The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #75
June 7, 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 #75 contains features and updates about several aspects of the St.
Louis sports scene. The usual assortment of quotes, headlines, media news,
interactivity, and statistics are also found within StLSO #75.
Contributors to #75 include KMOX radio's Randy Karraker, Fowl Ball's Jim
Hunstein, Scott Simon, Brian Stull, Randy Hu, contributing writer Mike Rainey,
Chicago correspondent Brian Crawford, and StLSO Vipers correspondent Gary
Griffaw.
Highlights of #75 include extensive Cardinals-related articles and game
summaries, as well as St. Louis sports media news and opinion that we believe
can be found nowhere else.
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St. Louis Sports Online JUNE.96.1 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by BRIAN STULL
2.2 Blues News by BRIAN STULL
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 Stampede Update by RANDY HU
2.5 StLSO Quote of the Week
2.6 StLSO Headline of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Cards Sweep Astros, Move Into First Place Tie by MIKE RAINEY
3.2 Cards in Paradise by RANDY HU
3.3 The Great Debate by RANDY HU
3.4 Cardinal Quotes
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics
6.0 StLSO Media Views
6.1 Simon Says by SCOTT SIMON
6.2 Shakeout Begins in Chicago Sports Radio; St. Louis Implications? by BRIAN CRAWFORD
6.3 St. Louis vs. Kansas City Sports Media by SCOTT SIMON
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial
St. Louis Sports Online JUNE.96.1
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
With the selection of RHP Bradon Looper from Wichita State with their
first round pick (third overall), the Cardinals have now taken pitchers
with their last seven first round picks. Allen Watson, Brian Barber, Sean
Lowe, Alan Benes, Bret Wagner and Matt Morris all preceded Looper, with
Barber being the only non-college pitcher. Is this the way to go? At least
one front office type really liked Cal State-Fullerton OF Mark Kotsay, but
the consensus was that you just don't pass up an arm like Looper's. Because
T.J. Mathews and John Frascatore haven't had closing experience before,
look for Looper...a reliever in college...to start his pro career as a starter
and move to the bullpen. A projected Cardinal staff in the year 2000 might
be Alan Benes, Morris, Donovan Osborne, Mike Busby and 33 year old graybeard
Andy Benes in the starting rotation, with Looper closing...to go with Mathews,
Frascatore, Cory Bailey and a lefthander. This year's Cards have really
picked it up, with only one bad start in their last thirteen games through
June 3. With the innings being delivered by the starters, and the games
being won in the absence of Ron Gant...in addition to some early dominance
of Houston, the Cards are showing every evidence of being a contender in
September.
The Blues have have surprised some with the re-signing of Jon Casey... but
they aren't sure they can sign Kelly Hrudey, don't know when Grant Fuhr
will be ready, and wanted some insurance. Casey was offered deals by two
teams in Sweden, but remained in the NHL for less money. He still might
not play in St. Louis in 1996-97...but likely took a big lead on any competition
with his playoff performance. Wayne Gretzky might look at free agency...but
also might sign at the NHL draft on June 22. What could be more fun for
Jack Quinn and Mike Keenan than to trot Gretzky out before all of the major
hockey media to announce that contract. It would be typical. By the way,
folks in New York are saying there's no way the Rangers will sign Gretzky
for more than Mark Messier makes. Maybe we'll get an idea of how much the
Great One likes winning, as opposed to money, with his decision.
The Rams were pleased with their mini-camp over the weekend. Coach Rich
Brooks is generally happy with the condition and health of the athletes.
Last year's second round pick, Jesse James, has made huge strides according
to the coaching staff...and is now competing for what Brooks calls "major
playing time" after not getting on the field last year. Free agent
center Mark Gruttaria also has a chance to make the team. Look for second
day pick Derrick Harris to press for the fullback job, and perhaps allow
the Rams to let second rounder Ernie Conwell play some tight end. Defensively,
Maurice Hurst is everything the club expected, and he...along with Todd
Lyght...provides one of the best cornerback tandems in the league. Linebacker
Percell Gaskins is in at 230 pounds and is pressing Carlos Jenkins for playing
time, and defensive ends James Harris of East St. Louis and Alberto White
allegedly will provide a pass rushing element that the Rams missed in '96.
Stampede coach Earle Bruce announced his resignation last week to spend
more time with his family. Good luck to Bruce and his replacement, 27 year
old Dave Ewalt...the youngest coach in pro football.
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by BRIAN STULL
*Ozzie Smith took exception to questions about his name being mentioned
in trade rumors after a recent home game. Smith, who was answering questions
about carrying the Olympic torch, said that the subject of his playing time
and trade possibilities was "off-limits". However, when pressed,
Ozzie did mention that he felt he had not spoken with any teams--echoing
the statements of general manager Walt Jocketty. Manager Tony LaRussa also
was not eager to discuss the subject, stating that until Jocketty states
there are trade talks, it's a non-issue. What does seem to be of issue is
the question of playing time for Ozzie Smith and Royce Clayton. Clayton
has started the majority of the games at shortstop, even after Smith's return
from the DL and LaRussa said he realizes both players would like more game
time, but offered no hint of changing the lineup to include Smith. While
opinions vary on whether "The Wizard" should move to second, it
seems overlooked that during spring training, LaRussa said that the best
player would have the shortstop job and during spring training, that was
Smith. So the real question should be,"Who is the best shortstop now
and is LaRussa putting him in the lineup?" Obviously, Ozzie feels the
job still belongs to him. Maybe it's time for Bob Costas to have Ozzie and
Tony over for dinner again........
*The Cardinals have acquired minor league outfielder Micah Franklin and
right-handed pitcher Brian Maxey from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for
left-handed pitcher Tom Urbani and infielder Miguel Inzunza. Franklin and
Maxey will both be assigned to the Cardinals' AAA Louisville Redbirds club.
*A source tells StLSO that the Busch Stadium walk-up for the Memorial Day
game vs. the Rockies numbered nearly 10,000...which is two orders of magnitude
greater than the walk-up for some weeknight affairs at Busch
2.2 Blues News by BRIAN STULL
Al MacInnis made an appearance at the Kiel Center and despite earlier talk
of a trade, it appears for now that Choppers' strong playoff performance
and 3.5 million should keep him in a Blues jersey for next year. No word
on the status of the Great One.......
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
Recently, the Rams held their first mandatory mini-camp of the year and
semi-officially kicked off the pre-season workouts. For the most part, the
team is set barring any free agent signings or trades. That is, until roster
cuts come during the real pre-season later this summer, when training camp
moves to the campus of Western Illinois University on Macomb, Illinois (about
30 miles east of Hannibal, Mo.) Following are a few notes from the mini-camp:
*The big story was the absence of team knucklehead Lovell Pinkney, who was
AWOL on Saturday but showed on Sunday, with no explanation. Why bother with
him? Because Coach Rick Brooks likes his talent and skills on the field.
At 6-4, 250 pound with tremendous speed (he was a wide receiver at Texas),
he's a prototypical tight end for the NFL. Pinkney gave Brooks an excuse,
but Brooks refused to divulge. But fines are pending.
