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.

the return of pitching tuesday

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?

back to your regularly scheduled programming

Sorry about the earlier craziness. My PTBD (Post-Traumatic Bullpen Disorder) 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. Scheduled 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!

dealing

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!

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

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.

welcome back, cutter

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 for 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.

[expletive]

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.

a few bits

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.

more randomness

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...

can you feel it?

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.

jovian notes

First, I'm such a girl. I shouldn't tell you this, but when I was reading the latest entry over at Cardinal Beat and got to the end where I found this

Of how he will be greeted in St. Louis, Miles looked in the direction of a new Cubs teammate in the clubhouse here and said, “I hope it’s somewhat close to the way So (Taguchi) was treated. Nothing but applause.”

I started getting a little misty-eyed. Well, whether I'm at the park or on my couch for that first game, I'll be applauding. (sniff)

Sorry.


Spring Training updates are coming in pretty regularly thanks to the valiant efforts of our dedicated Cardinals reporters and photographers. If you aren't already paying a daily (if not more frequent) visit to the photo section at STLtoday.com, you're missing out. The sun. The grass. The uniforms. The sombreros.

Real quickly: Sounds like (knock on wood) Carp is coming along beautifully. The Dunc-inator finally earned a decent nickname. (Yes, I consider that decent.) Schu took a line drive ball in the gut. (Is it me, or is that a pretty rare occurence for second basemen, just generally speaking?) And Piñeiro is still the fifth starter (despite his ungracious withdrawal from the PR team).

Speaking of Piñeiro, I can't help but wonder about the t-shirt he was wearing during the press conference yesterday. Really, Joel? I suspect that wouldn't be allowed if it were in English.

Finally, a note about the latest UCB project: the Roundtable. Pitchers Hit Eighth has the first round, and he'll be posting his question and all the bloggers' responses tomorrow on his site. C70 will carry a complete schedule, and I highly recommend that you check it out. It will be a month of non-stop entertainment, to be sure.

snoitciderp

What a fabulous idea! (Are you allowed to use the word fabulous on a baseball blog? Ah well....) John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has written a list of predictions, but it's not exactly what you think. He predicts what the Reds aren't going to do as the off-season progresses. Yes! I thought so too!

So sin más preámbulos, here's what I predict the Cardinals aren't going to do between now and, say, the beginning of Spring Training.

I'll start off with some easy ones.

(1) The Cardinals aren't going to bring Russ Springer back. Maybe this is cheating since they just officially announced it, but after reading his remarks, I think this will turn out to have been a mistake. However, as I may have mentioned before, no one ever asks me.

(2) The Cards won't sign any more middle infielders. Short is set. Second is all but set. The role of the utility man (formerly played by Supermiles) will now be played by someone who's already on the payroll. What with the salaries we have and the surplus of young talent, the only thing yet to be decided is how Tony's going to work 154 different lineups out of what he's got.

(3) The Cards won't bring back Izzy. As much as it saddens me to admit, I don't think Jason has a home in the organization anymore. I won't get up on my soap box right now, though. I'll spare you that.*

*This doesn't mean I'm ready to take his name off the roster, however.

(4) The Cards won't sign any of the big name free agents still on the market. Sheesh. Did I startle you with that one? If so, you haven't been paying attention. (Just to clarify, if the 'Birds do bring in another starter, it'll be someone nearly unheard of.*)

*I'm still hoping for Andy Pettitte, but I'm trying to be realistic here.

Now on to the harder stuff.

(5) The Cards won't sign Ankiel to a long-term contract. Even if he does get a one-year arb deal for more money than he made last year, he is (a) represented by the baby-eater, and (b) far too valuable for the likes of our outfield. Either he'll get traded for some pitching help, or this will be his last season with the club that grew him.

(6) The Cards won't designate a "closer". This will continue to be a sore spot with both management and fans, but lacking a veteran with big league closing experience, Tony will allow the duties to be split between Perez, Motte, and Franklin, much like last year.

