It's funny to say after a 21-7 loss to our in-state rival but that was one of the better games Florida played all year with one glaring exception... 4 interceptions!!
Only 4 penalties for 25 yards in the entire game. That's a big improvement over some of the midseason numbers. The defense looked amazing! The "other team" attempted 46 rushes for only 30 yards while passing for only 65 yards. Even though they were held under 100 total yards for the game, those 4 interceptions set up 21 points. The first scoring drive went for 20 yards. The second scoring drive went for 4 yards. The third score was an interception return for touchdown. And there you have it, 24 yards on offense and 21 points.
John Brantley had his worst game of the season, 3 interceptions in just under one half of work. After the second interception I thought we might see Brissett at some point. It turns out after the third interception, Brantley was injured and so Brissett did get snaps. The offensive line didn't open any running lanes and losing 2 linemen to injury during the game didn't help.
Florida's only score also came after a turnover, the only one the Gators were able to force. After middle linebacker Michael Taylor forced a fumble, the offense took over at the opponent's 21 yard line. First down saw a 15 yard pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 6 yard line where the Gators completed a 6 yard pass for a touchdown.
So all of the scoring for the day came after turnovers and the longest drive for points was 21 yards. Definitely a day dominated by the defenses. The difference was the turnovers. Bottom line: their defense outscored our defense.
I didn't hear it mentioned very often throughout the season but Florida was playing with only 72 players on scholarship, with a few of those being walk ons that earned scholarships this year. For those who don't know, 85 is the maximum allowed as well as the standard that most teams keep. With only 72 scholarship players, depth was an issue all year long. The team was also a young team with only 17 seniors and 17 juniors on scholarship. This needs to be a huge recruiting class with enough talent to push the current young guys who are starting. Whether or not the growing pains of the season will lead to lessons learned and more cohesive play won't be known until next year. I'm hopeful that this season is akin to 2007 when the Gators were coming off of a championship season with a very, very young team that was pushed around at times. After the growing pains of 2007, 2008 was a championship season and 2009 was nearly so. The bowl game will be interesting. There isn't a 6-6 team out there that Florida should not shut down defensively. On offense I'd like to see Brissett start the game so they can get a jumpstart on next season. That would be a slight to Brantley in his senior season however so maybe the freshman can play the second half.
Well, that was Florida football for 2011. I suspect Muschamp & Co. will need to win at least 8 games to keep the fans hopeful that this is moving in the right direction next year. I don't believe next year's schedules are finalized with the 2 new SEC members, Missouri and Texas A&M joining the conference. I suppose the good news is that Alabama should definitely be off of the schedule next year.
Just Joe
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Worst Liar Ever
So Urban Meyer continues to deny that there is any agreement for him to coach Ohio State. Pretty interesting considering there are reports of the exact length and amount of the contract. Then I turn on the Michigan/Ohio State football game this afternoon and there's his broadcast team calling the game... without him. It turns out he asked to be taken off of his regular ESPN duties this weekend. Really, Urban? Did you just need a weekend off to spend with your family? If you're trying to give the illusion of having respect for the rivalry game, why not just have respect for the rivalry game and not talk contract until after the game?
Does anyone else think it would be interesting if Ohio State loses this game to finish 6-6 and the Florida Gators lose tonight to finish 6-6 AND those two teams met in a bowl game?
Just Joe
Does anyone else think it would be interesting if Ohio State loses this game to finish 6-6 and the Florida Gators lose tonight to finish 6-6 AND those two teams met in a bowl game?
Just Joe
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Florida Gators -- Week #12
I've always wondered what would happen if a far superior football team took the field against a random, far inferior football team without any preparation. Would the strategies and cohesiveness of the inferior team be able to overcome the superior skill level of the other team? Well, my question was answered in the first quarter of Florida's 54-32 win against FCS Furman.
Furman came out running the option with 2 receivers in the slot, which according to Coach Muschamp, they hadn't run a single play of the entire season. So there were the mighty Gators running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I would figure that in an auction game that they've never seen before, plenty of assignments on the outside would be missed but I wouldn't expect to see the middle of the defensive line look like Swiss cheese. The Paladins confounded the Gators and jumped out to a 15-0 lead. For the record, 2 of those points came on a bad snap for safety. Then after Florida seemed to settle in offensively to cut the lead to 15-7, Furman answered with their longest drive yet, 5 plays for 72 yards and a touchdown to regain a 15 point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second-quarter looked a lot more like people were expecting. Of the 4 Furman drives in the quarter, 3 of them were 3-and-outs. The three Gators touchdown drives: 7 plays, 65 yards; 1 play, 80 yards; and 2 plays, 34 yards. Mix in a missed field goal attempt and a failed 2 point conversion and the gators led 27-22 at the half.
