The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #85
August 19, 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 #85 include Jim Hunstein, Brian Stull, Mike Rainey, and
Mike Huss...lots of good baseball and football in this issue.
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St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.3 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY and BRIAN STULL
2.2 Blues News
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 StLSO Quotes of the Week
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Just How Close Are They, Anyway? by MIKE HUSS
3.2 A Report on the Cards-Marlins Getaway Game by BRIAN STULL
3.3 A Pitching Teacher by MARK BAUSCH
3.4 Tony Fossas Pre-Game Style
3.5 La Russa on Eckersley by MARK BAUSCH
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.2 Rams Game Reviews by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 8.18.96)
5.2 MLB Standings (through 8.18.96)
5.3 Rams Game Statistics
6.0 StLSO Media Views
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial: The Race Is On
St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.3
1.0 StLSO News and Notes
The Cardinals finished their longest homestand of the 1996 season with a
bang, sweeping the Marlins in a three-game Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend
series. An 8-5 record for the 13 games doesn't sound so good until you think
that the Redbirds won all three vs. Florida.
A key in Cards' efforts vs the Marlins was the resurgence of Brian Jordan,
who had six hits in the three games. Dennis Eckersley finished all three
games, earning saves in the latter two affairs. And the three starting pitchers
(Andy Benes, Donovan Osborne, and Todd Stottlemyre) pitched all but 5.2
of the 27 innings, taking pressure off of the maligned bullpen.
Now, if only the Cards' starters can successfully scale the Rockies in Denver...and
soar higher than the 'stros in Houston.
Incidentally, our spies tell us that the Cardinals 1997 payroll will be
equal to the 1996 version (in the upper 30's...that's millions, podnuh).
In other words, enough dough to re-sign Gary Gaetti, Willie McGee...even
the Eck... assuming that the duo of Tony La Russa and Walt Jocketty are
in the mood.
It's been a long time since St. Louisans have had a chance to watch their
own NFL team...a team that they're somewhat familiar with...and project,
on the basis of pre-season performances, how that team will perform when
it counts.
In that regard, the 1996 Rams are as interesting as any in the NFL. With
quality (and question marks) at virtually every position on the field (except
perhaps wide receiver), handicappers and fantasy leaguers are all over the
map on the Rams, as far as their outlooks on the Bighorns are concerned.
The chief question mark for St. Louis has to be the offensive line. And
the work of the offensive line, as a unit, can be measured in at least the
following two ways.
First, if the tailback combo of Lawrence Phillips and Harold Green combine
for at least 25 carries a game...then the upfront run-blocking will be sufficiently
good to maintain the viable ground presence.
Second, if Alexander Wright and Eddie Kennison combine to catch six passes
per game, then that means that Steve Walsh has received sufficient protection
to look off of his first choice (usually Isaac Bruce) and select a secondary
downfield receiver. Kennison, from LSU, seems to have a bit of Jerry Rice
in him as he appears to relish contact with oncoming defensive backs.
Lost in all the hub-bub over the 'hawks trading Jeremy Roenick to Phoenix
is the fact that, one year ago, the Blues' braintrust dealt Curtis Joseph
and Mike Grier to Edmonton for the two first-round picks that they had to
spend in return for signing Shayne Corson. The kicker is this: someone down
on Market Street believed that the Blues could then use those picks (the
team's 1996 and 1997 selections) as part of the compensation package required
to sign the really big-ticket free agents.
NOT! Those sharp NHL attorneys set up the agreement between the league's
owners and the NHLPA so that each team could only use a given pick once,
as far as free agent compensation was concerned. In other words, the two
picks that the Blues forfeited, in return for the right to sign Corson,
meant that the home-town team was out of the Roenick picture (or any similar
free agent), at least as far as signing the popular centerman to an offer
sheet was concerned.
A quick reminder: the second of the two picks (the 1997 pick) was traded
to LA in the Wayne Gretzky deal.
And one more thing--the Chicago Tribune suggested that Blues C&GM offered
the 'Hawks Corson AND Brett Hull for the rights to Roenick.
Does any of this make sense?
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY and BRIAN STULL
*After dropping the first two games to the lowly Giants, the Cardinals came
back to win the next two and salvage a split of the four-game series. On
Sunday the Cards beat ex-mate Allen Watson, 5-3, on the strength of two
home runs by Tom Pagnozzi.
*Pagnozzi's two homers gave him 10 for the season and makes this the first
year since 1966 the Cards have had six players in double figures in home
runs. So far the list includes Ron Gant, Ray Lankford, Gary Gaetti , Brian
Jordan, John Mabry), and Pagnozzi (11).
*Relief pitcher Tony Fossas hasn't allowed an earned run in 15 straight
games.
*Danny Jackson has pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief since his return from
the D.L. and has an ERA of 5.79 in his three outings thus far.
*Alan Benes tossed a complete game five hitter against the Dodgers on Wednesday
night at Busch to improve his record to 11-7. Benes allowed only a solo
homer to Chad Curtis in the 3rd inning, and lowered his ERA to 5.07.
*Todd Stottlemyre hurt his back in the 1st inning of Tuesday's game against
Los Angeles...Tony La Russa seemed confident on Saturday that Stottlemyre
would be ready the next day.
*The rumor mill has the Cards still trying to acquire Blue Jays reliever
Mike Timlin before September 1. Timlin would have to clear waivers before
he could be dealt to St. Louis.
*The Cardinals are now only two home runs shy of their season high of 118,
which was established in 1966 and again in 1993. 54 of their 116 have been
hit at Busch.
2.2 Blues News
Executive Vice-President Ronald Caron said that it was likely that the Blues
would acquire a #1 center prior to the start of the upcoming season. The
likely bait? A defenseman...although on KMOX radio's airwaves (in a conversation
with Ron Jacober), "The Professor" implied that the Blues top
three defenders (Al MacInnis, Murray Baron, and Chris Pronger) were probably
not trade bait.
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
*Jags PK Mike Hollis nailed a 59-yard field goal from just inside the midfield
stripe to close out the first half. Legendary sportwriter Bob Broeg was
in press box and said it was the longest he had ever personally seen. Next
to him was former football Cardinal Jim Otis, who said he's seen a longer
one. He was playing for the Saints and was on the field when Tom Dempsey
kicked his record-setting 63-yarder. Otis may or may not have been scouting
potential discards for his Stampede.
*Rookie DT Chuck Osborne, playing for the injured D'Marco Farr, is a Farr
clone of sorts. Both are small for defensive linemen (6-2, 281 for Osborne
and 6-1, 270 for Farr). But Osborne didn't start out small. (Pregnant woman
and/or new moms out there should read further at your own risk.) Osborne
was the largest baby ever born at LA County USC Medical Center; he tipped
the scales at 13 pounds, 10 ounces. He had better be nice to his mother
forever.
*Speaking of family, DE Kevin Carter's brother, Bernard, is a linebacker
for the Jaguars. He's listed on the depth chart as the third-string weakside
linebacker. He played at East Carolina, where he was a teammate of Rams'
LB Robert Jones.
