Back in July of last year, I stumbled across what I felt was a sure fire sign that I was getting old. Hatmaking king New Era had produced a new style that placed an emphasis not on the team logo, but on a map of the city.
Yes, a map of the city...
My comments at the time remain consistent with my current thoughts:
New Era must be running out of ideas. That or apparently there is a market for people who shirk typical team logos on their hats in favor of a screen shot from MapQuest.
When I posted the picture of the hat, I figured it was rare enough not to expect to encounter it in the wild. So you can imagine my surprise when I witnessed first hand at Busch Stadium this week a youngster who really did want to wear a map of the city on his head, and an even more detailed one at that...
Seems fairly logical now that I think about it - you keep the sun out of your eyes and at the same time eliminate the need for a Street Guide.
I believe they call that killing two birds with one stone.
Standings: 24-18, 2nd place NL Central; 1 game behind Chicago.
Todd Wellemeyer earned his 4th victory with 7 innings of two hit, one run ball. Wellemeyer downed his season ERA to 3.27 and added five strikeouts to his season total, now at 47. Fun fact for the kids: in Wellemeyer's 20 starts as a Cardinal, the Birds are 14-6.
A Closer Look Through Stan Royer's Coke Bottles
The Cards offense awoke to an extent, pounding out 15 hits and earning five walks. Every spot in the lineup came through with a hit with the exception of the pitcher's slot. The problem is something that has plagued the Cardinals all season long: stranded runners. The Birds stranded 15 last night, failing to put the game away early.
The Bizarre Logic of Tony La Russa
Up 4-1 in the bottom half of the eighth, Ryan Franklin and Jason Isringhausen warmed up in the bullpen. If the Cards' 3 run lead had remained, Franklin would have come in for the save. Since the Cards scored a run and averted a save situation, Tony made the call to put Izzy on the hill.
Whatever. For the record, Izzy closed out the 9th 1,2,3, although the 2nd out was a deep fly to the centerfield wall.
Glaus' Eyes Finally Dry Glaus went 3-5 last night, including an RBI double, marking the first time this year he had multiple hits in consecutive games. On the season, he's at a .250 clip, and has four RBI in his past two games, after going 12 straight without a run batted in.
Glaus' Partner in Mediocrity
Also chipping in three hits and an RBI was Cesar Izturis, also now up to .250 on the season. He also stole his 3rd base of the year.
PUJOLS
Had two hits and an intentional walk, marking the 41st straight game he's reached base. He leads the Majors with 12 IBB.
Scrap-O-Meter
Stranding 15 runners is pretty pathetic. However, the Cards won for just the second time in eight tries. Factor in a Rick Ankiel home-run saving catch in Center and you've got yourself a 3 Scrappiness rating.
Sunday afternoon in New York, the Reds lost to the Metropolitans 8-3. The highlight occurred when catcher David Ross batted out of order in Corey Patterson's 8 slot, causing a 10 minute delay.
Reds manager Dusty Baker said the batting order was correct on the dugout board and on his scorecard. "The guys hit out of order, and it's my job to catch that. So I take full responsibility."
Baker said his only other experience with a team batting out of order came when he was a player and he was the one who hit when he wasn't supposed to. When he came up the second time, he hit a three-run homer. "Batting out of order can be one of the more confusing rules. You have to really think it through. We wanted to make sure we were doing it right."
Uh huh. Dusty apparently forgot a few instances with Cubbies a few years ago when some of his players did the same thing - mainly because Baker pulled a double switch but failed to tell home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor.
When the Cubs batted in the bottom of the inning, shortstop Ramon Martinez came to the plate in the ninth spot in the order and doubled. The Reds protested that the Cubs were batting out of order. Pitcher Kent Mercker, the proper batter, was called out. Baker argued with the umpires but was told that the call stood. Yelling & screaming, he tossed his lineup card on the ground and was ejected by Bucknor. Baker threw his hat, walked away and returned; he tossed his hat again, stomped to the dugout and kicked some items in the on deck circle before finally leaving the field.
Yes, the manager made a double switch and failed to alert the appropriate people - and doesn't even "remember" it. And you wonder how he continues to find work in Major League Baseball.
A Closer Look Through Stan Royer's Coke Bottles
Reds manager Dusty Baker said the batting order was correct on the dugout board and on his scorecard. "The guys hit out of order, and it's my job to catch that. So I take full responsibility."
