Cardinals TV announcer calls Brewers disrespectful

[Ennder]

Braun is a roughly average LF and he is improving. I would take his defense over Soriano's any day of the week though Soriano has a cannon for an arm that makes up for his poor fielding.

[lcbj68c]

Tedaldtada29 had it spot on in my opinion. The only thing I'll add is that it appears to me that he initially rolled over to his back was to show the umpire that he indeed had the ball and was not hiding it or trapping a ball that might have rolled out of his glove. "Here it is, I've got it" (Arms outstretched, etc). Then when he looks back to the infield, he sees the out call, he relaxes a moment and smiles, taking in a nice play that we all dreamed of making playing baseball.

[Bruce Ciskie]

I just laugh it off at this point.

 

They want to think of the Brewers as brash and disrespectful, and that's fine. I just don't see a lot of difference between our team and the rest of baseball.

[JohnBriggs12]

Braun is a roughly average LF and he is improving. I would take his defense over Soriano's any day of the week though Soriano has a cannon for an arm that makes up for his poor fielding.

Braun's better than average in LF. That doesn't make him a great OF but the standard in LF is pretty low. You can discount all you want that he's yet to make an error in a year and a quarter but that's a pretty impressive accomplishment. More and more he's taking better angles and making more than the routine play. Just last week I was at a game vs. the Marlins where he took a perfect angle to run down a ball on the track. I don't think he makes that play early last year.

[jjfanec]

Is there a big difference in terms of what is and is not show-boating in baseball opposed to football? I understand they are different games but when Brett Favre would make a big play he would run around and do all sorts of crazy things and no one I know ever called him a showboat. It may just be the difference in the games and the history, tradition, etc, but only a couple of the times have I seen Braun be what could be described as a showboat, most other times he just seems geniunely excited in what what happened, like the catch last night. I have watched the clip and see absolutely nothing wrong with it and I have thought Braun has showboated before

[Postseason2006]

Unreal... Does anyone remember the showboating Soriano has done making catches in left. In fact, Braun IS a better fielder than that loafer.

[TooLiveBrew]

Yep, at this point it is embarrassing how much of a hard-on other teams have for Braun. They are making up slights at every chance.

 

Oh, and the StL color commentator was back at it again last night. Apparently Braun's sliding catch later in the game was just too much. The dipwad kept talking about it, and how unnecessary the slide was.

 

The long & short of this to me is..

 

1) Idiots are getting upset & slinging mud

2) We are getting upset that mud is being slung

3) We are trying to rationalize what is essentially irrational behavior & thought processes from said idiots

4) We are getting frustrated, annoyed, and confused

 

 

If there were people getting upset here in the St. Louis camp that weren't complete & utter jags, I would probably feel there is an issue to address. As it stands, one or two mediots are getting the soft-skulled fans of the Cards (not saying all Cards fans are...) to transfer their frustrations of pwnage at the hands of the Brewers onto some actions about which they know zilch.

 

 

HEY! STOP KICKING OUR TEAM'S BUTT!

 

*announcer blabbers & whines about unrelated matters...*

 

HEY! STOP UNTUCKING YOUR SHIRT, MAKING DIVING PLAYS, AND IN GENERAL MOPPING THE FLOOR WITH OUR TEAM!

 

 

To me, this is all that's happening. I really can't get myself to feel offended and/or intrigued enough to care. Basically, the Cards are pissed we're beating the snot out of them. They then project some unrelated perceptions of the Brewers being a bunch of punk kids onto that frustration.

 

Remember that awesome, gorgeous, amazing, attractive girl/guy that you've been ogling for months? You ask him/her out, and for some reason are shot down... heck, even in a legit & classy manner ('Sorry, someone else already asked me out')... all of a sudden that same person sucks, and isn't attractive anymore... even though the only thing that's changed is what you're projecting on him/her. Yeah, that's my convoluted analogy.

