Choo-choo Choo

For the second straight night, Shin-Soo Choo was one of the heroes last night in the Indians' 7-3 win over the Cardinals. Choo went 3-for-4 and knocked in three runs, and didn't need no stinking seagulls to do it this time. He'd been struggling lately, so it's nice to see him break out a little bit. Let's hope he can keep it going.

David Huff, who got the win to improve to 2-2, had his best start as a major-leaguer, in his sixth try. Huff went 7 1/3 innings and left with the score 5-1. Joe Smith gave up back-to-back singles to Albert Poo Holes and former Indian Ryan Ludwick to score two more runs that were charged to Huff, but he and Rafael Perez finished a shaky eighth that ended with a bases-loaded ground ball to short. Huff's ERA dropped to a still-ugly 7.39, but it's definitely moving in the right direction. He got battered in his first two major-league starts, after which his ERA stood at 17.55, and then with each start fell to 10.97, then 9.77, 8.71, and now 7.39. At this rate, he'll be under 1 in no time. (Yeah, I know. I'm just kidding.)

The Tribe offense came right back with two more in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a Victor Martinez two-run double, and Kerry Wood pitched a perfect ninth in a non-save situation. Wood has had some rough outings too, as we all know, but last night's performance got his ERA under 5, and he hasn't given up a run in his last 10 outings.

I have to take issue with one of Eric Wedge's tactical moves last night. After Ryan Garko led off the seventh with a double, Wedge pulled him in favor of pinch-runner Trevor Crowe. I understand what Wedge was trying to do there, as it was then a 2-1 game and he wanted to get an insurance run. But the Indians' offense still had nine outs to work with, counting the bottom of the ninth, which they proved not to need. That meant Garko's spot in the order would probably come up again, and Crowe came into the game hitting .185. Seemed to me the Indians were more likely to get another run via Garko's bat than Crowe's legs. Sure enough, Crowe didn't score a run (he got thrown out at the plate), and he did come up to bat in the bottom of the eighth, whereupon he promptly struck out.

But hey, a win's a win. At 28-35, the Tribe is now just a half-game behind the White Sox for third place, and 2 1/2 behind the Twins for second. The first-place Tigers are seven in front of the Indians, but we've got to take things one step at a time. There's still 99 games to go.

Today in sports history -- Frankie Frisch

On this date 35 years ago, Hall of Fame second baseman Frankie Frisch died in Wilmington, Delaware, succumbing to injuries suffered in a car accident a month earlier. He was 74.

Frisch played for the New York Giants from 1919 to 1926, then was traded to the Cardinals with Jimmy Ring for the great Rogers Hornsby. He spent 11 years in St. Louis, where he was a key player in the great "Gashouse Gang" teams of the 1930s. Frisch won four World Series with John McGraw's Giants, and four more with the Redbirds. For the last of those, in 1934, he was a player-manager. Frisch ended with 2,880 career hits, and was reportedly a wizard with the leather. It took him until his fifth ballot, in 1947, to get enough votes for Cooperstown enshrinement, but he's a legitimate Hall of Famer.

He is, however, personally responsible for the enshrinement of several illegitimate Hall of Famers. Frisch became a member of the Hall of Fame veterans committee in the 1960s, and used the position to get large numbers of his former teammates elected. Dave Bancroft, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, George Kelly, Rube Marquard and Ross Youngs were all fine players, but they have no business being on busts in Cooperstown. All put up numbers that were inferior to those of dozens of players who have not been inducted, all played with Frisch in New York or St. Louis, and all were elected by the Veterans Committee when Frisch was a member.

But hey, the man's been dead for 35 years. Let's remember his great career more than we remember his urinating all over the standards of the Baseball Hall of Fame.