PITTSBURGH – Had some minutes to kill here in the Steel City — but not enough to finish writing about a visit to Engine House 25 and the Roberto Clemente Museum (that will, fittingly, come tomorrow) – and that was when I received an email from friend, fellow Picayune alum, and Cardinals’ fan, Ben Hochman.

He covers the NBA, so he’s got plenty of time to surf the Web. (Ha.)

His email included just a YouTube link, one I have clicked before and on that has made the rounds through some corners of Cardinals eNation. Watching the YouTube clip again got me thinking, got me remembering too: This was not the first time YouTube had featured an impersonation of Cardinals’ batting stances. Being that it’s the All-Star break and a chance to briefly break from standard programming, here’s a video tangent for the blog. Better than sitting around working on how to say “InBev Select” or “This InBev is for you” comfortably.

Now for something completely different:

A STANCE-OFF

In the style of the sporadic series of Decision 2008 entries, below are two clips from YouTube. Each features impersonations of famous Cardinals’ batting stances. It’s up to you to decide who nailed the stances better. Choose cute. Choose comic. Choose the flip-flop-wearing doppelganger or 5-year-old Tyler, the Wonder Fan.

Or just grin.

First, the flip-flopped one (which is one in a series of team imitations):

Second, the kid mimic:

Maybe this is the start of a new contest: Stancing with the All-Stars, Stance America … So, You Think You Can Stance?

Personally, I dig that Kid Mimic can do different years of Yadier Molina’s ever-evolving batting stance. And you can’t beat the eye-rubbing, head-cocking, timeout-asking perfection of the Mark McGwire impersonation by Flip Flop. If you were to run them both simultaneously, side by side, they’d each nail the Albert Pujols walk-and-glare. Even Brad Lidge would agree.

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