>> schieffer: welcome back to page 2. today the washington nationals head to the postseason for the first time in 79 years. the last time they were there was the 1933 world series. we've assembled an all-panel. with me in the studio, jane leavy, augustoral of "the last boy: mickey mantle and the end of ameria's childhood," which i think is maybe the best baseball biography i ever read. in boston, peter gammons from the mlb network, which is airing game two of the as at the tiegzers series today at noon eastern out in san francisco, the great tony larussa, who managed both the oakland as and last year's world series wins, the st. louis cardinals and he has written a book called "one last strike." we want to talk to him about that. in los angeles, the legendary former dodgers manager tony

lasorda. i don't have to say much more about tony. we all know him. let me just start with jane here in the studio. and welcome to all of you. as a washington resident, i'll stim from fort worth, but i live in washington. this town is just going nuts. they are doing a pretty good imitation of washington up in baltimore today because the os are in the play-offs. what's going on here? i mean, these are some teams that haven't done so good in recent years. >> the only lousy job in the entire baby season was the prognosticators. of the 133 that the "times" surveyed not one picked the os or as on make the postseason. and the nates, first place since may 2002. it's astonishing. i was there the night they clinched, and michael morse was waiting on deck, the big slugger, "the beast," and he saw the flashing on the board that the braves have lost and there was a look on his face like the

rhst of washington, like that. >> schieffer: it's really been a lot of fun to watch. i just want to go around the horn here as we say in baseball. tony lasorda, i'll start with you. who do you like in the play-offs? who do you think we're going to see in the world series? >> well, i've said this time and time again, pennants, play-offs, and world series are won or lost in the bullpen. and the team that has the best bullpen is going to be the team that's going to win it. >> schieffer: and who do you think that is? >> well, sense natty with chapman, he's an outstanding one. and if strauss berg was pitching, that would make washington a pretty good favorite. so i think-- >> schieffer: strasberg is not playing, though. >> the cincinnati bullpen is stronger at this particular time. >> schieffer: another tony, what do you think?

>> well, i think he makes a good point about the bullpen. lobby at baltimore, they haven't lost a game all year long late. i don't want to make you unhappy, but i think the thing you learn, there are eight teams left, and you could be the best seeder in the world and this is the best seeded team, and i guarantee you, best of five, best of seven, number eight can beat number any time. it's just the most exciting thing. you really can't particular a winner. you just respect all eight. >> schieffer: peter gammons be you're in the business of picking winners. you've been writing about baby. you've been a baseball analyst for a long, long time. who are you liking? >> well, i think the yankees are going to come out of the american league. i don't think it will be easy, but i think they've gotten hot at the right time. they've got terrific depth in their bullpen. i think they'll end up make the world series. i thought at the beginning sense natty was going to be in the series with yankees because they've been able to use four

starters for 200 innings a piece, rested the bullpen all year. but with johnny quadoa' back injured, that throws it up in the air. i tend to think somehow the ghost of tony is going to end up getting back to the world series in st. louis because of mr. carpenter and mr. waynewright. >> schieffer: jean, you live in washington, so i guess we'll have to consider you might be a little presentlied on this, but what are you,ing? >> i know not to commit the error of the other 133 writers. you could not have written a scenario this delicious. i mean, the orioles' record is reversed. it's upside down from last year. it's emblematic of this entire season. it's an upside down season. the one guy i know who predicted something like this is my pal john thorn, the mlb historian.