 

 

I would take his defense over Soriano's any day of the week though Soriano has a cannon for an arm that makes up for his poor fielding

 

Braun's displayed a pretty nice arm out in LF as well. I agree that Braun > Soriano in the field (& overall) any day of the week & twice on Sundays.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I recall several instances where Soriano's stupid hop before catching a routine fly ball has actually caused him to drop it. He's terrified of running into the wall, so he plays extremely deep. He has good athleticism and range in the outfield, but it isn't any better than Braun. He does have a solid OF arm, but often times he's having to throw guys out trying for a double or at the plate because he wasn't able to make a better play on the ball to keep a runner from trying to take the extra base.

 

Of the two great plays Braun made last night, Soriano maybe makes that first catch if he gets a great jump - but there's no way you'd ever see him flying into the picture in center field to make a play on a ball the center fielder misjudged.

 

I think we'd all agree that neither is a gold glover, but I'd take Braun at this stage in his development as a left fielder over Soriano 100% of the time. Guy's still learning the position, and it was a great move to get him off third base and move him to a position where he may become an asset defensively to go along with his elite offense. Soriano's past the age when you hope for more development - he is what he is, a middling defender who's only going to get slower and worse as he gets older.

[Bikeage77]

'He didn't have to slide for that...'. You could tell that he thought Braun did it just to make himself look great or something. To me, it looked like he flew out of nowhere to make the play, so I don't know what he is talking about.

After watching the replay, he may not have had to slide for it, but at the same time, he may have had to only because he would have overran it otherwise. Similar to how Yount felt about Murry's hit during Nieves no hitter.

 

I personally would love if we would get the "bad boy" treatment. I don't think we're that at all, no one is getting caught doing inappropriate things off field. There is probably a homerun staredown every night by someone on any given team. If we do it once in awhile, is it a big deal? I think it'd be a bit much if we were up 7-0, but to take the lead in the 8th? Totally acceptable. I think it fuels the team to have that reputation, and if it works, run with it.

[TooLiveBrew]

The attitude of the Brewers has certainly seemed to just embrace all the erroneous assumptions people are making about the untuck'em & just say, 'Oh, we're cocky & arrogant because we do that? Alright... sure. We... do it because we're better than you, yeah that's it!'

 

Honestly that's the point where I find myself arriving on this. Nothing about the untucking is arrogant or anything less than harmless... but if it can mess with inside opponents' heads if there's this aura of swagger & arrogance, go for it. The Cards couldn't even carry the collective jocks of the Brewers this past series, and if this whole nonsenical 'saga' has anything to do with it, great!

 

 

EDIT: Reminds me a bit of how the Beatles played with people when the 'Paul is dead' rumors came out. Just go with it http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[monty57]

For some reason, I only got the St Louis feed of one game this weekend, and although I was expecting the worst, I actually thought they were pretty respectful of the Brewers. They did a sit down interview with Hoffman before the game, went on and on about what a great person and knowledgeable pitcher Suppan is. Of Braun, they said he was the type that got better if the opposing fans booed him (Al likened him to himself in this regard). They said most players melt under that type of pressure, but some revel in it. They also explained the reason the Brewers untuck their shirts and said something to the effect of "some people take it as showing up the other team." I kind of enjoyed the broadcast.

 

Of course fans on both sides are going to blow everything out of proportion... that's what a rivalry is all about, right?

[wisconsinfan47]

Here we go with the cubs fans too:

"The Braun catch was a nice catch, but you know what? Adam dunn, Chris Duncan, and other mediocre left fielders have made diving catches also. But unlike those guys, they lacked the showboating after it."

Maybe next time Braun should try skipping, instead of making a snow angel. Cub fans should surely find that acceptable.

Little would make me laugh more than seeing Braun hopskip on a flyball to left for the final out of a Brewers win at Wrigley.

[Baldkin]

You can discount all you want that he's yet to make an error in a year and a quarter but that's a pretty impressive accomplishment. More and more he's taking better angles and making more than the routine play. Just last week I was at a game vs. the Marlins where he took a perfect angle to run down a ball on the track. I don't think he makes that play early last year.

The thing is, he still makes really poor judgement on some balls sometimes. Diving and missing a ball by a few feet instead of inches against the Cubs. Obviously, that will all come with time, and his situational awareness needs to improve as well.

