Cardinal Diamond Diaries

Moving Day

2011-04-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

When Erika and I got this crazy idea to start a blog at the beginning of last season, we had no idea what kind of crazy journey we were setting out on. Since then we have been interviewed, been on the radio, joined UCB, were able to meet with many other UCB members during Opening Weekend of this year, and much more.

We've been through the ups and downs, both with the team and with writing. Our own team here on CDD has gone through a few changes as well. But we're ready to take a new, fresh step:

We're moving.

For those of you that have gotten used to typing in our ridiculously long IP address, sorry, it's changing. For those of you that saved us in your bookmarks, sorry, time to update. For those of you that want something short and sweet to remember us by, check out DiamondDiaries.net! We've put a lot of work into the new site already, despite the fact that we're still going to be tweaking little things here and there with our older posts over the next few days/weeks, but we're also ready to start over.

For those of you that have been here with us since day one and those of you that have found our site just recently, we thank you for your support. We hope to see you over at the new, shiny place soon!

Okay, we're done. From now on, go to DiamondDiaries.net!

Enter Eduardo...

2011-04-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Berkman

The Cardinals stomped all over the Diamondbacks yesterday in a 15-5 blow-out that included a Grand Slam from Lovable Lance (Berkman) and a 3-run blast by Skip "SkipperDoodle" Schumaker. Last night was game 6 of a 10-game West coast road trip (late night games make for sleepy mornings) and the trouncing came as a welcome relief to tired Cardinal fans. Truth be told, sleep won the fight in the 6th inning for me; but with a hefty15-5 Cardinal lead, I easily drifted off to happy dreams.

This morning I fired up the DVR to watch the rest of the game unfold. After 6 innings of heavy hitting, a scoreless 3 innings piqued my curiosity. Sure enough, there was a diamond hidden in those zeros...

Augenstein

Enter baby bird, Eduardo Sanchez! This rookie, called up from Memphis when injuries during Tuesday's game sent Cardinal relief pitchers Bryan Augenstein and Brian Tallet to the disabled list, had a night to remember in his Major League debut!

Sanchez Debut

Sanchez took the mound at the start of the 8th and stayed through the 9th to shut it down. Facing a mere 7 batters to get the job done, Sanchez struck out 5 with ease. Total pitches: 18,13 for strikes. Confidence, delivery and strength from a 155 pound, 5'11" rookie in his big league debut - that was MUST SEE baseball!!

Welcome to the club, Eduardo Sanchez! We'll be looking forward to seeing you again soon!

The Cardinals head to LA to face the Dodgers tonight, in the first of a 4-game series. Here's to the theory that hitting is contagious and the Cardinal confidence continues to build... ;)

Go Cards!!

An Epiphany Of Sorts

2011-04-11T21:18:00.001-05:00

So early in tonight's game, as I stared in disbelief at Albert Pujols hitting into his seventh double play of the season, I had an epiphany, courtesy of friend of the site Bob Netherton (@throatwarbler). He threw out this thought...

To put this in perspective, Jack Clark hit into 179 double plays in his 18 year career. 6 of those were partial years. Albert 209 in 10. In 2 1/2 years in St. Louis, Clark only hit into 19 double plays. That shows you what the running game can do.

Hmm... the running game. Of course, seeing a hit and run executed by Kyle McClellan and Yadier Molina of all people makes me chuckle even more, but also makes me think. Obviously, the Cardinals are not a strong running team. Not. At. All. Why should they be? Enough of the players have pop in their bats (Pujols, Holliday, Rasmus, Berkman) and are capable of putting one over the wall, so why put runners on the move and risk easy double plays or chances to double guys off?

Umm, because the entire team is hitting into way too many double plays?

Why not try it Tony? Guys are getting on base in front of Pujols. Let them run. Let them dance on the basepaths. Get the pitchers distracted, because distraction = mistakes and mistakes = long, beautiful home runs leaving the park.

Just a thought. Don't mind me... ;)

Signs of Life

2011-04-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Nine games in the early 2011 season have left our Cardinals floundering. Some fans have already thrown in the towel in disgust, heading off in search of less painful entertainment options. But yesterday, others who donned their “true fan” label as a badge of courage were rewarded to what we can only hope will be more typical (winning) Cardinal baseball.

The record is not pretty at 3 wins and 6 losses, but the Cards have had some strikes against them. The most obvious has been lack of run support coupled with costly fielding errors. Leading the league in double plays (not the defensive kind) hasn’t helped much either. And then there’s Albert…. With a string of unAlbertlike games and a batting average of .143, is it any wonder that Cardinal fans are wondering if we all fell down the rabbit hole?

There are, however, signs of life. Slugger Matt Holliday returned yesterday, 9 days after his emergency appendectomy, showing he was back and ready for action. David Freese belted his first homerun and collected his first 3 rbi of the season, helping the Cardinals score their inaugural “6 serious runs.” Kyle Lohse, showing strength and command, went 8 full innings with no walks, 5 strikeouts and only 5 hits. He threw 96 pitches, 65 for strikes. Couple that with previous stellar early outings by Jaime Garcia and Chris Carpenter (whose records are unfortunately tarnished by lack of run support) and a strong showing from Kyle McClellan - and we have reason to hope this is just an unlucky/slow start.

Two of my favorite bloggers have taken the high road from all the grumblings and cussing about the comedy of errors we have witnessed lately from our hobbling redbirds. If you need to be nudged away from the ledge, I highly recommend stopping by their sites for a positive reality check.

Bob at On the Outside Corner posts “There Must Be A Pony In There Somewhere”

And Mark at Retrosimba reminds us of the many, many years that our “Cards Turned Bad Starts Into Great Seasons.”

Sure, one good game does not a rally make. But the Cardinals are not dead and buried. So chin up, Cardinal Nation. There are signs of life! ;)

The boys continue their western road trip tonight against the Diamondbacks with Kyle McClellan on the mound at 8:40 CT. You never know what baseball magic you may see. So tune in with us and watch the rally continue!

Go Cards!!

More Fun at Busch Stadium

2011-04-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

I finally had some time to sit down and write about the first-class Cardinal Bloggers Event hosted last weekend by the St. Louis Cardinals. The experience was so much fun that I had to split it up into two posts! Yesterday I touched on our meeting with John Mozeliak and the thrill of walking into the administrative offices as well as the wonderful time we had mingling with other Cardinal bloggers/writers in Cardinal Hospitality. Today I want to share some other stories that made the event even more memorable for me.

Visiting the Busch stadium press-box during a game has topped my list of curious places behind the scenes of Cardinal baseball. (Okay, visiting the clubhouse right after the game would be numero uno. A gal can dream, can’t she?!) In my mind, I’ve had a picture of what the press-box scene might look like. So the chance to discover if the scribes bicker out loud (instead of just across twitter) or if there are piles of pizza boxes or taco trash in the corner was a whole bucket of exciting!

One of my favorite highlights from Sunday’s Blogger Event at Busch was an impromptu tour of the press-box! As luck would have it, I caught up with Matthew “Pip” Philip, editor and principal writer for Fungoes.com, when he stopped by the party suite for some food. When I asked where he was off to next, Pip replied that he was heading back to the press box, and I (of course) jumped at the chance to ask him for a tour (not at all shy when it comes to opportunities like that!) Pip was awesome and happy to oblige. So I grabbed Hubby and we wandered back through the stadium with Pip, past the guard at the door to the press box. (Guarded to keep potentially overexcited fans like me from interrupting a broadcast by cheering “AttaBoy Hunky!!!” too loud from the booth?... I’m just guessing.)

Anyway… Hubby and I quietly behaved ourselves in the press-box corridor while Pip took care of some MLB.com datacasting. He was training a woman on the process for entering data for MLB Game Day/ MLB At Bat. (I’d always wondered how that happened…. now I know!)

One of the funny things about the press box was the seating chart posted on the wall as you enter the corridor. It reminded me of elementary school. “Everyone find your chair!”

Hubby and I wandered up to the 2^nd level of chairs (with permission, of course) and sat to watch some of the game from that glorious birds-eye view. Among the dozen or so men in the seats below us I recognized Bernie Miklasz (sorting his itunes library), Derrick Goold, Rick Hummel and BJ Rains with his dad, Rob Rains, one row behind. They were all quietly watching the games or casually typing on their computers. What I assumed would be a glorified man cave was actually pristinely clean and orderly. No piles of stadium food littered the desks or corners. And honestly the box felt like a library, very quiet with only occasional hushed talking as crowd noise drifted in through an open window. Another curiosity was seeing Matthew Leach (MLB.com reporter) sitting alone in a darker room full of desk cubbies across the hall from the elevated press-box seats. I had the chance to ask him about this later in the afternoon…

Pip returned to give us a fabulous quick tour of the press-box (honestly, there’s not all that much to tour, but he did it up right!) He even let me snag a few of the game notes and information pages provided for the press who use that area. Score one for random baseball souvenirs! ;) Whether he knew it or not, Pip made a dream come true. It was wonderful and the staff in the press box were warm and welcoming.

We managed to find our way back to the UCB suites to enjoy more of Jaime Garcia’s unbelievable complete game shutout (wow!) with the other bloggers. Towards the end of the game, Matthew Leach made an appearance in the suites and hung out to meet everyone and talk about the Cardinals.

When the game ended and the employees politely tried to move our chattering UCB group on our way, Matthew Leach kindly hung out with several of us in the concourse. I grabbed my chance to ask him pretty much any and every question I’d wanted to ask him over the past few years… about his job and the Cardinals. He was great about it and I learned a lot.

For instance….

· The reason he was alone in a dark room in the press box? Leach wasn’t reporting on the Cardinals game that day and was instead working on a different article for MLB.com….while watching a tennis match.)

· He explained his process of taking notes during a game in order to quickly put the details together into an entertaining and informative game recap.

· Matthew has been working in baseball for 10 years now, and yes, it does get tiring, especially when traveling.

· He has authored one book (I didn’t know this) titled “The Game of My Life, St. Louis Cardinals,” but it is out of print and costs anywhere from $86 to $297 online now. So, it must be a REALLY good book! ;)

· He gets a lot of questions for his Mailbag, but current/timely questions are sometimes hard to come by. So when he sends out a request for questions, he really does need them!

I also “peppered” Mr. Leach (Dustin McClure’s words, not mine) with questions about some of my favorite Baby Birds such as Daniel Descalso including how long Matthew expects him to stick with the big club. I verified that no, Matthew Leach is not a Cardinal fan and asked how he can spend so much time covering the Cardinals with such excitement and interest, yet not be a fan. Then I finally couldn’t help myself and brought up the topic of one of my favorites, former Cardinal shortstop Brendan Ryan. Matthew agreed that it was hard to understand how Brendan would be surprised that his former teammates were frustrated by his antics when it was quite obvious to many around the clubhouse. I wish I’d had a tape recorder so that I could remember everything we discussed, but it was the most fun to talk to someone with that much experience and such a close connection to our team. Matthew Leach was great to meet and kindly stayed for all of our questions and discussions, joking about how hard he is to reach otherwise. (He is,in fact, extremely easy to reach and is quick to respond on Twitter as well as answer reader questions in his MLB/Cardinals blog, Obviously, You’re Not a Golfer.)

Christine, Chris, Justin, Dustin, Dathan and me

After the doors were shut and the stadium was quieting down, a small group of us leftover UCBers made the hike out of the stadium, past the players’ parking lot… where we paused to try and identify some vehicles in true fan fashion. We continued on to Paddy O’s where we soaked up some postgame excitement along with our refreshments. Being from Oklahoma, I rarely get to celebrate a win, in St. Louis, surrounded by a crowd of Cardinal fans. It was wonderfully fun and the perfect ending to a fabulous gathering.

Thanks again to the St. Louis Cardinals for hosting the event; Molly and Kathy for their hard work in setting it all up and their hospitality; Melody Yount, Derek Throneburg and especially John Mozeliak for giving the UCB a memorable event at Busch Stadium. Thanks also to the staff in the suites who made us all comfortable and provided us with great food, drinks and service. And my special thanks to the two Matthews, Philip and Leach, for adding so much to my experience.

It was especially wonderful to meet everyone that I associate with my Cardinals, from twitter and blogs to the guys behind the MLB tools I use daily.

The Cardinals begin the first of their 10 games on the road today as they face the San Francisco Giants. Game time is early today at 3:35pm.

Go Cards!! =)

Cardinal Hospitality

2011-04-07T14:06:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday I was pretty hyped to be in a party suite at Busch Stadium, watching the game with 25-30 other Cardinal bloggers/writers as guests of the St. Louis Cardinals! My adventure started back in March when an email invitation to the 2011 Blogger Event arrived in my inbox, R.S.V.P. required. Needless to say, that decision was a no-brainer.

On Sunday morning a group of us congregated outside of Busch Stadium, excited to soon be entering the stadium through the doors of the Cardinals Administrative Offices, located at 700 Clark Street. We were greeted by Molly Radcliffe and Kathy Langenfield who gave us welcome packets full of information about ticket packages, special promotions, a “Tweet Me In St. Louis” t-shirt and our own copies of the beautiful 2011 Cardinals Media guide. Next we were escorted to a large conference room where Melody Yount (manager of media relations and new media) spoke briefly and then introduced John Mozeliak, the Cardinals General Manager.

Mr. Mozeliak gave us a quick state-of-the-team review and talked about the offseason moves and roster changes, then patiently took questions from the group for almost 30 minutes. I must admit it was highly entertaining listening to a group of us “less experienced” new media types ask questions of the GM. Everyone was well-behaved and respectful, but the nervous energy was palpable. Mozeliak answered all questions. None of it was “breaking news,” mostly statements we had heard before from him or the team. But to give Mo some credit, he did inject some humor which lightened the mood. For example, those in attendance now have a new frame of reference regarding our shortstop’s batting average (as it relates to the weight of Mo’s daughter). Also, Mozeliak gave us a status report on Matt Holliday’s recovery from his appendectomy, using the word “bloated,” after which I promptly tuned out in order to clear that less-than-flattering visual from my head. (Get well soon, Matt!)