*Also not in camp but on the team in 1995 were fellow knuckleheads RBs Greg
Robinson and Johnny Bailey. They are unsigned, but should still be interested
in getting a job. Maybe they don't know that the Rams drafted a handful
of running backs, including two in the first two rounds. Neither exactly
set the world on fire last year and probably would be better served to get
in camp to learn the new system, which will attempt to maximize the new
speed on the squad.
*Three other unsigned players that were in camp include QB Mark Rypien,
OG Leo Goeas, and OLB Cedric Figaro. For Rypien, he still wants to play
and compete with free agent signee Steve Walsh for the starting position.
The early line: Walsh will start with Rypien as back-up in case of injury.
In the event of a blow-out, however, look for rookie passer Tony Banks to
take some snaps.
*Figaro and Goeas are recovering from injuries and did not take part in
any drills. Same was true of WR Todd Kinchen, who had his knee scoped in
the off-season, and DL Jay Williams, who sustained a broken forearm playing
in the World League.
*Banks looks very strong indeed. When he throws the ball, you can hear it
hum. That's how fast it flies. It looks like a frozen rope. He's got a nice
touch on long balls, too, and hasn't overthrown anyone any worse than the
other QBs. Banks has the most trouble on the quick slants over the middle.
*The coolest drill was when three receivers went out on patterns and three
quarterbacks would fire balls. It was rare when all three were not completed.
*Rookie RB Lawrence Phillips was in good form. He can actually accelerate
on his cuts through the line. He has a tendency to dance at the line a little
too much and opposing defensive linemen will clue him in. He also had the
quote of the camp. After the Saturday morning workout, he sat down to lunch
at the table where Brooks sat. Phillips slammed his tray down and, with
a drink in each hand, banged his hands down. Brooks looked at him and said
"Everything all right?" Phillips' reply: "Just chillin',
man."
Excuse me, but doesn't every other player, coach, staff member, writer,
and security guard call him "Coach"?
*The biggest surprise in terms of reporting in condition was OT Dwayne White,
the Road Grader, who appears to dropped quite a lot of weight. He tripped,
no crushed, the scales at 360 last year and is now at about 330. He plans
to be at about 310 or 315 by the time the season rolls around.
*Rookie TE/FB Ernie Conwell was missing on Saturday and Sunday but was excused.
He was busy taking fifth place (for the second year in a row) in the shot
put for the University of Washington in the NCAA Track and Field Championships
in Eugene, Ore.. He was in for Monday's workouts. By the way, he finished
with a career best 62 feet 9 1/2 inches. The fifth makes him an All-American
for the second year in a row and he can compete in the US Olympics trials
later this month. And to further endear himself, he beat UCLA's Jonathan
Ogden, who finished 11th this year but fourth last year, just a quarter
of an inch better than Conwell. Ogden, you may recall, was selected slightly
ahead of Conwell (not to mention Phillips) in the draft.
*The kickers have a sweet life. They may be the only people to stand around
more than the press.
*DT D'Marco Farr looked very good and regularly beat his man on the pass
rush protect drill. Farr has spent the off-season working out with assorted
boxers, wrestlers, and kick-boxers and has some great moves. At 6-1, he's
"small" enough to get under the arms of the typical 6-4 or 6-5
offensive linemen.
In other news, the Rams announced that they signed free agent offensive
tackle Gerald Perry to a one-year contract. Perry, who was drafted in the
second round by the Broncos (in 1988), played for the Rams in 1991 and 1992,
and for the Raiders in the three subsequent seasons.
Perry is expected to compete with fellow tackles Darryl Ashmore and Wayne
Gandy for a starting position on the Rams offensive line.
2.4 Stampede Update by RANDY HU
Last Saturday night, the St. Louis Stampede defeated the host Albany Firebirds
66-56 to successfully avenge last year's opening round playoff loss. In
leading the Stampede to three straight victories, running back Bernard Hall
has scored 15 touchdowns, five in each game, with all but one coming on
the ground. Quarterback John Kaleo continues to prosper with the balanced-offensive
scheme, in a league that's known more for passing than running the football.
The biggest bomb came during the week as Stampede head coach Earle Bruce
abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday citing personal reasons.
He told GM Jim Otis that he wanted to spend more time with his children
and grandchildren in Wilmington, N.C. Bruce, 64, spent eight seasons coaching
the Ohio State Buckeyes before landing in Arena Football in 1994 with the
Cleveland Thunderbolts. He led the Stampede to an expansion record-setting
9-3 mark and the Central division championship. Bruce is succeeded by Dave
Ewart, 27, who was the Stampede defensive coordinator and director of player
personnel. Ewart is a player's coach and is an intense competitor from his
playing days at East Tennessee State, the World League, and Arena Football.
The Stampede (3-2) host the Iowa Barnstormers at the Kiel Center this Friday
evening.
2.5 StLSO Quotes of the Week
*"Why would I do that? There's nothing of value on the Internet,"
said KSD-AM's Kevin Slaten, in response to a caller's query about whether
Slaten had seen selected sports information on the 'net.
*From StLSO subscriber Tom Crespi: "2 rules to success in life: 1.
Don't tell people everything you know."
2.6 StLSO Headlines of the Week
*From the 6.7.96 Post-Dispatch: "La Russa Comes Back To Bay Area"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Cards Sweep Astros, Move Into
First Place Tie by MIKE RAINEY
The Cardinals couldn't have picked a better division to struggle in at the
start of the season. Despite their sub .500 record, they are tied with the
Houston Astros for first place in the National League Central after sweeping
them for the second time this season. The Cards are a perfect 6-0 against
the Astros thus far, and they have won all six games without the services
of Ron Gant and Dennis Eckersley.
The Cards won the first two games with help from an unlikely power source.
Luis Alicea broke a 3-3 tie late in Friday's game with a three-run home
run that made the difference in the Cards 6-4 win. Then on Saturday night,
he topped that feat with a two-run late inning shot that tied the score
at four and forced extra innings. Red hot Tom Pagnozzi sent everybody home
with a solo blast in extra innings to give the Cards a dramatic come from
behind win. In addition to the timely hitting, the Cards pitching, while
not overpowering, gave them a chance to win every game in the series. The
best performance came from Todd Stottlemyre on Sunday as he tossed a complete
game shutout in the Cards 2-0 victory. Stottlemyre, who struck out five
and walked five, admitted he pitched the shutout without his best stuff.
Pitching should be the Cardinals strength the rest of the season. Their
rotation of Stottlemyre, Andy Benes, Alan Benes, Donovan Osborne, and Mike
Morgan is as good as anyone in the division. The pitching staff has been
healthy for an extended period now, and seems to be gelling at the right
time. The Cards pitching depth allows Mark Petkovsek, who is good enough
to be a starter, to come out of the bullpen in long relief. This could help
the Cardinals win some games when their starter isn't pitching well during
a particular start. Petkovsek can stop the bleeding and allow the offense
the chance to get them back in the game.
