New Sully Baseball Video - I'm Ready For My Close Up Mr LaRussa - Casting the 2011 World Series

In the latest Sully Baseball Video, I am joined by my wife Lisa who has worked for some of the biggest and best casting agencies in Hollywood.

We put our heads together to cast a hypothetical movie based on the 2011 World Series. Sometimes we agreed. Sometimes we didn't.

As always you can see all the Sully Baseball videos on my ShortForm TV Channel.

Mike Matheny?

Look, I am sure Mike Matheny is a good solid baseball guy.
I have no doubt that he has the chops to become a big league manager.

And as a former St. Louis Cardinal, he played 5 years under LaRussa, won 3 Gold Gloves and played for the 2000, 2001, 2001 and 2004 playoff teams.

But call me crazy, shouldn't the Defending World Series Champs be managed by someone with managerial experience?

Is Matheny going to be the manager at the All Star Game?
He was a minor league instructor. He wasn't even on the coaching staff! (Jose Oquendo, anyone?)

"Hey, you might be a good managerial candidate. You should get your feet wet."
"Great. Do you mean with the Batavia Muckdogs? Or the Memphis Redbirds?"
"No, we were think of The Defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. That's a good place to get started."

Since 1981, the Cardinals have been managed by Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa.
Whitey is in the Hall of Fame. Joe and Tony are working on their speeches.

Red Schoendienst managed for a few games in 1990. He's in the Hall of Fame.
Mike Jorgensen was an interim manager in 1995 when they were waiting for LaRussa to become available.

But for the last 30 years, save for Jorgensen keeping the seat warm, the Cardinals managerial post was filled by experienced man who will be in the Hall of Fame.

Now they are giving it to someone who has as much managerial experience as Lisa Kudrow.

He might turn out to be great.

Maybe the Cardinals know something I don't.
But call me crazy, but the first line up card you fill out should NOT be the Defending World Champs.

And this is the second high profile franchise to fill their managerial post with someone with NO experience. (Hello Robin Ventura and the White Sox!)

And somewhere Chris Chambliss is saying "I can't even get an interview!"

The (Arthur) Rhodes less traveled

Arthur Rhodes was going to get a World Series ring no matter what.
He was a member of both the Rangers and the Cardinals this year. But no doubt it will be sweeter that he got his ring with the club he actually played for in the World Series.

20 seasons in the bigs... and this was his first trip to the World Series.

He was a respected veteran who put up a few tremendous seasons as a middle reliever.
I know it isn't cool to talk about win totals, but he DID go 19-4 between 1996 and 1997, both playoff seasons for Baltimore.

Between 2001 and 2002, he went 18-4 with the Mariners, including the '01 Division Winners.

He was an Oriole when Ripken passed Gehrig and Jeffrey Maier interfered with Jeter's flyball.
He played along side A-Rod, Edgar Martinez, King Felix and Ichiro in Seattle.
Played with the three Moneyball aces in Oakland.
He relieved CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee in Cleveland.
He played with Howard, Utley, Rollis, Ruiz and Cole Hamels in Philadelphia.
He was teammates with Hanley Ramirez in Florida.
He was on the Reds team that finally made it back to post season in 2010.
And of course with BOTH pennant winners in 2011.

But something struck me about his career.

He made his big league debut as a member of the Baltimore Orioles on August 21, 1991 against Texas.

Some of the batters he faced that day included Julio Franco, Brian Downing and Gary Pettis.

On August 27, 1991 he pitched his first home game in Baltimore.
NOT in Camden Yards. He was pitching in Memorial Stadium. His career predates Camden Yards!

On September 10th, 1991, he was playing New York, a full 10 years and 1 day before the attacks.

He faced a Yankee team filled with mismatched parts as they were floundering through the Stump Merrill years.

Steve Sax, Roberto Kelly, Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, Matt Nokes, Pat Kelly, Randy Velarde, Alvaro Espinoza and Pat Sheridan were all in the lineup.

