Monday Doubleheader

Two stories.  One Post.

1.     TIGERS SHOW HEART IN CLOSE CALL

 

When the clock finally struck triple zero on Saturday night at Faurot Field in Columbia, 65,401 fans were allowed to breath again.  Everyone had seen this story before.  On September 1, 2001, Coach Gary Pinkel made his home Tiger debut with a thud, losing to Bowling Green 20-13.  The next year when the Tigers visited Bowling Green the outcome remained the same.  Bowling Green 51 - Missouri 28.  Saturday appeared to be heading towards a similar outcome, as the Falcons lead the Tigers 20-6 halfway through the third quarter.

 

But these Tigers aren’t the 2001 or the 2002 Tigers.

 

After a hot start to his career against Illinois, it took Blaine Gabbert two and a half quarters to find his rhythm and start moving his offense downfield.  In the end he threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, both coming after his team went down by 14 points.  Not the impressive numbers from the Arch Rivalry Game, but enough to get the job done. 

 

While Gabbert’s performance may appear underwhelming, he accomplished something that the Tigers hadn’t done since 2005:  Be down in the fourth quarter and come back to win the game.

 

After a rough start, Gabbert lead his Tigers to 21 unanswered points

The last time the Tigers accomplished a late, come-from-behind win was the 2005 Homecoming game against Iowa State.  In that game, Missouri went three quarters without recording a single offensive touchdown.  Down by ten points with a little over nine minutes left to play, the Tigers came back with a field goal and a touchdown pass with just twenty seconds left on the clock.  The Tigers went on to win the game in overtime by the score of 27-24.  This was Chase Daniel’s first real appearance wearing a Mizzou uniform and is credited as the game that saved Pinkel’s job.  Daniel came in to replace a hurt (and struggling) Brad Smith.  This would be the only time Daniel lead the Tigers to a late victory.  Since he didn’t get the start, Daniel also has the dubious record of never starting a game for Mizzou and leading his team to victory after trailing for three quarters.

 

While Gabbert’s late leadership was impressive, the story of this game was Derrick Washington and the play of the defense.  Washington ran for 124 yards on 23 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown.  While Gabbert figured out the Bowling Green defense, Washington kept the Tigers hopes alive by moving the ball and setting up Mizzou’s two second quarter field goals.

Washington realized the Tigers were playing Bowling Green before anyone else on the team, and played as though his opponent was Bowling Green

After a questionable first quarter, the Tiger defense played with more heart than it did in any game last year.  When the Mizzou offense fumbled within their own red zone twice, the defense held Bowling Green to just two field goals to keep the game within striking distance.  They also made the key stop at the end of the game to lock up the Mizzou victory. 

 

It was a telling win.  While this team showed it may not be as talented as team’s in recent memory, it certainly has the heart to have a great season.

 

Of course, this close call could have been avoided all together.  Pinkel may have learned his lesson to never schedule Bowling Green again.  Dating back to his days as the head coach of the Toledo Rockets, Pinkel is 6-7 against Bowling Green, including four straight losses to the Falcons from 1991-1994.  This team just has something against Pinkel, but it was nice to see him somewhat make up for his debut loss from eight years ago.

 

Maybe the smarter thing to do is just not schedule any teams at home that have a shade of orange as one of their primary colors.  Since Pinkel took over the job, Mizzou is 0-3 at home when playing teams with orange in their uniform.  These teams being Bowling Green and Oklahoma State.  Since Oklahoma State has to play the Tigers in Columbia once every four years per Big XII scheduling, Pinkel should not play against the color orange any more than he has to.

 

It was not a great game to witness, but in the end the Tigers got the job done.  Gabbert showed he can play through adversity and not lose his cool and the defense proved they are capable of keeping their team in the game when they are not running at full speed.  This was a wake up call to the young players to never overlook an opponent, no matter how beatable they appear.  Lesson learned.  Victory intact. 

 

FOOT NOTE:  The official attendance of 65,401 was the largest opening day crowd at Faurot Field since 1978. 

 This picture was taken immediately after my pre-game breakfast meeting with Coach Pinkel.  I offered him such pointers as, "Score more points than Bowling Green" and "Don't lose."  He used both of my game strategies. Both were successful

 

2.     CARDS COOLING OFF, BUT NOW’S THE TIME

 

It was an absolutely horrible three game set against the Braves this passed weekend.  The statistics don’t need to be repeated.  In essence, the offense sputtered (I’m sensing a theme for this season), Kyle Lohse doesn’t have the same stuff he did last year, and Chris Carpenter proved he’s human.  With the exception of Lohse, I’m not too concerned with the other two problems.  The Cards bats went silent for a series.  After two weeks of smacking the cover off the ball, they were bound to experience a setback.  Even after struggling this weekend, the offense is still averaging over 4.50 runs per game in the month of September.