*The Rams squared off with the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday night for
the Governor's Cup Game, the traditional cross-state contest that used to
pit the old Cardinals versus the Chiefs. That was, of course, the football
Cardinals, although any time but the mid-1970s, the baseball Redbirds would
have probably fared just as well. The Chiefs lead the series 13-6-1 and
won the last game 13-10 (in overtime) in 1987.
*The following players are out with injuries and did not play against the
Chiefs: FB Ernie Conwell (knee), CB Dexter Davis (back), TE Troy Drayton
(knee), D'Marco Farr (ankle), DE James Harris (groin), LB Thomas Homco (knee),
DT Brad Ottis (knee), DE Alberto White (hamstring), and S Toby Wright (hamstring).
The last one pretty much blows the theory that defensive backs, due to so
much running backwards, don't get hamstrung. Harris (who tore a tendon off
the bone) and Ottis are questionable for the Sept. 1 season opener against
Cincinnati. Homco has something similar to a stress fracture and the special
teams madman will miss the rest of the preseason.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: During the Rams-Jaguars pre-season game, Homco was in street
clothes on the Rams side of the field. On more than one occasion, Homco
was seen rubbing his injured knee.)
*Four players have been released last week: QB Jason Cue, DL Bryan Hooks,
WR LeMay Thomas, and CB Claudius Wright. This leaves 80 players on the roster.
(It has to be cut to 60 by Tuesday, Aug. 20 and to 53 by Sunday, Aug. 25.)
The only surprise cut there was Cue, who was just signed a couple weeks
ago.
*The Rams are reportedly leaning toward re-upping in Macomb for next year's
training camp. Coach Rich Brooks likes the players being so far from anywhere
they can get into trouble. Another reason is the way they've been treated
by the people of Macomb: As reported in the Post, 15-year old Susan Fulkerson
presented Brooks with a freshly-made strawberry rhubarb pie, his favorite.
(She said it took longer than usual to bake it; seems she encountered some
crust problems. Hate when that happens.) Look for more scrimmages with the
Bears in a home-and-home type series.
2.4 StLSO Quotes of the Week
*"I don't know why they throw me fastballs," said Ron Gant after
his 442-foot homer climbed over the Busch Stadium Club, and into upper deck.
Gant's homer came vs. the Dodgers and Ismael Valdes.
*Tony La Russa, after he was asked whether or not he has a temptation to
call sportstalk radio shows when the hosts and/or callers make factual errors
in their analyses: "I wish...I think if they're sincere about wanting
to say legitimate things...sometimes I think they say it just to stir some
controversy...and they're really not all that interested in what's accurate."
La Russa continued: "But if they're sincere, then yeah, I'd like them
to get legit stuff....but I don't ever think I want to call them."
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
*From the 8.19.96 P-D: "Cards Hang On, Move Ahead"...with the
following sub-head--"Redbirds Back In First After Beating Marlins 5-3"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Just How Close Are They, Anyway? by MIKE
HUSS
As we open our morning Sport Page, let's review the standings of Major League
Baseball. The Cardinals are in a dog-fight in the National League Central
with Houston, Cincinnati, and maybe the Cubs. The National League Wild Wild
West has three of its teams in the hunt. Atlanta will get the opportunity
to defend their World Series Title, but could the upstart Expos hold on
for the Wild Card spot?
Over in the AL,can Joe Torre really lead the New York Yankees to the promised
land, despite all his naysayers in St. Louis? How about Cleveland--the best
team on paper, but will they really get along? Can Texas maintain its lead
out West against the Big Unitless Mariners?
Baseball has been fun in 1996. Decent Crowds have returned to Busch Stadium
. Fans are smiling, grass is on the field, and the Cards are in a Pennant
Race . Attendance is up throughout the league. The Game of the Week is back.
Fans are more concerned about strikeouts than lockouts.
Or are they?
Last Monday marked the second anniversary of the 1994 Work Stoppage. This
Labor Disagreement did what Hitler couldn't do: cancel the World Series.
We hear comments from the Baseball Owners through their mouthpiece Randy
Levine, about ultimatums for their LAST & FINAL Proposal. Donald Fehr
(who Jack Buck correctly labeled as the REAL Commissioner of Baseball) replies
with strong language implying the Owners are more concerned with their own
agenda.
Let's review: It took Federal Judge Sonia Sotomay of the U.S. District Court
in Manhattan to issue an injunction against the Owners to force the games
to resume in 1995. Prior to that, there appeared little or no chance of
both sides coming to terms. Even President Clinton's own arbitrator couldn't
make both sides play nice.
It appears that the Owners' strategy is to appeal to the Judge in New York...that
after 16 months of negotiations, talks have reached an impasse--which would
result in the "Last and Final" Management Proposal to be implemented.
If this occurs, we will await the Press briefing and spin from Commissioner
Fehr's Office.
OPEN MEMO TO RANDY LEVINE AND DONALD FEHR: Gentlemen: you are playing Hot
Potato with Hope Diamond. If either of you did not realize it in late 1994/early
1995, the fans did not welcome you back with open arms. Actually, the cancellation
of the World Series proved people do not need baseball. The fans found something
else to occupy their time--and more importantly...their discretionary spending.
Hey, I was shocked in 1995 over the general fan apathy toward baseball and
overall fan boycott of the games. I was one who honestly believed those
fickle fans would be forgetful and forgiving. Once those pennant races heated
up, the fans would return in droves, buying licensed merchandise along the
way. 1995 proved me wrong. Apathy will turn into avoidance if your clients
are silly enough to close the game down again.
Gentlemen: take heed of the advice of Hall of Famer Jim Bunning--GET YOUR
HOUSE IN ORDER. Although the Baseball Faithful are starting to return to
the Ball Parks, they are still too skeptical to get emotionally tied to
a team only to have you guys open a trap door under their feet.
The Baseball Dispute is a microcosm of Sports in the 1990's. It's about
money, greed, but above all POWER. Who will control the game at what cost.
Just like politics and big business, baseball's owners and players know
what's best for you!!
Gentlemen: in my opinion, Baseball is God's Most Perfect Game. It has shown
its resiliency by overcoming people like you, your clients, and your predecessors.
However if you throw in enough dynamite, you can deface the Grand Canyon.
Or if you pollute enough, you could dam up Niagara Falls. That's the predicament
you've created. If you close the game down again--the result may be closing
of the entire industry.
Congress has threatened to intervene. Now there's a scary thought!! I am
sure our elected officials will realize there will be more to worry about
than a group of millionaires who can not get along.
Hey Cardinal Fans---Let's look toward September: a Labor Day show down with
divisional rival Houston, six of the final nine games against Cincinnati,
and don't forget the well advertised Ozzie Smith Farewell: a complete sellout
on the final Saturday of the Regular Season.
Wouldn't it be sad if the players didn't show up?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mike Huss hosts Sportstalk on WGNU-AM 920 each Tuesday and
Thursday from 8-9 pm.
3.2 A Report on the Cards-Marlins Getaway Game by BRIAN STULL
Last Sunday, the Cardinals moved into sole possession of first place with
a 5-3 victory over the Marlins, thus sweeping the series and improving their
overall record to 67-57.
