The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #84

August 10, 1996

Copyright © 1996 St. Louis Sports Online

Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission of Publisher [StLSports@aol.com]

Edited by Mark Bausch

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.

Contributors to #84 include Fowl Ball correspondent Jim Hunstein and contributing writer Mike Rainey.

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The publisher of St. Louis Sports Online requests that no part of StLSO be reproduced or transmitted (electronically or otherwise) without e-mail permission, which can be gained by sending e-mail to StLSports@aol.com

St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.2 CONTENTS

1.0 StLSO News and Notes
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY
2.2 Blues News
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 StLSO Quotes of the Week
2.5 StLSO Headlines of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Post-Olympic Rumors You Should NOT Believe by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.2 Rams Lose Pre-Season Opener At Pittsburgh by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 8.8.96)
5.2 MLB Standings (through 8.8.96)
6.0 StLSO Media Views
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial: Piling On



St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.2

1.0 StLSO News and Notes

With the recent firing of Marlins' manager Rene Lachemann, another link to Tony La Russa's past may be headed to St. Louis. We hear that Lachemann may join the Cardinals soon...at least for the balance of this year, in a scouting capacity. In addition to Lachemann's La Russa connection, Cards GM Walt Jocketty is very high on Lachemann's baseball acumen.

Tom Henke's back has acted up on him again, and it seems unlikely that the Missouri native will return to the majors this, or any, year. GM Jocketty said he was close to one deal (before the recent no-waivers-needed deadline passed)...but that he was unwilling to include any of the team's prized prospects in a deal. One assumes that Jocketty worked hard to obtain a reliever, lessening the pressure on the Cards' veteran relief corps (including a struggling Dennis Eckersley).

Speaking of Eckersley, the veteran closer hasn't been the same since he returned from the DL...and he was booed again at Busch Stadium after he allowed a tenth-inning two-run homer. All three of the Cardinals' 40+ year-old relievers (Eckersley, Rick Honeycutt, and Tony Fossas) have had up-and-down seasons; look for wholesale changes in the bullpen this upcoming off-season.

The latest Brendan Shanahan rumors have the likeable power forward headed to Montreal. And chatter out of Chicago indicates that 'Hawks owner (Dollar) Bill Wirtz will match any offer made to superstar center Jeremy Roenick...and then TRADE him in order to keep tabs on the payroll. Would Roenick play in St. Louis for Iron Mike Keenan?

Very few (if any) boos were heard Friday night at the TWA Dome when Lawrence Phillips made his first appearance in front of the hometown fans. When Phillips hit pay dirt on a short run in the second quarter, many in the crowd of 55,626 went nuts. St. Louis fans have a long tradition of supporting underdog-types. Whether Phillips even qualifies for underdog status is debatable, but if the guy plays on the field, St. Louis will be a good place for him to play NFL football.



2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts

2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY

*The Cards were able to take the rubber game of the three-game series with the Padres on Wednesday night. Gary Gaetti ended the pitchers duel with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Cards a 1-0 victory. Tuesday night the Cardinals were on the receiving end of a 1-0 decision, with Donovan Osborne the hard luck loser. Osborne allowed only a solo homer to Ken Caminiti in the fourth inning of his seven inning stint. Tim Worrell was too much for the Redbirds, allowing them only five hits during the seven innings he pitched.

*Todd Stottlemyre's 10th victory of the season Friday night in New York made this six out of seven years he has reached double figures in wins during his career.

*Andy Benes has won his last eight decisions, which is the longest streak for a Cardinal starting pitcher since John Tudor won 11 straight in 1985.

*The Cards were finally able to disable Miguel Mejia with a leg injury. That allowed them to add Danny Jackson to the roster without sending out a pitcher. Jackson, who hadn't pitched for the Cardinals in 360 days, tossed a scoreless inning of relief Monday night in the Cards 8-2 win over San Diego. Jackson will be in the bullpen for now. Benes has seen his ERA rise to 5.55.