Poor Don Mattingly, stuck with such a rotten team.
(The lead off hitter was a young Bernie Williams, a preview of better days for the Yankees.)

But something struck me about the box score that day.

Dwight Evans played that game for the Orioles. He came in as a pinch hitter for Sam Horn (yeah, THAT Sam Horn).

Evans played his final season in Baltimore. Arthur Rhodes was his teammate.
A pitcher in the 2011 World Series was once on the same team as Dwight Evans. It seems like it was 4 or 5 generations ago that Evans played.

Arthur Rhodes pitched before the Yankees got to be good again, before there was a Camden Yards and played along side Dwight Evans.

Think of the young players from this Cardinals team.
24 year old Daniel Descalso can now be connected to Dwight Evans in one move.

Let's hope Daniel plays as long as Arthur Rhodes.

Congrats on your World Series ring, Arthur.
You have truly earned it.

Selig's main requirement for a new Dodger owner: SIGN PUJOLS!

I don't believe in random events.
I don't believe in first causes.
I don't believe that actions take place in vacuums.

Even me typing this blog post is the result of a long chain reaction of events.

And a chain reaction of events could be conspiring to bring Albert Pujols to Dodger Stadium.
I have no evidence to back up these theories. But I still think it makes sense.

- Albert Pujols launches 3 home runs in one World Series game, putting him in World Series history with Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. And he helps spark one of the World Series saving rallies in Game 6. (The fact that he was basically a non factor in the other World Series games is forgotten by everyone.)

- Albert Pujols is a free agent... a perennial MVP candidate and one of the few marquee stars in the game. Plus he is a class act, free of scandal and has multiple rings in St. Louis. He's probably staying in St. Louis with his father figure, Tony LaRussa.

- LaRussa retires, ending his career with his crowning achievement. He can spend his days saving animals and writing his Cooperstown speech.

- SO Pujols has nothing left to prove in St. Louis. He can leave St. Louis on top and take on a new challenge and more money than any of us can ever dream of. ($30 million a year?)


Meanwhile in Los Angeles...

- The Dodgers fiasco might be finally grinding to a halt. Frank McCourt, in denial like William H. Macy's character in Fargo, might finally realize that he ISN'T just one deal away from keeping control of the team. MLB might take over the Dodgers. They did that once before with the Expos.

- This is a different scenario. That was saving a team from contraction and getting them to Washington DC. The Dodgers need to be lifted from the humiliation of bankruptcy and mismanagement. The Dodgers SHOULD be one of the glamorous franchises. And it would behoove baseball to have a big west coast superpower (sorry Giants fans. Your team isn't a superpower.)

- So if MLB takes over the Dodgers, they can hand pick whomever takes over the team. They will have to be committed to turn the Dodgers back into a powerhouse, make L.A. as baseball crazy as New York and Boston and bring some star power to Dodger Stadium.

- The Dodgers just HAPPENED to have a hole at first base (sorry James Loney). They just HAPPENED to have an MVP candidate to protect Pujols in the lineup with Matt Kemp. They just HAPPEN to play in a winnable division. (Sorry Diamondbacks.) And unless Juan Uribe has more pull than I thought, #5 just HAPPENS to be available in Los Angeles.

- The Dodgers also just HAPPEN to be a team in a desperate situation to have some positive press after all the off the field embarrassment. And they need something, besides a face who ISN'T Frank McCourt, to jumstart season ticket sales.

- If MLB can control who buys the Dodgers, they COULD make "Will you make a big push for Albert Pujols?" a requirement. It would be good for the franchise and could make the Dodgers a marquee franchise again.

Fans are going to show up in St. Louis. It's a new era there anyway.

Pujols (paired with NL MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw) could have his new challenge.

Bud Selig, someone NOT above colluding, could be in a unique position to handpick someone to bid on Pujols.

Where else is Albert going? Sure Theo Epstein wants to make a big splash with the Cubs, but he has to weed OUT big contracts before bringing in a new one. The Mets are a mess. And maybe the Marlins would make a run at him, but they are a dark horse at best.

