la Beisbolista

baseball is back

2010-04-05T16:25:00.005-05:00

First, a question. What in the hell is in Yadi's mouth?

Okay, I know. You don't know. You're probably even thinking, "Huh?" Or, "What?" Seriously, though. It was not your run-of-the-mill mouth guard. Is he wearing a retainer?

What a beautiful day for baseball. Be sure to sit outside and soak up some vitamin D, sports fans.

Now, on to the game. (How exciting is it that we finally have real baseball to talk about?)

Good things about the 2010 Opening Day in Cincinnati:

Yadi in the lineup (and, maybe more importantly, behind the plate).
A-Rey, Jr. rocking the stirrups.
The Best Player In Baseball. AB: 1. HR:1.
The Wood-smith on the mound. "Screaming at Votto down the line."
Scott Rolen on deck.
End of the first, Cards up 1-0.
Scott Rolen flying out to left field.
Raspberry Tart going deep in the fourth.
Lug-nut's base hit to left.
The Penguin's RBI single.
Rolen bobbling the ball, allowing Yadi to go to third.
The Wood-smith's bunting stance.
Carp powering through the fourth and keeping the lead intact.
End of the fourth, Cards up 3-2.
TBPIB now 2 for 3 with a single in the fifth.
The Captain sliding cleats-first into the 2Bman.
"The ball gets away and Pujols will score!"
End of the fifth, Cards up 4-2.
Molina beating Rolen's throw to first.
Raspberry Tart climbing the wall and taking a homerun away from Rolen.
Realizing (during the interview) that my respect for Moze has grown exponentially since his start.
TBPIB adding on 2 more with his second HR of the season/game following a Boog single.
The Captain collecting his first hit with a single in the seventh.
Carp leaving with a decent line. 6IP, 5H, 2ER, 3K, 0BB.
End of the seventh, Cards up 6-3.
End of the eighth, Cards up 6-4.
YADI TAKING ONE YARD FOR A GRAND SLAM!!!
"The Redbirds have pulled out the power sack." -Mike Shannon
Cards win the first game of 2010 by a score of 11-6.

Not-so-good things:

On 3-0, Matt Holliday lining out to Aaron Harang.
Yadi hit by a pitch in the fourth. Holliday in the fifth.
Stranding 2 in the fourth.
Votto's solo shot in the fourth.
Rolen's solo shot in the fourth.
Batman booting an easy grounder.
The Reds' circus act in the sixth to get Carp at first.
Jason Motte.
The ball through the legs of The Penguin.
"That was stolen off McClellan."
Ryan Franklin

Well, at any rate, there is one thing we can all agree on: the Cardinals are back.

Oh, and the Cubs ~~are losing~~ lost. *smile*

Ahhh, baseball. It's going to be a great year.

10 NDD points for Yadi. For his FIRST GRAND SLAM EVER.

planting seeds for Spring

2010-03-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

I know I've been a little remiss in my blogging this offseason, and for that I apologize. Some things can't be helped, though, and I figure it's better to just move on and see what the 2010 season has in store for baseball, the Cardinals, and fans. After all, it's a new year, with new possibilities, and some new faces. What could be be better? (Other than actually getting to go to Jupiter and watch Spring baseball in person, that is.)

We're still waiting for a few of the transcripts to go up, but if you've missed out entirely, you can check out the Roundtable discussions, all archived over at the UCB site.

Excited about the season? About the '10 Cardinals? You should be. There's a lot to be excited for!

Sounds like Jaime Garcia, barring any major natural disasters, will be the fifth starter in a pretty sound rotation. I like that. I like him. I'll tell you why (don't even bother asking, it just slows me down). (1) He's young. (2) He's a lefty. (3) What little we have seen from him in the past was very promising. (4) You can tell he wants it.

Fingers crossed that he turns out to be our just-what-we-needed-but-didn't-know-it-at-the-time player. It's nice to have one of those each year, and it's definitely pitching's turn to contribute.

Speaking of the rotation...

What really needs to be said of Wainwright and Carpenter? They're doing what they do.

Penny, if you judge by the excitement in Mike Shannon's voice (which I do), was absolutely owning the Marlins batters he faced yesterday. He was working fast, too, which is always a good sign. Whatever weird injury he may have sustained this Spring doesn't seem to be affecting him much at all. (Hopes that Yadi recovers equally well.)

Lohse goes today (on 550, if you live close enough to pick it up) against the Mets. I heard somewhere he's predicted to be roughly as good as he was in '08, and nothing would make me happier. (Actually, I'd even take '09 Lohse, for what it's worth.)

Also, yesterday...

Brendan Ryan made some very nice, not so run-of-the-mill plays at short, and again, Mike was jumping out of his chair (metaphorically speaking) with each call. Maybe they were as spectacular as all that, or maybe Mike was just in a "jumping out of his chair" mood. Either way, I can't wait to get this season started.

Felipe Lopez has 5 stolen bases this Spring? Huh. Maybe I'd put him in the leadoff spot and save B-Ryan for the niner.

That leaves Rasmus for the 2-hole, captains obvious for 3 and 4, Freese for the fifth spot, Skip in #6, Yadi (or LaRue *sob*) batting seventh, and the pitcher eighth. Of course, unless I'm playing Flip in right field, I'll need to thin out the infielders a little. Luddy would bat fifth, in that case, with Freese sixth, and move Skip to the first spot. If Lugo is playing, I'd bat him ninth, so not much rearranging needed.

Whew. No wonder TLR never smiles. I smell a new record for number of unique lineups in a season. (Previously held by TLR.)

8 days until Opening Day! 15 Until the Cardinals Home Opener! See you in Saint Louis!

um... duh.

2010-03-26T23:42:00.007-05:00

First of all, if you're reading this, you probably aren't reading this.

Well, that made a lot more sense in my head than it obviously does in type, but since you probably aren't reading this anyway, it doesn't matter much, now does it? I could even misspell a few words and who would be the wiser, I ask you? No one. Not even you, who aren't currently reading.

My domain is a mess. I don't know why my site is down, nor do I know why I can't redirect it. And I don't know how to fix it.

But regardless, I have things to mention. (By the by, my feed still works, and if I knew why that was, I'd undoubtedly be even more confused.)

[Update (3-27, 8:45pm): It's all fixed. How? Why? I'll probably never know.]

But on to those "mentionables".

Yadi is hurt. I'm sure I'm only the latest person to mention this, but it bears repeating. He strained his oblique on the basepaths and may very well miss opening day.

*blink*

Do I sound calmer than you would've thought I'd be? Worry not. I'm currently chewing on the keyboardcxzCVSCz FSXCDC SXWsxzcdcvSXZDSXAzXZ SCX CS X

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WHAT WILL WE DO WITHOUT YADI?!?!?!

Oh, sure, Jason LaRue is a great back-up, but he's no Yadi! No one is Yadi! He's, he's... YADI!!!

TLR said this about his catcher:

I don't think there's anybody on our team more important than Yadier. There's others that are as important, but Yadi is right there tied for first.

Aaauuuuggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Good gods, what will we do?

now that's what I'm talking about

2010-02-26T20:10:00.003-06:00

It's good news, Cardinals fans!

The Cardinals are bringing back the amazing Flip.
F-Lo. Fe-Lo. Lo-deck.

Finally.

No, that's all.

Just the news I've been waiting for all off-season.

Ready for some baseball? Me, too.

UCB Roundtable: Salary Cap

2010-02-24T19:46:00.007-06:00

My turn at posing a question to the UCB began with buying myself a new purse. Well, it's Spring Training, right? New season, new opportunities, new jerseys. Why not a new handbag to announce my fandom to the world? (And some pretty cool new earrings to boot!)

Spring makes me feel like shopping, and shopping makes me wish I had a lot more money. Money got me thinking about salaries and bonuses and team spending, and that made me wonder about payroll discrepancies across baseball.

Sure, some teams can get by spending less, and some teams feel the need to write blank checks to bring in the talent, but amazingly, there seems to be very little correlation between the number of zeroes and the number of trophies. Maybe this is because of the farm system. Maybe players feel more connected to the team that brought them up, and this loyalty shows itself in the form of "hometown discounts". Maybe arbitration and options and years of service have a positive impact on team development. Maybe a salary cap would only give players more incentive to "test the market".

At any rate, I was curious what the rest of the bloggers thought about the notion. Is a salary cap necessary? Would it work? And how would it affect the Cardinals specifically?

Daniel (C70 At The Bat): I've never been a big fan of salary caps. I'm a bit more on the side of the unfettered market, though I have no problems with the luxury taxes baseball has in place now, so that you can spend what you want, if you are willing to meet that price. Salary caps, in my mind, are owners desperately trying to find some way to control themselves.

As for necessary, I don't know that it is as much in baseball. Now, if you want to make sure that teams are able to compete long-term, maybe you have to do something of that nature. But in the decade just past, the Yanks only one at the beginning and end, the Rays were in the series, Philadelphia (which should play as a bigger market, but doesn't always) won one and was a runner up, Arizona took home a title, and unless you were in Kansas City or Pittsburgh, you saw your team in the playoffs at least once in that span.

The problems in baseball aren't necessarily in the money department, but in the brains department. A smart ownership with a focus on the draft and large upside bargains can go a long way. Can they sustain it beyond a couple of years? Maybe not, as those players start pricing themselves out of the budget. But there should be new ones ready to take their place.

I don't know how much a salary cap would affect the Cardinals, either. They have their own internal cap, of course, but they play in a division where most everyone is spending less than them anyway, so that wouldn't change much. They would probably lose Pujols, though, or they wouldn't have signed Holliday.

Jack (Thoughts About Cardinals): I really don't like the idea of a salary cap in Major League Baseball. It would change the nature of the game tremendously. The luxury tax is enough socialism in baseball for me. The Cardinals would probably not be affected by it terribly, however, because we tend to be in the middle of the pack payroll wise. Our organizational philosophy would likely not change that much.

Jeff (Five O'Clock Blogger): My Short Answer is "No, a salary cap is not necessary." I'm not sure I'm smart enough to provide a well-reasoned Long Answer, but I usually don't let that stop me.

For one thing, I'm opposed to salary caps on philosophical grounds: I'm not a fan of rules to protect one from oneself, and it seems that salary caps are in place to do just that.

Secondly, I don't see where caps necessarily level the proverbial playing field. In the capped NFL and NBA, it always seems like the same handful of teams are the top teams and another handful are busy putting down carpet and paneling in the basement every year. Sure, you'll get the odd Cincinnati Bengalses or Golden State Warriorses surprising folks every now and then, but then they go right back to hanging with the Detroit Lionses and New York Knickses.

Meanwhile, your Indianapolis Coltses and L.A. Lakerses seem to dominate every year anyway. And that seems to be because they are well-run organizations that employ smart people who know what they are doing, which is what the more successful baseball teams do, without a salary cap.

Say what you will about the well-heeled Yankees and Red Sox "buying" championships (a notion I disagree with), but Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein and their minions are smart people. Meanwhile, the (nearly) equally well-heeled New York Mets and Chicago Cubs can't seem to stay out of their own way. I'm not saying that Omar Minaya and Jim Hendry aren't smart; they're just throwing their millions at the wrong guys.

And that's what it boils down to, whether in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, EPL, PDQ or WTF... it's not how much money you have, but how well you spend it. Teams like Tampa and Colorado seem to have figured this out, while the Royals and Astros haven't. A salary cap isn't going to help the poorly run MLB teams any more than it has helped the crappy teams in other capped leagues.

What's frustrating about our Cardinals is that while our front office seems to be more forward-looking, the ... how do I put this charitably... "more traditional" field manager seems to have too much pull with the owners for my taste in terms of personnel decisions.

Ryne (Redbird Rants): I don't think baseball needs a salary cap. Maybe I fear change, but I think the system works fine. For all the jokes that the Yankees buy championships, the truth is that the organization earns them. And the Yanks and Sox and the rest of the big market teams don't win every year. The Cubs are up there in payroll and it will be 102 years since a championship for the franchise. Yes, the small market teams have a tougher time sustaining success and winning championships, but their owners could spend just as much. I mean, these guys are all billionaires right? Some owners just care about winning more than others (George Steinbrenner). The Tampa Bay and Kansas City owners could pour just as much into a team as George does. They choose not to. Small markets would do make just as much money with a good team on the field. People like to see wins not losses, and regardless of the market, fans will pay to see a good, competitive ballclub. So, I would leave the system alone, it really does work.

As far as the Cardinals are concerned, a change wouldn't hurt them. The team doesn't throw money around on free agents and has a solid front office and coaching staff in place. With good baseball people in the organization and coaches to develop talent, an organization can thrive. Look at the Minnesota Twins. The Cards don't spend too much or too little and still dominated the decade in the NL Central, so the organization's strategy works.

Kathy (Redbird Chatter): As an employee, I cannot imagine wanting to work for a company with a salary cap. The concept just seems to go against the principles of capitalism and competition that Americans hold dear. Picture working for a company that no matter how great a year you have, you cannot get the raise you deserve or the company cannot hire the best and brightest in their field.

Now, if I were an owner, particularly of an already profitable franchise, I would be pushing for it. My biggest cost would become fixed. If I raise ticket prices, sell more tickets or merchandise, that money would just go into my pocket. The players union will never go for this. They could build in some sort of profit-sharing, but then each team's payroll would end up being exactly the same as it is now.

It seems like most of the teams that are regularly in contention have payrolls in the $80-120 million range. A salary cap would likely land in the middle of that range, which is right where the Cardinals' payroll typically is. So, it would have very little effect on the Cardinals.

The current "revenue sharing" or "luxury tax" gives teams in smaller markets money to actually spend. Without it, those teams would be spending even less. So, the problem of competitive balance, or imbalance, would likely be worsened by a salary cap.

Justin (Intangiball): (Ed. note: Welcome to the UCB, Justin!) As far as the game of baseball is concerned, I’d have to consider myself a purist. But I’ll be the first to admit that, “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”, is a weak defense. Let me offer a more visceral argument.

For many others as well I’m sure, the Cubs and Yankees are two teams that I love to hate. While Chicago is also "large market" and plays into this debate, the Yankees are the clear epicenter of any salary cap discussion. Because they win. Attempting to level the playing field by constricting them or any other organization would not only be detrimental to the game, but fruitless.

In 2008, the Yankees carried a payroll of over $200 million and failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1994. They watched as Tampa Bay and their $40 million roster claimed the pennant from within their very own division. The Rays had never even sniffed a winning record, much less the postseason. Prior to last season, there hadn’t been a championship parade in the Bronx since 2000.

New York is not exactly Pittsburgh, folks. Steinbrenner law practically mandates that the span of time between season-ending celebrations be amortized mathematically equal to dog years. Therefore, even as we discuss this in February 2010, a mere 4 months after their most recent championship run, George & Sons have already began suffering withdrawal symptoms for what to them is the equivalent of 2.33 years of failure….or 47 minutes in Cubs “years”. (Cue the rim shot)

There are, how many millions of people in NY? LA? Chicago? Unfortunately for smaller market teams, there is in fact strength in the sheer number of people paying attention to your product. There is no way to negate the impact of advertising dollars and ticket sales that "big market" teams achieve. We should also not forget that it is businessmen running these shops. A salary cap may prevent a team from fielding 3 or 4 A-Rods (pauses to throw up a little in throat) but beyond that would only force them to allocate funds to other areas of operation.

While the long term effects of a recession are debatable, a resulting corporate philosophy I predict is here to stay in all industries is one of lower overhead and less liability...greater agility in times of crisis. In other words, while the Yankees and their seemingly unlimited resources may forever represent a separate perception of risk, the days of reckless spending are over. Especially for aging superstars. Even more so for aging superstar pitchers. How many young, cost-effective studs are passed over for deals like Barry Zito's 126 million over 7?

If GM’s haven’t realized by now that the future is in smarter deals, farm systems, and international operations, they weren’t likely to be competitive regardless. But it appears that they have. Evident with every free agent Hall of Famer that vanishes into retirement. The fact that financial behemoths like the Red Sox and Yankees seem to have also figured this out is what should scare us the most. They're shooting a double-barreled shot gun while Baltimore throws rocks.

But forget all of that for a minute. Let’s get to the visceral part. Emotionally, baseball needs an Evil Empire as much as Star Wars did. What's a hero without a villian? When us “small market” fans inevitably watch the teams we love fall, who is there left to cheer for if not the underdog? The beauty of this is that when the Yankees or Red Sox or Angels face a team like Florida or Arizona or Colorado, teams that even by name are reaching out for market share beyond city limits, that club has not only their city rallying behind them, but so many of ours as well. I like that. And even when Goliath comes out on top as they did last year, it feels cheap. I'll take the feeling of our victories over that every time. Even if it is less frequent. To these prima donnas and their fans, I say GO to New York. You're not our type. We're baseball fans. You're playing a different game.

Ryan (Cardinals GM): Salary caps are generally not a good idea. Teams would probably be reluctant to guarantee dollars over a long period of time (especially to pitchers) because they would be locked into a budget. That could mean that the Cardinals might not have the impressive core that they do under the system currently in place. There would also probably be a greater emphasis put on scouting and development, as the value of 0-3 players would increase under fixed budgets. Not sure how this would affect the Cardinals. Luhnow has done some nice things with the farm system, but I also don't think that he can be considered one of the best vp's of player development. To go along with 0-3 guys, undervalued things like defense (it's still not being valued the same way by all teams) would also be at a premium, which I think the Cardinals do a fair job of taking advantage of. The Cardinals have traditionally always been a strong defensive team, and I think TLR and Duncan have a way of bringing out the best in players-Ludwick, Jeff Weaver, Chris Carpenter, etc. In short, if everyone had equal budgets, I still think the Cardinals would be ok in the division, because I believe they are the best run organization.

Mike (Stan Musial's Stance): Like some others who have already responded, I think the competitive imbalance is a function of talent evaluation. If you read any Joe Posnanski you see a humorous take on the Royals' personnel gaffes; the Pirates always seem to be blowing up the roster and starting over; the Padres didn't draft well in the last years of Kevin Towers. That evaluation disconnect does far more to keep those teams in the second division than the free market for free agent salaries does. A salary cap isn't going to fix problems in evaluating talent.

I don't think a salary cap is the answer. Not saying the league couldn't make it work, they probably could; but the same teams would still miss the playoffs because of the talent evaluation issues above.

Seems to me a salary cap discussion starts only when a team can't keep a talented free agent (like Johan Santana) due to cost. If teams could designate a guy as a franchise player and retain his services that way it might keep the playing field a bit more level, so that we don't seemingly see all the high-priced talent end up in New York/Boston/LA or other large market teams.

Should a salary cap be enacted, I don't see it affecting the Cardinals much. They've constructed their team with a couple of expensive marquee players (AP, Carpenter, Izzy, Rolen, Edmonds, as examples), then filled in the roster with guys they controlled or economical veterans. I don't see this team leaving that model soon.

Pip (Fungoes): First, if the goal of a cap is to increase parity, that begs the question "How much parity?" After all, MLB has experienced greater parity since 1995 than at previous times in its history. But the problem is that a salary cap, more accurately called a "payroll cap," doesn't even work either in theory or, as with the NBA, NHL and NFL, in practice.

Restricting the amount that a revenue-rich team can spend on its payroll only pushes its resources into other areas, such as international player scouting and player development, where it can still gain advantages. In other words, a payroll cap doesn't limit a team's revenue; it just moves it somewhere less traceable.

How might a payroll cap affect the Cardinals? Since the Cardinals tend to spend more than their division rivals, they'd lose some of their payroll flexibility. But, since they have been one of baseball's most efficient franchises (according to JC Bradbury), they would likely continue to excel in such a rigged environment.

A simpler idea that might actually achieve the intended consequences would be to give teams the freedom to relocate without owners being able to block them (requiring someone other than the feckless current commissioner). For instance, the New York market, home of the team that payroll-cappers most often target, the Yankees, could easily support three teams (as it once did). Allowing a revenue-poor team to relocate there would simultaneously increase its revenues and cut into the Yankees' and Mets'. Combined with the current alignment of teams, which already tends to reduce disparity (the Yankees and Red Sox, after all, play in the same division), allowing a team to tap into the revenue supplying the hefty payroll would further increase parity. Rather than reducing teams' economic freedoms, a better answer is to increase them.

Chris (Bird-Brained): Salary caps can work, generally speaking, but I don't think baseball needs one. I like the idea of revenue sharing, because teams like the Yankees do have a bit of an unfair advantage when you look at their big picture (including TV) revenues compared to, say, KC or Florida. Maybe a better solution would be a "salary floor," or just better tracking of how the teams that reap the benefits of revenue sharing spend their money, to keep the have-nots a little closer to the parity line. I used to get miffed about the Yankees "buying" championships until I noticed that half of their 2010 playoff roster is made up of players that came up through their system. Granted, the other half made over $100 million last year, but still. Drafting a championship team can work, but only if you hang on to the good draftees.

I think the Cards have done a pretty good job of holding on to the guys that can truly help this team long-term, and balancing that with quality free agent/trade acquisitions put them where they are today. Bill DeWitt can balance a budget. I don't think he'd be scared off or emboldened by a salary cap for Major League Baseball.

Thanks for your input, guys!

Personally, I can't see a salary cap improving the system, even if it didn't cause any damage.

Be sure to check out the rest of the UCB Roundtable fun by following the blogs over at the UCB site.

it's spriiiii-iiiing

2010-02-17T15:32:00.000-06:00

The awesomely talented photog over at stltoday.com is back in Spring action, and the boys in red are back at work. Pitchers and catchers reported today for the St Louis Cardinals (although evidence suggests a variety of position players showed up), and Jupiter is once again the best place on earth. (And believe me, as I stare out the window at another sunny yet snow-covered day in the Midwest, I'd much rather be in Florida.)

Of course, nothing is as important as the arrival of hitting coach Mark McGwire to camp (at least if you judge importance by the amount of ESPN coverage dedicated to something). Derrick Goold even got to speak on SportsCenter about the colossal and world-altering event. He described it as "mooted".

The most fitting definition I could find goes something like this: Of no practical importance; irrelevant.

Never mind me, I'll just be enjoying the pictures.

planet Schumaker

2010-02-08T21:58:00.002-06:00

Yay! Skip "the second baseman" Schumaker is ours for the next TWO years. Arbitration avoided. Negotiations done. Trato hecho. And for quite a reasonable price, as well.

Ooh, buddy. I gotta tell you, there are a lot of our guys whom I would hate to see playing somewhere else--Albert, Yadi, Wainwright, and Carp come to mind--but none any more so than Skippy, er, Jared. (Whatever.) He has quickly become one of my most favorite Cardinals.

Last off-season, after some confusion regarding the second base position, Schu stepped up and made us all question our concerns. "Were we concerned?" we questioned ourselves, some of us aloud. And after waiting an acceptable period of time for a response, we gave up (and just as well since we knew the answer all along anyway). The answer was, well, yes, but that's not the point, actually. The point is that we needn't have been concerned at all. We needn't have worried. We needn't have run out into the street, stopping traffic, concern showing plainly on our faces as we wondered, some of us aloud, "It's a week before Spring Training and we don't have a second baseman?"

But, as I may have mentioned, Skip rescued us. He came through when we needed him the most (a week before Spring Training without a second baseman), and gave us not only a replacement, but a pretty darn decent second baseman.

So darn decent, in fact, that I named him my intermedista of the 00s. What? Me worry?

