Always play tough, and play a sound fundamental game. This is generally worth a few extra wins each season, and I think explains how they’ve hung in the race to this point.

Of course his use of relievers really makes me want to have MLB invoke a “reliever must face 2 batters” rule – heh.

Tough break for Carpenter, sorry to hear it. Cards have to be careful with him considering they’re on the hook for 3 more years and $44.5m

some of the differences between TLR’s teams and Herzog’s? Back in the 80’s the Cards had the full dimensions of a big stadium, the Astroturf and a heaping handful of speedy slap hitters. Busch was as big a homefield advantage back then as the Metrodome is for the Twins today.

Moving into the mid-90s, circumstances (lets be charitable and call it ‘a longball era’) really worked against having five gnats, two bashers and a catcher on the field – so relying more on power hitters like Lankford, McGwire, Edmonds and now Pujols is more adapting to the changes in the game, IMO.

But again, through it all my impression is that the Cards always play hard, and play smart. For both skippers, so I imagine it’s an organizational thing.

(Meanwhile we Cub fans get to watch underdeveloped prospects like Corey Patterson and Felix Pie come up to great hype – and have the holes in their game exposed by major league competition. But I think we’re finally getting our minor league act together, and Lou has little patience for dumb play. I’ve been waiting 30 years for our system to start producing useful position players in numbers, and it’s finally starting to happen.)