Yardbarker: Brian Barton

Game 153 Thread / Cardinals @ Cubs (2 of 3)

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:11:18 -0500

SP	Joel Pineiro	SP	*Ted Lilly
	6-6, 5.24, 71 K, 31 BB, 135.2 IP		15-9, 4.13, 175 K, 61 BB, 191.1 IP

SS	#Cesar Izturis	LF	Alfonso Soriano
CF	Ryan Ludwick	SS	Ryan Theriot
1B	Albert Pujols	1B	Derrek Lee
2B	#Felipe Lopez	3B	Aramis Ramirez
3B	Troy Glaus	CF	*Jim Edmonds
RF	*Adam Kennedy	C	Geovany Soto
LF	Brian Barton	2B	Mark DeRosa
P	Joel Pineiro	RF	*Kosuke Fukudome
C	Jason Larue	P	*Ted Lilly

It be clinching day...we hope. Lou gets nostalgic with the lineup by letting Fukudome start again and Ted Lilly tries to tie Dempster for the team lead in wins. He'll also need to watch his head in case LaRussa tries to retaliate for Lilly's takedown of Yadier Molina last week.

Clinch! Clinch! Clinch!

Game 153 Recap: Cubs 5, Cardinals 4

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:11:16 -0500

Cubs Clinch Division, First Back-to-Back since 1907-1908, Earliest since 1932

W - Lilly (16-9), You, Me, Santo, Harry, 104-year-old-dude-who-threw-out-the-first-pitch, all Cubs fans.

L - Pineiro (6-7), the rest of the NL Central

S - Wood (32)

Box Score, Photos

Things to Take from This Game

1. A bases loaded three-run single for Soriano

Well, two rbis and an error leading to the third run. In the bottom of the second Soriano lined a single right at Brian Barton in left. The ball kicked off his glove and rolled to the wall, clearing the bases. The Cubs raced out to a 3-0 lead.

2. More fielding problems, more runs.

The Cubs got two more runs in the fourth, as Soto began the inning by smashing one through Glaus at third. DeRosa hit a double high off the ivy to score Soto, and after advancing to third on a Fukudome ground out, scored on a nicely executed suicide squeeze by Lilly. 5-0 Cubs through four innings.

3. Glaus homers in 4-run Sixth

Lilly looked great, very economical, through five. In the sixth Felipe Lopez gets an RBI single on a smash up the middle off Theriot's glove, and Glaus unloads a no-doubt three-run home run into the left field well. Suddenly we had a close game. 5-4 through six.

4. Lilly Recovers, Marmol and Wood close it out

Other than a leadoff walk to Glaus in the ninth, the last three innings passed uneventfully as Lilly pitched the seventh, with Marmol and Wood doing their jobs to close out the game. A soft fly out to Edmonds off the bat of Aaron Miles ended the game, and a happy Cubs team celebrated between the pitcher's mound and first base.

The Back-to-Back NL Central Champion Details, below.

Game Recap

Oh my god, can we just declare that FOX has no pretensions towards actually concentrating on the game? We get some WWE Diva giving us the cardinal lineup, which amounts to her plugging the WWE, mentioning that Pujols is good, and flirting with Tim McCarver. Eww.

Inning 1 - Top

First pitch of the game, Izturis pops up to straight behind home plate. Ridiculously easy first out
Ludwick lines a shot over Soriano's head for a double. Looks like it would have been uncatchable regardless, but Soriano also misjudged it a bit, leapt for it without a shot
Pujols rolls out easily to Short. Nice scoop by Lee. McCarver wanted to IBB Pujols. Idiot.
Strike 3 called on Felipe Lopez. I know that all the studies show that "protection" for a slugger is a myth, but really, Felipe Lopez hitting fourth, behind Pujols? 13 pitch inning for Ted.

Inning 1 - Bottom

Hey, how about it: Jeff Samardzija gives the Cubs lineup, and actually, you know, provides information. But God Bless Fox, they misspell it "Smardzija." Poor Fox: so far from journalism, so close to remedial freshman english class.
Soriano with a check-swing tap-back to Pineiro
Theriot rolls out to Lopez at second.
Lee lines one off the base of the ivy in straight-away center. Looks like Ludwick also had some trouble judging that liner.
My God, McCarver is a moron. Just listening to him discussing whether to pitch Sabathia on short rest makes my mind want to shrivel up and die.
Ramirez lines out to right, inning over

Inning 2 - Top

Everyone, take another shot for a 1908 reference from Josh Lewin
In fact, the entire "what was going on in 1908" graph.
Glaus K's swinging at a fastball
Adam Kennedy is playing RF? Ouch. A check-swing right back to Lilly, two outs.
Brian Barton bounces one just outside of Lilly's reach, over his head up the middle for a single.
McCarver tells me Barton was an aerospace engineer major, lived in Addis Ababa for a time. Cool.
Pineiro flies to center, Edmonds battles the sun, makes the catch.