Todd Stottlemyre earned his eleventh victory, taking a no-hitter into the
seventh inning before Devon White singled up the middle. Prior to that,
a solo home run by Gary Gaetti (his 17th) in the second inning had given
Stottlemyre his only run support. However, in the bottom half of the seventh,
the Redbird offense erupted for four runs as a Tom Pagnozzi double, combined
with a couple of walks and a hit batsman, loaded the bases for Brian Jordan.
Jordan delivered with a basehit to drive in two...and thus improved to his
batting average to a gaudy .667 (12 out of 18) with the bases loaded.
The runs proved to be necessary insurance as Florida bounced back in the
eighth to score three, including a two-run homer by Gary Sheffield (35).
Following that, Stottlemyre was lifted after Jeff Conine singled and Danny
Jackson came in and walked White. Jackson was then replaced by Mark Petkovsek,
who gave up an RBI single to Joe Siddall before retiring the side.
Dennis Eckersley opened the ninth on the mound for the Cards and promptly
allowed a single and a double. Gaetti, playing at first, kept the runners
in check while making an unassisted play to get the first out. Then Eckersley
gave up a walk to rookie Renteria to load the bases, before Sheffield grounded
into a game-ending double play, Clayton-Alicea-Gaetti.
Whew!
A few quotes:
*"It was like falling 2000 feet in an airplane," said manager
Tony La Russa on the nail-biting finish.
*"George Hendrick's helped me a lot. And now I have the approach every
at bat to hit off the fastball, to look fastball and react on the curveball.
I used to go up there sometimes looking for the curveball and the guy would
blow a fastball by me. So, with that philosophy of George Hendrick's, I'm
gonna win most of the battles," said Brian Jordan as he explained his
approach to hitting.
*"Today was a day where, not that I had bad stuff, but it was really
a credit to Tom Pagnozzi--the way he was able to call the game and really
keep me on my toes out there and the defense had a great game again,"
said Todd Stottlemyre on his performance Sunday.
3.3 A Pitching Teacher by MARK BAUSCH
Last week, shortly after Alan Benes five-hit the Dodgers, Cardinals manager
Tony La Russa appeared to grow weary of talking about his pitchers.
Evidence for such a statement?
La Russa strongly suggested...on two different occasions, that pitching
coach Dave Duncan would be a better source of pitching-related information
than [La Russa] himself.
Frankly, this is a rare statement for law school graduate Tony La Russa,
who, even in his less-than-chatty moments, seems to enjoy orchestrating
post-game Q and A's.
Even (or perhaps especially) if reporters leave with less material than
they had hoped for.
"[Duncan's] a better guy than me to talk to about [pitching], because
I'm just guessin'. I'm serious...I'd ask Dunc about whatever you'd want
to ask him," implored the Cards manager.
So the StLSO staff did just that.
But first, a bit of baseball background about David Edwin Duncan, the Cardinals'
pitching coach.
Dave Duncan spent eight full seasons (and parts of three others) as a catcher
in the American League.
After beginning his career with the (Kansas City) Athletics organization
(he signed as a bonus baby in 1963), he was traded to Cleveland prior to
the 1973 season...and then to Baltimore prior to the 1975 season. He retired
as an active player after the 1976 season.
In what was (and still is) a remarkable achievement for a catcher, Duncan
reached double figures in home runs six successive years (1970-75), with
a highwater mark of 19 roundtrippers as a member of the 1972 Oakland A's.
Those numbers were just good enough to get him traded to Cleveland during
1973's spring training. The deal sent Duncan, along with future Cardinal
(and current Cardinal coaching colleague) George Hendrick, in exchange for
Marion IL native Ray Fosse and Jack Heidemann.
Three additional items stand out when examining Duncan's playing career--
*He was a member of the American League All Star team in 1971, a year in
which his baseball career was interrupted for nearly three weeks as he fulfilled
a military obligation.
*In the seventh game of the 1972 World Series, Dick Williams moved Gene
Tenace from catcher to first base (replacing a slumping Mike Epstein, who
was 0-for-16 in the Series). Tenace had started the previous six World Series
games as the A's catcher. Williams' move made space for Duncan, who, in
his first World Series start, played all nine innings and was embraced near
the pitcher's mound by Rollie Fingers, after Fingers retired Pete Rose on
a fly ball to left fielder Joe Rudi.
*His time as a player in the minor leagues overlapped substantially with
Tony La Russa's in that both men played in Birmingham in 1965, Modesto in
1966, Birmingham in 1967, and Vancouver in 1968.
So there's a thirty-year connection between Duncan and La Russa, who was
also a Charley Finley-signed bonus baby.
Duncan began his coaching career in Cleveland (where he served as a coach
while current Cards coach Ron Hassey was an active player) in 1978. He remained
as a coach in Cleveland through the 1981 season.
Then, prior to the 1982 season, fellow A's alum (and La Russa contemporary)
Rene Lachemann was named manager of the Seattle Mariners. Who did Lachemann
tap as his pitching coach?
Dave Duncan. Duncan's only year in Seattle was marked by several firsts
for the Mariners--his pitchers led the AL in strikeouts and were second
in saves and shutouts.
In the meantime, a couple of thousand miles east of Seattle, Tony La Russa
found himself in the middle of what he has described as an optimal situation
("[When I managed] in Chicago, there was great coordination between
the ownership and the front office, coaching staff and player development...it
was a very coordinated organization...everybody felt like a family. [We]
paid attention to adding players that were important to our trying to develop
as winners...guys like [Greg] Luzinski, [Carlton] Fisk, [Jerry] Koosman,
[Tom] Paciorek, later on [Tom] Seaver for two years...so [it was] a ballclub
with outstanding veterans and [we also developed] young players like Harold
Baines.")
So, in the off-season between 1982 and 1983, when La Russa and Sox GM Roland
Hemond decided that they needed a lefthanded starter capable of delivering
200 high-quality innings, the Pale Hose ownership group responded with the
dollars necessary to sign Mariners' lefthander Floyd Bannister.
Bannister, whose pitching motion could only be described as "stylish",
was accompanied to Chicago by his pitching coach: Dave Duncan.
Duncan has remained with La Russa for all 14 seasons since then; first in
Chicago, then Oakland, and now St. Louis. During those years he has established
a reputation second-to-none as far as developing pitchers is concerned.
Baseball fans with long memories recall that the 1983 Chicago White Sox
won the AL West by 20 games. Only die-hard Sox fans, though, have recollections
of the fact that the club's "Big Three" of LaMarr Hoyt, Richard
Dotson, and Bannister combined for a post-All Star break record of 42 wins
and 5 losses (with a 2.55 ERA).
Even more phenomenally, Hoyt won his last 13 decisions, Dotson his last
ten, and Bannister 13 of his last 14.
Which is a good place to start an interview with Dave Duncan as he talks
about the pitching staff on the 1996 Cardinals.
