whoa.

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.)

no love for the ex-pats

Once again, things are looking down for some former Cardinals out there in the world.

Jimmy Baseball and the Cubbies were eliminated in a three-game sweep by the Dodgers. I gotta say, if the Dodgers can go into Wrigley and win two straight, the rest of the road is downhill for them. (Not that the Cubs brought their A game--more like AAA--but still, it's Wrigley, right?)

Jeff "word of the day" Suppan (and by the way, I still miss that) gave up the final nail in the Brewers' coffin in game four and halted the Brew Crew's attempt at defying history (by winning a division series after being down 0-2). He looked pretty dejected out there on the mound. I'm just grateful the untucking was stopped where it was. I'm not sure if I could have tolerated much more of that.

David Eckstein and his new club (old news alert) were shut down by ours truly and left the door wide open for Torre and Manny to claim the West. (I guess there's one former Redbird who's had some success after leaving the team, anyway.)

Anthony Reyes did his best to turn Cleveland's luck around, but the same sore shoulder that gave him some trouble in STL was acting up and ended his season with the Indians after only six starts. His record was pretty good for those six, but nothing doing for the team.

Scott Rolen... well, what more can I say about Scott. He faced injury after injury, couldn't get his bat going, and really just stunk up Canada. His defense was pretty spot-on, though. I guess that was to be expected. As I've said before, nobody misses him. (Nobody who matters, anyway.)

So we'll see The Phillies and Dodgers play best of seven for the League Championship, and I expect nothing short of fireworks. Here are two pretty solid teams, neither with big gaps in their lineup or rotation, and good management behind the scenes. They also have two of the biggest bats in the NL in Howard and Ramirez, so if nothing else, that should provide some entertainment.

You know what would really be interesting? A Boston-LA match-up in the World Series. How fun would it be to see Manny back at Fenway?

And it might just happen. I was sure at the beginning of the playoffs that the Angels were just going to cruise through the DS and LS, but that's not what has happened so far. The Red Sox have been about as tough as anybody, and the Angels have apparently fallen asleep. I guess the old adage is true: That's why they play the game.

no need to wait any longer

As promised, my thoughts regarding game 2 in the series against the Cubs: 

Wow. 

Well, I think that about sums it up. 

Carlos Zambrano gave up a CAREER-HIGH 4 home runs. He also hit one. I'm no expert, but I don't think they cancel each other out, at least as far as career statistics go. 

Troy Glaus decided he was tired of not hitting the Cubs, so he hit them. Three times. For five ribbies. 

Albert and Schu also homered, but the most amazing runs came in the top of the ninth when the 'Birds were able to show the Cubs what it's like to have a bullpen dissolve in front of your eyes. 

Their 'pen didn't exactly give up a lead, but five hits and three runs (two of them with two out) to basically cement St Louis' lead, well, that'll still ruin your day. 

Wellemeyer was on fire. Two of the runs were actually his, and the third came (and was charged to him) when Villone couldn't get the one guy he was sent out to face and then Springer allowed an RBI base hit before striking out the final batter of the seventh. 

Todd went 6-2/3, and while my screaming at the tv for Tony to leave him in to get that last out didn't have the desired effect, it wasn't a complete disaster (like I feared it would be). I guess I just need to have a little more faith in the bullpen Tony. 

Springer went on to strike-out the side in the eighth, and then Thompson came in and closed it out. It's too bad, too, 'cause I was kind of hoping to see Miles pitch an inning or two. (Speaking of which, we haven't seen his name mentioned with regards to the opening in the save department, have we? Just a thought.) 

Jim Edmonds struck-out three times. I'll root for him from here 'til Tuesday unless he's hitting against the Cards. When that's the case he can go suck a lemon. 

Would it be possible for us to hold onto some of the runs we scored today and use them in tomorrow night's game? Just in case...

opportunities squandered

Jim Edmonds had something to prove and he proved it. He went deep twice off Looper. The good news is that the one time he had a baserunner in front of him, he hit into a double play. He stared into the Cardinals dugout on his way past after hitting the first long ball, but Tony swears he wasn't paying attention and couldn't care less even if he had noticed the blatant gesture directed primarily toward him. Their relationship seems to have deteriorated just a tad. It's too bad, really, because by all accounts they were fairly close when Jimmy was wearing the birds on the bat. I still like Edmonds and try to keep up with what's he's up to, but I sure like him a lot better when he's not hitting home runs against us. 

Ryan Franklin's squirrel was apparently asleep during Frankie's second inning of work. He (Franklin, not the squirrel) loaded the bases and then Izturis couldn't quite reach a line drive right over his head. The bullpen looked good otherwise, though. Pérez went for the second day in a row after being recalled from Memphis, and he's looking more and more like a potential closer. I know Tony says he wants to go the collective route, but if you've got a guy who can get the job done, why not use him? As far as I'm concerned, anything is better than Franklin (even with the squirrel) and I absolutely don't want to see Wainwright pitching out of the 'pen, although they rarely ask me and even more rarely listen. 