Of course the Rangers, White Sox, Nationals and Orioles are never shy about throwing money around. But I can't see Albert going to any of those places.

The Dodgers are the most logical landing place in many ways.
It's a boost to the franchise.
It's a bump in West Coast baseball's interest.
And it could make Albert even more marketable than he is now.

Don't think this ISN'T going through Bud Selig's mind.
It's a chain reaction of events... and it could lead to the image of Albert Pujols playing first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

(For the record, I think Pujols is staying put... but you never know!)

Hats off to Tony LaRussa

I've never been a Tony LaRussa fan... but man you have to respect him.
He is probably the greatest manager of our time. If he's not, he's in the conversation.

And he retired as a World Series champ.
No backstabbing, book writing, passive aggressive swiping at management here.

This isn't Torre or Francona's ending where you need to remind people of the good times.

He's out on top after winning the best World Series in a decade.

He has three World Series titles. No need to apologize for not winning more. He has as many World Series titles as Leo Durocher, Earl Weaver and Whitey Herzog combined.

I was never a fan.
But man I am an admirer.

Ozzie Guillen, Bruce Bochy, Charlie Manuel, Joe Girardi, Davey Johnson, Mike Scioscia and Jim Leyland are the only current managers who have won a World Series title now.

None more than one.

Who will take the title of "Best Current Manager?"

We'll see.

Sharing an all time classic with my dad

The Game 6 classic was truly one of the greatest baseball games I ever saw in my life. It was insane. It was bonkers.

By the 6th inning with all the errors I thought "This is one nutty game."
Then the home runs...
Then the Cardinals came back down to their last strike...
Then Hamilton homered...
Then the Cardinals came back down to their last strike AGAIN...
Then they won.

It was so obviously a classic. I was kind of shaking when the game was over. And I desperately wanted to talk to someone.

I called my dad. Now I had no idea if my dad was watching the game recorded.
"Yeah."
"Dad, how much time did you leave at the end?"
"Normal length. Why did it go long?"

I paused. I knew there was NO WAY he was going to record the whole thing. He would be watching it and somewhere it would run out.

"Yeah dad. It went long."

So I proceeded to tell my dad all about the game.

I could build the suspense and hear my dad saying "No!" or "Oh my god!" as I told him how the Cardinals kept creeping closer and coming back.

And then I described the finale.
Long pause.

My dad said "Wow."

And then we started talking about the greatest World Series games we ever saw.

Clearly this was a top 5 game for me.
And my dad experienced it with me telling him the highlights by cell phone.

And in a wonderful way, I got to experience it again... but this time it was a gift to my dad.

And THAT is a Fall Classic.

Hey Colby Rasmus! Where did you watch the game?

Hey! If you could have not pulled a Diva act and whined your way out of St. Louis, you might be a World Series champ!

But I'm sure you made the right decision.

These Cardinals seemed like a really tough group to play with.

And yeah, the Cardinals made such a bad move dealing a pain in the ass player with one pretty good season under his belt for pitching depth.

Rasmus is going to get a World Series ring.
I hope LaRussa presents it to him on his middle finger.

If this WAS Pujols' last game... you can not blame him

Pujols is probably going to return...
The Cardinals could finally become a National Brand.

But it also makes sense if he says "I've done EVERYTHING I can possibly do in St. Louis. Maybe I need a new challenge."

The new owner of the Dodgers would want to show the fan base that they spend money on the team instead of on their homes. (And I assume they won't blame victims when they get beaten in their poorly lit and lightly secured parking lots.)

Bringing in Albert Pujols makes all the short term sense in the world for the Dodgers.

If he goes to Chavez Ravine, then I not only don't want to hear CARDINALS fans boo him but I also want to hear nobody in all of baseball boo him.

If he wants to get top dollar, he has done everything he could have possibly done in St. Louis.

But I said all of that before.

Was this Gerald Laird's last ever game as a member of the Cardinals?

Salute him.
It could be the end of an era.

