The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #72
May 16, 1996
Copyright © 1996 St. Louis Sports Online
Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission of Publisher [StLSports@aol.com]
St. Louis Sports Online is an online sports weekly that aims to provide
St. Louisans (and transplanted St. Louisans) with an additional source of
news, information, and humor about St. Louis-area sports events and St.
Louis-area sports teams.
ISSUE #72 contains features and updates about the Cardinals, Blues, and
Rams. The usual assortment of quotes, headlines, media news, interactivity,
and statistics are also found within StLSO #72.
Contributors to #72 include KMOX radio's Randy Karraker, StLSO senior writer
Jim Hunstein, StLSO media writer Scott Simon, V-100 on-air personality Brian
Stull, StLSO hockey correspondent Nancy Buchanan, Riverfront Times hockey
columnist Randy Hu, contributing writer Mike Rainey, Cards e-mail list manager
Brian Crawford, and contributing Cardinals writer Bret Hern.
This week's editorial attempts to paint a picture of what happens post-game
at the Kiel Center after a Blues game...in particular, Game Six vs. the
Red Wings.
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St. Louis Sports Online MAY.96.3 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by BRIAN CRAWFORD
2.2 Blues News by BRIAN STULL and SCOTT SIMON
2.3 Rams Report
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Blues Stories
3.1.1 Simply Red by RANDY HU
3.1.2 Hu's Views
3.1.3 How Are The Blues Handling Detroit? by NANCY BUCHANAN
3.2 Cardinals Stories
3.2.1 The Cardinal Report by BRET HERN
3.2.2 David Bell Gets a Chance
3.2.3 Despite Poor Record Cards Only Game And A Half Out Of First by MIKE
RAINEY
3.2.4 StLSO Voice-Mailers: The Cardinals
3.3 Mizzou's New Arena by SCOTT SIMON
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries by BRIAN STULL
4.2 Cardinals Series-by-Series Recaps by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 5.14.96)
5.2 Blues Playoff Statistics (after Detroit GAME 6)
6.0 StLSO Media Views
6.1 Simon Says by SCOTT SIMON
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial: Seven Steps To Meltdown:-A Multi-Step Chemical Reaction
St. Louis Sports Online MAY.96.3
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY
KARRAKER
The Blues astounding three game winning streak against Detroit can be traced
to several points, not the least of which is the Red Wings themselves. Ever
since European players started coming overseas to play in the NHL, the rap
on many of them has been that they don't care as much about winning the
Stanley Cup as much as North Americans do, and won't pay the price for it.
That was evident in the Blues/Wings series, as time and again Sergei Federov,
Igor Larionov, and Vladimir Konstantinov failed to fight through the checks
of the gritty Blues and go to the net. Although the Slavas, Kozlov and Fetisov,
were present and accounted for...once the Blues bottled up Steve Yzerman,
the Wings offense disappeared. Some other points of success, on the Blues
side... include the amazing play of Jon Casey. Grant Fuhr was the reason
I thought the Blues could do some damage in the playoffs...and Casey was
the reason I thought they were toast. He's been much better than I anticipated.
The Blues defense has been as good as it has all season, but the two way
play of two players...Shayne Corson and Al MacInnis, has really stood out.
Corson has perhaps been the best player in the league during these playoffs...bottling
up Doug Gilmour and then Steve Yzerman after fast starts in the series...and
leading the Blues in goals. After a so-so regular season, MacInnis has played
as well as ever during these playoffs. Credit is also due the Blues other
three regular defensemen, Chris Pronger, Murray Baron and Igor Kravchuk...who
all have stepped it up during the post-season. Finally, credit must go to
Mike Keenan. He evidently had an idea as to what kind of players he wanted
for the playoff run. Although I will never believe that he thought Casey
could do the job in the nets...acquisitions such as Craig MacTavish, Brian
Noonan and Corson have certainly played solid "playoff hockey."
If nothing else, Keenan has made more people see it his way, and taught
us that indeed the playoffs are what matter in the NHL...and only the playoffs.
The Cardinal struggles continued on a 2-4 homestand. With Gary Gaetti and
then Ron Gant leaving the lineup with toe and hamstring injuries, respectively,
the Redbirds lost all of their righthanded punch. Add those injuries to
the woes of the starting pitchers and there are some problems to contend
with. Fortunately, in the last trip through the rotation the pitchers have
been mostly good. The Benes brothers, Todd Stottlemyre and Mark Petkovsek
each pitched well...and Donovan Osborne picked up the 16-8 win over San
Francisco. When Mike Morgan returns...at about the same time as Gant and
after Gaetti...the Cards should be fortified for a run. Someone in the NL
Central is going to take off (perhaps Cincinnati already has) and has a
chance to pull away in this division. If the Cardinals can hang in until
Memorial Day...then they might be just the team to do it.
One other Cards note. Sunday as I was leaving the ballpark, about thirty
minutes before the team bus was to leave, Andy and Alan Benes were near
the fountain at the main entrance to Busch Stadium...surrounded about ten
deep in a light drizzle...signing autographs for all comers. Media types
already knew that these two were top shelf people...and more fans apparently
are seeing it every day.
All is quiet on the Rams front. GM Steve Ortmayer and his crew are very
close to the salary cap...and will have to adjust some veteran salaries
to sign QB Mark Rypien and their draft choices (a total of about $5 million).
For that reason, the Rams won't sign Bears C Jerry Fontenot, who apparently
won't come to St. Louis for the bargain price of $275,000 (the league's
veteran minimum). Expect the people on the roster now to be in St. Louis
in the first week of June...and then at training camp in Macomb, Ill., in
the middle of July for training camp.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Karraker is KMOX's primary sports reporter, and can
be heard hosting various Sports Open Line shows throughout the week. In
addition, Karraker also co-hosts the Sunday Night Trivia Show (with KMOX
entertainment editor Harry Hamm), which normally begins just after Sunday's
8:00 pm news.
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by BRIAN CRAWFORD
Gary Gaetti returned to the Cardinals lineup Tuesday and pitcher Mike Morgan
is reportedly on a minor league rehab assignment and could be activated
this week. But scratch Ron Gant from your scorecards until the end of the
month; he went on the 15-day DL last Saturday with a strained right hamstring.
The Cardinals placed Gant on the DL prior to Saturday's 4-2 loss to the
Dodgers. Gant, who is leading the club with six homers and 26 RBI, originally
strained the hamstring scoring the winning run against San Diego on May
4. He aggravated it further against the Giants on Thursday.
Gaetti had been out since April 28 with a broken toe on his left foot. He
suffered the injury when he dropped a metal grate on his foot, but it's
really the second time he's injured that foot this year. He missed some
playing time early in the season after fouling a ball off the same foot.
Gaetti was batting .280 with three homers and five RBI going into last night's
game with the Marlins. The Cardinals optioned RHP Rich Batchelor to Class
AAA Louisville to make room on the roster.
Starting pitcher Mike Morgan, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, might
complete a brief minor-league rehab assignment and be activated off the
15-day disabled list this week. He's given up 18 earned runs in 23 innings
pitched at Louisville. Morgan did go seven innings to pick up a win against
Nashville on Monday. He allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out two
and walking three.