*With Jackson's return the Cards currently have 12 pitchers on the 25-man roster.

*Tom Henke's comeback is all but over. While trying to get into pitching shape for a potential return to the Cardinals this season, he experienced back pain and is considering calling it quits for good.

*The San Francisco Giants are in town for a four-game series this weekend at Busch. The Giants come into the series with a record of 47-65, and are 12 games behind the Padres. With slugger Matt Williams out the Giants are basically trotting out a Triple-A lineup on a nightly basis, and hence are getting hammered. Only Barry Bonds and Glenallen Hill currently remain from the opening day lineup.


2.2 Blues News

*Recently-retired Blues left-wing Greg Gilbert, whose back injury effectively forced his retirement, was named head coach of the Worcester Ice Cats. The Ice Cats are the Blues AHL affiliate.


2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN

*Heading into their first ever home pre-season game in St. Louis (all four were on the road last year due to uncertainty about their address when the schedule was made), The Rams are battered as they prepare to square off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's the only team the Bighorns beat in last year's pre-season. Definitely out for the game are TE Troy Drayton (knee; drained twice but the fluid keeps returning), DT D'Marco Farr (left ankle), S Toby Wright (hamstring), DE James Harris (groin), DL Brad Ottis (knee), and LB Thomas Homco (knee). Doubtful are OT Darryl Ashmore (knee) and LB Roman Phifer (hamstring).

*Two players have been cut; WR Rodney Harris and DL Troy Ridgley. Actually, Ridgley was designated as having been "waivered-injured", which means the team has to make an injury settlement that counts against the salary cap.

*By the way, the trade with Green Bay for DE Wendall Gaines is not officially, well, official. He has yet to pass his physical and he missed a few practices with the Packers due to a knee problem.

*The Rams bolstered their injury-riddled defensive line with a trade this week. They acquired DE Wendall Gaines from the Packers for a conditional draft pick. Gaines, 24, is 6-5, 290 pounds and was originally drafted by the Arizona and/or Phoenix Cardinals for their 1994 practice squad. He was activated for the last 7 games. He switched to tight end for the 1995 season, the position he played in college at Oklahoma State, before switching back to defensive end when he signed with Green Bay before this season.

*For the record, the Rams purchased their 27.011-acre site in Earth City in September 1995 for $1,225,288. Only 15.577 acres of the tract are useable due to nearby creeks and waterways.

*OT Gerald Perry, a free agent signed from the Raiders, may have retired. He has definitely left the team for his home in Atlanta. He blames arthritis in his knees.

*DT D'Marco Farr suffered an injury to his left ankle in the first quarter and didn't return. It turned out to be a sprain, from which he might have come back in a regular season game.

*Training camp quotes:

--QB Steve Walsh, on Mark Rypien's absence from camp and how it effects his approach to training camp: "I'm here to do my best and compete with the guys that are here. When Mark's not here, I'll compete and show that I deserve to be the starter. When Mark's here, I'll compete and show that I deserve to be the starter. It's not really that big a difference."

DT D'Marco Farr, on having DE Leslie O'Neal on the line with him: "It's nice. It's going to help me out a lot. It's going to help everyone out a lot. We're going to have some fun out there this year."

Farr, on how the average fan can appreciate life in the trenches: "I wouldn't condone this, but if you really want to appreciate what we do, go into any bar in the middle of the night after the boys have had a few drinks. Go in there and talk about their mothers. And then try to make it out of there. That's what we have to go through."


2.4 StLSO Quotes of the Week

*"This is a scary series," said Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa prior to the start of the Cards' four-game set with the banged-up, last-place Giants.

*"It's humiliating, but that's the way the game is," said Cardinals' closer Dennis Eckersley after allowing a tenth-inning two-run homer to the Giants David McCarty.