(7) The Cards won't trade Schumaker. Ludwick had a spectacular season last year, and Ankiel is our own little living piece of history, but either of them is worth more than Skip overall. Therefore, his head is safe as long as the outfielder market isn't completely dried up.

(8) The Cards won't count out Carpenter until his arm literally falls off on the mound. And can't be sewn back on. Or duct taped. And he can't learn to pitch left-handed. You will never hear Mozeliak (even as prone as he is to choosing the wrong words) say that Carp is done unless he is really, truly, completely done. And by that I mean dead.

It's hard to imagine things going any more slowly, but I also know that there's still plenty of time, and it's not like the Cards haven't done anything. I'm just trying to stay awake.

it's pitching tuesday (sort of)

It's been awfully quiet around Cardinal Nation lately.

I keep trying to remember my weekly focus on pitching, but inevitably forget and let several weeks go by between installments. (I'll bet you didn't even know I had a weekly segment, did you? Ha ha!)

Let's start around the league (since that's where all the interesting news is). Derek Lowe got 4 years/$60 million from the Braves. Thanks to Mets Grrl for providing a link to an article pointing out some of the racially insensitive baggage he'll be checking on his flight to Atlanta. Kenshin Kawakami also signed with ATL. I'm guessing the two won't be having lunch together in the near future.

These two signings may have been an attempt by the Braves' organization to offset (and possibly divert attention away from) the loss of Atlanta pitching icon John Smoltz.

Elsewhere, the Brewers picked up Trevor Hoffman, and the Dodgers signed Guillermo Mota to a one-year blah. The 'Stros re-blah blah-blah Blah. Blah blah, blah blah-blah-blah. Blah.

That's right. Moving on....

In local news, Chris Carpenter recently told reporters that he's begun tossing the ball in preparation for Spring Training and strengthening. He indicated a willingness to do whatever his manager and pitching coach ask of him.

I'll say now what I said then, and that is I'll do anything they ask me to do. When I came back last year I was in the bullpen, so if that's where the team feels they need me, I'll do it. I just want to pitch again.

I suppose that's encouraging, at least. If there's one pitcher out there that I would say could tough it out and come back, it's Carp (and since we're counting on him, I guess that's a good thing). Keeping my fingers crossed, as always.

we're not cheap... ish

Bernie's latest article reminds us that the off-season is far from over, there are still plenty of fish in the sea, and having the worst job in the league is a distinction Jim Haslett should be proud of. Oh, and Tony wants a new closer or he's going to do something really drastic.

So besides the obvious truth-bending and the failure to actually say anything of substance or commit to any figure, DeWitt basically almost kind of halfway promised the fans that he may or may not possibly spend any more money. That's right, promised.

Aside from all that, I'm willing to give DeWitt and Mozeliak the benefit of the doubt regarding payroll and player acquisition (even though I still reserve the right to say 'I told you so' if it turns out that there is some covert, evil plan afoot). After all, other clubs' fans are busily complaining about the same things Cards' fans have been complaining about, and with few exceptions, nobody has made any really big moves. (Unless you count the Cubs shuffling players like a blackjack dealer.) Of course, that doesn't mean our time is infinite. I hope they're ready to back-up their equivocal words with ambiguous (and possibly reduntant) action, 'cause nobody will wait forever.

LaRussa reiterated his reluctance to give the closing job to the rookies, and then threatened to have Carpenter's arms and legs broken use Carp in that capacity if the higher-ups don't bring in a veteran to close games. Seems like we've seen that tactic used by Tony in the past. (Although he isn't exactly known for his use of restraint when it comes to the bullpen. Just the opposite, in fact.) To put it succinctly, I'm not okay with Carp closing, I don't care what the options are.

