Cole not sharp but still punctures Yankees, 4-1
By HAL McCOY Gerrit Cole was not his omnipotent self Tuesday afternoon in Yankee Stadium, but when Cole is on the mound omnipotence isn’t always necessary. And the New York Yankees discovered that the hard way in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Cole worked without command of his normal fastball, a pitch […]
Nationals one win away from the World Series
By HAL McCOY Figuring out baseball is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while wearing a blindfold. It can’t be done. The St. Louis Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in the deciding game of the National League Division Series. That moved the Cardinals into the National League […]
OBSERVATIONS: NFL officials playing ‘Drop the Hankie’
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while wondering if the St. Louis Cardinals can get a hit against the Washington Nationals before the seventh inning. If I’m St. Louis leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler tonight in Game 3, I drop a bunt in the first inning and run like hell. —I always thought […]
OBSERVATIONS: Picking the Nationals to win it all
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while loving the way the baseball playoffs are going: The Big Blue Empire (Los Angeles Dodgers) is gone and the low budget Tampa Bay Rays made a statement. Both the Cardinals-Nationals and Astros-Yankees should be dandy LCS match-ups. My picks? A Nationals-Astros World Series. And remember, […]
Cardinals score 10 in first, eliminate Braves
By HAL McCOY If fans saw the top half of the first inning Wednesday between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves, they saw it all — and then some. The half-inning lasted longer than Atlanta starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz’s last name. And he last as long as first name. The Cardinals scored 10 […]
Rays rip Verlander, even series at 2-2
By HAL McCOY Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch decided to put a quick end to his team’s American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Needing one win to end it, Hinch decided to start Justin Verlander in Game Four Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. And that was even though Verlander was pitching on […]
The almighty home run saves Rays, Cardinals
By HAL McCOY This is the Chinese Year of the Pig. And the Chinese also celebrate years of the rat, ox, rabbit and dragon, among others. Are we not certain that this might really be the Chinese Year of the Home Run? Back before political correctness evolved, any cheap home run, one hit down the […]
‘V’ for victory when Verlander pitches one-hitter
By HAL McCOY With Houston’s Justin Verlander on the mound, the Tampa Bay Rays knew runs would come at a premium. How about hits? The Rays not only didn’t score any runs, they barely scraped a hit off Verlander in Game One of the American League Division Series Friday afternoon. It was as if Verlander […]
Cardinals survive defensive doldrums, late Braves home runs to win 7-6
By HAL McCOY The St. Louis Cardinals, normally defensive dandies, tried their darndest to give away a game Thursday night. Early in Game One of the National League Division Series, the Cardinals played defense as if they didn’t know the definition if they had a dictionary in their hands. Lax defense gave the Atlanta Braves […]