Tag Archives: Skip Schumaker

Cardinals Throwback Thursday: Aaron Miles’ Walk-Off Grand Slam

Posted on by
Reply

With the 2014 regular season just four (Yadi!) days away, this will be the final Cardinals Throwback Thursday post for a while. What better way to make an impact than with a career highlight from the blog’s namesake — the only walk-off homer of his career, which just happened to be a grand slam?

AMslamThe date was July 20, 2008. It was, believe it or not, Jaime Garcia’s first major league start and second big-league appearance, and the Cards starting lineup that day included Skip Schumaker, Aaron batting second, Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, Chris Duncan, Jason LaRue and Adam Kennedy. Oh, and Jaime hit eighth.

It was a Sunday afternoon just after the All-Star break, the conclusion of a four-game series against the San Diego Padres. The Cardinals had taken the first three games, plus won their final game before the All-Star break, so they had a nice streak going. According to Matthew Leach’s article at Cardinals.com, it was “a definitively miserable St. Louis summer day.”

Continue reading →

Catching Up With the Cardinals, Current and Former Edition

Posted on by
Reply

With spring training games under way (Michael Wacha today — yay!) plus the opportunity to get a look at the newest Cardinals, it also means we have the chance to see those who’ve moved on to other teams.

Yep, it still feels weird.

Freese-angels

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I had the chance to see the highlight of David Freese’s first Angels spring at-bat on MLB Network on Friday. Since he was in red, that wasn’t too jarring — but seeing the 6 on his back is definitely different. The result of a ground-out? Well, yeah, we’ve seen that before. Not that spring results matter, especially at-bats in the first game.

Here’s an article on Freeser from the Los Angeles Times and his perspective on leaving his hometown team. And, though the pic above is not from the Times article, he looks a little awkward … although we should probably be thankful the photo is not as awkward as all the Angels photos this year have been.

Skip+Schumaker+Cincinnati+Reds+Photo+Day+h7Koaytz7xJlSpeaking of awkward former Cardinals photos, thanks to Kelly for passing this one of Skip Schumaker along. Well, “thanks” meaning “ugh, yeah, we’ll share the pain of this with you.”

Because, yeah, it is nice to see Skip in red again … sure, but not that red.

And apparently Reds writers feel the same way, saying that Skip spent eight years with the “much-despised Cardinals.” Although isn’t Hal McCoy the one who wrote the article with the infamous and idiotic Brandon Phillips quotes back in 2010? And Phillips and “that” whole thing is referenced in here, as well as in this article from the Reds MLB.com site, as Skip calls him the “best second baseman in the big leagues.”

Ouch.

Continue reading →

Mariano Rivera, Skip Schumaker and Michael Wacha — Oh My!

Posted on by
Reply

What do the just-retired greatest closer of all time, a Cardinal-turned-Dodger-now-turned Red and the Cardinals rookie sensation all have in common? Nothing, it would seem — yet posts we wrote about those three were what you read the most at Aaron Miles’ Fastball in 2013.

12-31 collageAfter looking at our picks for the top five stories of the year yesterday, we close out the year today with a look at the most-read posts. And, as you can already see, it’s certainly not a Cardinals only list — although of course they dominate the list. Just not at the top.

No, our No. 1 post of the year (in terms of readership numbers) is one about the man who is used to ending things instead of starting them, Mariano Rivera. Watching the All-Star Game tribute to Mo on July 16 reminded me of the time my Yankees friend Kat and I went to Busch Stadium in 2005 for the Yankees-Cardinals series. We had the opportunity to see something very few people probably even noticed before that Sunday’s game, which I wrote about in The Tale of Mariano Rivera and The Ball Thrown Out of Busch Stadium. It was a fun, entertaining post — and it ended up in Deadspin (which was a surreal moment, and one I had to capture via screenshot). So lots and lots and lots of people ended up reading about what Mo did that day, and it was by far our most read post of the year.

deadspin Continue reading →

Action, Drama And The Right Ending In Game Four Blockbuster

Posted on by
3

Game Four of the NLCS was like an epic action movie — dramatic moments, heroes both predictable and less so who face rough times, villains also predictable and less so, enough tension to keep you interested up until the very end. And, thankfully, the right ending with the heroes emerging triumphant: Cardinals 4, Dodgers 2.

collage 10-15Yes, the win gives the Cardinals a 3-1 advantage in the NLCS. But all Cardinals fans should know well enough nothing is guaranteed yet — didn’t we see a certain movie last year where the “heroes” ultimately wore black and orange, not red as good guys always should? So this epic tale is not finished quite yet …

But the latest installment was ultimately quite fulfilling.

And, as with any good story, it’s outcome was not predictable at the beginning.

To start with, not everyone was happy with director Mike Matheny’s choice for last night’s lead role, Lance Lynn. And those who voiced such displeasure before the game felt like they were the correct ones when Lynn ran into trouble in the second inning — a quick check of Twitter at the time more than made that perfectly clear. Then again a one-out single, walk, line out and another walk to load the bases, albeit to the catcher with pitcher Ricky Nolasco up next, can cause such reactions. But perhaps Lynn just wanted to keep everyone watching involved in the game, as Nolasco was called out on strikes.

Continue reading →

Letter To The (Now) Cardinals Enemy: Skip Schumaker

Posted on by
3

Dear Skip,

Ah, yes indeed, our dearest and beloved Skippy! Congratulations should be in order first of all, to you and your Dodgers on making it to the National League Championship Series. Way to go!

LOS ANGELES DODGERS WORKOUTYou guys definitely have had quite a season, from being in last place in the National League West on June 30 to being the first team in the majors to clinch a playoff spot when you won your division — and the team definitely knew how to celebrate that accomplishment, right? Then you took care of the Braves in the NLDS rather easily in four games.

Which leads us to where we are today: Dodgers vs. Cardinals in the NLCS for the first time since 1985, first team to four wins moves to the World Series while the other team goes home.

Should be quite the match-up. As you are well aware, it’s the third straight year for the Cards in the NLCS — and your third straight year there too. But, adored as you still are among Cardinals fans, we’re rooting that you’ve had your last celebration in 2013. We have to, unapologetically.

Continue reading →

Hopefully, Cardinals, That Will Be The Only Star Wars Night

Posted on by
2

What’s that saying — it’s all fun and games until somebody takes a line drive off the elbow?

Westbrook 8-7

Yes, Jake, we felt the same way. (Photo: St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Yeah. That was Star Wars Night at Busch Stadium. Two pitches, a Carl Crawford liner, Shelby Miller out of the game.

Then there were the nine runs allowed by Jake Westbrook (including six during his first inning of relief), four allowed by Keith Butler and four RBI by Skip Schumaker as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-4.

But, hey, Rob Johnson pitched! Yes, the Cards backup catcher faced Dodgers relief pitcher Paco Rodriguez — and got a strikeout. (Not even our blog namesake ever got a K in his five career innings pitched.) It was the first time a Cardinal position player took the mound since Mr. Schumaker himself, back on Aug. 23, 2011, coincidentally against the Dodgers (and our namesake had a role in that game as well).

Continue reading →