United Cardinal Bloggers to interview Kyle McClellan

2010-02-05T09:47:00.016-06:00

The United Cardinal Bloggers will be interviewing St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle McClellan on Saturday, February 6, at 4:30 pm Central for a special edition of the UCB Radio Hour.

McClellan, a Missouri native who has spent two years with the Cardinals, was 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA coming out of the pen last year. He has been a solid part of the bullpen since his debut in 2008 and has been conditioning himself to challenge for the fifth spot in the St. Louis rotation this spring.

The United Cardinal Bloggers was formed in 2007 to foster communication and collaboration among those that blog about St. Louis. The UCB Radio Hour began late in 2008 and now is a weekly staple, airing Wednesdays at 9:30 pm Central at Blog Talk Radio and available for download as a podcast from that site and from iTunes.

No callers will be taken for the McClellan interview, though callers are encouraged on the regular Wednesday show.

The McClellan interview can be heard here, and the show page at Blog Talk Radio can be found here.

[ps ~ I gave K-Mac 10 NDD points for being an awesome enough guy to make an appearance on the show. Yes, I am trying to resurrect novios and NDD; we'll see how it goes.]

up, up, and away... again

2010-02-04T13:09:00.005-06:00

So, in case you hadn't heard, SuperMiles will be back in red soon. No, not Cardinals red. Reds red.

To be honest, I'd kind of lost touch with his comings and goings; I wasn't even aware that he had been traded to Oakland by the Cubs. I guess Chicago just couldn't recreate the magic St Louis had with the Super (utility) Man. Either that or the Chicago river is actually full of kryptonite.

Aaron had some nice memories to share at a recent baseball academy opening in California:

The happiest place you have ever seen is the inside of a clubhouse after a World Series. Some guys play their whole career without playing in one. I lucked out being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis is an amazing baseball town. They pack the stadium – every game is sold out. The fans are great. They cheer you if you work hard and play hard. If you have a bad game they will boo you every now and then. But that comes with the territory.

It will be nice to see him across the field again this year. Maybe we'll even get to see him pitch a few against the Cards, depending, of course, on how Dusty decides to use him.

is Julio Lugo really still on the team?

2010-01-30T13:25:00.002-06:00

Really?

All right. If you say so.

Speaking of middle infielders, I want Felipe López back.

In 43 games (169 plate appearances) with the Cards in '08, he hit pretty darn well.
BA .385, OBP .426, SLG .538, OPS .964

He defended pretty well, too, not to mention the fact that he can play almost anywhere you put him.

He's currently looking for a home, and some people seem to think we're in the mix to sign him.

I promise this has nothing to do with his ethnicity (even though it doesn't hurt que es boricua).

Also, I'm not above begging.

my picks.... team of the 00s

2010-01-29T10:54:00.005-06:00

Okay, back to blogging with the big boys, and I've decided to jump back in with this project.

UCB proudly presents The Cardinals TEAM of the DECADE.

Of course, there aren't too many options, considering the amount of talent we've had the last 10 years, but I intend to make it as interesting as possible.

Now, where to begin....

Ah, yes, how about with the player of the decade. Albert Pujols at first base. The Best Player in Baseball. (I really believe that he could play any position with as much success as anyone who's ever played it, and if you doubt that, just challenge him and see what happens.)
The. Best. Player. in. Baseball.

Jim Edmonds in center field. Again, there's no argument that he's the best Cardinals CF of the decade because there's no argument that he's the best Major League CF of the decade. (On a side note, this is just despicable.)

Scott Rolen at third. He may not be my favorite of all-time, but I still must give him a lot of credit for playing as well as he does. And who can argue with all those gold gloves? (Does it make me a bad person that I laughed when this happened? After I found out he was okay, of course.)

Here's where it gets harder.

Catcher: I'm going with Yadier Molina. If you told me Matheny was "technically" better, I might shrug and admit that he probably taught Molina everything he knows, but you could never convince me that anyone outplays or outworks our Yadi. He exemplifies what catching ought to be. Take note, all you catchers.

Left field: ~~If you've read here before, you know whose name I want to put in this spot, but I'll resist because deep down I know that there are better fielders at that position.~~ Screw it, Chris Duncan. Outfield blunders aside, this guy contributed a lot with his bat. Maybe he was easy for some to make fun of, and maybe he had a lot to learn, but he wasn't a slacker and he loved the team. Oh, and he has a titanium disc, people.

Right field: Ryan Ludwick. The man is a force to be reckoned with, both at the plate and in the field, and it makes me shake my head every year the front office doesn't offer him the moon. His problem is that he just does his job. He's not flashy or spoiled or loud. He comes to the park, takes practice, plays the game, and lets everyone else soak up the attention. But you can always count on him.

Second base: Skip Schumaker. The point is to pick a team, using players from the entire decade, that you would like to see on the field and could stand up against anybody, right? Schu is the guy I want at second. Maybe it's an emotional choice, but there's nothing wrong with sentimental value.

Shortstop: Edgar Rentería. His resume with the Cardinals reads pretty nicely: AS, GG, SS, and MVP votes. Of course, given the revolving door of middle infielders we've had lately, you have to like the fact that he was around long enough to earn some tenure, even as funny looking as he is.
(Brendan Ryan is a close second, just because he is so much fun to watch. I think I'll make him my bench player.)

Starter: Chris Carpenter. Not only is he one of the best pitchers in the game, but he's one of the best pitchers in the game who had TJ surgery, came back, and contended for the Cy Young. He is the decade.

Reliever: Jason Isringhausen. My feelings about Izzy are no secret. He gave every ounce of himself for this team, even when things were bad and "Cardinals fans" were booing him in his own house. Plus, he holds the team all-time saves record, or something like that. I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Manager: I would pick Tony LaRussa even if he weren't the only choice.

Well, that wasn't too hard, or probably too interesting. Be sure to check out the rest of the bloggers' choices for team of the decade at the UCB site.

19 days!

I can smell Spring Training!

the return of pitching tuesday

2010-01-26T11:49:00.003-06:00

23 days until pitchers and catchers report. (Yes, that's counting today. Just work with me, please.)

23 reminds me of A-Rey, and A-Rey reminds me of pitching. The 5-man rotation has a pretty solid foundation going into 2010, but questions linger, primarily concerning the fifth spot.

We've got Carp and Wainwright (I still refuse to call him Waino), two of the best pitchers in the NL who should've shared the Cy Young in '09 but ended up with only each other to hold. Then there's Lohse, who wasn't stellar the year after signing a huge and very well-timed contract with the club, but who has the talent and experience to contribute quite a bit this season. Brad Penny rounds out the main four as the latest addition to the team, and it should be very interesting to see not if, but how Duncan is able to build on his strengths and help him pitch his way into our hearts.

The last spot in the rotation is where the question lies. Jaime Garcia? Kyle McClellan? Mitch Boggs? Or maybe someone else will step up during ST and give us another name to chew on. None of these options is ideal, Garcia because of missing all of '09 and with not much major league experience to begin with, Mac because he is so valuable in the 'pen, and Boggs because, well, he tends to go downhill very quickly when he goes. Brad Thompson is gone, but I wouldn't have been too excited about him in the rotation, anyway. There's still an outside chance of bringing Smoltz back, but I'm not holding my breath. Besides which, it's hard to imagine him lasting all year without any issues.

Truth be told, it might make sense for the Cards to sign a fifth man at this point, but I don't look for that to happen. At least not until Tony and Dave get a better feel for what we have to work with.

The bullpen is evidently going to look very similar to last year. Ryan Franklin will hold down the 9th innings, Dennys Reyes and Trever Miller will primarily come in against lefties, and Kinney and Motte will cover the gaps. Some newer additions could include Walters, Jukich, Samuel*, and Ottavino, but again, it's hard to know which of the hopefuls will have their dreams come true until we actually see them take the ball in ST.

*Youngest pitcher on the roster.... He just turned 23.

Once upon a time I heard talk of Russ Springer rejoining the team. That was probably just a fairy tale.

Know who I'd really like to have? Max Scherzer. He's a Missouri native, so I feel kind of possessive of him. I just know someday he and Mark Buehrle will wear the birds on the bat.

Think the Mariners really have a chance now that they've got Cliff Lee? Think the Phils could've made it as far as they did without him?

exclamation of delight

2010-01-25T18:16:00.000-06:00

Picture me smiling.

No, on second thought, picture me lounging on a sunny Puerto Rican beach, daiquiri in hand, well-tanned towel boy massaging my feet, Cards versus Nats on my laptop, watching ba-Dunc-a-dunc hit one deep into the right field stands as his father and former teammates smile inwardly.

On third thought, picture me in the right field bleachers at Busch Stadium, cold Bud light in hand, on my feet as Duncan steps into the batter's box, holding my breath as the ball explodes off his bat and lands in my outstretched bare hand, as his father and former teammates celebrate silently.

As is the fantasy, the Cards triumph over the 'Natinals' by a fairly lop-sided score, but not before Chris has his way with a couple of fastballs and makes a couple of Sportscenter-worthy plays in the outfield (or possibly at first base, depending on how Washington decides to use him).

You know you want to come along.

whoa.

2010-01-23T21:03:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite certain why, but I don't love Colby Rasmus. I'm sure he's a fine, upstanding young man with a bright future ahead of him and many admirable qualities, but I just don't love him. I don't hate him, or even dislike him. I tolerate him. I accept him. But if he were to be traded tomorrow to, say, the Royals, I wouldn't bat an eyelash. Why? Heaven knows. Maybe he is destined for greatness in this crazy game of baseball, and I wish him all the luck in the world (especially as long as he's playing for St Louis), but I just can't get excited about him, and I apologize to anyone who is at all offended by this.

To recap, I'm not a fan of the current center field option for my team.

So, as you might imagine, I'm reeling a little with all the CF noise circulating these parts. To start with, Rick Ankiel makes news by going and getting himself signed by Kansas City. First of all, good for the Royals. Rick is a story no matter where he goes or what else is going on there, and playing for the Reales certainly will only add to the interest. Second of all, good for Rick. I never expected him to end up back with the Cards after free agency, but I can assure you that KC was the last place I would have bet on him landing. I think it will be a good fit. He's a good guy and they are certainly in need of something... good.

Then there's Jimmy Baseball's sudden decision to put himself back out there, hoping to play somewhere, and publicly challenging TLR to give peace a chance. As you may or may not be aware, Jim Edmonds is the best center-fielder of this generation and occupies 10 or 12 spots on the "Most Unbelievable Catches" without even trying. (Imagine if he were trying.) There's a facebook group entitled "2/3 of the world is covered by water and the other 1/3..." yeah, you know the rest.

Here are my questions.

1) I understand why he still wants to play, but does he still have anything left to contribute? Maybe just veteran leadership and a lot of experience. That's worth quite a bit, actually.

2) Why would the club bring him back? He and Tony had some very unfriendly words (if you believe everything you hear on tv), but I don't think it was quite as antagonistic as the Tony-Rolen feud. A big part of me believes they could patch things up, and maybe already have. Besides which, he claims to be willing to work for peanuts (although the league minimum is currently exponentially more money than I make, so maybe 'peanuts' isn't an appropriate term), which only makes him that much more appealing.

and 3) What if he ends up playing against us again? I don't think I can handle much more of that.

In other CF news, did I completely miss the fact that Curtis Granderson is now a Yankee? And, then, how? (Insert irate rant about the free-spending New York Yankers and their quest to own us all, here.)

peekers and ballyhoo and reason #14,998

2010-01-21T20:56:00.004-06:00

I have a startling and tragic confession to make, fellow baseball and Cardinals fans. I won't draw it out or string you along, I'll just blurt it right out, and hope upon hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Ready?

Here goes.

Until two days ago, I had not yet read 3 Nights in August.

Go ahead, berate me if you must. I can take it.

I undoubtedly deserve it.

And I only hurt myself with my procrastination. For as interesting and informative as I knew it would be, I could not have guessed how GOOD this book is.

It is magnificently well-written and extremely complimentary to the St Louis club and fans. It is chock-full of the inside jokes and stories we outsiders long for. It is interspersed with touching and heart-breaking descriptions of the loss of Darryl Kile, the meltdown of Rick Ankiel, and the emotional withdrawl of JD Drew. And throughout it all, Buzz captures the excitement and passion of those 3 games so well that I felt like I was right there in the dugout with Tony.

It helps if you're a Cardinals fan, but any baseball fan (with the possible exception of Cubs fans) would enjoy this book. If you're like me and are taking your time with your list of "to-reads", skip ahead. In fact, drop whatever you are currently doing and read this book. Now. No exceptions. And if you've already read it, read it again. My copy is now a permanent fixture in my purse.

without a jot of blood

2010-01-17T11:16:00.003-06:00

Well, with exactly one month and one day until pitchers and catchers report (Yippee!!!), I figured now was as good a time as any to jump back into this whole blogging thing.

Actually, I've started countless posts over the last couple of months, but just couldn't finish one, at least not satisfactorily.

Not that there hasn't been anything going on.

Heavens, no. It's been busy. And a little loco.

Of course, you don't need to hear from me that the Cards signed Matt Holliday for $119-120 over the next seven years, or that he inexplicably changed his number to #7 (and no, the "Jim Edmonds wore #15 and I want to set myself apart, blah, blah" nonsense is not an acceptable explanation), or that no matter how hard he tries (and he will try), he will never usurp Albert's throne, or that there was absolutely no factor in his decision more motivating than all those zeroes (no matter how the idiots on KSDK try to spin it). So I won't tell you.

I also won't tell you that somehow, someway, we let Mark DeRosa get away to the Giants, and no one in the front office even hiccupped. That was disappointing for me. I mean, I had a feeling he wouldn't be back, but I didn't expect him to get the Aaron Miles treatment, for goodness sake.

And, finally, I most definitely will not tell you about the long overdue confession/explanation/apology we all heard from Mark McGwire. I believe I've made my feelings about Big Mac pretty clear, so there's little reason to continue beating that horse. It's dead.

Want to know the truth? I didn't even watch it. Why should I? I know the plot. I know the characters. I know the outcome. His words, no matter how well-rehearsed, were predictable and pointless.

Heck, yes, he took steroids. Heck, yes, he would have taken anything to improve his performance. Why? Because baseball is hard. Because it's all about appearance. Because he was getting old. Because everyone else was doing it. And mostly because there was no risk of getting caught.

See. What else is there to say?

No one is going to stand in front of a nation of baseball lovers and say, "I did it because I have no respect for the game." Or in front of a nation of people struggling with unemployment and debt and say, "I did it because the millions of dollars I already had weren't enough."

Don't get me wrong, though. I love the man. His pedestal is almost as high as Albert's for me.

Sure, he should have said it long ago.

I have heard all the arguments, and I understand people's outrage and disappointment. But in the end, how do you justify cheating? You don't. You come clean and move on. You can't make it right. You can't give back the home runs. You can't undo the damage. So what exactly do we want from him? A pound of flesh?

It's time for us to move on, too. Move on from this, and from the whole steroids scandal of the 90s in general. We need strict rules, strict testing, and strict punishment, and that way, 10 or 15 years down the road, we won't be subjected to another generation of apologies.

Did I mention that pitchers and catchers report in 32 days? Does anything else really matter?

give me all you've got... I won't break your heart

2009-10-29T10:22:00.001-05:00

Right. Okay. Well, then....

So I've been mulling over this latest development at Camp Cardinals, and trying desperately to put into words all that I'm thinking, but (as you might imagine) it's pretty difficult.

I love Big Mac.

No, not the sandwich. (I actually don't like Big Macs.)

I don't really care what you think of me regarding that love, and I completely understand that I'm in the minority with my feelings.

But still, I love him.

I've written about this before, and I don't particularly want to revisit it right now, especially considering that the 2010 pre-season promises to be chock full of MacGoodness until we're all vomiting blood and cursing the national sports media with our dying breaths. So there's no need to burn it all out this early. Best to save some bile for later.

Don't get me wrong, I like Hal McRae. I like recognizing him when his infamous "Royal Rant" is played on the "Top Most Outrageous Sports Meltdowns". I like seeing his hat perched precariously on the peak of his head, ready to fall at any moment. I like his enormous and slightly mischievous smile. Unfortunately, when you're the hitting coach and your team gets swept out of the playoffs due largely to a complete lack of hitting, you probably shouldn't make any plans for redecorating your office.

Mark McGwire may not be the answer, but the better half of the Bash Brothers belongs in a Cardinals uniform for the rest of time, as far as I'm concerned, and if he has to actually wear the uniform for the rest of time to make that a reality (rather than the immortalization I'm hoping for), well, then, so be it.

If nothing else, I guess this effectively settles the question of who will next wear number 25. It will be none other than number 25 himself.

Welcome back, Mac.

fizzle... pop... dead

2009-10-11T16:45:00.006-05:00

We played hard and lost. We have nothing to be ashamed of.

Good season, everyone. Now go home and rest up, because Spring Training is only about five months away.

I guess it wasn't meant to be.

(pause for dramatic effect)

Oh, well. There's always next year. (Egads, did I just say that? Deep breath, I will not turn into a Cubs fan.)

I like a good underdog, so I'll be rooting for the Rockies and Twins.

Where do the other playoff teams stand? Glad you asked? (And yes, I realize you didn't actually ask.)

I heard on ESPN yesterday(?) that it might be "a while before they can play competitive baseball in Colorado again."

Minnesota, with ankles in hands, are on the verge of a fate similar to the Cards.

The BoSox were swept out of their series as well.

No promises, but if it comes down to the Yankees and the Dodgers, I might just put in a DVD and forget about baseball altogether.

The offseason should be interesting, if nothing else.

TLR and Dave Duncan may or may not be back. I would love for them to return, but I'm not holding my breath.

Matt Holliday will probably end up with the Yankees (unless you believe in karma).

Mark DeRosa will probably end up back with the Cubs (or possibly the Padres).

Troy Glaus won't sign anywhere this offseason, but I expect him to get ST invites.

Rick Ankiel will NOT get everything Scott Boras thinks he's worth, but he won't do too badly. He'll stay in the NL, because as we all saw this year, his defense is much better than his offense.

Joel Pineiro will get a 1-year deal to stay with the Cardinals.

Jason Motte has seen the last of big league action for a while.

Todd Wellemeyer... well, it's hard to say if he'll get any interest this winter, but he's a very likable guy, and I hope he gets another chance. Somewhere else. Cause, well, likable is nice and all, but I want to win next year.

John Smoltz will definitely get interest, but I'm not entirely sure he wants to come back, regardless of what he says. I'd love to see him back in a Cardinals uniform, but that's a hard one to pick.

I guess that's the upside of a long season--you don't have to wait too long for another chance.

(forced smile)

(sigh)

(sob)

I'm just going to bury my face in a pillow and cry for a few weeks.

One more season over, one more opportunity missed.

Blah.

the games that play us

2009-10-10T16:18:00.004-05:00

All of this means nothing if you can't knock down that shot.

Does a 162-game season really come down to this? One game? Can you win 91 games and the division and still go home with nothing to show?

Yes. And no.

We will slump our shoulders and shuffle off the field, knowing that for now, for this moment in time, we are losers.

We played hard.... We have nothing to be ashamed of.

But there was a lot to be proud of during the regular season this year. Lots of drama. Lots of hard work. Lots of excitement. Lots of unforgettable moments (and a few we'd maybe rather forget). All in all, it was a blast. Sure, the last few weeks were pretty rough, but with a 162-game season, you can't really expect every day to be peaches.

Less than what we wanted? Yes.

But nothing to show? No way.

Minutes away from the start of this playoff game.

Will it be the last? Or the first?

I told you if you missed that shot it was all for nothing, but I was wrong.

It matters.

No regrets.

can we play a meaningful game, already?

2009-10-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

I have started this post over and over, looking for the right words to tell you how I'm feeling, but in all honesty, I don't know how I'm feeling (unless you count sick as a dog with something flu-like). Truly, it's hard to know what to say or how to feel about a team that played so hard and clinched the division and then just decided to bag the rest of the season. Am I supposed to be excited? Disappointed? Outraged? Yes and no, I guess.

The post-celebration season was a drag. Nothing interesting happened, and while it was really no fun to watch, we can at least take solace in the fact that nothing disastrous happened, either. Maybe that was the point. Maybe it was all pre-arranged to prevent serious injury. It would have been nice, however, if they could have managed one or two more wins. You know, just to get the enthusiasm up a little headed into the playoffs. But, whatever.

Like I said, I had a lot of trouble conjuring up any emotion (one way or the other) about the situation, but then I thought, "wait, what about some emotionless writing to convey my emotionless thoughts?" And if you've ever read or written nurse's notes, you know that it doesn't get much more emotionless than that.

So, here's my best attempt at NN (nurse's notes) to describe what has been a less than impressive season finale...

9/26/09 2230 Team in playoffs p clinching against Col. Celebrating c alcohol in clubhouse. Media present. A&O x2, unable to identify time of day/date or purpose possibly r/t ETOH consumption. Team pleasant, smiling, cooperative. VS 120/80 72 20 98.6o. Skin warm, dry. LCTA. Respirations even. BSx4. No c/o pain or discomfort. No distress noted.

10/1/09 1600 Team c one win of three in Cin series. A&O x4. Mood labile. Denies SI/HI. Catcher c/o pain in L knee p incident c foul ball. Reports pain as "8" on 1-10 scale. Unable to bear weight L leg. Swelling & bruising noted to area. Pedal pulses present B. Prn pain meds given as requested. Ice pack applied. Player replaced. VS 114/66 98 24 98.0o. Skin warm, dry. Respirations even. BSx4.

10/4/09 1830 Team swept by division foes. Regular season over. Three series losses to end season. VS 102/60 110 28 96.7o. Skin cool, clammy. Respirations labored. Lung sounds diminished B @ bases. Oral mucosa pink, moist. Cap refill 2 seconds. No cyanosis noted. Sa02 90%. 02 applied per NC @2L/min. HOB elevated. A&O x4. Mood anxious.

Hopefully, the post-season adrenaline will kick in and we'll stop the bleeding and survive the NLDS.

...

Whatever.

finally.

2009-09-26T22:30:00.006-05:00

Yikes. I'll write more later, but for now suffice it say that after much too much waiting and worrying and wondering, we have finally clinched the National League Central.

Yay!

Fate = Yadi coming out and LaRue breaking up the 3-3 tie.

If we end up playing the Rox in the playoffs, it will most likely be a bloodbath.

we're saving all the runs for the Cubs

2009-09-17T10:43:00.009-05:00

So said a Busch Stadium usher as we were leaving yesterday. I can only assume he has some inside information to which the rest of us are not privy. I guess we'll find out this weekend.

The game yesterday was the first I'd been to since Chris Duncan was traded. I gotta say, I caught myself (more than once) glancing down at the dugout, looking for number 16. It was kind of haunting, because I could still see him there stretching before the game. Running in from left field. Taking swings in the on-deck circle. But he wasn't there. And it was sad.

Actually, the whole game was sad. There wasn't much to cheer about, and it didn't end the way every other game I've ever been to (and yes, I may be exaggerating) has ended. Even my lucky jersey couldn't get it done.

Josh Johnson would be great in the Cards rotation. Just saying.

If you'd told me at the beginning of the season that on September 17, with 15 games left to play, that we'd have an 8.5 game lead in the division and a magic number of 9, I'd have been a happy camper. Ecstatic. So why am I frustrated? Because the Cards have lost 5 of their last 6 and have let a 12.5 game lead get whittled down. This series with the Cubs, while not make-or-break, is certainly important. Too important to let Kyle Lohse pitch, as a matter of fact.