Still out are Danny Jackson (ankle surgery) and Mike Gallego (hamstring).
Jackson won't be back until at least June, but Gallego may be reactivated
later this month.
*Ozzie Smith's May 9th single vs. the Giants was the 2400th hit of his career
2.2 Blues News
2.2.1 Blues Banter by BRIAN STULL
ALL ABOARD: The Blues Bandwagon is now boarding, new passengers please move
to the back and fasten your seatbelt- this trip isn't over yet! ....LIVING
IN THE NOW: "No, it feels like 2000," joked Jon Casey when asked
if this playoff feels like 1991........HOW LONG: The Blues held Detroit
scoreless for over one hundred minutes (103.20) during their three victories.......TONY,
WHAT WERE YOU WAITING FOR?: After scoring his first career playoff goal,
Tony Twist shared that Wayne Gretzky had picked that stick out for him about
four games ago, but it wasn't until Game 3 that he remembered it. We forgive
you Twister.......SHOWING EXCITEMENT: "Well, actually after the second
period I made the comment to one of the coaches 'regardless of how this
all turns out, this is one hell of a hockey game,"-Mike Keenan after
the 1-0 shutout when asked if he was enjoying the Blues performance..........IMPORTANT
STATS: "There's someone that keeps track of that stuff?,"-Brett
Hull after being asked about having more than 70 "hits" against
the Wings.......WHAT SUPERSTITIONS?: The Blues won game 4 despite Natalie
DeLucia changing her national anthem outfit. Natalie has sung the anthems
for all of the Blues home playoff games this season, all victories, in a
blue top with white pants, but changed to a lighter top for Game 4. While
at least a couple of people in the press box were worried (including yours
truly) that change of costume didn't affect the Bluenote. But just in case,
how about wearing the same outfit tomorrow night, Natalie.
BANDWAGON STILL ROLLING: Game 6 is now over, but the playoffs aren't--I
still believe........MORE BANDWAGON: Congratulations to KFNS' Brian McKenna
who is the new spokesman for Midas shocks and brakes.......COULD IT BE THE
PLAYBOOK?: It was generally agreed that Detroit would've learned nothing
new from the playbook that Brian Noonan supposedly "left" in the
Detroit hotel room, however, Coach Mike Keenan did comment on the RedWings
preparedness for Game 6- "They were considerably more prepared than
we were to compete and that was demonstrated in the first period, that's
when they won the hockey game, in the first period--without question.".....MORE
IRON MIKE: "We gave them a couple of goals, but they earned them just
on their effort, they were outplaying us."........PLAYING FOR ALL THE
MARBLES: Now will be the true test of this "experienced" hockey
team. The players have been through Game 7's and know what needs to be done.
The locker room after Game 6 was quiet and disappointed, but one certainly
didn't get the impression this team had given up......the bandwagon rolls
on to Game 7.
2.2.2 Blues Uniform News by SCOTT SIMON
*Look for the Blues to announce that they will bring back something very
close to their original uniform for selected games next year under the NHL's
three-uniform policy. To refresh your memory, the original uniform, from
1967-77, featured a lighter, "colombia" blue color than the current
shade, had a solid body with sleeve piping, and the stem of the logo was
longer than the current edition. It was a sharp as classic uniforms (still)
worn by Montreal and Chicago. 1977 saw the addition of shoulder stripes
on both home and road uniforms. 1984 saw owner Harry Ornest's wife Ruth
meddle too much by changing the logo to display "Blues" above
a reduced-size logo, which brought as much negative reaction from fans as
what happened in 1956, when then-Cards GM Frank Lane dropped the "Birds
on the Bat" baseball logo. In 1987, Mike Shanahan thankfully dropped
the scripted "Blues" from the uniform, but added "St. Louis"
inside the Blue Note logo. 1995 saw the debut of the current uniform version,
diagonal border at the bottom, lots of red, and UGLY socks. A permanent
return to the first uniform will be welcomed.
2.3 Rams Report
*The Rams 1996 Regular Season Schedule
HOME GAMES IN CAPS
SEP. 1 CINCINNATI 12:00
SEP. 8 at San Francisco 3:00
SEP. 15 Bye
SEP. 22 WASHINGTON 12:00
SEP. 29 at Arizona 3:00
OCT. 6 SAN FRANCISCO 3:00
OCT. 13 at Carolina 12:00
OCT. 20 JACKSONVILLE 3:00
OCT. 27 at Baltimore 12:00
NOV. 3 at Pittsburgh 12:00
NOV. 10 ATLANTA 12:00
NOV. 17 CAROLINA 12:00
NOV. 24 GREEN BAY 7:00
DEC. 1 at New Orleans 3:00
DEC. 8 at Chicago 12:00
DEC. 15 at Atlanta 12:00
DEC. 21 NEW ORLEANS 3:00
(ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL)
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
*"That's what you call advancing the runner," commented Jack Buck
after Luis Alicea, after fouling off a bunt attempt, hit a home run with
no outs and Donovan Osborne on second base
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
From the 5.9.96 Post-Dispatch: "Kiel Fun Begins Early, Ends With Overtime
Twist"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Blues Stories
3.1.1 Simply Red by RANDY HU
Is another miracle on ice developing? Ask me in a couple of weeks. In the
past three days, I've eaten so much crow, I'm spitting out feathers. After
the Blues mortifying loss in game 2 of their playoff series against the
Detroit Red Wings two Sundays ago, the Bluenote was toast. Done. Kaput.
Swept. In a span of seven days and three consecutive victories over the
Wings, two years of Mike Keenan-bashing were vanished by his team's feisty
play. Some of his past trades have made him as popular as Marge Schott,
while his players contemplated suing him for mind gameology. But in a stunning
turnaround, he has been temporarily acquitted of single-handedly destroying
a proud franchise.
In a Cinderella story comparable to man-bites-octopus, the underdog Blues
have pushed the mighty Wings to a game 7, much to the delight of the Vegas
sportsbooks. St. Louis finished 51 points and 30 wins behind Detroit in
the regular season. That would be the widest deficit by a playoff winner
in NHL history. Last Sunday, on the tenth anniversary of the Monday Night
Miracle against Calgary, the victorious Blues executed brilliantly using
a tight defensive system in a 3-2 thriller. And if the Fuhr-less Blues succeed
in this odds-defying task, the scary facts are that they match up favorably
against the Colorado Avalanche in the conference finals. Is this real or
puck fiction? If this good fortune continues, the bandwagon will need to
be refitted for heavy-duty shocks, as more people jump on than off.
The up-and-down Blues have picked the real season to turn the switch on.
Good move. They are doing exactly what the New Jersey Devils did to Detroit
last year in the Stanley Cup finals. By blocking the middle of the ice,
cutting off passing lanes, spilling blood and guts along the boards, and
forcing the Wings to take aim from the periphery, the Blues have contained
Detroit's heralded skate-and-shoot offense.