Mo made his exit in order to attend to pressing Cardinals business, (why else wouldn’t he hang with us for lunch?) and Derek Throneburg filled us in on the new dynamic ticket pricing. Honestly, after listening to Mr. Throneburg and perusing the glossy info sheets in our goodie bag, I am impressed by the effort of the Cardinals to provide tickets and packages at great bargains. No more excuses…. You gotta get to a ballgame at Busch!

After all that official stuff (many thanks to Mr. Mozeliak for taking the time for the UCB Q&A!), we headed to the suites where the Cardinals provided a buffet of yummy food and drinks. (Ask Angela about those brownies…) Jim Hayes of FoxSports Midwest stopped by to chat, but Fredbird stole the show when he flew in and posed for pictures.

Sunday’s Cardinals game was a must-see with Jaime Garcia throwing a complete game shut-out against the Padres, earning the Cardinals their first win of the season. And even though I didn’t actually watch much of the game – my own fault: I was having too much fun chatting with other bloggers/writers that I had never actually met in person before – I will always remember that game experience.

By far, the best part of the event (for me) was the chance to finally meet all the great people of the UCB (United Cardinal Bloggers.) Take it from me, even if you absolutely love how they write, they are even better in person!

Daniel Shoptaw (UCB founder and voice of C70 At The Bat) helped me come up with a list of the fine UCB folk who were present on Sunday. Somehow I didn't manage to meet them all, so I'll be looking forward to next time! Check out links to their great sites at the UCB Website.

Part of the UCB crew in attendance on Sunday
Photo courtsey of Daniel Shoptaw

Matt and Josh--Joe Sports Fan

Nick, Josh, Dennis--Pitchers Hit Eighth

Angela (and me)--Cardinal Diamond Diaries

Christine--Aaron Miles' Fastball

Chris--Bird Brained

Daniel--C70 At The Bat

Bob--On The Outside Corner

Dustin--Welcome to Baseball Heaven

Kevin--Cards 'N Stuff

John--STL: Fear The Red

Aaron--Cards Diaspora

Bill--I70 Baseball

Matt--Baseball Digest

Eugene--85% Sports

Steve--Gas House Graphs

Mike and Joe--Cards Droppings

Joe--The McBrayer-Baseball Blog

Tom and Ryan--Cardinals GM

Dathan--Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Goodnight

Justin--Intangiball/InsideSTL

Pip--Fungoes

But wait… there’s more! (Way too much for one post.)

Tomorrow I’ll fill you in on how I ended up in the Busch Stadium press-box and what happened when Matthew Leach got stuck answering some of my questions. Plus, some of us wandered over to Paddy-O’s after the game….

No Cardinal baseball today, but the Memphis Redbirds take on the OKC Redhawks in Memphis tonight for Opening Day in the minor leagues!

Go Redbirds!! =)

The Berkman Bandwagon

2011-04-05T11:37:00.002-05:00

Mark your calendars: the date was April 4^th. Lance Berkman made it into my inner circle of Cardinal love.

Lance Berkman had a clean slate with me. I knew he was a former Houston Astro, but that was about it. (The “new baseball fan” status still gives me an excuse for my unfamiliarity with everything not Cardinal-related.) The Cardinals picked him up in the off-season and the first things I hear about him are 1) Big Puma 2) Fat Elvis and 3) bad knees….. not exactly a glowing report to hang your cap on, Lance. ;)

Being a fan of our up-and-coming babybirds and pulling for those young guys to get their due chance with the big club, I am not a huge fan of Tony LaRussa’s propensity to favor new-to-me veteran additions to the roster. Sure, those veterans have experience…. but I don’t remember any of it (new baseball fan excuse.) So those guys have to give me a reason to love them. They have to show me some heart, hustle like their job depends on it or at least have a personality that makes me forget that they’re blocking the babybird pipeline to the Majors.

Last night, Lance Berkman had all three. I was shocked to see him tear around the bases in a hit and run, ending up at 3^rd! Bad knees? They sure looked to be working well to me. Then the Fox Sports camera (and microphone) caught Berkman as he headed to the dugout, smiling ear to ear, stop at the steps to shout a heads-up to Skip Schumaker, warning that the pitcher was throwing inside. Big points to FSMW for showing that exchange. Personality and teamwork on display makes me happy.

Add to that the (boring) stats from last night that Berkman drew two walks in his first two at bats and hit a rbi single to help spark hope in the almost-rally of the 8^th inning and Lance has earned himself a spot in my heart. Fellow United Cardinals Blogger Christine Coleman was quicker to the Berkman bandwagon than I was. She pointed out to me at the game on Sunday how quirkily entertaining it is to watch Lance nervously walk in little circles in the outfield after every pitch. (Quirky works for me…. See: Brendan Ryan.)

So, while I was warned that I would love Berkman this season because he had a “great personality,” I stubbornly held out for proof… and spunk. Welcome to the club, Lance Berkman. You’ve earned a new fan. (Mr. Theriot, I am still waiting.)

The Cardinals did end up with another loss last night. They are now 1-3 in 2011. (Note: the Cardinal win came on Sunday while the United Cardinal Bloggers were in attendance at the game – not that that matters, but I think it might?) David Freese wasn’t feeling the love yesterday. He went 0-4 and has a batting average of .154 which is still better than Pujols’ batting average (now at .125.) Aren’t early season statistics fun? They don’t mean much, but yet we all want to make something out of them. Brendan Ryan is batting .083 for the Mariners right now if you were curious ;)

And of course I have to mention Hunky Holliday: On March 31^st, Matt had a power explosion with 3 hits, a homerun and 2 RBIs. The very next day Holliday was in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Then, 3 days later reports come out (yesterday) that Matt asked to be kept off the 15 day disabled list because he believes he would be able to return before then. Superman? Possibly. Stud? Definitely! ;)

late edit: link to FSMW video with Hunky talking about his surgery and recovery: click HERE.

The Cardinals take on the Pirates again tonight at 7:15 CT with Kyle McClellan on the mound. I feel a win. Go Cards!! ;)

P.S. Hey Angela, I am working on that post about all the fun from the United Cardinal Bloggers (UCB) event at Busch on Sunday---with pictures… promise! ;)

LIVE From Busch Stadium!

2011-04-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

When you get an email from St. Louis Cardinals offering you free tickets, food, drink, and a chance to mingle and meet other writers and bloggers, you would have to be absolutely insane to pass it up, right?

We are here!

We thought so too.

Erika and I are currently hanging out in the Ozzie Smith suite at Busch Stadium with some of our favorite people, despite the fact that we just met many of them today or last night. I think there are still stars in our eyes from getting to meet so many people and do the things we have been able to do so far, and it is currently only the end of the second inning!

We were ushered in through a nice area with conference rooms and an area to meet and talk with various members of the Cardinals front office, including John Mozeliak. Mo chatted for a bit about various topics, then took a few questions from all of us, which we greatly appreciated. While I am sure that he skirted around some questions and did not give answers to the satisfaction of some members in attendance, I feel like we got a decent amount of information.

Chattin' it up with Mo

When asked about Pujols, we did get the company line of, "We tried really hard to get a deal done, but negotiations have been shut down as of right now, and we do not anticipate to bring them back up until the end of the season. At that point we feel confident that we can still get a deal in place, but we have to do what is in the best interests of the club." What did you expect?

When asked about the status of Wainwright's contract, in light of him being on the disabled list and not able to fulfill the stipulations of his contract extension, Mo said that the team had not as of yet had extensive discussions with the Waino camp, but that he has certainly earned the right to all that and more. Good answer! (Yes, I am wearing my Waino shirt. What did you expect?)

An interesting question to me was one about if he as a general manger ever looked back at guys that he had traded away, a form of "buyer's remorse" as it was. He said he did not, as it wouldn't really do him any good anyway (and then joked, "Isn't that what the media is for?").

When asked if he had any plans to get more involved with social media, namely all of us, Mo just kinda of went, "Well... no." At least he's honest! He said it is definitely a conversation he can have in the future, but he had not as of yet.

We were here!

I know there were other questions and answers, lots of information he passed out, but those are the clear ones for me. After Mo took off we learned about the new dynamic pricing program, which changes the prices of tickets based on the demand for each individual game. We also talked about about the 1120 program, which gets you a pair of vouches for $11.20 that will then get you into the game that night. The trick of it is that based on the game that day and the availability of tickets, your seats could be anywhere from field boxes to standing room only. It was at this point that I realized (again... still... some more) that I need to move to St. Louis so I can take advantage of programs like that!

A few other random pics, since it's now the fourth and I actually want to, you know, watch some of the game...

We met Fredbird!

Jim "the Cat" Hayes with Daniel Shoptaw from C70

Our view. No complaints!

There will be more later, but it might not be until tonight. Enjoy the game! GO CARDS!

Spring Training, Episode 2

2011-03-30T19:17:00.000-05:00

Daniel Descalso!!

With only hours left until Opening Day at Busch Stadium and a full season of Cardinals baseball ahead of us, here’s the final part of my Spring Training report with highlights of my time in Jupiter watching our boys.

Some tidbits of Spring Training Magic. Enjoy!

Luck of the Late Arrivals

Kyle McClellan

After driving the 4 hours from Tampa, we arrived at Roger Dean Stadium less than 2 hours before game time on Friday. We hit the team store briefly, then headed to the backfields as the small crowds were dispersing. Figuring we’d missed the fun, we weren’t expecting much. But we caught some pitchers taking batting practice, having fun competing for total distance, etc. Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook and Kyle McClellan were taking turns in the cage and after they were finished, all three signed autographs for the fans that were still hanging around.

In camp for approximately 30 minutes and getting autographs from three starting pitchers? Why yes, I do believe in fairy tales! ;)

Pujols Smacks TWO!!

Albert Pujols is ……. Well, he’s Albert Pujols. What more can you say? The Spring Training crowd that Saturday went wild when Albert led off the 4^th inning with a solo blast to left center field. Next inning, Pujols decided to do it again, with another homerun. We felt honored to be watching. Nothing magic about this one…. Just Pure Pujols. ;)

Morning Frivolities on the Back Fields

On Sunday morning, Lance Berkman was good-naturedly terrorizing Skip Schumaker in the batting cages. Yadi, Ryan Theriot, Skip and Berkman were taking turns in the cage. The sun was hot and the crowd was sparse when Berkman decided to have some fun. He started smacking the cage with his bat when pitches came in to Schumaker. This progressed to full-fledge cage rattling to distract him. Pretty soon Yadi and Theriot were joining in and all four were laughing. It was one of those behind-the-scenes moments that makes me smile. Nice to see Cardinal clubhouse chemistry alive and well. ;)

“Look! It’s Carp!!”

That's what I said to Hubby on Sunday, pointing up the sidewalk. He mumbles something like “How can you see with that guy in the way?”

Turns out that guy was Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals’ Ace and starting pitcher for Opening Day. He was heading out for a run in shorts and a t-shirt. Nobody else was around. It was eerie and exciting all at the same time. Carp wasn’t stopping to chat though, and I didn’t bother him to ask for an autograph. Memories of the Carp temper and flashbacks to the icy glares he shot Brendan Ryan that time last season kept me from invading his personal space. I did grab my camera though. Carp in shorts?? I had an obligation to document that leg art. ;)

Blessed Are the Happy Autograph Givers

In my opinion, the best part of Spring Training is the accessibility to the players. (For autographs as well as great photo opportunities) The environment is welcoming and the smaller venue affords a better chance to interact with these players we watch from a distance during the regular baseball season. I adore observing Cardinals interacting with fans, especially with kids. Some of the guys are admittedly better about it than others, but those brief moments when a favorite ballplayer stops to take a picture or sign an autograph often will be more poignant memories for fans than the action on the field that day.

Skip Schumaker making kids happy

We certainly didn’t camp out for hours or pester players for autographs. Several players voluntarily made themselves available to sign for fans after practice and before or after games. I know some players are jaded by the fact that autographs may end up on Ebay instead of as treasured spring training mementos. However the players who take the time and spread some joy with a pen on a baseball make long-lasting, positive impressions on fans. Those moments are priceless, no matter how old you are.

Well, those are a few of my highlights from Spring Training. Game One of the 2011 Cardinals season is tomorrow!!! We here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries look forward to sharing the season with you all!

GO CARDS!!

Spring Training, Episode 1

2011-03-30T11:20:00.001-05:00

Spring Training means different things to different people. To me, a trip to Florida in late March when the weather is warm and Opening Day is juuussssst around the corner makes perfect sense. Mornings spent soaking up the sights and sounds of baseball drills on the backfields of Roger Dean stadium are not too chilly. Starters are going longer into games and the lineups are full of actual, live 2011 Cardinals!! It’s as close to “real” season baseball as possible… while still in the cozy setting of the Cardinals Spring Training facility, surrounded by palm trees, sea breezes and sunshine.

Brief Recap:

Previous Spring Training trips (’09 and ’10) were hard on Hubby.

In 2009, new fan syndrome was in full effect. I’d be up at the crack of dawn, not wanting to miss a single glimpse of a guy in a Cardinal uniform. I was on Yadi Watch constantly. We hadn’t heard about the opportunity of watching morning practice drills. I took a total of 178 photos (many of them were blurry because I was shaking from the excitement of it all.) I noticed a guy named David Freese (#66) and took pictures of Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel. We saw two games and fell in love with the Spring Training atmosphere.