2.5 StLSO Headlines of the Week

*From the 8.4.96 P-D: "Banks' Impressive Showing Overshadows Rams' Loss"

*From the 8.6.96 P-D: "Gaetti's Shot Ends Filibuster In Ninth"

*From the 8.9.96 P-D: "Relief Can't Spell Cardinals in 5-3, 10-Inning Loss To Giants"



3.0 StLSO Features

3.1 Post-Olympic Rumors You Should NOT Believe by JIM HUNSTEIN

*John Tesh is actually popular.

*The modern pentathlon is being truly modernized to include mall-walking, rollerblading, mosh-pitting, check-kiting, and drive-by shooting.

*After being struck by lightning, Bill Walton's mouth has been coterized shut.

*NBC will start yet another cable TV network for insomniacs; all gymnastics, all the time.

*Billy Payne and Tim McCarver are actually the same person.

*Gail Devers has let her fingernails grow into complete circle and painted them in the Olympic colors, only to be sued for trademark infringement by the IOC.

*Irish swimmer Michelle Smith is going into business with a shopping mall snack mogul to sell a line of performance-enhancing munchies called Michelle Fields Cookies.

*The Rams have signed 412-pound weight-lifter, man-mountain Mark Henry to shore up, no to be, the offensive line.

*Diver Mary Ellen Clark has gotten another case of vertigo and has to crawl around for the rest of her life.

*Many of the women gymnasts are lobbying to have a trampoline routine included in the Olympics so when they land on their butts it'll mean something.

*Gold medalist archer and potential teen-heartthrob Justin Huish is starring in the new motion picture based on the Green Arrow comics.

*Oliver Stone is working on a new investigative mystery about how Dominique Moceaneau (if that's her real name) of the US (if that's her real citizenship) tanked in the team competition, purposely falling on her vault attempts to force the injured Kerri Strug to vault and hurt herself, thus putting Moceaneau into the individual competition. (working title of the film: "Degree of Difficulty")

*Muhammad Ali is coming out with a new line of punching bags featuring the likeness of Joe Frazier.

*In an effort to boost David Letterman's ratings, Janet Evans has accused Jay Leno of having a chin implant.

*Carl Lewis and Nike are putting pressure on the US Park Service to replace Thomas Jefferson on Mt. Rushmore with Carl.

*Based on the popularity (read: ratings) of gymnastics, Tom Brokaw will do the nightly news in tights on a pommel horse.

*Dani Tyler, the absent-minded would-be home run hitter for the women's softball team who forgot to touch home plate, is so proud of her gold medal, she had it bronzed.



4.0 StLSO Recaps

4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN

4.1.1 Cardinals at New York (August 2 - August 4)

IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cards entered the 3-game series in first place and finished in second place despite winning 2 of 3 from the Mets.

ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 4-2 Cards (4-run 5th); G2: 5-4 Mets (Alan Benes gave up all 5 in 4 innings); G3: 4-1 Cards (4-run 6th) Hey, that's three 4s. Yhatzee!

GOING IN: Cards were 57-51 and a half a game ahead of the Astros.

COMING OUT: Cards were 59-52 and a half a game behind the 'Stros.

AT THE PLATE: Royce Clayton played in the two wins and went 4-for-9, breaking an 0-for-21 slump over the previous 5 games. Ray Lankford had a hit in all 3 games for a 4-for-12 series, as did Brian Jordan for 3-for-12. Jordan continues to lead the known universe in hitting with runners in scoring position (a lofty .444) as he singled in the go-ahead run in G3. Ron Gant (#21) and Gary Gaetti (#14) went deep in G1 and G2 respectively. Gant had 5 RBI in the series.

ON THE BASEPATHS: Lankford took over the team lead in steals with 3 in the series, including 2 in G2. He now has 29 to Clayton's 26, who was nailed in G3. Jordan swiped his 16th in G1 for third on the team.

