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?

over-thinking again

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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.

take a deep breath

Now that we have no second baseman, either someone will step up and prove himself capable during Spring Training, or they'll start shopping for a fit outside the organization. Reasonable, right? (That's my new dogma, by the way. Reason over lunacy. I'm trying it out. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Ohmmmm... everything will be fine. Ohmmmm... there's no sense dwelling in the past. Ohmmmm... true peace must come from within.)

Something about this feels unnatural and uncomfortable. I'm sure Skip will make a great segunda base, but it may take a while for me to adjust to seeing him in the infield. (Just so you know, I totally stole this pic from STLtoday and their photographer.) I'm glad the club and "the arm" were able to overcome their differences and settle on a figure. I'm curious who blinked first, but I don't suppose it really matters. It does give me little more hope that they'll be able to settle with Ludwick, though, too. 

I'm going to take a pass on making anymore comments about the A-Rod/steroids situation for two reasons: (1) the whole thing outrages me for a variety of reasons, and (2) I do believe it has been covered. I know you're disappointed. 

Moving on.... Pitchers and catchers officially report tomorrow, although it sounds like a lot of players (obviously including Skip) are already in Jupiter and starting to work. It's nice to hear all the reports coming out of Florida, it makes me feel warm. Hopefully February and March will fly by, and April will be here before we know it! (Not that I don't enjoy ST or anything....) Stay positive!

all over the outfield

So I'm sitting here on this very melty first of febrero, sipping my coffee-hot chocolate blend (you should try it--it's really the only way to drink coffee), ignoring the pre-Superbowl festivities, and trying to decide which direction to take the John Mozeliak/shoe shopping story, and it occurred to me that there hasn't been much news regarding Ankiel and Ludwick and their arbitration issues. I sincerely hope that it doesn't come to a hearing for either of them, but in the event that it does, I'm wondering which side we as Cardinals fans should be on. 

Actually, maybe we should take it back even further than that. If the team lets this go to hearings, will the players feel unappreciated? Disrespected? Would that affect their willingness to give a "hometown discount" to the Cards when (especially in the case of Ankiel) and if they become free agents? I know all players spout the "I understand that it's a business..." line when in the middle of negotiations, but nothing is ever that simple. (Which is why the line is usually followed by "but....") 

But if the unfortunate does happen, what's the official stance of Cardinal Nation? 

Maybe as a blogger I should automatically have a strong opinion, but I can't decide. I keep going back and forth between the good of the team (at least financially, seeing as every dollar saved could theoretically go back into the pot and possibly show return in the form of, say, a starting pitcher) and the importance of showing players that they are valued and respected (which could also show return in the form of the previously mentioned "discount" or building general goodwill with the players). 

The other thing on my mind is the Manny Ramirez speculation. If you've been under a rock (or a snow bank), then maybe you missed the news of Albert lobbying for his dominican compatriota and teammate to play in St Louis. You'd think that Moze's unambiguous and definitive "no" would have closed the case and put the issue to bed, but as is so often the case on the internet (and especially with nothing else remarkable to talk about), it didn't. In fact, it's like he never said anything. 

This got me thinking. 

Primero, I love Man-Ram. All other things equal, I would love to have him. I love his bat and I love his energy. (And no, neither of those is a euphemism.) 

Segundo, I do not think it's a good idea for Ramirez to play here (or for that matter, for any NL club, but that's beside the point, I suppose). No matter what kind of bargain he might give the team, he's just not a good enough outfielder for this to make any sense. 

Now I know there's some question that Ludwick or Ankiel will put up the kind of numbers (minus injury time) that they did last year, that Schu will ever figure out left-handed pitchers, that Duncan will be able to play again, or that the minor leaguers will live up to their hype (and yes, that last one may be all me). But with the possibility that they could, how can we seriously consider letting go of two or more (in all likelihood) of these guys in favor of a player who will bring a lot of baggage along with his offense, and would only eat up any money (even with the "discount") that might be used for a more pressing need. (Five O'Clock Blogger said it a lot better.) 

