hehehe

The whole world is upside-down but MLB has it right

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Mr. Manfred said in a statement. “Fair access to voting continues to have our unwavering support.”

The Dave Duncan Effect(iveness)

It's old (not as old as me, indeed), but you should still take a look at this article on SB Nation. 

Love for Daddy Dunc.

boo-YAH

The Cardinals and Yadier Molina have agreed to terms on a one-year contract to keep him in Cardinal Red through next season.

The face of the franchise.

The Arm.

The Captain.

The glue that holds this whole crazy thing together.

Going on 18 seasons and still a force to be reckoned with. Yadi has grown up so much since starting with the big club in 2004. He has worked/played with some of the biggest names in baseball. He trained under one of the best catchers in the world. Our pitchers and coaches regularly exalt his name and praise his contributions. 

There's not much to say that hasn't already been said. 

I'll just leave you with this...

Molina’s Legendary Career Began With 2004 World Series Altercation

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Major League Baseball learned of Yadier Molina’s greatness during the first postseason start of his career, in the 2004 World Series versus the Boston Red Sox.

The St. Louis Cardinals were down three games to none, and catcher Mike Matheny was benched for Game 4 in St. Louis. A rookie, Molina had played in only 51 games that season.

But early in Game 4, he came to Matheny for advice, after he noticed Boston slugger Manny Ramirez relaying signs to David Ortiz at the plate about which pitch was coming.

“I said, ‘When he comes up, make sure he knows that you’re on to it,’” Matheny said according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I didn’t know that he was going to take his mask off and get in (Ramirez’s) face. I was sitting over there saying, ‘That’s probably not what I would have done … but that will work.”

Molina met Ramirez at home plate in the top of the fourth, and had no problem standing up to that season’s American League home-run champ.

Boston manager Terry Francona came out to squash the chances of the altercation becoming physical, and talked about the incident in his memoir “Francona: The Red Sox Years.”

When Francona heard what Molina was accusing Ramirez of, he turned toward plate umpire Chuck Meriweather: “Chuck, Manny doesn’t even know our signs.”

Francona then asked Ramirez, “You don’t know our signs, do you, Manny?”

Ramirez replied, “No.”

That’s just a hilarious “Manny-being-Manny” side note to the main story, that Molina demanded respect from his first moments in the big leagues. Ramirez had more home runs, than Yadi had hits in the 2004 season. And remember, this was before the steroid rumors surrounded Ramirez’s career.

Molina was 21-years-old, but wouldn’t let Ramirez, 32, break one of baseball’s unwritten rules.

Molina’s dedication to protecting his sport will certainly be remembered after his Hall-of-Fame career comes to a close.

Don't worry, it's all an illusion

I hope no one was too worried. 

Wow, has it really been that long?

Anyway, all is well. Things have changed quite a bit since I've been gone, though. Both in my life and in the baseball world.

Ups and downs doesn't quite accurately describe the intense losses and breath-taking highs that have defined the Cardinals these last 10 years.

We won in 2011. And what a win.

 

 

David Freese, everybody.

Oh, and I may or may not have sent Nelson Cruz a fruit basket after Game Six. 

Albert moved on. 

 

Greener pastures or whatever. I was angry. Hurt. Confused. Inconsolable. Then I got over it.

Chris Duncan passed on. 

 

He's playing left field in Heaven, I have no doubt. And if he isn't, then I don't want to go.

Tony spent a day in jail for "driving while entitled."

 

Maybe that wasn't the exact charge, but close enough. 

Anthony Reyes became an LA County fire fighter. 

And proved once and for all that he is the hero I always knew him to be.

Jason Isringhausen was inducted into the Cardinals HOF and the Missouri Sports HOF. 

*swoon*

 

The team barely looks the same and yet it's still the Cardinals we know and love. Life is funny. And sad. And millions of other adjectives depending on a million things. 

I only wish I could have some of those moments back. 

p.s.  I know there are maaaaany more significant things that have happened, these are just the ones that popped into my head first. 

Ontological pursuits

Oh, my.

How I want to write about baseball.

I know what you're thinking. "You have a blog," you're thinking. "So, write."

If only it were that easy.

See, until I know whether Albert is going to sign, I don't know if I can write.

Yeah, it's kind of a big deal. Albert may not be my personal favorite, but he is TBPIB, and the face of our franchise.

"We'll never find another Albert."

How true.

If the unthinkable were to happen (heaven forbid), life would go on, but would it be worth living?

a brief break from nothing

Well, the winter meetings are over. Pitchers and catchers report in approximately two months. Opening Day is still 15 weeks away (not that I'm counting). There's really no reason for me to pick back up with the blogging at this point, but still, here I sit, thinking, typing, and longing for baseball.

A few interesting things have happened thus far in the off-season. It certainly hasn't been uneventful.

I heard about the Lance Berkman deal while I had the stomach flu. I still haven't determined if there is any correlation.

Aside from a handful of imaginative nicknames and a vicious knowledge of NL Central opponents, I'm finding it hard to pin down exactly what this guy (don't get me wrong, I like him) brings to the team that's worth $8 million. I'm sure it will become apparent once the season begins, right?

My dad broke the news to me about Brendan Ryan.

"They traded Booger to Seattle," he said.

"Ryan?" I asked. "Who'd we get? Ichiro?"

