SD@STL

...Did I just hear that right?

Dusty Baker said something along the lines of, "The Cardinals haven't run a lot this season. That's surprising. They don't have a lot of speed, but they don't have a lot of steals."

Don't you mean, "Tony La Russa's the manager, he's known for sending runners all the time and they haven't run a lot, that's fucking surprising." He talks like they SHOULD have a lot of speed with a lack of speed. Use your conjunctions, yo.

And also, it's official: players don't take new photos when they're traded. Now, this is common sense, right, but I see some photos and think, "well maybe that's a new photo."

However, Morgan Ensberg looks like his bear self in his SD cap. Astros Spring Training 2007 FTW!

*ETA*
Yadier Molina just about stole a base. Well, he stole second and advanced to third, but the official scorer has scored it as a wild pitch and a throwing error on the catcher.

I'll go on record saying you don't need speed to steal. Carlos Lee, Not A Deer himself, is second in steals this season with 7 for the Astros, just behind Injured Phenom with Legs for Miles Hunter Pence and just ahead of Lead-off Man When Biggio Isn't Playing Chris Burke.

2998, 2999, 3000, 3001, 3002...

Craig Biggio not only made his 3,000th hit into an RBI in last night's game against Colorado, he got thrown out by former teammate Willy Taveras trying to stretch it into a double. If it was any other player on any other day, Houston would be throwing a conniption over the poor baserunning skills employed that ended the inning. Even the first base coach, Jose Cruuuuuuuz, fell into the trap that is a milestone game. He sent him on an outfield arm he knows very well!

That was Biggio's third hit of the night, and if he'd stopped there I still would have been impressed. But the game went into extras after a couple of well-placed home runs (these after Chad Qualls -- you guessed it -- gave up the lead on a two-run home run) and Biggio had more chances to bat than I would have liked (on any other day). He ran out the grounder on two outs in the eleventh to start the patented Astros rally (wait until all chances are squandered before changing your mind about wanting to win the game) and advanced to third on Hunter Pence's double, the softest ever hit in the history of baseball. Berkman was HBP ("You're supposed to hit Biggio!") and Carlos Lee, definitely "not a deer" and probably the only guy in the NL this side of Prince Fielder who could get thrown out at first on a single, made his lack of speed a moot point with a moonshot into the Crawford Boxes.

A little excessive, I say, but why not have a grand slam to end it? I'll take that any day over the game inning double play, quit often hit into by Not A Deer himself.