After Prince Fielder's homerun celebration in the 5th inning, I'm surprised Tony La Russa didn't put a call out for a contract killer. I loved every second of it, but man it must be pissing off the Cards.

Great game all around. Braun and Fielder look indomitable.

If I'm managing the Cardinals, Fielder hits the deck every time he comes to bat with two out and nobody on for the rest of the series.

Tony is a patient man. He will wait for when the game is not imperiled before sending a message

If TLR is so patient, how come he couldn't wait until he got home to fall asleep?

If I'm managing the Cardinals, Fielder hits the deck every time he comes to bat with two out and nobody on for the rest of the series.

The bottom of the first kind of put a damper on any pitchers throwing on the inner part of the plate.

Guessing the umps are going to nip things in the bud to avoid a situation

If TLR is so patient, how come he couldn't wait until he got home to fall asleep?

It's one of the weird things about La Russa, that in spite of his reputation for the parades of zillions relievers, he does not like to take out his starting pitchers. That's especially true when they're in line for the W (before the end of the fifth) and when they're due to bat in the next half inning.

That is a weird response to Tony falling asleep drunk at a stoplight.

I am uneasy in a world in which Yuniesky Betancourt is capable of October heroices.

Gb

RR won't admit it but he took the same approach with Marcum in Game 3

Tried to nurse him through and kablooey

I thought #4 was about TLR's incident where he was asleep in his car. I don't remember the particulars but I am sure someone here will.

Yuni has certainly provided plenty of ammunition for all the ripping he gets, but I do wonder if he is actually rising to the occasion. I mean, the guy took 26 pitches today while getting two solid hits.

I don't want that to sound like Yuni is clutch. I believe that he spends large stretches of games, even weeks, where he isn't trying as hard as he has over the last couple of months.

That being said, I don't have any interest in picking up his option for next season.

Betancourt, who had the go-ahead RBI single in the Brewers' Game 5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, pounded out a two-run homer and a double on Sunday.

The native Cuban typically doesn't speak with the media, but when he does, he needs a translator.

He had one up on the stage in the Brewers' media auditorium, and provided the laugh of the night when the final question posed to him had to do with how he deals with all the criticism he's had lobbed his way over the years.

"I don't really understand English very well," Betancourt said through the translator. "So that being said, I don't really pay attention to what the critics say. Since I don't understand, I don't get mad. I just try and do my job."

Yuni appears to have a sense of humor

Reminds me a little of Game 1 of the '82 series.

Tony is a patient man.

True, that. He whiled away twelve years before picking up his first penant.

True, that. He whiled away twelve years before picking up his first penant.

That's true, if you count both halves of the 1981 split season as two years and both his White Sox and A's stints in 1986 as another two. Oh, and his failure to emerge from the 14-game hole that Don Kessinger put the club in when he took over for the final 54 games in 1979, gotta add that as another year to his list of failures as well. That's kinda like 12.

Even as a Cardinals fan, I'm unable to hate the Brewers as much as I'm apparently supposed to. Taunting -- which I don't even think they do -- doesn't bother me as a general rule. They're a fun team, and they're probably the better team. I'm going to enjoy the series and pull for whoever advances.

@16--You know what else is kinda like 12? The mental age of your post!

Ha!

Actually, in the other LaRussa related thread we're having an interesting conversation on Tony's career. It's worth mulling over how important the last third of his career has been in making his HOF case, during which time the Cards were almost always 1st or 2nd in the division in payroll while also paying Pujols pocket change. Feel free to join.

What's interesting too is that without the fluke of his 83 win Cardinals winning the WS, Tony has all of one WS win in 34 "seasons", or however many it is you'd like to count to. It's a big what if, and flukes work the other way, but it's interesting to note

I thought #4 was about TLR's incident where he was asleep in his car. I don't remember the particulars but I am sure someone here will.

Not so much "asleep" as "passed out drunk" at an intersection, with the car running.

Hater.

After Prince Fielder's homerun celebration in the 5th inning, I'm surprised Tony La Russa didn't put a call out for a contract killer. I loved every second of it, but man it must be pissing off the Cards.

If I'm managing the Cardinals, Fielder hits the deck every time he comes to bat with two out and nobody on for the rest of the series.

After that cloddish first inning HBP, Prince Fielder should be commended for restraining himself from repeating Frank Drebin's umpiring dance moves.

@16--You know what else is kinda like 12? The mental age of your post!

Ha!

A simple, "Whoops, I screwed that up," would have sufficed.

Actually, in the other LaRussa related thread we're having an interesting conversation on Tony's career. It's worth mulling over how important the last third of his career has been in making his HOF case, during which time the Cards were almost always 1st or 2nd in the division in payroll while also paying Pujols pocket change. Feel free to join.

Thanks for the invite. Yes, the Cardinals portion of his career put TLR firmly in the Hall of Fame, and elevated him from very good to all-time great. I don't know that's much of a mystery. As for the payroll argument, it can be misleading. It doesn't just lead to greater performance, but also follows it. When guys develop into good players under you, you have to pay them.

What's interesting too is that without the fluke of his 83 win Cardinals winning the WS, Tony has all of one WS win in 34 "seasons", or however many it is you'd like to count to. It's a big what if, and flukes work the other way, but it's interesting to note

So, if he didn't win his second world series, he'd only have one.

Then again, if he wins the WS in the years he had the team with the best record in baseball, he's got at least 4. As far as fluky WS results go, he's probably still getting the short end of the stick.

As Chris has noted, what separates TLR from other big league managers, including the other all-time greats, is how long he's been doing it effectively. Most great skippers, your Weavers (one World Series title) or Williams (2 WS titles) types, don't last that long. They're great, but they burn out by the time they reach their 20th season or so. That hasn't happened to TLR. In fact, as you note, he's gotten some of his best results in the latter third of his career.

A juice-fueled career, you mean.

I'll probably go look this up in a moment, but who has the most WS titles who didn't manage the Yankees?

Just guessing, but if 4 or more rings is necessary to be considered "great", we can only enshrine Yankee skippers.


EDIT: The list of non Yankees who won more than two WS seems to be: Alston (4), Sparky (3) and McGraw (3).

Just guessing, but if 4 or more rings is necessary to be considered "great", we can only enshrine Yankee skippers.

Where was that suggested? At any rate, a lot depends on how big your skipper Hall is. There are currently two and a half times as many managers the hall, by percentage, as there are players. You know the current twenty down to eight and the discussion gets pretty interesting. Some people consider Dick Williams an obvious choice regardless, but as I posted on the other thread, it would have been tough to lose with those A's teams, and other than that he doesn't impress. His career is somewhat like, say, Jose Reyes', is Reyes turns in five more 2 win seasons. A hell of a ballplayer, but not enough peak, and not a long enough career.

I turned on the fifth, watched both halves of the frame, then got called away. That inning seemed to exemplify the whole game. What other inning in postseason history told so much of the story?