Third-quarter was a 10-10 stalemate. Both teams started out with field goal drives and then traded 3 punts. Then on a drive's first play, Brantley hit Andre Debose for a 64 yard touchdown. It was Brantley and Debose who had hooked up on the 80 yarder earlier. Not to be outdone, on Furman's first play on the next drive, a 77 yard run right through the defensive line. It was disappointing to see no defender be able to catch the Furman running back in time. It was also disappointing that the Gators were unable to pull away from this feisty team. End of the third, 37-32.
In the fourth quarter, the defense finally flexed some muscle. After an early field goal, the Gators scored on 2 "pick sixes." Although the second didn't come until only a few minutes were left, it came during a drive in which the lead could have been cut to one score.
Overall I give A LOT of credit to Furman. Having said that, it did seem as though Florida came out with little energy, perhaps looking forward to this week's showdown with FSU. In the first and third quarters it seemed as though the Gators were really trying to establish a running game. The offensive line was dominated in the run game as Florida managed just 124 yards the entire game. Take out Chris Rainey's 37 yard scamper and you're looking at under 90 yards! Take out the two interceptions for touchdowns and you're looking at a much closer game. Take out the explosive and somewhat flukish 80 yard and 64 yard touchdown passes and who knows what kind of game you have. (I consider those plays flukish because even though Florida has hit a few of them this year, you cannot count on making those plays every game.)
So a disappointing win if there is such a thing. They'll clearly have to play MUCH better to have any shot against FSU in the Swamp. If the Gators can get decent field position I would expect to see a vast array of trick plays as Charlie Weis empties out the playbook. 7-5 would look a heck of a lot better than 6-6. Go Gators!
Just Joe
Furman came out running the option with 2 receivers in the slot, which according to Coach Muschamp, they hadn't run a single play of the entire season. So there were the mighty Gators running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I would figure that in an auction game that they've never seen before, plenty of assignments on the outside would be missed but I wouldn't expect to see the middle of the defensive line look like Swiss cheese. The Paladins confounded the Gators and jumped out to a 15-0 lead. For the record, 2 of those points came on a bad snap for safety. Then after Florida seemed to settle in offensively to cut the lead to 15-7, Furman answered with their longest drive yet, 5 plays for 72 yards and a touchdown to regain a 15 point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second-quarter looked a lot more like people were expecting. Of the 4 Furman drives in the quarter, 3 of them were 3-and-outs. The three Gators touchdown drives: 7 plays, 65 yards; 1 play, 80 yards; and 2 plays, 34 yards. Mix in a missed field goal attempt and a failed 2 point conversion and the gators led 27-22 at the half.
Third-quarter was a 10-10 stalemate. Both teams started out with field goal drives and then traded 3 punts. Then on a drive's first play, Brantley hit Andre Debose for a 64 yard touchdown. It was Brantley and Debose who had hooked up on the 80 yarder earlier. Not to be outdone, on Furman's first play on the next drive, a 77 yard run right through the defensive line. It was disappointing to see no defender be able to catch the Furman running back in time. It was also disappointing that the Gators were unable to pull away from this feisty team. End of the third, 37-32.
In the fourth quarter, the defense finally flexed some muscle. After an early field goal, the Gators scored on 2 "pick sixes." Although the second didn't come until only a few minutes were left, it came during a drive in which the lead could have been cut to one score.
Overall I give A LOT of credit to Furman. Having said that, it did seem as though Florida came out with little energy, perhaps looking forward to this week's showdown with FSU. In the first and third quarters it seemed as though the Gators were really trying to establish a running game. The offensive line was dominated in the run game as Florida managed just 124 yards the entire game. Take out Chris Rainey's 37 yard scamper and you're looking at under 90 yards! Take out the two interceptions for touchdowns and you're looking at a much closer game. Take out the explosive and somewhat flukish 80 yard and 64 yard touchdown passes and who knows what kind of game you have. (I consider those plays flukish because even though Florida has hit a few of them this year, you cannot count on making those plays every game.)