The skeptics will say that sub .500 teams shouldn't make the overcrowded
playoffs. Pittsburgh superstar Mario Lemieux once called the NHL a "garage
league" and many fans agreed, especially after Blues goalie Grant Fuhr
was taken out of the playoffs with a mindless cheapshot. Funny things can
and do happen in a short series. Kind of makes the regular season meaningless,
doesn't it? I agree. Just don't tell that to season ticket holders to the
most expensive game on ice. I wonder if the pay-per-viewers are the same
people complaining about gas prices rising a nickel a gallon?
The Blues big guns, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, and Shayne Corson, have played
well against Detroit. But, surprise, the Blues Russians, Igor Kravchuk and
Yuri Khmylev, have scored more game winners in the series than their more
publicized counterparts on the Wings. The real story here is Blues backup
goalie Jon Casey. After being buried in Peoria most of the year, he has
gone from swiss cheese to the Big Cheese. "Jon is on top of his game
right now and is playing with a lot of confidence," Keenan said after
game 5. The turning point of the series came when Casey made a spectacular
save against Keith Primeau in overtime of game 3, in which the Blues won
moments later on Kravchuk's clutch goal. Without that save, the Blues would
be teeing off right about now and the critics would be thumping their chests.
"This is a great feeling. Nobody gave us a chance in hell to be in
this position," Hull said. "We weren't even thinking about this.
Last week, we were just thinking about trying to win game 3, but winning
that game gave us a boost going into games 4, 5, and 6. "When it was
2-0, we felt experience would still be a big factor," Keenan said.
"The key to beating this team is playing good defense and defense is
all experience and good positioning."
What about The Great One? He's been ripped more than Fabio's shirts since
he arrived in St. Louis than at any other time in his illustrious career.
"Obviously, it was disappointing to hear those things," Gretzky
said. "But I think they motivated me. The hardest thing for Wayne Gretzky
is to play up to what Wayne Gretzky did maybe 12 years ago. It was disappointing
to be down two games, but if you don't believe in yourselves, nobody else
will." "He's done this so many times," Keenan said. "Obviously,
he responded to the criticism." Fear the man who changes everything
or changes nothing. Keenan is both.
3.1.2 Hu's Views
On the set of KSDK-Channel 5's Sports Plus last Sunday, Grant Fuhr said
he would be ready to go to training camp in September and should be able
to start in goal near the beginning of next season. Fuhr is a tremendous
person who deserves the Bill Masterson Memorial trophy this year, which
goes to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship and dedication to
the game.
The Blues have made the playoffs 17 consecutive years, the second current
longest streak in the NHL.
My apologies to Tony and Jocelyn Twist for my comments in his non-fight
against Detroit's Vladimir Konstantinov in game 2. According to Twist, he
was told by referee Bill McCreary not to pummel the Vladiator, lest he risk
a possible suspension. The Twister, a total class act who needs to be re-signed,
was praised by Keenan for showing restraint.
Blues prospect Jamie Rivers, 21, is the real deal. He has tremendous potential
as an offensive defenseman, while toughening up his defense at Worcester
this year.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Hu is the hockey columnist for The Riverfront Times.
He can also be heard Wednesday mornings on all-sports KFNS (590 AM)
3.1.3 How Are The Blues Handling Detroit?
by NANCY BUCHANAN
In a nutshell......The Blues are on a steep learning curve and have figured
out how to anticipate and intercept Detroit's passes...... The Blues have
accepted the fact that many of their passing attempts will also be broken
up by Detroit and have countered by developing a quick transition game of
their own......The Blues, every single one of them, have become adept at
playing defense--riding any Red WIng puck handler with the body and stick;
smashing everything Red into the boards; sacrificing their own body to block
shots in an effort to help Casey; clearing rebounds with precision; winning
face-offs in the defensive zone; communicating with one another nonstop
in the defensive zone to make sure every Red Wing is covered.
In addition, the strategy for clearing the puck from the defensive zone
on face-offs is clearly understood by all five players (plus Casey) on the
ice. The Blues have confidence in themselves as individuals and as a team.
Playing hockey is fun again. Proving the skeptics wrong is seen as a challenge.
Playing up (or down) to the level of the competition is a pattern this team
established in the regular season. Now it's become an advantage as the Blues
find creative ways to take away Detroit's scoring chances while at the same
time executing some fairly impressive offensive passing and goal scoring
themselves.
PLAYER BY PLAYER ANALYSIS:
*Brett Hull is not only clicking on offense but he is playing some of the
best defense of his career.
*Even Wayne Gretzky has been seen throwing his body into Red Wing uniforms.
The Great One hassles Red Wing skaters by pestering them with his stick
and poke-checking the puck away. And Gretzky's bigger-than-life aura may
just have disrupted the concentration of the young goalie Chris Osgood in
games 4 and 5.
*Some of these Blues, like Brian Noonan, are skating with speed they never
knew they possessed.
*Stephane Matteau (before coming down with a mysterious flu that sent him
to the press box for game 5) delivered numerous body checks on Red Wing
players with great satisfaction in game 4.
*Geoff Courtnall has become a human pinball, ricocheting off Detroit players
(and goalies) with precision.
*Chris Pronger is playing with the confidence of a steeled thirty-something
veteran rather than a 21 year old in his first NHL playoffs.
*Igor Kravchuk and Yuri Khmylev are proving to be blue-chip Russians. Kravchuk
earned his spot back on the top two defensive lines with aggressive yet
disciplined play. Khmylev manhandles the Detroit Russians by catching them
with his speed and riding them relentlessly with his body and stick. Keenan
made an intuitively brilliant move assigning Khmylev to help protect Gretzky
and Hull on the first line in game 5.
*Murray (Bear) Baron is so motivated and pumped up that he not only finishes
checks, he buries his unfortunate opponent with finality.
*Al MacInnis has taught the entire Blues team his patented shot-blocking
body slide.
*Craig MacTavish is beating the Red Wings not only with face-offs but with
his constant yapping to opponents and officials.
*Shayne Corson epitomizes everything that is good about hockey and athletic
competition: He puts his heart and soul into the game on every single shift
he plays; he stands up for himself and his teammates; he never quits, even
when he becomes the target of vicious cheap shots by Detroit; he gives 110%
effort every night; he capitalizes on opportunities in front of the net;
he works hard; he thinks quickly; he adapts to new roles (center vs. winger)
easily; he calls little attention to himself.
*Charlie Huddy and Jay Wells eagerly take shifts on defense whenever Keenan
gives them precious ice time.
*Jon Casey may have an unorthodox style, but his aggressiveness and self
confidence continue to frustrate the Detroit superstars. After just missing
a shutout in the Toronto series (the score was 5-0 until late in the third
period of game 4 which ended 5-1) Casey earned his just reward with a 1-0
shutout of Detroit in game 4. When necessary, Casey takes it upon himself
to clear the crease of unwanted Red Wing refuse.
*Tony Twist proves that he is a legitimate hockey player by scoring a goal
in game 3 while continuing his role of intimidating the Red Wings with severe
body blows and the threat of his lethal fists.
*Adam Creighton draws the short straw and makes the most of his unsavory
assignment to battle against Detroit behemoth center Keith Primeau. Creighton
replays in his mind the goal he might have scored in game 5 if only he had
lifted the puck over Chris Osgood's stick .
