Cardinals fans think the Cubs got what they deserved last night. They think that the call in the first game that Albert Pujols dropped Aramis Ramirez’s flyball was a bad one and that the call led to two runs for the Cubs that they shouldn’t have had. They also think that it was fitting that a substitute ump blew a call in the second game that cost the Cubs two runs. We know that not to be true.
The Cardinals deserve to get screwed. We don’t.
The seventh inning blown fair or foul call by sub ump Justin Klemm was the perfect storm for a Cubs eruption. After toiling for eight hours on Sunday and then 15 innings in the first game, everybody’s nerves were frazzled. With the bases loaded and two outs, Moises Alou ripped a sure double down the left field line. It was going to tie the game, and leave runners at second and third for superstar Troy O’Leary to finish off the Cardinals.
Only, one guy didn’t think it was fair. Umpire Justin Klemm spun around as the ball went over his head and here’s what it looked like to me, through the wonders of TiVo. He saw the ball hit the line, he saw the chalk dust fly up and he threw his hands up in the air and froze. He didn’t know what to call. He knew it was fair, but knew he’d just given the foul sign. So he stuck with it. You could tell by the look on his face that he’d blown it. The fact that he was standing next to the Cubs bullpen, which was now calling him every name they could think of, certainly didn’t help things.
At home, those of you without TiVo were frustrated by the fact that Fox Sports Chicago couldn’t make the replay work. How this happens, I have no idea. Eventually they just used the same shot they’d shown live and then found a much more definitive angle. The ball was fair, the Cubs got hosed.
Alou worked the count full, but flew out to left and the inning was over.
Then, incredibly, knowing that Alou would have to run right past the ump on his way to left field, they didn’t leave a camera on the umpire during the between inning break. What they missed was 280 pounds of octopus running into Klemm during an argument. Our old buddy Antonio “El Pulpo” Alfonseca walked over to the foul line and started screaming expletives at the umpire in some sort of Spanglish. Klemm threw him out of the game and Pulpo ran to him (claims he slipped) and slammed into him and knocked him on his hiney.
Only in the land of the Cubs does a villified reliever finally begin to pitch well and then do something to get himself suspended. Sigh.
Alou did what we all knew he knew he was going to do the minute the ump blew the call. He got himself tossed, too. Moises was likely tired from playing all day and wanted to go home and found the perfect opportunity.
On the Score this morning, Mike Murphy and Fred Huebner were of the opinion that Alou spit on the umpire during the argument. He didn’t. We’ve seen spitting and if you need an expert, Huebner can ask the spunky little Sox second baseman all about it.
So, Pulpo will get five or ten games to think about what he’s done (not a horrific penalty given his propensity to follow up one or two good outings with seven or eight bad ones) and Alou will be back in the lineup until one of his leg muscles inevitably falls off.
What the circus overshadowed, though, were some pretty good signs for the Cubs, even in a 2-0 loss.
Kerry Wood proved his weak back business was a moot point about a week back (I had to work that in, puns that bad are precious.) His return to dominant form means the Cubs are back to four good pitchers and one lousy one. That ought to be enough in this dog show of a divisional title race.
The Farns was stellar in two relief appearances yesterday, which is huge, especially without Pulpo to kick around.
The bullpen in general was great. In ten innings over two games, and in 12 innings over three games in this series they are unscored upon by the mighty Satanic Fowl offensive juggernaut. If the bullpen really is rounding into form for the stretch run, it’s bad news for the ‘Stros and Cards.
My favorite parts of the game all consisted of our favorite Satanic Fowl whining and crying. Kerry Wood put Matt Morris on his ass FOUR times in three at bats. The more Morris complained the closer the next pitch got to his watermelon sized cranium. There are reasons we love Woody, and they were on display last night.
Fernando Vina got hit twice, and the first time (for the second time this year) he got hit by a pitch he swung at for strike three. How great is it that you get to nail him and he’s still out?
Spanish Civil War veteran Albert Pujols is now 1-12 in the series. His one hit was an infield job off the glove of Ramon Martinez. He set new distance records for helmet tossing after each of his three putouts in game two.
