i've been reading some cardinals bbs (i know, i know what the hell was I thinking)... and many of them really are pissed at him for his "dirty slide"... what do you think? i don't think so. partly because I'm a astros fan, partly because Jason just doesn't seem like a dirty player, and mostly because of the way it was such a bang bang play - i don't think Jason could have planned on the ball being off line. if anyone reads any opinions by "nonbiased" sports writers, please link...
I don't feel Lane went much out of his way to make contact with Nunez. You don't stand in the middle of the basepath if you don't want to get hit by the runner. I don't feel it is any different than going in hard to second to break up a double play or trying to run over the catcher.
Nope, not dirty just good hustle baseball...unfortunate for Nunez....but nothing dirty that I could see. DD
If you look at it, either way they were going make contact. Even if Lane didn't slide they would have ran into each other.
oh yeah another question.... a lot of cards fans are complaining that Lane was running inside the baseline on wild throw by Luna.... what's the rule on that... obviously since there is no second line (like along the first base line) then is a runner allowed both sides of the line?
You generally have 3 feet either side of a "direct line" between the bases, unless you are trying to avoid a fielder making a play.
thanks bobrek....i deleted my dvr recording of the game so my next question is - was he withing 3 feet of the line?
He would have to be blatantly off the line running home, which he wasn't at all. They're just finding something to complain about. He doesn't have to run outside the line.
Nunez shouldn't have been there. He didn't have the ball. Lane wouldn't have had to play "dirty" or "make a hustle play" if Nunez wasn't there. Nunez did what he did because he wanted the out. Lane did what he did because he wanted to be safe. It was a dirty, but legal play by Lane. It was a hustle play. It is right for Card fans to call it dirty. It is right for Astros fans to call it hustle. It is a POV thing. The Cardinal fans cheered loudly for a man known as Fernando Vina. Astros fans called him dirty...atleast I did. Lane running in the line the way he did to score is baseball. That is a solid play. If the Cardinals fans are whinning about that play, they need to trade in their rep as being knowledgeable, classy fans.
Don't stand in front of a base if you don't want to get nailed. That's why on a double play the second baseman never stands in front of the bag, because he doesn't want to get killed. Pete Rose might have just punched Nunez.
The fact that he did not have the ball yet and he stood there in the base path, he was taking a risk. He stood way off the bag to get the ball and tag him out early and that result showed why man 3B will not do that. Lane does not have to go out of the path to avoid him becuase he has right to the area just as Nunez does.
What was Lane supposed to do? If you stand in the middle of the baseline during the NLCS with the game in the balance you should expect to get run the hell over.
I thought it was dirty initially as well. But it's also partly Walker's fault for making such a bad throw forcing Nunez to move off the bag. Nunez also cut off Lane from running in the direction of the bag. And lastly, you can bet if it was a Cardinal that did that to us, the Cards fans would be touting it as a good baseball. You can also bet that you'd see some pissed Astros fans if one of our guys was on the receiving end. I know I'd be bitter.
Based on the pictures you can see how far Nunez is out to get the ball. Most fielders would have either came up and just got the ball farther away fromt the bag knowing they can't get the ball or they would have been on the bag waiting for the ball to come to lay the tag on Lane. They would not have stayed in the path of the runner which they both have a right to be and get hit. It's part of the rules of the game and if it's allowed then you can't really knock him for it. Im sure the Cardinals would have done the same thing.
Lane has the right to the basepath. If he did it on purpose, then it was good baseball. What would Cards fans like him to have done? Stop and get tagged? On the play at home, there was no play. Luna threw the ball into the netting. He missed home by such a wide margin, Molina never saw it. Cardinals fans are smarter than this. It's the initial shock of losing. If I were them, I'd be angrier if one of my guys didn't do it.
