St. Louis 1, Houston 0

It was exactly the sort of ballgame that was worth traveling half a day to see, in all but one crucial respect, which is that the Astros lost it. You may recall that my boss and I were discussing the merits of a dominating, no-hit pitching performance versus a get-out-of-trouble-constantly pitching performance. I got both in St. Louis yesterday.

And anyway, It's not too difficult these days to totally dominate the Astros bats. (She added grudgingly. One day I may be happy that I witnessed a 10-inning complete game shutout, but that day hasn't come yet.) And please don't think Clemens' performance against the Cardinals wasn't worth some compliments -- in two separate innings, he managed to load up the bases, bringing Roger Cedeno to the plate. As a former Astro, Cedeno was contractually obligated to put the hurt on my team, as all former Astros seem to do. And as a former Met, my archnemesis, he was even more obligated. Instead, he flied out and ground out both times, personally stranding six runners. Thanks, Roger! Both of you!

Here is something worth noting: Chris Burke can be pretty awesome in left field. I'm not sure what kind of time he has put into that position in the minors -- very little, I'm guessing -- but even though he has only played there seven times now, he is impressive. He caught a line drive that was coming straight down the left field line in a superb diving catch that even the St. Louis fans surrounding us had to admire. throws like a girl is not going to make any comparisons to Craig Biggio's own performance as an impromptu left fielder, since I have recently declared critical amnesty for him, but draw your own conclusions. I'm just glad to have Burke in the lineup again. Of course, once Lance Berkman returns -- and he'll be starting a rehab stint in Florida on Monday -- the Astros will then have to decide which of their outfielders hits the bench. Will it be Jason Lane, leading the team in batting average and tied for most steals? Will it be Willy Tavares, who looks entirely comfortable in CF and is hitting .327 to boot? Or will it be Burke? I'm betting on the latter.

Here is the sad truth: Despite the fact that the offense is anemic and the defense can be somewhat porous, there is simply not enough room on the roster for all the good players. Again, I'm not saying anything against Craig Biggio, who, by the way, tried to kill me with a sharply hit foul ball yesterday. No, I am especially not saying anything bad about him.

Courtesy of my former colleague J.'s father, a Cardinals season ticket holder, we had seats in the third row just beyond third base. Prime foul ball territory. During a Biggio at-bat, the ball came hooking sharply toward our seats, moving so quickly there was barely time to react. I ducked down and covered my head with my arm -- you can tell I won't be catching any baseballs any time soon -- and as a result, the ball struck the Cardinals fan behind me squarely in the chest. He claimed that he was all right because he was wearing so many layers. But as J. and T. observed, he was with a group of buddies and probably didn't want to look bad. We're guessing that when he pulled all those layers off last night, he had seams imprinted on his sternum.

Missed me, Craig Biggio!

...

Anyway, yes, it was a terrific game, and on the basis of Mulder's performance, he deserved the win. But Clemens deserved the win, too. He threw 126 pitches in seven innings -- the most he has thrown as an Astro -- and got out of every jam he created. Even though I know I should accept this loss without complaint, I just can't.

My boss pointed out that the Radke home run earlier this week after five innings of hitless baseball was the sort of play that would turn off the casual fan. It's just so unfair that a game can turn so suddenly, that excellence goes not only unrewarded, but punished. This is pretty much how I feel this morning.

...

Some notes about Busch Stadium. First of all, it is a beautiful space in which to watch baseball, despite the all-concrete aesthetic. It is delightful to look up and see the clouds threading their way across the pattern of arches -- repeated at that very big arch just down the street -- around the rim of the bowl.

Second of all, it is cold in there in April. It was overcast when we arrived, and though the sun came out in the later innings, it was still chilly. At third base, Morgan Ensberg kept his right hand tucked in his back pocket for the length of the game, except when the ball was in play. (Maybe, suggested J., he just likes the feel of a hand on his ass, and maybe Clemens does, too, because Brad Ausmus came out for about 47 mound conferences and the obligatory ass pats over his seven innings.)

Third, it is shabby. A new ballpark in the Camden Yard/Coors Field aesthetic is going up just beyond right field. The Cardinals are making a big deal out of the coming demolition of Busch Stadium. J. tells me that the seats are being sold off at $500 a pair, and in the middle of the game, some Cardinal great -- who cares which one -- was driven around the field in a white Mustang convertible by Fredbird, the Cardinals mascot, to rip off a 73 on the right field wall and display a 72 -- the games remaining in the old ballpark. In the meantime, the Cardinals organization has apparently decided to neglect all repairs. The Diamondvision screen in right center is missing several key panels, making every roster photo look like the player has eye black under his left eye and a couple of teeth missing.

It is weird and disheartening to see this casual disregard for their ballpark, especially considering the Cardinals' apparent infatuation with their illustrious history -- there are statues and signs all over the place extolling this World Series victory or that Hall of Fame player. They opened the game, in fact, with video highlights from Game 7 of last year's NLCS, where the Cardinals robbed Houston of their first-ever World Series appearance. "Let's see  some footage of the Cardinals getting swept by Boston in the Series," I grumbled, but there is really very little indication that they were in the 2004 World Series at all.