*Steve Leach, the hero of game 6 in the Toronto series, quietly flattens
Red Wings and displays good speed away from the limelight in the Detroit
series.
*Mike Hudson, finally recovered from a nerve injury that had kept him out
for five weeks, sets up Hull who feeds Gretzky for a score to give the Blues
a momentum-building 2-1 lead at the end of the second period in game 5 against
Detroit. All eyes were on Hudson as he absorbed a Fetisov check with an
acrobatic, body-twisting back flip just as he fed the puck to Hull.
*Glenn Anderson, yearning for more ice time, persistently aggravates the
opponent every chance he gets.
*Peter Zezel, crucially important to the Blues as a face-off czar, has a
mysterious injury that sent him off the ice after the first period of game
3 against the Red Wings. Fans, teammates and coaches all await his return
to the lineup.
*Ken Sutton and Christer Olsson-- two young defensemen-- wait for their
chance to perform in another Blues playoff game and watch in awe as the
Blues defense puts on one dazzling show after another.
*Greg Gilbert and Basil McRae wait and watch from the press box....Gilbert's
chronic back injury prevents him from playing and McRae has to settle for
a role of second string enforcer behind the younger Tony Twist.
*Rob Pearson, young and volatile, waits for a call from coach Keenan to
come into a game to stir things up...(or is he too injured?) He last saw
action early in the Toronto series.
*Backup goalie Bruce Racine watches and cheers from the bench, enjoying
the opportunity to be part of a special hockey team.
3.2 Cardinals Stories
3.2.1 The Cardinal Report by BRET HERN
Is Alan Benes a AAA All-Star or the worst pitcher in National League history?
Overwrought, you say? Let's examine the evidence:
1) Alan Benes' ERA is now 6.20, or approximately the size of the national
debt.
2) Combined, the Benes brothers are now only 3,021 wins behind the late,
great Dean brothers. Oops, wait, that's 3,021 HITS behind Lou Brock.
3) Alan Benes' HR allowed would tie Ray Lankford for the team lead. Trouble
is, Benes only pitches every fifth day.
Of course, Alan Benes is NOT the worst pitcher in National League history.
No, we traded three pitchers and an outfielder to the A's for the WORST
pitcher....But I digress. With the impending return to at least temporary
health by Mike Morgan, Tony LaRussa will be faced with a modest decision
to make: do you boot the brother act, or do you keep on plugging? Even more
pitching riches await in July with the return of the Six Million Dollar
(per victory) Man, Danny Jackson.
To be sure, there is plenty of positive evidence suggesting Mr. Benes is
a horse worth riding. After two dismal outings in a row, including the ridiculous
preview reel for "Twister" in Wrigley, he came back with 6 strong
innings against the Dodgers this weekend past, dueling Ismael Valdes to
a 1-1 tie. Unfortunately, neither Helen Hunt nor a quick hook were forthcoming,
and with a tired bullpen thanks to an extra-inning affair the night before,
Benes was obliged to return to the hill for two more innings, in which the
Dodgers popped two HR and wiped out an otherwise magnificent effort.
His 45 strikeouts in as many innings suggest that he has the ability to
pitch in the bigs; like brother Andy and Todd Stottlemyre, he has been a
frequent contributor to the nightly ESPN homer tally, with eight each from
the Benes brothers, and seven more from Stottlemyre. Whatever they've got
appears to be catching; Mark Petkovsek is 2-0 with an exemplary 3.75 ERA
(which when converted to 1968 ERA dollars, beats Bob Gibson), but he's served
up six HR himself in only 24 IP. Alan B.'s 21 walks have helped his opponents'
cause, but not unexpected for a pitcher in his first full trip through the
NL umpiring gauntlet.
Earl Weaver has been often quoted as saying, "the best place for a
rookie pitcher is long relief." Easy to say when your non-rookie pitchers
are named Palmer, Cuellar, and McNally. When your options are named Urbani
or Barber, the rookie suddenly becomes attractive.
Here's hoping Alan Benes remains attractive to Mr. LaRussa. Mike Morgan
will not be the starting pitcher in the 1998 All-Star Game, Alan Benes might.
Look at the initial campaigns of current stalwarts with names like Avery,
Smoltz, Schourek, or yes, even Cy Maddux. Call it paying your dues, or on-the-job
training, but don't call it a trip to Louisville.
3.2.2 David Bell Gets a Chance
Gary Gaetti's bout with a grate (the grate won, breaking a bone in Gaetti's
toe) provided David Bell with a chance to play third base in St. Louis.
And Bell, who played third base much of the time that Gaetti was on the
disabled list, showed much of the form that one would expect from the son
of a Gold Glove third baseman and current Tigers manager Buddy Bell.
With two singles in the first game of the Giants series, Bell began to show
signs of breaking out of his season-long slump in the first game of the
series with the Giants. But the Giants defeated the Cardinals in that game
4-2, and Bell took note of that fact.
"Yes, I had a good game, but it would have been better if we had won,"
he said. When asked about his problems at the plate, Bell was circumspect.
"Most of it is mental," he said. "I have gone through so
many things...now I'm just starting over [at the plate]. It's tough to have
confidence. I've been thinking too much. And the more I adjust, the tighter
I'm getting."
Bell has had no such problems at the hot corner, and appears to be much
more comfortable there, as opposed to second base. When a reporter suggested
just that, Bell agreed.
"I've played [third base] all my life. I love playing third base. I
want the ball hit to me when I play third base."
But Bell also knows that his appearances at third base depends more on how
he hits than anything else. Especially in light of the rather modest power
numbers put together by the club's first base position.
3.2.3 Despite Poor Record Cards Only Game And A Half Out Of First by MIKE
RAINEY
If someone would have said that the Cardinals would lose 14 of 19 games
and be only a game and a half out of first place, they probably would have
been asked what they have been drinking. But that is exactly the case in
the National League's Central Division. The Houston Astros and Cincinnati
Reds led the division through the weekend despite being 2 games under .500.
After losing 4 of 6 to the Giants and Dodgers on the most recent home stand,
the Cardinals are hoping to put it together on the upcoming 12 game road
trip.
Right now the Cards are suffering from injuries to key players such as Ron
Gant and Gary Gaetti, and are getting poor starting pitching. The Benes
brothers have been getting lit up like the 4th of July of late. After three
good starts to begin the season, enigmatic Andy Benes has seen his record
fall to 1-5 and his ERA has ballooned to 5.85. Younger brother Alan hasn't
fared much better. He too had some nice outings early in the season, but
now has an ERA over six. Todd Stottlemyre had a couple of rough outings,
but has answered with two solid performances striking out 11 against the
Dodgers in his most recent start Friday.
If highly regarded pitching coach Dave Duncan can help the Benes brothers
work out their problems, the starting pitching should be in good shape.
Donovan Osborne has looked good since coming off the disabled list. He has
great stuff and could become one of the best lefthanded starters in the
National League. Mark Petkovsek, one of last year's best starters, is 2-0
with a 3.75 ERA and has solidified the number 5 slot. Mike Morgan should
be back soon, and Danny Jackson is about two months away. Their return will
not only help the starting pitching, but the bullpen as well. The Cards
have the deepest pitching in the division, and that should help them in
the long haul.