In 2010, new fan syndrome was still rampant. PLUS I was armed with useful information from a baseball fan’s best tool: twitter. For example, this time I knew about Roger Dean stadium’s back fields, morning workouts & autograph opportunities, and the existence of Pyros Grill. I was on Matt Holliday watch. I took over 700 photos (some were still blurry because Brendan Ryan was spinning too fast for my camera or because I was drooling -just a little- over David Freese.) I took pictures with Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse. We saw 4 games – 2 home and 2 away. I toured a baseball museum (because Aaron Hooks offered me free tickets if I’d review it for Cards Diaspora… #win!) Highlight?? David Freese signed my shirt!!! I was addicted to Spring Training. Baseball overdose at it’s most extreme.

(Hubby was more than relieved to finally get me out of Florida!)

So, on our third trip to Spring Training, this year we did something different. Maybe because I’ve matured in my fandom, maybe because Hubby medicated me…who knows? But somehow we achieved a more well-rounded Florida vacation. Don’t get me wrong. It revolved around baseball! But we did venture away from Roger Dean. We enjoyed restaurants and sight-seeing that didn’t involve player-stalking. (Granted, I knew I had to behave myself if Hubby would ever agree to a Spring Training trip #4!)

Last week we even went to see some *gasp* non-Cardinals games. In fact, while Hubby was meeting friends for a day of fishing (he saw dolphins!!), I ventured off all by myself to watch the Phillies play the Braves. That experience was a perfect Spring Training warm-up. I was a berm bum, taking in a game whose players/teams I was less familiar with. Honestly, I bought that ticket hoping to see Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee pitch for the Phillies and fully expecting to be cheering on former Cardinal Joe Mather in a Braves uniform. Alas, none of my hopefuls were in the game. So, I spent a lot of time watching just baseball. I didn’t care who won or lost. And you know what? I loved every second of it. The view from the grass was different, enlightening – the game looks different and catches that seem so simple when watching from the infield are suddenly a heckuva lot more impressive when the fielder manages to intercept a rocket while chasing across the outfield grass. It was baseball. Good baseball. Man, you gotta love Spring Training!

ST Game 1

Yay!! – 78 degrees, light winds and sunshine.

- Ryan Madson, in all his Madson glory, LIVE!

- Beach party on the OF berm

Boo - No Joe, Halladay or Lee, but I got over it. ;)

That same night we went to watch the Yankees take on the Astros at the Yankees Spring Training complex. We were late to the game and the gate guardian wouldn’t let me bring in some of my camera gear. So we were even later after lugging it back to the parking lot again. No Mariano Rivera appearance. (So far I was shooting 0-fer on my Spring Training hopefuls.) However it was a night game and the stadium was full of New York fans. Suffice it to say, that was a FAR different experience than Roger Dean Stadium full of Cardinal fans at 1:05pm games. ;) Again, I savored every second.

ST Game 2

Yay!! – Joba and Dave Robertson pitching relief.

- Jeter. Jeter. Jeter.

- Brett Wallace (former Redbird) playing 1^st, but hitless

- Kettle corn for dinner!

- Chuckling about “Mr. Know-It-All” sitting behind us who was always handing out words of (incorrect) wisdom to his kids

Boo - Gate trolls and repeat trips to the parking lot.

With that, my Spring Training warm-up was complete and we had a 4-hour drive to Jupiter, Florida (near West Palm Beach) for Cardinals camp the next morning. Needless to say… it was hard to fall asleep that night.

Next post: my stories from Jupiter and my time at Cardinals’ Spring Training: running into Chris Carpenter out of uniform, on the sidewalk by the stadium; the batting practice frivolity of Lance Berkman; autographs, meeting players, and my favorite Spring Training game moments.

Fitting it all in a blog before Opening Day (tomorrow) was poor planning… but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Like I said, we all do Spring Training a little differently. I spend a lot of time taking pictures instead of keeping a scorecard. I love watching ballplayers sign autographs and how they interact with fans. Spring Training provides a unique opportunity to live and breathe the beginnings of baseball season…. until the big show begins.

Happy Opening Day Eve!! =)

Starting to Mean Something

2011-03-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

Those of you that know me a bit know that I get really excited about the beginning of the baseball season. First day of Spring Training? Check (I wore red). First spring game? I found ways to watch that silly little Gameday box from my desk at work (and I wore red). First televised game? I again snuck peaks at the game (despite being unable to listen to most of it) from work (and wore more red).

Each and every first made me smile, caused me to comment, and gave me reason to talk about baseball a little more than usual. But when the game ended and the final score was posted, I shut it down. I didn't fuss that too many men were left on base or get irritated at why Tony used this reliever instead of that one. Because it didn't matter. Spring records mean nothing (although I imagine being incredibly bad or blowing everyone out would turn heads). I have no idea what the standings look like for the Grapefruit League, nor will I be looking them up anytime soon.

It's not that I don't care. I'm trying to guess my way through those last few roster spots just like everyone else. I have been looking at various names/faces/statistics, but every time I start to get wrapped up in it I remember: Never fall in love too early in spring. Two weeks ago I was pulling for Lance Lynn for the rotation, Daniel Descalso to be the last bench player, was genuinely concerned about Lance Berkman, and still found little reason to trust Kyle Lohse. Since then I changed my mind... on all of those. But let's look at one at a time...

Pitchers: I am a huge Kyle McClellan fan. Really. I want him to succeed in whatever role he finally lands in. However, it seems that every year he gets put into the rotation mix during Spring Training, I pull for someone else. Why is that? It's because I constantly fall into the belief that while fifth starters can be found through any number of ways (and the Cardinals have a history of... interesting... fifth starter names over the past few years), strong and reliable workhorse bullpen arms are a little tougher to come by. I don't doubt Boggs and Motte. I love those goobers and the flaming fastballs they shoot out of their arms like cannons. I do at the same time love that McClellan can use an assortment of pitches and be the kind of setup man that TLR loves to have and use.

I was pulling for Lance Lynn to have the kind of spring that Jaime Garcia did last year. After watching him today, I'm still unconvinced that he absolutely couldn't do it. His outing was okay, 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs and 4 strikeouts is nothing to be super critical of, but not eye opening either. McClellan has done nothing but mow 'em down. I want it to be McClellan. I suppose I'm pulling for Fernando Salas to get that last spot in the pen, but as Derrick Goold noted this afternoon, the team hasn't decided yet. I'm not sold, but I feel better about this all now than I did a couple of weeks ago, that's for sure.

The other pitcher discussion has to be the combination of Jake Westbrook, Garcia, and Lohse. Quick, if you would have picked one of those three to have a strong spring, which would it have been? I would seriously laugh if you had said Lohse. NO ONE saw it coming. Will it last into the regular season? I certainly hope so. I don't expect him, Westbrook or Garcia to take the place of Adam Wainwright (*sniff*... I'm okay, it's dust or something), but feeling like we could rely on him to be more like the pitcher we saw in 2008 would be fantastic! Is it time to get concerned about Westbrook feeling like he hasn't really been able to get his pitches under control or Garcia not feeling worried about his not great start or not working counts well? I suppose that time is getting close. The games are starting to mean something (even if the final scores still do not).

Outfield: Color me not really worried about the outfield. Holliday and Rasmus are obviously just fine, and I think Berkman will be too. He probably cannot and really should not be playing every game like he thinks he can, but I feel confident enough in Jay and Craig being the other two outfielders that it should work out nicely. Should Berkman go down, it would not be the end of the world. I just hope he doesn't. That's all.

AP Photo

Infield: The four starters are clear - Pujols, Skip, Theriot, and Freese. No questions there. The two bench spots are the trick. Most assume that Tyler Greene will take one of them, but then it comes down to Daniel Descalso or Matt Carpenter. At the beginning of spring I would have said Descalso, no question. I fell in love too early, then felt Carpenter sweep Cardinal Nation collectively off our feet. He's not on the 40 man roster, but man, he could be. The fans like him. The front office likes him. Tony likes him (and his work ethic... so... he's the anti-Brendan?).

But.

Dang. There had to be a 'but.'

Carpenter plays third. In reality, he only plays third. We have a third baseman by the name of David Freese. Freese has obviously had his share of boo-boos and injury mishaps, and the team is taking care of those and shielding him from doing too much too soon, but really, do you want two players on your team that only play third base? Greene can play second and short, but Descalso can play second, short, and third. Versatility will get you everywhere on a Tony team, just ask Aaron Miles.

Is there a right or wrong answer as to who to take north? I'm not sure there is. The point will most likely be moot anyway whenever Nick Punto (Yeah, I forgot about him too) comes off the disabled list. Both players have played well. Carpenter has gotten more print, but both have averages over .300, both have played solid defense. If you want to argue logistics, then fine - Descalso has experience at the big league level, although very limited (11 games and 37 plate appearances), while Carpenter hasn't played a game above AA. That is definitely a factor.

Don't sell either short. However, just because the games are starting to mean something doesn't mean it's been long enough to fall for either player.

That's why they play the games. :)

Even if it was only one game...I finally made it back to Spring Training!!

2011-03-16T08:00:00.006-05:00

Finally back after 5 long years!

It has been 5 years (almost to the week) since I last attended a Spring Training game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. March 2006 was also the first time I ever went to Spring Training. We also know what happened in October 2006....so if I am any kind of luck, 2011 could potentially be a Red October. :) Of course I am just being a little superstitious and silly, but it is always fun to think about.

For the last Spring Break of my college career (hopefully!), I visited a friend in Miami, Florida. I told her that I would do anything else during the week as long as we could go to a Spring Training game in Jupiter. Knowing how obsessed I am with baseball and the Cardinals, she agreed, even though she barely knows anything about baseball. I promised her that I would teach her as much as I could and we would have a great time.

Yadier Molina - you can't tell here, but I
swear his eyes were closed!

In my usual over-zealous fashion, we got there before the gates even opened and I spent a good 20-30 minutes in the official team store buying quite a few goodies. Don't worry, I did bring back my little sister an official Spring Training t-shirt. I knew she would have been disappointed if I didn't. Once the gates opened and we got in, I made my way down to the first row on the 1^st base side of the stands. I parked myself right in front of the bullpen pitchers mound and waited for players to begin to enter the field.

After about an hour of waiting, finally John Gast, LHP, was the first to enter the field. I think about 3 people bothered even showing interest in him before a little boy in the berm asked for his autograph. He turned around and gladly gave it to him. After a while several more players began to enter the field, with Yadier Molina being one of the first as usual. As I watched him warm up, catching soft-tossed balls from bullpen catcher Murphy, I swear he actually did close his eyes when taking those warmup tosses. (remember the commercial from 2009 when he was blindfolded catching baseballs??). More and more players entered the field, and I got that same excited feeling I do every new season...I was shaking I was so excited. I think this is probably the coolest part of spring training. Instead of the players entering the field from the dugout, where very few fans are able to see them up close, they enter from the outfield where the berm is, so many fans are able to see the players up close and personal and get autographs and chat with their favorite players.

Me & Daniel Descalso

I was lucky enough to meet Daniel Descalso & Mark Hamilton while they were signing autographs near the Cardinals' bullpen on the first base side. If you have read Daniel's MLB blog (http://danieldescalso.mlblogs.com/), you know that he has given us a really great inside look on what a day of spring training is like. When I saw him coming around the corner signing autographs, I was excited that I would hopefully get to meet him...and I did. Everyone else just seemed to be asking for autographs, so I asked for a picture as well. My list of pictures with Cardinal players is getting checked off quickly. :) A little while later, Mark Hamilton was doing the same thing, and I got a photo with him as well.

Me & Mark Hamilton

We continued to watch Jaime Garcia warm up before we got booted out of the seats we were using. We headed to our seats in the second level and got to watch an awesome baseball game against the Boston Red Sox. I was actually really glad I got to see this game because I don't think I have ever seen the Red Sox live and in person. There were a lot of Red Sox fans sitting around us, but thankfully the guy next to me was a Cardinal fan, and I got to impress him with my knowledge. I remember him saying to me, “yeah, you need to work for this team, you know so much!” I hope this comes true someday. We all know it would be a dream come true for me!

Me & CJ Beatty - sorry it's not the best,
iphone picture... :)

Prior to the game, I had contacted one of my favorite Cardinal twitter-ers, @CJBeatty44, to see if I could meet him. Fortunately, he was supposed to be attending the game before his workouts started the next day! He so politely obliged and we decided to get in contact with each other on March 8^th at the game. After several emails back and forth, we realized that we were actually sitting one section away from each other! So, before he had to leave (those dang American League teams cause games to be sooooo long!), we met up. Ok, people, if you enjoy CJ on twitter, you would love to meet him in person! Such a nice, humble guy. I must admit, when I read on his stats that he was 5'10”, I wasn't sure what to expect (honestly, I thought I might be a little taller than him because I too am 5'10”), but we were the same height. Good for you CJ, I hate it when players fudge their height on their stats page. Haha. Unfortunately we couldn't spend much time chatting, his girlfriend only had a few more hours to spend with him before his season started, and of course I wanted to watch the rest of the game. However, I can say from what I have read on his website (www.cjbeatty.com) he is a sincerely genuine person, and any Cardinal fans that get a chance to meet him would be very lucky. I am happy to say that we are now friends and I am looking forward to watching his journey as a member of the Palm Beach Cardinal and hopefully on up through the organization and as a St. Louis Cardinal one day. CJ, thanks so much for meeting me! I wish you the best of luck in 2011 and in the future!