But back to my original point. The latest post over at C70 at the bat made me think. He basically says that if the Cards were to sign Ramirez, it would only further limit their ability to trade from the glut of outfielders on the roster because it would put a big flashing sign on our foreheads, announcing to every other team out there that we're desperate to get rid of overstock. It would effectively drive down the price for guys like Ankiel, and tie our hands as far as bringing up prospects. 

What I was thinking was that if Moze was seriously considering bringing him in (which, again, I protest), he would need to make the trade first, without the big flashing sign. He would need other clubs to believe that there's no way we're making that deal. 

So maybe all the chatter out there in cyberspace has a point. Maybe we shouldn't just take the "no" at face value. Maybe we should wait until all the cards are on the table. Again, I'm not encouraging this deal. I'm just thinking out loud.

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.

backpeddling

Okay, just to clear things up a little... I have no problem trading Ludwick and/or Rasmus and/or Boggs for the highly touted, much anticipated man whose name makes for really super post titles--Matt Holliday. 

However, never did I suggest that I would be willing to give up more than ONE big league-ready player. If Skip Schumaker is part of the equation, then I may have to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. 

Ludwick OR Skip. 

And they can throw in as many minor leaguers as they want. Seriously. I support no trade that gives up two-thirds of our working outfield in exchange for one outfielder. 

Unless Matt Holliday has a clone. In that case, trade away.

just playing a little baseball

First inning: Big hits. Ankiel hit a three-run home run. Looper gave up six runs before getting a single out. Boy, he could not buy a strike, and the 'Stros took advantage.

Third inning: Was it a catch or wasn't it? Skip Schumaker laid himself out in center and came up with a ball that Hunter Pence was sure wasn't caught, and he got himself doubled-up running. Upon further review (on the replay) it was shown to have been a trap rather than a catch. It was ruled a catch, however, by the umpire.

Al Hrabosky:

I'm sure he trapped that ball, but let's get in the dugout quickly.

Oh, Al.

After the break, we learned that Cecil Cooper had been ejected from the game. The crowd steadily booed the whole umpiring crew for the rest of the game.

(I tell you what, if roles had been reversed, I would have been standing on my head screaming and probably cursing the umpires 'til next week.)

And here is where instant replay will begin its inevitable morphing process. It will start as a tool to judge fair vs foul balls where home runs are concerned, but people will not remain happy with the limitations on it for long. Eventually Selig will give in and expand the uses to which IR can be put, and then, watch out.

Fifth inning: That f***ing hill should be outlawed. Why it isn't a rule violation, I can't figure. Schu almost made a spectacular play out there, but came up just a foot or so short, and then the next batter took Looper deep for the third time. Springer, who gave up the game-winner last night, got right back on the horse that threw him (got a hair of the dog that bit him, or some other cliché of your liking), and struck-out his two batters, no problem. Goes to show what a difference a day makes. I like that Tony will send a guy right back out there as soon as possible. For one, it shows that he still has confidence in his pitchers (and sometimes that's as important as anything), and for two, it gives the pitcher a chance to show what he can do. To show that he isn't going to let one mistake define him. To shake it off and make good.

Seventh inning: Albert crushed one to left. Okay, maybe he didn't exactly crush it, after all you only have to hit a ball about 150 feet to make it out in left field at MM Park, but he hit it hard enough and fair enough (bounced it off the "fowl" pole) to give the Cards two more runs toward coming back in this one.

Ninth inning: My hopes were dashed, and I wonder how when there's a down-by-two or three situation where we need big hits, it seems like it's always the rookies at the plate.

Blah. I felt going into this post that I would be writing about a loss, but there's still plenty to play for: individual player statistics, spoiling the season for other teams, getting some big league playing time for AAAers, and so on. After all, it's not all about the post-season, right? It's supposed to be fun. That's what I'll be looking for.

holy diving grab, Bat-man!