Inning 2 - Bottom

Edmonds nearly hits one out at the left field well. hits maybe a foot away from the basket, instead it's a double.
Soto walks
DeRosa bounces into a potential 4-6-3, but there's a bobble on the turn, DeRosa safe at first by a half step. Pineiro not happy about it.
Fukudome walks, bases loaded for Lilly
McCarver shills for budweiser.
Pineiro continues to look a bit annoyed by things.
Lilly battling nicely.
Finally K's swinging. Soriano up, 2 outs, bases loaded.
Soriano singles to left on an inside fastball, and the ball bounces off the heel of Barton's glove, rolling to the wall. 2 RBIs with the third run being credited to the error. 3-0 Cubs
Theriot flies to Kennedy in right.

Inning 3 - Top

Jason LaRue (hitting 9th) up. Gentle pop-up to Lee on a big curveball
Izturis with a slow bouncer up the middle. Theriot makes a pretty sweet sliding stop on it, but no chance on the throw.
Everyone, take a shot for the Bartman reference.
Ludwick grounds into a very easy 6-4-3, out of the inning. 37 pitches for Lilly on the day

Inning 3 - Bottom

Lee flies to Kennedy in right
FOX cries crocodile tears for Derek Jeter as he misses the playoffs
and Ramirez grounds to short. two pitches, two outs
Edmonds K's swinging, five pitch inning

Inning 4 - Top

3-2 pitch to Pujols, he lines a shot to Ramirez's left. He makes a great diving stop for it, the throw is up the first bas line, and Lee manages to barely tag Pujols on the leg as he lunges for it. Out. Very nice set of plays by Ramirez and Lee.
Lopez squibs one to Lee, unassisted.
Maybe it's time to listen to the Pat and Ron audio while watching the FOX telecast.
Glaus pops to Theriot.

Inning 4 - Bottom

Soto rips a grounder right at Glaus, who can't handle it. Well hit ball, but certainly an error.
DeRosa then smashes one high off the ivy in the left field well. Looks like a fastball that tailed back over the plate. Barton gives it a good try, but no luck. Soto scores, 4-0 Cubs.
DeRosa to third as Fukudome grounds out to second.
Suicide Squeeze play. Lilly bunts, a nice one to the left of Pineiro. DeRosa is breaing for home on the play, Pineiro tries for the glove-hand toss to LaRue, but it's not even close. Lilly safe at first, 5-0 Cubs. Pineiro really letting himself get rattled by his D.
DeRosa flies out to Kennedy
FOX shows a highlight of Brewers game: Fielder trying to score on a hit to the outfield, is going to be out by a mile, so he just PUNCHES the catcher as he runs into his tag a few feet up the line from home. What a monumental collapse...
Theriot grounds out to second

Inning 5 - Top

Kennedy with a soft liner to DeRosa, first pitch. FOX keeps getting back to the game late from commercials
Barton flies to left, and Pineiro flies out to the warning track in left. I think it was something like a five pitch ining. 56 for the game

Inning 5 - Bottom

Lee flies to Kennedy
Ramirez lines a single to left center
Edmonds bounces into a 4-6-3 DP

Inning 6 - Top

LaRue with a soft fly out to Edmonds.
Izturis with a soft liner into right-center for a single
Ludwick K's flailing at a curve.
Pujols gets pitched around, walks on five pitches.
Double-steal, uncontested. Gyeh.
Lopez smashes one to Theriot's left. Makes a nice stop to keep it from getting to the outfield, but can't get Lopez at first. One run scores, first and third, two outs.
Glaus then crushes one out into the left field well bleachers. 5-4 game.
Ron Santo is Sad.
Full count, Kennedy walks.
Cotts and Samardzija up for the Cubs, McClellan for the Cards. 0-2 on Barton
Crowd gets up.
Barton with a bouncer to Theriot. Handles the in-between hop, gets Barton by a step.