Brendan Ryan has always been one of my favorite players. Yes, his offense was abysmal last year (and I do mean that), but he's just so much fun to watch. He is a ray of sunshine. A breath of fresh air. The court jester for a profession that generally takes itself far too seriously.

I'll miss him. I hope you will, too.

"The Cardinals traded for Ryan Theriot," my dad chuckled. He had also been the one to clue me in on this, shall we say, less-than-savory acquisition. 

 "Ugh," I replied. Nothing more needed to be said.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything personal against "the Riot" (unless you count the fact that his face makes me want to vomit). Nor was I ever Hawksworth's biggest fan (although I like his name). I just can't stand the thought of any long-time Cubs joining the Cards. It feels, well... wrong.

Additionally, we were able to retain Jake Westbrook, which is definitely a plus. Gerald Laird joins the team and will most likely see a lot of action warming up pitchers between innings. On reviewing the official roster, I was overwhelmed by the number of names I don't recognize, a fact which leads me to believe I need to spend a little more time paying attention to what's going on.

baseball is back

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

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 García, 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 López 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.

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

FDCX

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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

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

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?

it's spriiiii-iiiing

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.

non sequitur

Two (completely unrelated) things from MLB Trade Rumors (not that I believe everything I read there)...

First:

Brady Gardiner of Sirius XM Radio tweets that Ryan Franklin's agent said that in 2007, his client turned down a more lucrative offer from Toronto to sign with the Cardinals in order to play for Dave Duncan.  Franklin signed a one-year, $1MM deal with St. Louis in January of '07.

This makes me kind of proud. I mean, those of us in Cardinal Nation know what an asset Papa Duncan is, but it's always heartwarming to hear that it's not just us (or that it's not just in our minds).

Bring on the Rich Hill project.

And second:

Last we heard, St. Louis has $6MM-$7MM to spend, and they've got question marks in the infield that make Lopez a logical fit.

I'm not saying anything; just saying.

Okay, I don't really know how valuable Lo-deck would be at third base, and since that's the biggest "question mark" I can think of, maybe it's not as ideal a fit as one might presume. On the other hand, versatility is as important as anything (quite possibly the most important thing) if you want to make TLR's lineup (with any regularity), and F-Lo is about as versatile as they come. Personally, I think he would be a perfect fit. But nobody ever asks me.

planet Schumaker

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?

be the light

So the players are showing up in Jupiter, ready to begin workouts and practices. The sun shines down on them as they run around in shorts and shirt-sleeves, gulping water out of plastic bottles. Sunglasses and baseball caps protect their eyes from the glare. Laughter and friendly shouts across the field announce each new arrival. They toss balls back and forth. They take light-hearted swings. They race to the clubhouse. They play, like the boys of summer they are, and prepare for the real "work" to begin.

Thinking about sunshine and batting practice and warm air makes me, well, really really depressed.

See, here in the Midwest, snow is piled up on every surface. Winter wind keeps us holed up in our houses, and our only respite is the brief glimpses of Spring Training we get by reading the reports out of camp. We shovel off the sidewalk and the driveway, and (unless we're lucky enough to have a garage) dig our cars out from under a snow bank. We trudge off to work. We shiver and pull our hoods down closer to our faces. We stare out the window at the blanket of white covering everything in sight, and we daydream about the return of green grass. We think about baseball and wrap our hands around hot mugs of coffee. We reminisce about summer nights at the ballpark and hot dogs and cold beer and fireworks and Fredbird. 

They say you need some darkness in order to really appreciate the light, and maybe we wouldn't appreciate baseball as much without the winter break. Then again, I'm willing to find out. How about you? 

it's a barbie world

With the loss of Johnny Damon, the Yankees organization will fail.

Much like Sampson had his hair, the Yanks have had Damon. There, quietly, steadfastly, classing up the organization, keeping the barbie dolls like A-Rod from bringing the club to its knees. Balancing the immaturity and selfishness that certain players were so well known for, and keeping a calm hand while others were throwing hissy fits like little baby girls.

irl

I don't have much use for twitter, ie, I don't feel that I add anything useful and I have yet to take anything useful away. However, I won't delete myself completely for fear that as soon as I do, its true purpose will become evident, and then I'll just have to go back and re-lete myself. Anyone else have the same problem? No? Oh well.

I (kind of) do like facebook. Not as a daily, constant thing, but rather as a once-in-a-while, when-I'm-bored-and-can't-write-a-post kind of way. It's fun catching up with people I haven't seen in years and connecting with new friends, but it also has its limits. Want to stalk someone? Facebook can help you out. Want to show others how cool you are? Facebook can help you with that, too. Interested in having a real life? You might want to re-think your options.

The concept behind LinkdIn evades me still.

randomness revisited

Waaaaaay back last year, after inspiration from some fellow bloggers, I decided to compose my list of 25 random things: the baseball version. If you follow the blog, you already know that this list stopped at 9 and never picked back up. Granted, this isn't entirely the list's fault. I take some of the blame for not encouraging it like I should have.

At any rate, given the slowness of the off-season and my boredom from having two extra days off work this weekend (and no trip to take, thank you very much, Slayer), I figured I might just take a shot at finishing the list.

Let me just refresh your memory first. Here's how it starts...

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, 3 games per series (mostly), 9 innings, 3 outs per inning, 3 strikes per 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.

And now some...

Random things about me related to 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.

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.

And then there are these...

Generally 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.

United Cardinal Bloggers to interview Kyle McClellan

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.]