ON THE MOUND: As it should be, the to wins went to the starters, Todd Stottlemyre in G1 and MIke Morgan in G3. Stottlemyre (10-7) joined the Brothers Benes as the team's double-digit winners with a 7 2/3-inning performance in which he gave up only 2 runs on 6 hits. Morgan evened his record at 4-4 with a similar outing. Alan Benes continues the downside of his ebb and flow season. He lasted only 4 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He is the only Redbird hurler with an ERA over 5.00 with a 5.55 mark.

FROM THE BULLPEN: Dennis Eckersley continued to struggle, nearly blowing G1 by giving up 3 singles a run in the 9th even though he fanned two. He is still pressing to earn his 341st save to tie Rollie Fingers for third on the all-time list (behind Lee Smith at 471 and Jeff Reardon at 367). Rick Honeycutt stepped in to save the game, his third on the season. After that, the relievers were perfect in 8 innings not even giving up so much as a single. Eck came back in G3 to earn big No. 341 with a 5-pitch strike out of Butch Huskey, strike three being a great jam-job on the wrists.

CATCH-ALL: Miguel Mejia was Kevorkianed to the disabled list to make room for Danny Jackson, who heads to the bullpen.

OVERALL: Tony La Russa has managed Eckersley for all but 3 of his 341 saves. Eck had 2 in 1975 and 1 in 1976 for the Indians, his first two years in the majors, when he was still a starter.

IN THE HOUSE: G1: 34,091; G2: 28,594; G3: 24,595

ON THE CLOCK: G1: 2:45; G2: 2:59; G3: 2:21

ON DECK: A three-spot at home with the NLW-leading Padres. More play-off implications?

IN THE HOLE: Four with the Giants at Busch


4.1.2 Cardinals vs. Padres (August 5 - August 7)

IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cardinals took 2 of 3 from the NLW leadering Padres and got themselves back into first place in the Central.

ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 8-2 Cards (4-run 3rd) G2: 1-0 Padres (homer by Ken Caminiti) G3: 1-0 Cards (turnabout's fair play; homer by Gary Gaetti in the 9th)

COMING OUT: Cards were 61-53, back in first place, 1 game ahead of the Astros and 4 games ahead of the Reds

AT THE PLATE: The bats came alive in G1; 5 players had a multi-hit game on the way to 13 hits. John Mabry and Brian Jordan were both 3-for-4. Gary Gaetti was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI and his 15th homer in the 2nd inning to tie the game. Mike Gallego also had a pair of hits to boost his average to .211 (15-for-71 on the season). One of the hits in G1 belonged to Andy Benes, who now has an 8-game hitting streak, the longest current one for a pitcher in the majors. Only 5 hits in each of G2 and G3. The biggest of the 10 had to be Gaetti's homer (number 16 of the year) with one out in the bottom of the 9th to win the game 1-0.

ON THE BASEPATHS: Lankford's steal of second in the 3rd inning of G1 was his 14th in a row. He still leads the team with 27. In G2, Clayton stole his 24th and Gant nabbed his 10th. On the other hand G3 was not a how-to video on baserunning. The lowlight was when Gaetti fell for the old fake-a-throw-to-third-fake-a-throw-to-first when Mabry was on third. Gaetti was trapped off first and got caught in a rundown as Mabry decided he thought he could make it home. Wrong. The truly ironic part was that StLSO Godfather Jeff Gordon had named falling for exactly that hoax as the Lunkhead Play of the Week in his Wednesday Inside Baseball section of the Post. Ouch.

OFF THE BENCH: Talk about talent off the bench, both teams sent in former batting champs. The Cards sent in Willie McGee and the Padres sent in Tony Gwynn. Both grounded out in G2. McGee was in search of his 2,000th hit. He didn't get it in as a starter in G3.