But the most typical moment of them all came in the sixth inning of game two. With a runner at second, Martinez hit a sinking liner to Jim Edmonds. Because Edmonds plays shallow he was there to make the play. But, as he is wont to do, he slowed down on the ball and did his SportsCenter dive for the ball. In fact, this was not one of his better efforts. He made like a seventh grader in a little league game and caught the ball and then dove. And…of course…he hurt himself. It was a joy to watch. He got up, limped and did everything short of grabbing the PA mic to say, “I hurt myself making this tremendous diving catch!” In the next inning he made a show of limping out to centerfield, limping after a flyball that Vina caught in short right field and then the best one, he ran over, caught a ball and THEN started limping before he threw the ball back in. It’s a wonder he could remember which leg he was limping on.
I’ll tell you what’s fun…it’s watching Albert Pujols play left field. He is so astonishly bad out there it’s hysterical. He can’t run at all (due mainly to his advanced age and likely calcium deficiencies), he can’t throw and he has the flyball catching instincts of a wombat. I tried to figure out who he reminded me of out there and the name finally came to me. It’s so true that I can’t wait to tell you so you can tell your friends.
Candy Maldonado.
Albert Pujols’ left field defense makes Brant Brown and Todd Hundley’s forays out there look like Barry Bonds.
The first team to devise a “hit the ball to Albert on every play” offense, beats the Cardinals 142-6.
I know we rip him endlessly and it gets old, but Chip Caray’s bloviating performance in game two of the doubleheader has to go down as one of the worst in sports history. Even for this gasbag it was a new low. I know he grew up in St. Louis and probably has some Cardinal fanboy in him, but he is the biggest opponent kissass apologist of all-time, no matter who it is. He was practically apologizing for the Cubs winning game one. Shut up. I don’t care if win a game because an ump thinks a called strike three was a six run homer. Any win over the Cardinals is fine. Do you think the Cardinals feel guilty for winning game two?
The only bad part of the El Pulpo body bump was that it wasn’t Chip that he ran into. Maybe next time.
Sammy was going to be in the game two starting lineup but asked to come off the bench instead. Once Chicago area sports show callers found out they started the ostracism of Sammy post haste. What’s the deal? Sammy’s 34, he’d just hit a game-winning homer in one of the most emotionally and physically draining games of the season. He has started and played nearly every inning of every game since May 30 (the only lopsided game he left before the ninth was a 13-2 pounding by the Diamondbacks on August 23). Mike Murphy made a big deal that only Troy O’Leary and Alex Gonzalez started both games for the Cubs, while Pujols, Edmonds, Tino Martinez and Renteria started both for St. Louis. Consider that Edmonds didn’t finish game two, Tino only played five innings in game one and Pujols played first base for ten innings in game one and the only guys who deserve any iron man recognition are Gonzalez and Renteria. When you also realize that the Cardinals don’t have a second string shortstop…well, you can see why.
If anybody should be criticized for the handling of Sosa in game two, it’s Dusty. When the Cubs had two on in the seventh, I pinch hit Sosa for Grudzielanek right there. When you have a big bat on the bench, you’re looking for one good swing that can change the game. One good swing from Sammy there wins it. Grudzielanek got hit on the arm, loaded the bases for Alou and then the circus came to town. But Dusty had already pinch hit Aramis Ramirez two hitters before Gruddy and knew he wanted to leave him in the game. So he could have planned for what he did anyway, and had Sosa come in for Mark, and had Martinez move to second. Oh, well.
It reminded me of a game the Cubs won in 2001 against the Mets. Mike Piazza didn’t start and it was a scoreless tie in the eighth when Robert Machado (no, really) hit a homer to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. When Flash Gordon got the final out of the game, Piazza was on deck. Valentine saved him, hoping somebody would get on and he could hit a homer to give the Mets the lead. But nobody got on, and Piazza never even had a chance to tie the game. When Sammy did bat in the eighth, even had he hit a homer it’s still a 2-1 Cardinals lead. Not Dusty’s best strategic moment.
However, more good things than bad things happened yesterday. The Cubs won a classic game in classic fashion. They are now up two games to one in the series and the great Dan Haren and Brett Tomko are left to defend the Cardinals 1.5 game lead. Things are good.