Speaking of offense, it should benefit a great deal when Gant returns from
the disabled list on the team's current West Coast road trip. Gant was hitting
only .228 at the time he went down with his hamstring injury, but he had
driven in 26 runs in only 101 at bats. Gant's average and home run totals
will come around once he settles into the middle of the Cards lineup. Without
Gant, however, the Cards have won 10 of their last 13 games as Willie McGee
and Mark Sweeney have filled in nicely.
The Cardinals are by no means a lock to win the Central Division. The Astros
have a good team with solid starting pitching (Doug Drabek, Darryl Kile,
and Shane Reynolds), and a good lineup that features Brian Hunter, Craig
Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Sean Berry. The defending Central Division
Champion Cincinnati Reds also figure to be heard from before this race is
said and done. They are currently suffering some injury problems. Eric Davis
has returned from the dead and been the Reds best player this season with
a .293 average, 12 home runs, and 39 RBI's. He was recently put on the 15
day disabled list with bruised ribs. With his bat out of the lineup they
should have a hard time scoring runs. But they did recently get Reggie Sanders
back from injury, and Barry Larkin has shaken off his slow start and is
starting to hit so the Reds should be in the thick of the race all season.
The Cubs and Pirates might stay in the race for a while, but they seem to
be a notch below the top three. The Cubs haven't won anything in 700 years,
and the Pirates payroll totals about $100,000. If the Cards pitching holds
up and Gant provides some power upon his return, the Redbirds might be playing
well into October.
3.2 Cards in Paradise by RANDY HU
The city of San Diego has always been known as a laid back town nestled
among some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. In town on business,
I had a chance in take in the first two games between division leaders St.
Louis and San Diego at surprisingly empty Jack Murphy Stadium. Similar to
Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, the majority of the upper deck is cordoned
off by large team banners to make it less cavernous and more intimate for
the few faithful in attendance.
All this for a first-place Padre team off to the best start in club history.
Veterans Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, Rickey Henderson, Jody Reed, Wally
Joyner, and mainstay leader Tony Gwynn have provided stellar defense combined
with a solid pitching staff to make this a competitive lineup. Though Joyner
will miss 6-8 weeks with a left thumb ligament tear or skier's thumb, they
have a trio of first baseman who will platoon at that position. The Padres
have won when Gwynn and Caminiti were shut down with injuries earlier this
year, easing the team mindset of Joyner's loss.
Rumors are running rampant on local all-sports radio XTRA that one of the
two Cardinal shortstops (Ozzie Smith or Royce Clayton) are heading to the
Padres, who are not happy with their current tandem of Andujar Cedeno and
Luis Lopez. Cards GM Walt Jocketty denies the trade talk and despite Ozzie's
unhappiness about his lack of playing time, the future Hall-of Famer desires
to finish his career in St. Louis.
Alan Benes dominated the first game of the series with a complete game five-hit
shutout. Benes' fastball was popping along in the upper 80's MPH range throughout
the game and he was helped by a tremendous 3-6-3 double play started by
first baseman Gary Gaetti in the eighth inning. Gaetti was switched to first
base when Ray Lankford was ejected by homeplate umpire Jerry Layne in the
4th inning arguing a called third strike that was at least half a foot outside.
However, on the play, a double steal and a throwing error by catcher Brian
Johnson led to two key runs. Of note, Alan's big brother, Andy, was bypassed
in the series because of his outspoken criticism of cheapskate Padre management
which led to his eventual trade last year to Seattle. Also, Padre's starter
Bob Tewksbury floated a team-record 49 MPH slow curve to Willie McGee in
the eighth inning that had the home crowd buzzing.
In the second game, the Cards rocked local favorite Fernando Valenzuela
as they pounded out 15 hits in an 11-5 thrashing of the Padres. Gaetti ripped
his fifth homer of the season while driving in two runs, as did John Mabry,
Tom Pagnozzi, and Mark Sweeney. The victory pushed the Cardinals to a game
within the .500 mark at 28-29 and marked the first time that the Padres
had lost a series at home.
Only the ninth inning heroics of Tony Gwynn, who jacked a 3-run homer off
Tony Fossas (0-4) with two outs to win the game 6-4, salvaged the final
game of the series for the Padres and averted a Cards sweep. The win broke
a three-game losing streak by the Padres and snapped a six-game winning
stretch by the Cards. Cards relievers Fossas (0-4), injured closer Dennis
Eckersley (0-4), and heir apparent T.J. Mathews (1-2) are a combined 1-10,
the weak link in the pitching chain so far.
The Cardinals open up a three game series with the San Francisco Giants
at 3Com Park this weekend.
3.3 The Great Debate by RANDY HU
As Wayne Gretzky ponders the $21 million dollar question, "should I
stay or should I go?", Blues management, players, and fans are holding
their collective hockey breaths. Obviously, this is the single most important
personnel decision that faces the franchise this offseason, for a player
not named Hull.
Simply put, Gretzky, 35, is not worth the price for someone his wage. The
Blues went 13-16-5 since his acquisition on February 27 and the much anticipated
scoring duo of "The Great One Goes to Hullywood" never developed.
During the playoffs, Gretzky struggled at times. Predictably, coach/GM Mike
Keenan questioned his captain's health. Gretzky denied he was hurt, but
he slumped badly in the latter games against Toronto and the first few games
in the Detroit series. "I think he (Gretzky) questioned his own stamina
because he didn't get much ice time in Los Angeles," Blues president
Jack Quinn said. "In March and April, he mentioned his gas tank wasn't
as full as he'd like it."
Apparently, none of Gretzky's physical ailments were enough to scare off
the Blues in their bid to sign him.
The Blues have had an overinflated offer on the table to Gretzky shortly
after he arrived, reportedly worth $21 million over three years with almost
half of it deferred. However, don't be surprised if Gretzky thinks it over
until the July 1st free agency signing period and finds out what he's worth
on the open market for the first time in his illustrious career. "Everybody
would be fascinated by that. I think it's human nature," Quinn said.
"One of the greatest players of all time, rather than just sliding
comfortably into a contract, what if the whole world had a shot at him?"
After the Blues were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs in
a 1-0, Game 7 double-overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on May 16, a
wiped-out Gretzky skipped a mandatory team meeting and left almost immediately
for a two-week vacation in Cancun, Mexico. While there, he conducted an
interview with ESPN's John Saunders and Barry Melrose. "I would hope
that we can work something out in St. Louis. They've been great to me,"
Gretzky said. "I enjoyed my time in St. Louis. When I went there, the
organization, and more importantly, the people treated me with first class."
Despite these assurances, most of his subsequent comments about St. Louis
were made in the past tense. When pressed where he would like to play other
than St. Louis, he mentioned his friendship with New York Ranger captain
Mark Messier. Adding fuel to the speculation of his departure is that Gretzky
suddenly withdrew a bid on a Ladue home and his cool professional relationship
with Keenan. Gretzky was due to return to his Los Angeles home last Friday
and will soon meet with agent Michael Barnett to discuss his future plans.