The offense is going to struggle at times during Gant and Gaetti's absence,
but it has shown signs of coming around. Luis Alicea is starting to hit
and has displayed extra base power ranking among N.L. leaders in doubles.
Mark Sweeney, who will see some time in the outfield with Gant out, was
3 for 3 Sunday against the Dodgers raising his average to .326. Willie McGee
(.319) will make Gant's absence bearable for awhile. At 37 McGee has proven
that he is still an excellent hitter as well as a fan favorite. But McGee
has said that with the injury he sustained to his foot two years ago, he
can't physically play every day anymore and that's where Sweeney fits in.
The Cardinals also have good catching depth with the Tom Pagnozzi (.293),
Pat Borders (.323), Danny Sheaffer (.292) threesome.
The bottom line is the Cardinals have as much talent as anybody in an average
division. They have had some problems putting it together so far. Manager
Tony LaRussa admits they are not clicking on all cylinders. They Cardinals
and the Astros were the preseason favorites in the N.L. Central. They will
meet in Houston next week for a three game series. If the Benes brothers
pitch to their ability and the offense picks up, the Cards will be in contention
all season. They have been lucky that nobody has gotten hot and raced to
a big lead. This road trip is a good time for them to make their move. If
they do they could return home on Memorial Day in first place. Wouldn't
that be nice for a change.
3.2.4 StLSO Voice-Mailers: The Cardinals
It's mid-May, and the folks at 250 Stadium Plaza have updated their voice-mail
list. The intrepid StLSO staff has managed to get our hands on the top-secret
Cardinals Voice-Mail list. .
*If you want to reach the St. Louisan with the best outfield statistics
in 1996, dial (212)-BGILKEY
*(314)-BADLUCK connects you to Cards lefthander Danny Jackson
*To hear highlights of the recent bestseller "How I Rediscovered My
Forkball", dial (314)-KENHILL
*(314)-DEFENSE has been disconnected
*The Benes brothers (Andy and Alan) share a party line. The number? (314)-FIVE-ERA
*For a pleasant surprise, dial (314)-CATCHER
*To get in touch with Mark Lamping and Walt Jocketty, the architects of
a last-place ballclub with a $40 million payroll, press (314)-HOTSEAT
*For a daily dose of intensity, phone (314)-LARUSSA
*Fans and admirers that wish to contact Willie McGee can dial (314)-FANFAVE.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: McGee's line is usually busy)
*For an insider's knowledgeable and comprehensive view of the St. Louis
area's health-care system, call (314)-GERONIMO
*Need a plumber? (314)-GGAETTI
*(314)-CLAYTON is the number that Ozzie Smith had hoped would be added to
his latest business venture--temporary employees
*For a quick tutorial on Japanese traditions and culture, dial 0-11-S-COOPER
*In need of a complete list of St. Louis-area optometrists? (314)-DENKINGER
*To hear an abridged version of "A St. Louis Version of Webster's Dictionary",
press (314)-SHANNON
3.3 Mizzou's New Arena by SCOTT SIMON
While at the state capitol last week, several top Missouri Senators and
Representatives told me that they are not in favor of spending state money
on a new basketball arena at the University of Missouri --- at least for
now.
One reason is that the current session ends this Friday at 6 p.m., and state
law prohibits any extension; two, there isn't enough time to get a bill
through both chambers; three, they aren't anxious to spend millions of dollars
right now; and four, this is an election year, and they have other things
on their mind.
They did acknowledge that the $10-million donation by former Memphis State
basketball player Bill Laurie and wife Nancy was encouraging for future
assistance. By the way, Laurie's younger brother Barrie played on the 1976
Mizzou team that was eliminated in the Round-of-Eight by eventual tournament
runner-up Michigan.
But any speculation that a new arena will be ready at Mizzou in 1999 is
conjecture. $40-million must be raised, and it's doubtful that the total
could solely come from donations and the sale of bonds issued by the University
of Missouri Board of Curators. The latter does not need a vote of the people,
but there are limitations based on the school's bond rating and percent
of cash-on-hand in the system's operating budget.
It's possible the Missouri Legislature could pass a partial funding bill
in 1997, which would make a 1999 opening follow a rush schedule like the
construction of the Kiel Center, which happened in a little less than 18
months. Possible, but unlikely, when you take into account land clearance,
zoning, building permits, architectural designs and approvals. Plus, the
Athletic Department is going to try and sell an increase in the student
activity fee.
Good luck.
If Bill Laurie wants to see Norm Stewart coach in the new building, he better
convince A.D. Joe Castiglione to get him a five-plus year contract. But
after this past season's debacle, which saw Columbia newspaper columnist
Scott Cain call for Stewart's ouster, could he last that long? Will Mizzou
basketball be competitive in four years?
Which brings us back to the chicken-and-the-egg debate --- is a new arena
really that important for the sake of being a better team? Laurie spoke
highly of new arenas for the University of Memphis and Arkansas. Those two
schools seemed to be pretty good in their old digs. Oklahoma does well in
their 22 year-old home, which seats just 10,000. Oklahoma State went to
the NCAA final four in 1995 with an arena that can only fit 6,500. I don't
see UCLA screaming to replace Pauley Pavilion, which is tiny compared to
current standards.
A new arena is nice and attractive. But don't try to sell me better teams
as a reason. Win some games with some big players ---- now.
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries by BRIAN STULL
4.1.1 Game 3: Detroit at St. Louis
Trailing by two games to none, the St.Louis Blues returned home to continue
their best of seven series against the Detroit RedWings in the second round
of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Blues were welcomed by the largest attendance
in team history, 20,796, and responded by beating Detroit 5-4, when Igor
Kravchuk buried the winning goal in overtime.
The Red Wings got on the scoreboard early when Vladimir Konstantinov fired
from the top of the right circle to beat Jon Casey at 1:34 of the first
period. It took St.Louis just over three minutes to tie the game as Brett
Hull sent a pass from the boards to Al MacInnis, who was in front of goaltender
Mike Vernon. MacInnis worked across and went to the backhand for the goal
and the game was tied 1-1 at 4:43.
Brian Noonan added a goal :22 later, the setup coming from Chris Pronger
who brought the puck into the zone and sent it down for Adam Creighton,
who then sent a pass across the crease to Noonan for the goal and a 2-1
lead.
Tempers heated up at 5:58, with Tony Twist and Kris Draper each receiving
unsportsmanlike minors. With :21 left in the four on four, Larionov dumped
MacInnis and was sent off and the Blues had the man advantage. St. Louis
wasted little time, as Wayne Gretzky sent a pass from the near circle to
MacInnis who blasted a shot to the net which Shayne Corson deflected past
Vernon for his ninth goal of the playoffs and a 3-1 lead.
Hard checking from both teams led to more minors and at 18:09, Paul Coffey
and Corson exchanged words after Coffey was whistled for roughing. Coffey
took exception to referee Kerry Fraser's call and was slapped with an extra
misconduct penalty. As Coffey was leaving the ice, he waved his stick and
hollered for which Fraser increased his punishment to a game misconduct.