 

What does concern me is the pitching of Ryan Franklin.  While the five days off this month helped him boost his velocity in his latest outing, he demonstrated the same lack of control that has plagued him this month.  So far, Franklin has walked five batters while pitching in 3.1 innings.  Last month, Franklin walked just six in eleven innings.  Since the All-Star Break, Franklin has actually walked more batters (12) than he has struck out (11).

We've been seeing too much of Franklin holding his head down.  Time for him to get back on track, or for LaRussa to hand off the ninth to someone else

His control problems also feed another issue:  The number of base runners Franklin allows in an inning.  Franklin is averaging over one base runner per inning.  While this seems insignificant, one base runner could mean the tying run is on base or at the plate.  In his last save against the Pirates, he let his one base runner, acting as the tying run, reach third base until he recorded the third and final out in the ninth.  His save before that against Milwaukee, Franklin entered the game ahead by three runs.  Two hits, one walk and three hard outs later, the Cardinals won by one run. 

 

I’m not sounding the alarm yet, but these increasingly below par numbers are becoming more worrisome.  This team needs the ability to win close games in the postseason, and still needs to win close games in the regular season to finally close out the division.  If Franklin continues to struggle this way, there is no way you can allow him to close out games in the postseason (look at Billy Wagner in 2006 and his struggles to see how frustrating this possibility could be).  The good news is you have a veteran closer in John Smoltz who could fulfill the role the rest of the way (assuming he’s healthy and hopefully won’t be needed as a starter in the playoffs).

 

While this three game skid is alarming, it’s not completely bad.  It is better to slump in September than to slump in October.  The Cardinals are also a step ahead of their 2006 World Champion pace.  On this date three years ago, the Cardinals’ magic number stood at 12.  Today it stands at 11.  Going back further, in 2002, the Cardinals again stood at 24 games over .500 and still had a magic number of 7.  Slumps around this time are normal, especially when a team has a large division lead.  The key is getting your head back in the game and realizing you haven’t accomplished anything yet.  Tony LaRussa is good at reminding his players of this as he frequently chews out players that celebrate too early (see John Mabry during the 2004 season).

 

For now this team is right where it needs to be.  Carpenter will be fine and this offense won’t stay down for long.  If anything, it’s relieving to see the team struggle as it shrinks egos and makes players more cautious as they get closer to postseason play.  If Franklin can figure himself out, or is simply replaced before it gets out of hand, this team is right back to where we thought they were last Thursday.

 

But if they continue to struggle for the next week or so, get back to me.  Then we can start talking about panicking.

Don't cry Tony.  Your team is still in first place by 9.5 games

Pinkel to Media: "Neener, Neener, Neener!"

The following quotes were overheard before the 2009 Arch Rivalry Game (paraphrased to help our analysts get to the point much faster)

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I just don’t see how Missouri will be able to handle that Illinois offense. Last year they allowed Juice Williams to pass for over 400 yards and gave up 42 points. This offense just isn’t the same that it was last year. Illinois hands the Tigers the first loss in this game since 1994.

LEE CORSO: Missouri just can’t handle that Illinois offense and Gabbert is unproven at running the spread. No question: Illinois takes it.

LOU HOLTZ: Blah, blah, blah, (insert something stupid about Notre Dame here), blah, blah, blah, Notre Dame could beat God in a hot dog eating contest, blah, blah, blah, blah, what do you mean there’s more than one team that plays college football?

"The great thing about Notre Dame is that Notre Dame is Notre Dame."

Okay, one of those quotes may have been exaggerated just a little bit, but you get the general idea. This year, the national media does not like the Tigers chances. Some prognosticators had the Tigers finishing as low as fourth place in the North Division of the Big XII. And for the first time since the Arch Rivalry was renewed, analysts across the board picked the Illinois Fighting Illini to beat Mizzou.

FINAL SCORE: Missouri 37 – Illinois 9.

I’m not one to say I told you so. Instead I will simply reference you to my previous post about the upcoming Tiger season. If it helps, please picture me waving my hands in the air and sticking my tongue out at you.

I understand the media’s pessimistic outlook on the Tigers. It’s hard to be positive about a team that just lost the most successful class in school history. Plus, it is simple protocol for national sports journalists to follow the formula of, “I know nothing about you, therefore, you are a bad team.” For example, look at the national coverage the Tigers received in 2007 before they entered the rankings. College Gameday did not even recognize their existence until the Tigers destroyed Nebraska 41-6 in Columbia, when players like Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin became household names.