So a disappointing win if there is such a thing. They'll clearly have to play MUCH better to have any shot against FSU in the Swamp. If the Gators can get decent field position I would expect to see a vast array of trick plays as Charlie Weis empties out the playbook. 7-5 would look a heck of a lot better than 6-6. Go Gators!
Just Joe
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Florida Gators -- Week #11
*Heavy Sigh*
Defense played inconsistently well in allowing just 17 points.
As for the rest... see Week 1 thrue Week 10 wrapups; poor red zone offense, turnovers, fewer penalties but still at crucial times, etc.
*Heavy sigh*
Just Joe
Defense played inconsistently well in allowing just 17 points.
As for the rest... see Week 1 thrue Week 10 wrapups; poor red zone offense, turnovers, fewer penalties but still at crucial times, etc.
*Heavy sigh*
Just Joe
Friday, November 11, 2011
Florida Gators -- Week #10
So this will be a quick one to catch me up before tomorrow's game against South Carolina.
The first half against Vanderbilt really looked great. Offensively, defensively, nothing really seemed to be lacking. That probably explains the 17-0 halftime score. The worrisome part is the 26-21 final score.
In the Alabama game, the Gators had early leads of 7-0 and 10-7. Against Georgia, the Gators led at the half 17-10. Both of those games ended up as losses. I don't have the patience to go back and look at the diminished leads that occurred in victories but there is a definite trend I've noticed. The Gators start out strong and look well prepared. But as the games go on, opponents make adjustments that slow the Gators down offensively and and put them on their heels defensively. Unfortunately, the turnaround doesn't simply last a series or two. It seems the coaches do not make the necessary adjustments on the fly. It's quite disturbing and once again quite surprising coming from a staff with so much NFL experience.
Since South Carolina's future NFL running back is out this week, I'll give the Gators a slight chance, especially if they can jump out to an early lead and force the Gamecocks to have to throw often. If South Carolina did have Marcus Lattimore available, we would see a repeat of the Alabama and LSU games... the defensive line being pushed around with no one being able to tackle the big fast guy with the ball. I still expect to see that at times tomorrow, but as always, I'm hopeful.
Just Joe
The first half against Vanderbilt really looked great. Offensively, defensively, nothing really seemed to be lacking. That probably explains the 17-0 halftime score. The worrisome part is the 26-21 final score.
In the Alabama game, the Gators had early leads of 7-0 and 10-7. Against Georgia, the Gators led at the half 17-10. Both of those games ended up as losses. I don't have the patience to go back and look at the diminished leads that occurred in victories but there is a definite trend I've noticed. The Gators start out strong and look well prepared. But as the games go on, opponents make adjustments that slow the Gators down offensively and and put them on their heels defensively. Unfortunately, the turnaround doesn't simply last a series or two. It seems the coaches do not make the necessary adjustments on the fly. It's quite disturbing and once again quite surprising coming from a staff with so much NFL experience.
Since South Carolina's future NFL running back is out this week, I'll give the Gators a slight chance, especially if they can jump out to an early lead and force the Gamecocks to have to throw often. If South Carolina did have Marcus Lattimore available, we would see a repeat of the Alabama and LSU games... the defensive line being pushed around with no one being able to tackle the big fast guy with the ball. I still expect to see that at times tomorrow, but as always, I'm hopeful.
Just Joe
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Florida Gators -- Week #9
So obviously I'm way behind on posting my Gators wrapups but this was from the miserable 24-20 loss to the Georgia Bullsh-ts. (So much for nonbiased reporting.)
Still with the penalties!!! Even after a bye week, no improvement is shown! Of course, the bye week didn't seem to help in any aspect of the game. The defensive line got zero pressure on the quarterback unless sending extra defenders on the blitz. The offense of line pass blocking and run blocking was soooo inconsistent. And on the rare occasion that anyone was given time in the pocket, receivers could not get open. There were a grand total of 2 completions to wide receivers and one of those turned into a lost fumble! Knowing how frustrating it was to watch, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to coach.