The UCB is finalizing its latest project, so head over and check out The Top 7 Prospects and find out whom the participating bloggers are predicting to be big parts of the organization's future.

One more thing. I've decided that since my pledge of canned goods for Cardinals wins hasn't really gone very well so far, I'll change things up. (I was going to abandon the plan entirely, but I'm not sure that would be the most charitable thing to do.) So from now on, I'll donate canned goods, but it won't be based on anything the Cardinals do. So win. Lose. Whatever. I'm on my way to the food pantry.

back to your regularly scheduled programming

2009-09-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the earlier craziness. My PTBD got the better of me.

Looking for a silver lining in today's loss, I guess you could focus on the fact that it wasn't the bullpen, as Carp was touched for a whole basket-full before the 'pen ever had a chance to lose it. Oh, and Thompson didn't look half bad. If you can call that a silver lining.

So the magic number remains at 11. The lead over Chicago drops to 9.5 (with the Cubs win over Cincinnati). The losing streak climbs to 3. It's going to be okay, though. It's hard to say that I'm not nervous, but contrary to what my earlier posts may have suggested, I'm not really panicking. Just thinking. Hard. About what this team needs. And there's only one thing I can come up with.

We need a closer.

If Franklin can get his stuff figured out and be effective once again, fine. If we need to put Smoltzie in that role for the remainder of the regular season, fine. If one of the other relievers can step up and take over, fine. And if we need to look outside the organization for back-end help, and I'm looking right at you, John Mozeliak, F I N E. After all, you can't do all the "remodeling" we've done this year, just to have it all fall apart at the end of the season because you can't close out games.

Anyway, I'm taking my daughter to the game on Wednesday. It's a day game, so no late-night navigating through downtown. Seats in my favorite section. 4 tickets for 2 bodies, so plenty of room to maneuver and hold the copious amounts of stuff necessary to keep her entertained so I can concentrate on the game. Scheulduled to see Joel take on Josh Johnson, so it promises to be a good game. As long as the weather holds out, I'm looking forward to a fun afternoon. Plus, shopping afterwards. See you there!

ugh

2009-09-12T18:28:00.002-05:00

Thoughts I had while watching the travesty of a game we were subjected to this afternoon:

I blame big Fox. Mark Grace may be the biggest suck-up in the history of announcing, and Chris Rose makes me want to chew on glass just to drown him out.

So the Braves temporarily forgot how to play baseball, and it all began with Chipper Jones doing his best third base coach impression while running from third to home on a play that should have easily scored him. No one, including Chipper, knew exactly what he was doing.

Ahead by one in the eighth, three "errors" in a row for the Braves led to two runs and the (temporary) lead for the Cardinals. Is this real? Did they really just boot three easy grounders? Wow.

Ryan Franklin obviously cut his beard, a move that sapped all his power and left him impotent and unreliable. Yeah, I said it. What?

Maybe it wouldn't hurt the team to lose a few. Bring them back down to earth. Give them just enough of a scare to kick their butts back into gear.

I hate playing the bottom of the ninth at home, but I love walk-offs. This game, unfortunately, did not end with one.

This team, the one that lost today even with the gift that was the eighth inning, will not make it far in the playoffs. After today, I wouldn't even hold my breath for them to make it to the playoffs. I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but PANIC PANIC PANIC....

ahh, disappointment

2009-09-12T10:43:00.002-05:00

How long had it been since the Cards had dropped a series opener? 11 series? 12? Well, no matter. We can still win the set, right? All is not lost.

The Cubs did manage to gain a game on St Louis, a feat they haven't accomplished for well over a month, but at still 10.5 games back, we probably don't need to worry yet.

Magic number remains at 12. Unfortunately this means at least one more day until I can put up my "11" (or better yet "10") picture in the sidebar.

The worst part of last night's game? Not the quiet bats or the ridiculously bad umpiring or even the TWO errors by The Best Player in Baseball. No, the worst part was that after a seven-inning, one-run outing by Piñeiro, he gets the L. Talk about a tough loss.

My first instinct? Chalk this game up to a malalignment of the planets and move on. Everyone has a bad day now and again.

My second instinct? How can we get Jair Jurrjens? Seriously. Like, now. I mean, Atlanta isn't really using him for anything. Sheesh.

And finally (might I add), this team, with the way they're playing this year, has given me reason to stay up. Until the final out of the ninth inning last night, I was just sure they would pull one out. I knew that they would come back and win it, just like they've done for so many other games this season. That, in itself, is probably the biggest victory they could get. They've turned into the team you don't give up on. And how awesome is that?

more important things

2009-09-11T19:57:00.006-05:00

I was teaching. High school Spanish in my basement classroom. Although I don't remember the particulars of the subject matter for that day, I remember exactly where I was standing, as well as the looks on the faces of my mostly freshmen students. The principal's voice came through the loudspeaker: "Teachers, please turn on your televisions." The tv was mounted to the wall behind me, and I clicked the power button. Everyone was silent as we waited for the picture to warm up, then tried to comprehend the images we were seeing. Buildings. Smoke. It didn't seem to make sense. Had there been a fire? A bombing? Slowly, bit by bit, it sank in. A plane collided with another building, and we all gasped. We were too shocked to cry. Too stunned to look away.

Later--maybe minutes, maybe hours, maybe days--I read an essay written by one of my favorite authors to my class. I still have a copy of that essay stored away somewhere.

Rest in peace, all the lives lost that tragic day.

In less depressing news, I hereby plegde to be a better person (and possibly help the team's chances) by donating canned goods to my local food pantry for every win by the Cardinals for the rest of the season--regular and post. A fellow baseball blogger (k-bro), has challenged Twins fans and bloggers to follow her lead and provide a little charitable motivation to the club. Obviously, my loyalties lie elsewhere than Minnesota, but I think the idea is great, and I encourage everyone to jump on board.

Also, in keeping with her plan, I'll also donate an item for every Dodgers loss (seeing how involving the Cubs in this would only be insulting, and we're in a much stiffer competition with LA over the best NL record).

Whadaya say, sports fans?

Let's

start

now.

of fans and faith

2009-09-08T19:47:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about winning today. Not winning a game or a series or even the World Series, but just winning in general. Having a team you can be proud of. A team you can have fun with. A team you can have faith in, even in the midst of a losing streak.

Cardinals fans like to call ourselves "the best fans in baseball". Sure, I've said it. I mostly even believe it. Of course, a blanket description like that leaves a lot of room for contradiction and argument, and for the most part, I've never really dissected the statement.

Well, today I was reading a blog post from a Reds fan, and suddenly I realized who the "best fans in baseball" really are. It's not us, even as much as I'd like to say it is. It's not Yankees fans or Angels fans or Royals fans or Rockies fans. It's not Reds fans. In fact, it's not any one team's fans at all. It's the fans who don't give up, and they come from every corner of the baseball universe. It's the fans like the blogger whose story I was reading today, whose team is flagging and flailing, and who still get up in the morning excited about watching or listening to or attending the game just because it's their team. It's the fans whose teams haven't won anything for longer than anyone hasn't won anything, and yet they wear their team colors with pride. It's the fans who watch every game, not because their team is in first place, or because they came so close last year, or because the GM just signed a big-name player to save the day. They watch for pure love of the game and unconditional love of their teams. They watch to see their favorite hitters steal second. They watch to see their favorite pitchers drop a nasty curve. They watch to see their favorite managers get ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

Obviously this can apply to Cards fans, and often does. It applies to fans of every club, from the reigning World Series champions to the last place team. Sure it's hard to believe anyone living in Florida is a "best fan" (at least if you've ever seen the attendance at their stadiums), but they're out there. They're watching while they work in the garage or wash dishes, and they're listening in the car on their way to the store. They check box scores when the boss isn't looking, and they catch the replays on Sportscenter while they're getting ready for work.

I was really moved by the post written by this fan, and it made me take a good look at how good a fan I really am. Cardinals fans haven't always had it easy, but with more World Series rings than any franchise other than the Yankees, we haven't exactly been the worst off, either. In the last decade, we've been to the playoffs 6 times and had only one losing season. The Pirates have 5 World Championships in their history, but only two of them have come since the 1925 season, while the Cardinals have won all ten of theirs in that time span, with four coming since the 60s. Therefore, watching every game, buying all the merchandise, and supporting all the players isn't exactly a challenge. Sure, we face our rough patches. We've had losing seasons and losing streaks and bad games, but think about the Pirates for a second. Yesterday marked a milestone for that club, and although the team was quick to point out that it is most definitely not the same group of guys throughout that streak, it is the same group of fans (more or less). The same fans have seen this club lose again and again, and yet when you watch the broadcasts, you see them there at the park, dressed up like pirates or in their best home jerseys, cheering for their team as though the last 17 years hadn't even happened.

I've sometimes wondered how Pirates fans and Nats fans and Royals fans and Reds fans (et al) can keep going in the face of so much disappointment, and reading this article gave me a slightly better idea. Being a fan is not always easy. Sometimes you just have to turn the game off and take a little break. Heck, even players get discouraged. The really inspiring thing, though, is that I know at the end of the day, true fans will still peek to see how it turned out. They'll come back to the game and to their team. True fans will still care.

dealing

2009-09-08T08:36:00.009-05:00

It feels pretty good to be in the position we're in. Magic number down to 14, 11.5 game lead in the division, even with the Dodgers for the best record in the NL.

Other things making me very happy include the Phillies getting swept for 4 by the Astros, Buster Olney calling the Cardinals "the team to beat", and this.

Of course, no matter what's going on in your life, a performance like last night's by Chris Carpenter has to make you smile. No laboring on labor day for this ace. 99 pitches were all he needed to finish a complete game with 10K, 1 hit, and 0 runs. Round about the end of the sixth inning, Dan and Al were discussing whether Carp should try and finish out the game, or if Tony should take it easy on him since this is as much as he's pitched in a season for a while. In the end, the right decision was made--Carp went the distance, saved the 'pen, and brought his ERA down even further.

That's 11 straight wins for the woodsmith, if you're counting.

I've only made it one game this year, and I keep thinking I need to get back to Busch before too much longer. When does Carp go again?

I wonder if Izzy's watching, wherever he is...

dum, da da dum!

2009-09-03T15:38:00.003-05:00

Speaking of the otherworldly amazingness of the indispensible Chris Carpenter ("Carp" to his admirers), guess who is the NL Pitcher of the Month for August!

Drumroll, please!....

The pitcher of the mo--

No, it's not Dave Bush.

The p--

No, I don't mean Barry Zito, either.

It's Chr--

No, not Ted Lilly--okay, just stop guessing, because I didn't really mean for you to guess anyway. I'll just tell you. It's Car--

Not Joe Blanton.

(frown)

Well, now I'm not sure I want to tell you after all.

It--

No, not Wandy Rodriguez.

I--

Bronson Arroyo? Really? No! It's Chri--

(sigh)

Are you done?

...

Done?

It's Chris Carpenter.

Leave me alone.

bring it on

2009-09-03T10:12:00.007-05:00

September 2.

We're comfortably in first place in the Central, 10.5 games ahead of the Cubs, and tied for the best NL record with the Dodgers. Magic number: 20. And yes, it is now officially acceptable to start talking about the magic number.

Magic number = the number of Cardinals wins plus Cubs losses that will guarantee us a spot in the playoffs. It is also the number that will eliminate the Cubs from the NL Central race. (Isn't it fun how that works out?)

Twenty. Veinte. Venti. Vingt. A score. An icosahedron. Calcium. An actual magic number.

Here's what I'm thinking about today:

Our mid-season acquisitions have all lived up to/exceeded expectations, and everyone on the team is contributing (and by everyone, I of course mean everyone except Joe Thurston who is nearly worthless).

TLR will will let you know when it's finally safe to talk about the post-season, probably about 10 minutes before the first pitch of the NLDS. Until then, you will live in the moment and YOU WILL LIKE IT.

No comment on the Duncan situation. Do you suppose it would be too weird for the Cards to pick the Dunc-inator back up?

September call-ups? Um.... Can I get back to you on that?

Chris Carpenter has a place deep inside where he goes when he doesn't have his best stuff. A place, apparently, where he can find the strength to muscle out a quality start and give his team a chance to win even when his command isn't there and his best pitches aren't quite right. That's what makes him one of the best in the business. Where would we be without him?

Brad Penny is a jerk. I know he was on my wish list, and I know he pitched magnificently for the Giants in his first start back in the NL, but you have to draw the line somewhere, and sometimes that line is right around "he is a jerk". I know talent is important, but you don't want to sacrifice clubhouse chemistry. And no, this is not sour grapes.

Jason Motte pitches much better with no pressure (can you believe 5 K?), while John Smoltz likes a little fire under his butt. Mm-hm. San Fran can have Penny.

Troy Glaus is back, sort of. He's as tall as ever, and the uniform still fits, it seems. Therefore, I hereby predict that he will be one of the highest paid pinch hitters in the majors this post-season*, but he won't really do much. I love Troy and I wish him the best (and yes, I was giving him a mini standing ovation of my own in the living room last night), but Mr DeRosa has won my heart and I'm desperately hoping we can bring him back in 2010.

There's probably more, but I'll save that for later.

Later.

*Knock on wood.

putting the "crazy" back in "crazy fan"

2009-08-29T22:12:00.003-05:00

Hm.

This scared me just a little bit.

winning's fun 'n stuff

2009-08-20T00:40:00.004-05:00

Oh yeah.

Every ESPN reporter worth his salt was calling this series against LA an "NLCS preview", and now that we've won it, I feel comfortable agreeing with that assessment. After all, you're talking about two of the best teams in the NL, and I can't begin to express how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel to be able to type that.

Offense.

You'll agree that we possess The Best Player in Baseball. There is absolutely no valid argument against this. (In fact, from this point forward, I'll only refer to him as such, and yes, it will be capitalized.) Our second best hitter could go to any other MLB team and be number one, but we'll keep him in the cleanup spot, thank you very much. Then there's Luddy and Ank and Raz.... DeRosa and Schu and B-Ryan and Lugo.... And let's not forget the relentless and timely hitting by our All-Star backstop.

The most amazing thing about our offense this year, as I am reminded by TLR in the post-game interview, is that there is life after the sixth inning. Last year, if we were behind going into the seventh (or even the sixth or fifth), there was little or no hope of pulling one out. Oh sure, it happened now and then, but admittedly, it was rare (and very surprising when it did happen), and you certainly didn't count on it. The team showed less confidence with each passing inning, as though they knew their opportunities were dwindling. This year, though, there's hope. There's a twinkle in the eyes of the batters in late innings, and even when the Cards are down to their last out, you can't help but expect great things to happen.

Pitching.

Adam Wainwright was phenomenal. A no-hitter into the sixth, and now with 11 straight games giving up 2 or fewer ER. Too bad he couldn't get his 15th win, but a team win is what truly counts, and I have no doubt that Adam is perfectly happy with the outcome.

Ryan Franklin bore the majority of my scorn last year, but I wiped his slate clean during the offseason, and am proud to consider myself among the Frankie supporters. He has been a spark and an anchor for the bullpen, and while last year I would cringe at the thought of relievers coming into a game, this year I have no fear.

In other news, we signed the amazing John Smoltz today after he cleared waivers from the BoSox (meaning he'll still make a boat-load of money this year, but we won't be responsible for paying most of it), and no matter what happens, you can't see this as anything but a smart move. The possibilities (as I see them) are such:

(1) We pay him a few dollars, he pitches well and wins a few games for us in the rotation;

(2) We pay him a few dollars, he pitches terribly and loses one or two games before Tony decides to move him to the 'pen, where he imparts immeasurable wisdom upon the young pitching staff, thereby increasing their individual values;

(3) We pay him a few dollars, he has a terrible accident with a can-opener and never throws a single pitch as a Cardinal, then spends his free time studying medicine until he eventually finds a cure for cancer;

or (4) We pay him a few dollars, he pitches a few good games and a few lousy ones, makes virtually no difference in the Cardinals' season, and then disappears into a wardrobe one day, forcing Chipper Jones to speak at the hall of fame induction ceremony in his absence.

What do we have to lose?

Milwaukee got swept by Pittsburg today, but the Cubs were able to salvage one game in their set against the Padres. Cards remain 6 games up and move to 16 over .500.

number update

2009-08-19T19:19:00.002-05:00

1 - RET
2 - RET
3 - K. Greene
4 - Molina
5 - Pujols
6 - RET
7 - DeRosa
8 - Glaus
9 - RET
10 - (TLR)
11 - (Oquendo)
12 - Lugo
13 - Ryan
14 - RET
15 - Holliday
16 - (McRae)
17 - RET
18 - (D. Duncan)
19 - Stavinoha
20 - RET
21 - LaRue
22 - Thurston
23 - Barden
24 - Ankiel
25 - OOC

26 - Lohse
27 - T. Greene
28 - Rasmus
29 - Carpenter
30 - Smoltz
31 - Franklin
32 - OOC
33 - Robinson
34 - Hoffpauir
35 - Piñeiro
36 - Reyes
37 - Wellemeyer
38 - (Mason)
39 - (McKay)
40
41 - Boggs
42 - RET
43 - Miller
44º OOC
45 - RET
46 - McClellan
47 - Ludwick
48 - Thompson
49 - (Pettini)
50 - Wainwright

51 - OOC
52 - Kinney
53 - Hawksworth
54
55 - Schumaker
56
57 - OOC
58
59
60 - Motte
61
62 - Walters/Mather
63
64 - García
65-77
78 - Scherer
79-84
85 - RET
86-99

nothing in particular

2009-08-19T08:52:00.003-05:00

Brett Favre has come out of retirement to sign a 2-year deal with the Vikings. Blugh.

You're probably wondering what that has to do with baseball, so I'll tell you.

As you may or may not be aware, this is big news on Sportscenter. In fact, I think if they could get away with it, they would never cover anything else ever again. So I've been subjected to a lot of analysis and clips and snippets of interviews, and one in particular made me actually look away from my computer and refocus on the tv.

Brett Favre's coach said (presumably upon being asked why now after all that's happened), "You can't get a hit if you don't swing the bat."

Uh huh.

Well, that's fine and all, and if Brett wants to be a weasel and an attention-monger, he is more than welcome to retire and return over and over until his head explodes (fingers crossed), and people can love him or hate him or question him or admonish him or crown him or whatever, but please (please, please, please) don't drag my game into this huge pile of mess.

Seriously.

Leave baseball out of it.

We have enough of our own problems to deal with.

Gaa.

Anyway, last night was not disappointing. No, really. We had to lose that game. That was the plan, after all, right? I mean, Mitch Boggs pitched last night because we were conceding the game and Tony didn't want to waste one of our better pitchers against the Dodgers' ace, right? Right?

That's what I thought.

The Cubs lost, again, to the Padres. The Brewers lost, again, to the Pirates.

Life goes on.

changes (or, as bad as Rick Horton is, he is a thousand times better than Frank Cusumano)

2009-08-16T17:27:00.006-05:00

Rain delay at Busch as we speak (figuratively speaking, of course), and so I started reminiscing about the beginnings of the blog. (Blame PHE, because he was doing it earlier and I picked up the idea and ran with it.)

Here's a little quiz for you, to see whether you've been paying attention.

Last year at this time, I was:

(a) complaining about an unfair suspension handed down to one of our pitchers,

(b) griping about Brewers' fans grammar,

(c) talking to myself about an aggressive (and well-intended) throw by Yadi that cost us a game,

(d) grieving for a lost closer,

(e) pushing for a gold glove for a very deserving third baseman,

or

(f) examining the magical effects of some very terrible-looking facial hair sported by Ryan Franklin.

Some things change, while others never do. The Cards, for the most part, are on a pretty hot tear these days (the game in the middle of which we currently dwell notwithstanding), and sit at a very comfortable 4.5 game lead in the NL Central. (And 14 games above .500 ain't nothin' to sneeze at either.) Last year was a different story. Last year at this time I was clinging to threadbare hope that we could sneak in for a wild card slot. This year the "experts" are wildly impressed with our well-rounded team and our better than average chance at "running away" with the division.

Last year, the Cubs were unstoppable.

Last year, the Phillies were cruising to their second World Championship.

Last year, the Cards were looking to the future (which, as we all know, is code for "giving up on this year").

This year, the Cubs are all injured.

This year, the Phillies, well, they're still pretty ferocious.

This year, the Cards have become the "aggressive" team. John Mozeliak came out swinging and landed one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball to bat cleanup, and has made it clear that when it comes to making a run at the postseason, his team is "all in".

For the record, the answer lies in the archives. (Oh, what? Did you think I was going to tell you?)

Also, for the record, winning is fun. (Just in case there was any doubt.) However, I would be watching anyway. For the record.

three things that irked me today

2009-08-06T19:43:00.005-05:00

Number one, Skip Bayless is on my list. I know he does it on purpose, and I try to avoid watching him, but every so often I get tricked back in and find myself actually arguing with an inanimate electronic box in my living room. Grrr... Can the man not hear what his own head is saying? Is he so preoccupied with the sound of his own voice that the actual words become meaningless and unimportant to him? It's almost like he knows what to say to push my personal buttons, and he saves it for when he knows I'm watching. I don't care for the implications of this at all.

Number two, Brad Thompson gets a 3-game suspension and Guillermo Mota gets fined? Brad Thompson could not hit his spot all night, and was pretty convincingly upset with himself when David Wright narrowly avoided a head shot. Alternately, the look on Mota's face after plunking Fielder was one of utter intention. His thoughts were coming through loud and clear, and they were saying 'Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?'

Number three, I went to every single place within about 20 miles that I though might carry magazines, and had no luck finding the latest issue of ESPN. Figures.

Otherwise, today was a fine day. Got some mint Oreos and an estimate on getting my car fixed, and bought a new, very cute scrub top.

Now I'm going to bed.

no hay que preocuparse

2009-08-05T09:45:00.008-05:00

When I heard that Ryan Ludwick was the July NL Player of the Month, my first reaction was, well, what?

He was described as having quietly earned the honor, but considering the noise being made by Matt Holliday since his arrival with the club, Luddy could've been screaming at the top of his lungs and still gone unheard. In fact, he kind of did. ESPN shows his July line as pretty "quietly" spectacular.

(R)18 (H)34 (2B)5 (3B)0 (HR)6 (RBI)28 (BB)10 (SO)21 (SB)1 (CS)0 (OBP).396 (SLG).570 (OPS).966 (AVG).340

Of course, if you were able to pay attention to anything other than Holliday's .600+ average or DeRosa's 7 home runs, then you already knew how successful Ryan was in July. The point is, it's nice to see him get recognized for something that might easily have gone unnoticed by the rest of the NL.

What didn't go unnoticed for the last few games was Pujols' "slump". (And yes, I use quotation marks when referring to Albert's temporary return to planet earth.) Honestly, if he didn't hit a slow patch every now and again, we'd have nothing to remind us of just how truly extraordinary he is and how lucky we are to see history being made in our own backyard. As for me, I've learned not to worry about the big guy. No matter what it is, he'll figure it out. It's nice to have a man like that in my life. (smile)

Other notables:

Joel Piñeiro, while not stellar last night, has been very good most of the year. I'd almost like to see the front office bring him back next year.