—
At the end of a long day, the Cubs were mad. Better mad than on the wrong end of a broom.
Rick Morrissey says destiny is still on the fence when it comes to the Cubs. Actually, I just put it better than he did in about 600 more words.
El Pulpo is going to be el suspendo.
Check this out from the previous article about how crew chief Mike Reilly thinks the sub ump is suitably experienced, Eric Cooper was plate ump in Game 1 but took Game 2 off, which led to Klemm working it. Klemm is a vacation umpire, though Reilly said he’s very competent and has worked more than 100 games.
A quick call to Jim Tocco points out that he too, feels any umpire with 100 games under his belt is qualified. (Wow, talk about an inside joke.)
This ought to make The Troll feel better. Sammy claims he was so tired he didn’t know who was pitching, and he really couldn’t see the ball very well because of the shadows…and then he hit the game winning homer.
Bart Colon gives up two hits and the Sox lose.
Phil Rogers with some crapola about the Sox upcoming schedule making them playoff-tough. It’s going to make them watching-the-playoffs-on-TV tough.
Of all the stories you read about the Notre Dame football team this year, none will sum up what it means to be an ND grad any better than what Julius Jones did to earn a chance to come back. He could have transferred, and most guys would have, but he didn’t. Consider him, the anti-Chris Olsen.
Mariotti wonders where all the fans were last night at the Trailer Park. They probably found out he was going to be there and stayed home.
Rap thinks the Bears are getting the Niners at a good time. Yeah, sure. ESPN’s crawl on NFL Tonight (or whatever they call it) showed this stat: (last four meetings, SF 142, Chi 14). Is that bad?
The Wizard of Roz is all geeked up over September baseball that counts.
No more Maurice Clarett for OSU. Hee hee.
Trey Wingo told me last night that the only two safeties in football to start every game last year and not get an interception, a fumble or force a fumble were Lawyer Milloy and the Giants’ Omar Stoutmire. Perhaps that’s why Lawyer needs a lawyer to negotiate a new contract for himself?
Spanish-yes.com’s Mike Fish says Wisconsin has found a sensible way to hand out discipline. It involves a paddle, a naked butt and Kevin Bacon. Oh wait, it does not involve a paddle, a naked butt and Kevin Bacon. Oops.
Stewey answers his mail. He talks about Lou Holtz, but misses Lou’s priceless quote from this week. When asked how his team will do in the opener against Virginia, Lou said, “The prostitute who’s running for governor of California has a better shot than we do.”
E! with some dirt on the new Survivor castaways. I misread Survivor: Pearl Islands as Survivor: Pearl Necklace. Now that would be a show.
Ah-nuld will not debate the girly men and women who are his opponents.
Kobe’s lawyers want his accuser’s mental records. Look, it won’t prove anything, I’m completely insane and I don’t have any mental records. So who’s to say even if she has any it means anything? Like Jimmy Piersall says, “I’ve got papers to prove I’m not crazy. Do you?”
It’s that same old story. Boy lays on train tracks, boy falls asleep on train tracks, boy gets killed by train.
A Baltimore woman was arrested for trying to sell her baby for $250 to pay her bail. That’s a crime. A healthy baby should be worth $20,000, easy.
What’s more surprising, that a high school wrestling coach had sex with a student in his classroom or that a high school wrestling coach had sex with a FEMALE student in his classroom?
Cameron Diaz broke her nose surfing. Sure she did. Judging by her bandages, she also broke her breasts surfing, too.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution apologized for running the Britney-Madonna smooch photo. They should have apologized for not running it bigger.
America’s finest news source says the Gurnee police are hot on the heels of a Great America killer. Don’t laugh, these bozos caught Rob Goldman.
Uh, Andy, we caught Goldman. The Lake County Sherriff’s police.
As Alonzo Spellman used to say: "There’s a new Sherriff in town!" Speaking of ‘Zo, it was our deputies picking him up on Half Day Road in Barrington after he fled the mental ward of Good Shepherd in his hospital gown.
The Gurnee police? They’re doughnut-eating hacks who only know how to operate the radar gun on Hunt Club Road.