I'm still upset about losing Miles, but after reading lots of opinions and arguments, I'm willing to concede that at least a small part of my dismay comes from the fact that he didn't just leave the Cardinals, he left the Cardinals for the Cubs. It's bad enough when certain players move on, but to see them take up arms with the enemy is just too much to bear. I think I would have been better able to deal with it had he signed with the Padres or the Mets or even the Reds. (Yes, I said the Mets.)

So where are we this off-season? We re-signed Lohse, picked up Greene and Miller, let go of Springer, Looper, López, and Miles, and.... Well, judging by the numbers alone, I'd say we're in the red. (Or black. I can never remember which is the bad one.) Anyway, we're negative to the tune of a starting pitcher, a closer, and probably one more lefty reliever.

Suggestions: Sign Andy Pettitte to a 2-year/$20 million deal. Sign Ohman to a two-year/$10 million deal. Trade outfielder X (Ankiel, Schumaker, or Ludwick, or any combination of three minor leaguers) for a past-his-prime-but-still-effective-when-he's-healthy right-handed veteran closer... hey wait, don't we have one of those?

checklist

I have every honest intention of running this into the ground. In that you can believe.

The Cardinals have needs, and they have only just begun to address them. By extending Lohse's contract, re-signing LaRue, and picking up Miller and Greene, Moze has renewed my faith. But he's got a lot more work to do. The winter meetings start Monday.

Bullpen
.. Left-handed relievers
..... Charlie Manning
..... Trever Miller
..... __________

One more lefty would do it. I'm thinking Oliver Perez. There's also Fuentes (not likely), Ohman, Beimel, Shouse....

Middle infield
.. Shortstop
..... Khalil Greene

.. Second base
..... __________

Adam Kennedy seems to be the elephant in the room lately. I hope Moze isn't reluctant to sign a second baseman because of the fear of paying Kennedy to sit on the bench for most of '09.

The only problem with re-signing Lopez is that he's not an ideal lead-off man or power bat. And considering the next two items on my checklist....

Power hitter
..... __________

Here's who I don't want: Dunn. Wow, that list was even shorter than I'd thought it would be. (Not that there's any real chance of that happening anyway.) Actually, if it were up to me (which it's not), I probably would put this at the very end of the list--kind of as an "if we've got money left over and just really want to spend it" item--and focus on the real deficiencies rather than the perceived ones.

Lead-off hitter
..... __________

It doesn't sound like anyone projects Greene to take over that spot, so who does that leave? We've got Schumaker....

This spot is generally reserved for a guy who's not so much about the long ball, but more about speed. The guy who can get on base and maybe steal. And since we're known for our unique lineup in which the pitcher hits eighth, we really need two lead-off hitters. Kennedy did not thrive in that role, and Izturis certainly did not impress anyone.

Fifth starter
..... __________

My greatest hopes lay on Carp's ability to return and pitch as brilliantly as we're accustomed (the Cardinals will find out today what the odds are), but reality keeps kicking me in the back of the head and reminding me that it never hurts to have a back-up plan. How about Penny? Penny. Penny. Penny.

I want to live on Carpenter Lane

I wanted to cry when I heard about Carp. 

Can't we just have one thing go right? We were supposed to have him back this year, and that turned into a disaster, but I stayed calm and reminded myself that I wasn't counting on him until 2009 anyway. 

2009 has a lot of hopes pinned on it from my standpoint. 

• The All-Star Game will be played in St Louis for the first time in like 4,600,000 years (except Ballpark Village won't be finished).

• Chris Carpenter will finally be healthy enough to rejoin the rotation and whip our pitching staff into shape (except he's undergoing his sixth surgery and may not even actually ever throw a ball again). 

• The front office is going to grant Cardinal Nations' dearest wishes and actually spend some money on players (except... well, that one remains to be seen. I'm not overly optimistic.) I want Brian Fuentes. I'm adding him to my list. 

