Who’s at the center of Series snafu? A former Brave, naturally
"Maybe I shoulda borrowed Bobby Cox's iPhone." (AP photo)
We all know that the Braves have no equals when it comes to finding ways not to win postseason games. Call the roll: Lonnie Smith dallies at second base; Jeff Reardon is undone by Ed Sprague; Mark Wohlers throws a slider to Jim Leyritz; Bobby Cox starts a Class AAA lineup in Games 3 and 6 of the 1998 NLCS; Kyle Farnsworth yields two home runs in one appearance against Houston; Brooks Conrad commits three errors on one dark night against San Fran.
That said, even the Braves never messed up a game as completely as the Cardinals — who, as we’re aware, surged from 8 1/2 games behind on Sept. 5 to shade these Braves for the wild card — did last night.
The game’s key at-bat featured a game who throws with the wrong arm (in this case, his left) facing a hitter who destroys lefthanders, and even before Marc Rzepcynski had delivered his first pitch to Mike Napoli the guys on the Rangers’ radio crew were going wild over Tony La Russa not having a righthander ready. (I choose to listen to the local feeds on Sirius XM because of two words — Tim McCarver. And the Rangers’ crew of Eric Nadal and Steve Busby is very good.)
Why didn’t La Russa have a righthander ready to face Napoli? Because La Russa said afterward, he’d called down to the bullpen twice asking that closer Jason Motte, a righty, start warming, and twice the request had gone unheard. Said La Russa:
“They heard ‘Rzepczynski’ and they didn’t hear ‘Motte,’ and when I looked up there, Motte wasn’t going. [Later] I called back and said ‘Motte,’ and they heard [righty Lance] ‘Lynn.’ So I went out there, wrong guy. [Lynn] is not going to pitch today …”
Apparently it was loud in Rangers Ballpark as the home team was rallying to take the lead. Apparently it’s impossible to see the visiting bullpen from the visiting dugout. Whatever the case, the whole thing went so badly wrong that La Russa — who’s generally considered one of the game’s best, if sometimes excessive, strategists — wound up with the worst possible matchup at the worst possible time and then, just to add excess to error, had to order Lynn, the righty who did show up to pitch (albeit late), to walk a hitter intentionally just so the correct righthander could be summoned. Amazing.
And who, you’re asking, is the Cardinals’ bullpen coach? Who’s charged with answering the phone when it rings? Why, none other than Derek Lilliquist, the former Georgia Bulldog pitcher whom Cox, then the Braves’ GM, made the sixth overall pick in the 1987 amateur draft. Lilliquist and Chris Carpenter — not the same Chris Carpenter who started Game 5 for the Cardinals — had just led UGA to the College World Series. (For the record, Lilliquist was — and presumably still is — left-handed.)
Along with Pete Smith, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, Lilliquist was one of the Braves’ original Young Guns. (Steve Avery came along a bit later.) Lilliquist went 10-18 in two seasons with the big club and was traded to San Diego in 1990 for reliever Mark Grant, whose claim to fame as a Brave was in posing for a photo sequence in this newspaper demonstrating how to do the Tomahawk Chop.
Lilliquist was done as a player by 1996, having compiled a career record of 25-34 for five different teams. He has worked in the Cardinals’ organization since 2002. This is his first season on the big-league staff. And now he’ll be known as the guy who couldn’t handle the difficult task of answering the telephone.
Although it must be said that not many among the attending media were taking La Russa’s explanation at face value. Here, from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is a roundup of national disbelief. So maybe poor Derek Lilliquist will, not to put too fine a point on it, be left off the hook.
By Mark Bradley
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92 comments Add your comment
DawgDad
October 25th, 2011
3:25 pm
By the way, Bradley, I tune in to the Cardinal broadcasts on KMOX. I can actually RECEIVE it (St. Louis station) on my radio here in Atlanta, unlike most of the local Atlanta sports stations.
Heath
October 25th, 2011
4:00 pm
Always wondered what happened to Lilliquist. Saw his name yesterday and was glad he finally got to a WS.
Now what about Francisco Cabrera and Marvin Freeman? Got a WEHT column up your sleeve Mark?
phil
October 25th, 2011
4:02 pm
Regardless of the screw up, the pitcher didn’t have to serve up a big fat one to be crushed into outer space….
McCarver is ten times BETTER in my book than horrid Chip Caray….and I think McCarver goes on and on and on and on and on and on about “mute” points too….McCarver is the Dan Dierdorf of baseball…Dierdork is the worst, bar none, in football at beating a deasd horse until it wants to cry….
Delbert D.
October 25th, 2011
4:17 pm
Hook up a set of levers, pulleys and cables and photos glued to metal flaps in the bullpen and just pull the the correct lever in the dugout.