"[The 1983 White Sox pitching staff] was pretty phenomenal...they were
remarkable. I think of that '83 staff...and I've even mentioned it to certain
guys here. What they did, and I look at our starting staff here...[the Cardinals'
starting staff] has the potential to do the same thing," said Duncan
in a recent wide ranging pre-game interview.
Some additional quotes from that interview follow:
*Duncan, on Alan Benes five-hitter vs. the Dodgers--
"Early in the game, Alan did not look very sharp...and had the bases
loaded and was able to get out of it and have an outstanding game. Seeing
things like that, it's just another step that he has taken toward being
a good pitcher, because you've got to be able to do that occasionally and
make something positive that come out of the games."
*Duncan, on rookie pitchers in general, and Alan Benes on particular--
"When you're looking at a rookie pitcher, at the beginning of the season,
your level of expectation is generally somewhat realistic. It's important
that he get his feet on the ground...if this guy can win ten games for us
this year as a rookie pitcher in, supposedly the fifth slot, that would
be a great stepping stone to the future.
"As he shows the ability to dominate a game, as Alan did early on,
at times, our level of expectation became greater. So all of a sudden now
we're looking for Alan Benes to do a lot more than what you what expect
a young rookie pitcher to do.
"And whenever he didn't live up to those expectations, we all felt,
what's the matter with Alan Benes? Well what's the matter with Alan Benes
is that he's a rookie pitcher...nothing else...he's just learning the things
you have to learn as a young pitcher."
*Duncan, on Alan Benes' strength as a pitcher--
"He's not going to give up...and that's a real important ingredient
for a pitcher to have, the tenacity that it takes to persevere through real
difficult times. Because I don't care who you are or how good you are, you're
gonna have some difficult times and you're going to have to deal with them.
Learning to deal with adversity is probably one of the most important things
that a pitcher can do at the major league level because there is going to
be adversity."
*...on how his duties as day-of-game pitching coach differ when the starting
pitcher that day is a youngster (i.e. Alan Benes) or a veteran (such as
Mike Morgan)--
"It's different. I would deal with the two differently. When you take
a Mike Morgan, he is an established major league pitcher who has established
a style of pitching. He knows his strengths, he knows his weaknesses...he
knows how he has to approach the game mentally and physically," said
Duncan.
He continued: "Alan Benes is still learning all that stuff. He's still
developing a style...trying to learn mentally how to prepare to go into
a game...how to interpret and apply information that he's given. How to
apply it with a developing style.
"You don't deal with them the same. You have to keep in mind with the
young guy, that you've got to learn to walk before you run. You've got to
learn, number one, all the things that are important to being a successful
pitcher, then you've got to learn how to develop those skills and knowledge
and apply them to the game in a beneficial way to you.
"[Alan Benes] can't go out there and try to be Mike Morgan. He can't
go out there and try to be Andy Benes...or Todd Stottlemyre. Their skills
that they've developed...their mental approach is at a different level..."
*...on the connection between good pitching and good teams--
"Early on [in 1996], our pitching was not that good. And our team was
not very good. The better our pitching got, the easier it was to do the
other things.
"You're a little bit more relaxed offensively, and you're not having
to score eight or nine runs, because your pitching is giving you a better
shot at it."
*...on whether he, when he was catching, ever told the batter what pitch
was coming--
"I never did. One time, in Reggie Jackson's rookie year, there was
a period of time when teams did that to him. Some teams tried that because
they couldn't get him out...he had 47 home runs that year.
"Apparently it worked. It was distracting and caused enough confusion
that it worked."
*...on how he views his role as pitching coach--
"I teach pitching. I am a teacher of pitching. And I enjoy it."
3.3 Tony Fossas Pre-Game Style
EDITOR'S NOTE: Cardinals' lefthanded reliever Tony Fossas is one of the
more quotable of this year's Redbirds. Some examples culled from a recent
pre-game conversation--
*on the excitement of a pennant race--
I feel very excited...even when I'm home, I have a hard time getting to
sleep because I have so much adrenaline going. I've been in two pennant
races. In 1989 we were half-game out with two weeks to go in Milwaukee,
with Yount and Molitor. And in 1992 or 1993 in Boston we were a game or
two games back with two weeks to go. We ended up losing by four or five
games but the whole month, there was so much excitement...we were never
out of the game...looking at the scoreboard to see who lost...any time you're
tied for first place....
*on how he views hitters--
I've never really thought like, how the hitter feels. I worry about how
I feel. The hitters that I faced, in the American League--Griffey, Ventura,
Brett, Mattingly, Palmiero...Bonds, Gwynn in the NL...those guys are always
on...if they hit .300 they're always on top of their game so I've never
really thought, this guy's swinging a good bat....'cause I know he is.
But I know they don't like facing me...I know that I have the edge when
they don't like facing me. If I can eliminate one key factor....I learned
in the Bible that God did not give man the spirit of fear but of love and
the power of a sound mind. If I can eliminate fear, I'm in control.
3.5 La Russa on Eckersley by MARK BAUSCH
Just after the All Star break, Cards GM Walt Jocketty referred to two problem
areas on his ballclub: second base and the bullpen.
Well, the Cardinals' second base situation appears to have stabilized itself.
After sitting out for the better part of a month, Luis Alicea has returned
to the lineup recently and contributed several timely hits as well as a
number of sparkling plays in the field. Alicea's recent performance has
mirrored that of Mike Gallego, who, after 30 or so games, has yet to commit
an error. For the time being, at least, second base looks fine.
In the eyes of many, though, the bullpen remains shaky. An ever-combative
Tony La Russa counters this notion by suggesting that the bullpens for all
28 major league teams fail on a semi-regular basis.
In other words, La Russa likes his 'pen...and you can be sure that he ain't
gonna tell anyone if doesn't.
In any event, Dennis Eckersley finished all three victories in the weekend
Busch Stadium series vs. the Marlins with a single scoreless inning (and
picked up two saves in the process).
Eck's success came at a good time for the Redbirds...and it came at a good
time for the Eck.
There seems to be something about the former Cub that Cards fans haven't
yet taken a liking to. Perhaps it's that Chicago background...or perhaps
it's that Cards GM Walt Jocketty made it clear that local favorite (and
hometowner) Bernard Gilkey had to be traded in order to make salary room
for Eckersley.
Eckersley himself has suggested that it's his long hair.
So, despite the fact that Eckersley has compiled Hall of Fame credentials
(over 300 saves AND 192 wins), paying Busch fans have been uncharacteristically
quick with the boos when Eck fails. That, despite the fact that, as La Russa
points out, as a Cardinal Eckersley has piled up 21 saves (out of 24 opportunities).
Therefore, on the same day (8.14.96) that it was announced that Dennis Eckersley
had been voted the top closer in the 20-year history of the Rolaids Relief
Man Award, it seemed like a good time to ask La Russa to explain just how
Dennis Eckersley, who had started 359 games in a twelve-year major league
career prior to his trade to Oakland in the late spring of 1987, had transformed
himself into a Hall of Fame-caliber reliever.
*La Russa on Eckersley's acquisition by the A's--
"The major reason the trade was made that the Oakland rotation had
about three guys who were injury question marks... [Joaquin] Andujar, Moose
Haas and [Cris] Codiroli. There were some real question marks, so we thought
we'd be looking for some depth...thinking that if one of those guys went
down that Eckersley would be in the rotation.