The Blues were unable to capitalize on the power play thanks to Mike Vernon,
who made a great glove save to rob Gretzky from pointblank range. Then the
Detroit power play came on and Steve Yzerman wheeled and fired a backhander
past Casey to make it 3-2 at 2:57.
Yzerman struck again just under six minutes later, flipping the loose puck
over a pile in the Blues net to tie the game at 3-3. The Blues defense tightened
after that, killing off a 1:39 2-man advantage by the Wings. Then Vernon
stopped a St.Louis attack, and in making the save high-sticked Corson. That
ignited tempers with Corson and Darren McCarty in the midst of things. The
Blues went on the power play, but it was Detroit that almost scored as Keith
Primeau broke in and was robbed of the shorthander by Casey.
The game stayed tied until 3:08 of the third period, when Steve Yzerman
finished the hat trick, faking Casey down to the ice and then shooting it
into the open net for the power play goal. The Blues tied it 4-4 at 8:46
when Tony Twist fired an off-balance shot that found its way through the
traffic in front of the net for Twist's first career playoff goal.
Jon Casey came up big once again to stop Keith Primeau, this time in the
overtime period. Then Twist delivered a big hit in the Detroit corner, causing
the clearing pass to be sent were Igor Kravchuk intercepted and then fired
from the top for the game winning goal at 3:23.
GAMENOTES: Detroit outshot St.Louis 34/23.....The Blues were 1/6 during
10:33 of power play time, the Wings 2/6 over 11:12......Game 4 is Friday
@ Kiel Center.
4.1.2 Game 4: Detroit at St. Louis
The St.Louis Blues evened the best of seven series against the Detroit RedWings
as Jon Casey earned the first shutout of the year against Detroit, 1-0.
Casey turned away 29 shots and Wayne Gretzky tallied his first goal of the
playoffs to provide the all the offense the Blues needed.
Yuri Khmylev started on the number one line with Brett Hull and Gretzky,
and made his presence felt late in the first period with a big hit on Fetisov,
who was sent headfirst into the boards. Khymlev picked up the boarding penalty,
but Fetisov didn't return until the second period.
Tempers got out of hand at the end of the first period. Shayne Corson picked
up a slashing minor, Bob Rouse roughing, Martin Lapointe an unsportsmanlike,
and Geoff Courtnall (who head-butted Lapointe) also received an unsportsmanlike.
St.Louis went on the power play at 2:05 of the second period when Konstantinov
was whistled for interference and then Bob Errey high-sticked Chris Pronger
to give the Blues a :53 two-man advantage. That's when Jon Casey sent the
puck to Corson in the neutral zone, who fed it ahead for Gretzky on the
break. Gretzky fired from the slot and beat Chris Osgood between the pads
to make it 1-0 at 4:40.
The Blues defense was the story after that. Led by Murray Baron, who frustrated
Dino Ciccarelli all night, the Blues kept Detroit off-balance and away from
the front of the net. With :59 left in the third period, Scotty Bowman pulled
Osgood for the sixth attacker, but it was no use.
Pleasantries were exchanged with three ticks left in the game as Corson
and Federov got in a couple of swipes and Baron stepped forward to accept
Keith Primeau's attempt to get at Corson. After play settled down, the puck
was dropped for the faceoff and time ran out as Detroit lost 1-0.
GAMENOTES: This was the first shutout of the season for Detroit, the third
career shutout for Jon Casey, and the eleventh shutout in Blues playoff
history.......The Red Wings outshot the Blues 29/15.....Both teams had eight
penalties for 16:00, with the Blues 1/4, Detroit 0/4 on the power play......Game
5 is Sunday in Detroit.
4.1.3 Game 5: St. Louis at Detroit
The St.Louis Blues followed up their shutout over the Detroit Red Wings
with a 3-2 victory in game 5 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It was the third consecutive victory for St.Louis and gave them a game advantage
in the best of seven series.
The Blues got on the board first as Yuri Khymlev knocked down a pass from
Greg Johnson at the top of the Detroit zone. Khymlev sent the puck to Wayne
Gretzky, who threaded a backhanded pass to Brett Hull who had stayed deep
in the zone. Hull, all alone in front of Chris Osgood, flipped in the wrister
to make it 1-0 at 5:15 of the first period.
Jon Casey was strong in the nets for St. Louis, including a stop on Lapointe
late in the period which ignited tempers as Lapointe hacked away at the
puck tucked under Casey's arm. Casey also made a big save on a rebound shot
from Steve Yzerman early in the second, but Kris Draper took a pass from
Nicklas Lidstrom and moved in to score at 3:05. That ended a period of 1:43:20(one
hundred and three minutes, twenty seconds) that the Wings were shutout.
Wayne Gretzky regained the lead for St.Louis at 18:46 of the second as Mike
Hudson, back in the lineup after missing six weeks, brought the puck into
the zone and passed to Hull, who went cross-ice to set Gretzky up for the
top-shelf.
St.Louis picked up an insurance goal at 9:11 of the third period after winning
a faceoff in the Detroit end. Igor Kravchuk fired from the top and the puck
deflected of Khymlev past Osgood to make it 3-1. The RedWings responded
just over a minute later as Fetisov worked behind the net and threw it in
front for Kozlov at 10:23.
With 4:00 left in the game, Paul Coffey went down on the ice after catching
a high-stick from teammate Dino Ciccarelli, who was being checked by Kravchuk.
Despite protest from the Wings and their fans, Andy Van Hellemond correctly
ruled there was no penalty.
Moments later, it was Jon Casey again preserving the lead, stopping Sergei
Federov on the initial shot and the rebound. Then the Blues began keeping
the puck in the Detroit zone and it wasn't until 19:30, that Osgood was
able to get to the bench for the sixth attacker. Despite three faceoffs
in the St.Louis zone in the final seconds, Detroit couldn't sneak in the
tying goal and the Blues won 3-2.
GAMENOTES: Jon Casey stopped 37 of 39 shots......Both teams were scoreless
on the power play STL 0/4, DET 0/3.....Game 6 is Tuesday night in St.Louis
4.1.4 Game 6: Detroit at St. Louis
The St.Louis Blues were unable to eliminate the Detroit Red Wings from the
playoffs last night, losing to the visitors 4-2. The series is now tied
at three games apiece and the deciding match will take place Thursday night
in Detroit.
The Red Wings took the lead midway through the first period when Igor Larionov
was able to knock a rebound from a Kozlov shot past Jon Casey at 10:17.
Detroit increased their lead to 2-0 during a Blues power play. Casey came
out of the net to clear the pass but it was intercepted by Kris Draper,
who worked in and beat Casey at 14:05. After that, both teams were stifled
offensively, each only having thirteen shots on goal at the end of the second
period.
At 4:55 of the third period, Mike Hudson leveled a check on Marc Bergevin
and the result was a bloody lip and 4:00 in penalty time against the Blues.
The St.Louis penalty killers were successful, but with :04 left to kill,
Brian Noonan was sent off by referee Dan Marouelli for tripping and the
Blues remained shorthanded. This time Detroit was able to capitalize as
Paul Coffey fired from the top of the right circle and Dino Ciccarelli was
in front of the net for the deflection and the power play goal at 9:15.
St. Louis tried to get back into it with a power play goal of their own.
