Category: Baseball

Story of Dave Duncan’s wife truly inspirational

Posted by dcrim – November 24, 2011

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides this inspirational story on Thanksgiving.

Goold writes that St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan took a leave of absence from the Cardinals in late August to be with his wife as she recovered from surgery and sought treatment for an aggressive, malignant brain tumor. Jeanine Duncan was diagnosed with glioblastoma, and she has spent the past three months fighting it. With her for every step has been her boys — husband Dave and their two sons, Shelley and former Cardinal outfielder Chris.

Click here for the story. And be thankful.

A look at baseball’s ‘perfect knight’ on his 91st birthday

Posted by dcrim – November 21, 2011

Happy birthday to Stan “The Man” Musial, who turns 91 today. A new book published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch chronicles the life and career of Musial, the Cardinals Hall of Fame outfielder, and Quincy native Rick Hummel — a Hall of Famer himself — talks about Musial and the new book in this video clip.

Musial was a great Cardinals All-star player and a great sportsman who made St. Louis his home. Hummel and former teammate Red Schoendienst share their memories of “The Man” in this video clip.

On the Pujols contract, the ‘New Newt” and Pinkel’s DWI

Posted by dcrim – November 17, 2011

Question of the day: Will members of the Quincy School Board ever learn how to play nice? Or are we going to have to put some of them in time out?

ESPN host Colin Cowherd says the Marlins’ nine-year contract offer to Albert Pujols is terrible, and that the Cardinals would be smart to not pay the iconic first baseman that much money. Click here for the video clip from his syndicated radio show.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in a virtual tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in recent polling of GOP presidential candidates, just months after his candidacy was thought to be dead. Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times likens Gingrich’s revival to that of Richard Nixon in 1968. In the end, however, McManus concludes Gingrich is no Nixon. Click here for the column.

Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated Wednesday night in Columbia. A poster on Facebook urged that Pinkel be given a pass on this one because, with Missouri moving to the SEC next year, the coach is going to be drinking a lot. Ouch!

Was Matheny the smart way for the Cardinals to go?

Posted by dcrim – November 14, 2011

The Cardinals reportedly will make it official later this morning that Mike Matheny will be their new manager, replacing Tony La Russa. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers these 10 thoughts on the hire.

Good move or bad move? Your thoughts are welcome.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins (new name, new stadium, new manager, higher payroll) reportedly have made an offer to free agent first baseman Albert Pujuols. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com takes a look at where Pujols and Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder may end up this winter, and the twist and turns their contract negotiations may take in this analysis.

Where will Pujols end up?

Who will make first managerial move: Cubs or Cardinals?

Posted by dcrim – November 3, 2011

A Thursday morning sprint around the sporting world:

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune have the same man as the top choice as the next manager for the Cardinals and Cubs. (Hint: It’s not Ryne Sandberg.) Meanwhile, the Tribune offers 11 possibilities to replace Mike Quade as the Cubs skipper.

(Interesting note: Since 1965, four men have managed 91.5 percent of the Cardinals’ games — Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa. Two are in the Hall of Fame, and the other two will be. Meanwhile, the Cubs have employed 26 managers — or 27, if you count Joey Amalfitano’s two stints.)

Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated lists the top 50 free agents in baseball, while Joe Posnanski detail’s the worst 10 contracts in the game. And here is an offseason look at the National League Central Division.

Jeff Gordon notes that Mizzou will have to make some big changes once it moves to the SEC.

Sexual harassment claims dominate Cain campaign

Posted by dcrim – November 2, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is dealing with the fallout from the disclosure that at least two female employees got financial payouts from the National Restaurant Association after complaining that Cain, who led the trade group at the time, had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior in the 1990s.

USA Today in an editorial contends that Cain’s shifting story is raising doubts about his candidacy. The New York Post opines that Cain was ambushed by the story that first appeared on the website Politico. Maureen Dowd of the New York Times chimes in, and the Christian Science Monitor tries to answer the question: If harassment claims sink Cain, which GOP rival will benefit?

Meanwhile, on the baseball front, Buzz Bissinger — who six years ago authored the book “Three Nights in August” — writes that the retirement Tony La Russa not only marks the passing of La Russa’s  era, in which he finishes as the third-winningest manager in baseball history with three World Series rings. It is also the passing of a certain era of baseball, the last its kind. Click here for the story.

Even in announcing retirement, La Russa did it his own way

Posted by dcrim – November 1, 2011

The biggest question in the wake of Tony La Russa’s decision to retire as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals is who ultimately will be his successor. Click here to read about some of the names being floated by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Post-Dispatch national baseball writer and Quincy native Rick Hummel says the numbers don’t lie. La Russa probably is not only the greatest manager in Cardinals history, but also among the best ever. And that last category would encompass a small handful. Click here for the full story.

Jayson Stark of ESPN offers this perspective:

In life, it very rarely works this way. In sports, it almost never does.

Ride on a parade float, showered in confetti, one day. Stroll off into the setting sun the next day.

This was the final chapter in the script that Tony La Russa got to write for himself Monday, the day he announced he was retiring as a big league manager. Francis Ford Coppola couldn’t have written it any better.

Jeff Gordon writes that plaudits already are pouring in on the former Cardinals skipper. Meanwhile, will La Russa’s retirement have any bearing on Albert Pujols’ decision on where he will play next season? Click here to see what others are saying.

Madoffs come up short in ’60 Minutes’ interview

Posted by dcrim – October 31, 2011

Michael Daly of The Daily Beast writes that Ruth and Andrew Madoff showed little compassion for Bernie Madoff’s victims on 60 Minutes Sunday night, using the interview to curry sympathy for themselves and promote a new book about the family. Click here for the story and to watch the seven best moments from the interview.

With one of the most exciting baseball seasons now in the rearview mirror, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN takes a look at the 10 biggest questions heading into the offseason. And the list doesn’t include who the next Cardinals manager will be now that Tony LaRussa has announced his retirement.

Here’s Tony LaRussa on this ’70s (game) show

Posted by dcrim – October 20, 2011

A friend passed along this long ago video. You have to be a certain age to remember this game show — and how utterly silly it was — and no doubt Tony LaRussa would like to forget it. Of course, if every move he makes continues to work the rest of the World Series, who cares.

On the Red Sox implosion, Cain and GOP overexposure

Posted by dcrim – October 13, 2011

The story of the Boston Red Sox keeps getting more and more curious. Drinking beer and playing video games in the clubhouse during games? That’s commitment. Click here for the sordid details.

Meanwhile, on the political circuit, ex-pizza executive Herman Cain is getting traction on the presidential campaign trail with a national sales tax. But Howard Kurtz of the Daily Beast reports that the proposal is tilted against the poor and faces opposition in both parties.

Matt Latimer says the endless debates showing GOP candidates offering little substance might prompt a bored-out-of their-minds electorate to look at President Obama and realize he’s not much worse. Click here for the story.