Me & my friend Kristin at Roger Dean Stadium

Cardinal fans, I am soooo excited for baseball season! I know we have already had some setbacks and some scares heading into the 2011 season, but I still have faith...I think that there will be several young-veterans and other younger guys (baby birds maybe) who will be able to step up and take advantage of an opportunity. Next time you hear from me will probably be right after Opening Day! I will be there with bells on and I can't wait to cheer this team to victory in 2011. All things that have happened thus far, I am excited and I am ready to see what this team does this year. I am not extremely superstitious, but remember, I was last at Spring Training in 2006, and we know what happened then...lets hope for the same in 2011! GO REDBIRDS!!

PS...all of these are my pictures, if you wish to see more, I can post em on twitter!

Welcome Back, David Freese!

2011-03-07T17:22:00.002-06:00

Perhaps winning the CDD’s 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush trophy brought Dave some luck?

Cardinal Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief as David Freese made his 2011 debut at Spring Training today in a game against the Minnesota Twins and did not injure either of his lower extremities.

Over the weekend, word that Dave’s first Spring Training appearance would be delayed after he *sigh* managed to hit a foul tip off his toe in a simulated game brought both groans and jabs at the seemingly injury-prone Cardinal hot corner.

Nevertheless, Freese’s outing today went very, very well. Still cautious running the basepaths, Freese managed 2 hits, 3 RBI, 2 assists and played 5+ innings as the Cardinals beat the Twins, 10-4. It was a pleasant surprise. Dare we hope for more of the same??

The Cardinals have warned us that Freese’s playing time will be limited as he continues to strengthen his ankles following surgery this offseason, cautiously predicting he will play every other day and working up to playing 2 out of 3.

After the good showing today, I gotta say that while I'd love to see more of Freese and his magical RBI bat, I am quite content to be patient.

Be careful,

Strengthen those pretty ankles,

And swing away, Dave! The scoreboard and the infield both look better with you in the game!

What I Love About Baseball

2011-03-07T10:16:00.001-06:00

Know what I love about baseball? Well, besides double plays, pick-offs, pay-off pitches and watching the fellas digging in at the plate?

... I love how baseball fans who’ve never met before always find plenty to talk about. I love how it can bring families together at the ballpark after a grueling work week. I love that so many adults have treasured childhood memories of favorite baseball heroes or MLB game memories that they can recall in vivid detail. I love catching glimpses of Little Leaguers' imagined visions of grandeur as they attempt to emulate their favorite MLB stars.

My relatively young love of baseball has been fostered and encouraged by many people in my life. Some of those closest to me, like my darling Hubby, support my new passion with a wink and a smile (and trips to Spring Training!) My extended family and friends now keep closer tabs on the St. Louis Cardinals - and baseball in general. I smile to see an email from them checking in about Pujols news. It is just another reminder how baseball is a great way to casually reconnect.

I have been even more profoundly amazed by how baseball reaches out in other less direct relationships. For example, one day last year, Hubby showed up from work with a stack of baseball cards. His boss had been escorting his daughter around antique stores on a trip out East. While waiting for his daughter, he noticed baseball cards on the shelves and remembered hearing how passionate I was about the Cardinals. I think he must have bought every Cardinal baseball card he could find that day! It meant so much to me, knowing that he appreciated my interest and picked up those Cardinal cards for me! Some of those cards are now personal treasures…

Another of Hubby’s business associates, Bob, lives in Canada. Bob and I have chatted baseball at a few business dinners, and I have learned that Bob is not only a Blue Jays fan, but a true baseball fan. He has collected cards since childhood and knows more about the sport than I could ever dream of! This past December Bob surprised me by bringing a portion of the Cardinals cards he had collected as a child. He gave them to me, saying he knew I’d appreciate them. He could not have been more right! ;)

Baseball has enriched my life in so many ways. It has brought me closer to family, uncles and brothers-in-law, who now banter with me about the Reds and the Brewers. Baseball has connected me with a wonderful network of Cardinal fans through blogging and twitter, many of whom have become dear friends. I am ever thankful for the game and what it has given me. And I am looking forward to another season of the blessing that is baseball.

-----

Today’s Spring Training game is Cardinals vs. Twins at 12:05, central. David Freese makes his Spring Training debut at third base and Jake Westbrook is on the mound.

Go Cards!!! ;)

Crowning the 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush

2011-03-05T11:13:00.001-06:00

Wow! This seemingly harmless little poll adventure caused quite its share of drama and controversy. Apparently some of the UCB bloggers (not naming any names.... Mr. Ivie) were hoping to see their names on the ballot. (We love you, but this was just for the Cardinals players, guys...)

Then Kevin (@deckacards) decided to call us out on twitter to Cardinals closer, Ryan Franklin (@Franky3131)....

Franky was awesome about it, and you really gotta love a Cardinal player who actually, you know.... tweets with fans. (ahem... @MattHolliday7? where you been???)

So in the fashion of Will Leitch (in his hilarious baseball book "Are We Winning?".... which I highly recommend, by the way) let's take a look at what we have learned:

1. Even playful crush polls, much like junior high, can ruffle some feathers.
2. Write-ins and options for "other" will not cover you.
3. Men DO vote in crush polls but get more fun from stirring up trouble.
4. Ryan Franklin (and his goatee) are both very good sports. ;)

But enough about that....

Courtney presents Freese with the trophy!
Dave is speechless but beams with pride. ;)

The results of our 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush:
1st place ( 34% of the votes) --- DAVID FREESE (the hot hotcorner with the delicate ankles)
2nd place (14% of the votes) --- Yadier Molina (it's YADI!)
3rd place ((11% of the votes) --- Skip Schumaker (aw, it's Skipperdoodle!)
4th & 5th place (tied with 9%) --- Jaime Garcia and Daniel Descalso

Honorable mentions go to Lance Berkman (7% of the votes), Chris Carpenter (5%), Matt Holliday (3%), Ryan Theriot (2%) and Jason Motte (2%).

Thank you for voting!!!
And Congratulations to David Freese. I promise I did not stuff the ballot box. ;)

Cardinal Fans: if you haven't chimed in on the Cardinal Approval Ratings for our friend Daniel at C70 At The Bat, get on over there! This is his third year to take the pulse of Cardinal Nation, getting our opinions on key members of the team and organization. It's a quick poll, no crush questions involved. ;)

2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush Poll

2011-03-01T11:55:00.002-06:00

The boys of summer are warming things up in Jupiter, Florida with Spring Training now underway, and all eyes are on the ball.

Well.... maybe not all eyes... ;)

The Cardinal Crew

We Diamond Diaries gals can get away with some things that the guys of the United Cardinal Bloggers cannot. And yet, who comes up with ideas such as a poll about the Ultimate Cardinal Crush? Yep, a guy! (calling you out, Bill Ivie!)

The New Boys on the Block

So, in honor of heating things up for the 2011 Cardinals baseball season....

*drum roll*

We present your opportunity to have a little fun with us as we crown the Cardinal Diamond Diaries' 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush.

All votes will be anonymous. So guys, feel free to cast your vote without fear. We are well aware that man-crushes count too. ;)

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Thanks for playing!
(If you can't view our poll gadget on your mobile device and feel the intense need to vote before you can log onto a computer at home, feel free to leave your vote in the comments below. We'll make sure it counts!)

United Cardinal Bloggers Roundtable:The Sophomore Class

2011-02-28T09:00:00.014-06:00

Each day during the month of February, the United Cardinal Bloggers fire off an email roundtable discussion about all things baseball - from serious talk of lineups and rotations to the lighter side of the game such as wishlists for musical acts during the 2011 World Series at Busch. If you missed some of the fun, check out the full list of roundtable questions and responses at http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/.

This weekend, it was our turn to come up with a question. And since we gals love our babybirds, we decided to focus on the youngsters. We asked our fellow bloggers to predict how the Cardinals' Sophomore class would fare during the 2011 season.

Angela threw the topic into the ring with this email question:

"Let's focus on a less threatening question today and look at all of the sophomores on the Cardinals roster. Who of these players is due for a big season, and who is in for a sophomore slump? Your choices: David Freese, Jon Jay, Allen Craig, and Jaime Garcia."

Bill Ivie (I-70 baseball)

I look for Jon Jay to have a bit of a slump as he adjusts to being a part time player most of the time this year.

As for breakout years, as much as I have said the opposite, my gut and hope is that Craig is due to show that he belongs in the bigs. My mind tells me that is not going to happen and we have a better shot of a solid year from the glass ankles of David Freese. I would look for Mr. Freese to put up a solid .280/20HR/85RBI season and be considered a solid option at third for a few years

Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat)

I'm with Bill, I think Jay slides some, due to both lack of playing time and the fact that he kind got figured out at the end of last season. He'll be of value, of course, but may not be quite as impressive as he was last year. Garcia will slip a bit as well, but as we discussed in a previous question, that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't still be good.

You figure if Freese can stay healthy, he's going to easily be more than he was last year. I also think that if Craig can get some regular at-bats, no matter where it may be, he'll bring something to the table as well.

Dennis Lawson (Pitchers Hit Eighth)

I think that Freese has the best opportunity for a big season, because he has the best opportunity to play and make an impact. In theory, I look for Jay to slide based on lack of playing time, but we've already seen that projecting playing time is a very slippery slope. TLR has a lot of mix-n-match options, and an injury to any of the position players could completely change the formula. With that in mind, Allen Craig could have a really good showing simply by being in the right place at the right time in 2011.

Mark Tomasik (Retrosimba)

If he stays healthy, David Freese seems poised for a productive season at the plate and in the field. Could see him generating significant run production with gap-power. I suspect Jon Jay is in for a sophomore slump, primarily because of lack of playing time. I’m worried about Jaime Garcia being able to duplicate or exceed last season’s performance, but I’m in denial about it because Cardinals cannot afford him to slump after Adam Wainwright’s setback.

Christine Coleman (Aaron Miles' Fastball)
If Freese can stay healthy, I think he will be due for a big season. He definitely showed the potential during his healthy times last year, so staying healthy throughout all of 2011 will likely be his biggest challenge. If he can meet it, he should have a big year. I think that Jaime Garcia will have a little bit of a sophomore slump, yet still play a very significant role in the Cards rotation (all the more important now). Like others have already said, I think that Jon Jay will have a little bit of a sophomore slump just based on his presumptive decrease in playing time. Hopefully Craig will see his playing time increase this season as well.

Dustin McClure (Welcome to Baseball Heaven)

Like most of my fellow bloggers have stated I’m going to predict a very nice season for David Freese barring injury. Unfortunately the way this season has started I’ll be more than surprised if he doesn’t land on the DL for an extended period.

Jaime Garcia set the bar so high for himself it’s going to be hard for him to repeat that success. Some regression for Jaime, but not a sophomore slump my any means.

As for Jon Jay and Allen Craig my gut feeling predicts a semi-breakout season for Craig. He’s done nothing but rake in Memphis and I’m hopeful with regular MLB at bats he can have similar production. As far as Jay goes I’m thinking Skip Schumaker type offensive numbers. To me Jay projects as a long term 4^th outfielder while Craig could be the Cardinals right fielder of the future.

Matthew Philip (Fungoes)

David Freese seems the best equipped to go big this season, though his hopes are limited by the same thing that prevented a breakout rookie season in 2010: health. And that reality leads to Allen Craig potentially performing better this year, if for no other reason than he might get more playing time (filling in for Freese) and can't do much worse than his .282 BABIP last season. Bill James even projects him for a .350 wOBA, which is more in line with his minor-league numbers. Realistically, Garcia is going to look like he's slumping, though he'll probably simply be performing more toward what his numbers should've been last year: an expected FIP an entire point above his ERA.

Bob Netherton (On The Outside Corner)
For a breakout season, you have to go with David Freese because either way it goes, you'll be right :-) He'll either hit .280, 12 homers and drive in 75 runs or some part of a stadium will fall on him in a game and break some body part. David Freese is more than just a baseball player, he's a walking anatomy lesson.

The sophomore slump will have to go to Jon Jay, although that's not altogether fair. The lack of consistent playing time will hurt him somewhat. Add to that some expectations from last year that are unrealistically high, he will have the perception of slumping.

I do believe that Jaime Garcia will defy all of the projections and have a terrific year. Every once in a while a player comes along that just doesn't fit the model, and I believe Garcia is that player.

Erika (Cardinal Diamond Diaries)

Ever the Cardinal optimist, I foresee our sophomores surging ahead this year. Jaime Garcia had a phenomenal first year. With his maturity and professional demeanor, I expect him to continue to grow with experience and step up again this season to make up for the absence of Adam Wainwright.

I am hopeful that both Jon Jay and Allen Craig will get enough playing time to further hone their big league skills. Jay did burst onto the scene last season with what could only be described as offensive magic last year, but slid a little back into the realms of reality as opposing pitchers became familiar. Allen Craig, on the other hand struggled offensively from inconsistent playing time. I think both their numbers normalize to some solid contributions in 2011.

And then there's David Freese. Pardon me a moment while I stop and smile? OK... all better now. ;) Dave has worked his tail off over the winter rehabbing not one, but two ankles. Tagged with the "injury prone" label is never a good thing. This is the season that Freese makes us all forget about the past. If When he stays healthy, David Freese is going to have an amazing year. Back in 2010 we saw his power and range. I'm looking forward to a solid year for Dave! *fingers crossed*

Thanks to the UCB group above for joining the conversation!

The Cardinals play their first Spring Training game today! Doesn't that just make your Monday better? Have a great week everyone! =)

Compare and Contrast - Class

2011-02-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

Waino no bueno? *tear*
h/t @MatthewHLeach

I sat, stunned, as I saw twitter explode with the news that Adam Wainwright was heading to St. Louis with elbow trouble. My fears were realized when another explosion occurred in my little corner of the internet with the sad tale that Waino was going to be shut down for the year to have Tommy John surgery. I then became horrified when I heard of Jonny Gomes's comments about the matter.

So what I'm here to talk about today is this - class. Some people have it, others need it, and others need it defined for them before they can figure out how to get it.