ON THE MOUND: Very good outings all around. Andy Benes took over the staff lead with his 11th win in G1 after giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 2/3 innings. He's close to breaking the 4.00 ERA barrier at 4.01. Donovan Osborne had his start in G2 cut short with some muscle cramps. He's becoming another Jose Deleon; he pitches well but doesn't get the W. He gave up only one run (a homer in the 4th) in 7 innings. Todd Stottlemyre was also robbed of a win in G3 after posting 8 shutout innings, striking out 6 and scattering 4 hits.

FROM THE BULLPEN: No saves, but solid pitching by the bullpen.Mark Petkovsek picked up the win in G3. He is now 8-2 on the season.

IN THE FIELD: The highlight of the series had to be in G2 when Pagnozzi threw out all three Padre would-be basestealers, including Rickey Henderson on the back-end of a strike-out/throw-out double play. The best part was that he was out by a mile. G3 was a virtual highlight film for the defense. It featured great diving catches by Lankford and Jordan and a couple spectacular plays by Ozzie.

OVERALL: Unless you're a chiropractor, don't hold your breath about any relief from Tom Henke. He's been throwing in an attempt to make a comeback, but he's being bothered by a bad bad. He had a disc problem when he was with the Rangers in 1994. Doesn't look like we'll have him riding to the rescue.

IN THE HOUSE: G1: 28,653; G2: 25,782; G3: 24,823

ON THE CLOCK: G1: 2:49; G2: 2:43; G3: 2:34

ON DECK: 4-games at home against the Giants, currently last in the NLW (12 games out) and loser of 7 of their last 10.

IN THE HOLE: A day off followed by a 3-game set with the Dodgers at Busch


4.2 Rams Lose Pre-Season Opener At Pittsburgh by JIM HUNSTEIN

The dark cloud is that the Rams lost their first preseason game 16-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a loss easily attributable to bone-headed play. To the tune of 13 penalties for 123 yards, including 93 in the first half.

The silver lining was the play of the quarterbacks. That was going to be one of the big question marks without Mark Rypien in camp. But Steve Walsh and rookie Tony Banks were outstanding. Walsh played most of the first half and was 6-for-9 with 137 yards, a touchdown (5-yarder to WR Todd Kinchen) and no interceptions. He appeared very comfortable in the pocket, probably because it was never collapsing around him. Banks looked even better playing the last quarter-plus. He finished 12-for-15 for 118 yards, no TDs or INTs. He should have had a couple of sixes but both times the zebras ruled that WR Jermaine Ross had only one foot in the end zone.

Rookie WR Eddie Kennison, in spite of missing most of training camp and not having any one in the entire state of Louisiana to throw him passes during his protracted negotiations, showed he still has the moves that earned him first round draftee status. He caught 5 passes for 55 yards, but also showed some great moves returning kicks. WR Isaac Bruce was almost a non-factor, with only one catch for 22 yards.

But penalties killed the Bighorns. On their first play from scrimmage, starting with good field position at their own 40, they got hit with a holding penalty. Two plays later was an illegal procedure penalty. They ended up kicking on 4th and 15. Not a good way to begin. Later in the second quarter, CB Maurice Hurst was called for a 44-yard pass interference call, which led to the Steelers only TD of the game.

RB Lawrence Phillips made a rather inauspicious debut at the beginning of the second quarter. He ended the day with 6 carries for only 17 yards. He tended to cutback a little too much at the line, which might have worked in college, but that dog won't hunt in the bigs. When he did have a hole, he hit it fast, accelerating on his cuts.

All in all, it was a pretty good game. The offensive line was very solid in pass defense, but they didn't open up too many holes for the runners, who gained only 84 yards in the game. The passing game was clicking for a total of 303 yards. But losing 123 yards to yellow flags is a good way to drive a coach, and the fans, nuts.