John Palmer
October 25th, 2011
4:31 pm
I agree with Don. When Leo was here, the pitchers were always healthy. Now, they are always on the DL. Can’t win if your “big guns” can’t pitch because they are hurt. Think about it. Leo’s system had something going for iy that kept the arms healthy. Now, we wonder when he next pitcher will go down.
C from Marietta
October 25th, 2011
4:54 pm
Any chance to take a shot at the Braves. Another chicken poop article for Mr Bradley. It never fails.
phil
October 25th, 2011
5:16 pm
They need some shots taken at them, C.
What, you’re thrilled with the way things have gone lately? Settling for mediocrity is for losers.
ueeediot
October 25th, 2011
5:35 pm
Does anyone in this town harbor more antipathy towards the braves than the AJC?
bvillebaron
October 25th, 2011
5:36 pm
Ultimately, this is on LaRussa, plain and simple.
ueeediot
October 25th, 2011
5:37 pm
Using this logic, any team with a player or manager with a connection to the Braves will blow a playoff game?
Weslie Lilson
October 25th, 2011
5:49 pm
My wife and I sometimes use our cellphone to stay in touch with each other in our house–surely the same thing could have been used from the dugout to the bullpen-does not seem to be a very difficult attempt to solve a problem that looms awfully disasterous now-ya think?????
GT71
October 25th, 2011
5:54 pm
I’d say the early lack of training and pure boneheadedness came from his time at UGA.
And I hate to admit it, but I agree with MB – Tim McCarver is the absolute worst announcer ever.
Oh, yeah —
THWG
Skeezix
October 25th, 2011
7:12 pm
Don’t blame you Mark for not wanting to listen to McCarver. I have to turn the sound off when he is running off at the mouth with his inane, mundane B.S. I can’t understand how he has kept his job all these years. I don’t know anyone who can stand to listen to him.
That was an unbelievable screw up in the 8th by the Red Birds coaches.
yunel asscobar
October 25th, 2011
9:25 pm
Mark –
First, I totally agree with @ Phil – 4:02. Carey is the absolute worst; there is no one even close to his level of ineptitude.
Second – one major distinctive in your criticism of LaRussa; he’s managing in the World Series! How long has it been since a Braves manager could make that statement?? With Fredi at the helm, we may never see another World Series appearance, or playoff appearance for that matter. LaRussa is in a league that FG can only dream about. Until management shows some integrity and cuts their losses on this awful hire, we can only anticipate more of what the Braves have become – mediocrity.
Hubie Green
October 25th, 2011
10:10 pm
Lonnie Smith’s not finding the ball as he was stealing second and then his getting decoyed into a slide at second on a phantom tag was one of the worst blunders I’ve ever witnessed. It only cost the Braves the 1991 World Series. He should have scored easily attempting to steal on a ball that ended up off the outfield wall after it was hit. Leyritz still can’t hit Wohlers’ fastball. Think about if the Braves had won back to back world championships. All that pitching: 15 years: 1 world title.
The Marlins have won two. Of course we can relish the Phillies’ Braves’ impersonations.
cloudodust
October 25th, 2011
10:22 pm
MB, You should have give Charlie Leibrandt his due.
Wilbo
October 25th, 2011
10:55 pm
I’ll take LaRussa or whoever’s screw-up last night any day of the weak over Booby Cox’s decision to throw used up, worn out, tired old Charley Liebrandt against Kirby Puckett! And I would definitely take LaRussa’s kinda flimsy explanation over Cox’s dimwitted “crapshoot” excuse.
jed
October 26th, 2011
2:26 am
joe buck: king of smarm & pointless snark.
Mitchell
October 26th, 2011
2:46 am
You know what I love? This literally just occurred to me earlier tonight.
We had the best base stealer in baseball get caught stealing in the last game of the season, taking a key run off the board in the home run that followed, and the best rookie closer in baseball history, little Craig Kimbrel, blew the save in the 9th inning.
Not to mention one of the better defensive short stops in baseball, Jack Wilson, making an error on a hard hit ball late in the game.
I mean, it just doesn’t get better than that.
They could have the best defense in the game and they would lose in the playoffs solely because of errors.
Whatever it is they excell at, that will be what fails them in October. Pretty much always has and always will.
Still better to actually be there than out shooting bucks or whatever the hell they do with their free time these days.
Mitchell
October 26th, 2011
2:59 am
All Tim McCarver ever does is say things like, “That ball was up and that’s why it got crushed into right center.”
Yeah, thanks. We got it.
Who died and made him the color commentator for every World Series in perpetuity?
Edo River
October 26th, 2011
4:27 am
This is a poor column. Certainly like anyone else you strike out occasionally. Poor because you back bite against players on the home team, and disparage someone in a difficult situation and link him to the Braves for no other reason. Poor Poor journalism ethics.
don
October 26th, 2011
5:36 am
All Tim McCarver ever does is say things like, “That ball was up and that’s why it got crushed into right center.”