A two out single doesn't hurt nearly as bad as a missed dive turned into a double or triple. These are things he'll need to have drilled in his head, when to take the chance, and when not to. Hopefully it will come with time. He's better than he was, and hopefully he keeps on improving.

[monty57]

I agree that mistakes in the outfield hurt, probably more than mistakes in the infield. However, everyone occasionally misjudges a play and lets one through. Would you say that Braun dives and misses balls more often than an average left fielder?

 

I'm not a proponent of moving players around to different positions, but I've been pleasantly surprised by how well Braun has adjusted to a position he'd never played. By no means is he an elite fielder, but I agree with the poster that said the bar for LFs is set pretty low. Braun is at least an average fielder at this point, with the potential to become pretty good.

[T B0NE 10]

My take on the Braun hating by PIT, CHC, and STL is that they just get a little pissed because he's good. Kinda like how some of us don't care for Pujols.

[saxyman1004]

I just don't see a lot of difference between our team and the rest of baseball.

The difference is the Brewers used to be the punching bag. Pittsburgh is lashing out because we are what they want to be. Chicago and STL are pouting because they can no longer mark Milwaukee as an automatic W. Braun takes the brunt of it because he tends to make a spectacle of himself. Which I love. God forbid a young ballplayer enjoy playing the game. It's great when ballplayers show some emotion on the field. It's entertaining, which is kind of the entire point of watching.

 

I read in the MJS that Braun went into the clubhouse to see his diving catch and said, "That's the best catch I ever saw." That is hilarious and anyone who can't laugh at that either has no sense of humor, or is chugging the Haterade.

[davego]

I suggested this in the in-game chat, but if opposing teams have an issue with the shirts being untucked...then for a bit I'd like to see the players hike their pants up really, really high. Like under the armpits. Run off the field like that and revel in the reaction.

[Invader3K]

I just don't see a lot of difference between our team and the rest of baseball.

The difference is the Brewers used to be the punching bag. Pittsburgh is lashing out because we are what they want to be. Chicago and STL are pouting because they can no longer mark Milwaukee as an automatic W. Braun takes the brunt of it because he tends to make a spectacle of himself. Which I love. God forbid a young ballplayer enjoy playing the game. It's great when ballplayers show some emotion on the field. It's entertaining, which is kind of the entire point of watching.

 

I read in the MJS that Braun went into the clubhouse to see his diving catch and said, "That's the best catch I ever saw." That is hilarious and anyone who can't laugh at that either has no sense of humor, or is chugging the Haterade.

I agree 100%.

 

Pittsburgh is the really amusing case to me. For so long, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh were the co-cellar dwellers of the division, and the only thing either team had to brag about was playing in a brand new state of the art facility. For something like 13 seasons they shared a record of futility, and the Pirates even did their best to stop them from having a winning season in '05 (which they were able to do). Now the Brewers have become a model for running a baseball franchise "the right way", while the Pirates are on their way to their 17th straight losing season. I do sort of feel for them, but at the same time their angst towards the Brewers is mis-directed.

[pitchleague]

I, literally, just finished teaching my last class of the school year. Yeah, I untuckem'd to celebrate a year on the job well done.

 

Surprisingly, not one single person was offended by this. MUST be a St. Louis only thing. My field study proves it.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Anyone get any good feedback from the ultimate gold standard of how to play, act and watch the game after today's run-off win?

[BrewCrewForever]

I wonder what the Cardinals thought of the run off? They had to be upset about it. I thought it was awesome.

[sauveb]

The runoff was classic in your face. I loved it but I hope it doesn't come back to haunt us.

[lcbj68c]

What's this run-off you speak of?

[hawing]

As soon as the winning run crossed home plate today, all Brewers on the field immediately ran back into the dugout/clubhouse. There was no line of high fives on the field after the game. Of course, since the game ended in a walkoff, most of the Brewers were already in the dugout.

 

If STL nation is still ticked by that, I wonder what will please them...short of the Brewers never winning again.

[lcbj68c]

My Extra Innings feed always cuts to black immediately right after the game, did not get to see that. Did it seem kind of "in your face"?