Even if Gretzky decides to forego free agency and sign with the Blues, it
might take some time to work out his marketing rights. Great, pay-per-view
contract negotiations. His last contract with the Los Angeles Kings entailed
62 pages. Though Quinn had hoped to sign him before the playoffs began,
he remains optimistic. If Gretzky walks, not only did it cost the Blues
three NHL-caliber players, but a vital No. 1 draft pick in next year's entry
draft which many consider to be the deepest draft since 1979. This quick-fix
mistake could haunt the Blues for years to come.
If current ownership remains in place this summer, the Kiel Partners are
likely to impose a somewhat rigid salary cap, which would limit Keenan's
maneuverability. Keenan will start his annual free agent "March to
the Arch" shortly after the NHL entry draft concludes here on June
22. His trades have left little talent down on the farm and he'll need to
spend and trade wisely for available players. With minimum-wage on the rise,
you can bet NHL salaries are increasing also. Preferably for those who can
relate to the Stone Temple Pilots, instead of Lawrence Welk.
Keenan needs to fine tune the lineup by incorporating more grit, speed,
and youth. The Blues need to get less older and more wiser. Time for a little
rest and reorganization. There's no need to eat the elephant whole here.
Check out the rosters and game plans of the two Stanley Cup finalists, the
Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers. Fresh legs have prevailed against
the graybeards. Parity abounds today, thanks to inconsistent referees and
lax rules, so that the Chicago Bulls and Susan Lucci's of the NHL are closer
than the standings indicate.
Stop living in the past, youth must be served.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Hu is the hockey columnist for The Riverfront Times.
3.4 Cardinal Quotes
*Tony La Russa after the May 29 Cardinals victory over the Rockies:
--on Andy Benes' use as a closer: "The key was Benes pitching Saturday
rather than Friday. He was available with the chance to win the game."
--on informing Benes prior to the event: "We talked about it a few
days ago."
--on first-base umpire Rich Rieker blowing a potential game-ending call
at first base--"If he'd have called him out, Benes would've never got
the save."
--on the exciting and unpredictable nature of baseball--"[That's] what
baseball is...men not machines"
--on giving TJ Mathews a bit of rest the day after Mathews failed in relief--"I
would not have used TJ unless it was the 13th or 14th inning."
--on team defense: "We have to be real careful when its something defensive...defense
is a confidence-timing thing. We don't want to make them paranoid....half
of the errors have been BS errors."
--on leaving the righthanded Mark Petkovsek in to face Larry Walker, who
then hit into a double play: "He's tough against righties and lefties...and
in the past 5 games...Walker has looked pretty good against both."
--on Luis Alicea, who homered after committed a critical error earlier in
the game: "He didn't hang his head...he kept playing. That's a credit
to him."
*Mike Morgan, on May 29, talking about his pre-game meeting with pitching
coach Dave Duncan, and on how those meetings compare with similar encounters
when he broke in at age 18: "That's just to get some things planted
in my head...it's the same as it was years ago but my execution is better
now than it was when I was 18. I should have been in rookie ball instead
of the big leagues....Charlie Finley...God bless his soul."
*Mike Morgan, on his motivation: "I don't need any more money. I need
the opportunity to play in the post-season."
4.0 StLSO Game Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.1.1 Cardinals vs Houston (May 31 - June 2)
IN THE ARCHIVES: It was deja vu all over again. The Cards re-swept the Astros
for the second time in two weeks. And this time, the Redbirds went from
three game out of first into a virtual tie for first in the National League
Central. Houston has a slight (very slight) edge by winning percentage;
the 'Stros are 27-30 (.474) and the Cards are 26-29 (.473). But big Mo is
on the side of the good guys; Redbirds have won 4 in a row while the Falling
Stars have lost 3.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 6-4; G2: 5-4; G3: 2-0 (all St. Louis wins)
GOING IN: Cards were 23-29, in second place 3 games behind Houston. In fact,
they were only three games away from the cellar, where the Pirates dwelt.
Shiver me timbers!
COMING OUT: As stated, 26-29, tied for first with the Astros, and only another
3-game sweep from reaching .500 and solidifying their hold on first place.
AT THE PLATE: Well guess who was a hitting machine with homers in the first
two games (and in three games in a row). Nope, it was Luis Alicea. The self-proclaimed
slap hitter with a chop swing sent two flying. The shot in G1 gave the Cards
a 6-3 lead in the seventh. The rope in G2 was even more dramatic, tying
the game 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth. His only other hit of the series
was a run-scoring single. The other big gun was Tom Pagnozzi, who started
G1 and G2. He had two hits in each game, the fabbest of the four being a
one-out, solo home run in the 10th to win G2. The redeemed him for hitting
into a one-out, bases loaded 3-2-3 double play to kill the rally in the
8th inning. Brian Jordan was 4-for-12 at lead off for the series and he
fanned three times and never walked. John Mabry picked it up a bit with
a 5-for-11 series. Gary Gaetti continues to struggle as he was 1-for-9 (with
4 whiffs in G2) before a 2-for-3 G3 with only one K. Ray Lankford was 3-for-8
in the three games in the clean-up slot but all three hits came in G2.
OFF THE BENCH (another new category highlighting pinch-hitting efforts):
The bench hitters came alive with a 2-for-five performance. The two hits
came in G2 and were by fan favs Willie McGee to lead off the 8th inning
and Ozzie Smith to lead off the 9th. Both former post-season heroes scored.
ON THE BASEPATHS: Just to show he's more than a big stick, Pagnozzi swiped
second in G1, his first of the year and only his fourth since 1991, when
he swiped 9. (Way to pump those roto-stats!) The only other swipe was Lankford
in G2, when he took second in the 9th. That was one of those where it could
have been fielders' indifference since no one covered him, but he got credit
for the steal. Earlier in the game, Royce Clayton was picked off first and,
knowing he was dead, did a fair impression of Bambi in the headlights as
he froze. Once again, the Cards lost a runner at the plate when, in the
7th inning of G2 third base coach Tommie Reynolds sent John Mabry home from
second on a short single to center by Pagnozzi. Mabry was out by a mile.
Why send him? And Reynolds tried to send McGee in the 8th but McGee had
slid into third and couldn't advance. Thank goodness, because he would have
been out by even more, maybe a mile and a half. Who's paying Reynolds?
ON THE MOUND: Todd Stottlemyre was sterling in G3, going the distance for
a complete game shut out. He gave up 7 hits and 5 walks but fanned 5. His
record goes to 5-3 to take over the team lead and his ERA dropped to 3.51
Donovan Osborne looked good through seven innings as he gave up three runs
on 6 hits and a pair of passes. His record went to 4-3 and his ERA edged
down from 4.41 to 4.34. Andy Benes started G2 and was rocked at first. He
went 6 innings but that 6th was a split inning due to a 30-minute rain delay.
His line for the game was 6 innings, 3 runs, 7 hits, no walks, 6 Ks, and
no decision.
FROM THE BULLPEN: TJ Mathews had his second rough outing in a row in G1
giving up a homer in 1 2/3 innings, which brought the Astros to within two.