Speaking of the coaching, since I'm usually quick to point out when I disagree with a Muschamp game decision, I'll point out another... but this time Coach gets credit for making the right call. In the fourth quarter, down 24-20 with 8:06 left, there was a 4th & 2 at about the Georgia 42 yard line. My call was to go for it since we may not get that close again. Muschamp decided to punt. The punt was downed inside the 5 yard line and the defense forced a 3 and out. One terrible punt later and the Gators had the ball 1st & 10 at the Georgia 40 yard line. Great call by Coach "Boom!"
The only other notes I have are about the unbelievable kick returns the Gators pulled off. One kickoff return for a touchdown and another well into Georgia territory setting up a field goal. Jordan Reed showed up a bit which was nice to see... even though I jumped off his bandwagon last week. The lack of offensive rhythm was painful to see. It just seems like on every play there is someone who doesn't do his job and it ends up blowing up the whole play. On one place the center, then it's a dropped pass, then it is a bad pass, then it's a missed block... and so on. Seems like it would be way better to make all those mistakes on one play and then execute the next 10 perfectly.
Oh well. Now the Gators have to be a much improved Vanderbilt team in Nashville to have a realistic shot at bowl eligibility. I hope no one is taking them lightly because I know Vanderbilt knows they can win.
Just Joe
Still with the penalties!!! Even after a bye week, no improvement is shown! Of course, the bye week didn't seem to help in any aspect of the game. The defensive line got zero pressure on the quarterback unless sending extra defenders on the blitz. The offense of line pass blocking and run blocking was soooo inconsistent. And on the rare occasion that anyone was given time in the pocket, receivers could not get open. There were a grand total of 2 completions to wide receivers and one of those turned into a lost fumble! Knowing how frustrating it was to watch, I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to coach.
Speaking of the coaching, since I'm usually quick to point out when I disagree with a Muschamp game decision, I'll point out another... but this time Coach gets credit for making the right call. In the fourth quarter, down 24-20 with 8:06 left, there was a 4th & 2 at about the Georgia 42 yard line. My call was to go for it since we may not get that close again. Muschamp decided to punt. The punt was downed inside the 5 yard line and the defense forced a 3 and out. One terrible punt later and the Gators had the ball 1st & 10 at the Georgia 40 yard line. Great call by Coach "Boom!"
The only other notes I have are about the unbelievable kick returns the Gators pulled off. One kickoff return for a touchdown and another well into Georgia territory setting up a field goal. Jordan Reed showed up a bit which was nice to see... even though I jumped off his bandwagon last week. The lack of offensive rhythm was painful to see. It just seems like on every play there is someone who doesn't do his job and it ends up blowing up the whole play. On one place the center, then it's a dropped pass, then it is a bad pass, then it's a missed block... and so on. Seems like it would be way better to make all those mistakes on one play and then execute the next 10 perfectly.
Oh well. Now the Gators have to be a much improved Vanderbilt team in Nashville to have a realistic shot at bowl eligibility. I hope no one is taking them lightly because I know Vanderbilt knows they can win.
Just Joe
World Series 2011
Apologies to all of my readeR for the unexpected lack of posts lately.
Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals -- 7 games
What a great World Series! I always root for a 7 game World Series. Well, unless a team that I despise is in it, then I hope for sweeps. But this series had it all; low scoring games, high-scoring games, drama, suspense, record-setting performances, unbelievable endings and even a malfunctioning bullpen phone. (Yeah, right.)
Game 1 was your regular World Series pitcher's duel. St. Louis scored 2 in the fourth, Texas scored in the fifth and in the sixth inning Allen Craig came up with a go-ahead RBI pinch-hit off of Texas' Alexi Ogando, who was unhittable in the ALCS against Detroit. That run held up the final three innings as the Cardinals took game one at home.
Game 2 was an even more tightly contested pitchers duel between St. Louis' Jaime Garcia and the Rangers' Colby Lewis. St. Louis struck first but not until the bottom of the seventh inning! And coincidently enough Allen Craig again came through with an RBI pinch-hit off of Ogando. Heading into the ninth inning it looked like Craig was going to be the early favorite for World Series MVP and Ogando would be the favorite for World Series goat. But in the ninth inning Texas managed to rally behind a sneaky yet all important stolen base by Ian Kinsler and 2 sac flies to take the lead. St. Louis couldn't answer in the bottom of the ninth so the series went from a seeming 2-0 lead for St. Louis to a 1-1 series tie.