I've meant to say something about Yadi's latest hairstyle for a while now. Every time I see him on the screen, I wonder if he knows what that mohawk/faux-hawk really looks like. Not that it's that bad (certainly better than the blonde), but it's just not him. Si estás leyendo, Yadi, creo que es hora para probar algo diferente ya.

soñando

2009-07-29T20:44:00.004-05:00

I had a lovely dream about Kyle Lohse last night, the details of which I won't press upon you, but which leads me to believe that Kyle has seen the last of his hard-luck (and less than stellar) starts and will soon reclaim his role as "Mr. Reliable".

I know it's Wednesday, but I was so sure that last night's game was going to be a wash (ie, rained out) that I gave up and went to bed and completely missed pitching Tuesday.

Anyway, nothing really needs to be said about Wainwright, much less Carpenter, and Pineiro is fast winning my heart, and so I thought I'd give you my feelings about the guy we all desperately want to count on once again.

First, I'm really glad he's ours for the next millenium or so. I like the feeling of security that comes with a long-term contract, especially with good players.

Second, I think he's destined for great things before his career is over. Nothing specific, just a general sense of expectancy.

And third, it truly was a lovely dream....

a little "pop" in the lineup

2009-07-28T14:55:00.011-05:00

The Cards' first big trade of the year came in the form of a utility player with more than a little experience in the NL Central.

One Cubs blogger waxed somewhat resentful about the Cardinals/Indians trade that brought the versatile Mark DeRosa to St Louis and sent Chris Perez and (eventually) Jess Todd to Cleveland:

That’s right, Mark DeRosa is now a Cardinal. The Cubs worst offseason trade of the year is now coming back to bite the Cubs in the ass. The Cubs most hated rivals just got better and it’s all because of Mark DeRosa.

Nevermind his iffy start with the Cards (ending up on the DL before registering a single hit), DeRosa has been a huge addition to the club. And I'm not just saying that because Cubs fans are unhappy.

+++

Next, as you may have heard, the Cards dispensed with Chris Duncan in the form of a film noir-type "meet on a train in the middle of the night and arrange a mutually beneficial assassination plot in which neither of us will be suspected for the murders we're about to commit" thing. The only apparent motive for either team is that of addition by subtraction. *Wink, wink*

I was not at all pleased with this trade, and I don't see any change in my feelings forthcoming. Lugo is at best a mediocre defender and an adequate hitter. His main asset is his ability to hit lefties for a little better than average. Any other team wouldn't sneeze at an offer to get him, but the Cards are so weak on the left side that we're pretty much willing to give any idiot a shot.

I don't have anything personal against Julio Lugo. I just don't like him.

+++

Our most recent acquisition was Matt Holliday. Last year, when offseason trade rumor-mongers were eagerly sending Holliday to St Louis, I didn't get my panties in a twist over the whole thing. For one, I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of shipping off two of our best outfielders (Skip and Ludwick) in exchange for one outfielder, mainly because the math just didn't work for me.

The other thing that bothered me about the possible trade (back in November) was that Matt would have to pick a new jersey number, seeing as #5 is taken (and hopefully will never be worn by another Cardinal for the rest of all time). In the end, he went to Oakland, where even his magical powers weren't enough to keep the A's out of the basement of their division, and the whole idea of Matt in red & white was put to bed... for the time being.

Then, suddenly, John Mozeliak surprised everyone, including himself, and brought the square-jawed hit-man to our fair city (or rather, to Philadelphia, for a road series), and a true threat behind Albert was finally a reality. We gave up Brett "the walrus" Wallace, a third baseman with a big bat, less than spectacular defense, and a quite large bottom. Um, I mean, powerful thighs. Er, I mean a solid foundation. Yes, that's it. The man is very solidly founded.

Fine print: Of course, those of us paying attention realize that Ryan Ludwick, while a remarkable power hitter and above-average defender, will never get the respect he deserves from pitchers, thus nullifying any actual threat he might pose in the batter's box. We therefore reserve the right to consider him a top quality clean-up hitter, while at the same time conceding our need for someone more publicly recognized as such.

All in all, I am somewhat impressed with our GM's go-get'em-ness (???), but I still feel that now that we've started down this road, we must complete the journey. Get us a starting pitcher (Halladay or Lee will do), Moze, because if there's one thing you don't want, it's for all this farm system looting to have been for naught.

cold-hearted

2009-07-22T17:48:00.001-05:00

I deal with a lot of death in my line of work. Some deaths leave you with a sense of closure and peace while some tear your heart right out of your chest, leaving a gaping, bloody, stinking hole where your hopes and dreams used to be, then punch you squarely in the face and laugh as you crumple to the floor in a pathetic heap.

Wow.

Well, three things crossed my mind upon hearing about the trade.

(1) I'll be under the covers crying softly for the next two or three weeks if anyone needs me.

(2) John Mozeliak has some balls. And no heart. I think he must be made of plastic or something. Oh, I understand the motive. He wants to win. He wants to keep Albert Pujols happy, and his plan to accomplish this apparently involves filling up the roster with strangers and mercenaries who will (hopefully) get us into October and then quietly slip out the back door while no one's looking. However, as open-minded as I claim to be, I'm not sure I approve of the means.

The thing is, now that he's made this move, he really needs to bring the hammer down on the whole Roy Halladay situation. If he is truly committed to "the plan" as one would have to assume considering the weight of this decision, then he'd better stick to his guns and finish what he started.

And (3) Wait, don't we already have a shortstop? Or two?

Here's what Moze had to say about the trade:

Chris Duncan was drafted and developed by this organization, and in addition to being a talented player we all recognize him as a high-quality individual. He was an important part of our World Championship club in 2006. I know I speak for our entire organization when I say that we are grateful to Chris for what he has given to the Cardinals and our fans.

Chris Duncan. Some defensive blunders mixed in with some clutch hitting, and, well, it's like a roller coaster ride that you love and hate all at the same time.

Be good to my ba-Dunc-a-dunc, BoSox fans. I know where you live.

imagining a memory

2009-06-03T08:35:00.004-05:00

Okay, so eaaaaasing my way back into this thing, I thought I'd tell you about the game last night. First of all, I didn't actually see the game. I know, I know. Chastise me if you must, but it was unavoidable. (They will re-air it today at noon, so it's not the end of the world, people.) My kids, however, did see the game, in person. (in persons?)

My son, a member of the local high school marching band, performed with the marching band on the warning track before the game and got to stay and watch the game for free. My parents decided to go and watch as well (mostly the performance, but also the game), and they took my daughter along for her first ball game. Yes, it was disappointing that I had to miss the whole thing--the band performance, the memories, and the Cardinals win--but I guess it's bound to happen now and then.

When I asked how it went, I got two different responses.

~~~

Me: So, how did it go?

Dad: Good game. Cards won. Beautiful weather.

~~~

Me: So, how did it go?

