Fireworks

I am currently in my hotel room watching a fireworks show put on by the Pittsburgh Pirates. It really is an incredible show from my 20th floor room. There were plenty of fireworks during the game as well. During the bottom of the third inning, the Cards manager visited the struggling Redbirds pitcher on the mound and really let him have it. Two pitches later and the Pirate batter hit a homerun! The stern look of the manager's face after the homerun may have been the shot of the night.

Well Done

I am a baseball fan. That is why I enjoyed tonight's Cardinals/Pirates game from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. I did not like the fact the Redbirds were shutout 5 - 0. In fact, I never like it when the Cards lose. However, in a season that has seen some of the worst play and awful pitching ever, I really enjoyed tonight's pitching performance from the Pirates starter. He was masterful. All pitchers should watch tape of this game. The Pirates pitcher attacked all game. He worked fast and expressed a great confidence in his ability. I respectfully tip my cap to this pitcher. Well done!!

Right Choice

Let me see. I am in Pittsburgh on an off day. I arrived at my hotel at 7:15 pm from St. Louis. The Pirates are playing the Brewers here in Pittsburgh tonight and the game started at 7:00 EST. Here is my choice - scalp a ticket and go watch the ballgame or go to the Capital Grille for a nice steak and a bottle of fine wine. I know I made the right decision - the steak was perfect and the wine was delicious.

Mush

A three hour 10 - 0 beat down was handed to the Cardinals by the Reds tonight at Busch Stadium. As the season winds down, the quantity of "mush" on the brain is determined by the quality of baseball on the field. In my thirty years of baseball television, I have never witnessed more bad baseball games than I have experienced during this 2013 season. Therefore, when good quality baseball is played such as the previous two nights at Busch Stadium, I feel very good mentally. However, after a game such as the one tonight, I am mentally tired. My brain is mush. I am not physically tired in the least but I am mentally exhausted. Tomorrow's off day could not come at a better time.

2 Different Teams

The Cards defeated the Reds at Busch Stadium tonight by the score of 6 - 1 in 3:02. There were two different teams on the field at Busch Stadium tonight. One team, the Cardinals, wanted to be there and the other team, the Reds, didn't want to be there. There was nothing more evident to this fact than the two pitchers that finished the game for each team. The Reds pitcher threw 29 pitches - 15 strikes and 14 balls. He took his sweet old time between pitches. He walked around the mound, he shook off his catcher repeatedly, he wiped his brow after every pitch. Every single mannerism screamed "I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!!! The Cardinals pitcher threw 15 pitches - 11 strikes and 4 balls. He worked fast, got back on the rubber and never shook off his catcher. His every mannerism screamed " MY GOD, I LOVE THIS!!! This Reds team may not make the playoffs.

Absolutely Great

The Cards beat the Reds 8 - 6 in 2:49 tonight at Busch Stadium. What a game! The Reds jumped out to a 4 - 0 lead with 4 runs in the second inning. There were 2 triples hit in that inning. During the bottom of the third inning, Matt Holliday hit an absolute bomb into Big Mac Land which is in the upper deck in left field. This made the score 4 - 3. Then, in the bottom of the seventh inning, Allen Craig hit a grand slam to put the game away. Prior to the slam our play by play announcer had one of the greatest "set up" calls I have ever heard. Right before the first pitch of the at-bat he said "....and this year Craig is batting .667 with the bases loaded. Our color analyst responded with "wow". The pitch was delivered and Craig hit a grand slam. Just absolutely great!!

In The Stands

5 - 2 was the score as the Braves beat the Cardinals in 2:41 today at Busch Stadium. There were really no exciting moments during this game. In fact, our best replay came from a fan in the stands. After the third out of an inning, a Braves player tossed the ball into the stands. A fan, very eager to catch the ball, fell flat on his back with his feet facing the sky. The super slo-mo angle was especially entertaining. It says alot about the game on the field when the most memorable moment occurs in the stands.