Fourth, I don't know if I would call the St. Louis faithful the best fans in baseball, but they are certainly attentive and also courteous. T. and I, who were cheering our Astros as loudly as we ever did at Minute Maid, got some good-natured ribbing from the fans around us, but they were mostly tolerant, and, like I said, they appreciated a good play no matter which side had executed it. Meanwhile, when I spotted a couple of fans in Astros caps outside the ballpark before the game, I shouted, "Go Astros!" at them. Because I had left my cap at home by accident, my loyalties were not fully in evidence, and those Astros fans shot me a dirty look, assuming I was mocking their pain.

These are my people: the ones who assume you are making fun of them when you yell Go Astros. Screw you and your 10 innings, Mark Mulder. We'll be back this afternoon.

Comments

[Nancy]

Your writing is amazing!

You need a book angle.

[rbs]

Another great piece, Hirsch.

Roger seems to have hit a bizarre streak where he pitches shut-out ball for 7 innings, but the opposing pitcher is just as good and the Stros lose 1-0 in extra innings. Three games of this crap in a row, can you believe. Once against Ishii in New York (which I attended), then Hudson and the Bravos, and now agent Mulder.

It's gotta suck something fierce to pitch like that and get no support.

Bidge's bat looked okay in the game I saw at Shea, but his defense was shoddy that night.

[Bill]

Further proof that Clemens needs to spend more time at BP. He wouldn't have to worry about getting run support if he'd jack a couple of pitches.

How can a guy be so awesome and only be 1-0 right now? At this rate, he'll be the first Cy Young Winner with under 5 wins.

[Robb]

As a Cardinal fan, I'll stick my head in and say that most of us like Busch stadium (the current one) as well. Actually, the current owners have done a great job over the last 10 years making it as nice as it is. (added grass, brought in the fences a little, changed the color scheme from blue to green, added the manual scoreboards, etc.)

In fact - they did such a nice job of making it look nice that most Cardinal fans still don't understand the need for a new stadium. But, since the owners are paying for the bulk of it - well, whatever.

[joeg]

i was at that game too, (my last one at the old busch, i was visiting from nyc and won't be back until winter) and i thought the stadium looked really neglected. (so i didn't feel so bad taking a leak on it). i don't think i've ever seen grass look so bad in a pro ball park. plus everything was just dirty. this is probably the desired thought that cards are going for, but i never had a problem with busch until i saw it next to it's soon to be replacement. by the way, who has a worse swing, cedeno or randy johnson?

[Martin]

Whether or not the Cards were in the 2004 Series is kind of an open question in general, I think.

[The Bench Jockey]

As a Cards fan I can't understand anyone enjoying watching a game in the Concrete Oven that is Busch Stadium. It's a football stadium masquerading as a baseball stadium. It's been dressed up to look like a ballpark, but it's a stadium in a ballparks clothes. It's a dump and it's time to go. Sightlines are lousy, and I mean awful. It's past time for this hulk of a cookie cutter to go. Good riddance to bad stadiums. I'd love to be the one to push the plunger when they bring it down. No tears will be shed by me when it goes.

However, the Fans make the place special. Since they're going next door, it'll be even more fun to go to a game. I say this because I live about halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City. Kauffman is a great place to watch a game, but the fan vibe is much different and not nearly as passionate about the game itself. Coming from elsewhere, these are things I noticed a long time ago. Like Hirsh, I dunno if Cards fans are the best in The Bigs, but they sure are passionate about the game and do pay attention quite well.

I've gotta agree with Nancy. Your writing is terrific. It's something I look forward to and hope you keep on doing.

[Mike]

Looks like Clemens has been cursed by Randy Johnson for stealing his Cy Young last year.

[Nancy]

Bench, as a Cubs fan I can say I look forward to new articles here more than anywhere.

And my stupid Cubs just lost. I think I might roll the dice and see what Zambrano can get me on the trade market during the season. The guy just ain't right.

[John]

Your thoughts on this game remind me of my thoughts on this one: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=230613110. Although I was disappointed in the outcome from a Cards fan perspective, I'll always be able to tell people I was there for Clemens 300th victory and 4000th strikeout.

As for Busch, I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad to see it go. As The Bench Jockey already pointed out, it's more of a wannabe baseball stadium, but on the other hand, it's not so bad, and there are a lot of good memories there. I'll miss the arches around the top, but I look forward to the better seating arrangements. Why are they really getting rid of it? Money, plain and simple. The new stadium will have more private boxes, where the real money is made. That's why the owners are willing to pay for nearly all of the construction themselves - they know they'll make it back and more in due time.

Lastly, sure April is cold here in St. Louis, but who *doesn't* like the feeling of a hand on his/her ass?