Mom: Oh, the band played very well, and Claire had a great time, but there weren't as many people from the school there as there were last year. The weather was beautiful.

~~~

The most amusing/wonderful/gratifying part was that my 4-year old daughter spent the entire game cheering for Molina. "Yay Yadi!" she would yell (or so I'm told) every time his name was announced (or even merely mentioned in passing). "To the point of being quite annoying," my father added. She clapped and screamed and sang his praises, and to be honest, I've never been more proud.

Overall, I'd say it was a success. Next year I'll be there.

hmm...

2009-05-22T18:40:00.003-05:00

Well, it's my blog and I can say good-bye and then follow it up with 2 brief and utterly meaningless posts if I want to. Actually, it feels good to post sans pressure. Work is enough pressure. More later.

Why no, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

2009-05-22T18:29:00.002-05:00

Silly billy. We all know which is the best team in Missouri. The fact that the Reales stomp all over us every now and then is not incontrovertible proof that they are the kings of Show-Me baseball or anything. Just reapers of misplaced luck.

it's only May

2009-05-22T14:50:00.002-05:00

Hi.

Who, me?

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Well, it's not really all my fault.

No, I didn't say that.

Okay, so it's been a while.

Forever? No, not forever.

Just for now.

You don't really need me, after all.

You have lots of other blogs to keep you warm.

Well sure, I'll miss you, too.

No tears. It's not good-bye.

Just hasta luego.

See you later.

Nos vemos. Te prometo.

one

2009-05-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

two

2009-05-14T09:02:00.001-05:00

three

2009-05-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

four

2009-05-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

five

2009-05-11T16:35:00.002-05:00

happy days

2009-04-23T16:20:00.003-05:00

(sweep sweep sweep)

Give me a second, I'm just straightening up a little.

(sweep sweep sweep)

Those Mets leave such a mess.

(sweep sweep sweep)

Okay, that's better....

First of all, I'm really not abandoning the blog, but I started working nights recently and it may take me a while to get used to the schedule. Plus, my computer completely crapped out and I need to get a new one. The combination of obstacles has me a little, well, unfocused.

Also, just so you know, I released Ankiel from my fantasy team. I didn't want to, but my management style and his playing style just were not meshing and I figured some time apart couldn't hurt. I was glad to see another team picked him up, and judging by his performance today, I'd say he's much happier with his new manager. Hopefully he'll keep it up.

Yadi's hair is growing out, thank you, and I'll sleep much better now.

Tim McClelland is an ass. Pardon my language, but there's just no other way to say it. He's a big, stupid, 150-year old ass. Seriously, there's nothing like an umpire who will do anything to make sure he's the center of attention for every game he calls. The fact that I know who he is and what he looks like should say it all. Ass.

Ryan Franklin has very pretty eyes.

I promise to catch up here in the near future.

is it too early to PANIC?!?!?!

2009-04-19T21:22:00.005-05:00

Tell me Troy Glaus has given up baseball to start a religious cult and is asking that everyone call him Ishmael and I'll chuckle and shake my head.

Tell me Chris Carpenter was the victim of a tragic surgical "goof-up" when he had both arms amputated instead of the tattoo removal he had been admitted for and I'll yawn indifferently.

Tell me the bullpen is giving up late-inning leads and losing winnable games and I'll choke you with my bare* hands, then hyperventilate and pass out in my own vomit.

Call it Post-Traumatic Bullpen Disorder, or PTBD.

It happens when people who have lived through painful and stressful late-innings pitching collapses are confronted with the threat of an equally painful year ahead of them.

Victims are forced to re-live the two-out walks and hit batsmen, and are consumed by memories of falling behind in the count and 0-2 mistakes.

These memories can trigger serious emotional reactions such as depression, anger, or drunkenness.

Even early in the season, watching relievers allow inherited runners to score, give up tying or go-ahead runs late in games, put runners on base in front of power hitters, and give up game-ending runs can be just as terrifying for the victim as the original trauma.

The victim may feel trapped in time, unable to escape the frustrating and never-ending cycle of decent starter + competitive offense + unreliable bullpen = losing the game.

Symptoms include (but are not limited to): mood swings related to the outcome of the game, inability to focus on anything but the television, frequent outbursts such as "Jeez, ____! Where'd you learn to pitch?" and "Get this guy outta here!", feelings of hopelessness followed by periods of silence, profuse sweating, and binge drinking.

Unfortunately for those suffering from PTBD, there is no cure. (At least not one that the Cardinals can afford.) The best we victims can do is keep ~~our~~ their backs to the corner (so that no one can sneak up on us them) and try to start every ninth inning with a 10-run (or greater) lead.

missing you

2009-04-16T18:38:00.004-05:00

Wow....

Well, my rough week is almost over, but things promise to stay hectic for a while. I'm sure you really care.

Anyway, I have indeed been watching the games this week, and I even took the time to jot down a few notes here and there when I saw something noteworthy.

Here's a recap:

Monday

We don't call him "phat". But thank you very much anyway, girl on FSN's the Final Score whose name I don't know. Idiot.

If Tony LaRussa put Brian Barden in the lineup because he felt that the guy could do some damage against the team that let him go, you could say the same thing about the D'backs manager and Felipe López. If he wasn't on my fantasy team, I wouldn't have been nearly as happy about it.

I love Aaron Miles and was happy to see his leaping grab make ESPN's top 10 plays, but how did Ryan's diving stop up the right side not make that list? Damn Cubbies.

Wellemeyer is my hero, but Barden has to be my novio.

Tuesday

First of all, I have no comment about Carp. He's hurt, he'll probably never pitch again on this plane of existence, and the Cards are going to be just fine. Now stop it.

The art of the bunt: run deceptively slow so that the pitcher or catcher will feel obligated to throw to first.

Thompson pitched, well, adequately, but the pressure brought him down. Then Tony sent him down the river. (And brought up Pérez and Boggs.)

Novio? Oh ho ho, it's Yadi, yellow hair and all. A 2RBI double, a stolen base, and a superb play at the plate to get the runner. Yes, that's right, a stolen base. Deceptive, indeed.

You know what I love about my fantasy team? No one in my league can root against me because the same guys that are winning for me are also winning for the Cards.

Wednesday

Told you.

My novio is ba-Dunc-a-dunc. What?

Thursday

Thank goodness Duncan can hit.

Thank goodness Ankiel can field/throw.

Thank goodness Wainwright can pitch around anything.

Thank goodness Khalil finally broke out.

Thank goodness for Yadi's arm.

Wainwright is my novio, and if it wasn't weird, I'd kiss the tv. Oh, what the heck....

I'll update lineups later.

¡Saludos!

lineups

2009-04-13T18:50:00.003-05:00

Just to keep up-to-date (for posterity's sake), here are the lineups I missed:

Friday

Schumaker 2B
Greene SS
Pujols 1B
Ludwick RF
Duncan LF
Molina C
Ankiel CF
Freese 3B
Piñeiro P

Saturday

Schumaker 2B
Rasmus RF
Pujols 1B
Duncan LF
Ankiel CF
Molina C
Thurston 3B
Ryan SS
Wainwright P

Sunday

Schumaker 2B
Greene SS
Pujols 1B
Ludwick RF
Duncan LF
Molina C
Freese 3B
Rasmus CF
Lohse P

Today

Barden 2B
Greene SS
Pujols 1B
Ludwick RF
Duncan LF
Freese 3B
Ankiel CF
LaRue C
Wellemeyer P

slap happy

2009-04-13T17:02:00.006-05:00

Okay, this is going to be a rough week, so I'll blog when I have time, but don't expect any regularity (she said to no one in particular).

This is a copy and paste from Yahoo!, and I know it's only April 13, but isn't this the most wonderful thing since, well, two weeks ago?

NL Central Standings

	W	L	Pct	GB
St. Louis	5	2	.714	--
Chi Cubs	4	2	.667	0.5
Pittsburgh	3	3	.500	1.5
Cincinnati	2	3	.400	2.0
Milwaukee	2	4	.333	2.5
Houston	1	5	.167	3.5

Yay!

Well, since I probably just ruined it, go ahead and throw your tomatoes, but don't expect me to stop smiling. It's just too pretty.

What's the lineup look like tonight? Who knows? Can you believe Tony's only batted his pitcher eighth once in the first seven games? Once. And no, I don't mean eleven.

great moments

2009-04-13T03:46:00.007-05:00

Hi again! Miss me? Hope everyone had a long weekend for the holiday, and that it was a good one. I don't particularly enjoy holidays, and this was no exception, but for the most part, it wasn't that bad. It's over, anyway, and I'm happy about that.

Of course, I missed most (ie, all but about 3 outs) of Lohse's complete game, but Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight were nice enough to provide some lovely little snippets of the high points, including Schumaker's remarkable jump-and-catch. Somehow it didn't make the top 10 plays (and not even the top 10 baseball plays and I can't quite figure out why not, um... hello?), but for a guy who's learning the position, he sure makes it looks good.

I'm not sure how well I'm doing keeping up with my N.D.D. stuff, but I figure as long as I go back and update things every so often, it'll work itself out. Don't check the board until at least tomorrow for updated points, but here are the novios for the last few games (not in order, by the way):

First, you can't have a guy like Albert Pujols on the team and ignore him for the whole season, even if you are completely used to his particularly phenomenal style of play. So when he's hitting above .700 to start the season and still doesn't make the N.D.D. list, you know that it's only a matter of time before he does something that can put even that amazing stat to shame. I think two home runs and 7 RBI in one game is that thing. Albert gets novio del día points for doing what he does.

Next up, Joel Piñeiro and Kyle McClellan split the points for the game one started and the other finished. I was rooting for Motte (more or less) to really break out in the closer's role and prove to everyone that he was the obvious choice, but he's having some growing pains as he learns the job. Fortunately, Tony took my advice and didn't just leave him out there (for any reason). That's when Mac came in, picked up the ball, and said, "Easy there, rookie, let me show you how it's done," with a twinkle in his eye. That was fun to watch. I'll jump on the bandwagon, thank you. McClellan for closer.

Of course, Kyle Lohse decided to reward the bullpen with a day off yesterday, and even though I didn't see it first-hand, every report gave me faith that Kyle is to going to prove to be an asset to the team (knock on wood). I believe one astute reporter called his contribution "quiet" because while he may not be freezing hitters at the plate with his curveball, he gets the most out of the defense behind him (and retires 24 in a row, wow). Kyle gets N.D.D. points and big smile for his 3-hitter shut-out.

Carpenter is still in the lead on the N.D.D. board, mostly because after his amazing one-hitter through seven the other day, I decided that the 10 points I've been allotting (so that it's easier to split them up if the occasion arises) just weren't enough for that start. After all, a game like that means a lot more to the team than just one win. (knock on wood)

Speaking of complete games (and no, I'm not going to mention Harang), how great is Josh Johnson? He's still on my wish list, if anybody cares. Oh, and he is on my fantasy team, which makes me feel pretty darn happy.

My favorite Mike quote of the game (from the few minutes I got to hear yesterday):
"Great play. Here, watch this play...," on the RADIO. To his credit, he did then describe the play (using actual words) instead of just the silence I was expecting.

welcome back, cutter

2009-04-09T09:13:00.011-05:00

Warning: I wrote most of this before the game today, then updated it periodically throughout the game, so it probably makes little sense and follows no particular order.

First, the bad news. Angels rookie starter Nick Adenhart died in a car accident after their game last night. Before the news broke, I had planned on talking about what a bad start Wellemeyer had, or how our offense was nowhere to be found, or how we lost 2 of 3 to start the season, but hearing about the tragic death of a young, up-and-coming member of the baseball world kind of makes all that stuff seem insignificant.

Cardinals fans can certainly sympathize with that.

Yeah, he was a rookie. Sure, he had a good Spring and got his chance to take the mound in LA. And it's true that his ERA was, well, whatever it was. But he was somebody's son, somebody's friend. I think we should remember that he was a kid who was living his dream, but he was also just a kid.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and teammates, and the Angels organization and its fans.

Here's something positive. Wish I could give you more. Wish there was more to give. Last night was a little disappointing. Wellemeyer was disappointing. And where was our offense? I guess Miller looked better. Franklin was right on top of things. Thompson wasn't getting his ground balls, but the 2-run home run wasn't what did us in.

Okay, deep breath. I can't control what happens, all I can do is hope for a better start, good weather, and that everyone gets home safely.

Now, the good news. Carpenter is back. No, I mean really back. As in, Cy Young? Oh, I hear that-back. How did we ever win a game without him? Okay, maybe that's exaggerating just a tad, but you have to admit, it's a different team with him healthy and effective. He was working the cutter and the breaking ball and looked like the old Chris Carpenter. Of course, the rest of the team decided not to participate until the bottom of the seventh, but that's okay, because as it turns out, 2 runs was enough and the 'pen kept us alive.

His line: 7IP / 1H / 1R / 0ER / 7K / 2BB / 92Pitches / 1,000,000 (or so) happy fans (knock on wood)

I don't think there's any other realistic choice for my novio today. 25 points for the woodsmith.

Forgot about the lineup yesterday (#003)

1. Rasmus LF
2. Greene SS
3. Pujols 1B
4. Ludwick RF
5. Molina C
6. Ankiel CF
7. Freese 3B
8. Wellemeyer P
9. Ryan 2B

And here's today's (#004)

1. Schumaker 2B
2. Rasmus CF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Duncan LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. Greene SS
7. Molina C
8. Thurston 3B
9. Carpenter P

My favorite Al quote from the broadcast: "Knowing Brendan, he said, 'No, Barry, it's all right. It hit the bat.'"

My least favorite line ever: "And now it's up to the bullpen." Although I have no doubt it'll get easier to hear as the season progresses.

I'll leave you with some of the searches that have lead people to my blog over the last 2 or 3 days. See if you can pick out a recurring theme.

Why did Yadier Molina dye his hair?
yadier molina blond hair
why is Yadier Molina's hair blonde?
did yadier molina dye his hair?
Yadier Molina Blonde Hair
Yadier Molina's blond hair

So, if you find this post while desperately looking for some explanation of the yellow mess on top of Yadi's head, I apologize. I have no idea why he did it, only that it wasn't blonde at the WBC, but was blonde for Opening Day. My best guess is that it was a lesson of some sort from one (or both) of his brothers for being a little braggadocious about the gold golve. It had to have been, right? He can't have done that on purpose.

I promise I'll let it go as soon as it grows out.

bad news bullpen

2009-04-08T18:50:00.005-05:00

Two things that I'm thinking about: (1) Jason Motte does not interview well. Good thing he has that fastball. (2) I hope Yadi's teammates are making fun of his hair. That may sound mean, but por el amor de Dios, Yadi! Ay.

Anyway, you want to talk about a bad bullpen? Atlanta was on top of the Phillies 10-3 going into the Phillies' half of the 7th, then FOUR bases-loaded walks and a bunch of other nonsense later the Phils take an 11-10 lead IN ONE INNING. (clears throat) IN ONE INNING.

Here's Yahoo!'s play-by-play of the bottom of the seventh in Philly:

- E. O'Flaherty relieved G. Norton

- S. Victorino grounded out to third

- C. Utley singled to center

- R. Howard hit by pitch, C. Utley to second

- P. Moylan relieved E. O'Flaherty

- J. Werth walked, C. Utley to third, R. Howard to second

- R. Ibanez singled to left, C. Utley scored, R. Howard to third, J. Werth to second

- P. Feliz singled to center, R. Howard scored, J. Werth to third, R. Ibanez to second

- M. Stairs hit for C. Ruiz

- M. Stairs walked, J. Werth scored, R. Ibanez to third, P. Feliz to second

- B. Boyer relieved P. Moylan

- C. Coste hit for C. Condrey

- C. Coste walked, R. Ibanez scored, P. Feliz to third, M. Stairs to second

- J. Rollins walked, P. Feliz scored, M. Stairs to third, C. Coste to second

- J. Campillo relieved J. Campillo

- S. Victorino singled to right, M. Stairs scored, C. Coste to third, J. Rollins to second

- C. Utley walked, C. Coste scored, J. Rollins to third, S. Victorino to second

- R. Howard grounded out to first, J. Rollins scored, S. Victorino to third, C. Utley to second

- J. Werth flied out to right

That's... sad.

Loooooooouuu . . .

2009-04-08T13:16:00.006-05:00

That's right, they weren't booing Motte, the fans were simply acknowledging the legendary Lou Brock, who, for some reason, was suddenly at the front of their minds. Glad we got that all cleared up.

Yesterday renewed my enthusiasm for the season. Albert homered, ba-Dunc-a-dunc homered, and Yadi homered and tripled. The Cardinals put Ian Dávila-Snell through the ringer (and yes, I'll accept your gratitude) to the tune of 12 hits and 9 runs. It was really my favorite kind of game (ie, the kind where the Cards win).

Deciding on the novio del día was tough. I admire C70's choice of Yadier for his hero. I considered Yadi along with Lohse and Duncan and, of course, Albert (who is hitting something like .740 to start the season, uh huh). There were home runs, triples (I still can't stop smiling), and a lot of good pitching (from start to finish) to sort through. Ultimately, though, I went with my gut.

Colby Rasmus made his major league debut last night. He has been the talk of all Cardinal Nation for quite a while, and people have been chomping at the bit to get him to the show. I've always been a little leery. I guess I figured that with all the excitement and hype, there was no way any mere mortal could live up to the expectations, and the pressure might actually kill him.

I'm not saying that all my fears have been allayed, but he sure took a big step towards making me eat my words. He played good defense, and he went 2/4 at the plate, but the thing that really impressed me was the way he ran out his grounder in the fourth and extended the inning for the big bats. No half-slack jog, no slamming down the bat in frustration, no lazy look back to see where the ball was. He just put his head down and ran, and it was the last thing I expected.

Looks like I may have to reconsider my opinion of the Raz-master (huh? no?), and I'm glad to do it. Because if he's half the player he's been marketed as, he'll be a welcome addition to the team.
10 Points for the Big Cheddar (hmm?).

Wellemeyer starts tonight against some guy I've never heard of (Ohlendorf? should I know this person?), and fair warning: Motte is rested. I suggest a nicely padded lead going into the ninth. He could still pitch, but there's no need to throw him back into the deep end all at once.

it's pitching tuesday again

2009-04-07T14:05:00.009-05:00

And what an appropriate topic after a game like last night's. I'm going to start by looking at the pitching we saw, then finish up with the pitching we're going to see.

Adam Wainwright 5.1IP / 4H / 2R / 2ER / 5BB / 7K / 0HR: Adam didn't look comfortable, especially in the first inning when he got himself into a bases-loaded jam. He seemed to find a bit of a groove later on, but it certainly wasn't what we were hoping for on Opening Day against the Pirates. When he left, with 2 runners on and the 'Birds holding on to a 2-run lead, there still looked to be hope for his chances.

Josh Kinney 0.1IP / 0H / 0R / 0ER / 1BB / 0K / 0HR

Josh got one out, but then walked the second batter to load the bases, and that was enough of Josh.

Trever Miller 1.0IP / 2H / 0R / 0ER / 0BB / 2K / 0HR

Yuck. Trever struck-out 2 but allowed Wainwright's 2 runners to score and the Pirates to tie the game. It was a big job, and he didn't get it done. Blown save #1 for Miller and the Cards.

Kyle McClellan 1.1IP / 1H / 0R / 0ER / 0BB / 1K / 0HR

Kyle, the guy who was almost left off the 25-man roster (if you believe everything you read on the internet) because of a sloppy Spring, was the only reliever who didn't make me cover my eyes and hold my breath. He also made me glad I picked him for my fantasy team.

Jason Motte 1.0IP / 4H / 4R / 4ER / 0BB / 1K / 0HR: And then there was Jason. If you have a weak stomach, you probably don't want to hear about it, and you probably left the room shortly after the start of his seemingly-never-ending inning of work. It was torture from the first pitch on. Jason got lit up for 4 hits and 4 runs, but the really depressing part is that at one point he was one strike away from getting the save and the win. Unfortunately, Jack Wilson saw that strike coming and drove it deep into center, well beyond the reach of Skip Schumaker (who was playing in the outfield for those of you keeping track). The Buccos took a 2-run lead and the Cardinals couldn't answer. Motte gets the loss and blown save #2 for the 'Birds. (Not that I'm counting.)

I'm trying to be positive about the implications of this game, such as how it's only one game, but I agree that it's tough not to let this loss haunt us. After all, how many times last year did we console ourselves by thinking "it's only one game" only to be devastated again and again by the same outcome?

I'm hoping that we can learn from this loss. All of us, Tony. All of us, Dave. All of us, John and Marty and Hal and Joe and everyone else whose names I've forgotten. Instead of making the same mistakes we made last year (like sending pitchers out to the mound when they obviously didn't need to be there), it's time to make choices based on what's best for the immediate situation (eg runners on and nobody out, or bases empty and two down, or what have you) rather than trying to prove a point or giving certain pitchers a chance to right themselves. Does this sound strange coming from me? I guess I'm just ready to acknowledge that sometimes you have to work towards the greater good, and win the game at hand.

The pitching tonight will start with Kyle Lohse. Where it will end is anybody's guess at this point, but I think it's safe to say (and I think others have already said) that we probably won't see Motte, not because of his performance (really) but because of his high pitch count. Dave will want to rest him, and so if there's a save situation, we could see Franklin come in.

Ian Snell (Davila? I can't remember now) goes for the Pirates, and he'll probably pitch very well, if for no other reason than I recently dropped him from my fantasy team in favor of Matt Lindstrom. So if it's bad again, you can blame me. Of course, if it goes well, I'll expect full credit.

UPDATE: La alineación para esta noche, gracias a 101 ESPN y twitter:

Schumaker 2B
Rasmus RF
Pujols 1B
Duncan LF
Greene SS
Ankiel CF
Molina C
Thurston 3B
Lohse P

Notable observations: (1) The pitcher will hit ninth for the second consecutive game. That has to be the first time that's happened in a while. (2) Rasmus makes his major league debut and will play right instead of center. (3) Again tonight, someone other than Freese will start at third. (4) Duncan will hit cleanup and Greene slides to the five-hole.

and so it begins

2009-04-06T19:05:00.006-05:00

I was so ready to award Ryan Ludwick the first official N.D.D. points of the 2009 season, even after Motte had me pulling my hair out in the ninth, but then he went and swung through that last pitch. Luddy had a good game overall (going 2 for 5), and so did Albert (3 for 4), but it was a bitter loss and I'm having a hard time finding anything positive to say about it.

Joe Thurston made his major league debut and looked happy enough to giggle when he came in to run for Duncan and then came around to score on Schumaker's single.

The parade was nice, but it looked cold. The Clydesdales looked cold. The hall-of-famers looked cold. Mike Shannon looked perfectly warm.

I'm really starting to question whether Yadi's hair is cursed. I speculated when I first saw it that it might be bad luck, but after the way he's been playing lately, I think it's highly likely something hinky is going on. Besides his 0 for 4 at the plate, he didn't look super comfortable behind the plate. Hopefully he just needs to warm up. Hopefully the whole team just needs to warm up.

You know what? It's no use. Blah, blah, blah. Neil Patrick Harris is a cutie. (That was the sound of me changing the channel in my head.)

ready? I am. . .

2009-04-06T10:35:00.005-05:00

This is my last "we haven't played a game yet in 2009" post, so be prepared. Even if they get snowed out for a week, I've had enough pre-season and I'm ready for some real baseball. It's my way of putting the weather on notice. We'll see how well it works out.

The Phillies did nothing to help my fantasy team last night. I have four Phils on my roster and all four of them played, and half of them (and unfortunately it was the half that played the most innings) stunk the place up. Really, Brett Myers? Three home runs in the first two innings? I understand that you're excited to pitch the season opener (especially after Cole Hamels was crowned King of Philadelphia), but haven't you done this before? Three years running now? Yeah. That's what I thought. I'll expect much better of you in five days.

They said it about the Cardinals in 2007. Many more games like last night and they'll be saying it about the Phillies, too. Hung-over.

I am very excited about the game today (knock on wood), though. It'll be fun to see how the rookies respond to the pressure and excitement. It'll also be fun to see how the seasoned players respond to it. So here's to a great year for everyone, and lots of memorable, well-played baseball. If I haven't said it before, I love this game.

Oh, and I'll leave you with an excerpt from my new book entitled "Remember that Cardinals Opening Day in 2009? Man, that was the best game ever."

Chapter One

Stacked with youth and optimism, the 2009 St Louis Cardinals went into the season ready to prove that they were competitors. The new season held endless possibilites and hope, and the team was ready to take advantage of every opportunity given them.

Opening Day was celebrated with the usual pomp and circumstance, ceremonies, and excitement. On this particular April day, though, there was a different feeling in the air. Maybe it was the snow that had been falling all morning. Maybe it was the All-Star Game looming on the horizon. Or maybe it was a sign of things to come.

Everyone at the stadium that day, from spectators to players, remembers the feeling.

"It was electric. Yeah, like the air was electrified," said Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals starting pitcher that day. "When I first walked onto the field, well, I could just tell that good things were going to happen."

the countdown is on

2009-04-05T16:30:00.004-05:00

Thanks to ML for the opening day novena. Remember my resolutions? I'm breathing deeply, counting to ten, and trying to remember that I have no control over the lineup.

Ohhhhhhmmmmm....

1. Brendan Ryan, 2B
2. Rick Ankiel, CF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Khalil Greene, SS
5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Chris Duncan, LF
8. Brian Barden, 3B
9. Adam Wainwright, P

Oh, Tony. You do like to keep everyone guessing, don't you?

We'll call this lineup number 001.

here we come a-wassailing

2009-04-05T11:36:00.000-05:00

On the eve of this most sacred of baseball holidays, I think it's a good time to make some baseball resolutions.

I talked about my first resolution earlier. Looking back over the last few years (and especially last year), it occurs to me that I may have been a little hard on Ryan Franklin. Therefore, this year, I resolve to give him a clean slate to start the year, and also to give him the benefit of the doubt when things are going badly for him (and I'm not even going to make a snide remark about how things are bound to go badly for him sooner or later). In fact, I'll go ahead and apply this one to the whole bullpen. There's nothing like a fresh start.

My second resolution has to do with my baseball-watching habits. I'm not a fair-weather fan by any means, and I don't abandon the team during the hard times, but I gotta tell you, sometimes it's just too painful to watch them lose and I might turn off the tv and go to bed (and cry myself to sleep) if it's really, really bad. This year, I resolve to stay up even if it's a massacre. Even if it's a bloodbath. Even if I have to bury my face in a pillow and scream. (Barring real life conflicts, that is.)

Finally, in an attempt to reduce my own blood pressure and become more zen (or something), I resolve to accept that I have no control over the lineup or pitching changes or who starts in left field or whether the batter sacrifices or how deep the outfielders play or when the shift is used or how big the lead from first is or intentional walks or errors or wild pitches or.... whatever. I will take a deep breath and count to ten and everything will be okay.

Much like New Year's resolutions, these are probably not going to last long (especially that last one). But it's the thought that counts, right?

In unrelated news, I was watching ESPN this morning (shhhh) and wanted to share some highlights from the segment reviewing the parity in baseball over the last decade. Some guy I didn't recognize made the following notable observations (after reminding us that even though the BoSox and Yanks might feel like dynasties, they are, in fact, not).

"You could make a watery argument for the Cardinals with their 6 post-season appearances...."
Watery. Well, at least he was kind enough to mention us.

"Worst team this decade: the Kansas City Royals, unless you're actually counting the Pirates as a major league team."
Ouch.

Wow, have I missed baseball coverage. I never even considered turning this off.

Predictions 2009: Post-season & Awards

2009-04-03T08:04:00.005-05:00

Oooh, the fun part. I mean, sure, the regular season is great, but October's what it's all about, right? And even more so if your team gets to go to the party.

Of course, these are also the tougher picks. 162 games gives you a pretty good idea what a team is made of because it doesn't allow for a lot of "luck" or "flukes". A team might have a 10 or 15-game run where they get "hot", but things will pretty much even themselves out over the course of the season. A five-game or seven-game series is a much smaller sample size and doesn't protect as well against streaks and momentum. That means that while you can look at statistics and player quality (and so forth) to guage the possibilties of a team having a good season, extraneous factors are much more likely to figure into the equation when you're talking about the playoffs. That being said, it's still fun to try and guess who will be able to make all those factors work in their favor.

I presume we should base our post-season predictions on the division winners we named in previous posts, so I'll start by reminding you of whom I like. (Which begins with me reminding myself.)

American League.

Division Winners:: East- BOS Red Sox
Central- CLE Indians
