|
Lincoln scored a pair of runs in the
first inning as Neil Rohrer and Drew Olson connected for one-out
singles. Rohrer came in to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Jason Williams, and Olson scored on a single by Bob Maestas.
Lincoln added two more runs in the
fifth. Kyle Atteberry drew a walk to open the inning and Mitch
Sheley singled. Rohrer hit a grounder to third, forcing Atteberry;
however, the throw to first was wild, putting Sheley at third and
Rohrer at second. Williams then lined a single to right center,
driving in both runs.
The final two Lincoln runs crossed the
plate in the eighth inning. Maestas singled, and Miles Musick
singled with Maestas moving to third. Musick and Maestas then pulled
a double steal with both runners being safe. Trent Kavelman then
collected an infield single to score Musick.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
Coach Pat Hake used four pitchers in
the nine-inning game. Chance Berger started and was followed by
Williams, Maestas and Paul Phillips. Williams was the winner, and
Phillips collected a save.
Score by
innings
Woodford
County 100 010 100 — 3 - 6 - 4
Lincoln
200 020 02x — 6 -10- 5
Warnsman,
Brown (5-L), Glaub (8) & Neal; Berger, Williams (3-W), Maestas (6),
Phillips (8-S) & Rohrer.
[Bill Martinie]
 |
|
A few months later, on a lazy spring
night with the baseball season just under way, my dad called me into
his room. He got out a cribbage board and began to teach me one of
the best under-appreciated card games that exists. I really enjoyed
learning the game, but more than that, I just enjoyed spending time
with him. In some ways I think it mostly just gave him something to
do while listening to the Cardinal broadcasts.
My dad was a child of the radio
generation. He had been born in Hutchinson, Kan. (a town I have
never visited) and grew up in Denver, Colo. He shared with me
several times how St. Louis was not just a team for the local
markets, but that the Cardinals were the home team of the entire
Midwest. I didn’t fully realize the scope of his words until years
later when I became a rabid Redbird rooter.
At any rate, night after night we would
play cribbage and listen to the Cardinals. Many conversations were
hatched, lots of laughter was in evidence (mostly at one of Mike
Shannon’s interesting explanations), but the one real constant was
Jack Buck. My dad really liked Jack Buck.
I found that odd. My dad was pretty
hard to please when it came to radio and TV broadcasters. He felt
that most of them were too full of themselves. He felt that they had
become personalities instead of informed communicators. He despised
it when commentators tried to tell you what you just saw. He
never wanted their analysis. He often felt that that
was what was wrong with America — that nobody was thinking for
themselves.
He felt that Jack Buck respected his
audience and knew that Cardinal fans are widely regarded as the most
knowledgeable fans in all of baseball. As Walter Brennen used to
say, "No brag — just fact!" He would point out to me how Buck would
paint the picture for the fan but leave enough to the imagination to
give you the full experience — almost like actually being at the
game. My boy, he would say, many people can broadcast a ballgame;
Buck was one of the few that could do it right.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
In those days it was very difficult to
be a Cards fan. The ’70s were not very kind to the Cardinal nation.
They tried some veterans. They tried some young players. They tried
mixing ’em together. Nothing seemed to work. But you wouldn’t have
known it if you were listening to Buck. He made every game in every
season seem like we were on the brink of the playoffs.
I recently heard that behind the scenes
he was as disgruntled as all of us fans were and that he seriously
considered retiring before Whitey Herzog descended on the scene.
I remember that summer (or one not too
long after it) that we took a family trip to St. Louis. For us kids
that was Nirvana. It meant going out to eat, staying in a hotel with
a pool and going to a ballgame. If life ever gets any better than it
was at that precise moment, I will immediately run a news bulletin
here at the LDN! But I don’t think that that is going to happen.
Anyway, we went to watch the Cardinals
play the Reds, and it was an epic battle, with Cincy taking a 2-1
lead into the late innings. Somehow, almost magically, the Cardinals
tied it 2-2 before the game advanced into the bottom half of the
ninth inning. One of my personal two or three all-time favorite
Cardinals stepped up to the plate in the person of Ted Simmons. With
an 0-2 count (and by the way, baseball history will record that
Simmons was one of the best 0-2 hitters in the history of the game)
Teddy launched one into the bleachers in right field. My dad stood
very dignified as he applauded. My mom, who never knew much about
sports, much less baseball, said that her little Ted hit her
a home run. But my brother and sister and I were just jumping up and
down going crazy… and so was Jack Buck.
That was to
be my first of many trips to Busch Stadium over the next 32 years.
But that was only the beginning…
[Jeff
Mayfield]
["Greatest Cardinal of them all"’ has fallen"]
[June 13 Mutterings] |