Game 3 saw the series moves to Texas where warmer weather was sure to warm up the bats. And boy did they warm up! 23 combined runs and 28 combined hits in one World Series game! Allen Craig again started off the scoring but this time as a starter in the first inning. His home run would again make him a contender for World Series MVP... if St. Louis could hold on. All remained quiet until the fourth inning when the Cardinals put up a 4 spot and Texas answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning. Then in the fifth, the Cardinals added 3 more runs as did Texas. So they were already at 8-6 through five innings when the teams had combined for 8 total runs in both games in St. Louis. In the sixth inning Albert Pujols chimed in with his first big hit of the series, a breathtaking, majestic, 431 foot, three-run homer off of Mr. Ogando. St. Louis pushed another run across that inning to take a 12-6 lead. From that moment on Texas' bats just could not keep up. Texas' 3 errors did not help any. As the seventh inning rolled around, Pujols found the chance to hit another home run, but this was only a two run homer and it only went 424 feet. Texas added a run in the bottom of the seventh and St. Louis answered back with the same in the top of the eighth. The top of the ninth started with the game out of reach for the Rangers. The only suspense was that Albert Pujols had one more at-bat and a chance to become only the third player ever to hit 3 home runs in a World Series game. And that's exactly what he did with two outs. His shortest home run of the game, a mere 420 feet, made him part of history as he tied several records (home runs in a World Series game, RBIs in a World Series game, hits in a World Series game) and set the record for most total bases in a World Series game (14). Simply historic. On a side note, the next day my mom saw Albert's numbers for the game on TV and said, "Wow, he's having a good series." Then I told her those were his numbers for Game 3 ONLY!
Game 4 saw a return of the pitching duel. Derek Holland gave up just 2 hits to the Cardinals over 8 1/3 innings while catcher Mike Napoli provided all of the necessary offense with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. It was definitely a game for baseball "purists" since even the winning team had only six hits. But the series was tied now 2-2.
Game 5 was another low-scoring affair but it was hardly well played. The Rangers' pitchers gave up 9 walks while both teams combined for 3 errors. St. Louis did jump out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning but Texas came back with one in the third and one in the sixth to tie; then the final 2 runs of the game in the bottom of the 8th. Texas takes a 3-2 series lead with the last games in St. Louis... and Texas hasn't lost back-to-back games since August 23!
Game 6 was one for the ages! Like Game 5, the first 6 innings of Game 6 were close but sloppily played with way too many errors for teams that are supposed to be World Series caliber. Then in the top of the seventh inning Texas led off with 2 home runs and later added a third run to take a 7-4 lead and needing only 9 outs to clinch the World Series. In the bottom of the eighth, Allen Craig, drove himself in with a home run to get within 2. Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth with Texas still clinging to that two run lead -- 3 outs to the championship. The bottom of the ninth started with a Ryan Theriot strikeout -- 2 outs to the championship. Then Albert Pujols doubles to deep left center and Lance Berkman walks. Suddenly Craig is up again and ready to be a hero. Unfortunately for him he struck out looking -- 1 out to the championship. David Freese is at the plate and has 2 strikes on him... when he triples over the head of Nelson Cruz, and driving in the two tying runs! Molina lined out to right, ending the threat and sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Josh Hamilton stepped up to the plate with one on and one out. All he did was hit your run-of-the-mill 406 foot home run, giving the Rangers another 2 run lead with just 3 outs to get. What a story! Former drug addict and alcoholic turned born-again was going to lead his team to a World Series Championship. The story seemed too good to be true. Two singles and a sacrifice into the bottom of the 10th meant the story may be in doubt. Theriot grounded out to third, scoring one run ball leaving just one out left. The Rangers properly walked Pujols but with two outs and two strikes Berkman burned them by hitting a single up the middle which once again scored the tying run!!! In the top of the 11th inning Texas could only muster a one-out single. In the bottom of the 11th however, David Freese, hero of the ninth inning, led off with a deep homerun that swiftly ended the game in favor of St. Louis!!!