Inning 6 - Bottom

Soto with a slow roller to third. Glaus charges, bare-hands, it kicks away. Soto singles.
DeRosa flies to center.
Soto isn't being held on (well, Pujols is a foot or too off the bag, between Soto and the bag) and Soto, with a modest lead, takes off for second. Thrown out by a mile. Seems to be explaining himself to someone in the dugout. Two outs.
Pat and Hughes assume Fukudome missed a hit and run sign. Since I'm not listening to the Fox-cast, and since I can't fathom Soto straight-stealing there, I'll go with that theory.
Fukudome K's swinging at a pitch inside.

Inning 7 - Top

Josh Phelps hits for Piniero, K's looking at a fastball
LaRue K's swinging.
Izturis bounces out to Theriot. Nice comeback by Lilly

Inning 7 - Bottom

Ryan Franklin in to pitch.
and Fontenot hits for Lilly
and rolls out to Pujols
Soriano flies to Kennedy. Sun still looks really tough today. Santo with a loud "gyeah!" about it, I'm not sure why.
Theriot swings and misses at three straight. Really struggling the last few days.
Very, very quick inning

Inning 8 - Top

Marmol in.
From 3-0 to 3-2 on Ludwick, he flies easily to center.
Pat really getting into it on the radio broadcast
Pujols reaches for a slider, gently pops to DeRosa, two outs.
Lopez bounces to Lee way behind the bag and on the line. Waits for Marmol to get over, tosses, inning over. Three outs to go!

Inning 8 - Bottom

Ludwick to left, Baron out of game Schumaker comesin to play center.
Lee K's swinging at an inside fastball
Pat tells me this would be the earliest Cubs clinch since 1932.
Wood warming up to face Glaus, Kennedy, Schumaker, and a bear-hug from Soto.
Ramirez K's swinging
and Edmonds bounces out to Lopez
Pat - "Time to fasten those seatbelts!"

Inning 9 - Top

Crowd on its feet at the start of the inning. 3-1 count to Glaus, Wood hitting 96 on gun. Glaus walks
Brendan Ryan runs for Glaus
Taps one slowly to DeRosa. He goes to second for the force,Theriot throws, quite late, back to first. Nice work by DeRosa on a relatively tough 4-6 force to get the lead runner
FOX informs me that wood has a 9.82 era in september. ohh boy.
1-1 on Schumaker. 2-1, fastball just off the outside corner. Bit of a tough strike zone, today.
2-2 count.
Wood drops a gorgeous slider down the middle of the plate, bottom of the zone. Strike 3
Miles hits for franklin. First pitch, skies it to Edmonds in shallow left, an easy out.
The team gathers between pitcher's mound and first base bag. Santo is hollering on the radio broadcast.
All told, a rather subdued celebration after a few seconds of group-hug-jumping. Everyone hugs, handshakes each other.

Inning 9 - Bottom

Parachat Recap

Inning 1

Chad gripes about Theriot
We gripe about Fox, McCarver
we mock Fox, McCarver
how we know who Rob G's wife thinks is cute.
Whether it's smart or not for the Brewers to pitch Sabathia today on short rest

Inning 2

Cubs offseason SP rotation moves.
Brewers game updates
Wes arrives. People surprised to see him and me at the same time. Harrumph.
Prominent Cardinals free agent signings
What to do when life hands you tomato juice. Good suggestions from me, H. Vaughn, Andy
Our newly socialized economy.
Ethnically stereotyped pronunciation jokes. Go, Parachat, Go.
The Blink 182 Drummer's plane crash
- meh
We don't care about the AL
Who gives fucks?
Celebrating the lead

Inning 3

Since evidently people are sad when I don't give them shout-outs, here's who we have cheering along in Parachat right now: Rob, Andrew, Andy, bizmarquis2, crunch, cubs.com, H_Vaugh, HollywoodChad, MorningtonCrescent, nohit, osiris, The_Real_Neal, THUD, me, and Wes. And every single one of them has said something witty and funny for which they should be eternally commemorated in the internet ether.
Who is Mischa Barton?
Who is Brian Barton?
When Andrew's in Rome...
The Virgin Mary doesn't ring anyone's bell.
- wait, are we back to talking tomato juice, or rome, or sex?
- I'm so confused.
More fox-mocking.

Inning 4

Facing your prostate issues
for celebration purposes, should we root for the Brewers to win their games, so that the Cubs have to clinch by winning it on their own? (ehh, never root for your opponents.)
What are we drinking for the clinching celebration?
Evaluating the New Commisky/Cellular ballpark
Rob G starts counting the outs remaining in the game.
Talking to people about their itches in Manhattan
Cubs Game Plan: Aim for Between Their Legs - The Real Neal
Cheering on the squeeze play
amazed at Fielder's cheap-shot.
Should Theriot rest/be dropped in the order? (Yes, and No.)