"While he was waiting, we were trying to figure that out, we pitched
[Eckersley] out of the bullpen. I can remember the first game he pitched
in Minnesota. As soon as you saw him out there, it was wow, this guy is
special.
"In fact, all three of those guys ended up getting hurt, and we kept
fighting the temptation to put Eckersley in the rotation.
"[Eckersley] ended up getting 16 saves that year. We had another thing
working in that Jay Howell was our closer and he had some elbow problems.
We had a need in the bullpen...
"I'm not sure...Eckersley might have started two or three games. I
remember one of them was in Yankee Stadium...he got beat. I can't remember
the other one.
"The thing was...was that [Andujar, Haas, and Codiroli] did get hurt.
[Eckersley] wanted to go in the rotation. And we were tempted to put him
in the rotation.
"His attitude all along was that the only guys good enough to pitch
in the bullpen were guys that weren't good enough to be starters. But we
kept him in the pen and as he starting piling up the saves....the one thing
he admitted that was better was....that you work out there and throw 12
or 14 pitches and you get three outs and everyone shakes your hand.
"As a starter you may throw 120 pitches....may go eight innings...so
he could see the importance of the role...
"There are a couple of other points.
"Number one--as he was saving games through that summer, there was
a popular question to ask [Eckersley]. You know, he's a veteran, and an
outstanding starting pitcher won 150 games, pitched a no-hitter, started
the All Star game, had a 20-win season....people were always going to him
and wanted to stir a little stuff... you know...'what do you prefer?'...they'd
ask.
"And he'd say--'I want to be a starter...I'm pitching when they tell
me to pitch.'
"I'll never forget. He said those things in Fenway Park one day, and
I said 'Hey Eck, enough of this stuff'.
"He simply said 'I'd rather be a starter, I'm not giving you any ultimatum.'
"The other thing that is true...on the last day of the season, he poked
his head in and said 'I hope you keep in mind in the off-season...my role
on this team. I'll do what you want me to do for this club, but I hope you
keep an open mind and see whether I fit in as a starter.
"And then what happened is that we went to the winter meetings in December,
and Sandy Alderson pulled one of the masterpieces of all time making that
multi-player three team trade with the Mets and the Dodgers; that got us
Bob Welch. We traded Jay Howell...
"When that trade was made I called Dennis and he said 'I put two and
two together. I'm a closer.'
"The other thing I remember...is at the time we were having some thoughts
about trying to sign Dave Righetti....thinking Eckersley and Righetti together
because Eckersley had never done this for a full season. But Righetti ended
up going to San Francisco.
"So Eck came out, and that was the year we won 104 games, he saved
45 games...and was just unbelievable.
"[Eckersley] has the whole package. stuff, control, and his heart...that's
why he's been so consistent for so long. He's got the heart of a dead-game
competitor and he's always competing when he goes out there. I really do
believe...having and watching Dennis, in 300 of those situations, trying
to win and pitch with the pressure on the line, it's just been a privilege."
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.1.1 Cardinals vs. Giants (August 8 - 11)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cards dropped the first two games against the Giants
but then won the last two for a split. But they fell back into second place
behind the hot Astros.
GOING IN: Cards were 61-53, in first place, 1 game ahead of Houston
COMING OUT: Cards were 63-55, in second place , 1 game behind the Astros
(7-3 in their last 10 games) and 4 1/2 ahead of the Reds.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 5-3 Giants (10th inning homer off Eckersley); G2:
8-6 Giants (3 Giants with 3 hits); G3: 7-1 Cards (4 RBI by Lankford); G4:
5-3 Cards (2 homers by Pags)
AT THE PLATE: Of the 40 hits in the series, the two biggest had to be Tom
Pagnozzi's pair of home runs in G4, both off former Cardinal Allen Watson.
Or maybe it was Ozzie Smith's first homer of the year in G2, and his first
since June 1994, and only his 4th regular season homer from the left side.
(Anybody remember his last and first left-handed homer in post-season play?
If you do feel free to go crazy, folks, go crazy.) Gary Gaetti was the only
Redbird with a hit in each game, going 7-for-16 including a perfect 3-for-3
in G1. Willie McGee also homered in G2, a 2-run shot that scored Smith.
McGee and John Mabry were both 3-for-5 in the game. Ray Lankford hit homer
#19 to cap a 4-run 4th in G3, a game in which the centerfielder was 3-for-4
with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI. Tom Pagnozzi went deep twice in G4 to reach
10 on the year. The leadoff/shortstop position was a combined 6-for-16 in
the series; Clayton was 3-for-9 in G1 and G4, Smith was 3-for-7 (plus a
pair of walks) in G2 and G3.
OFF THE BENCH: The pinch-hitters were a combined 1-for-6, including a 1-3
effort in the last 2 innings of G2. The lone hit was a single by Luis Alicea
in the 8th.
ON THE BASEPATHS: After being caught stealing in G1, Clayton stole #25 in
G4, his career best. He swiped 24 for the Giants last year. He still trails
Lankford by two in the steal department.
ON THE MOUND: Only one bad outing in the series. Alan Benes pitched well
enough (1 run on 6 hits and 4 walks in 7 innings) for his 11th win in G1,
but it was not to be, thanks to the bullpen. Mike Morgan faltered in G2
(5 runs on 9 hits in only 3 innings) and fell to 4-5. Andy Benes continues
to roll; he gave up only 1 run in 8 innings while striking out 9. His record
is now 12-8 and he has won 9 consecutive decisions. (The Cards' record is
15 by Bob Gibson in 1968, the year he fired a phenomenal, almost Beamonesque
1.12 ERA). Benes The Elder is a reliever's best friend; he has gone past
the 6th inning in his last 18 starts. Speaking of streaks, Donovan Osborne
earned his first win in five starts in G4. He went 7 1/3 innings and gave
up 3 runs on only 5 hits to boost his record to 10-8. He's the 4th Redbird
hurler to break double digits in the win column.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Remember when this was an automatic? It's been a while.
G1 was tied in the 7th when Mark Petkovsek gave up 2 doubles around a walk.
The offense, to their credit, rallied for two in the bottom of the 8th on
Gant's homer, a Jordan triple, and a Gaetti single. But then Rick Honeycutt
(2-1) gave up a single and then Dennis Eckersley was taken deep by a pinch-hitter.
Then in G2, Danny Jackson was beaten up for 3 runs on 7 hits in only 1 2/3
inning in G2 in relief of Morgan. But from then on, the bullpen was solid.
Eckersley shook off the homer in G1 to claim his 19th save in G4. That moves
him into sole possession of third place on the all-time saves list.
IN THE FIELD: Only one error in the entire series; Gant's fourth in G1.
It was costly, too; it permitted Barry Bonds to score. But other than that,
they were sterling in the field.
OVERALL: Pagnozzi's pair of homers in G4 gave the Cards 6 players with double-digit
dingers, the first time in decades; 3 to be exact. And it bodes very well.