he picked the nats and yankees to meet in the world series. >> schieffer: let's talk about something tony lasorda brought up and that is stephen straussberg. i think it is indicative of baseball as we know it today and the baseball of yesterday. you know, when i was growing up, you played right through your injuries. and the other part is, pitchers pitched nine innings. where did we get this deal with pitchers only pitch six innings now? i mean, conditioning is better. diet is better. training is better. and yet our pitchers can't pitch nine inning any more. we think they're doing great if they pitch just six innings and with strausberg, of course, he had the arm surgery, and they didn't him to wear himself out this year, so they shut him down when the pennant was still in doubt. really the play-off who was going to be first was still very much in doubt. >> one of the things that's really constructive for me is to

compare him to sandy koufax in the 1965 world series when he started three games. the last on two days, and the last two complete-game shut-outs. the last game he couldn't throw a curveball because his elbow hurt so much. he financed that last game. it was his 360th inning of the year. the nats shut strasburg down after 160-- it's actually 159. and i asked sandy not long ago, look at this difference. what is it? >> he said we didn't know any better. and today, they do know better. they know the consequences of what the torque is on a young, newly repaired elbow. and so you've got this sea change where, you know, players were, you know, he-men who went to the mat no matter what. "give me the ball. put it in my shoe." and today, i'm sure strasburg is languishing and feeling horribleub but today you've got the reverse. you've got management with an

ininvestment in this kid, taking the long view, and they're being hammered for it. whereas 50 years ago they were hammered for ruining guys. >> schieffer: let me just ask tony larussa about that. i want to ask you as the manager. it kind of strikes me in a way you talk about on wall street, too big to fail. are these players now too expensive to run the risk of them getting hurt? is that what this is all about? could today's pitchers pitch nine innings if they were called upon to do so? >> probably not. no matter-- i think what jane talks about, there is a lot more information. the mris and all that. they're discovering tears, like sandy said, they didn't know about. they just pitched through them. let me ask you-- they're only pitching six innings and they're still getting hurt. even though we're using the last three innings with the relievers, the starting pitchers, almost all of them, are finding some surgery at some point in their career, sometimes more than once. so i think it may be something

more subtle. it's just that we have to rush these kids so quickly. they come to the big lees, and the only way they survive is throwing, maxing out every throw. used to be you give them six, seven years in the minor leagues and they learn to pitch which means you don't max every throw. put a little on, take something off and save something for later. >> schieffer: i asked frank robinson, who managed the nat when they first came here. i asked him one time, why can't they pitch nine innings anymore and he said simply they don't want to. are these pitchers, are they too pampered, tony lasorda. should we be asking them to do more than they do? >> well, i think, all this begins in the minor leagues. they have pitch counts now, and i-- i never liked. you've got to throw to strengthen your arm. when the youngster comes up to the big leagues they've only pitched five, six, seven innings. because they were on pitch counts. i mean, i pitched games that

were 15 innings, three times, 12 innings, and never had a sore arm. but you've got to throw in order to strengthen your arm. and i think pitch counts has ruined a the lo of pitchers. >> schieffer: what do you think, peter gammons? >> well, i think it depends on the individual. the pitcher that kind of runs contrary to this discussion is justin verlander who can dial it up and throw 120 pitch connection pitch eight, nine innings, usually throws hard merit ninth inning than he does in the first inning, over the last four years has led the major leagues in wins, strikeouts, and games started. but that was his mentality for the from the time he came up to the big leagues. roy halladay did it. he's fought through injuries last years. he's done it. i think part of it is the thought process. i found it interesting with the reds this year. the pitching coach said to me, one of the things-- probably the

least-famous of all their starting pitchers is bronson arroyo, but he has the most effect on the other pitchers because he gives up three runs in the third, and he stays in the game until the seventh or eighth inning. and it's a mindset that he passed on to the other reds pitchers who ended up with four starters over 200 innings and allowed their bullpen to throw the fewest innings of any bullpen in major leagues, nonetheless regular season. >> schieffer: we have seen some extraordinary young players this year not the least of which is bryce harper of our nates, trout out there with california-- the angels. jane, i want to ask you. you wrote this book about mickey mantle, which i've just said i think is one of the big biographies i ever read about a baseball player. it was really a book of great sadness when you-- here's this kid who came up at 19, just like bryce harper did, got hurt his first year up, never really got past that injury. you always have to wonder what

would he have been like had he not been hurt that first year? but how do you compare harper and young people today with mickey mantle? >> i went back, bob, and looked at the 1951 september stats for those four guys. and, you know, willy maze was the 1951 ml rookie of the year. he batted .233. he was the not reason the johnson ended up beating the dodgers. mantel, messa-messa. in september. he was sent down in august, because of his elbow and there were questions whether he was enjoying the high life too much. trout had the magnificent year but tanked in september. harper, after the nats lost five games and davey johnson called that team meeting, took off. he hit .330, 60 points higher than trout, and he had a slugging average 200 points higher.