Needless to say, several media outlets (including local Mizzou homers) were shocked at how Mizzou performed. Granted Illinois played a sloppy game, but nobody expected the largest Mizzou victory in this rivalry game since the Tigers won 31-3 in 1993, the last time the game was played at Faurot Field in Columbia.

Coach Pinkel wanted to say I told you so, but he couldn’t and is too much of a professional to say such a thing. Instead, he kept things in perspective.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do…Remember we are talking about one game,” Pinkel stressed in a post-game interview. This is fine. This is exactly what a fan wants and needs to hear, especially with the Tigers next game coming against frequent trouble maker, Bowling Green.

"YOU were wrong. And so were YOU and so were YOU!"

I don’t want to jog any bad memories so I will make this quick. In Gary Pinkel’s very first game as Mizzou’s head coach, The Bowling Green Falcon’s upset the Tigers on their home field and walked away with a 20-13 victory. The next year, the Falcons destroyed the Tigers at Bowling Green by the score of 51-28. The Tigers haven’t scheduled the Falcons ever since.

It’s easy to see why Pinkel is concentrating hard on next week. He doesn’t want his team to be overconfident and would really like to makeup for a rough start to his Mizzou career. But there are several things I would be smiling about if I were Gary Pinkel.

1. BLAINE GABBERT

It was one game, but what a way to make your presence known. Gabbert completed 25 of 33 passes, compiled 319 yards with three touchdown passes and topped it off with 39 yards rushing, including an 8-yard touchdown run. His quarterback rating of 186.96 was the highest QB rating of any Big XII quarterback playing last Saturday. It’s just one game, but Gabbert showed he can run the spread offense. The great thing is, Gabbert says he can get better.

"Chase who?" (at least for one game)

If Gabbert can find a way to improve on a very complete game (for a quarterback), Mizzou fans should be salivating about now.


2. DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

Under new defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, the defense held Illinois to nine points; a 33 point improvement from last year. Steckel greatly simplified the Tigers’ defensive scheme and frequently had three pass rushers running down Illini quarterback, Juice Williams, making him rush throws and not giving him enough time to look down field for deep passes, which plagued the defense all of last year. Using three pass rushers is nothing new. In fact, this type of defense has already lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. In 2008, Steve Spagnuolo (then the New York Giants defensive coordinator) used this type of defense, often called a Scorpion defense, to contain Tom Brady and a very explosive New England Patriots offense. Granted it is just one game, but the defense looked much faster and much more responsive this year than it did last year when it gave up 42 points and allowed Juice Williams to throw for 451 yards.


3. STILL UNDER THE RADAR

Mizzou won’t be receiving much national attention this year, which is exactly what Pinkel wants. It allows the Tigers to sneak up on teams and to put a game away before their opponent realizes what just happened. In 2007, the Tigers very quietly got off to a 5-0 start. After gaining the spotlight with a win over Nebraska, the Tigers lost to the Oklahoma Sooners and fell off the national radar. Again, they quietly won five games in a row and rose to number four in the BCS rankings before beating the Kansas Jayhawks on the national stage. No media spotlight means Pinkel has an easier job of keeping his players focused purely on the next game to be played. He doesn’t have to worry about the distractions of frequent interviews and questions about a possible national championship or BCS bowl run. His players can live and play for right now. Just look at last season. The Tigers started off red hot, but with a nation watching and a possible number one ranking waiting, Mizzou stumbled against Oklahoma State and never fully recovered. No attention means no big head. Of course, if the Tigers rattle off the wins, this will all change. In which case, Pinkel will have some experience under his belt and be able to prepare his players better.

Pinkel was right when he said this was just one game and there is plenty of season left. But why not get excited? After all, it’s not everyday that you get to rub a victory in the face of the nation’s sportswriters.

Friday Wrap-Up

As the calendar flips from August to September, baseball season begins to wind down and both the college and NFL football season starts to get under way. It’s also the time that I start realizing that college really is over and that I’m kind of an adult now. With all of that being said (and that last part having absolutely NOTHING to do with anything in this article) here are the three things we learned this week and the three things to look for in the days ahead.

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. THE CARDINALS CAN DEFINITELY WIN AT HOME

Traditionally, the formula for a team to make it to the playoffs is to dominate on their home field and to play .500 ball on the road. The Cardinals had done okay at home, but they definitely have made up for it on the road with a 36-30 record. Before this last nine game home stand, St. Louis was 36-24. To put that in perspective, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the best home record in the National League with a record of 40-25. After going 7-2 on the home stand, the Cards over took the Dodgers for the best home record by a full game. The Cards now stand at 43-26 at home with twelve games left to play at Busch. With the Cardinals able to dominate teams at home and take advantage of a full house every night, home field advantage in the playoffs becomes that much more important and the road to the World Series becomes that much easier.