Inning 5

Erudite ostrich-eating tailgaters. I think it was Brick who brought up this crucial demographic.
Discussing life in North Carolina
and my modest love life. (
- Osiris preemptively complains about my censorship of this discussion in the recap.
Trust-fund bums
my story of Henry the Handwiper

Inning 6

Facebook, MySpace
Not Trans's MySpace Page.
Angst. Chad. Chad. Angst.
Who is using LinkedIn for sex?
Who is Fred Gwynn, and is he as stiff as Troy Glaus?

Inning 7

Interesting trivia: Josh Phelps is one of Alaska's 15 men who haven't impregnated the governor - John Beasley
- I almost feel bad for recapping that.
- Almost.
is it true that Jason LaRue is singing in a Motorhead cover band during the off-season - Real Neal

Inning 8

Brewers updates
that Fielder cheap-shot.
Discussing the Micah Owings PH RBI in Cincy
Naked old men in a balloon.
Last year's parachat on clinching day.

Inning 9

The top of the ninth starts with a big parachat crowd of: Rob, Andrew, Andy, Biittner, biz, brick, crunch, cubs.com, H Vaughn, Chad, John Beasley, mattralph, MorningtonCrescent, nohit, osiris, real neal, me, Wes, lowitzki.
A picture is worth a thousand words.

Cubs record in games recapped goes to 13-6

Redbird Randoms...Lohse, Wainwright, Carpenter, Parisi, Mulder, Barton

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:56:39 -0500

Tidbits regarding the St. Louis Cardinals.

Phelps may be too much for Memphis

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:59:57 -0500

News regarding the St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds.

Walters, Barton, big in AAA-Redbirds rout of Sea Dogs

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:33:18 -0500

The St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds had a big night.

MLB Players with dreads

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:08:10 -0500

In baseball there aren't that many players with dreads. But we found some and here is a list of them. Vladimir Guerrero OF Angels Manny Ramirez OF Red Sox Andrew Mccutchen OF Pirates Lastings Milledge OF Nationals Desmond Jennings OF Rays Ervin Santana SP Angels Brian Barton OF Cardinals Jose Arredondo RP Angels

Redbird Randoms ... Looper to take on CC

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:38:39 -0500

Tidbits regarding the St. Louis Cardinals.

A Rookie Starting Pitcher Entering The Circle Of Trust...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:13:53 -0500

With an array of injuries to the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff, 24 year old rookie, Mitchell Boggs, got called up to the big show in early June. Pitchers are a unified bunch, and we often wondered what it was like for a new guy joining the squad midway through a season.

We found our answer below.

1st Inning

Looper, Wainwright, Pineiro, and Lohse - all have Cardinals' rookie pitcher Mitchell Boggs in age, tenure, self esteem among peers, and dugout seat altitude. To put it in Jack Byrnes/Greg Focker terms, Mitchell Boggs is definitely outside the proverbial "circle of trust".

4th Inning

Status quo inside the "circle". Even invalids are coming up to the group and welcomed with open arms.

No one has offered the rookie a "cool" dugout stool - he's left to fend for himself. In this case, "fend for yourself" consists of plopping your ass on a debunk batting helmet that Troy Glaus slammed against the wall after batting practice. Wainwright makes a joke to Carpenter about La Russa, Duncan, and a bottle of wine...but Boggs can't even hear the punchline.

Damn "circle of trust".

7th Inning

Pineiro heads to the showers early, and Lohse takes his usual locker room dump during the 7th inning stretch. The perimeter surrounding the circle of trust has been compromised.

Boggs sees his opportunity and tells Brian Barton that Wainwright needs to talk to him. He heads over. Idiot. Boggs sees a potential buffer zone. Everyone loves the token crazy guy on the team with fun hair. Leech on to Barton - they'll never notice.

9th Inning

Barton's gone. Got plucked by La Russa to play some defense in right and is told "not to do anything stupid". The rookie slides in and makes a joke about Barton and the dread-locked man in the first row sharing hair tips. Wainwright smirks. Boggs is in - even though he stole the joke from the bat boy.

Just another day in the life of a rookie starting pitcher, and his attempt to fit in. Do it again tomorrow.

Mulder back in rotation, Mather back in the Bigs

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:53:46 -0500

Tony La Russa is going to remove a big question mark with Mulder, now, while the Cards are still at the halfway point. Joey Bombs gets another shot a proving himself with the parent club.

