Da Me Mas Yad Molina

A few thoughts on what was probably a classic game 7 of the NLCS (tho I must admit to still being skeptical that Jeff Suppan and Oliver Perez really came up with clutch pitching performances, which would mean that it was actually a game marred by poor hitting).

Headline on MLB that made me giggle: "Molina's Dinger Delivers Pennant." Wow. That's one impressive dinger. It's always good to have a dinger that delivers in the clutch.

A memo to Willie Randolph- here's a reliable indicator that your pitcher doesn't have good stuff. If he gives up a hit to Scott Rolen, it's probably time to bring the hook. Otherwise you run the risk of seeing a 83 mph home run derby pitch float its way to Yadier Molina.

Of course, given the way Billy Wagner pitched yesterday, I can understand why Plan B wasn't all that appealing either.

Paul LoDuca looked pissed when he was removed for a pinch runner after walking in the 9th. I wonder if he after being pulled from the game, he went straight to the clubhouse to play cards with Bobby Bonilla?

While it's hard to feel bad for anyone associated with the Mets, I do feel for Endy Chavez. If the Mets win that game, his home-run robbing catch goes down with Willie Mays and Kirk Gibson as one of the great catches in playoff history. It would have been replayed again and again during the playoffs for years to come. Instead, he'll just get some Plays of the Week highlight on ESPN this weekend before disappearing from our collective memory.

Not to pile on Joe Buck, who I used to actually like once upon a time, but his call of the Chavez catch was pathetic (you can watch/hear it here -Yes he threw in "unbelievable," but there was way too much dead air during that play). When a play is made that might possibly propel a team into the World Series, a little enthusiasm is in order. Keith Olbermann made this suggestion; and I wish I'd listened tonight, but I will follow this advice for the World Series: Hit 'mute' on the Fox Broadcast and listen to Dan Shulman on ESPN radio. His calls actually make a game seem exciting. Crazy concept, but it seems to work (At the time of this writing, the Shulman call is available on ESPN.com/ESPNmotion in the game recap titled "Cards Move On Courtesy of Molina." Listen to both versions of the call and tell me which you'd rather hear.)

I really hope for Fox's sake that they weren't paying Luis Gonzalez much for his presence in the booth. He was pretty much a spectator for the entire game, then in the top of the 9th, chimes in with "I tell ya what, this has been an exciting game 7." Gee, thanks for the incite, Luis. Now shouldn't you be selling your fallen hairs on Ebay or something?

Finally, congratulations to Tony LaRussa. He's positioned himself so that when the Cards lose to the Tigers, he will have cemented his legacy alongside Bobby Cox and Marv Levy as coaches who have gotten their fan's hopes up, only to fall short of a championship the vast majority of the time. Well, done, Tony. Simply "genius."

(Update: I just read Bill Simmons' liveblog of the game and he totally disagreed with me regarding Buck's call of the Chavez catch. For some reason that makes me feel validated.)