The Cards stranded seven, and Troy Glaus stranded five all by himself. He's now 0 for 4,208,665 all-time against the Cubs. His last hit against them was in his dreams, and even then it was only a bloop infield single that he just barely ran out. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day for him to get a day off. (Like that's going to happen....) Izturis went two for three (including a double) and stole two bases today, and was 6 for 12 with an RBI in the series against the Dodgers (that's .500 for those who are really bad at math). I can't help but wonder if the acquisition of López hasn't inspired César to fight a little harder for playing time, but I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Whatever the cause, it's good to see him producing offensively. Will this series define the season for the Redbirds? The end is in sight, Cards fans, and if you've got a lucky rabbit's foot in the back of the closet that you forgot about until just now, DIG IT OUT... We've got some Cubbies to crush.

good choices, bad choices

Jim Edmonds is turning out to be just what the Cubs needed, even if they didn't know it at the time. He hit two home runs in one game again yesterday (one was a grand slam) and helped the North-siders finish off a four-game sweep of the Bloated Brewers. And here I thought Milwaukee was going to prove more of a challenge. I guess that's just when they're visiting Busch. thhhhhbbbppppt...

Glaus got the day off yesterday, and I can't help but wonder if it isn't because of the slump he's been in (and I'd call a .139 average over nine games a slump). Maybe a little rest will help him get back on track. He's very streaky, and we're ready for the next hot streak.

When asked why he continues to give back runs and blow leads, Piñeiro replied, "I wish I knew, so I could stop doing it." 

What a stupid question. I feel bad for pitchers after they have games like Joel had last night, and I feel even worse when they have to answer questions like, "So how bad does losing feel?" and, "Why can't you pitch better?" Jeez, come on.

Albert is back to being Albert. He's up to 21 home runs, and as Al pointed out last night, it's no longer a question of if he'll make it to 100 RBIs, it's when.

Wainwright will throw a "game-like" bullpen session tomorrow and work on the most challenging of his pitches: his curveball. Hopefully this means it won't be too much longer before he's back. Then the question is, whom will he replace in the rotation? 

I'd take Carp off the list of choices, and Lohse as well. That leaves three possibilities. 

Wellemeyer's last outing was painful to watch (especially with all the sweating) but he only gave up two runs and the team won the game. 

Looper won his last decision, putting him at ten wins on the season. When he's sharp, he goes deeper into games than any of the others. 

I intentionally saved Piñeiro for last. He has not looked good lately, and last night was no exception. He only has three wins this season, and the last one was on July 8. His ERA is above five, and what's probably working against him as much as anything is the fact that Tony does not agree with Joel's attitude toward winning and losing. Joel takes more of a "qué será será" approach to pitching, while Tony prefers his pitchers to reach deep down inside and release the true competitor within. In other words, go out there and bring it. I'd hate to make any assumptions, though, so we'll just wait and see.

Coming up...

The Redbirds play 3 games against the Phillies at Busch, have a day off, then play 3 more home games against the Dodgers (and their new outfielder).

The Cubs have two 3-game home series, first against Pittsburgh, then Houston, before a day off.

The Brewers travel to Atlanta for 3 games, then Cincinnati for 3 games, then have a day off.

best rivalry in baseball

That would be the Cubs and the Cardinals, thank you.

Game 1: Albert hit his 300th career home run on the 4th of July (with his wife in the stands). How apropos. Fireworks were on-hand.
The Redbirds and Looper, who went 7 innings, were able to hold a very competent Cubbies' offense to two runs. Even thought we didn't win, I'd call that a moral victory for sure.
Izzy pitched in his 600th game and struck-out Jim Edmonds. Kinda surreal.
Speaking of Edmonds, he got a standing ovation from the Cardinals fans when he stepped up to the plate in the first, then struck-out three times in the game.
Glaus and HP umpire Ted Barrett nearly came to blows in the bottom of the ninth after Barrett (possibly trying to speed up the game due to the "distracting" fireworks outside the stadium) expanded the strike zone and called Troy out on two consecutive pitches 6 inches off the plate. The first one was a bad call. The second one was pure spite. He stared Troy down as he walked back to the dugout.