Tony Fossas came in to record the final out (after yielding a hit) to earn
his first save of the year. Rick Honeycutt pitched the 7th in G2 and Jeff
Parrett fanned three in a row in the 8th and gave up a run with two outs
in the 9th. Cory Bailey pitched the 10th and got his third win of the year.
IN THE FIELD: Most impressive show in the field came in G2. A torrential
squall dumped major rain in the top of the sixth (a cancelled game would
have been official and a Cards loss as they trailed 3-0 at the time). The
grounds crew managed to get the entire infield covered in just under 2 minutes.
Awesome. After the rain stopped, it took them about 20 minutes to get the
field ready to go. (One of the great ironies of baseball: before the game,
they spray water on the infield dirt. After the rain, which served to put
a little more water on the dirt, they spread dry dirt around to dry up the
infield a little. Go figure.) The worst sample of fielding came later in
G2. Bottom of the 8th. It was when McGee was held at third, Jordan ended
up on second, and then Clayton walked. Lankford slapped his double down
the third base line, which likely would have cleared the bases. But some
pinhead in expensive seats along the line decided it was much more important
that he have a $2.95 baseball than the Cards have a win. A lynch mob was
seen forming before cooler heads prevailed.
CATCH-ALL: The Cards were on the receiving end of four painful but record
tying gifts from Houston starter Darryl Kile, who hit four Cardinals (Lankford,
Gaetti, Sheaffer, Alicea) in G3. Lankford scored in the second and the plunk
on Alicea came with the bases loaded (after the drill on Sheaffer) and scored
Gaetti. It's surprising that no one charged the mound and disheartening
that Stottlemyre didn't see fit to retaliate. One or two hit batsmen is
one thing, but four? Ron Gant is eligible to come off the DL but he's protecting
his hamstring. Not a bad idea since those things are easy to re-injure.
Besides, the Cards haven't really needed him that much lately. Maybe he'll
play again in San Diego, which is the last place he played before being
DLed.
OVERALL: 30-minute rain delay in G2 as a squall line came through for a
10-minute deluge. It was over as quickly as it came and, by the end of the
game, the moon was shining. And two of the non-power Cards had homered.
UP NEXT: 3-game set in San Diego, where the Cards are the only team to have
won a series from the Padres (back on the first weekend in May).
4.1.2 Cardinals at San Diego (June 3 - 5)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cardinals took over sole possession of first place
in the NL Central during the course of the series, but fell back to second
as they blew their chance for a sweep on a 2-out, 3-run dinger by perennial
batting champ Tony Gwynn in the bottom of the 9th of G3. That's gotta hurt.
But they are the only visiting team to win a series, and they've won two,
in SD. This after going three years without a win in Jack Murphy Stadium.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: Cards 3, Pads 0; G2: Cards 11, Pads 5; G3: Pads 6,
Cards 4.
GOING IN: Cards were 26-29 and in a virtual tie with the Astros.
COMING OUT: Cards were 28-30 and a half a game behind Houston.
AT THE PLATE:It was all top-of-the-order (in order: Brian Jordan, Royce
Clayton, Willie McGee) in G1 as the trio were 5-for-12. They had all the
hits and runs in the game. The slugfest that was G2 featured five Cards
(Clayton, McGee, Ray Lankford, Gary Gaetti, Tom Pagnozzi) with at least
two hits and two (Lankford and Pagnozzi) with three. And Gaetti, John Mabry,
Pagnozzi, and Mark Sweeney each had 2 RBI. Gaetti had the only Cardinal
homer (his fifth) of the series and it came in G2. McGee was 7-for-13 in
the series and 4-for-5 in G3. Mabry was only 1-for-7 in the first two games
before a 3-for-4 effort in G3 to improve his average to .333, good for a
tie for eighth in the NL. The potentially worst at-bat of the series had
to be Gaetti in G1. One pitch was so far behind him, he had just had to
bend forward to get out of the way. But the ball found his bat for a foul
ball. He's lucky he didn't inadvertently bunt the ball. Been there, seen
that.
OFF THE BENCH: Only two pinch-hitters the whole series and both in G2. Sweeney
came up with bases loaded in the seventh and delivered a 2-RBI single. That
was his third pinch-hit of the year. He had 7 straight pinch-hits last year,
one short of the major league record. One inning later, Danny Sheaffer came
up with the bases re-loaded but whiffed.
ON THE BASEPATHS: All 3 runs in G1 came in the 4th inning and as a direct
result of speed. Jordan singled and then took third on Clayton's single.
Then McGee singled. As Lankford struck out, Clayton and McGee tried a double-steal
and both scored as the catcher's throw went into left field. Clayton also
stole a base (his 14th, the team high) in G2. An oddity on G2, however.
In the 4th inning with bases loaded, Clayton scored on a passed ball. McGee
tried to score from second on the same miscue and might have made it had
the ball not bounced right back to the catcher. Why didn't Tommie Reynolds,
hopefully future former third base coach, pay attention to the ball and
hold him up? The Cards are losing way too many runners at the plate. Aggressive
is one thing, but reckless is something else. It isn't that critical in
an 11-5 blowout, but that was a 4-3 lead that Clayton's run provided.
ON THE MOUND: Outstanding effort by Alan Benes in G1, who seems to be regaining
his early-season form. He pitched his first major league shut-out and second
complete game en route to a 5-4 record, tied with Todd Stottlemyre for most
wins on the staff. He gave up only 6 hits and 3 walks. Mike Morgan struggled
in G2 and was yanked after 3 runs in 5 innings. One bright spot was a nice
pick-off of Ricky Henderson. Donovan Osborne made it 7 innings and only
gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He left in the 8th with two men on
but they were stranded.
FROM THE BULLPEN: It was Tony Fossas's turn to feed the gopher this series,
and he fed it well. In G2, it didn't matter as he gave up a 7th-inning homer
to Steve Finley as the Cards were up 7-4 at the time. But in G3, with two
on and two out in the bottom of the 9th, he grooved one to Tony Gwynn who
jacked his first of the year to win it for the Padres. Mark Petkovsek pitched
on inning of relief for Morgan in G2 and gave up a run on 2 hits but still
earned the win, his fourth. After Fossas faltered, Cory Bailey and T.J.
Mathews shut down the Pads with only 2 hits in 2 2/3 innings. Mathews struck
out 4 in his 2-inning stint. Bailey took his lumps in G3, though, as he
was tagged for 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk (albeit intentional) in 2/3 of
an inning.
IN THE FIELD: Only one Cardinal error in the series and it was one of the
costliest of the year. His throwing error (high to first, pulling Mabry
off the bag) in the bottom of the 9th in G3 allowed one run in, cutting
the score to 4-3 Cardinals. Two fielder's choices later (which would have
ended the game with a Cards' victory and the team in first place) Gwynn
took Fossas over the boards. In G1, Lankford got tossed for arguing a called
third strike (which did look wide), causing a major shift in the defense.