Speaking of pitchers that we plan a lot of games around, Bernie Miklasz was on the radio (as he is every day) and he referred to the continual BS-ing from the Cardinals clubhouse about how well a player (specifically a pitcher) is doing in his rehab and recovery over extended periods of time only to find out in the end that he's done as "going down Mulder Road." 

I like that. 

Actually, it's even more involved than that. He talks about a bus, driven by the Cardinals, on which many people (himself included) are passengers as it drives (us) down Mulder Road. I'm guessing it's a dead end road. Please, oh, please, don't let Carpenter Lane end like that. So if pitchers were roadways... 

Wainwright Highway (only the occasional rest stop) 

McClellan Boulevard (because of the big divider between the right and left) 

Jason Motte Autobahn (duh, the speed) 

Chris Perez County Road (it starts off fine, but gets a little bumpy toward the end) 

Mulder Dead End Road (but all the signs said it went through, wtf?) 

Randy Flores Parking Lot (it's just him driving around in circles) 

Kyle Lohse Toll Road (yes, I'm smiling) 

Isringhausen whatever (doesn't matter, it's closed for construction anyway) 

Max Scherzer Interstate (starts off in Missouri but ends up across the country, and that was just a bonus because he's pitching against us tonight) 

I'm stuck on Looper. Any suggestions? 

Another bonus: Jim Hayes the other night on FSN: "... an amalgamation of emotion." I can't even tell you what he was talking about, but just try saying it three times fast.

wrinkles

Carp was DLed this afternoon... mere minutes after I speculated that he would be able to make his next start. 

Huh. 

Brian Barton was activated. Basically this means that our bench has lengthened to five guys and yet we still have a sufficient bullpen. 

Ah well. I'd rather see Carp healthy in 2009 than risk another serious injury. Besides which, we've made it this far without him, we can make it a little farther. 

Todd Wellemeyer likes garlic bread. But then, who doesn't? 

Finally (and then I promise I'll let it go), instant replay is a terrible idea. Oh sure, in its purest form it might help umpires get home run calls right or judge fan interference, but when has anything like this ever kept its virtue intact? It will be twisted and mangled and pounded and harassed until it isn't even recognizable anymore, and then it will destroy baseball. 

Mark my words, we will regret this decision. But if it is inevitable (as so many believe), why must it interrupt August? Why in the name of Ruth can't they wait and work out the kinks and implement it first thing next season? What is the rush? Selig even commented, "I want to make sure that if and when we do it, it's really good, it's perfect." Wouldn't it make more sense then, to start it at the beginning of the year? Sheesh.

on the road to victory

Carp is obviously going to miss his turn in the rotation tonight. 

Thompson will take his place, and then tomorrow either he or García (who will likely be the first reliever in for Brad) will be shipped down to Memphis in order to make room for Barton on the roster. If Carp has to miss another start (fingers crossed that he doesn't), he would probably be DLed and Wainwright (who will make a start at Springfield on Saturday) activated to join the rotation. Yes, rotation. 

If, however, Carp is strong/healthy enough to make his next start, Wainwright would probably come back as a reliever with Pérez optioned to make room. In that case, Wainwright would be closing, and he has indicated that he's okay with that as long as it isn't a back-and-forth situation. So chances are, if he returns to the bullpen, he'll stay with the bullpen for the remainder of the season. 

Piñeiro, Wellemeyer, and Looper have been too good recently to justify sending them to the 'pen, and as far as I'm concerned, it's fine. That's one decision I'm glad doesn't have to be made (at least for the time being). 

Speaking of the Colonel, can you believe how sharp he was last night? The strike zone was a joke (although he commented during post-game interviews that he thought the HP ump did a fine job), but he overcame four walks and only gave up three hits. And he shut-out the Marlins. He's now 10-4 on the season. (Todd was picked up by the Cardinals last year after the Royals released him. Dave Duncan worked his magic again and turned the struggling reliever into an effective starter practically in the blink of an eye. The Cubs, the Marlins, and the Royals had given up on Wellemeyer, and now we've got him shutting down lineups.) 

