This season, the Brewers have pretty much beaten the Cardinals like a drum. So why, after getting out of a seventh-inning jam Wednesday night, did Milwaukee reliever Carlos Villanueva feel the need to flex his muscles, make a profane gesture, then point and yell at the St. Louis dugout?
That’s a mystery; what isn’t, is the St. Louis reaction. Led by a fired-up Albert Pujols, the Cardinals responded by scoring four late runs to beat the Brewers 5-3 and boost their playoff hopes.
Not the smartest move in the world, as even Brewers manager Ned Yost indicated.
"They've been struggling against us, then they get into a situation with the bases loaded,” Yost said. “You make your pitch, get the out and walk off. You let them think, 'Boy, we just had another opportunity' instead of waking up a sleeping dog, so to speak."
"I guess he did us a favor,” Pujols said. “He woke up a sleeping giant, obviously.”
Sleeping dog. Sleeping giant. Whatever. The key word is “sleeping.” Now the Cardinals seem very much awake.
As for Villanueva, he admitted he was "a little excited" on the mound, but later insisted, "I'm not going to back down from anybody."
Earth to Villanueva: Not showing another team up isn’t “backing down.” It’s showing class — and brains. Wednesday night you displayed neither.
Posts
1 comment:
Thanx for your timely observations and candid accounts of what are some of the downsides to the sporting world. Your columns should be required reading in all high school and college level PE classes.
Post a Comment