The '96 group includes Gant (22), Lankford (19), Gaetti (16), Jordan (14),
Mabry (11), and Pags (10). The Class of '66 includes Orlando Cepeda (17),
Mike Shannon (16), Lou Brock (15), Tim McCarver (12), Charlie Smith (who?)
(10), and Curt Flood (10). And it took all year for those guys to do it.
In case you're wondering, to make it 7 in '96, the next likely candidate
it either McGee or Alicea, both of whom are sitting on 4 homers. Clayton
and Sweeney each have 3.
CATCH-ALL: Ozzie is tied for the longest tenure with one team currently
in the National League. He is tied with the Padres' Tony Gwynn for 15 years
with one team. (That means Gwynn took Smith's spot in the hearts of San
Diego fans.) They both trail Alan Trammell who has 20 years in a Tiger uniform
and some guy named Ripken with the Orioles.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 34,844 G2: 30,118 (lost some fans to the Rams at the Dome);
G3: 49,344 (good crowd for a Saturday night) G4: 30,139
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 3:17; G2: 3:17 (spent too much time between innings watching
the Rams' game on satellite); G3: 2:26; G4: 2:31
UP NEXT: 3-game set at home with the Dodgers
4.1.2 Cardinals vs. Dodgers (August 13 - 15)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cardinals escaped from LA (although they played at
Busch) with only one win. But what a win; a strong performance by Alan Benes.
The Lasorda-less LA, on the other hand, used this series to gain a tie for
the NL West with the Padres.
GOING IN: 63-55, in second place, 1/2 game behind the Astros
COMING OUT: 64-57, still in second place but a full game behind Houston
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 8-4 Dodgers (6-run, 3-error 3rd inning); G2: 6-1
Cards (5-hit complete game for Alan Benes); G3: 5-2 Dodgers (Cards done
been Nomo-fied!)
AT THE PLATE: Tom Pagnozzi homered (#11) for the third time in two games
in G1. That power surge earned him an intentional walk in G2 to load the
bases in the 5th. Ron Gant homered in both G2 (#23) and G3 (#24); the first
one was an upper deck shot that would still be going up in an open-ended
stadium. His homer in G3 gave the cards 8 straight games with a dinger.
It was also career homer Number 200. Royce Clayton homered (#4) for the
first time since Ozzie Smith announced his retirement. Brian Jordan was
3-for-3 in G2; Pagnozzi, Ray Lankford, and Gary Gaetti also had multi-hit
games. John Mabry, on the other hand, was 0-for-LA this series with 6 Ks;
the would-be batting title contender's average has fallen (let's hope it
can get up) to a flat (very!) .300. His total skid is 0-for-15 with 7 whiffs.
OFF THE BENCH: Willie McGee came in to pinch-run for Lankford in the 3rd
inning of G2 when Lankford came out after aggravating a groin pull diving
back into first after his second hit. Other than that the bench was 0-for-5
including a double play grounded into by Danny Sheaffer in G1.
ON THE BASEPATHS: No stolen bases, but lots of aggressive running in G2;
McGee and Jordan both scored from first on doubles. Coming onto the series,
the Cards were 4th in the league in steals with 108, trailing the Rockies
(137), Astros (134), and Reds (133). Lankford is 27-for-30; that 90% success
ratio is the best in the NL among runners trying at least 30.
ON THE MOUND: The good, the bad, the ugly. (But not in that order.) The
good, actually the magnificent, was AlBenes (11-7) in G2. He gave up only
5 hits and 1 run in his third complete game of the year (and the team's
12th) to earn his 11th win and snap a 4-start winless streak. The bad was
Mike Morgan (4-6) in G3; he was touched for 4 runs (only 3 earned) on 9
hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had a season-high 7 Ks. The ugly, and it truly
was, took place in G1 when normally reliable Todd Stottlemyre (10-8) was
reamed, steamed, and dry cleaned for 6 runs on 6 hits in 2 1/3 innings.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Generally good with a couple shaky outings. The main problem
was overuse; even with a complete game by AlBenes in G2, there were 9 appearances
by the relievers; 5 in G1 and 4 in G3.
IN THE FIELD: When it goes south, it really goes south. Those 6 runs the
Dodgers got (were given, to be more precise) in the 3rd inning of G1 came
gift-wrapped with 3, count 'em 3, Redbird errors in the frame. Lankford
committed his first miscue of the year when he bobbled a ball he was charging.
Mark Petkovsek also blew his first and Pagnozzi got his 7th E. What doesn't
show is a blown double play by Luis Alicea, who threw a 75-footer to first.
Then Mabry got his 6th error in the 3rd inning (let's just skip that one
from now on) G3 when he booted a grounder.
OVERALL: In case anyone hasn't noticed, the Cards have already won more
games this year than they did in all of last year. The Cards are 24-9 against
the NL Central, the best inter-divisional record in the NL.
CATCH-ALL: Heading into this series, the Cards were 5th in the league in
team batting, hitting at a .266 clip. They trail Colorado (.289), Atlanta
(.272), New York (.271), and Montreal(.268). The Birds are also in 5th in
pitching, tied with Florida at 4.01 ERA. The interesting thing is that the
Marlins, at the time, were 54-64 on the year while the cards were 63-55.
They trail Atlanta (3.32), LA (3.47), San Diego (3.79), and Montreal (3.82).
How much more important is hitting than fielding? The Rockies have the highest
team hitting but have committed the second most errors. The Phillies have
committed the second fewest errors, but have the lowest team batting average.
The Rockies are still contending in the NLW while the Phils are 26 games
out of the NLE. Does this mean the Redbirds should be playing the .246-hitting
Alicea with his glove of stone over the E-free Mike Gallego, currently hitting
a pitcher-esque .191?
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 30,761; G2: 26,945; G3: 32,930
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 2:44; G2: 2:32; G3: 2:47 (who says baseball games take
too long?)
ON DECK: 3 at home with the Marlins, who are 57-64 in third place in the
NL East but 17 1/2 games out. They come in with a 3-game winning streak
having taken 6 of their last 10 games.
IN THE HOLE: A day off on Monday and then a mile-high 3 in Denver
4.1.3 Cardinals vs. Marlins (August 16 - 18)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cards used a 3-game sweep of the Marlins to regain
first place in the NL Central. They jumped from a game out to a game up.
The series also helped Dennis Eckersley regain his confidence to close out
games as he earned saves in G2 and G3. The win in G3 gives the Cards an
8-0 record in Sunday home games. They have also won 5 straight Sunday games.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 6-2 Cards; G2: 4-3 Cards; G3: 5-3 Cards
GOING IN: 64-57, in second place, a game behind the Astros
COMING OUT: 67-57, in first place, a game ahead of the Astros
AT THE PLATE: Possibly the trend most responsible for the Cards' success
is the productivity in the lead-off spot. It was shared as usual by Team
Shortstop. Royce Clayton started G1 and G3 and was a combined 4-for-9. Ozzie
Smith started G2 and was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. A 6-for-13
series would make any lead-off hitter (and his manager and fans) drool.