Uh, Andy, we scored 37 points against the Niners last time we played.
Uh, Andy, I did take a week off in June when the Cubs were contracting SARS in Toronto and visiting the Queen City (ask ex-mayor Jerry Springer why they call it the Queen City).
So, yeah, I haven’t exactly broken my back this season. My toenail and batting helmet, yes. My back? No.
Also, I could have been a true leader, sucked it up and played the 5 Cards games and then taken a sabbatical in Milwaukee.
I was in attendance at the rain-game on Monday and for the early one on Tuesday. Being around that many goof-ball Redbird fans for two games is something no man should have to experience. I don’t have the time or energy, let’s just say they’re idiots. The one comment I will make is that it was hilarious listening to the pom-pon squad sit in silence after trying to do their "Let’s go Cardinals!!!" chant Monday night. Prior ("The Proctologist", because he just sticks it up their ass) had just mowed them down. All that was missing was the cute little signs they all make.
You may recall my rants about "fill-in" umpires last week, and it came up again last night. I do over 100 games a year and I know that fair/foul is the easiest call to make in baseball, even on the close ones. Klemm blew it, plain and simple. Alf should be suspended, but this guy should be dropped from the major-league fill-in roster right now. Let these guys work Milwaukee-Cincinnati. These games are too important.
I now submit "Drama Queen" as the new nickname for Edmonds. He’s even more irritating to watch in person. Most of the knowlegeable Cardinal fans (all 2 or 3 of them) even hate him for his antics.
On another note, it was painful listening to Julie Sweica host the post-game on The Score last night. She has garnered a show based on all the rants of the creepy mouth-breathers who call in on Sundays and lavish her with praise (she’s probably the only woman they can call on the phone). She eats up this crap when people are kissing her ass, but she has a really hard time with any oppositional callers. Last night, being the true Sox fan she is, Sweica was blasting Alou and Alf for getting ejected, and called them some names (stupid, idiots, etc.), and also claimed the ball was foul. But, when someone called in to challenge her, she told the caller he could take his conspiracy theories and attitudes and "stick ’em up your ass". I also heard her tell a caller a couple of months ago to "kiss my ass". I’ve listened to that station a lot and you can say what you want about the hosts and their shows, but I have NEVER heard them talk to callers the way she does. After the next sports update, she sounded like she’d been crying. Some advice Julie; toughen up, lighten up, or just stick to reporting from game sites and pickle-gazing in the locker room.
I did see Julie get unhinged five years ago when I was covering a Cubs game for the big-city LaPorte Herald-Argus. A couple hours before the game, Swieca was wearing this rough-looking flannel shirt and black jeans. And it was obvious she was out on a bender of some sort the night before. She was sitting in the corner of the dugout, waiting to talk to somebody.
Anyway, Mickey Morandini walked by, bat in hand, to take his whacks in the cage. He looked at her, stopped in his tracks walking up the steps, and then looked back at her.
"What’s the deal, Julie. Was it Come to the ballpark looking like shit day and no one told me?"
I rarely listen to Swieca, but hey, she’s a Sox fan, so who cares what she thinks. Sox fans have also thought that destroying a playing field between games of a doubleheader while a Steve Dahl blew up disco records was a good idea. I sat in back of a Sox fan on Opening Day 1992, and he explained how much he liked the trade his beloved made with the Cubs a few days earlier. Sox fans have also taken to jumping on first-base coaches and first-base umpires who know a foul ball from a fair ball.
Still, I think even she’d agree with this rule to live by:
Re-evaluate your appearance if Mickey Morandini is mocking it.
Mike Brown,
That game didn’t count because our coach had us quit because he likes Dick Jauron too much to beat him. That’s why I wimped out on the pass when Brian Urlacher came flying at me.
What I think the crawl on ESPN was supposed to say was last four meetings in SF. But then, ESPN’s not exactly into fact checking, either.
I stand corrected, I was fooled by the ESPN.com game-by-game stats.
As you can see here, it lists his games on the DL as "Did not play" but his suspended games are missing entirely. June 11-17. Hmm. Somebody call Julie and give her this conspiracy.
I’ll call Julie right away!