*ahem*

What happened with Gomes frustrated me. The cover-up/spin put on it by the Reds organization/media made it seem all the more ridiculous that people allow themselves to say things like that without realizing that yes, your voice is being heard, and your words will be spread to the masses by lunchtime thanks to twitter, blogs, and the like. If you're looking for amusing thoughts on the situation, head over to Pitcher's Hit Eighth... Dennis did a better job injecting some amusement into the situation than I ever could.

I could handle the Gomes thing to a certain extent. At least someone was bright enough to tell him that he should probably apologize. He's in the spotlight. I definitely hit the eject button this afternoon though when I spotted a comment awaiting moderation from a Reds fan. It was posted on Erika's goodbye to Jason LaRue from back in September. I did not publish said comment due to the fact that it used no less than six words that I would not be allowed to speak at my grandmother's dinner table, much less publish as representation of a website that I belong to. What sparked such heinous comments months after the fact is absolutely beyond me. All I could think to say was, "Stay classy, Reds fans."

This morning I was directed to this post written by none other than Adam Wainwright himself. I was mesmerized while reading it. I already had a tremendous respect for Adam as a player, person, and Christian, but what I read in that post made that admiration grow exponentially. If I were him, I would have felt devastated with the news that my body had broken down on me at such a high point in my career. Instead he is looking at it as an opportunity, a way to spread God's love to others through his actions and words off of the diamond. He won't be gone though, as evidenced by this thought:

I absolutely hate the idea of missing this season with teammates. I think we have a real good shot to win the World Series. The group we have is really special, and I'll have my pom pom''s out in full force. But here's the deal. This injury, the one that makes me miss an entire year of baseball, has allowed me to stop missing what is right in front of me. I am blessed with an amazing God. A God who continues to teach me lessons in mysterious ways.

I love that! Waino's got class. He will be back. I hope Cardinal fans take after him, instead of spending their time firing dumb comments into the atmosphere in retaliation of what others say about our team.

Kid In A Candy Store

2011-02-16T23:33:00.001-06:00

I know that there are about three of you out there that have been waiting for this post, but I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well...

This past weekend was the first Midwest Baseball Writer's Conference, held at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, Missouri. I know, a long trip for me, but worth every second. I got to leave the snow of Wisconsin, enjoy a few days of sunshine in Missouri, see a truckload of sports history, and talk baseball for an entire day? WIN.

For those of you (I'm assuming most of you) that have never been able to check out the Hall of Fame before, I snapped some pics on my dumbphone (that would be a non-smartphone) for your enjoyment.

Stan's corner, complete with a TV showing his enshrinement
into the hall (he played his harmonica!)

Main Cards section, including lots of momentos from the
2006 World Series

I know that I could have spent several more hours reading all of the various plaques that were in the upstairs of the museum. Some of my favorites included...

Branch Rickey

Rogers Hornsby

Jack Buck

Stan Musial (of course)

Of course, I checked out all the sports fun and games. For the record, I am horrible at the football throw, but think I could take most of you at shooting free throws. An interesting one was the simulation where you could watch a major league pitch. The Cardinal player you could pick was Darryl Kile, so of course I had to see what his 12-to-6 curveball would look like coming in to me at the plate. It's definitely worth the trip to see the history, but the little kid in me couldn't walk away from the games either!

Of course, if you go to a conference, you should actually talk about the presenters, right? Up first on the day was John Lofflin, a journalism professor at Park University in Parkville, MO (and writer over at i70 Baseball). John's section was labeled "Interlopers in Eden: Sports Writers, Gamblers, Gurus and Women." He talked on many different baseball books, what the author's intent was, the thought process that readers go through as they journey through the stories, and how the different 'villains' (for lack of a better term) were portrayed. I had to laugh at the inclusion of women in the title, considering I was the only one there! Matt Kelsy made a good point in the discussion when he stated the following:

These stories aren't about baseball. They're about life. They just use baseball to tell the story.

I couldn't agree more. One of the best things about this conference was the discussion feel of it. We weren't there to be lectured at, but to be chatting about the game we all obviously loved.

Roger Erickson was up next. Roger is the head of the Kansas City chapter of SABR, that is, the Society for American Baseball Research. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what all SABR had their little hands in, but in reality it is quite a lot. People point to them as the creators of more advanced sabermetrics such as WAR, WHIP, and many other statistics that we've just accepted into our mainstream baseball vocabulary. I got a good laugh when the first thing he stood up and said was, "The first thing I want you to know about us is that we are not all baseball nerds." I looked around the room... do you really think any person in there listening to him was not a baseball nerd? Nice.

Steve Sommer from Gashouse Graphs was last up on the agenda, and my math background had a major geek-out during this one. Steve and Erik run an amazing site using all kinds of advanced statistical analysis to do anything from predict trends in current players (like this post on Motte's fastball velocity) and do things like this post on Jim Edmonds where they prove that he is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Steve actually sat down and explain in broad terms how WAR is calculated, which I was happy about. It seemed like this mystical number that people came up with, and in reality... umm... it kind of is. Okay, take it back, there is a method to it, but there's still a lot of room for interpretation too. Obviously not an exact science, but there is some reasoning, so I feel better.

Long story short, y'all should have been there. I think that we all walked away learning a little more, enjoying some great history in the museum, and, if nothing else, getting to enjoy a day of talking about baseball, both past and present. I'll let Jack Buck tell you how I felt about this day...

Yes it is Jack... yes it is.

Oh, this is what happens when I'm left unsupervised with baseball history all around me.
You know, in case you were wondering...

My, How Things Change

2011-02-08T09:50:00.000-06:00

I laugh realizing just five years ago the name Jupiter made me think planet, not Florida. And “Truck Day” would have meant the local Chevy dealer was having a sale.

Now those words give me happy shivers. Baseball is coming! We survived the long winter, football is finally over and even the groundhog wants an early Spring.

Who would think that seeing crates of sugarless bubblegum and sunflower seeds loaded onto a truck could bring such joy to the hearts of hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of American adults?

Well, we can all smile a little bigger now, knowing those trucks, loaded with vital ballplayer gear and supplies, are on their way to Jupiter….Florida, not the planet. And the first Spring Training camp workouts start February 14^th for pitchers and catchers. Yes, we soon will have baseball!

Wait…February 14^th….

That date used to mean something different too!

My, how things change when you fall in love with baseball! ;)

And the Pujols Biography winners are.....

2011-02-05T10:43:00.002-06:00

Drumroll please?

Our three winners of CDD's first ever giveaway are:
Diane Schultz
Bryan Felker
and Debra Pearlstein

**Congratulations!!**

If you are one of our lucky winners, please send your mailing address to cardsdiamonddiary@gmail.com to claim your book.

*winners have until February 11th at 5pm to claim their copies. If not claimed, a new drawing will be held from among the original entries.

Big thanks to all of you who took the time to enter. We found all the ~~kissing up~~ fun and creative entries extremely entertaining! ;)

And thank you again to Thomas Nelson Publishers for allowing us here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries the chance to spread some baseball joy with the free copies of their new book, Pujols: More Than The Game.

Want a copy for yourself?

Check your local bookstore or order online at Amazon.com.

The Return of Jimmy Ballgame!

2011-02-04T15:06:00.000-06:00

The news hit twitter like a wildfire this afternoon. Jim Edmonds has signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals. Nothing better on a cold, snowy afternoon than seeing Cardinal Nation get all heated up about Jimmy Edmonds coming back to the nest.

We are so tired of no news that suddenly Jimmy’s new minor league contract comeback is sparking conversations that include all corners of the Cardinal roster. Will he replace Colby Rasmus? Is he the Cardinals next batting coach? Ugh, another old veteran signing? and my personal favorite: Does this mean the Cardinals aren’t signing Pujols?

The way I see it… let’s just relax and enjoy the fun with this one. Jimmy’s coming to Spring Training. He might now (finally) get to retire a Cardinal. I’m not reading too much into this yet…

Welcome back Jimmy!!!! Thanks for heating up the baseball talk. It warms my heart to see all the Cardinals fans come out of hibernation to chatter about our newest returning Redbird.

Pitchers and Catchers in less than two weeks? Spring Training right around the corner? Fantabulous!!

Go Cards =)

Win a Pujols Biography

2011-01-31T06:36:00.000-06:00

Cardinal Diamond Diaries is having our first ever Giveaway!!

The publisher of the new Albert Pujols Biography has generously offered to give three Diamond Diaries readers each a free copy of Pujols: More Than A Game.

So, what do you have to do to be one of our three winners?

Well, we considered a number of challenging contests...

Costume contest: dress up in your best #5 impersonation
Essay: You are stuck in an elevator with Albert Pujols. Tell us about your conversation.
Pet pictures: does your pet look like one of the St. Louis Cardinals?
a raffle (we Diamond Diaries gals could use a tropical vacation)

But in the end, we decided to go easy on you and pick three names out of a baseball cap ... a Cardinals cap of course. ;)

So.... if you want to be entered in the drawing just add your name in the comments below. We will draw three winners from the names entered. *Bonus points will be given if you include a short reason why you should be one of CDD's first ever contest winners!

Deadline for entry: next Friday (February 4th) at 5pm.

P.S. If you happen to be "one of those people who never wins anything," you can order your book from amazon instead.

We'll even make it easy.... here's the link.

Fine print:

Winning names will be posted here on Cardinal Diamond Diaries after February 4th. Winners will be asked to provide their mailing address (via email to us here at CDD) and that information will be provided only to the publisher who will send each winner their book.

** Bonus points will be awarded separately and although highly sought after, will not improve your chances of winning.

Good Luck, Cardinal Fans!! =)

Albert Who?

2011-01-28T18:10:00.000-06:00

I have felt rather guilty (as a Cardinal fan) for having these thoughts, but honestly,

I am tired of hearing about Albert Pujols.

For weeks I have been unable to muster the enthusiasm to read one more article, blog or interview about Mr. Pujols or his looming contract deadline. The topic is simply stale, all supposition. There has been nothing new or exciting to banter about concerning the future of Albert with the Cardinals for weeks (maybe months). Even the intelligent opinions have been recycled ad nauseum over the winter. How can something so important become…. well, so boring?

And more importantly…. why am I writing a blog about the very topic that bores me to tears?

Well, a few days ago I had a surprisingly engaging and fresh discussion about this very Albert topic, including the reasons why I think it is a waste of time and mental energy to discuss it further.

By the way, if you are still reading, thank you! I would have moved on after the title. ;)

A Fresh Look At The Pujols Contract Saga – A True Story

The scene: Lunch hour at a busy Chili’s restaurant in Oklahoma City

The cast: Two dazzling ladies meeting for lunch.

The blonde - lives and breathes for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The brunette - relatively unbaseballed, but a great listener and friend.

After catching up on life, family and work, my charming and intelligent brunette friend asks me about baseball. (She doesn’t really care about the sport, but as one of my closest friends, knows how much I love to talk about it.) I sigh and tell her “there just isn’t all that much to talk about… other than Albert Pujols… and I am sooooo tired of talking about Albert.”

She looks at me, surprised and confused. My not talking about baseball is on par with Oprah’s not talking about light bulb moments … or something like that.

Her reply was “Albert Pujols? I think I’ve heard that name.” (She probably recognized it from the hours she has logged kindly lending an ear while I energetically prattle on and on about the Cardinals. Did I mention she is a really good friend?)

So, almost reluctantly, I fill her in on the very basic bullet points, expecting to leave it at that, thus completing my duty to enlighten any willing, listening ear on the current news of Cardinal baseball.

Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball.
Albert’s contract with the Cardinals will expire after this season, and he has said he will not continue contract negotiations once Spring Training has begun so as not to interfere with the 2011 season.
Albert and the Cardinals have agreed that negotiations will not be played out in the press. So, we know little else.

What followed was a fresh and welcome discussion about how and why this contract negotiation is so very important to fans, St. Louis, the Cardinals, and baseball as a whole. Because my friend had no background or loyalty to the team, I had to turn the issue upside down, seeing it from an outsider’s point of view and start from scratch in order to explain (and justify) the very facts that have lulled me into a coma these past months.

I did my best to describe the angst felt by Cardinal fans at the thought of losing the “face of the franchise.” I explained the level of commitment Albert and his family have made to the St. Louis community. When challenged about the potential of this being just another example of greedy professional athletes, I shared stories of Albert’s character, dedication to his faith , his charitable spirit and his work with children affected by Down Syndrome. I found myself defending the justification of paying vast sums of money to an athlete because of his elite status compared to contracts of other marquee players and the important benchmark that a Pujols’ contract would set. We touched on the excesses of the sport, the responsibilities of ownership to the fans and realistic (versus unrealistic) expectations. We laughed, wondering if we (as average folk) would even notice a difference between earning 25 million and 30 million a year.

Our discussion brought me to the realization that while I may be exhausted by the stale discussion of “will he or won’t he,” I was pleased to discover that I do still care very deeply about the outcome of the Pujols contract negotiations.

So, if you too are weary of all the supposition, hearsay and stirred-up drama, thank you for spending your valuable time reading yet another blog on the topic. I am hopeful we will soon all be privy to the scrumptious details of what will surely be a history-making contract. Then we can move on to the “Did the Cardinals Overspend” debates.

Until then, I highly recommend attempting to explain the importance of the Albert Pujols’ contract to your Oprah-loving neighbor, your pen-pal from Germany or your two-year-old niece. Perhaps getting back to the basics will inspire in you a renewed appreciation for Mr. Pujols and the game of baseball… just long enough to get you through until the big announcement, or Opening Day.

Tick tock. ;)

Postscript: In an oddly ironic, yet timely twist of fate, the publisher of the new Albert Pujols biography contacted Diamond Diaries today offering to give three copies of the new book to our readers!