West- LA Angels of Anaheim*

Wild Card: NY Yankees. I really like the Twins (I know, I know), but the East looks to be a stronger division than the Central. And when it comes to the wild card, there is definitely a bubble.

ALDS.

BOS vs NYY > BOS
LAA vs CLE > CLE

ALCS.

BOS vs CLE > BOS

I wish I could give you more, but until we really know how these teams are going to shape up over the season, it's hard to say who's really better. Based on last year, and going by some of the moves the Angels made in the off-season, I'd say they aren't going far into the post-season. Based on my hatred for the Yankees, I'd say the same thing about them. And when push comes to shove, even if the Indians are "this year's Rays", much like last year's Rays, they just don't have the experience to propel them through October.

National League.

Division Winners:: East- FLA Marlins
Central- STL Cardinals
West- ARI Diamondbacks

Wild Card: NY Mets. Sorry. Call me what you want, but I'm not giving it to the Cubs. Maybe that makes my predictions "stupid", but maybe they were "stupid" anyway. Ever think of that? Besides which, the Mets went out and got themselves some serious pitching help, and I think it'll make the difference they were looking for. At least enough to get them this far.

NLDS.

STL vs FLA > STL
ARI vs NYM > ARI

NLCS.

STL vs ARI > STL

Again, it's hard to know how teams are going to react to the pressure and the situation of being in the playoffs, and how all those other factors are going to affect the games, but knowing what we know, Florida won't beat the Cardinals, and the Mets will crumble early.

World Series.

STL vs BOS > STL

Is this an eerie rematch or what? Well, guess what. I'm siding with vengeance and picking the Cardinals.

Don't act so surprised.

Well, I guess that about does it.

Something else?

What?

Oooh, that pesky MVP.

Okay, but first, don't blame me for making this personal, the BBWAA did that looong ago.

AL Most Valuable Player ... Evan Longoria.
NL Most Valuable Player ... Albert Pujols. Honestly, he could be out half the season with an injury and still be the MVP.

More? How about these?

AL Cy Young ... Anthony Reyes.
NL Cy Young ... Chris Carpenter.

AL Rookie of the Year ... I can't pick because as unfamiliar as I am with the Cardinals' prospects, I'm even more unfamiliar with other NL teams' prospects, nevermind knowing what's going on in the AL farm systems. So if you readers have any suggestions, I'll gladly accept them. Otherwise, we'll just leave it up to the rest of the UCB to predict this award.
NL Rookie of the Year ... Colby Rasmus. I'm afraid I'd be tarred and feathered if I picked anyone else.

Other awards?

Who cares?

Well, sports fans, Monday is the big day. Are you ready? Got your tickets/seat on the couch? Opening day is too much hoopla for me to attend personally, but I'll be watching every reasonable minute of it on tv. Of course, I heard rumblings of rain in the forecast for Monday, so keep your fingers crossed and knock on wood and don't change your underwear all weekend, and let's all hope they get a game in.

*As strange as the whole "fighting over the Angels" name thing is, I still respect their right to call themselves whatever they want. Sure, it takes me an extra 2.7 seconds to say it, but if that's what makes them happy, then I'll do it.

Predictions 2009: NL West

2009-04-02T08:37:00.005-05:00

Well, we've done the AL, NL East, and NL Central. That means it's time for the (drumroll, please) NL West. And that means it's time to ask the ever-important question... um, who's left?

Not that I don't love the NL West.

Really.

Let's see, there's the Dodgers, the Rockies, the...

Oh, the Pads.

???

No, don't tell me.

Ummm...

The Giants!

And...

One more, right?

Okay, just one hint. Are they in California?

Utah?

Iowa?

No.

I really am at a loss here. Oh, wait...

The Diamondbacks!!!

Ha! Knew I'd get it eventually.

Yes, I watch baseball. What's your point?

And now, my extremely expert and thoroughly researched opinion on how these fine teams will finish the season.: 1. ARI Diamondbacks. You have to win the division in this division if you want to make the playoffs, because you can't count on the Wild Card. Good pitching will get them there.

2. LA Dodgers. We're all anxious to see how Manny's 2-year contract works out for the Streetcar Dodgers, and unfortunately for Joe Torre, I don't think it's going to be well. I love Man-Ram, but he can be a bit of a distraction. And occasionally distracted.

3. COL Rockies. They are going to surprise everyone this year (even themselves) because by all accounts, they should be in last place, not competing with LA for second place.

4. SF Giants. Ehh. Tim Lincecum is going to have a great year. Unfortunately, he can't pitch every game.

5. SD Padres. It's not going to be pretty, although I'm hoping (as are all their fans) that it's at least a little less embarrassing than last year. Poor Mark Worrell. (snicker)

Come back tomorrow for the post-season and individual awards. And be sure to check out the rest of the UCB's predictions (which are sure to make up for mine).

[expletive]

2009-04-01T18:58:00.003-05:00

Well, what a [expletive] wonderful day. Yeah, that's right. [expletive].

Okay, I'm not the [expletive] girl, but I'm in a [expletive] mood. So here's what I'm gonna do. Instead of using the actual [expletive] words, and in order to spare you the [expletive] business, we're going to do this post Mad Libs^TM style. Have fun!

Troy [snack food] Glaus is probably done for [length of time], and if you think I'm being a(n) [adjective] alarmist, take [number] second(s) to get your [part of body] out of your [different part of body] and think about all the [processed lunch meat] we've been force-fed over the last few years about [adjective] injuries from the [adjective] [farm animal] [noun ending with -ers].

Oh, and Carp [past tense verb] his [adjective] [part of body] while he was [adverb] jogging. So, [exclamation]. Who the [warm place] was letting him jog?!

The only thing that kept this [adjective] day from being a total [bodily fluid] wash (what with all the [adjective] news and not being able to [verb] any [adjective] [team sport], and the [dessert ending with -ie] Cardinals [verb ending with -ing] anyway), was hearing about Duncan's [superhero] homerun against [fictional villain] and the [plural item of clothing].

Got all that?

Don't forget to post your humorous results in the comments section so we can all enjoy them.

Predictions 2009: NL Central

2009-04-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

All right, before we get started, I have to tell you how much I hate April Fool's Day. I hate it. A lot. I don't like surprises, period, and I don't care for pranks even a little bit. Practical jokes are my nightmares. I don't like being tricked or "fooled" and I really don't like when it happens over and over again in a 24-hour period. I know some people think it's "funny" but it's not. It's the unfunniest thing ever. Ever. I have a good sense of humor. I enjoy dry wit and slapstick comedy as much as the next person. I do not enjoy trickery.

Therefore, you will find no hint of foolishness or silliness in the following post. I will not, repeat NOT tell you I think the Cubbies are finally going to go all the way this year, and then jump out from behind the couch yelling "April Fools!" at the top of my lungs to announce that, well, I got you. Some of my fellow bloggers may very well do just that, and more power to them, but I'll be avoiding the entire internet today, as well as anyone in my real life whom I know to be a perpetrator of such "hilarity."

Now, with no further delay, here are my completely serious and somber predictions for the NL Central.

(Note: These predictions are based on absolutely nothing substantial or scientific. At best, they represent how I hope the races will turn out. At worst, they are my attempt at shaking things up. If you want more accurate guesstimates, visit some of the other UCB soothsayers.): 1. STL Cardinals. Okay, I'm a Cardinals fan. Did you really expect me to put the Cubs here? Sorry. Besides which, I think the Cards have a real shot at winning this year. I'm not going to list the reasons for fear of jinxing them, but I'll be happy to discuss it once the season is over and everyone is giving me credit for having called it.

2. CHI Cubs. What can I say, they're a pretty good team. During the regular season, at least, they were dominant last year. From what I can tell, they've made moves that will either improve them or, at worst, keep them pretty even. Too bad about that post-season stuff.

3. CIN Reds. They have some good pitching and a little bit of offense. They're better than the Pirates, at any rate.

4. MIL Brewers. Ehh. Last year was their shot and they blew it. I don't see them competing for much of anything this year.

5. PIT Pirates. To be fair, I think they are better than this.

6. HOU Astros. To be fair, I wish they were better than this.

Tomorrow we wrap up the regular season rankings with the NL West. Friday, we'll have post-season and individual awards predictions.

the worst thing ever

2009-03-31T17:50:00.003-05:00

spare parts?

2009-03-31T15:56:00.007-05:00

Starting pitchers
1. 29 Carpenter
2. 50 Wainwright
3. 26 Lohse
4. 37 Wellemeyer
5. 35 Piñeiro

Bullpen
31 Franklin
52 Kinney
46 McClellan
43 Miller
60 Motte
36 Reyes
48 Thompson
44 Isringhausen

Catchers
21 LaRue
4 Molina

Infielders
23 Barden
3 K. Greene
5 Pujols
13 Ryan
55 Schumaker

Outfielders
24 Ankiel
16 Duncan
47 Ludwick
7 Mather
28 Rasmus

15-day DL
64 García
8 Glaus

60-day DL

40-man Roster
54 Barton
68 Boggs
67 T. Greene
77 Hawksworth
70 Hoffpauir
56 Manning
34 Pérez
78 Scherer
61 Stavinoha

So I'm waiting. Yep. Just sitting idly, twiddling my thumbs, thinking about the word "twiddle" (and smiling), and hoping to hear soon who #25 is going to be. Well, not #25 strictly speaking, but the 25th person to occupy the 25-man roster. You see, by my count, there are 24 able bodies on said roster, and I find it hard to imagine Moze and TLR (or either individually) saying to themselves (or himself), "Ehh. Maybe 24's enough." Right?

12 pitchers. 2 catchers. 5 infielders. 5 outfielders. 2 infielders who could be outfielders. 2 outfielders who could be infielders. One outfielder who used to be a pitcher. One pitcher who used to be a catcher. 2 starters who used to be relievers. 2 relievers who want to be starters. One catcher who shaves his legs. One outfielder who has titanium parts.

Whew. (The word "fielder" has lost all meaning for me.)

ML put up the rotation, and it looks like Wainwright will get the start on opening day. Carp is being saved for the fourth spot in the order, and I heard somewhere (sorry, if it was from you) that it had something to do with the upcoming series against the Cubs.

I can definitely feel the excitement in the air. We're in the final stretch here, sports fans! 6 days until opening day. Seems like it's been forever.

Predictions 2009: NL East

2009-03-31T07:28:00.006-05:00

So now we move on to the Senior Circuit. The original. The mack-daddy. (Yeah, sorry about that.)

(Note: These predictions are based on absolutely nothing substantial or scientific. At best, they represent how I hope the races will turn out. At worst, they are my attempt at shaking things up. If you want more accurate guesstimates, visit some of the other UCB soothsayers.)

And we start things off with the NL East. (Another opportunity for me to alienate fans of other teams.) Before I get officially started, though, I must remind you of a few self-evident truths about the NL East.

1) The Nats are not the best team in baseball. I could elaborate, but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

2) The Phillies are the reigning World Champions. Whatever curses this might carry remains to be seen, but if it's merely a matter of talent, the Phils are destined to have another great year.

Those two things, while true for the past, hold little to no bearing over the future. We all know that anything can happen, and often does, and that's what keeps us coming back day after day, year after year.

That being said, here's what I predict:: 1. FLA Marlins. They had a great first-half run last year, and they learned a lot from it. They'll win the division by one or fewer games, but the margin doesn't matter. A win is a win is a win, after all.; 2. NY Mets. A much improved bullpen (starting with the back end) will take them far, but not far enough to win the division.

3. PHI Phillies. They'll play the spoiler this year, and do what they can to keep the Mets from finishing strong enough to get past the Marlins.

4. ATL Braves. Even though they are working towards freshening things up, they're still an old team and I don't think they'll get back to the playoffs until the turnover is complete.

5. WSH Nationals. Do I really need to explain? Washington fans don't watch for the glory, they watch for the love of the game. At least, that's all I can figure.

See you tomorrow for my NL Central predictions. I know you're dying to see who I have finishing first in that particular division.

options

2009-03-30T15:14:00.005-05:00

Chris Perez, our sa~~vior~~-I mean, sa~~ver~~-I mean, clo~~ser~~-I mean, ninth inning pi~~tcher~~-I mean, pitcher... wait, what I was I talking about?

Oh, right. Perez was optioned to Memphis today, presumably to make room for another middle infielder like, um... well, I don't know, actually. Barden? Thurston? Is Ottavino an infielder? I guess technically pitchers do work in the infield, right? Anyway, TLR thinks that Perez needs more, regular playing time, and he isn't going to get it at the expense of the big club unless he's really, truly ready.

Colby Rasmus won the game for the embirded ones (eh?) after a series of stooge-like mistakes by both teams. I would've liked to see the game today, just to try and catch a glimpse of the message allgedly scrawled across Hanley Ramirez' chest in permanent marker. (Not that he normally takes off his shirt during games, don't get too excited, but maybe if the sun caught him just right and the wind was cooperating, you never know.)

Personally, I think the whole "no jewelry/hair neatly trimmed" is a wonderful policy and I often wish the Cardinals had a similar rule. No one on our team gets too over-the-top with the bling (although the hair has started to become an issue), but I don't see the need for chains and earrings on the field, and if anything, they're an injury risk. The hair is more about appearance. I like the clean-cut, clean-shaved, jewelry-less look on my ball players.

Speaking of hair, did you see Yadi? I Googled for "Molina blonde", "Yadier bleach", and various other combinations of words, but apparently no one is talking about it yet. Well, just so you know, Yadi has dyed his hair yellow/gold. It's awful. I was speechless when I first saw it, even with the warning I got from Al (who speculated that Yadi dyed it to match his gold glove, and you cannot imagine how desperately I hope that isn't true...), but I did manage to tweet about it a little. Or a lot. Yadi, te amo, pero este look no es para ti.

What else... Glaus was officially placed on the 15-day DL, and I put him on my fantasy DL also.

Oh, and the UCB is centralized now. We have a homepage/main site where links will be posted to all the participating blogs for each project, as well as a twitter roll and a blog roll for the member blogs. PHE set it all up, so stop by and have a look around. And be sure to check out all the 2009 predictions.

Predictions 2009: AL

2009-03-30T07:20:00.006-05:00

The American League. Junior circuit. Buckers of tradition. Laughers in the face of history. Whiners about their precious pitchers having to do anything remotely athletic.

Let's take a look at how things might shape up this season for our overconfident kid brother.

(Note: These predictions are based on absolutely nothing substantial or scientific. At best, they represent how I hope the races will turn out. At worst, they are merely lists wherein I try to remember which teams are actually in certain divisions. I have better uses for my time than paying close attention to the AL, after all. If you want more accurate guesstimates, visit some of the other UCB soothsayers.)

AL East.
The instigators. The (arguably) toughest division in all of baseball. Starting with the Yankees, these teams take up well more than their fair share of the spotlight. What helps me deal with this, though, is the fact that the spotlight doesn't back off just because you're having a "bad hair day" or one of your star players "admits to using performance-enhancing drugs". The good with the bad and all that.
I predict:: 1. BOS Red Sox. It's hard to get too creative with this division, although last year was as surprising as anything. I just don't see Tampa repeating, and even with CC and AJ and JC, I don't think the Yankees have quite overcome their own egoes just yet. Besides which, they seem insistent on playing Jeter in an everyday role, and he's just awful. Think of Boston as my "default" pick for this division.

2. NY Yankees. See above. I hate their free-spending ways, but they do have CC.

3. BAL Orioles. They have César now, after all. For this team, he's an improvement.

4. TB Rays. Pennant hangover. Does that apply?

5. TOR Blue Jays. 2018 will be their year.

AL Central.
Much like the NL Central, this division is largely overlooked by the National Media. Is it the unsavory locale? Is it the unappealing location? Is it the unpleasant region? Is it...? Okay, we get it. We don't have a coast. We're stuck in the middle of the country with our cows and our "dirt for sale" and our well insulated mid-sections. That doesn't mean we don't have some good players and competitive teams, but much like your weather, Southern California, some things never change.
I predict:: 1. CLE Indians. A-Rey will lead them to the promised land. Plus, they made a few notable acquisitions this off-season, although I can't seem to think of one right now.

2. MIN Twins. I wasn't going to rank them this high, but then I saw Slowey pitch. I had to give them props just for having him in the rotation.

3. CHI White Sox. I can't say anything bad about the Sox, partly because I get a kick out of Guillén, and partly because the black unis scare me. Unfortunately for the South-siders, they're going to come up short again this year.

4. KC Royals. Getting better every year.

5. DET Tigers. Getting worse every year.

AL West.
Really, I don't have much to say about the division that could just as easily be called "Angels 'n stuff". Oh, right, the A's picked up Matt Holliday. That should turn things around for them.... *rolling my eyes*

I predict:: 1. LA Angels of Anaheim. They lost K-Rod but picked up Fuentes. Honestly, even without Rodríguez, I think they could have sleep-walked across the finish line last year.

2. TEX Rangers. Ehh. They're in this spot mostly for the sake of argument. Stranger things have happened, you know.

3. OAK Athletics. Oh, and Springer.

4. (white space) Reserved for the Astros* whenever baseball figures out how to divide 30 by six.

5. SEA Mariners. They aren't just going to lie on the floor of the basement of the division anymore, they're going to force MLB to contract the construction of a sub-basement. Mark my words, somehow the Mariners will finish fifth in a four-team race.

So, now that I've properly ticked off fans of almost every AL team, I guess we sit back and watch the season unfold, then meet back here in November and see how close I was.

Come back tomorrow for the start of the National League predictions. We'll kick things off with the East, then cover the Central on Wednesday, and the West on Thursday. Friday, we'll pick our playoff favorites and speculate on who will take home all the various hardware.

*I don't have any problem with the 'Stros being in our division, but if MLB were to pluck away a team from our abundance, the westernmost city, as you'll note, is Houston. Obviously it wouldn't be the Cardinals.

always comes too late

2009-03-29T10:37:00.001-05:00

It's Sunday, and I'm never sure what I should write (if anything) on Sundays. It's a religious day, sure, but it's also a lazy day. I want to lie on the couch and do nothing for several hours, and blogging just doesn't fit into that plan. But since there's a busy blogging week coming up (the UCB is doing our 2009 predictions all week), I decided to take a few minutes and move from the couch to the computer and jot down a thing or two.

Actually, since I'm coming up on a year of this blogging business, and the new season is about to start (and the weather is being bipolar again) I though it'd be a nice time to reflect.

The toughest thing about writing a blog is knowing your audience. Am I writing for a Cardinals fan who doesn't need to hear me prattle on about the box score because (s)he was watching the game right along with me? Am I writing for a fan of another team who is just trying to keep tabs on the competition? Am I writing for a casual fan who doesn't care about stats but rather is simply looking for entertainment? Am I writing for a Cardinals fan removed from the area who is trying to stay connected with Cardinal Nation?

The answer is yes... and no. I'm writing for Cardinals fans and baseball fans and sports fans because that's what I am. But I'm not writing for one constituency in particular, and I'm not catering to any specific audience.

When it comes down to it, I write for myself. When I started "blogging", it was a way for me to keep a personal record of the games and happenings that I was most interested in. When I decided to publish my thoughts on the internet, I didn't have the vaguest idea what blogging really was. I'd read blogs and even had a few favorites, and I would comment here and there (mostly anonymously), but I was too shy to try and publicize myself. (I'm still fighting that personal demon, although I'm getting better.) I certainly didn't realize what a community it is.

Now that I have a year of this blogging stuff under my belt, I have a better idea of what's going on. I'm glad when people let me know they enjoy what I've written, but I'll keep on writing for myself because if I tried to narrow my audience down to one (or even a few) particular group(s), I don't think it would mean as much, and it certainly wouldn't be the same blog.

So if you've come here looking for something Cardinals-related that I don't offer, please check out the Cardinals blog list in my sidebar. There are a lot of really good, really smart, really funny bloggers writing about our team (along with a smattering of other topics), and each one offers something completely personal and completely unique. I try to keep my list as up-to-date as I can, but it seems like there are new blogs everyday. If you're a Cardinals blogger and you're not on my list, it's really nothing personal, I just don't know about you yet.

The other blogging "neighborhood" that I've just recently started to take notice of (and shame on me for neglecting it so long) is that of the female bloggers. There are ladies writing about the Cardinals, baseball in general, and nearly every other team out there. Yes, guys, women can appreciate a nicely turned double play just as much as you, and from what I can tell, there have been female fans of baseball as long as there's been baseball. It's amazing to me (when I loiter about on other ladies' blogs) just how passionate and interesting their ideas are. I don't have a lot of real-life friends who are baseball fans, and so I may occasionally forget how large a group we are, these "babes" who love baseball, but it most definitely is not a group that is going away.

Side note: You may notice that I don't have the girls separated out from the boys over in my Other team blog list, and that's because I can't decide if it's insulting or not. I once heard someone say "Either women are equal to men or they're not," (as in, you can't have it both ways) and I'm hesitant to start that avalanche. After all, I'm just here to talk about baseball. (Hmmm... I like that. I'm just here to talk about Cardinals baseball.)

Anyway, I also wanted to say thank you to anyone who has read or is currently reading my blog, even if you don't like it or don't agree with me. It's been a fun year and I've had a great time writing and doing projects with the UCB, and I'm looking forward to another great season of blogging and baseball. Stay in touch! (Even if you'd rather remain anonymous.)

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I missed pitching tuesday

2009-03-27T10:52:00.001-05:00

Early this morning, I realized that I promised to break out my newly invented word for you, and I have yet to deliver on that. So here you go.

embirded (adj.) adorned or decorated with birds or images of birds. «The Cardinals wear embirded uniforms; The Cardinals' jerseys are embirded; Which ones are the Cardinals? The embirded ones.»

You're right, it's not that impressive. But it will save me precious seconds that I would normally have wasted saying things like, "Their jerseys are adorned or decorated with birds or images of birds," and "The Cardinals are the ones with jerseys adorned or decorated with birds or images of birds." So you see, it's all in the spirit of time management. Feel free to use it and save yourself some time.

In other news, Troy Glaus sailed out to LA yesterday to have a "routine" examination of his recently surgically "repaired" shoulder. At least that's what we've been told. If you'll recall, we were told lots of fantastical things about his health in the recent past, and then he went and needed surgery. I take everything coming out of Cardinals camp with a big ol' grain of salt, and I'd advise you to do the same.

We're getting closer and closer to the end of Spring and the beginning of the regular season, and while not everything has gone exactly as hoped (or planned) this Spring, things could definitely be worse (knock on wood). To recap, we replaced some of the left-handed parts, cleaned out the entire middle infield (more or less), and re-hauled some broken down arms. Matthew Leach may be a closet Cubs fans, but I'm looking forward to a very competitive season from the embirded ones.

Fantasy Alert: I'm checking every day for Izzy to make the Rays' major league roster so I can add him to my team. I'll let you know how that goes.

a few (more) bits

2009-03-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

I read the scouting reports and descriptions of players' abilities, and I understand (some of) the statistics and how they correspond to success in the big leagues, but all the words and abbreviations and numbers in the world can't compare to actually making visual contact with a player--seeing him do what he does--when it comes to deciding if I like his stuff. (Now, of course, my opinion means very little to anyone but me, but given the choice between reading mountains of other people's opinions or drawing my own conclusions about a player's worth, I'd much rather see him for myself.) So when I finally got to see Dennys Reyes pitch an inning today, I was very excited. I was even more excited after he finished, because it went well. Seeing a LOOGY who can actually face more than one batter at a time is encouraging, because Tony's management style when it comes to the lefty specialists, to put it mildly, could use some work.

Chris Perez, on the other hand, gave up the ~~tie-breaking~~ winning run to the 'Stros and didn't have much command. I guess that's part of the idea behind Spring Training, though, isn't it? Real game situations that allow you to see where you need work, without the threat of a "permanent record" hanging over your head. Well, if you say so.

Derrick Goold has a wonderful series going on for the P-D in which he asks some very random (and rarely baseball-related) questions to baseball players. His latest "P-DQ" was with Todd Wellemeyer, and if you haven't read it, READ IT. Right now. Just go.

He (DG, not TW) is also going to be a guest on the UCB's weekly podcast tonight (and for all my 31 years I still have no idea what exactly the term "podcast" refers to, but it calls to mind terrible images of pod people) and talk about everything Cardinals you can imagine for an hour or so. (But probably no extraterrestrial parasites. Probably.)

I was looking over some predictions I made back in January about what the off-season would bring (or not bring, as it were), and so far, I'm doing pretty well. Look out for more predictions at the end of March. The UCB's next scheduled project will cover how we think the AL, NL, and post-season will break down, and posts should start going up on Monday. There may be a little bias showing when it comes to the NL Central, but they should be good reading anyway.

a few bits

2009-03-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

March 25 already, eh? We don't have too much longer to wait for the beginning of the regular season, and with the roster shaping up for the final draft pretty quickly, there's not a whole lot of activity to talk and/or think about these days.

Troy Glaus finally came to terms with the fact that playing in a Grapefruit League game is just not realistic for him. His surgery wasn't that long ago, after all, and while there was some small part of me hoping he would heal at super-human speeds (like Albert always seems to do), I was never counting on him to be ready to go on opening day. If he's ready (and healthy and free from complications) by my birthday (May 26), I'll require no other gifts.

Have you noticed that every time anyone in Cardinal Nation types or speaks the words "Chris Carpenter" they are immediately followed by the words "knock on wood"? Think we're just the tiniest bit terrified out of our minds that something is going to go wrong and all our hopes will be dashed before they even see the light of day? I think it's entirely possible that I won't actually breathe until I see him pitch a full day's work and then leave the mound smiling. Knock on wood.

Last year I grew to hate Ryan Franklin. I feel a little bit bad about this, because it wasn't really his fault. He was thrown into situations that weren't suited for him, and he probably did the best he could. As a matter of fact, I've scolded other people for giving Izzy grief over performing poorly when the circumstances were stacked against him, and then I went and did the same thing to Frankie. As of this moment, he has a clean slate with me. That is not to say that I want to see him closing out games again (for as long as I live), but if he happens to find himself in that role (heaven forbid), I will support him and encourage him to the best of my abilities. That being said, I'd much prefer to see him as a set-up man.

More later.

nothing much

2009-03-23T10:42:00.003-05:00

I've got other things going on today so I don't have much time for writing, but luckily for me, there's not much going on anyway.

Yeah, I watched the WBC. I didn't concentrate on it real hard, though, so blame me for the loss if you need to. Seriously, though, it's probably not exaggerating to say that it was a miracle the US made it as far as they did. And judging by the RD flag(s) in the stands, I'd say los dominicanos agree with me. Korea and Japan in the finals? I'll take Korea.

No, I'm not watching NCAA BB. If you're following me on twitter, you know why.

Spring Training is going well for the Cardinals so far (knock on wood). No, it doesn't mean anything, but if they're clicking, they're clicking, and it makes me feel a lot better about the regular season possibilities. Khalil Greene has impressed me as much as anyone. He's obviously fielding well, but he's also looking good at the plate. (By that, I mean he's hitting the ball well. He still needs a haircut. Speaking of which, when did Joe Mather turn into a Malibu Ken doll? Wow.)

All right, so Curt Schilling is retiring. And he has a blog?! Why didn't anyone tell me?!

Fantasy alert: if you don't want to read about my team, turn back now.

I traded Penny for Pettitte (because I started worrying about the shoulder) and Giles for Scutaro (because I realized that I had drafted Brian Giles). I am officially happy with my roster.

¡Saludos!

the 850-thousand dollar man