2. THE OFFENSE IS CAPABLE OF PICKING UP THE PITCHING STAFF

Both Carpenter and Pineiro had off-nights this past week as they left their team trailing after one inning. For the majority of the season, if the Cardinals are trailing after just one inning, the game is usually over. Before this week, the Cards were 6-25 when their opponent took an early lead. But two nights in a row the Cardinals erased an early 3-0 deficit for Pineiro and an early 1-0 deficit for Carpenter. After about a two week stretch where the offense barely hit .230, it was nice to see the pitchers get a lift and not have to be perfect for nine innings. If both the pitching and offense can get rolling together come the playoffs, this team is looking unstoppable against anybody.



3. THE SCOTT LINEHAN FOOTBALL DRAFTS WERE JUST AWFUL

This fact was probably already known by many fans, but the trading of Tye Hill to the Falcons for a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft essentially just confirmed it. This was just a poor pick as Hill was drafted way too high. People forget that Hill’s pick in the draft by the Rams was actually acquired via a trade with the Broncos. The Rams traded their 11th overall pick to the Broncos for the 15th overall and the 68th overall. The Rams drafted Tye Hill with the 15th pick and defensive tackle Claude Wroten. The Broncos drafted quarterback Jay Cutler with the 11th pick (you may have heard of this guy). Cutler has gone on to have a productive and very promising career. Wroten missed four games in 2007 and the whole season in 2008 after he failed to comply with the NFL’s substance abuse policy three different times. He now plays with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS

If the Cardinals sweep the Pirates this weekend, Pittsburgh will officially be eliminated from the playoffs and will clinch another losing season. While this may not seem significant, three more losses will break a Major League record. With their 82nd loss this season, the Pirates will break the Philadelphia Phillies record for consecutive losing seasons with 17. The Pirates have not had a winning season (or a trip to the playoffs) since 1992. The Phillies had 16 consecutive losing seasons from 1933-1948. Not only will this be a Major League Baseball record, but no team in any of the four major sports has ever had 17 consecutive losing seasons.

It’s amazing how such a historic franchise has become a minor league team to the rest of baseball. Does anyone realize how many great players have come up through the Pirates system? Here’s a look at a lineup the Pirates could have potentially fielded this year if they hadn’t traded away all of their players.

1B: Adam LaRoche
2B: Freddy Sanchez (2006 batting champion)
3B: Aramis Ramirez
SS: Jack Wilson (still leads the league in flashy plays)
LF: Jason Bay (3-time All-Star, 2004 Rookie of the Year)
CF: Xavier Nady
RF: Brian Giles
C: Jason Kendall (2,062 career hits, .290 career batting average)
SP: Ian Snell
CLOSER: Mike Gonzalez

That’s not the best lineup in the National League, but it’s definitely competitive and not an easy one for any starting pitcher to face.

2. WHO ARE THE MISSOURI TIGERS?

After two record setting seasons, the Tigers will take the field at the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday in the annual Arch Rivalry Game against the Illinois Fighting Illini. No team in the Big XII this year has more question marks this season than the Tigers. After losing superstars Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, William Moore, Ziggy Hood and Jeff Wolfert (who was the most accurate place kicker in the history of NCAA football), it’s hard to grade where the Tigers will be. The team will definitely look to improve on defense from last year, when they ranked 116th out of 118 teams. The biggest question of all is can Blaine Gabbert orchestrate the spread offense? He has one year under his belt and had the privilege of watching Chase Daniel (the master of the spread offense) run the spread almost to perfection. Illinois will prove to be a good team to read the Tigers as the Illini are ranked 27th nationally and the Tigers are ranked 47th. This season will also solidify Pinkel as either a one-hit wonder with recruiting classes or a recruiting genius. If this team ends up going to a bowl game, Pinkel will have officially changed the face of the Tiger program.

My prediction: 8-4 with a trip to the Sun Bowl (Sorry. I’m a Homer when it comes to the Tigers and sometimes I’m blindly optimistic).

3. WAINWRIGHT TRIES TO SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM THE PACK

Cy Young or not, Adam Wainwright will end up having one of the best seasons by a Cardinal pitcher since Chris Carpenter in 2005. Right now, Wainwright and San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum are neck and neck for the NL Cy Young. Last night, Lincecum lost to the Phillies in a pitcher’s duel, 2-1. However, he still struck out eleven batters. While Wainwright can’t possibly pass Lincecum in total strikeouts, he can extend his Major League lead with his 17th win tonight against the Pirates. Depending on how well and how deep Wainwright goes into the game, Wainwright can overtake Lincecum for the 2nd lowest ERA in the National League and only trail the Cardinals other ace, Chris Carpenter.

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute opinion.