks like a thread for the entire post season.

Though I have little interest in this game, I WILL tune in by the 8th. Hopefully it's not a blowout by then. http://www.clickondetroit.com/image/view/-/25951896/medRes/2/-/maxh/360/maxw/640/-/16mhmd/-/Detroit-Tigers-vs-Baltimore-Orioles-png.png TIGERS 2B Ian Kinsler ® RF Torii Hunter ® 1B Miguel Cabrera ® DH Victor Martinez (S) LF J.D. Martinez ® C. Alex Avila (L) 3B N. Castellanos ® SS Andrew Romine (S) CF Rajai Davis ® Scherzer http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/baseball/mlb/players/60x80/1225651.jpg ORIOLES RF Nick Markakis (L) LF A. De Aza (L) CF Adam Jones ® DH Nelson Cruz ® 1B Steve Pearce ® SS J.J. Hardy ® 3B Ryan Flaherty (L) C. Nick Hundley ® 2B Jonathan Schoop ® Tillman http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/baseball/mlb/players/60x80/1499976.jpg Line: DET -115 O/U: 7 Runs