Keep checking back for your chance to win. Details coming soon!

If you can’t wait, you can preorder your copy here. It should release any day now on amazon and will hit bookstores on February 22nd.

It looks to be a welcome distraction… I wonder if there is a chapter on contract negotiations? ;)

2011's Top Five Cardinal Stories

2011-01-27T22:46:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about working on this UCB post for awhile now, but haven't really come up with anything worthwhile. Someone (not naming names since I don't remember) made it sound like I could write something sarcastic and completely nonsensical. Score!

So without further ado, here are our top five stories for 2011:

1. Adam Wainwright will win the 2011 NL Cy Young. Okay, this point is obviously legitimate. I really do believe Waino capable of beating out the fierce competition in the National League to take home the Cy. There are a lot of incredible pitching staffs floating around the senior circuit, from the Phillies on the east coast to the Giants on the west, not to mention the Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals in the middle of the country. There are big names like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Zack Greinke. That said, I think Wainwright can match them, pitch for pitch, out for out.

Warning: That was probably the last 'prediction' that I actually think could happen. The rest is for my own entertainment.

2. Yadi starts a brawl in Cincinnati when Johnny Cueto kicks him in the shins during warm-ups. Who knows why he did it. Cueto that is. Yadi beat the crap out of him, and we know why that happened. Don't mess with Yadi... especially not his shins. Watch your back, Reds' players...

3. The amount of scrappy and/or gritty references made about the Cardinals infielders on various blogs, highlight reels, radio shows and Twitter will quite possibly reach infinity. Good grief. Every new player that has been signed this offseason (with the exception of Berkman who is definitely not the right size or shape to be considered for either) has been labeled with one of these two monikers. Theriot? Punto? What is this? We already had both of those guys, except they were Brendan Ryan, Aaron Miles, and/or David Eckstein, respectively. Can you have too much scrap or grit on one team? The Cardinals might be pushing the limit. Quick, someone find a big slugger to hold together the infield! It would help if he has a good contract that makes him a Cardinal for life.

Wait, what's that?

"Pay me my money."

Yes, sir! Get on it Mo!

4. All of our scrappy/gritty infielders come down with bird flu and Tony LaRussa, in a moment of desperation, begs that Mo undo's the trade with the Mariners for Brendan Ryan. A stretch? Sure. Don't look at me. Erika penned this one. I mean... it could happen.

5. Kyle Lohse's arm will fall off. Again... it could happen (but Erika says I should be nice). He's never known a normal injury for a pitcher, whether it was getting a broken wrist while batting, having an injury only known to long distance runners and motocross bikers, or coming down with that frustrating condition known as crap-itis. Oops, that wasn't nice. My bad.

Let me be perfectly honest - I want Lohse to do well. I hope he becomes the best fifth starter in the National League. But in my mind, the odds of him doing well compared to his arm falling off have to be about even by now.

*~*~*~*

If you're interested, check out the new UCB app for iPhone and Android by clicking on the little icon to your left. It's shiny and NEW! Also make sure that you check out the archive of all the Top 5 stories for this month's UCB project here.

Baseball season is almost here... just hold on a little longer Cardinal fans! :)

Is that Baseball Season I smell??

2011-01-21T17:26:00.002-06:00

Thoughts on the 2011 Winter Warm-Up

Yes, baseball is almost back! Pitchers & Catchers report in less than a month and I can hear the sound of Adam Wainwright’s curveball hitting Yadier Molina’s glove already. Deep breaths people, winter is almost over and the boys of summer are preparing to do what they do best.

As everyone already knows, this past weekend was Winter Warm-Up at the Hyatt Regency in downtown St. Louis. Considering myself lucky enough to live just 30 minutes from Busch Stadium, my sister and I were able to attend for a second consecutive year. Being able to pull out some of my Cardinal t-shirts and jackets was such a great feeling – they get so lonely all folded up in my closet without regular wear like during the summer. I just love having a reason to wear Cardinal gear all weekend long (especially in the winter!).

This year, we had more tickets for autographs than last; Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jon Jay, Skip Schumaker & David Freese. Good thing we decided to actually purchase autograph tickets because the lines for some of the free autographs were extremely long. Lines for Shelby Miller & Zack Cox were so long it created a madhouse on the right side of the main ballroom. I won't go into criticizing how terrible the organization of these lines was, but if you were there, you can back me up. Needless to say, sticking with our pre-mapped out plan, we had the right idea.

I know many people aren't fans of the idea of paying for autographs and standing in long lines for a 2 second encounter with their favorite player. I understand this. However, I love the idea. At games, you tend to see a lot of people waiting along the first base line and around the home team dugout screaming at players for autographs. That isn't really my style. I enjoying getting down close and conversing with the players/getting pictures, but you won't find me screaming at them for autographs. So, if an event like the Winter Warm-Up has been created specifically for this, then I am willing to participate. Besides, I don't think any other Major League Organization has an event like this where practically every single player and many former players show up to sign autographs and chat with fans/media for a couple hours. I consider us very lucky. I look forward to this every year. Not only do we get to see our favorites and our new additions, we get an almost 72-hour taste of baseball while the thermometer reads 8 degrees outside.

While I was looking forward to my autographs, there were several other things I look for when attending the Winter Warm-Up. While waiting in lines, I watch the big video screens to see what else is going on around the event. I look to see if other players are enjoying themselves, I look to see if new additions are interacting with the fans, and I look at the reactions of players being interviewed on the main stage. Lets face it, unless you get a good seat or you are in line to meet every single player, you can't see any of that.

This year, I was looking to see what kind of reaction the newest Cardinals had to being at the Winter Warm-Up. Ok, yeah...I couldn't bring myself to buying a ticket for Ryan Theriot or Lance Berkman just yet, but I did want to see how they were responding to being a part of the Cardinals. There have been many articles with Berkman saying that this team stacks up against any other in the NL and Theriot has said that he is now on the right side of the Cards/Cubs rivalry. Obviously all things Cardinal Nation wants to hear...and I applaud them for doing that. They know they have to win over the crowd. You can talk all you want, but if you don't look like you are truly enjoying being in St. Louis, then I don't believe you for a second. Good for them, I do believe it. I watched Berkman on the video screens chatting with fans and his new teammates, and I am convinced. Of course his on-field play has yet to be evaluated, but if he says he is glad to be here, I believe it. It was apparent from his constant smile throughout his entire autograph session at Winter Warm-Up that he is indeed happy to be here. Same with Ryan Theriot. He wasn't on the video screens near as long as Berkman, but he appeared to me that he was also excited to be here – I mean, he has a lot of people to win over since he took the place of Brendan Ryan, he was a Cub, and he may not have THE best stats. But, if a former Cub (and fan favorite) can come out and say that he is now on the right side of the Cards/Cubs rivalry, you have immediately won over many fans. I still need to see more, but I am glad to see that he is trying. That is all I can ask for right now. I am a wait-and-see kind of fan. I get upset when my favorite player is traded (ahem, Ryan Ludwick) but I did give Westbrook a chance, and I am happy to see him a Cardinal for the next 2 seasons.

I think that Winter Warm-Up is one of those events that give fans a chance to see these things, and I know I can't possibly be the only one who looks for these things as well.

Now, on to our Winter Warm-Up experience. I do my best to block out some of the rude volunteers – yeah, the ones who tell you you aren't allowed to take a photo with a player after you waited 2 hours in line because they want to move the line along (did I mention I hate that??) - and instead I do my best to just enjoy the experience of getting to meet some of my favorite players.

Chris Carpenter...*swoon*

Courtney had tickets for Jon Jay, David Freese & Skip Schumaker. I had those 3 as well as Chris Carpenter & Adam Wainwright. Our Saturday started with Chris Carpenter. I went over and over in my head what I would say to Carp when I finally got to meet him – after all, his jersey t-shirt was the first one I ever bought with my own money. And, my twitter handle (stl_cardsfan29) is because of his number and because my birthday is on the 29^th of the month. Anyway...by the time I got up to him, I couldn't say a word. He was so nice – his smile was so big and his eyes were sparkling (not to mention that beard!) - that I couldn't say anything! I froze. At least I didn't say anything stupid.

His name is Jonathan.

Jon Jay was next. While we were waiting in his line, we noticed that Brian Tallet had very few people in his line. Courtney and I felt bad, but I'm not gonna lie...that happens when people don't know who you are. I am sure he doesn't mind. Moving on...Jon Jay was nice but SOOOO quiet. Similar to fan photo day back in September, he didn't look like he was saying anything to anyone. So, Courtney decided that she would ask him something to try and get him to crack a smile. If you watch SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight, you will notice that the reporters/anchors called him “Jonathan” but all of the local media call him “Jon”. When Courtney approached him it went something like this: “I just have to know something.” “OK.” “Do you want to be called Jonathan or Jon? Because I want to call you whatever you want to be called.” “Haha...It doesn't matter to me. Whatever you want.” Courtney has decided that she will be calling him Jonathan. I think she made a new friend in Jonathan Jay. :)

Jon Jay

Our final ticket for Saturday was for David Freese. And we couldn't wait for this. We waited to get in line for about 2 hours, and finally we made it. Colby Rasmus was seated next to David. The Colby Rasmus 13-year-old-girl-Fan Club was in the photo-only area. As we rounded the first turn of the 2-turn line, we heard a shrill hyena-type scream. Apparently Colby had waved to the fan club after they had been yelling his name for 5 minutes. All we could do was look at each other and laugh. Yes, we get excited about our experiences with players, but we by no-means are huge fan girls in front of the players. We have a professional-type approach to our encounters. I turned to Courtney and reminded her of the time we were able to get Colby to say hello to us at a game last year. Courtney and I were down near the field taking pictures and watching the guys warm up when Courtney waved and said “Hi Colby” in probably the quietest voice possible. He stopped what he was doing and waved back. Moral of the story, you don't have to be loud and crazy to get someones attention – you actually look idiotic when you do that. We looked back at Colby and David after the fan club went nuts and they were laughing almost hysterically at them. No, not because they were happy, they were obviously laughing at them. - End Mini-Rant -

Courtney & David.

We finally made our way to David Freese. I told him I was happy to see him all in one piece. He laughed and said “Thanks”. I told him we also saw that he had been attending Blues games and he had to be more careful. Again, he laughed and said “I know, I know.” I am sure I wasn't the first person to say something to him about that, but I couldn't help myself. I LOVE that Freese is one of many St. Louis athletes who supports the other teams, but come on, the guy needs to wear a bubble OR just sit in a suite way up high so there is no chance of a hockey puck coming near his head EVER. AGAIN. Other than that...Freese was really nice to us as well. I think he might have to be one of my new faves in 2011 since my two faves are gone.

The boy that needs a bubble while at Scottrade.

Day 2. Schumaker & Wainwright. Before we got in line, we sat in the seats in front of the main stage to listen to John Rooney for a bit. Some jerk had to ask some dumb question about why we don't still try to get someone like Orlando Hudson because Theriot isn't really an upgrade from Brendan Ryan. Hey guy, Hudson was signed by the Padres a couple weeks ago, but nice try......ugh, pay attention. Why do I always end up near these idiots?

Courtney with Skip!

Considering we had just about enough, we

decided to get in line for Skip. Nothing interesting happened this time. One thing that was different about Skip though, was that after I gave my routine “It's so nice to meet you!” he answered back “It's nice to meet you too! Are you having a good time?” Um, yeah Skip...I am surrounded by members of the St. Louis Cardinals and hundreds of fans who love them just as much as I do...of course I am! But I just stuck with “Yes, I am having a great time!” Seriously, one of the most sincere responses. I consider us so lucky to have/had some of the most sincerely nice guys to play for the Cardinals. It really makes it worth it. Besides, I could deal without having someone like Brandon Phillips EVER playing for the Cardinals. ;) I love how our guys seem to really care about being a part of this team and they must really believe that we are the “best fans in baseball”. It makes spending the time and money on them worth it.

Skip!

After a quick lunch with a friend of mine from college, it was time for Adam Wainwright. I had been waiting for this moment all weekend. Besides Carp, Waino is up there on my list of faves – we are almost birthday twins (mine being the 29^th, his the 30^th of August). What I planned on saying to Waino was also something I had been thinking about all day. This time, I actually got it out. I knew I had to be creative. I had to think of something that not everyone would have asked him. Something that might catch him off guard, but in a good way. So, I decided I would ask him if he could show me his curveball and see what his response might be. After the guy in front of me finished asking Waino to right a letter to him on his photograph (ugh), it was my turn.

“Hi Adam, it's so great to meet you.” “Thanks.” “Can I ask you one thing? Will you show me your curveball?” “Haha...what?” “Can I ask you to show me your curveball with that baseball? And then take a picture. Is that ok?” “Haha...of course.” “Thanks so much, you have no idea.” “You're welcome!” Oh my gosh, I just got Adam Wainwright to show me his curveball! And I really do think I caught him off guard, in a good way! He laughed at me, but I think it was good. After all, he did oblige my request...and I have the photos to prove it!

Asking....

SUCCESS!!

Waino showing me his curve...that's one
sexy curveball.

Success. And now, I am more than ready for baseball season. I am still going to root on my Blues and my Missouri Basketball Tigers, but I cannot wait for February 13^th. I am ready for those boys to make me jealous in the sunshine state, preparing for March 31^st. Speaking of which...I cannot wait for March 31^st. Opening Day...it's right around the corner. I can feel it. Now, if only we could get the Cards front office to sign number 5 to a contract forever, I will be good to go.

One last thing...I am so happy I got to meet some awesome people from twitter at Winter Warm-Up; @emilyjune87, @nlw1013 & @MattSebek. You all were fantastic and I am so glad I got to meet you all! Sorry to those who I just couldn't get together with...I look forward to meeting MANY more of you from my twitter family in 2011 at Busch Stadium!

