DoolittleBrothers.com

This blog is officially on hiatus. We hope to regroup and refresh soon. Meanwhile, go Royals, go Cardinals, go Cavaliers, go Clippers, go Warriors, go Broncos, go Mizzou and …. go Ricky Williams.

Only 121 days until opening night! I have a feeling this season we will finally see so-called experts admit that james is now the game’s best player and most dominant force. This will also be his “contract” year, so that is an intriguing twist.

Well, I definitely want the Lakers to win Game 4. But I also do not want to eventually be in the position of having to watch Game 7 from the Missouri Baptist Labor & Delivery Center next Thursday. I suppose babies do not plan their entry into the world around such events, but the same day as Game 7 of the NBA Finals?! Luckily, my wife is very understanding and we will likely be in the early stages of the lengthy wait for labor action. We will see how this pans out …

I suppose everyone is just waiting for the bottom to fall out of this Cardinals season, but I plan to enjoy it while it lasts. Sure, Albert Pujols is out for 3 weeks. But it looked much worse, so even that is not bad news at this point. Just flipped the game on the radio at work, and BOOM! HR for Ricky Ankiel … then BOOM! HR for Jason LaRue. I liked Mike Shannon’s comment: “That will make you feel better Albert. Just sit back, relax and let these boys take care of things for awhile.” So far so good. Twelve games over, chance to sweep the Reds and an eye-popping 18-14 mark on the road. Who needs Chris Carpenter, Albert Pujols, Mark Mulder, Adam Wainwright, Jason isringhausen, Matt Clement, Joel Pineiro . … well, we need them. But not quite yet. But soon, I’m sure … hopefully the Cubs will hit a slump while the Cards are healing. I expect Ricky Ankiel to catch fire, which would help the middle of the order in the short term.

Very elusive. But I will not be stopped. I will watch the final 3 innings of STL-HOU, the final five innings of CHI-LAD, and, of course, the full glory of Game 2. This indulgence is very well justified, though not entirely practical. I will be up until 330am, but as long as I can get my rapidly aging ass out of bed by 10:19am, I figure I’ll be just fine as usual since I have no meetings - and no one ever seems to notice when I am working from home, and when I am actually at the office. Since I am a hard worker, and get things done on time there is zero guilt factor. The difference is that when home, it is quiet and I can focus pretty effectively. At the office, not so much. So, again, I am usually better off maximizing my home office when I can. Meetings suck, so it is pleasurable when they do not rear their ominous presence on a Monday.

Lance Berkman tried to bunt for a base hit on Sunday. Inexplicable. I miss LeBron.

When Game 1 finally arrives, I hope that ABC has the foresight and wisdom to have Brent Musburger anchor an 80s-themed intro full of melodrama and footage, leading to a penultimate “You are looking live at Boston …” In fact, now I have set myself up for great disappointment … I did pay a quick visit to You Tube today and saw Kevin McHale clothesline Kurt Rambis in 1987, I rememeber the play, but had never noticed how Larry Bird helped Rambis up shortly afterward … No matter what occurs in the Finals, it will do little to calm this Doolittle’s eagerness for LeBron James to play another regular season game, which is less than 150 days away! … Kyle McClellan has been great for the STL Redbirds, and to think he was in A ball in 2007 … When the forecast calls for storms, and I see a clear radar, I get very, very disappointed. And when a brilliant thunder-blaster does storm though, I find myself morose once the glory passes … Carole King looks good for her age. So does Punky Brewster!

Up:
- Cardinals win! This may be the biggest win to date in 2008. Great confidence booster for Chris Duncan. No nepotism. I heard the 9th inning through Mike Shannon. He is folksy.
- Lakers-Spurs: I know it is close near halftime. The final result will be unveiled soon - to me, at least. Serves as my nightcap.
- Baby: I really shined at Birth Class tonight, leading the group in an exercise in which I wrote on a chalk board and spoke in a manner that others seem to find humorous for some reason.
- Toilet: It was not working properly. Made lots of noise, struggled and used tools in a useless fashion - but I grunted while doing so. Now it works fine. Huge points earned!
- Cats: So cute and worthy of ownership that it defies description on a daily basis.