5.0 StLSO Numbers

5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 115 GAMES (August 8))

5.1.1 Batting

                 AB  HIT  2B 3B  HR  SLG RUN RBI  BB   SO  OBP  SB  CS   E  AVG
Mabry,John      393  121  23  2  11 .461  50  56  28   66 .354   1   2   5 .308
Jordan,Brian    365  109  26  1  14 .490  65  79  19   66 .333  16   3   2 .299
McGee,Willie    235   67  10  1   3 .374  37  30  14   45 .325   3   1   2 .285
Pagnozzi,Tom    265   74  16  0   8 .430  31  39  15   55 .318   3   1   6 .279
Clayton,Royce   357   99  15  3   3 .361  48  23  26   72 .326  24  13  10 .277
Smith,Ozzie     146   40   5  1   0 .322  20   9  14    5 .338   6   3   5 .274
Lankford,Ray    398  108  24  5  18 .492  78  63  53   93 .357  27   3   0 .271
Gaetti,Gary     350   94  17  1  16 .460  50  56  26   63 .319   1   2   8 .269
Sweeney,Mark    136   36   8  0   3 .390  23  18  25   23 .379   2   0   3 .265
Gant,Ron        270   69   9  2  22 .548  51  62  52   61 .376  10   3   4 .256
Sheaffer,Danny  157   40   8  2   2 .369   9  17   7   21 .287   2   3   5 .255
Alicea,Luis     275   67  17  0   4 .349  36  30  36   56 .331   7   2  22 .244
Gallego,Mike     78   15   1  0   0 .205   5   2   5   17 .241   0   0   0 .192
   TOTAL       3906 1034 196 18 105 .405 543 507 346  793 .325 106  43  93 .265


5.1.2 Pitching
                 W   L    IP   HIT RUN  ER  BB   SO  ERA  SA BS  HR   G  ST  C
Jackson,Danny    0   0    1.0    0   0   0   0    0  0.00  0  0   0   1   0  0
Fossas,Tony      0   4   32.1   31  15  10  13   27  2.78  2  4   6  47   0  0
Mathews,TJ       1   4   59.1   42  23  19  26   53  2.88  4  3   5  46   0  0
Osborne,Donovan  9   8  142.2  136  60  51  32   91  3.22  0  0  15  21  21  2
Stottlemyre,T   10   7  166.0  146  69  66  68  141  3.58  0  0  22  24  24  4
Bailey,Cory      3   1   36.2   40  17  15  18   30  3.68  0  0   1  32   0  0
Honeycutt,Rick   2   1   34.2   34  15  15   7   25  3.89  3  3   3  45   0  0
Morgan,Mike      4   4   89.0   86  41  39  34   42  3.94  0  0  11  14  14  0
Benes,Andy      11   8  164.0  153  80  73  46  106  4.01  1  0  21  25  24  3
Eckersley,D      0   5   39.1   46  21  18   5   36  4.12 18  2   7  41   0  0
Petkovsek,Mark   8   2   58.1   59  28  27  24   27  4.17  0  3   8  31   4  0
Benes,Alan      10   7  136.2  142  94  81  63   95  5.33  0  0  20  24  24  2
   TOTAL        61  54 1026.2  989 513 458 370  724  4.01 28 17 128 392 115 11 


5.2 MLB Standings (through games of 8.8.96)
 American League                          National League

                              Eastern Divisions
     Team         Won  Lost   GB   PCT       Team          Won  Lost   GB   PCT
 New York          68   45     -  .602    Atlanta           70   43     -  .619
 Baltimore         59   54   9.0  .522    Montreal          63   50   7.0  .558
 Boston            53   61  15.5  .465    New York          55   61  16.5  .474
 Toronto           53   62  16.0  .461    Florida           52   63  19.0  .452
 Detroit           40   74  28.5  .351    Philadelphia      48   67  23.0  .417

