Keep Blaming Holliday

Whatever you do, blame Matt Holliday for last night's Cardinals heart-breaking loss to the Dodgers. It was all his fault.

DO NOT BLAME TONY LARUSSA for taking out Adam Wainwright. Of course you take out your 19 win, Cy Young candidate stud pitcher who was stifling the Dodgers for 8 straight innings. I mean, he had thrown 109 pitches. You have to take him out of that game. I mean, it's waaaaaaaay more important to save him for the rest of the playoffs. You know, assuming you are even part of the rest of the playoffs. It's only a pivotal game 2 where you can even the series up rather than go down 0-2, which is a very hard hole to get out of (that's what she said). Why would you leave him in? You've got Ryan Franklin. He's an All-Star. Sure he's been so bad lately that they gave him a week off at the end of the season to collect himself. But it's the playoffs. No way he could continue to be mediocre. And again, it was Adam Wainwright. He'd only gone 8 innings and allowed 4 baserunners. Why would you roll him out there for the 9th? Clearly he'd lost his stuff. They call him Tony LaGenius for a reason. For making brilliant decisions like "take out arguably the best pitcher on your team when he has his most dominating stuff and turn it over to your bullpen which has been very, very shaky for the last month". That's what great managers do. So please, don't blame Tony LaRussa.

Blame Matt Holliday. He lost that game for you.

DO NOT BLAME RYAN FRANKLIN. He did his job. He got the potential last out of the game to hit an easily catchable ball to his All-Star left fielder. That's all you can ask. You can't blame him for the fact that he then walked the next guy. Then gave up a game-tying hit. Then threw a pitch past Molina, allowing the runners to move up to 2nd and 3rd. Then walked another guy. Then gave up another hit to lose the game. You can't blame him for that. Did anyone score on Holliday's error? No. But Franklin would never have had to walk a guy, give up a hit, throw a passed ball, walk another guy, and give up another hit had Holliday made that catch. Again, do not, whatever you do, hold Ryan Franklin responsible for this loss. All you can ask for out of your All-Star closer is for him to strike no one out and allow the other team to put every ball in the air rather than on the ground. That's what great closers do. They get rattled, don't strike people out, and give up line drives rather than ground balls. Ryan Franklin is a great closer. This loss isn't his fault.

Blame Matt Holliday. He lost that game for you.

DO NOT BLAME YADIER MOLINA. He's an All-Star catcher. He's one of the best in the game. So what if he gave up a terrible passed ball that allowed runners to move up to 2nd and 3rd, meaning that any blooper, Texas Leaguer, or seeing-eye single would score the winning run rather than give the outfielders a chance to make a throw to the plate. He does cool snap throws down to first that look awesome, so you can't blame him for that passed ball.

Blame Matt Holliday. He lost that game for you.

I'm a Cubs fan. In 2003 something similar happened to me. His name was Steve Bartman. He lost us the game and series against the Marlins, and a shot at going to our first World Series in a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very long time ('45). Could I have blamed Moises Alou for not screaming at the top of his lungs, "I GOT IT!" in a effort to back the fans off? Nope, not his fault. Could I have blamed Alex Gonzalez for screwing up a routine ground ball and potential double play to end the inning? Nope, not his fault. Could I have blamed Mark Prior for his ensuing walk, and giving up a double to Derek Lee after the Gonzalez error? Nope, not his fault. Could I have blamed Kyle Farnsworth for relieving Prior and then crapping his pants on national television? Nope, not his fault. Could I have blamed Kerry Wood and the rest of the roster for not coming back strong in game 7 to win the series? Nope, not their fault.

Clearly it was Steve Bartman's fault.

Just like last night was Matt Holliday's fault.

And I'm obviously right, since the "best fans in baseball" keep telling me that it was Holliday's fault and no one else's.

St. Louis (Cardinal Fans), you are a joke.