Down:
- DirecTV did not show up today to install our new HD dish and HD DVR. I was rattled, and forgot to record Cards. Doh!
- I did not record the first half of Lakers-Spurs. I probably missed about 6 or 7 San Antonio cheap shots. I like Brent Barry though.
- Baby: My wife feels lopsided, her hips feel as if they are being perpetually spread via a vice-like contraption & she sleeps with Tums and she makes odd noises quite often.
- I was vacuuming this afternoon during Beano Cook’s weekly ESPNews segment - and missed it. Oh no!
- I had to use a plunger today.

As the Cubs and Cardinals remain atop the NL Central, one theme is clear: they take walks. STL continues to lead the NL in walks (240) with CHI second at 225 - third in the NL is 201. The Cards lead the NL with a .365 on-base; the Cubs are at .365. CHI has scored 52 more runs, though, and leaving runners on base has been troubling for the Redbirds, especially with Albert Pujols batting so poorly with RISP. However, the trend with Pujols will not last, which is just one more reason to believe that the Cardinals can stay in the race. The primary reason is clearly the surprising consistency from the starting pitching: Todd Wellemeyer’s six innings, three earned runs outing on Sunday was the seventh straight game in which St. Louis’ starter allowed three earned runs or fewer. It was the 12th game in a row in which the starting pitcher allowed four or fewer earnies, and the 16th consecutive game where the starter lasted at least five innings (according to Mathew Leach) … the other eye-popper is Ryan Ludwick is up to a .723 slugging pct, second in the NL! Chris Duncan will be hard-pressed for ABs with Ludwick, Ankiel and Schumacher getting the job done, but that is ok. Duncan cannot play LF worth a hoot, though spot starting will not help this much, nor his trade value. I suppose we’ll have to hear rumors of a Duncan/Anthony Reyes package deal all season … I’d like to have Matt Holiday!

As frightening as it was to see blood pouring all over the place from the upper regions of Chris Young’s face on Wednesday night, another thing has me scared: Albert Pujols getting all messed up. Now that we know Young will (presumably) eventually be back to 100 percent, it seems ok to consider other aspects of the fall out. With news surfacing that Gary Bennett can no longer effectively throw back the ball to pitchers, it crossed my mind that if Pujols hits another pitcher or two that he may not be the same hitter. He was terrible in the three subsequent at-bats after hitting Young, then admitted he was badly shaken, having flashbacks and could not focus on his at-bats. Understandable, especially in a rout. But still troubling since he is so incredibly sensitive despite still being incredibly competitive. You never know when a mental hang-up will suddenly derail a career, as all Cardinals fans are very well aware of.

I sure was hoping for a trio of Game 7s, but at least we have two. As disappointing as Utah’s exit is, I will feel revitalized about the West if NO can get rid of intolerable San Antonio on Monday. I think Utah is just as good as any team in the NBA, but it is just a matter of another year or two for them to ascend to the top. Carlos Boozer needed to play better offensively as well, but they are headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, Monday represents the final stand, most likely, for the old version of the Spurs – and I’m ready for them to dismantle and just go away already. But this will not be another rout for the Hornets, so Peka Stojakovich and David West need to shoot 45 percent-plus and score at least a combined 40 points for a win. I desperately want NO to win!

But those observations are just staving off what is really on my mind: Game 7 between the Cavaliers and Celtics. My analysis is simple: If LeBron James shoots well and scores 30-plus, the Cavs might win. Otherwise, they will not. I do hope Damon Jones can catch fire at some point to offset the absence of Daniel Gibson. I suppose a flurry of scoring from Sasha Pavlovis would help, but the bulk of the pressure falls on Wally Szczerbiak and Zydrunas Ilgauskus. I do hope that Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao go all out in trying to frustrate the Boston frontcourt, rattling them into mental mistakes. So, what will we get? James scores 40 and the Cavs win? James shoots 6-for-19 and they lose? Man, I am nervous for this one.

Which brings us to Todd Wellemeyer. He has a 1.13 WHIP, is allowing opponents only a .650 OPS (career is .750) and is less than 40 innings from setting a career high in IP already. He has been the team’s best SP – and as he enters uncharted waters for him, who knows to expect. But his performance will be crucial to staying in the race with none of the injured starters on the verge of helping out soon. Another key to the rest of May and beyond is clear: Chris Perez. He is almost 23 years old, and seems ready for the big time. I would prefer to use him as a setup man for Ryan Franklin for now, and if that falters then go to Perez to close. Many think the opposite, but it is not that important. Obviously, in many games the 8^th is more important than the 9^th so this scrutiny is being over done.