I think Arthur Rhodes prefers THIS World Series ring

No matter what, Arthur Rhodes was going to get his first World Series ring.
He played for the Rangers AND the Cardinals.
If the Rangers got that last strike last night, it would be a Rangers ring.

Call me crazy, I think this will be sweeter for him.

He has pitched over 20 years in the bigs with 9 different teams.
Now he has a World Series ring.

I feel good for Arthur Rhodes.
How could you not?

This could be the best video ever on the internet

I love this video.
I have never seen a "Fan shot video at the ballgame" that has included all the emotions of an amazing dramatic moment more than this.

It's shot from left field with the Cardinals down to their last strike in the 9th inning and David Freese facing Neftali Feliz.

The crowd is nervous.
Then the fly ball to right field and there is a combination of tension, hope and possible sadness as it looked like the Rangers were going to win the World Series.

Then the delirium that not only was the game NOT over... not only were the Cardinals still alive... but somehow the game was tied.

The fans going insane... then the camera zoomed into the Rangers fans.
That slumped look of disgust...
I know it well. The feeling of "I thought I was about to jump up in the air with all of my baseball wishes fulfilled... and instead I am pissed.

So much in this one video.
So much of it perfectly captured.

Please don't take it down, YouTube.

Nelson Cruz's play was worse than Bill Buckner's error

David Freese hit a walk off, game winning World Series tying home run last night... and it wasn't even his most dramatic hit of the night. Not by a LONG shot.

He got his homer off of Mark Lowe... a guy who wasn't even on the playoff roster for the Division Series and ALCS. And the game was tied.

In the 9th he faced an All Star closer in Neftali Feliz and was down to the last strike before elimination.

And his drive to right field looked like it was well hit but not good enough.

Admit it, you thought the World Series was over. Nelson Cruz looked like he was slowing up with a beat on the ball. And up he leaped.

And he didn't have it.

He jumped up too soon, like he didn't know where the wall was.
The ball sailed over his head and off the wall. The two runs scored.

So why is that worse than the Buckner play?
Unlike Bill Buckner's error, this play COULD have won the World Series!
Buckner's error ended Game 6 of the 1986 World Series... but the game was tied on the Wild Pitch.

If Cruz caught the ball (and we ALL thought he was about to) then that would have been it.
The Texas Rangers would have been the World Champs.

Who knows how this series will unfold tonight?
Who knows if there will be another highlight that will overshadow last night's game. (Think that's not possible? Remember how 1991 and 2001 had Game 7 finales that become the main highlight?)

A Rangers win tonight would make his play a forgotten footnote (like the wild pitch that tied Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.)

If they don't, then you can RIGHTLY say they would have won the World Series if he made that catch.

Today should be a holiday

Seriously... after a great playoff game like that, people shouldn't have to work.
How am I supposed to get anything done?

This was NOT a great game

Calling this game great is a damn insult.
This was an all time "where were you when it happened" classic.

I am exhausted.
I have no clue what can be said.

But folks, if you aren't watching this World Series I truly pity you.

Bed time.
Posts tomorrow.

For one day I am a Cardinals fan

I have a history of rooting AGAINST the St. Louis Cardinals.

I wanted the Giants to win the 1987 NLCS and the Twins to win the World Series.

I rooted for the Padres to beat St. Louis in 1996.

I rooted for the Mets to beat St. Louis in 2000.

I rooted for the Diamondbacks to beat St. Louis in 2001.

I rooted for the Giants to beat St. Louis in 2002.

I rooted for the Red Sox, obviously, in the 2004 World Series against St. Louis.

I rooted for the Padres in the 2005 Division Series against the Cardinal.

I rooted for the Padres, Mets AND Tigers to beat the Cardinals in 2006.

I rooted for the Dodgers against the Cardinals in 2009.

I rooted for the Phillies, Brewers and Rangers against St. Louis this year.

I SWEAR I don't hate you Cardinals fans. It just happens I like to see the Cardinals lose in the post season.