Al MacInnis sent the shot in from the top of the zone and Steve Leach was
there to bang home the rebound and cut the lead to 3-1 with just under five
minutes left in regulation.
Less than a minute later, Leach dove to knock the puck ahead to Brett Hull
who moved into the zone, leaving the puck for Wayne Gretzky who sent it
back to Hull for the tough angle shot which beat Chris Osgood and the Blues
were down 3-2 at 16:12.
The St. Louis attack stalled after that as Detroit pinned the Blues in their
own end and then added an insurance goal at 19:31 as Steve Yzerman sent
the puck out of the corner to Nicklas Lidstrom in the slot to make it 4-2.
GAMENOTES: Detroit outshot St.Louis 22/20.....Each team had one power play
goal (StL 1/6,Det 1/5).....With his goal, Brett Hull became the Blues all-time
playoff points leader surpassing Bernie Federko......St.Louis once again
equaled their all-time attendance for a game with 20,796.
4.2 Cards Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.2.1 Cards vs. Giants Series (May 7-9)
This series marks a slight change in our coverage of the Cardinals. Sharp
readers will notice the difference. The key thing to note is that G1 means
Game One, G2 means Game Two, and so on.
RESULTS: The Cards outscored the Giants 25-22 in the series but lost two
of three.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: Giants 4, Cards 2; G2: Giants 10, Cards 7; G3: Cards
16, Giants 8
IN THE STANDINGS: Going In: Cards were 14-17, in fourth place, 1 1/2 games
behind Chicago and Houston. Coming Out: Cards were 15-19, in last place,
2 1/2 games behind Houston.
AT THE PLATE: Not quite a team record, but 11 runs in one inning is the
best the Cards have done since 1964. We don't usually go in for play-by-play,
but this is worth it. The Cards exploded for 11 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks
off 4 SF pitchers in the eighth inning of G3. John Mabry led off with a
single. Tom Pagnozzi drew a walk. Willie McGee, batting for David Bell,
hit an RBI single. Royce Clayton then pinch hit for Jeff Parrett singled
to load the bases. Luis Alicea hit a 2-run single, which tied the game 8-8.
Ozzie Smith laid down a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third.
Mark Sweeney scored them both with a double down the first base line. Ray
Lankford was intentionally passed. Brian Jordan scorched one down the third
base line and beat Matt Williams' throw to first. Mabry got his second hit
driving in Sweeney. Pags drew another walk to load the bases. McGee worked
the count full and jacked the second grand slam of his career. Sounds like
a softball game. Other than all that, well, nothing could compare. Ron Gant
hit his sixth homer in G2 as a pinch hitter for Cory Bailey. That was part
of a 7-run inning that, in any other series, would have been the top story.
But, ho-hum, only 7? Alicea also went deep in the fourth inning of G3.
ON THE BASEPATHS: No steals. Again. Pat Borders and Smith were caught.
ON THE MOUND: Struggling, and then some. (Hey, dog-bites-man!) In G1, mark
Petkovsek only gave up 1 run in 5 innings but didn't get the decision. Andy
Benes pitched G2, not following little bro Alan in a rotation shake-up,
didn't improve on the family name; 7 runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Beni are
now at the bottom of the pitching staff with Rockie-esque ERAs. Andy's record
is now 1-5. Donovan Osborne just about handed G3 to the Giants giving up
8 runs (although only 1 earned run) in 6 1/3 inning. His ERA dropped to
3.38 but he can't be too proud of the outing.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Still serving well although they began the series on shaky
ground. Parrett and Tony Fossas gave up 3 runs in 1 1/3 inning in G1 with
the latter taking the loss. Bailey and Dennis Eckersley were each touched
for a run in G2, but Fossas and TJ Mathews were fine in between. Parrett,
in relief of Osborne, was the beneficiary of the 11-run deluge and got the
win to better his record to 2-1.
IN THE FIELD: It took 11 runs to make up for the errors in G3; all four
first-inning runs were unearned after Gant's fielding error. One of the
runs in the fourth was unearned on A Bell error before Barry Bonds homered.
CATCH-ALL: Smith had a single in the first inning of G2, his 2,400th hit
of his career. The team record for runs in an inning? 12 runs in one inning
in 1926 versus the Phillies. The last tine they scored 11? In 1964 versus
the Mets. The last time McGee hit a grand slam? 1982 versus the Braves.
Do those years ring a bell? Maybe a World Series bell? You betchum, Red
Ryder. Just for good measure, the last time McGee even batted clean-up?
1987. Not a World Series year, but still an NL title. The last one, too.
McGee is 3-for-5 with 4 RBI in pinch hitting this year.
OVERALL: Of the 25 runs the Cards scored in the series, 18 came in two innings
of two games. Without those, the Redbirds were outscored 22-7.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 23,492; G2: 22,517; G3: 37,920
UP NEXT: 3-game series with the Dodgers at Busch.
4.2.2 Cards vs. Dodgers Series (May 10-12)
RESULTS: Another near-sweep saved with a win in the third game.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: Dodgers 3, Cards 2; G2: Dodgers 4, Cards 2; G3: Cards
6, Dodgers 5.
IN THE STANDINGS: Going In: Cards were 15-19 in last place 2 1/2 games behind
Houston. Coming Out: Cards were 16-21 tied for fourth with Pittsburgh for
fourth, 1 1/2 games in back of Houston.
AT THE PLATE: Hey, nothing's going to compare to an 11-run inning and a
16-8 win, but the Redbirds managed 34 hits in the 3 games. Luis Alicea was
5-for-15 in the series and 4-for-11 in the lead-off position. Mark Sweeney
boosted his average from .242 to .326 with a 6-for-10 series, including
3-for-3 with a walk in G3. In that game, David Bell was the only starter
(including Mark Petkovsek) to wear the collar. And guess what; nary a Cardinal
dinger in the stadium.
ON THE BASEPATHS: The Cards found their green light over the weekend as
Ray Lankford stole his third on Saturday and Royce Clayton swiped two on
Sunday. But Lankford's steal was a questionable tactic at best. After a
two-out double, he took off for third with Willie McGee at bat in the sixth
inning of a tie game. Why go? He could score as easily from second as third
in a hit, so why take a chance on making the third out at third, a baseball
sin? Alicea went into the books as caught stealing in G3, as well he should
be since Hideo Nomo spun and caught him between second and third. After
a run down, however, he slid into third under the tag but still called out.
ON THE MOUND: For the first time in a long while, the starters managed to
pitch more innings than runs allowed for all three games. This is clearly
a good trend. In G1, Todd Stottlemyre threw 8 strong innings striking out
11 along the way, but the game went 12 innings so no decision. Alan Benes,
who's been beaten like a cheap rug lately, started G2 and also went 8 whiffing
a mere 10. But he gave up 4 earned runs on 3 dingers and his record fell
to 3-3. Then Mark Petkovsek took the hill in G3 and got the win to even
his record to 2-2.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Dennis Eckersley got the save in G3, but he made it interesting
giving up 2 runs on 3 hits in the ninth. He was also touched for a run in
1 1/3 innings at the end of G1. His ERA skyrocketed from 1.62 to 2.37. But
he has 8 saves (third in the league), so he'd better stick around. He took
the loss (he's now 0-3) in G1 but he was the victim of an error.
