Slow news day

You may have missed it yesterday, sandwiched in between workmanlike headlines that read "Ruth's Historic Bat on Display in Cleveland" [about an upcoming auction of one of the Babe's bats] and "Big Tex: Not an All-Star, but huge for the Rangers," [about Mark Texiera's fine season] but occasionally something interesting seeps through the ESPN news wire that doesn't get any play on the front page of the site. In this case, I'm thinking about this AP News Wire softball, which discusses how valuable free agent pick-up Tony Womack has been to the Cardinals this season.

The unattributed author goes to great lengths to rationalize and explain -- and at times, offer apologies for -- Womack's stats this season. This isn't a criticism of Womack per se; in truth, he's been a lucky pick-up, a bargain, and probably LaRussa's best option in the lead-off slot. But the language in the piece is a little loaded:

Despite a 2-for-26 slump since the All-Star break, he is batting .299 with a slap stroke and a patient eye that has produced an on-base percentage of .351.
 
Uh oh. Is Womack falling apart? Like a lot of speedy guys, he always catches fire before the All-Star break and trails off after. The OBP is wayyyyy better than career average (and better than a lot of the guys who bat behind him), but I'd be nervous if the Cardinals' ultimate fate was tied into Womack's, ahem, patient eye.

Womack got off to a blazing start with three steals in the opener and seven by April 20. He said his modest count since is irrelevant, blaming the decline on pitchers' quicker moves to the plate.

Ok, well, Womack has only had 7 steals in the last three months. No one on the Cards is stealing all that much -- it's not the game they're playing now, though LaRussa could revert to a traditional hit-and-run if he chose. His success rate is around .800, which is fine, but "quicker moves to the plate"? That's strange. Womack is on pace for 24 steals, which is consistent with the numbers he put up in his last two seasons with Arizona, and what he might've amassed in a full-time role last season. The guy's also 34, which is past prime for a break-out season, suggesting his fastest days are behind him.

Womack said [he's] getting stronger "by the week" and he's determined not to let it affect his game, even though he's bounced a lot of double-play relays to first.
 
Defense is a concern, which is why the Pirates dumped him on Arizona for next to nothing, and why Womack found himself in three unis last season. Womack's fielding percentage has always been below league average, and he has 8 errors on the season -- not so good. I'm also willing to bet that some of Albert Pujols' 7 errors relate to Womack's misplays in the field.

Cardinals fans seem to have eased off of Womack's case since the start of the season, because Womack has played a huge role in keep the House of Cards together. Still, he's a part-time player exceeding expectations in a full-time role. I see "Cecil Espy," while Tony LaRussa sees "The ESPYs." Dusty Baker, take note: he could've been yours. Watch out for falling concrete.