Ludwick keeps on making his case for MVP, and with Albert in a little bit of a slump, it's nice to have another big bat to pick up the team on nights like last night. 30 home runs as of August 14. That's some impressive slugging right there. Among home run hitters, he's currently third in the NL and fourth in all of baseball behind Howard (33), Quentin (32), and Dumm (32). He's eighth in the majors in RBI with 90. And he's tied for first (with Lance Berkman) in the NL and MLB with a .608 slugging percentage. 

I haven't heard any news on the Kyle Lohse contract front lately. I actually haven't heard much about contracts, period, but if you'll recall, Moze doesn't like to "distract" the players with talk about trivial things like, say, their jobs or where they'll be living next season. I tell you what, if Kyle wants to stay in St Louis, I say pay him whatever it takes. The discussion on the radio this morning revolved for a time around the Seattle Mariners and the colossal wastes of money they signed last year (and how pitifully they've performed), and the importance of making wise choices instead of easy ones. However, we've all seen what Kyle can do, and since he isn't getting cheaper while we wait for a more appropriate time to talk, why not just get it out of the way and then we can get back to winning baseball games. If Moze thinks that avoiding the subject prevents distraction, he needs a reality check. We need to address the issue now and stop pretending it doesn't exist. Hello, 500-pound gorilla. And while you're at it, give Wellemeyer and Ankiel whatever they want too. 

Here's something unexpected: Izturis is batting .395 in August (15 for 38) with 3 walks and only 2 strike-outs. I heard it suggested at one point that maybe having López around has motivated César to perform better, but I think maybe it goes a little deeper than that. 

López, meanwhile, is 8 for 25 (.320) since joining the Redbirds. Something about being on a winning team can help bring out the winner in certain players. 

The Cubs have won eight road games in a row now, and look pretty unstoppable, so let's just focus on the Wild Card, shall we? We're three games back of the Brewers, and the Mets and Phillies are fighting over third place (oh, and maybe the division title for the NL East). However, with something like 40 games left to play, nothing has been decided. May the best (and by "best" I mean the Cardinals) team win....

gotta have faith

It's getting harder and harder to envision the Cards in playoff contention. I still believe they can do it, though... I refuse to give up. After all, lately the Brewers have shown how little cohesion they have as a team, and without them in the way, the Redbirds have a wide open door to the Wild Card. 

Last night basically summed up the season for the Redbirds... at least I hope it did. (See the end of the post for an explanation.) 

Yes, the bullpen (specifically Izzy, but I'll get into that later) gave back every hard-fought run, but in the end, after much chagrin, the offense was able to deliver a win. (Did that rhyme? Sorry.) 

To the casual observer, this game may have seemed tense, messy, even ugly. And it was. But you have to look beyond the ninth inning meltdown to find the true spirit of the game and this team. 

pre-game: Chris Carpenter was sidelined with injury for well over a year, and now that he's back, he operates under pitch-count limitations. Going into the game he was already predestined to leave after 80-85 pitches. He's the ace, and Tony will take no chances with his arm. 

innings 1-5: Carp got through the first five only allowing three hits, and finished having only thrown 51 pitches. If the damn rain hadn't come in (or should I say, if the damn umps hadn't called for the tarp with a slight mist coming down) who knows how much farther into the game he'd have gone. It's best not to speculate, I suppose. 

bottom of the first: Albert ended a too-long Oh-fer streak with a single up the left side and then stole second (with a little help from the LA catcher who couldn't handle the ball), but nothing came of it. 

bottom of the fifth: The Cards opened up the scoring when Kennedy drove in Izturis. Kennedy doesn't play much, and when he does he usually seems a little rusty (as should be expected). Last night, however, when we needed him to, he made it work. Adam went 3 for 6 in the game, a sight above his season average of .260 or so. Kennedy has really improved his game since last year when many were questioning his abilities both at the plate and in the field. 

bottom of the sixth: This was a disappointment. The bases were loaded and the only RBI we came out of it with was thanks to Rick Ankiel getting hit by a pitch. 

bottom of the seventh: Kennedy singled (for the second time) ahead of Albert, and then Albert reminded us why he's the best in the game. A two-run shot put the 'Birds up four to nothing. 

the bullpen: Brad Thompson was on. Three batters, three ground-outs, 1-2-3. 