And they both had a pinch-hit in the series as well. Ron Gant continued
his long-ball ways with his 25th homer in G2 although it was his only hit
in the series. Gary Gaetti took #17 over the boards in G3. He was also 2-for-4
in G1 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. The Cards had 10 hits in each game.
Brian Jordan had 3 in G2.
OFF THE BENCH: Much better this time. In fact. much, much better. So much
better they were a perfect 3-for-3 with hits in each game. Ozzie doubled
in a run in the 8th of G1, Clayton singled in a run in the 8th of G2, and
Willie McGee singled in the 8th of G3.
ON THE BASEPATHS: They're starting to run a little more. McGee swiped his
4th in G1, Jordan his 17th in G2, and John Mabry his 2nd and Luis Alicea
his 8th in G3.
ON THE MOUND: Andy Benes won his 10th straight game in G1 with an outstanding
effort. He went 8 innings and scattered 7 hits for 2 runs while fanning
10 to improve his record to 13-8. Donovan Osborne was once again denied
a win after 6 strong innings of work. The problem was his 7th inning, in
which he loaded the bases. He was pulled but the runs scored. Todd Stottlemyre
improved to 11-8 in G3. He gave up 3 runs in 4 hits and 4 walks in 7 2/3
innings while striking out 7. He has a no-hitter into the 7th inning when
Devon White got a one-out single to break it up.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Eck is back! Eckersley appeared in all 3 games, although
in G1 it was just to throw. But he got saves number 20 and 21 in G2 and
G3. The S in G3 came hard as he loaded the bases in the 9th. But he got
Gary Sheffield to ground into a double play to end the game and preserve
the win. This is his 8th season with 20 or more saves. He got a little help
in both games from his fellow relievers; Cory Bailey and TJ Mathews set
him up in G2 and Danny Jackson and Mark Petkovsek did the job in G3. In
fact, Mathews (2-4) got the win in G2 as the Cards scored the go-ahead run
after he pitched a perfect 8th. Bailey let all 3 runners he inherited from
Osborne score.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 30,507; G2: 30,792; G3: 34,564
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 2:39; G2: 2:50; G3: 2:51
ON DECK: 3-game set in Denver
IN THE HOLE: 4 game series in the (dum de dum dum) Astrodome against the
nice folks who saw fit to lose to the Cubs so the Cards could take over
first place
4.2 Rams Game Reviews by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.2.1 Rams Beat Jaguars at TWA Dome (August 9)
We have seen the future and it his here. And we like it.
The present wasn't too bad, either. The Rams won their first exhibition
game ever in the Trans World Dome, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-10
Friday night. This evens the Bighorns' preseason record at 1-1. They have
a perfect record of 2-0 against the Jags since becoming the St. Louis Rams.
The 55,626 fans on hand got a chance to see what could (and should be the
core of the offense for the next four years (or at least until their free
agency kicks in). Of course, it was a fairly typical sloppy exhibition game
with the usual array of missed balls, blown assignments, and copious penalties.
The star of the show was rookie QB Tony Banks, who shows nothing but promise.
He played most of the second, all of the third quarter, and much of the
fourth quarters. He showed good poise in the pocket and as strong an arm
this town has seen since Jim Hart, although ol' #17 had the mobility of
a statute. Banks has legs to go with the arms. Banks finished the game 8-for-13
with 101 yards and no interceptions. He didn't have a TD pass, but that's
only because rookie WR Eddie Kennison let one go through his hands in the
end zone.
But Banks led the team on its two TD drives; an 8-play, 67-yarder in the
second quarter and a 6-play, 45-yarder in the third. The first one was capped
by a 3-yard run by RB Lawrence Phillips. To his credit, Phillips did not
over-celebrate in the end zone; in fact, unlike most TD scorers, he acted
like he's been there before. And to the fans credit, they cheered wildly
for the troubled rookie. He improved on last week's performance with 37
yards on 12 carries. About half the time he was behind the first string
line and the rest behind the second platoon. The second drive was punctuated
by a 6-yard Brent Moss run.
Lame duck QB Steve Walsh, who has to feel like he's just here to jiggle
the handle until the real plumber Banks is ready to fix the toilet, performed
admirably, if not spectacularly. He started and played halfway through second
quarter. His only mistake was a ball thrown into heavy traffic that was
picked off.
The defense is still porous at times. The Jaguars had too many passes caught
with no blue jerseys around. And it seemed as if no one wanted to hit on
the first Jacksonville drive, which went 83 yards in 5 plays, the six coming
on a 37-yard scramble by QB Mark Brunnell. He went the distance virtually
untouched.
But the D stood tall at important times. They forced the Jaguars to 3-and-out
series after the first two Ram scores. The best came at the start of the
third quarter. The Jaguars, down by just a touchdown, had first and goal
at the Rams 5. Six plays later, facing fourth and goal at the 3 (yes, the
Bighorns are still plagued by the dreaded yellow flag, but so were the Jags),
DT Chuck Osborne broke through and his sack caused a fumble, recovered by
the Rams.
The Rams suffered a couple of injuries, but nothing career- or season-threatening.
The one of most concern was a sprained right knee by FB Ernie Conwell. He
will probably miss a couple weeks. WR Billy Williams, a first-year end out
of Tennessee who is making quite a name for himself, suffered a foot injury.
And WR Isaac Bruce, after showing his typical phenomenal moves, pulled up
lame with a pulled left hamstring after running out of bounds on a 32-yard
pass from Banks. Here's a clue for the players who end up with pulled hamstrings:
Ever notice one group of players who almost never get hammies? The defensive
backs. Know why? They spend so much time running backwards in coverage.
All you have to do is run a few sprints backwards to loosen up the back
of the thigh.
4.2.2 Rams Win Governor's Cup in KC (August 17)
The Rams won their second exhibition game in a row in semi-stunning fashion,
a 34-30 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the new and improved Governor's
Cup Challenge. The Bighorns won their first-ever Cup and the first St. Louis
win since 1984 in an exciting game that saw five lead changes as well as
a couple of big-time scoring plays.
The main stun was inflicted on cross-state Chiefs, who had the best record
in the NFL last year and had not given up a touchdown this preseason, not
even to the vaunted Cowboys. The Rams scored five TDs, three by rookie WR
Eddie Kennison, who showed some seasoned-veteran moves in his routes and
fights for the ball. His 18 points topped the 12 points (on just four field
goals) given up by KC in their first two games. The jumped out to a 13-0
lead in the second quarter after a scoreless first and appeared to be in
command.
Kennison was the star of the show with 7 catches for 90 yards. His three
touchdowns were from each of the three Ram passers. He caught a 6-yarder
from Steve Walsh, a 30-yarder from Tony Banks, and a 9-yarder from Jamie
Martin. Kennison got a lot of work on special teams and, while not breaking
anything for any distance, showed a lot of solid moves that will pay off
in the long run.
The not-so-stunning part was the sloppy play exhibited by the Bighorns who
once again exhibited an extraordinary ability to draw yellow flags at inopportune
times. The team's only consolation was the fact that the Chiefs drew even
more costly penalties. The Rams' first scoring drive was aided by a pair
of 15-yarders on the Chiefs. The two teams combined for 24 penalties for
263 yards.