What a game last night. (On so many levels.) 

The good: Did you see that catch Skip made in left-center? Awesome. (I rarely use that word, and when I do it's never lightly.) 

The dips on Sportscenter referred to him as "Jim Edmonds' replacement in center field," and while he is definitely an everyday outfielder (at least in my heart), we know who the true centerfielder on this team is don't we, folks? And apparently he's healthy enough to drive one over the wall, even if it's just bonus runs to get us up into the double-digits for the first time this season. 

Skip had a pretty good game too, don't get me wrong. (smile) He went four out of five with a walk, and played some mighty-fine defense. Actually, pretty much everyone contributed last night. Duncan had an RBI double, Glaus had a couple of hits and three RBI, Ludwick drove in three, and Molina had a 2RBI single. Villone, Parisi, and Franklin each pitched a shut-out inning, and Looper went five and became the first Cardinals starter with 6 wins. 

The bad: The Padres. I know, I know--cheap shot. But I didn't say it first, and I'm certainly not the only one thinking it. They are now 17-31, the team with the worst record in baseball. It makes me feel for them a little. Especially now that two of their starters are incapacitated. (segue into....) 

The ugly: Okay, there was the thing that happened in the third. Albert hit a line drive up the middle that made pretty brutal contact with the pitcher Chris Young's face (so hard it knocked him on his butt). He did get up under his own power and make it off the field, but he's got a broken nose and a cut on his forehead and was kept overnight at the hospital for observation. 

Then later in the same half-inning, as Albert was coming around to score on Glaus' base hit, the catcher, Josh Bard, planted his foot for a play at the plate and got his ankle sprained as Albert slid in. He had to be helped off the field. Both men are now on the 15-day DL. 

You know Albert feels terrible, as we all do. You never want to see anyone get hurt, and the situation reminded me of the Juan Encarnacion incident. It sounds like Young and Bard are going to recover without any permanent damage, though, and I wish them all the best. 

Anyway, because of the injuries, the Padres had to get into their bullpen early, and the Cards took advantage. 

We are now tied with the Cubs in the Win column and one game back overall. (Not that I'm keeping track.)

yippee, Skippy!

My dad and I were arguing about the amount of credit Schumaker should get for the RBI base hit that won the game. 

I said I thought it was garbage that it wasn't scored a double*, since if it'd been any other point in the game he would have easily made it in to second. 

My dad (who is a big Cardinals fan but just can't see past the end of his own nose sometimes) argued that because of the situation--game on the line, runners in scoring position--Crawford was playing extra shallow, and in a normal situation would have fielded the ball for an out. 

I argued back that they had been playing him shallow for the whole game, and in fact, most teams play Skip shallow on a regular basis because he's not known for his power hitting.

*Just wanted to point out that when I was watching the game, it was originally scored a single (which I think must be the norm for game-ending base hits other than home runs), but when I checked online, I found that ESPN.com and MLB.com are calling it a double, and that's good enough for me.

Anyway, it was a tough game, the Rays are a very good team, and it was nice to win one for Stan "the Man" on his day. It was also nice to win the rubber game of the series. Mostly it was nice to win one just for the sake of winning one.

We head to San Diego tomorrow. I had this whole shpiel ready about Jake Peavy and his right arm, but lo and behold, no Peavy tomorrow. Anybody know anything about Ledezma?

At any rate, he'll be up against Wellemeyer who is arguably our best pitcher (at least lately).

Tuesday's pitching matchup will be Maddux, who's looking for 351, versus Piñeiro, whose 2-2 record doesn't tell the whole story.

Wednesday it'll be Chris Young (4-3, 4.18 ERA) and Braden Looper (5-3, 4.25 ERA).