                              Central Divisions
     Team         Won  Lost   GB   PCT       Team          Won  Lost   GB   PCT
 Cleveland         70   45     -  .609    Houston           61   54     -  .530
 Chicago           63   52   7.0  .548    CARDINALS         61   54     -  .530
 Minnesota         55   59  14.5  .482    Cincinnati        55   55   3.5  .500
 Milwaukee         55   60  15.0  .478    Chicago           55   58   5.0  .487
 Kansas City       53   63  17.5  .457    Pittsburgh        51   64  10.0  .443

                              Western Divisions
     Team         Won  Lost   GB   PCT       Team          Won  Lost   GB   PCT
 Texas             63   52     -  .548    San Diego         62   55     -  .530
 Seattle           60   53   2.0  .531    Los Angeles       59   55   1.5  .518
 Oakland           57   59   6.5  .491    Colorado          59   55   1.5  .518
 California        52   62  10.5  .456    San Francisco     48   65  12.0  .425


5.3 Game Statistics: Rams at Pittsburgh Steelers
              Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4    F
Rams           0    7    3    0   10
Steelers       3   10    3    0   16

First Quarter:
Pit - FG, Johnson, 22 yds

Second Quarter:
StL - Kinchen, 5-yd pass from Walsh (Lohmiller kick)
Pit - Pegram,11-yd run (Johnson kick)
Pit - FG, Johnson, 42 yds

Third Quarter:
StL - FG, Lohmiller, 27 yds
Pit - FG, Wood, 33 yds

Category Rams Steelers
First downs 18 20
Rushes-yards 26-84 31-139
Passing yards 303 196
Total yards 387 345
Punts-yards 5-38 5-36
Penalties-yards 13-123 6-50
Time of possession 30:30 29:30

RUSHING (carries-yards): Moss 5-26, Phillips 6-17, Harris 4-17 (with a fumble lost), Banks 4-13, Conwell 2-6, Montgomery 2-6, Green (-1)

PASSING (completions-attempts-yards-TDs-interceptions): Walsh 6-9-137-1-0, Martin 7-13-48-0-0, Banks 12-15-118-0-0

RECEIVING (catches-yards): Kennison 5-55, Montgomery 5-16, Williams 3-49, Kinchen 3-25 (with a TD) Thomas 2-74, Conwell 1-27, Bruce 1-22, Wright 1-12, Pinkney 1-9, Ross 1-8, Clay 1-4, Moss 1-2



6.0 StLSO Media Views by MARK BAUSCH

*StLSO reader response to Bill Coats' P-D column, a piece in which he sarcastically impugned the motives of Cubs fans, was light.

A majority of StLSO respondents feel that the column itself was harmless...but also suspected that the Cubs in fact could in fact use comments from that column as motivation.

On the other hand, three StLSO readers noted that athletes claim never to read the papers anyway, so what difference would it make?


*In the 8.10.96 P-D, Dan Caesar reports that KSD-AM's Kevin Slaten is a leading candidate to replace Joby Smith as the lead sports anchor at KDNL (Channel 30).

It would be fun to watch KDNL's ratings, should they hire Slaten, who has a loyal following in the St. Louis metro area.



7.0 StLSO Interactivity

*Peter Warning writes from Australia--

Regarding Jim Hunstein's Olympic lists--

He wrote: "Your home country is the size of Shaq's shoe" and "You're an Aussie and you choke like a shark"

Funny that some of the best and most memorable performances come from small countries that no-one in the USA has heard of. Also, nine gold medals for a population of less than 20 million. A better rate per head of population than the good ol' USA.

Regards.


*Screenname JT writes--

Regarding the gentlemen's agreement between Lawrence Phillips and the Rams:
Gentleman don't hit women. Therefore, how can there be a "gentlemen's' agreement?


*Mike Clark writes--

As I recall, Ozzie started the season closing in on 2500 hits. I know he hasn't played as much as he would like/should but that he has been fairly successful at the plate. Where does he currently stand in this chase?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Smith began the season with 2,396. Through 8.9.96, Smith has 40 hits. He is therefore 64 shy of 2,500 hits.