What a game! The crowd went from deathly silent to full-blown frenzy in the bottoms of the 8th, 9th, 10th AND 11th innings. I've never seen a game, much less a World Series game, end with that much excitement! It actually lead to many people saying it was the greatest World Series game ever played! While I cannot agree with that because of the sloppiness in the first half of the game, I'll absolutely admit that it was probably the game with the most drama and best ending! Of course, the game only tied the series at 3. So there was also a lot of discussion about whether or not the Cardinals would have to win to legitimize that Game 6. Some people said of victory was not necessary while others said losing Game 7 would take away from the importance and excitement of Game 6. In my opinion Game 6 can stand on its own and a loss in Game 7 would not diminish the excitement or the importance of the previous game. BUT winning the last game would definitely ADD to the historic nature of Game 6.
Game 7 was a tense one as no matter the outcome of this game, one team would be declared champs and one team... wouldn't. The momentum of Game 6 didn't seem to carry over as Texas pushed across two runs in the very first inning, powered by back-to-back doubles from Josh Hamilton and Michael Young. But just as the previous game ended, St. Louis answered right back with 2 runs after back-to-back 2-out walks to Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman led to a David Freese 2 RBI double. For the rest of the game, Texas' bats were very quiet as they never mustered more than one hit in any inning after the first. Meanwhile Allen Craig homered yet again in the third inning. Texas pitchers walked in a run and hit a batter to bring in a second run in the fifth inning. St. Louis added one more in the seventh and cruised to a 6-2 victory in Game 7.
My words don't begin to do justice to the excitement of these games. It was absolutely my favorite World Series since the 1991 Braves-Twins which goes down in my book as the greatest World Series ever! (At least of the ones I've seen and am able to comment on.)
Five months until spring training!
Just Joe
Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals -- 7 games
What a great World Series! I always root for a 7 game World Series. Well, unless a team that I despise is in it, then I hope for sweeps. But this series had it all; low scoring games, high-scoring games, drama, suspense, record-setting performances, unbelievable endings and even a malfunctioning bullpen phone. (Yeah, right.)
Game 1 was your regular World Series pitcher's duel. St. Louis scored 2 in the fourth, Texas scored in the fifth and in the sixth inning Allen Craig came up with a go-ahead RBI pinch-hit off of Texas' Alexi Ogando, who was unhittable in the ALCS against Detroit. That run held up the final three innings as the Cardinals took game one at home.
Game 2 was an even more tightly contested pitchers duel between St. Louis' Jaime Garcia and the Rangers' Colby Lewis. St. Louis struck first but not until the bottom of the seventh inning! And coincidently enough Allen Craig again came through with an RBI pinch-hit off of Ogando. Heading into the ninth inning it looked like Craig was going to be the early favorite for World Series MVP and Ogando would be the favorite for World Series goat. But in the ninth inning Texas managed to rally behind a sneaky yet all important stolen base by Ian Kinsler and 2 sac flies to take the lead. St. Louis couldn't answer in the bottom of the ninth so the series went from a seeming 2-0 lead for St. Louis to a 1-1 series tie.
Game 3 saw the series moves to Texas where warmer weather was sure to warm up the bats. And boy did they warm up! 23 combined runs and 28 combined hits in one World Series game! Allen Craig again started off the scoring but this time as a starter in the first inning. His home run would again make him a contender for World Series MVP... if St. Louis could hold on. All remained quiet until the fourth inning when the Cardinals put up a 4 spot and Texas answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning. Then in the fifth, the Cardinals added 3 more runs as did Texas. So they were already at 8-6 through five innings when the teams had combined for 8 total runs in both games in St. Louis. In the sixth inning Albert Pujols chimed in with his first big hit of the series, a breathtaking, majestic, 431 foot, three-run homer off of Mr. Ogando. St. Louis pushed another run across that inning to take a 12-6 lead. From that moment on Texas' bats just could not keep up. Texas' 3 errors did not help any. As the seventh inning rolled around, Pujols found the chance to hit another home run, but this was only a two run homer and it only went 424 feet. Texas added a run in the bottom of the seventh and St. Louis answered back with the same in the top of the eighth. The top of the ninth started with the game out of reach for the Rangers. The only suspense was that Albert Pujols had one more at-bat and a chance to become only the third player ever to hit 3 home runs in a World Series game. And that's exactly what he did with two outs. His shortest home run of the game, a mere 420 feet, made him part of history as he tied several records (home runs in a World Series game, RBIs in a World Series game, hits in a World Series game) and set the record for most total bases in a World Series game (14). Simply historic. On a side note, the next day my mom saw Albert's numbers for the game on TV and said, "Wow, he's having a good series." Then I told her those were his numbers for Game 3 ONLY!