The Pǎds are in the basement of their division (not that anybody's truly competing against Arizona) and are 12 games below .500. They have only won TWO series this season, haven't (obviously) swept anybody, and have only won back-to-back games TWICE. I'll just let you draw your own conclusions.

beginning of week 2

I'm more than a little concerned about Chris Duncan and the lack of playing time he's had. I know it's still early, and I know he had a sore hamstring for at least a couple of games, and I know Tony doesn't like to start him against left-handed pitchers, but really, it seems to me that the list of excuses could be endless. I'm not panicking yet, but if I don't see him in the line-up against Houston tonight, that may change. 

On a more positive note, Rick Ankiel looks extraordinary, both behind the plate (of course) and in what I can only assume is his permanent place in center field. 

And even though Skip Schumaker has yet to get his first hit for 2008, I have very high hopes that he could do so during the upcoming road trip (cause let's face it, the two road series ahead of us could provide a lot of opportunities for forward movement, assuming we're able to take advantage). Skip's going be a great lead-off man someday, but the important thing is that he not let this slow start get to him. 

King Albert, though a little dry on the HR front, is contributing plenty and drawing walks like you'd expect. What else can I say about the big guy but that he's so reliable it's scary. There's a reason Pujols is the face of the Cardinals. 

Glaus has been a little disappointing. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, to be honest, but maybe on some subconcious level I was hoping he'd come in and blow everybody's socks off and make us question why we kept Rolen around for so long when this guy was out there all along. I guess that isn't really fair to Troy, and so I'm trying to do better by him and give him the benefit of the doubt that he's just having a hard time adjusting to the NL and he'll eventually show us what he's made of. It's not like he's been going around piling up the errors and Ks, he's just playing very average-ly, and I'm used to third base being occupied by a Gold-Glover with unusually good reach who plays almost too shallow for comfort. 

Adam Kennedy has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. After last year I was ready to put him in stocks in front of the Stan Musial statue and leave him, but he seems to have found whatever he was missing. Believe it or not, I'm glad we've got him. I remember Dan and Al commenting last year that Kennedy's manager from the Angels was surprised that he was having such a bad year last year, but I figured it was just PR, kinda like when you buy a junk car from someone who tells you it's a real deal, and then after you find out what a lemon it is, they say something like, "well it drove great when I had it." I guess I was wrong. I have no problem admitting that. 

Of course, Molina is doing his thing, as always. He's such a phenomenal catcher, and he does so well with the pitchers, he never ceases to amaze me. You know what else never ceases to amaze me? That he could be overlooked for a Gold Glove again. Oh yeah. Well, we Cardinal fans know how much of a difference he makes and how valuable he is every time he takes the field. And his offense is nothing to take lightly, either. 

The starting pitching is amazing, I only wish Anthony Reyes could be part of the fun. I've been a huge fan of his since the first time I saw him pitch, but I have this awful suspicion that his and Dave Duncan's ideas of how he should be pitching are just too different to overcome. I'll always be a fan, no matter what team he's pitching for, I just hope that someday he finds his rhythm and confidence, cause he's got potential up to his eyeballs. The bullpen is also amazing, and considering how much work they've gotten (and will probably continue to get) it's great that we have such a talented bunch of guys back there. 

Isringhausen is back to being Isringhausen. I'm personally rooting for the Cards to retire #44 someday (just not too soon). He's such a big arm for us, and I never lost faith in Izzy, even when his hip wasn't letting him do his best. I was actually kind of disappointed in a lot of supposed Cardinals fans when he was having trouble. I was disgusted to hear half the stadium erupt in boos when Izzy would take the mound, and I'll never forget how ugly some people were about the situation. Fortunately, he got the surgery, got rehab, and is throwing better than ever. I just hope all those people who booed him now realize how wrong they were to lose faith. 

As for Ludwick, Barton, Izturis, Miles, and LaRue, well they're doing what I knew they would: they're playing their hearts out and giving us everything they've got. What more can you ask for? (A side note on Barton, though, would be something like, "can we get the man a chin strap for his helmet, please?" Seriously.) Overall, I'd say we have a good mix of experience levels among the players. The veterans are providing quality leadership and setting the pace, and the young guys are eager and hungry and giving the team a fresh perspective.