Curtis Granderson's costly slip and fall in centrefield in the seventh inning of Thursday's Game 4 was predictable, according to Jim Edmonds - and that has nothing to do with Granderson and everything to do with the turf at one-year-old Busch Stadium.
"This has been a tough field at times this year," Edmond, the St. Louis Cardinals centre-fielder, said before Friday's fifth game of the World Series. "You guys have seen that all year long with the troubles that Scott (Rolen) has had at third. Guys have been slipping in the outfield all year long, and some balls have been taking some bad hops on infielders and outfielders."
Noticing that Rolen walked in to the interview room at that time, Edmonds winced and said: 'Sorry, Scott."
Edmonds said that the turf "has not really been sticking well all year," whether the field has been dry or, as it was Thursday, water-logged.
"The wetness adds to it, but for some reason it's stayed wet in the outfield all year long," Edmonds said. "It's like the grass has had a tough time taking to the sand underneath. It's a tough spot to be in ... I'm glad it didn't happen to me."
Granderson, of course, saw his misplay replayed all day on a continuous loop on television. He is a stand-up guy, this child of two school teachers, and he smiled when the name Curt Flood was brought up. Flood, a Gold Glove centre-fielder with the Cardinals, stumbled in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series chasing what would turn out to be a bases-clearing triple by Jim Northrup of the Tigers.
"Part of history now - especially since the other guy's name is Curt, too," Granderson said, smiling. "Except from what I read and heard about that play, it was more a misjudgement. I had a hard time trying to put into words what happened on my play after the game ... but I guess what I was trying to tell people is that it wasn't a misjudgment or a physical or mental mistake. I just slipped."
Granderson acknowledged that for a brief second, after his initial slip, he thought he still had a chance at the ball.
"I knew it was going to land pretty close to me and, yeah, there was that thought ... but I just took my eyes off the ball."
(*) sooner or later the Washington Nationals ownership and Stan Kasten will wake up and realize the reason no one wants to manage their team is the presence of general manager Jim Bowden. It's embarrassing for a team that has such a bright future that its managerial search has been dotted by withdrawals both of experienced managers and others who should be looking for an entry-level position;
(*)The San Francisco Giants were given permission to announce the hiring of Bruce Bochy as manager during the World Series because he struck a deal with the commissioner's office in return for filling in on an emergency basis as manager of a team of touring Major Leaguers that will leave Monday for an exhibition series in Japan. Barry Bonds helped make it a doubly happy day in the Bay area (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2641065) and my guess is he'll end up DHing in 2007, possibly with the Chicago White Sox;

(*) not to get ahead of ourselves, but any Cardinals World Series win will be celebrated with sparkling wine provided by Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta, Mo., as well as the usual higher-priced champagne. The winery supplied the Cardinals with 20-30 cases free of charge. It was prepared to supply the Tigers in the event they had won at Busch Stadium - at a cost of $216 (U.S.) for each 12-bottle case. Clearly better for spraying than drinking.