Kyle McClellan needed a few more pitches than I would have liked, but after giving up the only hit he would allow, he got a double play to end the seventh inning, and then another to end the eighth after a one-out walk. 

Ron Villone came in for the ninth because with a four-run lead, there was no save situation and therefore no closer. Unfortunately, the lefty he was brought in to face was Andruw Jones, the switch hitter, and he opted to bat right-handed. Even worse, he opted to turn it on for this game and hit his third home run of the season. (Yes, Andruw Jones. I'm not sure if it's more surprising that he hit a home run or that he only has three this season. I guess that depends on how closely you follow the Dodgers.) And that's where things went terribly, horribly wrong. 

Jason Isringhausen, who may not be a professional baseball player much longer, was completely ineffective and maybe even a little sloppy. 

Two more runs would score for LA before Tony finally pulled his closer, and then Ryan Franklin came in to clean things up and allowed another of Izzy's baserunners to score. He was able to get the final two outs of the inning, though, possibly thanks to the squirrel. That left us tied at four going into the bottom of the ninth. 

Franklin pitched again in the tenth and gave up two hits but got out of a bases-loaded jam without giving up any more runs. 

Jaime García came in for the eleventh and was very good. He walked one, but didn't allow any hits or runs, and kept the tie intact for one more inning. 

bottom of the ninth: A single and a walk were followed by a fielder's choice and and a high fly to left that ended that particular threat. 

bottom of the tenth: With two out, Miles and Izturis each singled, but Schu couldn't get the ball past the second baseman and that was the end of that. 

bottom of the eleventh: Kennedy singled again in a clutch spot (good for you, Adam), Albert slapped at one that was waaaay out of the zone and popped it up for the first out, and then...

Ryan Ludwick sauntered to the plate. 

He owned four homers over the weekend. 

He hit one deep to left center, and that was the game. 

So here's how it breaks down: 

►The Cardinals' starter was sharp, but only pitched five innings. 

►The Cardinals scored early, but were unable to add on late in the game. 

►The bullpen leaked and gave up the tying run, denying the starter a "W". 

►Instead of playing small ball, the Cardinals offense depended mostly on the long ball to score. 

►The 'Birds stranded almost as many runners as they had hits. 

►Rain delays interrupted the game. 

►The Redbirds did not play spectacularly well at home. 

►The 'Birds were 1 for 2 in stolen bases. 

►The first and second spots in the lineup combined to hit over .400. 

►Pujols hit .400. 

►Glaus hit a double. 

►Ludwick had an extended hitless streak (0-5), then came through in the clutch. 

►The defense was sharp; they did not commit an error, and they turned three double plays. 

With a few tweaks, this breakdown could be applied to any one game or the entire season. Go ahead, try it. 

I was tempted (more than once) to go to bed and let them sort it out by themselves, but I stuck it out and stayed up. I am glad I did. 

In other news: Wainwright is getting closer to returning. After his latest test (throwing pitches to some of the Cardinals' hitters) he said, "My arm felt good and my finger felt great." He's supposed to start in Memphis on Saturday. 

The 'Birds signed recently released SS/2B Felipe López and sent Brendan Ryan down to Memphis. We'll see how this works out. Sometimes you find gold, and sometimes it's just a shiny rock. 

Someday Rick Ankiel will be back in the lineup, and I'm waiting none-too-patiently.