Game 2: Once again, our starter--Lohse, this time--held the Cubs' lineup in check, allowing only two runs over 7 innings. This time, however, our bats made some noise, too, and we had it tied at two until the eighth inning, when Ryan Franklin gave up another two on a homer by Ramirez. But in the bottom of the ninth, the Redbirds answered. Kerry Wood, who up until this game had only walked nine batters all season, walked the first two he saw (Ludwick and Molina). Kennedy doubled and drove in Ludwick, bringing us to within one. Wood intentionally walked PH Chris Duncan. (Bases loaded with none out.) Schumaker hit a swinging bunt that dribbled into the infield, Molina was out at the plate. (Bases loaded, one out.) Miles popped one up in the infield for out number two, and for a minute it seemed like Wood was going to get himself out of the jam. But then up stepped Slick Rick. Ank the Tank. The former pitcher turned outfielder with a power arm. I think if you were going to try and define the ultimate clutch situation (for the regular season, of course) you couldn't do a lot better than bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two out, down by one, playing your biggest rival. And if you're a Cardinals fan, then you know how it turned out.
Ankiel lined one into center field and drove home Kennedy, and we were tied. Then Duncan came home as well, beating Edmonds' throw to the plate, and the "Cardiac Cards" won 5-4.
I can't remember the last time the Cardinals have come from behind like that, but I'm glad we were at home because if the Cubs'd had another opportunity, who knows how it would have turned out. Poor Wood.

take 'em deep

Jim-jam hit two home runs in the fourth inning today against the White Sox. That's one way to ease the strain on a sore foot--just jog it off. The Cubs as a team scored NINE in that inning. They went on to win 11-7. They apparently have some sort of witch doctor-voodoo thing going on that prevents any visiting team from winning at Wrigley. It's getting harder and harder to balance being a Cardinals fan with being a Jim Edmonds fan.

on one hand . . .

...I'm hoping for the Cubbies to lose so that the Cards can catch up and re-take 1st place in the NL Central.

On the other hand, it must have been such fun for Jimmy to hit 2 doubles and get 2 RBI against the team that released him not quite a month ago. I wish I had seen it. (Actually, I wish I'd been watching any game other than the one I watched, but that's beside the point.)

So now that he's had his revenge, I need the Padres to step up and take the next 2 against Chicago. Is that really too much to ask?

jimmy's up

Edmonds went 3 for 4 in the Cubs' game today. 

He hit a solo home run in the sixth and a 2RBI double in the seventh to help the North-siders come back from a 8-run deficit to WIN THE GAME. 

That's right, they won. 

They were down 9-1 going in to the bottom of the sixth, and they pulled one out. Scored 3 in the sixth and 6 in the seventh to beat the Rockies 10-9. 

Anyway, Jimmy's average is now up to .186 (at least it's better than the .167 he had going into the game). Can somebody please beat the Cubs already? Sheesh.

for your viewing pleasure . . .

Jimmy's first day as a Cubby:

• Singled to right in the 2nd
• Grounded into a DP in the 4th to end the inning
• Flied out to center with two on, two out in the 5th
• Struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the 7th

It's just weird, isn't it?

it's irrelevant but interesting

Jimmy "Baseball" Edmonds will be available today for the Cubs as they take on his former teammates in the third of three games against the Padres. Guess who's taking the mound for the Pads? That's right, Maddux is looking for number 351 in the ballpark he used to call home. If I cared, I'd be super-excited!

what, me worry?

I have to admit, I held my breath for the entire half-inning. 

You know what I'm talking about. 

Izzy pitched tonight for the first time since temporarily giving up his role as closer. It wasn't exactly three sit-'em-downs, but we'll take the pop-ups, won't we buddy? It wasn't a save situation either, so there wasn't quite as much pressure, but it was still a close game, and I think a good test for the big guy. 

Oh yeah, and Glaus and Izturis each had a three hit-game, Ankiel took a home run away from LaRoche, Wellemeyer pitched into the eighth only giving up two hits, and the Redbirds stranded FIFTEEN baserunners. 

 ...What? FIFTEEN. 

Is it a coincidence that number F15teen signed with our rivals today?

nooooooo!

...Jim Edmonds in a... (cough) a... (choke) a... (heave) a... CUBS uniform????

dismay away

Things are not going well for some former Cardinals out there in the world. 

Jim Edmonds was released by the Padres today after starting off the season with a .178 average and 6RBI. 

Matt Morris has hung up his cleats for good. He was released by the Pirates at the end of April after going 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA and recording only 9 strike-outs, and is now officially retired. 

David Eckstein is batting .246 for the Blue Jays and already has 6 errors in 30 games. (And he's probably headed for the DL with a hip injury.) 

Scott Rolen is actually doing pretty well--now that he's playing. He was out for the beginning of the season with that gruesome hand injury, and has only started 12 games, but is batting .311 and fielding 1.000 with no errors. 

Jeff Suppan (he of the high salary) has a 5.22 ERA and a 1-2 record, which may not sound SO bad except for the 11 runs on 11 hits he gave up in that incredible 19-5 loss to the Cubs. 

Oh, and Jeff Weaver has yet to find a job. Like that's such a surprise. He's lucky to have ever pitched at all.