8.0 StLSO Editorial: Piling On

"When in doubt, be aggressive."

So says Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa, who throughout his managerial career has implored his players and coaches to play what might now be referred to as "in your face" baseball.

And although La Russa denies it ("We want to play that way all the time," says the Cardinals' skipper), more than one observer has noted that La Russa's 1996 Cardinals squad seems to look for a chance to be extra-aggressive in the early innings of the first game of a three or four game series vs. a new opponent.

Whether it's a hit-and-run with Mike Morgan at the plate, or a two-out attempted steal of third...it's almost as if La Russa hopes that his club sends a message to its opponent along the lines of "Now you're playing the Cardinals".

It's a style of baseball that puts pressure on the opposing team, and a style of baseball that wears well in St. Louis.

But that style of baseball also puts pressure on one other person: La Russa's third base coach.

Tommie Reynolds is the Cardinals' third base coach...and early in his first season as a National League coach, Reynolds has been roundly criticized for several Cardinals' base-running boo-boos.

Never mind that Reynolds himself is seldom quoted...and that Reynolds, like Tony La Russa, will almost always take the blame for one of his players.

And now that (panicking?) Florida Marlins' GM Dave Dombrowski fired long-time La Russa associate Rene Lachemann (replacing him with John Boles, another individual with La Russa connections), whispers about Lachemann joining the Cardinals' organization have started to be heard.

And where would Lachemann find work in St. Louis?

Well, the story goes, since Lachemann coached third base for La Russa in Oakland for four seasons (beginning in 1989), the third-base job would seem to be logical...

Such a scenario completely ignores the fact that Reynolds succeeded Lachemann as the A's third-base coach in 1993, and continued in that role through the '94 and '95 seasons before moving with La Russa to St. Louis prior to the start of the '96 season.

Nevertheless, Tommie Reynolds' decisions at third base are now under even MORE scrutiny.

Such was the case during Monday's game vs. the Padres (8.5.96). Let's set the scene.

With the score tied 2-2, Royce Clayton led off the third inning with a double to left field and was driven home when Ray Lankford singled to left field. Lankford then stole second, and, after Ron Gant popped out to second baseman Jody Reed, moved to third base when Brian Jordan also singled to left field.

Jordan's one-out single to left was something between a solid line drive and a hump-backed liner, and in the 90 degree Busch Stadium heat, carried out fairly close to Padres left fielder Greg Vaughn.

Lankford, not knowing whether Vaughn would be able to catch the ball on the fly, stayed close to the second-base bag before advancing to third base.

Vaughn fielded the ball on one hop, and quickly fired the ball back to the infield.

Had Lankford attempted to score he would've been out by a country mile--perhaps ten or twenty feet would be more like it.

So there was nothing wrong with Reynolds' actions on this play.

Indeed, when asked prior to Thursday's game with the Giants about the situation, Reynolds agreed with the aforementioned analysis.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. I saw [that the ball was going to drop] right away, and at first was waving [Ray] home. But he started late, and I told him to stop [at third]."

But Reynolds' work is under constant scrutiny, and this play was no exception. Late Tuesday morning (the day after Monday's game), KFNS lunch-time host Brian McKenna made mention of the play, and it was clear that he felt (a) that Lankford should have scored and that (b) Reynolds was at least partially to blame.

McKenna, who along with co-host Rich Gould puts on one of the most entertaining shows offered by KFNS, also asked callers who had seen the play, and in particular, Reynolds' actions in the coaches' box, to inform him about its details.

McKenna's partner, KPLR-TV's Rich Gould, said that he hadn't seen the game, but sort of suggested out loud that not scoring on such a play was surprising "with Rickey Henderson in left field" for the Padres.

No wonder a pensive-looking Reynolds, when approached by a reporter on the field two hours prior to Thursday's game ("Are you working now? If not, can I ask you a question?")...forced what appeared to be a slow-forming half-smile before responding.

"It depends on the question."