That being said, I am rooting card for the Cardinals for tonight.

It's been 9 years since baseball has seen a seventh game of the World Series.

There are teenagers with no memory of a Game 7 of the World Series.

It's been an amazing September and October. Now it needs a grand finale.

In order for THAT to happen, the Cardinals need to win.

So... for tonight only...

GO CARDINALS!

Nobody could text message in Arlington last night?

In this day and age when everyone in the ballpark has a cell phone and sending texts and videos, you are honestly telling me that the Cardinals couldn't communicate with their bullpen last night?

They don't have ONE person with a cell phone? If they can't hear, send a damn text message.

No need to type out all of Rzepczynski. Rzep will do fine.

LaRussa's explanation for why Lance Lynn was in there and not Jason Motte was bizarre.
Why Rzepczynski was pitching to Mike Napoli may never be solved.

All I know is a few cell phones placed here or there could go a long way.
And short of that, do what Susan Sarandon did in Bull Durham and send a kid with a note.

For those of you wondering how to pronounce Marc Rzepczynski...

It's pronounced the same as "Mark."

Hope this cleared things up.

Hopefully this series is heading back to AWESOME - VILLE

OK... 5 games into the series and it's a damn good one.
We've had a tight opener...
A come from behind 9th inning rally in game 2...
A historic home run performance in game 3...
A kick ass pitching performance in game 4...
And tonight's game that Rod Serling would call strange.

So here we are. The Rangers have done something that no MLB team based in Texas has every done: Get to the brink of a World Series title.

And they are going back to St. Louis where a home town win can cause a winner take all finale.

Now some World Series have been classics without going 7 games.
1992, 1993 and 1996 all had amazing endings and they all fell just short of the limit.

But in order for this season to have the amazing finale that we've been missing in baseball for nearly a decade, either the Cardinals have to win on Wednesday and force a game 7... or game 6 has to go 18 or 19 innings.

It's been a terrific World Series so far.
We're not at "Classic" level yet.

Mr. Holland's Opus

Derek Holland pitched into the 9th inning tonight.
For most teams that would be unthinkable. After 7, you automatically take the pitcher out.

But these are the Rangers and they actually look at what is happening on the FIELD to make decisions. He was cruising and there was no reason to wake up the Cardinals offense. Remember St. Louis scored 16 runs the night before... a good deal of that against the Texas bullpen.

So why take out the pitcher?

So Holland made sure the bullpen pitched less than an inning tonight.
And for the first time since 2003, a World Series is tied at 2 games a piece.

It's been 9 years since the World Series has gone 7 games.

A thrilling 7 game series with a tremendous finale could go a long way to help baseball nationally.

(So would playing the post season in SEPTEMBER but that's another post.)

For the good of baseball, hope St. Louis and Texas split the next two games. There are kids getting their driver's license who don't remember watching a seventh game of the World Series.

Time for that to change.
And time to thank Derek Holland.

Well Albert Pujols shut ME up!

What can I say?
If you thought Albert post Game 2 acting bush league, then he showed today that he belongs in a HIGHER league.

Seriously... I am totally speechless on his performance.
He basically said "You want a comment from my previous game? How about THIS as a comment?"

5 for 6?
6 RBI?
Putting his name along side Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson with single game World Series dominance?

Doing this on the biggest stage may have put a year or two on his contract too.

Folks, I wasn't crazy about his style after Game 2.
But holy CRAP did he deliver substance.

Lest we forget, the Rangers scored 7 runs and Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse only retired 9 batters... and it was a Cardinals blow out.

I think Cardinal fans would take that rather than a quote.
That WAS his quote.

Save for that extra inning meltdown by the Cardinals, we'd be looking at a St. Louis sweep tomorrow.

And yeah, Allen Craig was terrific the first three games... but after tonight, if the Cardinals win is there ANY doubt who the MVP should be?

I for one was hoping Albert would avoid the press tonight too... just to let his bat do the talking.

It was loud and clear tonight.
And all I could do is shut up!