TIM SHOULD DIE
don
October 26th, 2011
5:37 am
Lonnie Smith, Reardon, had class, what is the point of this poop storm of column???
Bradley = loserville.
don
October 26th, 2011
5:38 am
“MB, You should have give Charlie Leibrandt his due.”
MB & Charlie are both due for a fleet enema.
brenda
October 26th, 2011
5:53 am
???
“The game’s key at-bat featured a game who throws with the wrong arm ”
????
brenda
October 26th, 2011
5:55 am
mazzone is so overrated it is hysterical. why didnt his “super method” work in Baltimore? he was SO DAMN LUCKY to be there when 3 HOF pitchers just happened to be on the roster. Listen to Smoltz talk about Leo so time. it is laughable
Cardinals’ Pujols has power to make in-game calls – Atlanta Journal Constitution | NowNews
October 26th, 2011
6:12 am
[...] Who’s at the center of Series snafu? A former Brave, naturally [...]
Cardinals’ Pujols has power to make in-game calls – Atlanta Journal Constitution
October 26th, 2011
6:23 am
[...] Who’s at the center of Series snafu? A former Brave, naturally [...]
ccrider
October 26th, 2011
7:35 am
mccarver and joe morgan are terrible but the absolute worst was john whatshisname who partnered with morgan. couldn’t watch a game when those two were on!!!
Brian Steele
October 26th, 2011
7:46 am
This is one of the dumbest things you’ve ever written, and that’s saying a lot.
GCSU RULES!!1!
STRETCH
October 26th, 2011
7:54 am
Wow, John Lackey out for 2012 season. Hmmm, Red Sox are gonna be in the market for some pitching this off-season and the Braves gots lots of that to deal for!
BobDawg
October 26th, 2011
8:54 am
typical LaRussa.. can’t own up to his mistake but will take all the credit for a win…I keep waiting for him to get current with his haircut…Geez The Cardinal fans don’t even really like him
Time to give Lonnie Smith a break
October 26th, 2011
9:27 am
Sure he had an epic gaffe, but he hit 3 home runs in that World Series – extremely productive for any Braves post season player. I remember hearing Lonnie interviewed on NPR after game 2, and he said he had big problems in the metrodome because it was so hard to pick up the ball. If you keep in mind that most Braves power hitters, like Gary Sheffield, have historically gone about 1 for 20 in postseason series, then Lonnie’s World Series looks good.
Ray
October 26th, 2011
9:32 am
Larussa, nice going. Apparently a few managers interviewed say you can see the pitchers in the bullpen in texas. Larussa, his record speaks for itself. However, this is a bonehead mistake. IF Bobby Cox had made that mistake, most on here would be ripping him to shreds. I will say with Cox and Torre, these guys when they win, it was the players. When they lose, no player is blamed. They take the responsibility. If you don’t think Larussa is great, just ask HIM. He will tell you.
Cajun Crap Talker
October 26th, 2011
10:30 am
Your links don’t work
james
October 26th, 2011
10:35 am
Finally… someone else who cannot stand listening to the diarrhea of the mouth Tim Carver!
JC Brave
October 26th, 2011
11:16 am
I don’t believe this BS. They lost and thats it.
benchwarmer
October 26th, 2011
11:54 am
La Russa, aaarrrggg! never could stand the guy. He will throw his players under the bus anytime to protect his image. The guy was probably drunk and got the names wrong when he called the bull pen. Worst baseball announcers, McCarver, Morgan, Kruk.
Sidslid
October 26th, 2011
6:08 pm
This only happens to the Cubs. Billy goat eats the phone line or Bartman trips over it.
Hillbilly D
October 26th, 2011
6:18 pm
Add me to the list of those who don’t take LaRussa at face value on this one.
Tim McCarver is the worst announcer of all time, slightly worse than Joe Morgan. Now that’s bad!!
No argument that Tim McCarver is world class awful but he’ll never be the worst, as long as John Sterling is still around.
LawDawg
October 27th, 2011
5:55 pm
YES. I love that a member of the sportswriters is publicly calling out Tim McCarver for being awful. He is the worst thing to ever happen to baseball and his presence is the reason I find the World Series unlistenable (I cannot stand Buck either, but I can accept people liking him, with the exception of that time he acted like Randy Moss fake mooning the crowd was worse than the holocaust).
Does anyone else remember the Jason Giambi pants game? Where McCarver talked nonstop for approximately 3 1/2 innings about the fact that Giambi’s pants tore sliding into second (a small hole in the back) and McCarver was SHOCKED that he DID NOT CHANGE HIS PANTS!!!! Apparently, this was the most interesting thing he has ever seen.
rolln too
October 28th, 2011
9:52 pm
when will Tim McCarver ever leave ?????
or will fox every wake up and retire him to the low minors………………..