Offseason Ramblings

2011-01-14T17:39:00.004-06:00

Just popping in…

Hello readers! After a long semester with no free time, I’m using my four week winter break to finally feel a part of this wonderful blog. I don’t have much to say, but I thought I’d spend a few minutes to get some of my thoughts that have been in my mind since the end of the 2010 season.

This is my first time being around twitter during the “Hot Stove Season”, and it’s been an interesting one to say the least. Not only have I learned a lot more about the game than I ever thought I would, but I’ve also been growing as a baseball fan. Growing in the sense that I’ve had to learn to stick to my guns and love the Cardinals no matter what happens. Even though I love my boys, and I hate to see them loose, I always get frustrated when they aren’t doing as well as I’d hoped. It’s been easier as of late to get over the low points of the season and pull out the positive in any situation. I’ve definitely grown some tough skin since I grew up loving sports – more specifically, loving some teams that don’t always win – and had to (& still do) deal with some people giving me little to no respect for my opinions. I want to thank all my wonderful twitter friends for helping me continue to grow as a fan and for being there through the ups and downs of the season! I really don’t know how I ever got through a tough season without you all!

This offseason has been rough. Some of our favorites have left, and we didn’t even get to say our proper goodbyes. I get just as attached to these boys as the rest of my CDD girls do, and it’s been hard for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yes I was among those who wept over the departure of Joey “Bomb Squad” Mather and his best friend Brendan Ryan. But I am also so excited to see that Jake Westbrook will be a part of our starting rotation. One small positive point to this sadness is that I’ll get to follow a few more teams this season! (In particular, the Braves and the Mariners).

Through all the trials and tribulations of the off-season I’m glad to be among some of the smartest baseball fans I’ve ever known. I can’t believe that in only about a month and a half we’ll be diving in to the beginning of spring training! This season is going to be pretty exciting for me for a few normal, but also some not so common, reasons. I know it may be silly, but I’ll be spending my 21^st birthday at my favorite place on earth (Busch Stadium, if you couldn’t guess). I’ve only been planning it since I was 16…no biggie. I am also very excited to see how some of our offseason acquisitions can help us this season. I haven’t quite grasped the fact that Lance Berkman and Ryan Theriot are actually a part of the Cardinals organization and I still don’t know how I feel about it. I’m not upset by any means; I just hope that they bring something special to boost this team up to its ultimate potential. And of course, I can’t wait to spend another season spending way too much money going to games with my favorite person. That person of course, is my sister, Cadence. How boring life would be without her to go to games with. 

I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy another great season with everyone on Twitter and I also hope to be able to write and share more of my thoughts and opinions throughout the season.

This was short and sweet, but thanks for reading!

Courtney

I Miss Baseball

2011-01-10T23:24:00.001-06:00

I was chatting with a friend the other day, and they mentioned something about still feeling like they could hear Jack Buck talking sometimes. It made me think back to a paper I wrote a few years ago. I had to go dig it out of the black hole otherwise known as my storage closet, but it made me smile when I did track it down. I'm missing baseball terribly these days, and I know many of you are too. I have two little stories from my past that I'm going to toss up here over the next few days. Hopefully you'll enjoy this first little tale, known simply as "Carried Away"...

It's time! It's time! I bolted into the room and jumped on the couch, grabbing the remote to the radio and turning it on all in one motion. The smooth, even voice of Jack Buck floated into my room, filling the air with the sound of thousands of fans filing into their seats. I settled down on the couch, pulling a blanket up over my lap and holding the remote tightly in my hand, as if it was my lifeline to this new world I was hearing through the speakers.

"Good afternoon and welcome to a new season! It's been a long winter, but spring is here and so are we! We're glad you could join us on this bright, sunny April afternoon!" Suddenly I felt as if I was carried 300 miles away, and I was at the game myself. I walked smoothly out of the metro car, and could hear the sounds of the stadium from the station. As I joined the throng that was heading for the front gates, I breathed in the smell of peanuts and popcorn wafting towards me. I handed my ticket to the worker at the turnstiles and began the ascent to my seat.

As I worked my way up through the ballpark, I tried peeking in through the walkways to see if I could catch a glimpse of the field. When I reached the upper level and walked through the concrete passage into the seating area, my eyes and ears were filled with the sight and smell of the freshly cut green grass, groomed to perfection. The white of the home team's jerseys stood in stark contrast to the green of the grass. The players moved across the field, stretching and warming up, preparing for the game's imminent start.

I reached my seat and sat down in the cool red plastic, ready to shout and yell and cheer for my team. The first pitch was delivered, and the pop of the ball hitting the glove resounded in my ears. The crowd roared in approval as the ump yelled, "Strike one!" and the game had begun. It was then that I noticed the vendors beginning their parade around the park. The cries of, "Lemonade, lemonade, lemonade!" and "Peanuts! Get your peanuts!" were heard over the constant buzz of the fans in the stands. I raised my arm and ordered up a pretzel, and after taking a bite of the salty treat, decided that a water bottle might help as well. After flagging down another sweaty vendor and quenching my thirst, I turned my focus back to the game.

The game progressed, and the rise and fall of the wave showed the enthusiasm of the crowd around me. I watched in wonder as I saw a player leap up against the wall, catching the ball and saving a crushing blow to the pitcher's ego, as well as a couple of runs on the scoreboard. As the stands erupted with appreciation for the feat, I realized that I had leaped from my seat myself, caught up in the awe of the moment.

We reached the middle of the seventh, and I stood with 40,000 of my newest friends to join in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." As every man, woman, child, and mascot stood, stretched their limbs, and raised their voices to the heavens, joining in with the chords of the organ, I felt like I was hanging out with family instead of complete strangers. I looked around at the people surrounding me, clad in their bright red clothing. Their faces were cheery with the laughter and smiles indicative of of the fans watching a winning ballclub.

At the end of the game as we all moved toward the exit, I felt the thrill of victory after an exciting game. I floated on air as I made my way back to the metro station and waited for the train to make its way toward us. I climbed aboard just before the door closed, and joined in with the happy chatter of the other red-clad fans, talking about the exciting win.

It was then that I heard a new, familiar yet out of place voice coming back into my ears. It was the sound of my old friend, Mike Shannon, thanking me for tuning in and signing off for the night. It was then that I realized I was back in my room, on my couch. I looked around and saw the blanket I had thrown off in a moment of excitement in the game. Next to it sat the remote which I had thrown down in a fit of frustration, ejecting the batteries in the process. I put it back together and turned off the radio. Tomorrow would be another game, and another opportunity to be carried away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Is it spring yet?

Stories of the Year - UCB Style!

2010-12-31T22:26:00.000-06:00

*brushes away the cobwebs again* Hey... remember me? I work here, sometimes.*

Sometimes the holidays take up a truckload of time and you have to scramble at the last minute to finish getting something together so Daniel** doesn't come after you for not putting something together when you said you would for a UCB party. Well, better late than never. Actually, I don't think we're late since this will be posted before the new year. Win for us!

So here's our top five Cardinal stories of the year, but instead of waxing nostalgic, we're going to give you some older posts to bring back the warm fuzzy memories of baseball season. Okay, some of these are a little less than warm and fuzzy, but it's baseball, so why are you complaining?

Our Top Five:

1) Stan the Man winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom - The Cardinals made a big push for the President to award Stan Musial the highest honor a civilian can earn, and Cardinal fans embraced it whole-heartedly. Jacqueline once met Stan, and Cadence got to be there when Stan was honored at the end of the season at "Stand for Stan Day."

2) The Brawl in Cincy - Like this wasn't going to make our list? It was a crazy three game set with the Reds, which we were worked up about for weeks! The gut check reaction was probably my favorite, so look back with this piece called: Words? Meet Actions.

3) Great pitching - The Cardinals could not have gone as far as they did without stellar pitching this year. The two we're choosing to highlight are Adam Wainwright’s 20 wins and Jamie Garcia’s excellent rookie season.

4) Whitey elected to Hall of Fame - Okay, I'll be honest. We did not cover this very well at all. However, watching the Hall of Fame ceremony and seeing his acceptance speech was phenomenal. My favorite line? "Being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame... is like going to heaven before you die." We apologize for glazing over it with this picture of the day. Are we forgiven?

5) Uninspiring play-uninspiring season - Well this is a downer to end with. We're going to point you back to our first "Girl Talk" piece, where we answer the question, "What was the most frustrating part about this year's team?"

2010 is over. Years from now, we might not really remember much about this season, but we here at the CDD have enjoyed our first year blogging and getting to know so many of you. Here's to a new year and a new season to look forward to. Go Cards!!!!!

*Apparently I work too much over at i70 Baseball. If you haven't been reading my off-season history stuff you can check out the archive here. Okay, end shameless plug.

**Daniel will not come after us. I went on the radio with him Wednesday night. I bought time with that one... I think. ;)

REINDEER DROPPINGS

2010-12-21T14:34:00.001-06:00

by Elance

Happy Holidaze! That's what I feel like I've been in lately. A complete daze! Lots of good stuff happening in real life has kept me away from baseball, twitter and obviously blogging. But wanted to get in a few thoughts before the holidays.

Joe Strauss at Winter Meetings? (by MMWCAmazon)

Reindeer Games Also known as Baseball’s Winter Meetings. A time where everyone from baseball execs, team management, agents, gurus and the working press gather together to meet, eat, drink and schmooze. Not a damn thing happens except for Scott Boras claiming his newest client deserves a Mark Teixeira like contract. Total waste of time. Would somebody send me next year….please! I’ll even pay for my own food and beverages. Unlike those per diem scribes at the Post Dispatch.

No Elfing Allowed My beloved Cards are quickly becoming the absolutely no fun allowed on our team, ever, yo! Our own in house elf, Brendan Ryan, was told to take his talents up north to that city of coffee, techies, rain and indie music. TLR just doesn’t play well with others. Even though my intricate research has shown that loose teams with a couple of characters that play with joy and passion tend to win championships, there will be no thongs, bongs or Amish beards found on the Birds on the Bat. I could totally see Waino in a Brazilian Rio tanga, though.

Ebenezer De Witt Has the Ghost of Albert in a Cubbie uniform Future not visited you yet? This dragging it out concept has worked out really well for you, eh? Does the Ghost of Contracts already signed by Ryan Howard, Joe (well-played) Mauer, Jayson Werth?!?, Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee need to pay you another visit? PAY THE MAN! BY THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS! Cause ya never know if the Ghost of Gussie may drop in after midnight.

D Goold at Winter Meetings? (by Atticus)

Rudolph WTW? Who ARE we? Rudolph? Cause all the other people in the press and the league are laughing and calling us names regarding our signing of Lance Berkman to play somewhere out there in the outfield and Ryan Theriot to play SS. Cause we all know they both have shown so much recent success playing at those positions. Uh…..oooookaaay…

by Epicbrofist.com

Die Harder Yep…The NL Pennant seems destined to have to go through the Phillies pitching lineup from hell. Not to mention our own NL Central just got tougher with the Brewers adding Greinke, the NL Central Division winning Reds returning with an outstanding lineup, and the Astros showing improvement. Yippee ki yea!!!

Roast some Chestnuts and have a couple of Eggnogs on me And guys, I’m not talkin about what you think you might be doing during a hot humid Sunday afternoon game in July sitting inside Busch. Seriously, a huge Happy Holidays to my great girlfriends at Cardinal Diamond Diaries who invited me onboard and put up with my shenanigans. And a very special Holiday wish to all who take the time out of your busy day to read and comment on my attempt at being a professional amateur Cardinal lovin blogger. To you and yours...may you find peace, love, joy and a Cardinal for life Albert Pujols during this joyous wonderful season.

Jacqueline

What I Have Learned- Saying Goodbye to the Boog.

2010-12-13T09:50:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my favorite spinning shortstop was dumped. The Cardinals sent Brendan Ryan to the Mariners for an A level pitcher with a questionable future - which pretty well shows how much they wanted to rid themselves of Brendan

Sure, we knew this day was coming. The Cardinals had been trying to give ol’ Brendo away for at least a month now. But that doesn’t make it any easier to lose a favorite player to a team on the other side of the baseball universe.

What probably surprised me the most in my stunned state of the blues yesterday was the internet response from Cardinal Nation. Reading the comments of the many Brendan fans who were just as disappointed was comforting. That sense of community and commiseration helped ease the sting. But seeing the numerous criticisms of Brendan from those who were relieved to see him go was also therapeutic – in a tough love sort of way.

Being a real baseball fan isn’t all popcorn, peanuts and World Series wins. As I am forced to realize more and more by living through these trades and baseball business decisions, getting too attached carries obvious emotional risks. Rosters change, hot corner rookies get injured and rumors of baseball politics may rob us of the romance of the game. And not everyone loves and appreciates the same players - well, other than Mr. Pujols, of course. ;)

In the short time that I have followed the Redbirds I have survived other (some would say “bigger”) heart-breaking baseball separations: David Eckstein, Scott Rolen, Jimmy Edmonds, and Ryan Ludwick - just to scratch the surface. In fact, I was reminded yesterday by my oh-so-patient Hubby that I have had similar (albeit less tearful) reactions to the departures of Joe Mather, Blake Hawksworth, Joel Piniero, Brad Thompson, Brett Wallace and a pocketful of other AAA Memphis boys.

So, my dear Brendan Ryan is the newest roster casualty and here I am being all grown-up about it! Maybe I am getting better at this process. Okay, okay… if we don’t look back at last week’s blog posts, that is. ;)

Does it hurt? Absolutely.

Will I boycott the Cardinals? Nah….