2009-03-20T18:13:00.005-05:00

Ever since my last post (about 24 hours), I've been thinking about Chris Duncan and his need for a commercial. So I made one in my head.

Have you ever seen those commercials where it starts as a black screen and then there's kind of a pulse feeling, as it brightens on certain scenes just long enough for you to see what's going on, then darkens again? Dark...scene...dark...scene... you get it? I can't think of a specific example right now, but if I do, I'll let you know.

In my Play Like a Cardinal commercial (if only I had access to Duncan and a studio where I could put this together), it would pulse in and out to show scenes of Chris doing different baseball-related things, and then.... well, here. Just read.

(Disclaimer: I did not steal any of this from anywhere, and I don't even know who Lee Majors is.)

-----------------------------------------

Starts dark.

Brightens to scene of Duncan in a brightly lit operating room, lying on metal table as doctors and scientists wearing surgical gowns and masks stand over him... then darkens again.

Brightens to scene of Duncan in a gym benching weights... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of the operating room again, close-up of monitors showing vital signs... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of Duncan fielding fly balls... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of the operating room again, close-up of robotic prosthetics, tools, metal rods, and various nuts and bolts on tables covered with blue surgical linens; lots of activity, people working on Duncan... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of Duncan swinging away in the batting cage... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of the operating room again, close-up of nurses wiping sweat off the surgeon/mechanic's forehead as he leans over Duncan with some sort of power tool... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of Duncan in front of his locker buttoning his jersey... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of the operating room again, start on Duncan's face as he's smiling, pan out to show the hectic room from ceiling view, as doctors race to fix him, monitors are flashing... darkens again.

Brightens to scene of Duncan taking the field with crowd cheering and stadium lights on... darkens again to show STLCardinals.com logo.

-----------------------------------------

Get it? It's Duncan being turned into a cyborg! Or something. They're not actually operating on him, but rather replacing his human parts with titanium parts. See, because he has a titanium disc in his cervical spine. I knew you'd catch on.

I'm not really a producer, so it may need some tweaking. Suggestions?

a is for anchor

2009-03-19T17:01:00.001-05:00

I really meant to write earlier today, but you know how time can get away from you when you're procrastinating.

First, some catching up on the Roundtable, since the last question was asked today and will be posted tomorrow over at C70 at the bat. Recently, 5 O'Clock Blogger took on the Mark McGwire issue, 4thebirds covered the Cardinals' offseason approach, and The Redbird Blog asked us for our bold predictions for 2009. Stop by and find out what we had to say on the subjects.

Next up, some of the comings and goings at Camp Cardinal.

Chris Perez is having arm issues, and seeing as he's a pitcher, this figures to affect his "employability".

Jason Motte pitched a four-out save today (I tuned in just in time to hear it) and sounded pretty good. The twitter buzz has it he's working a slider.

Izzy pitched an inning against the 'Birds (a scoreless fifth), which I was lucky enough to miss. (sniff) Be careful with my guy there, Joe Maddon. He's sensitive.

The new Play Like a Cardinal commercials are up on the Official Site for your viewing pleasure. I like 'em all, but my favorite (believe it or not) is Yadi's. I've often wondered if he could block balls with his eyes closed. (His was my favorite last year, too, in which he caught two pitchers at the same time. Classic.) I was hoping they'd find a way to feature Chris Duncan in some sort of Bionic Man-type "we can rebuild him, we have the technology" sequence. Maybe next year.

fantasizing

2009-03-18T17:03:00.005-05:00

I've been told that "no one talks about their fantasy team." Well, as I'm not one to stand on ceremony, and don't really care what "everyone else" does, I'm going to talk about my fantasy team. Over and over again.

Last night, way, way past my bedtime, was the draft for my fantasy baseball league. A live draft, for those of you who haven't done this sort of thing before, is fairly fast-paced. It's through Yahoo! Sports, and so there's also a lot of flashing flash and bright colors. For a newbie like me, it required quite a bit of concentration. Remarkably, I ended up with most of my top picks (although if you're in my fantasy league, you may be thinking to yourself, "remarkably, eh?" with a smirk on your face).

See, I had a strategy, and it was working beautifully for a while. The higher rated players were going first, and so my lower-ranked picks went unchallenged for a good portion of the time. However, as the draftees were thinned out, managers started focusing on position-specific selections, and at that point, even players further down the list were getting picked up. I had not anticipated that, and it forced me to change my strategy a little. In retrospect, I probably should not have picked Chris Duncan in the 7th round. (Go ahead, laugh it up.)

The players I missed out on that I would have liked to have acquired were Ryan Ludwick, Kyle Lohse, Pat Burrell, and Ramón Hernández. I completely forgot about A-Rey (please don't bother, I'm already chastising myself) until another manager grabbed him up, and I never had any real expectation of getting Adam Wainwright, although he was around longer than I would have thought he'd be. Between keeping tabs on what the rest of the managers were doing and queueing up my picks, I didn't have much time for thinking beyond the occasional, "well, [expletive]."

Anyway, wanna know whom I picked for my "dream team"? (Am I allowed to tell? Do I care?)

My #1 overall pick was Yadier Molina. This should surprise no one. Actually, when I was setting up my pre-draft list (in case I fell asleep), it went something like this:: 1. Yadier Molina
2. Albert Pujols
3-25. a bunch of other Cardinals with some random back-ups thrown in. (Oh, and I played favorites with los puertorriqueños.)

I did not get Albert because I picked ninth/third. He went second overall. Here's who I did get (in order by round):

Yadier Molina (StL - C)
Chase Utley (Phi - 2B)
Rick Ankiel (StL - OF)
Aaron Miles* (ChC - 2B,3B,SS)
Josh Johnson (Fla - SP)
Brad Lidge (Phi - RP)
Chris Duncan (StL - 1B,OF)
Russ Springer (Oak - RP)
Troy Glaus (StL - 3B)
Skip Schumaker (StL - OF)
Carlos Delgado (NYM - 1B)
Mike Aviles (KC - 2B,SS)
Todd Wellemeyer (StL - SP)
Brett Myers (Phi - SP)
Felipe López (Ari - 2B,3B,SS,OF)
Brian Giles (SD - OF)
Khalil Greene (StL - SS)
Jonathan Sánchez (SF - SP)
Brendan Ryan (StL - 2B,SS)
Ian Snell (Pit - SP)
Kyle McClellan (StL - RP)
Luke Scott (Bal - OF)
Eric Bruntlett (Phi - 3B,SS,OF)
Mark Buehrle (CWS - SP)
Brad Penny (Bos - SP)
Iván Rodríguez (Hou - C)

I'm probably not going to win this league.

It's okay, though, because I like my team on a deeper level than performance statistics. My league-mates are probably all shaking their heads and/or rolling their eyes, and fantasy-philes around the world are sensing a disturbance in the force.

Well, maybe I don't have a real appreciation for the essence of fantasy baseball, but I'm having bunches of fun already and I anticipate a lot more before the season is over. I plan to give the rest of the managers a run for their money.

One thing I noticed when I was looking over my team after the draft was that I seem to be well-stocked on infielders, particularly middle infielders. I guess the current middle infield situation in Jupiter has me subconsciously squirreling away every extra guy I can find. It's been a hard winter.

*I wasn't going to allow any Cubs on my team, but I made an exception for Super-Miles.

Oh yeah. The WBC.

I guess I should say something about Puerto Rico's (insert colorful adjective here) loss to the good ol' US of A, but I don't really know what that would be. It was disappointing, and I'm a little bit glad I didn't get to see it. I despise David Wright anyway, so that particular fire didn't need any more fuel.

On the bright side, Yadi and Cheíto get to re-join the rest of the team for camp, and the fact that they made it as far as they did is nothing to sneeze at. They should be proud. I know I am.

¿por qué no te callas?

2009-03-16T23:35:00.004-05:00

Yes, I just made an Hugo Chávez reference. (Actually, I guess it's more a Juan Carlos I reference. Ha ha!) At any rate, it's really just a reaction to the announcers spending Magglio Ordoñez' entire first plate appearance talking about the fact that the Venezuelan fans hate him because he has recently publicly endorsed the middlingly unpopular president of Venezuela (and his ambitions).

Why don't you just be quiet?

Sure, baseball players can be political. Sure, fans can boo them for it. But do we have to hear about it for 10 minutes? (Besides which, his hair is much in need of some discussion and yet no one ever seems to notice it.) Come to think of it, you probably don't want to read about it either.

Moving on.

Anybody else really hate Bobby Abreu? I mean really really? Huh. (Yeah, keep chicken-walking, you... something-or-other. What? It's late.)

I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate baseball on an amazingly disastrous new rule. Pardon me for a minute, I'll be yelling.

What a FABULOUS WAY to disrupt the FLOW of a GAME!!!

What a BRILLIANT METHOD to make the UMPIRES the focus of ALL THE ATTENTION instead of THE PLAYERS and--good grief!--THE GAME!!!

Players get to SIT ON THEIR THUMBS for a FULL FIVE MINUTES while the officials DISAPPEAR FROM THE FIELD!!! Pitchers get to LOSE THEIR RHYTHM and let their ARMS COOL DOWN!!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE they didn't think of this NONSENSE SOONER!!!

If I wanted to watch a game dictated by TECHNOLOGY and INSTANT REPLAY, I'D WATCH FOOTBALL!!!

Umpires should blend into the background. They should be invisible. They are there to quietly guide the game and nothing else. When they take center stage and have the entire stadium waiting and watching them, something is terribly, horribly wrong. I was against this idea from the start, but now that I've seen the thing in all its depravity, I can't believe there isn't more outrage.

Seriously folks, we've seen the BEAST, and it is video review. What a mockery.

Am I just bitter because of the loss? No. In fact, I wrote most of this in my head while it was actually happening, which is to say before PR lost so dreadfully to Venezuela.

Here's what else:

The runner (whoever the heck he was) was out when Yadi threw to second. You know what I'm talking about, don't act like you don't.

Henry Blanco is a freak.

Puerto Rico may turn out some great catchers, but Venezuela has the pitching market all locked up.

I'm happy about Yadi's at-bat in the ninth. It was a little scary to see him up first against K-Rod in such a serious situation, but I knew he wouldn't strike out and he didn't. He continues to amaze me with his patience and composure at the plate. 10 WBC points

I'm going to bed now (instead of watching the Mexico-Cuba game) to cry myself to sleep because I don't get to watch the PR-US game.

Oh, and I invented a word. I'll bust it out for you in the near future.

UCB Roundtable: The next to be honored

2009-03-16T08:54:00.023-05:00

It's my turn to ask a question of my fellow bloggers for the Roundtable, and after being inspired by an article from Derrick Goold earlier this off-season, I decided to ask this:

We all know (and have discussed) the rich history and tradition that the Cardinals have. A lot of the greatest Cardinals have had their numbers retired and have been immortalized on the wall in Busch Stadium. Who should be next? And speaking of jersey numbers, how soon can numbers like 32 and 57 (that is if you didn't choose one of them as the next to be retired) be put back into circulation, if ever?

Jeff (5 O'Clock Blogger)

Number 51 should be next to join the pantheon of retired numbers. He may not have the Hall of Fame pedigree, but Willie McGee is universally beloved. At least by Cardinals fans.

And number 25 should be put back into circulation.

Daniel (C70 at the bat)

I'd rather see 51 saved for special fan-favorite players (not the Bo Hart flavor-of-the-month, but someone that's put in their time with the Cards, like say if Ankiel returned) as a honor. Worn occasionally by the right people. Willie definitely needs a statue out front of the park, though.

I really don't know that we'll see another one retired until number 5 goes up on the wall. 57 is basically retired now and I don't think we'll see it come off the wall. I think 32 may go back quietly into circulation within the next 2-3 years. Hancock's death, while tragic, doesn't have the long-term resonance that DK's does.

As for 25, I'd keep it back a while longer until we figure out exactly how we want to immortalize this era. If Mac gets into the Hall, I think you go ahead and retire the number. If it looks like he never will--and, right now, that's the stronger possibility, you may make it available in a few years.

Mike (Stan Musial's Stance)

Completely agree with 51 being the next number to retire. Is the "Retire #51" petition still active?

#32 should be put back in the hopper. The appropriate amount of time has passed to mourn the memory of an idiot who killed himself driving drunk.

#57 is more difficult. I don't think that number will return to service until all his teammates from the 2002 Cardinals have left the team or retired. That means, I hope, until AP retires.

Completely disagree with bringing #25 back. McGwire is a Hall of Famer, despite the petulance of the BBWAA.

Scott (Cardinal Nation Globe)

I really like this question. [Ed. note: Why, thank you!] I'm going along with the consensus that Willie McGee's #51 should be formally retired and take it's place along the scoreboard and left field wall at Busch Stadium. As for #57, I don't think it needs to be officially retired like Musial's, Brock's, Gibson's, etc. but maybe just leave it the way that it is, as a memorial. Number 32 should be put back into circulation... maybe not this year, but maybe in 2010 or 2011. Number 25 is a sticky situation... I say put it on the back burner for about 10 years and then reevaluate the situation. Keep it in storage... like his statue: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/sports/baseball/04statue.html.

Haedar (Redbird Ramblings)

I'll have to go with the greatest cardinal centerfielder of all time, #15, mr. jimmy edmonds. I think he was a main cog in the cards lineup for a long time and provided spectacular defense night in and night out over the span of, what, 9 seasons?

it'll probably have to wait until he officially retires though. I'm not too sure about it, but I think the cards unofficial policy to only retire numbers of a player when he gets into the hall of fame. can anyone confirm this? still, I think 15 should someday, during edmonds life, be retired and placed on the wall.

I don't think the number 57 should be back into circulation because of the situation and the circumstances...I'm not sure about 32, but does the significance of the player or his impact on the team contribute to the effort of retiring his number when the player's death was sudden and unfortunate? I don't know, but come to think about it, now that I have recalled the events that occurred, both numbers should be retired.

Josh (Redbirds Row)

Give me Jimmy Ballgame, but do it at the same time 51 gets his due. Edmonds doesn't lose points in my book for wanting the opportunity to start everyday, and heck, he could still be a lefty off the bench for some teams.

Mike (Stan Musial's Stance)

Good call on #15.

Trey (The Cardinal Virtue)

I have to adamantly disagree with Edmonds. He didn't play enough of his career with the Cardinals, and he played too much of it (i.e., more than zero games) with the Cubs. On the more objective side, he was a good player, but I think an overrated one because of his Sports Center highlights. He made many memorable plays in the field and was a very good offensive player in his prime, but he's not an all-timer. I think he's remembered fondly for how exciting he was, but I don't think the numbers totally support him.

Erik (Play a Hard 9)

Edmonds not an all timer? I don't think the numbers support you on that. He is certainly the Cardinals' all-time center fielder, and considering they had Flood, Lankford and McGee for long periods of time, that is saying something.

Aaron (The Rundown)

Really? Got to disagree with you on Edmonds. Look at his numbers at his peak; they aren't good. They're ridiculous. Edmonds' peak years represent the best stretch of offensive output by any center fielder ever not named Willie, Mickey or the Duke (to coin a phrase). Okay, or DiMaggio.

Add that unreal output to the perennial award-worthy defense, and Jimmy Baseball was as good as anyone to ever play the position in a Cardinal uni, and pretty much any other uniform, too.

Now, if you want to argue longevity, be my guest. But to say Edmonds is just good, and overrated, well, I'm going to have a hard time letting that stand.

Trey (The Cardinal Virtue)

Edmonds had a stretch where for 9 out of ten years (stretching from 1995-2004), he had a great offensive season. The one "bad" year was an injury-plagued 1999 campaign were he only played 55 games in Anaheim. Five of his great years were with the Cardinals. Five great years, and we retire a number? Here's some stats on Edmond's career: played 150 games or more: 4 times. Average games played per year (not counting his rookie year of 18 games): 127. Yes, I think durability and longevity matter. Another thing I didn't like about Edmonds: struck-out way too much. .87 SOs per game played over his career. In his first year as a Card (2000), Edmonds hit 42 homers and drove in 108. Career best numbers, but he also struck out 167 times that year. In 2004 he again hit 42 dingers and drove-in a career high 111, but struck out 150 times. Yuck. Willie McGee (who, granted, was even less durable than Edmonds), only cracked 100 SOs once in his career, and struck out over 400 times less in almost 300 more career games. Certainly, with a player of Edmond's power ability, SOs can be a price you pay, but it was often a very high price with him. I know I'm focusing on only a couple of stats here, but my point is that we tend to overlook some of the negative aspects of Edmond's career, because when he played, and when he played well (which wasn't always true for either aspect with him), he was so spectacular to watch. Sorry to drag on, but I feel strongly about this one. What if Griffey Jr. or Andruw Jones had had a few great years with the Cardinals? In their primes, they were probably better than Edmonds. Would you want them on the wall? Edmonds wasn't great long enough in his career and especially not in a Cardinal uniform to warrant retiring his number. That's just how I feel.

Nick (Pitchers Hit Eighth)

The next (or current) number up for discussion in my mind is 25. However, barring a resolution to the "did he or didn't he" questions surrounding McGwire, I think that having 25 on the wall will follow the path of his statue. If the BBWAA finally sees fit to put Mac in the HoF, bring em both out. If by some stroke of luck an exoneration of sorts comes on McGwire, bring em both out. Personally, I'm not holding my breath.

Beyond that, I don't think 32 or 57 will ever be retired. 57 will likely remain on the wall in the bullpen, and that will be enough to keep anyone from wearing it. The first time a "big-time" or "name" player comes to town that has worn 32 for his career prior to landing with the Cardinals, that will be the end of the moratorium on that one.

For me, and I realize this will get me in hot water with a lot of you, retired number does not equal life-long fan favorite. I'm not sold on 51 being retired. Willie had some great years, he was a good player – but he's got no means of comparison to the guys already on that wall at Busch, IMO.

To more directly answer the question, and agree with a previous opinion, it may be until #5 goes up before we see another retired number at Busch.

The only other possible candidate, and I hesitate to open this can of worms, would possibly be #10? [Ed. note: Ooooooh...]

Pip (Fungoes)

With all due respect to Edmonds, his claim to being the greatest Cardinal centerfielder of all-time is not undisputed. Curt Flood, #21, had more win shares in a Cardinal uniform (221) than Edmonds (195 by my count) and played 99% of his career with the team. Yes, Edmonds had some exciting years, but he's also playing in an offensive (among other things) era.

Besides Flood, one could make a good case for some Hall of Famers: Frankie Frisch (196 Cardinal WS), Joe Medwick (212) and Sunny Jim Bottomley (214). Frisch wore #3 late in his career, but he could be honored sans nombre, like Hornsby. Ditto Bottomley, who was born and died in the region, and played the majority of his career in St. Louis (the last two as a Brownie). Joe Medwick is a lot like #37 Keith Hernandez: He played the first half of his legendary career in St. Louis but played a substantial second part in New York, which is probably a strike against him.

Mike (Stan Musial's Stance)

This discussion raises an interesting question, at least in my mind: with all the player movement now normal in baseball, how much time spent with a team qualifies a star player to be immortalized with a retired number? Should it be measured in years? Percentage of time spent in the majors with one team? Based on how many of the player's best 5 (or some other arbitrary number) seasons were spent with a team?

Today guys who play their whole careers with one team like AP, Ripken, Gwynn are extremely rare. Should great players be punished for 'following the market'?

Maybe this is a UCB question for another time...

Remember, Nolan Ryan's had his number retired by three different teams (Angels, Astros, Rangers).

Pip (Fungoes)

That's an interesting question you raise, Mike. A few quick responses from my point-of-view:

1. Percentage of career spent with team should still matter. Yes, it's rare (but obviously not unheard of). So are retired numbers.
2. I'm not sure that I'd want to use the Nolan Ryan example. First, it's an exception. Second, the teams who retired his number are, to put it mildly, lacking the tradition of the Cardinals. When you have a long tradition of greatness, you can afford to be more selective in choosing your franchise's representatives.

Trey (The Cardinal Virtue)

I agree 100% with what you said Pip. I'm not disputing that Edmonds is good enough to be on someone's wall. Just MAYBE not ours.

My response

Personally, I think it probably will be Albert whose number next graces the scoreboard and wall at Busch, and I look forward to it. McGee would be a nice edition, but the more years that pass, the less likely it seems that'll happen. McGwire also belongs there, as far as I'm concerned, but I don't see it happening at all, not realistically. Oh, and I would gladly sign a petition/march in the streets/burn my bra/whatever it takes to get #44 on the wall. But you probably knew that.

Regarding the can of worms, I wholeheartedly support this. Tony for president.

The other issue that I brought up, concerning Kile and Hancock, is one of memorial. I agree with most of the rest of the group that #57 stays on the wall whether it's ever officially retired or not. #32, as Daniel said, can make its way back into the crowd any year now. As to whether anyone will want to wear it, that's another story. (Purely out of respect, of course.)

I refuse to call him "li'l dunc"

2009-03-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

C70 is doing Approval Ratings for various Cardinals, and the subject of yesterday's poll was none other than my favorite left-fielder, Chris "Titanium Disc" Duncan. I was prepared for the worst, to be honest, because there's never a real positive feeling surrounding Chris when it comes to most fans. I've been pleasantly surprised up to this point, though. (knock on wood) There have been a few low scores, but for the most part it's been hovering in the 60s-70s with several voters giving him even higher scores than that. (I gave him a 98, in case you were wondering.) Many of the voters over at Viva El Birdos wrote brief explanations for their ratings, and as I was reading through them, I came across a few that made me smile. (I just recently signed up for a VEB account so as I might get in on the fun. I know, I know... late to the party as usual.)

This was my favorite quote. It's from a fan nicknamed "easy". (The bolding is mine.)

I’m torn I love to watch Dunc play. Even the outfield adventures are exciting. He never gets cheated at the plate, works hard all game, chews tobacco, has guts, doesn’t shave and just looks like a guy I’d get along with. Problem is he’s just not a very valuable player, at least for us, and he may be in the way of some better ones if he stays the next couple of years. for the latter reasons I have to rate him lower than I want.

This is an excellent summation of the Dunc-inator's appeal. He's Everyman. He's Joe Public. He's the guy who's always ready to party even when you'd rather just sleep. He's the guy who would give you the shirt off his back just so he'd have a reason to walk around shirtless. He's the guy who provides regular fodder for an absolutely hilarious running joke over at this blog. (Really, it's funny. You should check it out.) He's the lost boy who refuses to grow up.

On the field, he never slows down or slacks off. He's always giving 110% and he works hard to improve his defense. He has a lot of talent with the bat, and when he's healthy, he has the potential to lead a offense. He's young, and has his whole future ahead of him.

If you weren't aware (because maybe you like to start reading at the end), Big-D is my newest project. He's one of my favorite players, and because of some of the criticism he gets, I decided to make it my business to defend and/or promote him. (Don't worry, you'll understand once the regular season starts.)

So I'm off to a healthy start at least. And ba-Dunc-a-dunc's performance this Spring isn't hurting the cause, that's for sure. Maybe he really is fixed and will be able to contribute up to his potential this year. It would make my job a lot easier.

a little world baseball

2009-03-13T17:34:00.003-05:00

I admit I haven't been following the other teams in the World Baseball Classic. The US team interests me because, well, I'm from here, and the Puerto Rico team interests me because I have an irrepressible (and sometimes troubling) fascination with lo todo boricua. But the rest of the competition I could take or leave.

This Cardinals blog I came across recently made me wish I'd been paying closer attention. Somehow I missed the update from Cardinals Best News Links (and just as an aside, if you're ever looking for Cardinals news and you're not looking there, you're looking too hard--he finds everything, and it is an awesome resource), although part of me wishes I could just erase it from my mind.

Apparently, in a disastrous 16-4 loss to Cuba (as if having to play Cuba isn't bad enough), Reyes showed his less impressive side.

In the 7th inning, with Mexico down 7-4, Dennys came in and faced 5 batters, did not record a single out, gave up 3 hits and 5 runs (all of them earned), walked one and beaned one. I believe there's a word for an outing like that, I'm just not going to type it because I'm trying to keep from using those kinds of words in the blog (anymore).

Yikes.

Hopefully he can get himself back on track in time to join the Cardinals in camp. Otherwise, this wonderful late-Spring signing is going to look pretty regrettable.

unas quejas

2009-03-13T10:50:00.005-05:00

Today's round of the UCB Roundtable is up at the Redbird Blog, and it's definitely worth a read. My turn to interrogate the ranks comes on Monday, so make sure you check back then.

Nothing else much is going on right now. We're all patiently awaiting the start of the regular season (or maybe the continuation of the World Baseball Classic--there are a couple of games on Saturday that I won't get to see, and then a couple on Sunday that I couldn't care less about but which will be available to me, unless, of course, PR happens to lose to the US *ha ha* on Saturday, in which case I will get to see them on Sunday instead of having to wait until Monday), and trying to keep up with Spring Training progress (the Cardinals play two games today that won't be broadcast!) while we endure ridiculously bipolar weather (which means it's cold today but there are already bugs around and my seasonal allergies have declared war on me). How are things with you?

Well, it's Friday, so I'm not going to take up too much of your time. Have a good weekend!

¡Saludos!

over-thinking again

2009-03-12T14:45:00.001-05:00

Here's my question: Since the Skip Schumaker experiment isn't working out like we'd hoped, do we continue the seach for a second baseman within the ranks, or do we start looking for a trade?

Follow-up question: Does the need for a 2Bman now take precedence over the need for a "sixth" starter, and if we have trade bait, do we use it to bring in a middle infielder?

Related question: What about Mike Avilés? I wasn't familiar with this guy until seeing his performance in the WBC, but he seems like a good SS, and has spent some time at second. Think we have anything the Royals need?

I'll try to figure all this out as I listen to the game on the radio this afternoon.

Albert has made news again, sort of, as he is the focus of an article in Sports Illustrated written by sports writer extraordinaire Joe Posnanski. (He's the kind of writer who makes me look at my own blog and wonder, sometimes aloud, "why do I bother writing when there are people out there doing it so much better?") It's a wonderful examination of Albert's unique situation, and I highly recommend it to anybody who really loves baseball.

I had this whole shpiel planned in which I would announce that I respectfully disagree with anyone who retains even a shred of doubt about Albert or his integrity, and then defer to other bloggers who have summed up the situation nicely. Then I started typing and, well, things happened. I realized I feel more strongly about this than I thought, and so I decided I owe it some (more) time.

1. I hate to be stubborn, but you will never, ever convince me that I'm wrong about this. There are a lot of things that I will give in to, and a lot of arguments that I can be persuaded to change my mind about, but this is not one of them. Albert is a special kind of player and person in my eyes, and you may call it "blind faith" but it's faith nonetheless, and I don't need test results or empirical evidence of any sort to affirm my beliefs.

2. No amount of testing is going to change anything. I was having a hard time putting this into words, but then I read C70's latest post and found that he had already done so quite well. The fact is, even if Albert were tested every day from now until he retired, people would still doubt him. There is no way to go back in time and prove him innocent for all those seasons that are over, and as C70 said (regarding people's insistence that he have himself independently tested),

Taking a test will only have people saying, "Well, yeah, he passed, because he chose when to take it. All a publicity stunt, if you ask me."

3. Albert should not have to prove his innocence. There is a reason the justice system doesn't work that way and never will. Something about a town called Salem and some poor women being burned alive because they couldn't prove they weren't witches. Something about a Senator named McCarthy and a Red Scare. Something about basic human rights and fear of persecution. It's a terrible shame that he plays in this era with the weight of suspicion hanging over everyone who takes the field, but it is not his fault that others have tainted the reputation of America's past time, and it should not be his cross to bear.