IN THE FIELD: Only one error in the entire series. (That's the way, uh-huh,
uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh, that's the way...Some of you will know
what that means.) But that one was costly. With two outs in the top of the
12th in G1 and men on first and second, Pat Borders committed his third
error of the year. Inserted at first in a double switch to bring Eckersley
into the game, Eric Karros ripped one up the line that glanced off Border's
glove, allowing a run to score.
CATCH-ALL: Sunday's game marked the 30th anniversary of the opening of Busch
Stadium, when they beat the Braves 4-3. Brian Jordan now has an 11-game
hitting streak going. Ron Gant was placed on the 15-day disabled list with
a pulled hamstring. Rich Batchelor got the call-up. The Cards are 11th in
the league in on-base percentage at .319 for the lead-off position. The
first hitters (by definition only) are batting .200 for the year despite
a 6-for-16 start by McGee in New York. Royce Clayton is only .152 as lead-off
but .309 elsewhere in the line-up.
OVERALL: How good could the Cards be? They are only 1 1/2 games out of first
and they've lost 14 of their last 18 games.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 36,821; G2: 38,008; G3: 38,549
UP NEXT: A 3-game series in Miami against the Marlins to start a 12-game
road trip that will also end
in Florida.
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 5.14.96)
5.1.1 Cards Hitting Statistics
BA SLG OBA G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS E
Sweeney .340 .480 .450 31 50 11 17 24 4 0 1 6 10 6 0 0 2
Borders .323 .369 .333 23 65 3 21 24 3 0 0 4 1 13 0 1 3
McGee .316 .442 .356 30 95 14 30 42 6 0 2 16 6 17 0 1 2
Sheaffer .299 .358 .338 28 67 5 20 24 4 0 0 8 4 7 2 2 2
Mabry .298 .372 .344 35 121 11 36 45 6 0 1 12 8 21 0 1 1
Pagnozzi .292 .458 .321 17 48 7 14 22 5 0 1 10 3 8 0 1 1
Jordan .286 .408 .327 27 98 14 28 40 6 0 2 11 5 24 2 2 0
Lankford .284 .567 .329 38 141 21 40 80 7 3 9 28 11 38 4 1 0
Gaetti .266 .430 .289 21 79 7 21 34 4 0 3 5 3 12 1 0 4
Smith .259 .333 .310 10 27 2 7 9 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 1 1
Clayton .241 .350 .305 37 137 18 33 48 8 2 1 15 14 29 10 4 5
Gant .228 .465 .355 33 101 19 23 47 4 1 6 26 19 24 3 2 3
Alicea .218 .317 .291 38 142 18 31 45 11 0 1 9 14 30 2 1 10
Bradshaw .200 .200 .385 9 10 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0
Bell .182 .247 .232 28 77 4 14 19 2 0 1 1 4 12 0 0 4
Holbert .000 .000 .000 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mejia .000 .000 .000 11 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0
5.1.2 Cards Pitching Statistics
W- L ERA G GS CG GF SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
Mathews 1- 1 1.54 18 0 0 5 0 1 23.1 14 7 4 3 12 20
Fossas 0- 3 2.08 20 0 0 1 0 0 17.1 13 5 4 1 9 13
Eckersley 0- 3 2.37 17 0 0 16 0 8 19.0 22 8 5 0 1 21
Parrett 2- 2 3.04 17 0 0 6 0 0 23.2 18 8 8 1 12 23
Batchelor 0- 0 3.18 2 0 0 2 0 0 5.2 6 2 2 0 0 3
Osborne 2- 2 3.32 6 6 0 0 0 0 38.0 36 21 14 5 7 20
Petkovsek 2- 0 3.75 6 4 0 1 0 0 24.0 26 10 10 6 10 9
Stottlemyre2- 2 4.71 8 8 0 0 0 0 49.2 46 27 26 7 24 40
Honeycutt 0- 0 4.80 18 0 0 5 0 1 15.0 14 8 8 1 5 14
Andy Benes 1- 6 5.57 9 9 0 0 0 0 53.1 55 38 33 8 17 43
Bailey 2- 0 5.57 18 0 0 2 0 0 21.0 27 14 13 1 13 20
Alan Benes 3- 3 6.20 8 8 1 0 0 0 45.0 46 37 31 8 21 45
Urbani 1- 0 7.71 3 2 0 0 0 0 11.2 15 10 10 3 4 1
Barber 0- 0 15.00 1 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 4 5 5 0 6 1
Busby 0- 1 18.00 1 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 9 13 8 4 4 4
5.2 Blues Playoff Statistics (after Game 6 of the Detroit series)
5.2.1 Scoring
NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW OT S PCTG
99 Wayne Gretzky 12 2 14 16 3 0 1 0 1 0 23 8.7
9 Shayne Corson 12 8 6 14 0 22 6 1 1 0 34 23.5
16 Brett Hull 12 6 5 11 3 10 2 1 1 0 51 11.8
2 Al Macinnis 12 3 4 7 3 18 1 0 0 0 47 6.4
5 Igor Kravchuk 9 1 5 6 0 2 0 0 1 1 12 8.3
44 Chris Pronger 12 1 5 6 0 16 0 0 0 0 20 5.0
28 Brian Noonan 12 4 1 5 5- 10 0 0 0 0 18 22.2
27 Stephen Leach 10 3 2 5 4 8 1 0 1 0 10 30.0
36 Glenn Anderson 10 1 4 5 5 6 0 0 1 1 17 5.9
25 Peter Zezel 9 3 0 3 4 2 0 1 0 0 15 20.0
14 Geoff Courtnall 12 0 3 3 2 14 0 0 0 0 26 .0
13 Yuri Khmylev 5 1 1 2 1 4 0 0 1 0 5 20.0
18 Tony Twist 10 1 1 2 0 16 0 0 0 0 1 100.0
20 Adam Creighton 12 1 1 2 4- 8 0 0 0 0 18 5.6
32 Stephane Matteau 10 0 2 2 2- 8 0 0 0 0 12 .0
30 Jon Casey 11 0 2 2 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
23 Craig MacTavish 12 0 2 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 7 .0
34 Murray Baron 12 1 0 1 5 20 0 1 0 0 8 12.5
22 Charlie Huddy 12 1 0 1 1 8 0 0 0 0 14 7.1
15 Mike Hudson 2 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 .0
26 Jay Wells 11 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 .0
29 Bruce Racine 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
33 Ken Sutton 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .0
31 Grant Fuhr 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
17 Basil McRae 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .0
12 Rob Pearson 2 0 0 0 1 14 0 0 0 0 2 .0
35 Christer Olsson 3 0 0 0 1- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
5.2.2 Goaltending
# GOALTENDER GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SV % G A PIM
29 Bruce Racine 1 1 .00 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0
31 Grant Fuhr 2 69 .87 1 0 0 0 1 45 .978 0 0 0
30 Jon Casey 11 666 3.15 6 5 0 1 35 338 .896 0 2 8
TOTALS 12 736 2.93 7 5 0 1 36 383 .906