Jordan moved to center, Mabry moved to right, Gaetti moved to first, and
Bell came in to third. Why? Because the Cards "have" to keep Miguel
Mejia on the roster (he's hitting .000 in 6 at-bats) and La Russa is still
carrying three catchers and two shortstops. Gaetti, in his first inning
at first, made a great stab on a hot grounder to start a 3-6-3 double play.
He followed that with a nice scoop on a low and wide Alicea throw.
CATCH-ALL: Despite scoring 11 in G2, the cards managed to leave 12 on base.
The Redbirds were very opportunistic against a rather porous San Diego defence
that committed 7 errors in the series; of the 18 Cards runs scored, only
12 were earned. Dennis Eckersley, whose closer talents were sorely missed
in G3, has been pitching off the mound with little pain the last few days.
But he's still working on control and could be ready this weekend.
OVERALL: The Cards have won 11 of their last 15 games. They continue to
allow the opposing pitchers to hit them with the ball and take it with no
consequences. In the top of the 8th in G2, with men on second and third
with no outs, Bryce Florie plunked Gaetti. On the very next pitch, he hit
Mabry on the toe. And the Redbird pitchers do nothing. They let 4 teammates
get hit in one game by the Astros. The only measure of revenge was by throw-back
stalwart Smith. His first time up in G3, on the very first pitch, he drilled
a line drive off Andy Ashby's leg. That hit, by the way, leaves Smith 4
hits short of tying Mickey Mantle on the career hits list.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 13,625; G2:13,247; G3:12,216
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 2:09 (must be some sort of land speed record for regulation
9-inning baseball game not played in the Bonneville Salt Flats); G2: 3:30
(that's a little long); G3: 3:06 (in the immortal words of that yellow-haired
little heroine, just right)
UP NEXT: 3-game weekend series up the coast in San Francisco and then back
down the coast for 2 in LA.
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Leaders (through 6.6.96; 58 GAMES)
5.1.1 Batting
*Average
Mabry--.333
McGee--.320
Pagnozzi--.309
Sweeney--.297
Lankford--.293
Smith--.269
Clayton--.264
Gaetti--.263
Jordan--.261
Alicea--.244
Gant--.228
*Doubles
15: Alicea
13: Mabry
11: Lankford
10: Clayton, McGee, Pagnozzi
*Triples
3: Lankford
2: Clayton
*Home Runs
11: Lankford
6: Gant
5: Gaetti
4: Alicea, Jordan, Mabry, and Pagnozzi
*RBIs
38: Lankford
27: Mabry
26: Gant
21: Alicea, McGee, Jordan, and Pagnozzi
16: Clayton
15: Gaetti
5.1.2 Pitching
*Wins
5: Alan Benes and Stottlemyre
4: Osborne and Petkovsek
*ERA
2.36: Mathews
3.05: Fossas
3.51: Stottlemyre
3.90: Parrett
4.08: Honeycutt
4.15: Osborne
4.56: Morgan
4.60: Petkovsek
4.66: Eckersley
5.06: Bailey and Andy Benes
5.32: Alan Benes
5.2 St. Louis Vipers Box Scores contributed by GARY GRIFFAW
5.2.1 Vipers vs. Orlando Jackals (5.31.96)
Orlando Jackals 0 2 1 3 - 6
St. Louis Vipers 2 0 0 3 - 5
First Quarter
5:41 Vipers - Cirone (Anchikoski, MacIntyre)
6:09 Vipers - Cirone (Skoryna)
Second Quarter
5:52 Orlando - Prouix (Chase, Lawrence) PPG
7:01 Orlando - Lawrence (Tomans)
Third Quarter
1:57 Orlando - Shank (Prouix, Beauchamp)
Fourth Quarter
1:28 Vipers - LaScala (unassisted) SHG
3:30 Orlando - Reeves (Lawrence, Larin)
7:40 Orlando - Lawrence (Larin) SHG
7:48 Vipers - Skoryna (Cirone, LaScala) PPG
9:29 Vipers - Cirone (Wilson, Rogles)
11:45 Orlando - Reeves (Larin) PPG
Shots
Orlando 14 16 8 11 - 49
St. Louis 8 5 13 17 - 43
Goaltenders
Orlando - Reimer
St. Louis - Rogles
5.2.2 Vipers vs. Orlando Jackals (5.31.96)
Orlando Jackals 0 4 2 2 1 - 9
St. Louis Vipers 5 1 1 1 2 - 10
First Quarter
0:12 Vipers - Plager (unassisted)
6:05 Vipers - Plager (Anchikoski)
8:33 Vipers - Plager (Evans)
9:48 Vipers - Skoryna (Wilson)
10:13 Vipers - Plager (Anchikoski)
Second Quarter
5:40 Orlando - Bobych (Ingraham, McGowan)
6:23 Orlando - Shank (Lawrence, Larin)
7:16 Orlando - Langlois (Mallett, Prouix)
8:54 Vipers - Skoryna (unassisted)
9:59 Orlando - Mallett (unassisted
Third Quarter
2:07 Orlando - Zayonce (Langlois, Mallett)
2:21 Orlando - Langlois (Mallett)
10:31 Vipers - LaScala (unassisted)
Fourth Quarter
4:26 Vipers - Plager (Wilson)
10:05 Orlando - Shank (Lawrence, Bobych)
11:17 Orlando - Shank (Lawrence, Bobych)
Shoot Out
Vipers - Parent
Orlando - ?
Vipers - Anchikoski
Shots
Orlando 10 14 11 13 - 48
St. Louis 20 6 7 8 - 41
Goaltenders
Orlando - Micalef, Reimer
St. Louis - Roy, Rogles
6.0 StLSO Media Views
6.1 Simon Says by SCOTT SIMON
*StLSO has learned that Channel 5 weekend sports anchor Malcolm Briggs is
a candidate for the sports director position at Kansas City NBC affiliate
KSHB-TV Channel 41. That's according to sources in both Kansas City and
St. Louis.
He has been at Channel 5 since 1990, coming to St. Louis from Wichita, KS.
Briggs is a graduate of Kansas State University.
Channel 41 has been the Kansas City NBC affiliate since November 1994, switching
from a Fox affiliation (which moved to WDAF-TV Channel 4), similar to the
St. Louis ABC - FOX switch between Channels 2 and 30 last August.
Like Channel 30 in St. Louis, Channel 41 is the least watched news station
in Kansas City -- which would be quite a different scene for Briggs, who
now anchors on one of the most watched local newscasts in the country.
*Jim Thomas, the Rams beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, will
host a weekly two-hour show on the Rams beginning later this summer on WIBV-AM.
The show will air on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. The second hour will compete
directly with the Rams show featuring coach Rich Brooks on the team's radio
flagship station KSD-AM.
*Finally, we couldn't get away without taking a shot at Bill Bidwill and
the Phoenix Cardinals. They abruptly moved their radio rights to Bonneville's
AM and FM combo there. The FM station is a 100,000 watt blowtorch, like
KSD-FM's big signal here.