Rookie Fever, I Think It’s Goin’ Around

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:28:16 -0500

By starting rookie Nick Stavinoha at DH yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals set a season record for rookies started at nine. If you'd like to appreciate the Rookie Hotness, take a gander over here. For a report on how each of them have done so far, look no further. Brian Barton, OF: I like [...]

Cardinals Brian Barton wants to go to Space

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:28:01 -0500

ST. LOUIS – One day, he wants to go into space. Brian Barton turned 26 earlier this week, and though the astronaut dream tends to die about the time hormones bloom and adolescence rages, Barton never could abandon it. "The sky's the limit," he likes to say, and in this instance, he does so standing in front of his locker in the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse. He takes the cliché literally and figuratively, the former in his desire to float in the atmosphere and the latter in the career he has carved out in the meantime. The sky? It's for the African-American kid from South Los Angeles who grew up surrounded by basketball, football and everything but baseball. The one who didn't get drafted out of the University of Miami after a productive college career because teams were worried that he was going to finish his degree in aerospace engineering and hook on with Boeing, where he interned, or perhaps NASA. The one who later signed with the Cleveland Indians for $100,000, put up gaudy numbers at every level and still couldn't crack the 40-man roster because they worried about knee surgery he had last fall. Left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft, Barton fell to the Cardinals, manna in the form of a 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder with pop, speed and, best of all, brains. He has settled in as their fifth outfielder, though he has played plenty in manager Tony La Russa's mix-and-match scheme. He's batting .324, scored four runs and driven in four in 37 at-bats. And though teams coveted Barton for his tools, he sees something else paramount to his early success. "My strongest asset is mental," Barton said. "I work on being patient and always being ready, and you have to be in this role. "I like to invest in knowledge. Anything that can help me learn about different people, different things. That's what drives a lot of what I do and why people may think things I do are out of the ordinary. You can't take away things you know." That ethos guides Barton in and away from baseball. He started college at Loyola Marymount in L.A. on an academic scholarship but transferred to Miami for its blend of academics and athletics. Once there, the travel bug bit, and between his junior and senior years, Barton took a solo sojourn to the place that seemed most foreign to him. There's no point in traveling, he figured, unless it delivers a good jolt to your senses. Ethiopia it was. A professor of Barton's had a friend who helped him find a hotel. Barton tried to learn some Amharic. He spent two weeks walking around, trying his best to blend in, though the mini-Afro he sported at the time gave him away. "I wanted to go out there and see if I could do it, and I did," Barton said. "I had gotten over the hump. So, where next?" Europe. Check. The Caribbean. Check. Barton had to temper his wanderlust last offseason because he took a few courses at Miami. His goal is to visit every country in the world. He's got 190 or so to go. "I'm about 10 deep," Barton said. "This offseason I'll do a few. Hopefully, I live a long enough life to do it." Keeping a spot in the big leagues can certainly fund such journeys. Most Rule 5 picks end up returned to the teams from which they were selected, and those who stick generally do so in small roles. Johan Santana bided his time in mop-up duty for Minnesota before later spending half a season in the minor leagues to hone his game. Barton is an exception. The Cardinals look brilliant for picking him and have plans for him. Had left fielder Skip Schumaker not gotten off to such a great start, Barton would be getting more at-bats. "He's earned his roster spot, which is the best compliment I can give him," La Russa said. "Sometimes you take a Rule 5 guy and you're investing in the future as long as he can hold his own, but he's made this club. He did it in spring training, and he continues to do it by his play." Last week, Barton pinch hit in the ninth inning of a tie game against Houston and drew a leadoff walk that contributed to the winning run. Two days earlier, he stroked two hits, drove in two runs and pushed the Cardinals ahead in a victory against Pittsburgh. For now, this baseball racket is working just fine. Barton has one semester of classes remaining, and the only time Miami offers them is during the season. So the degree can wait. "It doesn't mean sometime later in his career he can't pursue the other," said La Russa, who is familiar with potential second careers, having earned his juris doctorate in the offseason when he was a player. He went into managing instead of law, aware that such opportunities are scarce, and knows Barton faces the same decision. "This is the only time he can pursue this one." Ah, but what if? What if NASA called tomorrow and told him the next time the shuttle took off, he'd be on it? What if he needed to answer his ultimate hypothetical? "If I had an opportunity to go, man, I'd want to go," Barton said. "If it came down to baseball or that, it'd be a hard decision. Good thing I'm not in that position." No. Barton's in one, for now, that's plenty good, one that rivals where he'd be had he taken the other road. Flying high in the sky.