Can’t believe they give Sosa all the breaks just because he hits .300, hits 50 HRs a season or more, knocks in 150 RBIs, plays a solid right field and schmoozes with reporters.
I share my smokes with reporters! Sutcliffe and I are tight! Chicago should love me, but noooooo….
That’s why I need to call Julie Swieca at once!
Besides, I could go for a slumpbreaker right about now…
Have you seen my ass? It’s bloody massive.
Don’t blame me. I’m from Berwyn. And jeez, look at my picture…
http://www.670thescore.com/onair/julie_swieca.shtml
I would say that EVERY day is look like shit day.
Swieca’s pro-Sox leanings are just a part of the whole Score slant. Each show has a host who is blatantly a Sox fan and they all get their snipes in at the Cubs: Huebner, Bernstein, North, J Hood, and Swieca. Murph is the only pro-Cubs guy in the line-up. Like all Sox fans, they hate the Cubs and are jealous of the attention they get. It’s like pulling teeth to get them to say anything positive about the Northsiders. WSCR should stand for "White Sox Central Radio".
A slumpbreaker is not exactly the type of woman you’d brag about.
Mmmmm….I haven’t seen teeth like that since Pujols let me play with his seeing eye collie. He’s 87 you know.
I don’t know what you mean by "Re-evaluate your appearance if Mickey Morandini is mocking it. "
I’m America’s favorite hearthrob athlete.
A radio station with as many pro-Sox personalities a WSCR has should stand for "We Suck C*ck Regularly"
Honestly compels me to say that I don’t work for that organization. Therefore, frankly, folks, that would disqualify them from holding those call letters.
Now, I must go call my wife Summerlyn and cry to her that I won’t see Biggio for the rest of the year.
Hey, I’ve got to stick up for Berstein & J Hood. While they are Sox fans, they’re pretty objective when talking about both Chicago teams (by which I mean they rip them both evenly). Hell, I listened to Berstein talk up Mark Prior for a solid hour yesterday. I can’t say that I like Swica’s show at all, but I understand that the spot was going to either her or Jesse Rogers (who ABSOLUTELY sucks), so I can see how they made that choice. Too bad they didn’t turn over the late night spot to Zampillo & Lawrence Holmes. Those guys are hilarious.
I had to watch the game on Fox Sports out of St. Louis and Buck and what his name are at LEAST as annoying as Chip. At one point Buck’s partner(I can’t remember his name) said that for the first time that he can remember, there are more cub fans than cardinal fans at Wrigley during one of their series. What an IDIOT!! I hated them more than I can even express. Oh, and they thought that the call on Alou’s hit was correct, and only showed the replay twice(I think). ugh
Hey, they could have rehired me!
Les, what’s the matter, you don’t like working at ESPN 1000?
Ever notice on ESPN’s Page 2 when they do their gay "Look Alike" bit, they always throw up two black guys that look nothing like each other despite the fact that their black? "45 readers requested this match: James Earl Jones and Emmanuel Lewis"
At least Dolan posts pictures of hotties. (Which have been lacking lately…)
Well, someone did post a picture of me today (I think it was Edmonds, and Jimmy I’m all yours after I finish with Paulie and you finish with Spot). Don’t I count??
Sorry, CT. J Hood is probably the worst at hiding his Sox love and Cub envy. One Sat. afternoon after the Sox beat the Cubs, he was whooping and screaming like a little schoolgirl with "Na Na Na…" playing in the background. And he was all over the theory that the Madlock trade was racially motivated one evening while blasting the history of the Cubs. Hood was better (and funnier) as a producer. I agree that Bernstein does a pretty good job hiding his Sox love compared to the others, and I also agree that Jessie Rogers sucks.
If someone will explain how to post photos we’d be happy to oblige.
Hey I think Julie Swieca’s hot!
And that ball was foul by a mile.
By the way, Mr. Klemm is not in today’s umpiring line-up. Sounds like Eric Cooper’s "vacation" was short-lived. I can’t wait till the MLB umpire’s union tries to defend this one.
