amag
09-02-2002, 08:06 PM
Bernie Miklasz: Duncan is the glue that binds Cards patchwork staff
By Bernie Miklasz
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/02/2002 06:30 AM
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Cardinals/328994EE724E4C2D86256C280045297B?OpenDocument&Headline=Bernie%20Miklasz%3A%20Duncan%20is%20the%2 0glue%20that%20binds%20Cards%20patchwork%20staff%2 0
Bernie Miklasz takes over as host of KMOX Radio's "Sports Open Line" beginning Thursday. Tune to 1120 AM at 6:15 p.m., and join the discussions with him in Bernie's Press Box.
I don't know how Dave Duncan does it. He is the Cardinals pitching coach who handles more emergencies than a 911 dispatcher. All season the team's pitching staff has taken one blow after another, cracking into little pieces, and Duncan continues to patch and glue everything back together again. He takes what it is broken and makes it whole.
The sudden death of team leader Darryl Kile could have sent this entire staff into a spiral. The tragedy, in itself, carried enough of an emotional jolt to send Duncan's crew into depression. But the pitchers persevered. They have drawn strength from the intense, extremely competitive Duncan.
Nothing compares to coping with the death of a beloved friend and teammate, but the Cardinals have been damaged by a flurry of smaller punches. Woody Williams, Matt Morris, Garrett Stephenson and Andy Benes are among the starters idled on the disabled list this season. Lefthanded relief specialist Steve Kline hasn't been healthy, and he's had a down year. And now closer Jason Isringhausen's status is alarmingly uncertain due to a sore shoulder.
Such a mess. The Cardinals have used 26 pitchers this season. They have handed the baseball to 14 starters. They've pressed six rookies into action; others had scant major-league experience before now. And 12 pitchers hadn't appeared in a game for the Cardinals before this season.
Those are scary numbers for a pitching staff. The absence of any real continuity and rhythm can be ruinous. When the usual roles are scrambled, the result is frequently chaos. And pitchers such as reliever-turned-starter Luther Hackman are being asked to step into unaccustomed roles. The less stability, the higher the ERA. That's how it should be, anyway.
But Duncan's staff took a 3.90 ERA into Sunday's game at Chicago, the sixth-best among 16 National League teams. Those 14 starters have crafted a respectable 4.19 ERA, which ranks eighth in the NL. The bullpen - in a state of flux all season - has the NL's third-lowest ERA.
This is admirable work under taxing circumstances. The Cardinals just pulled through another risky stretch, pitching well and winning five of eight games during a road trip that featured two doubleheaders. Duncan should be commended for his handling of assorted crises.
Just give him a veteran with a couple of effective pitches and sound intelligence, and Duncan often initiates a turnaround. These pitcher-rehab cases are Duncan's specialty. Woody Williams, 13-5 as a Cardinal, gives Duncan most of the credit for his late-career bloom.
"I've never been with a pitching coach who does such a comprehensive job of preparing his pitchers," Williams said recently. "His scouting reports give you all the information you need to face the hitters. Then it's up to you to make good pitches."
An appreciative Tony La Russa has benefited from Duncan's touch for nearly 25 years of big-league managing.
"Dunc can do three things for a pitcher," La Russa said. "He can zero in on the mental part of pitching. He can zero in on the physical part. And he can help develop a new style, if a pitcher like Andy Benes needs to change his approach. If a pitcher is smart, he'll listen, because Dunc usually has the right answers.
"He carries that big book around, and keeps it in the dugout during games. It's been growing for 15, 20 years. It's all in there. And a lot of pitchers have learned from what's in there."
Fans may have noticed that Duncan has lost a lot of weight this season. He's dieting and working out. The timing of the health kick is especially beneficial. Considering all that this pitching staff has endured this season, Duncan needs an outlet for burning that stress away.
By Bernie Miklasz
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/02/2002 06:30 AM
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/Sports/Cardinals/328994EE724E4C2D86256C280045297B?OpenDocument&Headline=Bernie%20Miklasz%3A%20Duncan%20is%20the%2 0glue%20that%20binds%20Cards%20patchwork%20staff%2 0
Bernie Miklasz takes over as host of KMOX Radio's "Sports Open Line" beginning Thursday. Tune to 1120 AM at 6:15 p.m., and join the discussions with him in Bernie's Press Box.
I don't know how Dave Duncan does it. He is the Cardinals pitching coach who handles more emergencies than a 911 dispatcher. All season the team's pitching staff has taken one blow after another, cracking into little pieces, and Duncan continues to patch and glue everything back together again. He takes what it is broken and makes it whole.
The sudden death of team leader Darryl Kile could have sent this entire staff into a spiral. The tragedy, in itself, carried enough of an emotional jolt to send Duncan's crew into depression. But the pitchers persevered. They have drawn strength from the intense, extremely competitive Duncan.
Nothing compares to coping with the death of a beloved friend and teammate, but the Cardinals have been damaged by a flurry of smaller punches. Woody Williams, Matt Morris, Garrett Stephenson and Andy Benes are among the starters idled on the disabled list this season. Lefthanded relief specialist Steve Kline hasn't been healthy, and he's had a down year. And now closer Jason Isringhausen's status is alarmingly uncertain due to a sore shoulder.
Such a mess. The Cardinals have used 26 pitchers this season. They have handed the baseball to 14 starters. They've pressed six rookies into action; others had scant major-league experience before now. And 12 pitchers hadn't appeared in a game for the Cardinals before this season.
Those are scary numbers for a pitching staff. The absence of any real continuity and rhythm can be ruinous. When the usual roles are scrambled, the result is frequently chaos. And pitchers such as reliever-turned-starter Luther Hackman are being asked to step into unaccustomed roles. The less stability, the higher the ERA. That's how it should be, anyway.
But Duncan's staff took a 3.90 ERA into Sunday's game at Chicago, the sixth-best among 16 National League teams. Those 14 starters have crafted a respectable 4.19 ERA, which ranks eighth in the NL. The bullpen - in a state of flux all season - has the NL's third-lowest ERA.
This is admirable work under taxing circumstances. The Cardinals just pulled through another risky stretch, pitching well and winning five of eight games during a road trip that featured two doubleheaders. Duncan should be commended for his handling of assorted crises.
Just give him a veteran with a couple of effective pitches and sound intelligence, and Duncan often initiates a turnaround. These pitcher-rehab cases are Duncan's specialty. Woody Williams, 13-5 as a Cardinal, gives Duncan most of the credit for his late-career bloom.
"I've never been with a pitching coach who does such a comprehensive job of preparing his pitchers," Williams said recently. "His scouting reports give you all the information you need to face the hitters. Then it's up to you to make good pitches."
An appreciative Tony La Russa has benefited from Duncan's touch for nearly 25 years of big-league managing.
"Dunc can do three things for a pitcher," La Russa said. "He can zero in on the mental part of pitching. He can zero in on the physical part. And he can help develop a new style, if a pitcher like Andy Benes needs to change his approach. If a pitcher is smart, he'll listen, because Dunc usually has the right answers.
"He carries that big book around, and keeps it in the dugout during games. It's been growing for 15, 20 years. It's all in there. And a lot of pitchers have learned from what's in there."
Fans may have noticed that Duncan has lost a lot of weight this season. He's dieting and working out. The timing of the health kick is especially beneficial. Considering all that this pitching staff has endured this season, Duncan needs an outlet for burning that stress away.