But the move has three strange features --- one, Bonneville is paying NO
rights to the team to air the game, giving credence that media people there
have given up on the franchise (remember that KSD pays $3-million plus a
year); two, the AM station has a weak 292 watt signal at night, when many
Gridbird home games are played, due to the Phoenix heat; and three, the
AM station is a children-format station, aimed at listeners under the age
of 12. The team said the AM station will cultivate young fans who will be
ticket holders when they become of age.
More likely, they'll learn the bad habits of trashing the Big Dead like
we did for years.
Rams play-by-play announcer Gary Bender is probably happy he's out of that
mess. He did the games there for five years, when the rights were held by
KTAR-AM, owned by the Post-Dispatch's Pulitzer Broadcasting division.
6.2 Shakeout Begins in Chicago Sports Radio; St. Louis Implications? by
BRIAN CRAWFORD
Chicago radio's self proclaimed "sports leader" has disappeared
from the airwaves. Evergreen Media, owner of WMVP-AM 1000, announced late
Tuesday that it was dropping its sports talk format and going to a simulcast
of sister station WLUP-FM 97.9 during daytime hours. The change took effect
at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The move is seen as a major victory for the ratings leader in Chicago sports
radio, Westinghouse's WSCR-AM 820 (The Score). The Score started up in a
daytime-only format in 1992 and was part of Westinghouse's $60+ million
buyout of Diamond Communications last year.
More than two dozen WMVP staffers lost their jobs in the shakeout, but they
may not be out of work for long, as the Chicago sports radio saga continues.
The next big news out of the Windy City will likely be Westinghouse's programming
swap between WSCR and clear-channel all-news WMAQ-AM 670. The Score will
then be looking at filling out an evening and overnight schedule,while WMAQ
will reconfigure as an all-business news station.
Such a change (to an all-business news format) is not unheard of; a New
York City-area all-sports station recently made the switch to business news.
There is also a rumored merger pending between Evergreen Media and Westinghouse,
and media observers think the WMVP format change might have been a first
step toward that eventuality.
WMVP has been punting with a series of temporary morning hosts since March,
when Steve Dahl resigned in a contract dispute. Dahl will become afternoon
host at WCKG-FM 105.9 on July 8.
Dan Mason, president of Westinghouse/CBS Radio, told the Chicago Sun-Times
that WMVP failed despite having an overwhelming advantage with a more powerful
signal, huge marketing campaigns and a 24-hour schedule. "Marketing
dollars don't necessarily win. Signal doesn't necessarily win. Programming
wins. I don't think anyone in this market could deny that."
In today's rapidly evolving media landscape, the changes in Chicago radio
probably portend change for the St. Louis market as well.
Thanks to Scott Simon's weekly updates, StLSO readers know that EZ Communications
(owners of KSD AM&FM as well as the rightsholders for the Rams radio
broadcasts) recently purchased all-sports KFNS-AM 590.
There are numerous parallels (and some differences) between the WSCR/WMAQ
situation in Chicago, and the KFNS/KSD-AM situation in St. Louis. Chief
among the similarities include the fact that the signal possessed by KSD-AM
550 is far superior to that of KFNS-AM 590.
On the other hand, KSD-AM is an all-talk station, while WMAQ is currently
all-news.
Perhaps most importantly, there is a bit of overlap between KFNS and KSD,
in that their programming during weekday afternoon drive (with both carrying
shows that emphasize listener phone calls) no doubt targets the same audience.
In addition, last fall both KFNS and KSD-AM carried Sunday morning NFL-Rams
preview shows, with both continuing to broadcast sports-oriented programming
during those time slots throughout the year.
The Sunday morning shows in St. Louis (and not just the KFSN and KSD productions)
seem ripe for pruning. In years past St. Louis-area listeners could count
on KMOX's "Sports On A Sunday Morning" for a weekly wrap-up of
the important St. Louis Sports News. For years, the "Sports On A Sunday
Morning" show had little competition.
At present the KMOX show has at least THREE competitors: WIBV's 9 am - 1
pm effort (which features Doug Vaughn, Jim Holder, and Dan McLaughlin),
KSD's 10 am - noon show (with Tom Wheatley and Tim Liotta), and KFNS's Pro
Football Sunday show (10 am - noon, hosted by Howard Balzer).
Liotta, who was recently hired to oversee EZ's sports operations, told Dan
Caesar, the P-D's sports media critic, that no major restructuring was imminent.
"But I told the guys there could be changes in the future," Liotta
said.
6.3 St. Louis vs. Kansas City Sports Media by SCOTT SIMON
I recently traveled to Kansas City for a couple of days where I enjoyed
the opportunity to observe Kansas City's sports media. Comparing similar-sized
markets gives us a chance to recognize what good media we have, and what
can be better.
If anyone believes that St. Louis' market is much larger than Kansas City's,
guess again --- Arbitron ranks St. Louis 17, and Kansas City at 26.
Perhaps more significantly, St. Louis is losing listeners in its area of
dominant influence, dropping from the 16th ranking of two years ago, while
Kansas City is growing, jumping one place in the past year.
St. Louis has more stations offering year-round sports talk shows (KMOX,
KFNS, WIBV, KSD, KATZ, WGNU) than Kansas City (KMBZ, KCTE). The Kansas City
Chiefs flagship radio station, KCFX-FM (yes, a classic rock station), only
airs Chiefs talk shows during the season.
KMBZ, much like KMOX, is a news/talk oriented station, and is the flagship
radio station for the Kansas City Royals. But it airs more sports talk show
hours than KMOX, starting at 2 p.m. and going to 6 a.m., syndicating after
9 p.m.
Don Fortune hosts KMBZ's afternoon show from 2-6. Fortune is a longtime
television fixture in Kansas City, with a background similar to KMOX's Ron
Jacober. His show is one of the five most listened afternoon shows in Kansas
City, so sports talk in radio prime time (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) can be an audience
grabber. He is smooth and uses humor only when he knows people will laugh.
Fortune knows how and when to use humor effectively. Plus, Fortune caught
my ear talking about the Blues former farm team in Kansas City, which played
from 1967-74, and remembered many of the key Blues players and history from
the early days. Amazing.
KCTE bills itself as Kansas City's only all-sports station, but that is
misleading. At 1510 AM, it broadcasts during daylight hours only, and has
only one live show, from 6-9 a.m. And their signal is so weak that you can't
hear in amid Kansas City's downtown business center. KFNS, with live shows
from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week, definitely serves St. Louis much
better than Kansas City's counterpart.
The sportscaster that really caught my ear was former Royals pitcher Al
Fitzmorris, who co-hosts Royals pre- and post-game shows. When a caller
asks about a particular Royals or Royals minor league players or teams,
he had the stats and background right away. Too often in St. Louis, we hear,
"we'll look it up." Plus, Fitzmorris sounds very smooth and at
ease, like he's been doing it for decades. Kansas City baseball fans have
a real gem in Fitzmorris.
Most noteworthy is that there aren't any belligerent live sports talk show
hosts in Kansas City. Perhaps that is because callers behave themselves
more than their St. Louis counterparts. The interaction in Kansas City was
polite and considerate. Callers didn't cheerlead or show home town favoritism.
