I'm glad you bring up Lidge's BAA. He is a very, very good closer, but everyone seems to have him raised him to the unhittable level that Rivera has reached. He isn't there yet. He has almost blown other games this series.

Lidge was much better last year, if I remember correctly. He throws hard, and has unhittable stuff at times. Much like K-Rod, though, he can get hit.

Yeah.

2004: 95.2 IP, 57 H, 157/30 K/BB

2005: 71.2 IP, 58 H, 103/23 K/BB

I guess announcers and writers have to try and
come up with something new, especially if it agrees with
their own personal agendas. But, they keep having to eat their words. It is still Mo, and there will never be another like him.

"David Eckstein continues to be one of my favorite players."

David Eckstein continues to be one of my least favorite players. I watch the guy and all I can see is Lenny Dykstra.

I thought the 'Stros had figured out all the ways to break my heart. I was wrong. If, as I suspect, the Cards take the next two, this will surpass '80 and '86 for me.

Lidge may be fried after that. After the second strike on Eckstine, he had nothing. Completely blew a tire. An 88 mph curve, belt high, over the inside of the plate ... Pujols hits that out in his sleep.

Anything, ANYTHING other than a homer in that situation. Walk him and get to Reggie Sanders. Give up a single, a double, anything.

Just ... almost unfathomable. Almost.

I think the Astros drank their champagne too soon.

Lidge looked ansy. Garner wasn't thinking straight, either, no way do you let Pujols hit in a situation like that. Heck, with the bases loaded and up 2 runs, you seriously think about walking him to get to Sanders (who hasn't done much vs. Lidge, or much since getting hurt)

As a Cardinals fan, I still think the Astros will win the serious (since Oswalt is a better pitcher than Mulder, and Morris flat out sucks, so Clemens could suck and still win in game 7), but it was quite enjoyable seeing the life sucked out of the entire stadium like that.

How can you not like Eckstein? On the other hand, there are worse people to be compared to than Dykstra.

It was the fates. If you're down to your last out, who would you rather have coming up than Eckstein, Edmonds and Pujols?

The ninth: a cheap hit, a walk and and Lidge sees the winning run dig in at the plate - that gets you fired from your job in the real world. Right down the middle and 524 feet later... pathetic.

Nothing cheap about a single as (possibly) the last man to bat for your team in a season, eh? And hows about that walk Edmonds drew? And then Amazin Al blows Lidge away. He hung a slider on 0-1, if I remember right. I think I lost my mind before the ball actually landed....sky high and nine miles long. Berkman's homer was a cheapo, maybe a double in a ballpark built by sane people. Maybe. But Pujols.....damn. Just damn. Wow. I'm still shaking. At least as good as Jimmy's walk-off in the 12th in game 6 last year. Goosebumps, man.

THe most refreshing part of last night's game was seeing three consecutive Cardinal batters put together good ABs, something that certainly had not happened in any LCS game this season. While the pitchers from these teams deserve some credit for holding down the offense, the approach of all four of these teams has made it far to easy for them.

In all seriousness, how many hitters in this round of the playoffs have consistently made pitchers work -- Konerko, Berkman, Edmonds, Eckstein? I've expected the counter trend of pitchers attacking the zone more aggressively against the "work the count, get a good pitch to hit" teams, but this has been old school, 70s' style hack city. WIth even mediocre pitching, the Red Sox or Yankees would have bludgeoned these guys in a long series.

While I'm not a huge Eckstein fan, he has been the best for the dollar of the three players involved in the SS musical chairs game this offseason.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the Dykstra comparison. Yeah, they're both gritty players, but Dykstra was a bit of a goon.

"How can you not like Eckstein"

See my user name and you'll understand.

Brett Butler had the same effect on me.

For the non-Astros fans, you have to read up on the 1986 NLCS to pick up on the Eckstein/Dykstra thing.

i think the angels might could be regretting big time thinkin that eckstein was in the twilight of his career. or something.

and why albert pujols, the best hitter in the majors, gets absolutely ZERO respect i do NOT understand.
i felt absolutely SICK - my throat was closin like somebody strangling me - when i saw they gonna pitch to albert instead of walkin him. i'm only surprised that ball didn't break the glass albert hit it so hard

unless roy throws a no hitter, it's a waste of time goin back to st louis because they lookin FORWARD to seeing lidge. and phil ain't got the sense to use qualls/wheeler instead.

well, i said at the beginning of the year that i would be happy if we even finished over .500 and i was a darn fool to think we should hope for more.....
so we DID finsish over .500. so i should be happy. and i'm workin on it...

"i think the angels might could be regretting big time thinkin that eckstein was in the twilight of his career. or something."

Angels fans have been grumbling about that all year. Not only did Eck have a much better BA and OBP than Cabrera this year, he had a higher _slugging_ percentage and more RBIs than Cabrera did, in spite of leading off and (in subsequent at bats) following the pitcher's spot. I sure hope Brandon Wood's ready for the bigs soon...

Eckstein had a career year, I don't fault the Angels for letting him go. Look at his career #s, especially the last 2 years.

rob,

eckstein was HURT and played HURT a lot of the last 2 years.

i heard ALL about his "weak" arm and how he throws like a grrrl, but the ^*(%^#@! Pest makes 99% of the plays. Trust me - i've seen him 20 times this year

Eckstein has been great this year with his .363 OBP, but the last 2 years he had a .325 & .339 OBP. If I was the Angels this past offseason looking at those #s and realizing he'd be 30 (and with the injury problems you mentioned), I wouldn't resign him either. It didn't work out for them and it has worked out really well for the Cards.

Because Cabrera and his one season with an OBP over 325 looked so good?