Mr. Klemm has a history of ejecting people quickly:
1. Alex Gonzalez in an 11-10 Cubs win over the Giants
2. Ivan Rodriguez, who said
If the Cubs wind up tanking these next two games, I’ll blame one man. The enemy is on the left:
Of course, I’m blaming this guy too if he doesn’t start getting people out.
Gibbity gibbity,
I hear your request. Let’s send out a special thanks to Maxim’s NFL preview.
Great photo, T.J.. It is now my screensaver.
That photo was actually taken at an umpiring seminar where Mr. Klemm was a guest speaker. No truth to the rumor that his topic was "Fair or Foul?: Just Flip a Coin".
See, if you mess with us and throw at our pitcher, we’ll be sure to hit your pitcher…tomorrow. Or maybe the next day.
But we don’t take any crap. Just because your pitcher last night could have run out and disemboweled Matt Morris like a deranged grizzly bear, that didn’t have anything to do with it.
No sir.
Tony, you mess with Abe, you mess with me.
Klemm didn’t even get a taste of what I’m reserving for you.
It’s the six finger special.
I’m listening to the radio at work and it sounds like Wavin’ Wendell just blew another one. Has any third-base coach ever been fired during a game? Can anyone provide insight? Santo is claming Ramon ran a stop-light.
Yeah, he ran a redlight, and I’d run a red-light too if it meant I could run over Tony LaRussa.
I hate the man. Just hate him worse than Osama bin Laden. Hate him worse than leg amputations.
If my hatred of LaRussa doesn’t qualify me for the Hall of Fame, they should just burn that dump down.
Pickle gazing? Come to the Ballpark Looking Like Shit Day??? Both of those jewels nearly had me spewing Mountain Dew on to my keyboard… And speaking of sticky keyboards…
It’s Slump-Buster, not Slump-Breaker…
Hey Ronnie,
If you did run the Genius-with-mullet over, wouldn’t it be in your Chevy Blazer? Then you could flip him your Blue Cross/Blue Shield card as you back over him again.
I do have an Old Style Challenge here. It comes from Andy, from Durand, Ill.
He writes:
"If the Cubs win it all, I’d douse Chip Caray with a bottle of Old Style and then beat the hell out of him with the empty bottle after he objects. I’d beat him senseless. And then I’d look for LaRussa!"
Pat, I don’t know about you, but I think we have a winner.
And Ron, don’t forget Bruce Jenner. We know how you love him.
By the way, I love Adrienne (see photo above).
Dave B, I didn’t listen to Hood much until he moved up to the earlier time slot, and he hasn’t been too bad since then. Huebner’s Sox bias doesn’t come into play too much, since Murphy just talks over him anyway (except for today, Huebner had a real bug up his ass). The Score is kind of mess, with only one really good weekly show (Boers & Bernstein) and some good weekend stuff (Me & Z and Rosenbloom’s show). Lucky for them they go against ESPN 1000. The best part about that station is when Cubs fans call during Sox postgame and Dave Wills throws temper tantrums.
Can we pinch hit with me? I got a 1/4" strike zone.
Huebner’s just a goof who likes the Sox and soccer (strike one and two).
I really think Rosenbloom deserves a show, but I don’t think he would want to work nights.
Me and Z is OK, especially when they deviate a little from the same old sports calls.
I can’t get AM 1000 very well here in Iowa City, so I can’t really comment other than I really liked Dangerous Dan when he was on The Score.
Andy, don’t tell me you drink Old Style from a bottle.
Rolen scores …
Dwyer, you can’t beat anyone with a can. Not even LaRussa or Albert Pujols can.
But take it from me, Sammy Sosa. If you want to hurt someone (a TV announcer, a smarmy Cardinals manager, Al Hrabosky, stray Missourians, a pesky wife or girlfriend in the Dominican) and glass bottle is the way to go.
Yes, I exist.
And I really hope Tony LaRussa likes heat.
And losing a lot.
Cubs Win! Burn in hell Hrabosky! How appropriate that Jim "Jackass" Edmonds strikes out after his Willis Reed impersonation. I hope he gets hit by a bus after the game.
A new "Turning Point", 14 years after Luis Salazar.
Andy,
Thanks for the pics. Reminds me of the good old days at the Vet.
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