Game 4 saw a return of the pitching duel. Derek Holland gave up just 2 hits to the Cardinals over 8 1/3 innings while catcher Mike Napoli provided all of the necessary offense with a three-run homer in the sixth inning. It was definitely a game for baseball "purists" since even the winning team had only six hits. But the series was tied now 2-2.
Game 5 was another low-scoring affair but it was hardly well played. The Rangers' pitchers gave up 9 walks while both teams combined for 3 errors. St. Louis did jump out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning but Texas came back with one in the third and one in the sixth to tie; then the final 2 runs of the game in the bottom of the 8th. Texas takes a 3-2 series lead with the last games in St. Louis... and Texas hasn't lost back-to-back games since August 23!
Game 6 was one for the ages! Like Game 5, the first 6 innings of Game 6 were close but sloppily played with way too many errors for teams that are supposed to be World Series caliber. Then in the top of the seventh inning Texas led off with 2 home runs and later added a third run to take a 7-4 lead and needing only 9 outs to clinch the World Series. In the bottom of the eighth, Allen Craig, drove himself in with a home run to get within 2. Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth with Texas still clinging to that two run lead -- 3 outs to the championship. The bottom of the ninth started with a Ryan Theriot strikeout -- 2 outs to the championship. Then Albert Pujols doubles to deep left center and Lance Berkman walks. Suddenly Craig is up again and ready to be a hero. Unfortunately for him he struck out looking -- 1 out to the championship. David Freese is at the plate and has 2 strikes on him... when he triples over the head of Nelson Cruz, and driving in the two tying runs! Molina lined out to right, ending the threat and sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Josh Hamilton stepped up to the plate with one on and one out. All he did was hit your run-of-the-mill 406 foot home run, giving the Rangers another 2 run lead with just 3 outs to get. What a story! Former drug addict and alcoholic turned born-again was going to lead his team to a World Series Championship. The story seemed too good to be true. Two singles and a sacrifice into the bottom of the 10th meant the story may be in doubt. Theriot grounded out to third, scoring one run ball leaving just one out left. The Rangers properly walked Pujols but with two outs and two strikes Berkman burned them by hitting a single up the middle which once again scored the tying run!!! In the top of the 11th inning Texas could only muster a one-out single. In the bottom of the 11th however, David Freese, hero of the ninth inning, led off with a deep homerun that swiftly ended the game in favor of St. Louis!!!
What a game! The crowd went from deathly silent to full-blown frenzy in the bottoms of the 8th, 9th, 10th AND 11th innings. I've never seen a game, much less a World Series game, end with that much excitement! It actually lead to many people saying it was the greatest World Series game ever played! While I cannot agree with that because of the sloppiness in the first half of the game, I'll absolutely admit that it was probably the game with the most drama and best ending! Of course, the game only tied the series at 3. So there was also a lot of discussion about whether or not the Cardinals would have to win to legitimize that Game 6. Some people said of victory was not necessary while others said losing Game 7 would take away from the importance and excitement of Game 6. In my opinion Game 6 can stand on its own and a loss in Game 7 would not diminish the excitement or the importance of the previous game. BUT winning the last game would definitely ADD to the historic nature of Game 6.
Game 7 was a tense one as no matter the outcome of this game, one team would be declared champs and one team... wouldn't. The momentum of Game 6 didn't seem to carry over as Texas pushed across two runs in the very first inning, powered by back-to-back doubles from Josh Hamilton and Michael Young. But just as the previous game ended, St. Louis answered right back with 2 runs after back-to-back 2-out walks to Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman led to a David Freese 2 RBI double. For the rest of the game, Texas' bats were very quiet as they never mustered more than one hit in any inning after the first. Meanwhile Allen Craig homered yet again in the third inning. Texas pitchers walked in a run and hit a batter to bring in a second run in the fifth inning. St. Louis added one more in the seventh and cruised to a 6-2 victory in Game 7.
My words don't begin to do justice to the excitement of these games. It was absolutely my favorite World Series since the 1991 Braves-Twins which goes down in my book as the greatest World Series ever! (At least of the ones I've seen and am able to comment on.)
Five months until spring training!
Just Joe
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