so, you know, they are going to be the mantle of the future. they're two fabulous players. trout seems to be more complete. harper carries with him some of that daring, that first-to-third speed and running into walls, like-- it reminds me actually pete reecer, but he was not a natural center fielder, like mantel. but he, of course, had the burden of being on the cover of "sports illustrated" starting at 15. trout and mantel and even maze didn't have that kind of pressure riding on them. >> schieffer: what do you think about these new guys, tony larussa? >> very exciting. that's exactly what keeps baseball alive. you've got the veterans. they become veterans and they're still performing. and all of a sudden you have the influx of talent. jane would be a great scout, because she just not only described these two guys but compares them to the guys in the past. but that's what-- that's what is so fascinating. i can just relate that in spring

training was making a tour of arizona, and i saw albert and he told me, "i've just seen the best young player i've ever seen in my life." i said, "who's that? and he pointed to mike trout. >> schieffer: i'll be darned. i heard a great anecdote about you, tone, and i'll just repeat it here. you were talking to somebody about giving people tips on how to hit better, and somebody says that you-- they asked, "well, what do you say to albert puljos?" and you said, "i just tell him what time the game is and make sure he has a ride to the ballpark." >> you know, that's how you manage when-- if we get into my plane and my manager way back in the dominican, tony lasorda, is the one who told me when i was about 20 years old, maybe i should start thinking about managing. so i'm very careful with what i teach the players. >> schieffer: all right. >> the one thing-- >> schieffer: go ahead. >> if i could make one quick point. because we were talking about the starting pitchers not going

nine. i think there's a really important point to make. there has been the evolution of turning over the last three innings to the bullpen and it's not just because the starters don't want to go deeper. it's just that managers and pitching coaches think the specialist relievers get more outs and are tougher to hit. >> schieffer: that seems a legitimate reason, obviously. we're going to take a break here. we'll be back in a minute with more from this panel. gulf. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america.

bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger. >> schieffer: back now with our panel on baseball. you want to go back to peter gammons and ask him, you know, peter, we've seen changes in football, the coming of the replays and all of that. we use that just's little bit in baseball now. baseball hasn't changed very much and, frankly, that's what i like about it. do you think there are changes that should be made in the game? some people say maybe on the intentional walk, just declare

the, send him to first base, and you don't waste time doing that. do you see any changes coming to the game? >> i actually like that intentional walk idea. i do think that sooner or later, there has to be a way to play under one rule. if you're going to have-- every weekend is there going to be an interleague series, they really need to play under one rule. either have the d.h. or don't have the d.h i think it's-- i think, also, it makes the world series something of an aberration because it's-- one team doesn't play by the same rules it played under during the season. and i think that's really important. i also think that in time, they have to find a way to slightly shorten the schedule so that the play-offs and world series can get started in a little bit better time so it doesn't go into november. but, otherwise, i mean, just the way they've changed the whole play-off structure to me has been just an admission, you know what? this is entertainment.

