A-Men.

Do other teams' post-season exits always have these kinds of meltdowns?

I was looking at Baseball Reference, and I believe the difference between a good offense and a bad offense is maybe a single and a couple of doubles each WEEK. Stick some moron like Phil Cuzzi behind the plate and that difference is basically washed out, and suddenly no-talent ass-clowns like Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons are singing the praises of no-talent ass-clowns like Mike Lamb or Jason Lane. It's got to be frustrating for the Cardinals.

Not to excuse Edmonds or Pujols. That sound you heard was Edmonds' slim Hall of Fame candidacy going down the drain. Umpires like to stick it to him, and I have to assume he's done something to earn that. Pujols had been a very good baserunner prior to 2005, but this year he's gotten the idea that he should run on freaking everything. I'd love to have seen what Mabry could've done with runners on 2nd and 3rd with a drawn-in infield.

I dunno, I'd rather not plunk Lane in a tie or one-run game. No need to give them extra baserunners in that situation.

Slim Jim has a flare for the overdramitic with high and not-so-tight pitches. I think umps don't like that.

I remember earlier in the game, when Jedmonds went down on three straight (the not caught foul pop, two called strikes), the second called strike was the exact same pitch Pujols saw ONE BATTER LATER for a ball.

I remember earlier in the game, when Jedmonds went down on three straight (the not caught foul pop, two called strikes), the second called strike was the exact same pitch Pujols saw ONE BATTER LATER for a ball.

I am a Cubs fan, so naturally I'm supposed to hate the Cardinals. But watching that yesterday just made me feel bad for you guys. Besides, I've been pulling for the Card in the playoffs because I want to see interesting baseball. If the Astros end up taking on the Sox, it's gonna be one lame WS. I know a lot of Cardinals fans, and Cards fans tend to be genuinely good people and very knowledgeable baseball fans. People from the south side of Chicago however, are pretty much all @$$ holes. And Houston... How on earth do you get excited about them?!

Let's face it, neither NL team has a prayer against the White Sox. Both NL teams couldn't hit their way out of a wet paper sack right now, and with the way the Sox are pitching, it'll be an easy sweep. The Cards rolled over for the Red Sox last year. I'd rather not have to watch that again. I don't want the Cardinals in the business of letting other teams break their curses. So screw it, let Houston do it.

Has Pujols been up to bat with runners on base yet this series?? It seems like he is always leading off the inning.

So JRod hits a ball 425 feet - out. Is that ball an out at any other ballpark?

Lamb and Lane hit balls that go about 325 feet each - home runs that basically decide each game. Are those bloops homers at any other ballpark?

Both games sucked, but you know what grates on me? Lamb's homer. Morris made a quality pitch, low and outside (apparently a no doubt strike for Phil Cuzzi, but that's another issue) and Lamb just flicked it into left for an out at Busch, Petco, or anywhere else, but a 2-run shot at that amusement park they call a ballpark.

Hard to complain, though, since those Crawford Boxes sit out there when the Cardinals bat, too. Makes you wonder why Walker is trying to pull everything. Edmonds' hit yesterday? To left. I know TLR would rather hit-and-run with the bottom of the lineup but, with the way some of these guys are going, I say do it all game long to force them to swing and stop trying to pull everything. Maybe one of our guys can find that ridiculously short porch one of these times.

Hopefully the anit-Pettitte karma of Game 1 will return. With a win tonight (please, please...) the team will be in the same scenario as last year, down 2-3 with 2 to play at Busch. That worked out OK. C'mon Carp!

I have an article on my blog about Cuzzi that I found from another blog. It's about his calling of a Blue Jays game and that he loves to settle scores.

Should have been fired long ago.

great post josh, and i agree 100%.

along a similar line, where was Oqeundo on that call? did he tell Pujols to hold and albert just not listen or not hear him? it seems pretty elementary not to run home from third on a grounder to the thirdbaseman.

I read that Pujols said after the game that Oquendo had told him to stay. Puj at least took responsibility for it.

And he's been dominating except for that one mistake. The cards need to be sharper tonight and for how ever long we hold on... THe only guys who look sharp at the plate are Pujols, Eckstein and Molina.

Reggie still looks hurt and is quite frankly just not good enough to hit great pitching. Mabry and Grudz are just flailing. Edmonds has always been laid back and loosey-goosey, but he's slumping huge an needs to show up. Walker is having good ABs but he's just not putting wood on the ball. His hit against Lidge was fine, which maybe suggests he can get it up in high pressure situations - what a valuable pinch hitter he'd be, but his other ABs were super weak grounders.

It's just too bad that Eck and Molina are the guys playing well, they don't have the power to make a big difference.

I agree with Flynn, if we can take tonight's game, that puts us back on home field advantage. It's time to fight, something the Cards haven't really done all year long... and something the Astros have been doing since June.

Any city whose attendance figures revolve around who the starting pitcher is on a given evening doesn't deserve any kind of playoff success.