This was also a stunner in the sense that the Rams showed more offense than
they had in their first two games in which they scored only a total of 27
points. The team was led in the first two-plus quarters by the first string,
commanded by Walsh, who must have felt the hot breath of Banks on his neck.
Walsh had one of his better games, going 15-for-22 for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns,
the toss to Kennison and a 1-yarder to RB Derrick Harris. But Walsh also
threw an interception which killed the first drive. He had WR Isaac Bruce
open deep and threw woefully short and was picked off in the end zone. He
later overthrew Bruce.
Banks made his presence known with another good outing in his quarter-plus
of work. He finished 4-for-7 for 61 yards and the one TD, no interceptions,
and two more scoring drives. The first was capped by a 41-yard TD run by
RB Greg Robinson (whose 58 yards on 6 carries may have saved his job) and
the second by the perfect toss to Kennison, who made an excellent hesitation
move to break clear.
The running game was not much to write home about even though this was an
away game. RB Lawrence Phillips barely played, gaining 2 yards on 3 carries.
(He lost those 2 yards on his only catch of the day on a failed screen.)
In fact, the ground game itself was almost non-existent in the first half.
The Bighorns rushed for only 2 yards in 5 carries. Without Robinson's 41-yard
jaunt, the team rushed for an average of 2.3 yards per carry.
The defense performed well, but showed some holes. LB Roman Phifer was all
over the place in run and pass coverage. Or at least it seemed that way.
He made 6 tackles in the first quarter and was replaced by rookie Percell
Gaskins in the second. But the D gave up too many passes in the 7- to 12-yard
range. They also gave up two key scoring drives to the Chiefs, both right
after the Rams scored. That's the kind that can turn a game around for the
opponents. After Harris's TD catch with just over a minute left in the second
quarter, KC came back for a 25-yard field goal as the half ended. Then after
the Bighorns went up 30-24 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs scored a touchdown
on a 71-yard pass. CB Todd Lyght seemed to have some problems with deep
coverage.
But the Rams held on for the win. The last time the Rams scored this many
points in a preseason game was in 1985 when they won 39-7 over (who else?)
the St. Louis Cardinals.
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 124 GAMES (August 18))
5.1.1 Batting
AB HIT 2B 3B HR SLG RUN RBI BB SO OBP SB CS E AVG Jordan,Brian 395 122 30 1 14 .496 69 83 22 69 .345 17 3 2 .309 Mabry,John 422 127 23 2 11 .443 50 59 29 74 .346 2 2 6 .301 McGee,Willie 253 74 10 1 4 .387 43 32 14 49 .330 4 1 3 .292 Smith,Ozzie 159 46 6 1 1 .358 26 13 16 6 .354 6 3 6 .289 Lankford,Ray 415 116 27 5 19 .506 83 69 55 96 .364 27 3 1 .280 Clayton,Royce 384 107 17 3 4 .370 53 25 28 76 .328 25 14 10 .279 Pagnozzi,Tom 292 81 17 0 11 .449 36 42 16 62 .315 3 1 7 .277 Gaetti,Gary 386 104 19 2 17 .461 53 60 26 69 .316 1 2 8 .269 Sweeney,Mark 145 37 8 0 3 .372 23 18 26 23 .368 2 0 3 .255 Sheaffer,Danny 166 42 9 3 2 .380 10 18 7 21 .283 2 3 5 .253 Alicea,Luis 291 72 20 1 4 .364 40 35 39 59 .336 8 2 22 .247 Gant,Ron 300 74 9 2 25 .540 54 68 57 68 .367 10 4 4 .247 Gallego,Mike 93 17 1 0 0 .194 6 2 6 21 .232 0 0 0 .183 Mejia,Miguel 16 1 0 0 0 .062 6 0 0 9 .062 3 3 1 .062
W L IP HIT RUN ER BB SO ERA SA BS HR G ST C Fossas,Tony 0 4 37.0 32 15 10 13 28 2.43 2 4 6 51 0 0 Mathews,TJ 2 4 65.0 44 24 20 27 62 2.77 4 3 6 50 0 0 Osborne,Donovan 10 8 156.0 145 66 57 36 100 3.29 0 0 16 23 23 2 Bailey,Cory 3 1 39.2 44 17 15 18 31 3.40 0 1 1 36 0 0 Eckersley,D 0 5 43.2 48 21 18 6 39 3.71 21 2 7 45 0 0 Benes,Andy 13 8 180.0 166 83 76 48 125 3.80 1 0 23 27 26 3 Honeycutt,Rick 2 1 35.1 34 15 15 7 25 3.82 3 3 3 47 0 0 Stottlemyre,T 11 8 176.0 156 79 75 75 150 3.84 0 0 23 26 26 4 Petkovsek,Mark 8 2 60.1 63 29 28 26 29 4.18 0 3 8 34 4 0 Morgan,Mike 4 6 97.2 104 50 47 36 51 4.33 0 0 12 16 16 0 Benes,Alan 11 7 145.2 147 95 82 66 96 5.07 0 0 21 25 25 3 Jackson,Danny 0 0 4.2 9 3 3 2 3 5.79 0 0 0 4 0 0
American League National League
Eastern Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
New York 70 52 - .574 Atlanta 77 46 - .626
Baltimore 65 58 5.5 .528 Montreal 67 55 9.5 .549
Boston 60 64 11.0 .484 New York 58 67 20.0 .464
Toronto 55 69 16.0 .444 Florida 57 67 20.5 .460
Detroit 42 81 28.5 .341 Philadelphia 50 75 28.0 .400
Central Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
Cleveland 75 49 - .605 CARDINALS 67 57 - .540
Chicago 68 57 7.5 .544 Houston 66 58 1.0 .532
Minnesota 62 61 12.5 .504 Cincinnati 62 59 3.5 .512
Milwaukee 58 67 17.5 .464 Chicago 61 61 5.0 .500
Kansas City 58 67 17.5 .464 Pittsburgh 52 71 14.5 .423
Western Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
Texas 71 53 - .573 Los Angeles 66 58 - .532
Seattle 64 58 6.0 .525 San Diego 67 59 - .532
Oakland 62 65 10.5 .488 Colorado 62 62 4.0 .500
California 57 66 13.5 .463 San Francisco 52 69 12.5 .430
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F Jaguars 7 3 0 0 10 Rams 3 7 7 0 17
Jaguars Rams First downs 15 19 Rushes-yds 22-115 31-101 Passing Yds 208 216 Total yds 323 317 Comps-Att-Int 23-36-0 19-31-1 Punts-Avg. yds 5-39 5-44 Penalties-yds 9-83 11-62 Time of possession 29:10 30:50
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F Rams 0 14 7 13 34 Chiefs 0 16 0 14 30
Rams Chiefs First downs 25 22 Rushes-yds 29-106 25-58 Passing yds 246 302 Total yards 352 360 Punts-avg yds 6-43 8-40 Penalties-yds 11-105 13-158 Time of poss. 28:08 31:52