and we have to get it right for television. >> schieffer: i agree with you. i think we should do away with the dh, and everybody go back to playing where the pitcher had to bat. i think it changes the whole strategy of the game. what do you think, tony lasorda? >> well, i think the designated hitter rule is not as good as not having it. in the national league, you've got to be astute. you've got to be ready to do-- to make different changes that you wouldn't have to in the american league. if you're in the seventh inning and your pitcher's coming up, and you are losing by one run, you're going to have to probable hit for him. but over in the american league, he stays in the game. so i don't-- i don't think that that's right, the designated hitter rule. >> schieffer: what about you, tony? does it change managing? it really does, doesn't it? >> well, it does. i like the game-- i've had about equal number of years in both of

them. i remember sparky always said, "before you retire, try the national league" and i would definitely prefer game without the dh. some fans like the extra scoring. you see more of the game when you have the pitcher in the lineup. but i just know that right now, baseball is riding a crest of popularity, and you just mentioned it. you like the old-time attributes and the fact that baseball is slow to change. andening that's the attitude that i'm finding with mlb. they don't want to mess with the game, but you've got to be aware-- like instant replay. we keep trying to figure out, okay, how do change the game a little bit but still keep it right and still keep it exciting and entertaining? i personally think what we did to add the second wild card has excited the fans and prided that division-- provided that division, more authenticity and worth more and try to win. >> schieffer: i kind of agree with that.

i think it's added a lot of excitement. it really has put the emphasis on winning your division, too, hasn't it, jane? we're going to wind up either as the wild card or division winner. they want to win new. >> nobody's going to coast, you know, except the regulars in september with that much advantage to being a division winner. though i have it say the wild card one and done feels antithetical to baseball. the whole point of baseball is that it's a long season and how you do in the spring rains and how you do in the august heat matters. and for it to come down to one game, i understand the appeal for television, for the casual fan. it doesn't feel right to me. and it certainly doesn't feel right that you have a system in which the tigers, for example, winning the central division in the american league with, you know, a weak division, seg best record in the a.l., and they're-- they're in to division games. they didn't have to play anything. so it certainly needs tweaking if they're going to use it.

>> schieffer: let me ask you all this question and we're coming to the end here so be short in your answers. un, with the injury situation, what we're learning about concussions and all of that, there's a question in my mind as to whether in, say, 10 years are we're still going to be playing football. i think we're going to continue to play baseball. but is-- football go on, peter? >> oh, i think it can. because it has so much appeal. i mean, both college and professional football is so huge and they're huge businesses. but i do think that it's very hard eye know in the draft the last two years, there have been a number of kids who were thought to be going to college to play football and were very happy to sign in baseball because, you know, what? the careers are prohibited to be so much longer. and i think it's a great advantage that baseball is going to have against football over the next few years. >> schieffer: all right, well i want to thank all of you for being with us this morning. i think it's just fun every once in a while to take a little

break from politics. i've always thought the great thing about sports is that it doesn't really matter. it gives us a chance to think about and worry about something that doesn't really matter, and it takes our minds off, in many ways, the things that do matter. and, peter gammons is right-- it is entertainment, and as far as i'm concerned the best entertainment you can have. thanks to all of you for being with us this morning. it's a lot of fun to talk about baseball and we'll be back in a moment with our "face the nation" flashback.

- hi, i'm halle berry, and as a new mom, i can tell you that childhood is a magical time. but for children with diabetes, life is not quite so carefree.

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far between. washington are they used to say was first in peace, first in war, and last in the american league. franklin roosevelt threw out the first ball in 1933. the nation was mired in the great depression, and roosevelt used baseball terms to explain how he'd deal with congress and get the country rolling again. >> i have no expectation of making a hit every time i come to bat. what i seek is the highest possible batting average, not only for myself but for the team. >> schieffer: roosevelt was more successful than washington's ball club. the last game of that series was exactly 79 years ago today. washington lost. but that 1933 team had four future hall of famers. mi, in uche, goose goslin, sam rice, and manager joe cronin. the team also had a catcher

named mo bird. as far as we know, the only major league ball player who became a u.s. spy. and he was a good one during world war ii. presidents continued to throw out first ball, but washington kept losing. attendance dropped, and washington lost its team in 1971. baseball didn't return until 2005. and george bush did the honors. followed by the current white house occupant. so forgive us for talking baseball today. it's not often around here we can find an excuse to do that. our "face the nation" flashback. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level.

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>> schieffer: that's it for today. we'll see you right here next week on "face the nation." ,,,,