Sometimes, St. Louis sports talk show callers get on the air thinking they
are the host of the show, sometimes rubbing the host the wrong way, and
quickly, what is heard between the host and caller degenerates into a "did
too, did not" debate. How St. Louis can change bellicose callers, will
be a mystery for a long time.
There are very, very few in the history of baseball broadcasting that compare
to Jack Buck. Kansas City's lead announcer, Denny Matthews, isn't one of
them. He's been with the Royals since day one in 1969 (starting as former
St. Louisan Buddy Blattner's sidekick), and became the number one announcer
in 1973.
Matthews, a native of Bloomington, Il., doesn't sound like a part of the
community in the broadcasts. This isn't surprising, because he doesn't live
in Kansas City during the off season. Could you imagine Jack Buck not living
in St. Louis? Even Kansas City people I spoke with weren't that high on
Matthews.
The Royals number two guy, Fred White, is really good, in fact, he should
be their lead announcer. He is smooth, knows the game well, and has a dry
humor like Buck. White relates well to listeners, much like Mike Shannon
does in St. Louis. Both cities have really good number two baseball broadcasters.
On June 4, White was talking about the tradition of baseball, which is usually
captured at childhood, and he reflected on his trips to Sportsman's Park
(White is a native of Danville, Il.).
All Matthews could talk about was Wrigley Field. White obviously knows that
many older KC fans were Cardinal fans before 1969 -- I don't think Matthews
realizes there weren't many Cub fans in KC prior to the arrival of the Royals.
Comparing newspapers was interesting. St. Louisans might remember Dick Kaegel,
formerly of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He's now the baseball writer for
the Kansas City Star. The Post's Rick Hummel, one of the best in the country,
gets more space and provides more information than Kaegel. But Kaegel writes
a very sharp lead and easy-to-follow game narrative. Both writers get "A's"
for their work.
As far as columnists go, you might sound off on Bernie Miklasz for his opinions.
In my opinion, he is far and away better than the Star's Jonathan Rand and
Jason Whitlock. When following up on native Tom Watson's victory in the
Memorial, Rand called it the most popular golf win since Jack Nicklaus'
victory at the 1986 Masters. Bypassing John Daly's win at the 1991 PGA makes
Rand's credibility very questionable.
Whitlock isn't very compelling as a column writer. In fact, he wasted 6
column inches of space in his Sunday column continuing a feud with KMBZ's
Don Fortune. Doing this in the most read publication of the week is bad
form.
Comparing television sportscasters, St. Louis wins, with more energy and
(sometimes) more humor. Kansas City's icon is Channel 9's Len Dawson (who
displaced Mike Bush in 1985), a true legend. But in his heyday, Tim Van
Galder was better at Channel 4 than Dawson's current dry, straightforward
style.
Frank Boal at Channel 4 is very solid, but the rest of Kansas City's television
sportscasters don't really stand out for superior performances.
One thing is the same for both the Kansas City and St. Louis sports media
when it comes to reporting --- the style is passive rather than pro-active.
Hopefully, someone will attempt to change this laid back approach.
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
*Joseph Andrews writes from Illinois--
Once again, thanks for St. Louis Sports Online. We live one hundred miles
from Busch Stadium, attend as many Cardinals games as we can, and devour
each issue of your publication.
Keep up the good work.
8.0 StLSO Editorial: Update Time
for the Cardinals
As spring training ended in late March, StLSO #64 contained a list of eight
items that we believed needed to occur if the Cardinals were to win the
NL Central in 1996.
A condensed version of the list is shown below, along with a few comments
and a summary.
(1) The Cards starting outfielder threesome (Ron Gant, Ray Lankford, and
Brian Jordan) needs to stay healthy for the entire year. Injury-free seasons
for Gant, Lankford, and Jordan may very well result in some unbelievable
year-end numbers (90 HR? 270 RBI? 90 SB? 75 doubles? 25 triples?)...
COMMENT: The Cards have played 58 games, and Ron Gant has only 101 at-bats,
due to an injured hamstring.
Brian Jordan, after suffering a thumb injury in a late-spring exhibition
game, has also started slowly, with 21 RBI in 165 at-bats.
Bright spots? Willie McGee, who has seen a lot of playing time due to the
aforementioned injuries, is hitting .320 with 21 RBIs. And LF-1B Mark Sweeney,
who has seen time at the lead-off spot, has a .297 average.
Overall: a mixed bag...but there are over 100 games remaining in the regular
season.
(2) Two of the Cards starting pitchers must combine to win a total of (at
least) 30 games.
COMMENT: The season is a tad over 35% complete; Todd Stottlemyre and Alan
Benes each have five victories.
(3) A minimum of twenty victories must come from the Cards second tier of
starting pitchers...
COMMENT: Donovan Osborne, Andy Benes and Mark Petkovsek each have four victories.
(much of Petkovsek's work has been out of the bullpen), while Mike Morgan
has come off the injured list and pitched well.
(4) As a whole, in 1996 the Cards bullpen must perform as reliably as it
did in 1995.
COMMENT: From top-to-bottom, it hasn't.
(5) Closer Dennis Eckersley's right arm needs to time-travel back to the
1987-1992 seasons...
COMMENT: It hasn't, and the Eck hasn't pitched in a couple of weeks due
to elbow tenderness.
(6) The Cards veteran third baseman, Gary Gaetti, needs to exhibit the vim
and vigor possessed by his youthful counterpart across the diamond, John
Mabry.
COMMENT: Gaetti has 15 RBIs but appears to be rounding into shape after
a nagging toe injury.
(7) The Cards youthful first baseman, John Mabry, needs to play with the
wisdom and moxie of his veteran counterpart across the diamond, Gary Gaetti.
COMMENT: After 58 games, Mabry is batting a robust .333, and has ripped
13 doubles, one triple, and four homers. In short, Mabry has been a most
pleasant surprise in the first two months of the 1996 season.
(8) The Cards up-the-middle platoon, which includes Pat Borders, Tom Pagnozzi
and Danny Sheaffer behind the plate; Ozzie Smith and Royce Clayton at shortstop;
Luis Alicea and David Bell at second base; and Ray Lankford in center field...must
develop into a cohesive unit that plays fundamentally sound defensive baseball.
COMMENT: The production that Tony La Russa has received from his three catchers
ranks right up there with Mabry's hitting as far as pleasant surprises are
concerned. Pagnozzi has also impressed with his throwing.
On the other hand, Smith-Clayton, Alicea-Bell, and Lankford...defensively...won't
be winning any 1996 Gold Gloves.
SUMMARY: After 58 games, the Cards' record (28-30) is good enough for first
place in the woeful NL Central.
In light of the Cards' bullpen woes and injury problems, a record within
a few games of .500 seems about right. Thank goodness for realignment, as
no one in the NL Central has won more games than they've lost.
86 wins may win the NL Central.
53 wins and 41 losses in the remaining 104 games would leave the Redbirds
at 86-76...and most likely in the NL playoffs early this fall.
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