4. You are free to disagree with me, and I'm sure there are those who will. I just hope there are no hard feelings.

Now, back to baseball. The Cardinals just finished taking care of the BoSox down in Jupiter (thank you, KTRS 550), courtesy of a Joe Mather 2-run (walk-off) home run. Picture me smiling.

various and sundry items

2009-03-11T09:33:00.012-05:00

A commenter (who shall remain anonymous) pointed out that I may have been unfairly uncomplimentary of Cardinals minor leaguer Adam Ottavino after his 3-inning start against Venezuela yesterday in the WBC.

To begin with, after all the stupid and/or ridiculous things I write on a pretty regular basis, I'm impressed that anyone was able to pluck out that one gem.

Second, maybe I did understate his performance. I won't say I was blown away, but I'm willing to concede that he did as well as you could ask any pitcher to do in that position. And considering his age and experience level, I guess maybe I should have been more generous with my praise.

Anyway, thanks to "anonymous" for reading and commenting. It's always nice to hear from other baseball fans.

I hope you're keeping up with the UCB Roundtable. The latest discussion is up over at Cardinals Diaspora, and if you need to catch up, C70 at the bat has the complete listing. Also make sure you listen tonight as the UCB do their weekly radio show to discuss all things Cardinals. I'm still working on my speaker situation (and if you couldn't tell, I'm resisting having to buy new speakers), but I'll be there in spirit.

Just to keep things interesting, and because I care, I thought I'd let you know that St. Louis has been named the 6th manliest city in the U.S. (based on very real and scientific-like data collected by people working for a snack food company).

If you're in the Midwest and looking to enjoy a game with a cold beverage, look no farther than St. Louis, which has the highest concentration of sports bars in the country.

Yeah! How's that for civic pride? As a matter of fact, Missouri has two of the top 10 manliest cities in the nation.

1. Nashville, Tenn.
2. Charlotte, N.C.
3. Oklahoma City, Okla.
4. Cincinnati, Ohio
5. Denver, Colo.
6. St. Louis, Mo.
7. Columbus, Ohio
8. Kansas City, Mo.
9. Indianapolis, Ind.
10. Toledo, Ohio

Check out the entire 50-city list to see if your city was included (and find out the standards by which cities were judged).

Chris Duncan earned himself 5 ST points* yesterday with his second home run. I can't wait for his turn in C70's Cardinals approval ratings. Yes, I know it will probably be ugly, but maybe my vote will help to balance it just a little.

*In case you were worried about how few points I've been handing out, let me ease your mind. This is just Spring Training, and much like camp for players, I'm using this time to warm up and get a little practice in before the real season starts. Once they're playing games that count, the points will be awarded on a game-ly basis (and much more fairly, I assure you).

venting my frustrations

2009-03-10T18:09:00.000-05:00

The WBC. MLB wants viewers (I assume), but apparently it's more important to them to push their network than provide coverage that's reasonably available to fans. No, I can't get MLBN. (And yes, I realize there are venues through which I could watch the games that I'm missing, but that's not the point. If you want me to watch baseball, shouldn't I just be able to turn it on? I have cable and everything.) But I'm not bitter.

All right, just ignore me. I'm going to try and refocus on the Cardinals.

I don't have any comment on the AP SI cover except that it's not a super flattering picture (really) and yes, I believe in Albert. Everyone's entitled to his own opinion, and mine is that Albert is above reproach. Obviously I don't know him personally, and maybe if I were a fan of another team instead of the Cardinals I would feel differently about it. The fact is, though, that I don't doubt him for a second. Maybe people are concerned that if they support him they'll regret it later and don't want to look stupid, but I have no fear. No way does anyone ever convince me that Albert has ever done anything even remotely unfair. I'd still love him if he had, but he hasn't. That is my unwavering stance on the issue. (Okay, maybe I did have an opinion.)

The latest Roundtable round is up over at The Cardinal Virtue. Check it out.

Adam Ottavino pitched a few innings for Italia this afternoon and did a remarkably adequate job. He held los venezolanos to 1 hit and no runs, and did have some trouble finding the strike zone early on, but overall was fairly impressive. Unfortunately for Italy, they decided to take him out of the game, and things went downhill fast. As I type, the Venezuelan team is up 10-1 in their half of the 8th and the announcers have already eliminated Italy from the Classic. Oh well. It is Italy, after all.

loyalties

2009-03-09T23:53:00.009-05:00

At some point, anyone reading this blog might start to question my loyalties. "Are you a Cardinals fan or a Yadier Molina fan?" they might ask. Ha ha! Good question!

Okay, I'm just kidding. I'm both, obviously. But I'm not a Yadi fan just because he plays for the Cards, and conversely, I'm not a Cards fan just because Yadi plays for them.

"So if Yadi's PR team was playing (televised) at the same time the Cardinals were playing (televised)--and in this metaphorical universe it wasn't a Spring Training game because strange things like that are possible--which game would you watch?"

Well that's just silly.

"So?"

(clears throat) Um...

"No tivo."

(laughs nervously)

Anyway, I just wanted to reassure you of my allegiances before I told you this:

YADI DROVE IN THE GAME-WINNING RBIs IN THE EIGHTH ON A BASES-LOADED DOUBLE INTO LEFT!!!!

Ol' Ned's pitchers had done a pretty decent job of keeping the boricua hitters in check (and were ahead 1-0) until the 7th when PR had the bags full. Unfortunately, they left them that way. But in the 8th, Yadi came through, driving in two before getting called out in a play at the plate when he tried to add on another run after Feliciano singled and drove in Avilés.

Puerto Rico won 3-1.

ESPN's recap included video of Yadi pointing to the sky and obviously sharing the moment with his father who passed late last year. It's those moments, isn't it?

So I hope you can understand my predicament. I just can't choose between them. Lucky for me, it's never come down to one or the other. Let's hope it never does.

Oh, and be sure to check out the latest round of the UCB Roundtable over at Whiteyball.

priorities

2009-03-09T08:55:00.006-05:00

I was kind of in and out of my brain this weekend, but hopefully everything's back in working order this morning.

Last night, my daughter (who will be 4 next month) asked me (without any prodding or provocation at all), "do you miss 'Addy'?" And no, she didn't mean Daddy, she meant Yadi. We were watching the USA-Venezuela game, and she very astutely recognized that (1) it was baseball (okay, maybe that's not so miraculous), and (2) Yadi wasn't playing. Maybe that was because she knows what color uniform Yadi wears, or maybe it was because she inherited my ability to sense Yadi's presence without any corporeal clues.

"Yes, I do miss Yadi," I answered.

"When will he be back?"

"Soon!" I told her. "The Cardinals start playing in about a month, and in fact, he'll be playing for Puerto Rico tomorrow."

Then she said, "I miss him, too."

I'm going to go ahead and give Yadi 25 points for that.

Things in the WBC are going as well as we could hope for. The US team beat Canada and Venezuela, and PR won against Panama. RD is 1-1 (but since Albert isn't playing, I don't really care so much about that). As fate would have it, I won't get to see the PR game tonight because I don't get ESPN deportes or the MLB Network. (Thhhhbbbbppppt.)

That's okay though, because Cardinals television coverage of ST will begin this weekend on a channel I do get. KSDK (channel 5) will have the Saturday game against the Braves. (Yay!)

In case I haven't mentioned it, Erik (of Future Redbirds fame) announced that he's retiring from the blogging game (although he'll still be contributing ocassionally over at BtB). Chances are, if you follow the Cardinals, you're familiar with his site, and if you follow Cardinals blogs, you read it like a bible. He kept everyone (even those of us not so farm-conscious) well informed. He'll be missed.

Good-bye Tyler Hansbrough. (It's harder than you'd think to be a Duke fan and a UNC fan at the same time.)

Rest in peace Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper, and William Bleakley.

with a name like Reyes . . .

2009-03-05T16:05:00.005-06:00

First of all, every time I see this guy's name, I think of Grand Slam breakfasts and open-all-night diners where drunk people go for coffee when all the bars have closed but nobody wants to go home.

It's probably pronounced like "Dennis", but maybe not.

According to B-R, he pitched 46 1/3 innings in 75 appearances last year for the Mellizos, ending up with a 2.33 ERA (yes, I still like ERA) and a 1.187 WHIP. Not too shabby. More stat-savvy bloggers will probably counter with some outrageous FWAP or TWIRP or SMUT that I've never heard of (and no knock on them, they're much smarter than me), but until I hear differently, I'm a little bit psyched about this. Knowing the front office, he's not making much money, and if we can get a few good LOOGY innings out of him to complement Miller, well then, super.

Update: USA Today has some figures. 2 years/$3 million and some incentives.

aclarando las cosas

2009-03-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

Thanks to ML for today's lineup against la República Dominicana:: 1. Schumaker 2B
2. Mather 3B
3. Ankiel DH
4. Ludwick RF
5. Duncan 1B
6. K.Greene SS
7. Jay LF
8. LaRue C
9. Rasmus CF

Pujols doesn't want to play against su patria, maybe out of respect, maybe not. At any rate, it means some 1B love for the Dunc-inator, and truth be told, if it's not Albert standing on the bag, I want it to be Chris.

Now on to more important matters, namely, determination of novios and novios del día. Sorry to keep you waiting. (You were waiting, right?)

What is a novio? As is the tradition, a novio is the player for whom you stand and clap when he steps up to bat (even when you're in your own living room). He's the player whose jersey you wear faithfully and whose autograph you covet. He's the player for whom you argue when the umpires are being stupid, and who can do no wrong. Maybe you highlight his name on the scorecard. Maybe you whisper a little prayer when he's on deck. Maybe you know his stats by heart (going back to his high school ball days). Maybe you celebrate his birthday or the anniversary of his first big league home run. You cry when he gets hurt. You cheer when he gets a hit. You know in your heart of hearts that if he were to get traded or somehow end up on another team, you might just have to become a fan of that team. When he's struggling, you defend him. When he's hot, you beam with pride. In some ways, on some level, he is the team in your eyes.

Who can have a novio? Anyone can have a novio, and most of you probably do if you think real hard. Women, men, and everyone in-between can have a Cardinals novio. Whether you prefer to call him that, well, that's another story.

What must a novio be? A player on the current Cardinals roster. You might love Keith Hernandez above all others and snuggle with your Keith Hernandez-shaped body pillow (appropriately dressed in a Keith Hernandez jersey) while you watch highlights of old games in which Keith Hernandez played, but for the purposes of this experiment, Keith Hernandez cannot be your novio. Maybe you and "Keith" can root for Khalil Greene together.

As should surprise no one, Yadier Molina is mi novio cardenalero--my Cardinals novio. (My Cardinal novio? Well, whatever.) He is my favorite player, partly because of his incredible defense, partly because of his skill guiding the pitching staff, partly because of his remarkable (and ever-improving) offense, and partly because he is just so darn adorable I could eat him up. Truth be told, one of those factors is way more important than the others, and I'll let you use your imagination to figure out which one.

Now to the daily competition...

Who can be a novio del día (N.D.D.)? Any Cardinals player can be novio del día. For each game, the player who contributed the most--offensively or defensively--will be named novio del día and get N.D.D. points. The team does not have to win the game for a novio del día to be named, but it helps. However, it's understandable that sometimes a player may perform at the N.D.D. level, but can't quite carry the whole game by himself. Under those circumstances, he would still receive the N.D.D. honors, but probably fewer (if any) points.

Points? Points will be awarded to the N.D.D. based on
[1] the importance of the game (ie, is it ST? division rival? post-season?),
[2] the value of the contribution (ie, a game-winning run? a game-saving play? just dumb luck?),
and [3] my current mood.

Basically, it's all arbitrary.

I'll keep track of points over the course of the season, and will award special "prizes" to the winner.

What if none of the players distinguishes himself in such a fashion on a particular day? If no other obvious choice is apparent, the points go to Yadi. Obviously, Yadi can be the N.D.D. just like anyone else (and if he's playing, he's got a pretty good shot), but if for whatever reason no one, including him, is the stand-out novio del día, he gets the points by default. It is my game, after all.

Got it?

And now some random things...

7. Baseball makes sense. It is logical and reasonable and understandable. Life should be more like baseball.

8. I used to insist on sitting in the left field bleachers when we would go to games because I had a crush on Ray Lankford. I've never told anyone that before.

9. The only time I ever watched American Idol was the season Nikko Smith was a contestant. No, I don't suppose that one is really about baseball, but it's related. (Ha! Get it? Related? *wink*) He was the only reason I watched and I quit after he got the boot.

More later.

all is right with the world

2009-03-04T15:03:00.002-06:00

Well, you can go back to your lives, folks. Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers are together again. I know I'll sleep better tonight.

Lots of money? Check.
An opt-out clause that allows the bedreaded one to pursue greener grass next year? Check.
An ordeal that ultimately cost the entire baseball-watching universe just a tiny piece of its soul? Oh, check.

In UCB news, Andrea led the latest turn of the Roundtable at Bugs and Cranks, and Josh has his round up over at Redbirds Row. Be sure to check out both.

Speaking of Duncan... Ahh, the outfield. Nothing like a little competition to bring out the best (?) in people. The problem is, the results that we're seeing so far are not the ones that the majority of Cardinal Nation was hoping for. No one has jumped out as a clear no-doubter, and (even though I keep preaching the "it's early, don't get excited" line), the one player really struggling is the one that everyone wanted to see make the big club.

Oh, right... it's still early, isn't it? Don't want to get ahead of myself.

The projected opening day lineup features Schumaker at 2B, Mather at 3B, and the usual suspects at 1B, short, and behind the plate. The starting rotation is predictable and yet keeps all our hopes balanced precariously on the ledge as we wait for something really bad to happen (because that's in the back of all our minds, isn't it?) and put a dent in the table for all the knocking on wood we do.

But the outfield is a book yet to be written.

Chris Duncan had a big day with his bat yesterday and may very well be the favorite to start in left. Some people feel it would make sense to platoon him with Barton, and I think I'd have to agree. Neither is a defensive juggernaut, and between them they can hit from both sides.

Rick Ankiel is a bit of a gamble. When he's healthy he's invaluable, but can he stay that way?

Ryan Ludwick, the focus of the latest roundtable discussion, will probably have to lose the job in right. After the numbers he put up last year, I don't think Tony will hesitate to start him everyday, and I truly believe that he can repeat his success if he can stay in the lineup.

Colby Rasmus is the wild card right now. He played a brilliant Spring last year but was crowded out of the competition by the same abundance of outfielders we're experiencing this Spring. And now that he's got a solid chance at making the big club (with his big boy jersey number and everything), he's playing like a nervous prospect who's never been to camp before.

Jon Jay is hot and cold, but would need to set Jupiter on fire consistently to even get a shot.

Nick Stavinoha figures in there somewhere, as well, but like Jay, would really need to tear it up in order to earn a spot on the 25-man roster.

On a final non-Cardinals note, thoughts and prayers for the family of John Odom. Death need not be explained, only mourned.

a pitching tuesday quickie

2009-03-03T14:26:00.013-06:00

First things first, I want to remind everyone to check out the latest round of UCB discussion over at Stan Musial's Stance.

I don't have much to say about the hurlers on this beautiful Pitching Tuesday (partly because I covered it yesterday), except that I'm still not getting worked up over the results because it's still early. Got it? So, yes, you may have pitched brilliantly today, Kyle Lohse, but until you do it in a game that counts against a team that isn't 96% rookies, I'm not going to care.

That being said, it's still nice to see that 15-4 on the scoreboard.

Oh, and Chris Duncan is a stud. He gets 10 Spring Training points* for his 475' bomb (and for going 4/4 with 5RBI) today.

*I'll explain later.

more randomness

2009-03-02T14:34:00.006-06:00

I hate to be a fun-spoiler, but I refuse to get on-board the "Carpenter pitched two good innings and now all that remains is figuring out which band will play for the World Series celebration" just yet. After all, Lohse did not pitch well, Wellemeyer did not pitch well, and now I'm hearing that Wainwright did not pitch well. This is Spring Training after all. Early Spring Training at that. I won't condemn the team based on a few bad starts, and I won't endorse them based on two good innings. Now, that's not to say I'm not excited to hear he's progressing, or that I don't think we'll be in contention this year. I just won't get any bit hot or bothered without a little more to go on. If he'd gone out there and pitched like some Joe Schmo throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the season by planting one in the dirt 10 feet in front of the catcher, I'd be writing the exact same thing here: Two Spring Training innings do not a definitive diagnosis make.

Adding to my "25 random things" list...

Random things about me r/t baseball

4. My foray into blogging began with Microsoft Word and a very colorful chart in which I recorded game scores, wrote important notes, and tabulated averages, saves, and various other stats. After the disappointment that was the 2004 post-season, I decided that the next time the Cardinals played in October, I wanted my own personal record of the season, and the idea for the chart was born. After the 2007 season, I decided to take it up a notch and keep track of things more emotional in nature, and since I'd recently joined facebook, I integrated the two and started writing "notes" about the games. Eventually this lead to an ongoing s*** list in which I kept track of the players who were really aggravating me (and whether they ever redeemed themselves). From there it was a short jump into the world of true blogging, and I've never looked back. (The list didn't last very long because it turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, but you can see the part I archived here, if you want. The rest is lost in inter-space somewhere.)

5. I don't just talk to the television when the game's on, I carry on entire, very involved conversations with Dan and Al. Sometimes these conversations get a little heated, but we always make good by the next first pitch. I often wonder how their wives put up with them.

6. I think there's always something new to learn about the game, and I love learning. For example, I used to graciously accept the various announcers' explanations of what makes a balk a balk whenever the subject would come up, but last year I decided I wanted to know the facts. Now that I have a better idea of what to look for, I have one more thing to yell at the tv about.

Just getting warmed up now...

25 random things

2009-02-28T11:01:00.003-06:00

I participated in the "25 Things About Me" experiment on facebook and quickly discovered that there are not 25 actually interesting things about me. Chances are, it's even less likely that there are 25 actually interesting things about me related to baseball. But following the lead of some other bloggers (and in the spirit of fun projects to keep me entertained and out of trouble), I've decided to make a list for my bog. I'm going to change it up a little, though. This will be an all-encompassing list, containing some of the things I most like about baseball, some of the things I most like about the Cardinals, what I'm most looking forward to this year, maybe a few nuggets about me, and of course, my favorite players and personnel.

After much consideration (and a lot of procrastination), I've decided to draw this out a little. I'm not going to give you all 25 items at once, but rather, one or two (or three) at a time. This accomplishes two goals: (1) it keeps all you readers intrigued and coming back for more, and (2) it means I can be lazy and write as little as possible. It's a win-win.

Ready? I'll start things off with...

Things I most like about baseball (did I mention these are in no particular order?): 1. The rule of THREEs. I find it absolutely fascinating how baseball's rules and measurements are mostly all divisible by 3.
3 bases, 9 players, 9 innings, 3 outs per inning, 3 strikes is an out, 90 feet to first base, 60 feet 6 inches between the mound and home plate, et cetera,

which leads me to...

Things that most bother me about baseball: 2. The fact that a base on balls requires FOUR pitches.

3. The recent decision to allow umpires to review home run rulings with instant replay.

More later.

getting ready for the season

2009-02-27T10:44:00.009-06:00

Spring sure feels good. It would feel a lot better if I could see the games, but barring my winning the lottery in the next few days (which is unlikely seeing as I don't buy tickets or ever win anything), I guess I'll just have to settle for some radio coverage from the big 550. I don't love 550, but they'll do. They're actually covering quite a few games this spring, so I guess I can give them that.

I briefly considered subscribing to MLB.tv (and am in fact still weakly considering it). I heard from several sources that it's better than it was last year (not that that means anything to me), and they've got Wellemeyer's start today against the Mets (which I would love to see), but $14.95 a month? For exhibition games? Being there in person would be one thing (and probably worth the cost), but watching on my crappy computer with no sound (because no, I still have not figured out what I did to my speakers or how to get the sound back, thank you) is not worth much to me. (Actually, I think I somehow uninstalled the sound device driver--don't think for a minute that I know what that means--and do not appear to have any CD in my current possession that contains the re-installation stuff I need.)

Someday I will get to Jupiter for some live ST action, but not this year. (Someday I will buy a computer that doesn't need its sleep and then sound like it's revving up every time I turn it on.)

Sounds like I'm going to have to start on my next lost cause project. Say what you want about Izzy (on second thought, strike that), he will forever remain one of my favorite Cardinals. He was easy to love for a while, but when things went south, people turned on him. (That whole issue is still pretty sore for me, but I admit I can understand the sentiment on an intellectual level. On an emotional level, it's a different story.)

At any rate, Izzy's gone now (sniff), and as luck would have it, there's someone else on my list of favorite Cardinals who is taking a lot of criticism. Not to give anything away, but he's the subject of the latest round in the UCB Roundtable, and based on the responses I've read so far, whatever small amount of compassion there was for him is fading fast. So, in the spirit of rooting for the underdog (and maybe just a little leftover oppositional defiant disorder from my childhood), I'm lending my full support to... well, you'll just have to wait and read the transcript of the discussion over at Redbirds Row.

Along those same lines, I've been thinking about the 2009 blogging season. I was trying to come up with a merit and/or demerit system for the players this year (kind of like C70's goats and heroes), but after dismissing several less-than-spectacular original ideas (not the minority of which involved pie), I decided to just steal an idea. (And you thought I had principles!) There's a defunct (or maybe retired is a better term) blog (BatGirl--a Twins blog) whose author awarded the titles of "boyfriend" and "boyfriend of the day" to players she felt were worthy. (There are probably other female bloggers out there using variations of the system as well.)

From the B.O.D. and Boyfriends FAQ:

What is a boyfriend? A "boyfriend" is that special Twins player that makes your heart go pitter pat. It has nothing to do with physical attraction; straight men can have Twins boyfriends as can gay women as can neutered Batkitties! Everyone can have a Twins boyfriend!

What is the Boyfriend of the Day, or B.O.D? With every Twins victory the B.O.D. Supreme High Commandress will select that... boyfriend who has most contributed to said victory.

Just replace "Twins" with "Cardinals", and it's almost like I came up with this all by myself! (In all seriousness, she was an amazing blogger and I miss her terribly. However, that will not stop me from hijacking her idea.)

I will, of course, make some minor adjustments. The first one will be to change several words into Spanish. Boyfriend will henceforth be Novio, and B.O.D. will be known as N.D.D. (novio del día). Presto! A semi-original-ish idea!

Also, for logistical reasons, the N.D.D. will not be chosen merely from the list of current novios (or singular novio), but rather from a pre-determined list of players. More details will be available later.

I will undertake the duties of the B.O.D. Supreme High Commandress, but I will not be assuming the title. You can continue to think of me as la beisbolista or Sarah-bug. Additionally, since I do not have a "team" as it were, all final decisions will be mine. If anyone is actually reading this (and not too embarrassed to contribute), I'll gladly accept suggestions in the comments section of any post.

The complete list of rules and regulations will be published shortly (before the beginning of the regular season, at least), so keep on the lookout as I know you're anxious to see how this turns out.

¡Saludos!

and they're off

2009-02-26T09:40:00.001-06:00

Baseball is officially underway, sports fans! (cheers and applause) The first ST game ended in a tie (5-5) with the Marlins yesterday, and the boys make the trip to Fort Lauderdale today to see the Orioles. I'd give anything to be down there. Palm trees and warm breezes. I guess I'll have to settle for my imagination to take me to the ballpark.

Blake Hawksworth did well, as I understand, and so did Royce Ring. The young guys who came in from the 'pen left a little to be desired, but there weren't any serious plans to bring them to the show anyway. No big deal.

The part that did bother me a little was the stranded runners. It was a huge issue last year, and doesn't seem like it's been resolved yet. I know, I know, it's early. I'll save my rile for April when it still isn't resolved. The funny thing about LOB is that it can feel very frustrating at the time, but if you strand 14 runners, that means you had 14 runners. Somehow or other, you got 14 guys on base to be stranded, and if that's not a silver lining, I don't know what is. Too optimistic?

This week has been a little stressful for me (and not because of baseball), but the clouds have lifted (just in time for some actual clouds to move in) and I'm ready to re-focus on baseball.

I haven't listened to the UCB broadcast from last night yet, but I plan to do so just as soon as I figure out what I did to my speakers and how to fix it....

I could swear there was somthing else I was going to mention, but it's gone now.

¡Saludos!

crabs

2009-02-23T10:11:00.009-06:00

I wasn't planning on posting today (because I have a lot of studying to do), but when this popped up, I reconsidered.

Todd Wellemeyer insisted he isn’t sure what he did to annoy a crab off the Jupiter coast yesterday. But when that little bugger was done with him, the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher had been snipped between his ring and pinky finger on his pitching hand and was bleeding a good bit, he said.

Wellemeyer, meanwhile, is plotting revenge.

He said he might grab a pair of scissors, head back to the beach and clip the crab where the crab snipped him.

Oh, no, I don't have anything to say. (I've never trusted crabs.)

Carry on.

can you feel it?

2009-02-21T15:34:00.008-06:00

I admit I may have reached a little too far into the jar of depression over Izzy, but it was what I was feeling and I've found that it's better to acknowledge your emotions and work through them rather than try to ignore them or cover them up. At any rate, it doesn't really matter how I feel or what I want, because St Louis was not Izzy's home any longer. In reality, it was probably best for everyone involved that he did move on to another team. I hope he can get his stuff back together and earn a spot in the Rays' bullpen, and I wish him all the luck in the world. (I can say that without prejudice because we don't see Tampa at all during the regular season. No qualifiers necessary. Besides which, even if he were pitching at Busch for the road team, I'd set aside my Cardinals loyalties long enough to see him sit down three straight, just because I think there are some "fans" out there who need to see what he can do. Obviously I'd still want the Cards to win, just not on Izzy's back. Wow, that sounded a lot more vindictive than I'd planned. Oh well.) I hope I didn't offend anyone with my ranting. :)

Now on to other things.

Every time I start to write something about Carp, I get this ominous feeling, like I'm pushing the limits or tempting fate, and I certainly don't want to do that. But the news coming out of camp about his progress is just so ridiculously encouraging (I mean, seriously, "tickled pink"? Who knew Dave even had that in his vocabulary?) that it seems equally wrong to neglect the subject entirely.

I really do feel good about this season. Maybe it's the "kool-aid" as everyone says, or maybe it's the sunny, happy pictures full of batting practice and infield drills and players working on writing their upper-case alphabet with baseballs. Or maybe it's the months of baseball-less-ness that has eaten away at the important parts of my brain.

Have you ever played that game where you stand in a doorway, arms out (as far as they'll go) and push out and up on the door frame for about 30 seconds (as hard as you can without actually doing structural damage)? Then you walk away and relax your arms and they just kind of float toward the ceiling? You should try it.

That's what it feels like (after months of no baseball) when we finally get baseball back. It's like floating. I can't wait.