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A brief note on baseball if I may: With apologies to Jim Palmer or whomever (wrong? AKR, get on the grammar case, stat) who noted with appropriate snark that the minimum qualification for a "quality start" in baseball (6 innings pitched, with no more than 3 earned runs allowed) still means a 4.50 ERA, (not particularly effective overall) I would say that today showed us that the stat isn't completely worthless. Chris Carpenter, a prototypical pitching "ace" if there was one, showed it again. He wasn't terribly sharp today; he couldn't locate, or place, any of his various pitches in the preferred location; he surrendered 2 runs in the first inning, 1 in the second. Yes, the Cardinals still lost; yes, Carpenter would surely entirely blame himself; yes, I am a homer...BUT, anyone who watches a baseball game knows: if your pitcher finishes 6 innings, surrendering 3 runs or less, you're definitely still in the game. Two bad innings...and 4 zeros following. The final score was 3-2. The Cardinals hitters loaded the bases in the bottom half of the sixth, pinch-hitting for Carpenter but failing to score. I remember saying, "Get us through 6, give 'em no more, I'll take it." And you're darn skippy we'll take it. I'd say about half the time, you win a game like that, at least. Admission: Chris Carpenter is one of the maybe 5 pitchers on this planet I will use 3-4 hours of my life to watch pitch. The current five (in no particular order):

5. Roy Halladay

4. Greg Maddux (retired)

3. Tom Glavine (retired)

2. Chris Carpenter

1. Adam Wainwright

Honorable Mention: Brad Radke (retired)

Note that the American League pitchers (Halladay, formerly, and Radke) deserve special honor, because I generally despise American League baseball. (The designated hitter rule.) The retired guys mean this: If any one of those kats unretired tomorrow, I'd be at the ballpark/in front of my TV, stat. Done and done. Radke should have won many more games; ask anyone.

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