I will wish Brendan luck in Seattle and probably watch some Mariners baseball in 2011. I will pick some new favorites and find more reasons to love my team. However, I will also inwardly enjoy the thought of rubbing the Cardinals’ collective nose in it when Brendan’s defensive wizardry ends up in the web gem video highlights or when he wins the Gold Glove. But dreaming of revenge is just a natural part of the healing process, right?

Baseball may be a game of hitting and catching, winning and losing, but it certainly is not just a game of numbers. The drama of player personalities and the passion of the fans are just as important to the vitality of the game. I certainly love the boys. I love the stories. And though it brings the occasional heartbreak, I know that -for me- baseball is worth the occasional heartache.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training camp in 2 short months. That should give me time to get over it. ;)

Go Cards!

Major League Distraction

2010-12-08T09:51:00.000-06:00

As a disclaimer, please remember that I am a rather new devotee to the glorious pastime of baseball. So while the rest of you have had years to soak up all the extras, I am still playing catch up. Last evening when I was fairly certain that the day’s news from baseball’s Winter Meetings had dried up for the day, I settled in to watch Major League, a movie that some of you (okay, okay… probably every last one of you) may have seen in the theaters 21 years ago, or at least by the time you turned 12.

Of course, I loved it. But I also must say that timing is everything. If I had been dragged to watch a (groan) baseball movie when I had little interest or appreciation for the game, Major League would have been a major disappointment. However, right now, in the middle of December with the trade flurries, free agent frenzy and rumor mills spinning at high speed, Major League was the perfect escape for an overly loyal and passionate Cardinal fan worrying about the makeup of the 2011 lineup.

Hollywood’s version of the luckless losers who were destined to fail involved a team whose GM was crafting an evil plan to insure a last place finish. The idea was to round up some old veteran players with bad knees, a bunch of young kids nobody else had heard of and a prima donna superstar who is more concerned with his future contract than playing a hard nine. (True, that last one has no relevance… but the word “contract” did ring in my ear a little louder than usual.) It was entertaining – in an odd but familiar way.

Yes, the spectacled bad boy hurler Rick Vaughn with his Wild Thing theme song, triangled haircut and California Penal League baseball quote were a hoot. The hilarity of Bob Ueker’s creative play-by-play broadcast ramblings to a relatively nonexistent listening audience of a last-place team was beyond funny. The voodoo cures for the curveball made mustaches and high socks seem…. well, boring. And as in all contrived theater for the masses, the underdog team rallied, the fair weather fans returned, the guy got the girl and everyone lived happily ever after.

I hope I didn’t ruin the ending for you? ;)

photo from Jeff Pearlman.com

The Cardinals now have ex-Astro (and temporary Yankee) Lance Berkman penciled into the 2011 outfield. Yesterday I received word from my dear brother-n-law, a native Houstonian and long-suffering (but loyal) Astros fan. He reassured me that Berkman’s on-base percentage in the 2-spot of the lineup (ahead of Pujols) is a very, very big plus. I know it hurt him deeply to admit that the Cardinals offense would be dangerous, so that opinion means more to me than any statistical model or official Cardinal spin on the topic. If my Astro fan bro-in-law is correct about the predicted OBP value of our new Cardinal /old veteran with bad knees - and our buddy Bob’s (@throatwarbler’s) most recent Cardinal history lesson is any indication of the potential, than I am ready to watch this Major League type Hollywood magic come true.

If you prefer to get a shot of positivity from history rather than Hollywood, you really should check out what our friend Bob has to say. His ability to weave historical similarities into the frame of current events is not only amazing, but also reassuring. Link here

And as far as the hot stove chatter this morning:

Apparently our old buddy Ryan Ludwick is generating a lot of interest from everyone except us. Boohoo L Link here:

And now the Cardinals are rumored to be talking to Yadier Molina’s big brother Bengie for the back-up catcher spot. That idea just warms my baseball heart! ;)

Link here

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Cards fans! =)

Making Peace with the Hot Stove

2010-12-07T16:31:00.000-06:00

When my own mother called last week, legitimately worried that I might be burning all my Cardinal gear in a big bonfire out back, I realized that my previous blog post may have been a tad…. ummm, overly dramatic.

I do continue to randomly spout off (to anyone within earshot) that Mr. Mozeliak and the Cardinal ownership are dumber than a box of rocks if they dump ol’ Brendan and his magic glove, but I have adopted a few mental strategies that (so far) are helping me survive each day with that big stupid boulder hanging over my head.

Happy Thought #1:

Maybe this is all just a clever Cardinal experiment created to motivate Brendan to step up his effort. You know, push him harder to fix whatever is broken and get him to apply himself. Let the Boog think he has to fight for his job and watch the magic return. After all, a little friendly competition (disguised as brutal rejection) is good for everyone, right?

Happy Thought #2:

As hard as it is for me to spit this out, maybe it is best for Brendan if he gets the heck out of TLR territory. Perhaps the pressure of the Albert thunder grumbles, the Carp death-stare and the LaRussa doghouse are the reason for Ryan’s performance issues at the plate. That’s a lot of pressure for a quirky young ballplayer from California, regardless of his defensive wizardry.

Aside: Blame this thought process on a sappy little poster from my childhood bedroom wall. It was of a stunning black horse running majestically through a field of yellow wildflowers. “If you love something set it free” was printed in the corner. (Looking back on it now, the horse was a poor choice. Who is going to set a horse free? It should have been a chipmunk or a squirrel or something…)

Anyway, if we truly love our Brendan - and hope to continue to enjoy his acrobatic athleticism on the field - we may indeed need to set him free. Let him go play with a team who will appreciate him in all his mustached goofiness.

A California team would be best. With an outfield full of yellow wildflowers.

Happy Thought #3:

That Ryan Theriot guy is kinda cute. ;)

More Happy Thoughts...

And of course there are amazingly awesome Hot Stove contributions from wonderful Cardinal bloggers that make me smile and forget my Brendan worries.

Today Daniel over at Cardinal70.com composed "A Cardinal Christmas Carol". It is *amazing* incredibly funny stuff... and yes, Brendan's got a part in it. So, if you suffered through this dribbly post here, consider yourself rewarded - here's the link to a future Cardinal Holliday classic (yeah... I meant to spell it like that.) ;)

http://www.cardinal70.com/a-cardinal-christmas-carol.php

psssst... Mom (if you are reading this): See? I am doing just fine.

I am making peace with the Hot Stove, and Hubby has hidden the matches.

End of an Era

2010-12-01T17:14:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since I've felt like putting together a post on baseball. Life's been crazy and there has not been a whole lot to talk about. Yesterday however, the Cardinals made some moves. Blake Hawksworth was sent to the Dodgers for Ryan Theriot (be expecting a Hawk-dedicated post from Ang any second now...) and in another move the Cardinals picked up a left-handed reliever, Brian Tallet.

Where does this lead me... to my Hot Stove hot button, Brendan Ryan. If this is the first time you're reading Cardinal Diamond Diaries, you should know.... Brendo's a favorite. If you don't like BRyan, don't bother reading the rest. Fair warning?

Ok.... here goes... Girl rant ahead:

If you missed this article in stloday.com, let me hit the highlights – or rather, the absolute lowest of low points. The scribes see the writing on the wall and are reporting that Brendan Ryan’s era with the Cardinals is nearing an end. Mr. Mozeliak and the front office are making it clear that Brendan is on his way out.

Ahem…. Excuse me while I find the words to express my frustration with Mr. Mozeliak and the Cardinals organization…

Okay, first let me get this out….

“WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU MEAN: BRENDAN’S PERSONALITY ISN’T A FIT???!!!”

If Brendan’s loveable, quirky, heart-on-his-sleeve, boy-you-grew-up-with, hilarious, camera-hound, fun-loving and friendly personality is not a fit for the Cardinals then I am seriously wondering how I fell in love with this team. Maybe I’m not a good match as a Cardinal fan? Maybe I’m a bad judge of character. But I loved the team with the goofy shortstop who made us laugh and cry and cheer through the season’s struggles.

Is the true nature of the organization starting to show up – like after dating someone long enough to finally see the true person behind the charade and you discover Mr.(or Mrs.) Right is really a jerk who is actually a slob when you aren't around? Well, I fell in love with the Cardinals, and my heart is breaking to think it was all a figment of my imagination. Give me heart and fire and honesty. If that doesn’t “fit”the team, well….

Brendan has always been one of the main reasons I am glued to the television for every single Cardinal game. I know I’m not alone in that as I meet more and more Brendan Ryan fans.

Brendan isn’t a “fit” for the team??

Brendan’s Gold-Glove caliber defense, his amazing range, his spinning, jumping, and diving plays that put him at the top of all MLB shortstops defensively are something that the Cardinals don’t value?

One last time...The Cardinals are a ground ball pitching staff. I know this because everyone says so. Defense behind that type of hurler? It absolutely matters. Remember what it was like in those games when Brendan's glove wasn’t in the game? It was ugly.

Why does it seem obvious to me that the hole in the middle infield defense was at second base? Was Mo watching a different team than I was? The Cardinals decide to fix the middle infield problem by replacing the best defensive shortstop? Does that make sense? Really??

I have no problem with this Ryan Theriot guy. In fact I am quite sure that I would love him – at second base. I’ve read the various opinions, and yesterday Bernie Miklasz had some great info on the comparison of Brendan Ryan and Ryan Theriot. Link here.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_8279154e-fcea-11df-a01c-00127992bc8b.html

I wish Mo would let me in on the grand scheme. Beginning with the Ryan Ludwick trade and continuing to this shortstop dump idea, I have absolutely NO CLUE what the Cardinal brass are thinking. In this Brendan situation - IF there had been an available player whose defense was great and whose bat was strong, then I may have understood and accepted the decision to upgrade. Instead I'm left wondering how this Theriot fella fixes the problem.

I am new at this baseball circus and I do know a lot more than I did just two years ago. However I catch myself wondering how a gal who has followed baseball for only 4 or 5 years can feel so betrayed and frustrated by a series of moves made by baseball professionals and executives who are in this to make money and win? Have I missed the big picture? We are trying to win, right? If the Cardinal blueprint continues with this type of shuffling without major improvement, getting ‘veteran’ players past their prime and neglecting the potential of young, talented players in the process then I worry this team has bigger issues than just locking up the historical golden contract of Mr. Pujols.

Maybe I have blinders and cannot see the wisdom behind the madness. Oh, I certainly hope that's it.

But for now...

I am a Brendan Ryan fan. I look forward to seeing him on the highlight reels in 2011 and winning his many future Gold Gloves. The Cardinals would be crazy to give up on him now. And I may be crazy for being a Cardinal fan. Time will tell. ;)

Now, excuse me while I go kick the crud out of the Hot Stove…..

From all of us to all of you...

2010-11-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

When Erika came to me during spring training this year with the idea of starting a blog, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Every new opportunity that has presented itself to us over this season was new and exciting, and constantly reminded us why we had jumped into this crazy writing world. We've enjoyed everything, from our work with Baseball Digest and i70 Baseball to all of the fun projects that Daniel and the guys over at United Cardinal Bloggers throw our way.

We posted the UCB's November project last week, which was the Blogger Awards. Our ballot can be found here. The results were posted over the weekend, and imagine our surprise to have picked up two different awards! We are both honored and blessed to have been recognized by the other bloggers as both the most optimistic blog and the rookie blog of the year. You can check out the entire results list here, and if you are not reading all of the other blogs that won various awards, make sure to get them in your readers asap!

It is safe to say that we are thankful for all of you. Whether you are reading our work for the first time or the hundredth, talking about the Cardinals with all of you and hearing your thoughts and responses about various posts and topics is what makes all this hard work worth it. There is no better baseball community than Cardinal Nation, and sharing that love for defensive gems, long home runs and biting curveballs is a joy.

Thank you.

Stay safe this holiday weekend, and keep watching that countdown clock!

Thank You, Mr. Musial

2010-11-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

I have no idea how old I was. Old enough to have vivid memories enhanced over the years by photographs and family stories. We were in St. Louis for a business meeting of my fathers. We were going to dinner at Stan and Biggies. Stan had long ago retired from playing, but still showed up at his restaurant to meet and greet the patrons and his fans.

Stan was always a product of his small town PA upbringing. He was quiet, humble, but unfailingly polite and genuine."I was a poor boy who struck it rich in many ways through the wonders of baseball," he said in his autobiography. He never forgot how lucky he was to play the game we all love.

My grandmother told me to make sure and be very polite if Stan the Man came round to our table. She might have told me this more than once. Of course my grandmother and my father had told me many times about the greatest Cardinal ever, so I knew a lot about The Man.

Stan and Biggies was a coat and tie restaurant. The gentleman in front of us did not have a jacket, so one was provided for him from some special closet close by. That really impressed me.

When we were seated I remember scanning the room trying to figure out which of the men was Stan. My mom told me not to worry because he usually walked around and greeted people at their table.

I was also taken care of by the very nice waiter. He brought me a "Kiddie Cocktail". That was the most magnificent drink I had ever had. That really really impressed me.

It wasn't long before I saw a very distinguished looking man walking around from table to table. I knew from the moment I saw him it was Stan the Man. He was stopping and greeting people and handing out cards that had his picture and signature on them. He had at least 5000 tables to go before he got to us. At least that's what I thought at the time. I wouldn't go to the bathroom for fear I would miss him. I might have had a couple of those Kiddie Cocktails.

The table next to us seated a large party. I did not think he would ever get away from those people. Did I mention the Kiddie Cocktails? I might have really had to go to the bathroom by this time.

Only one "Stan the Man" (photo MLBLOGS)

Finally he made it to our table. He greeted my parents.
He turned to me and said "Hello, I'm Stan Musial." I remember that so clearly. He actually didn't think I would know who he was. Well I would rectify that real quick. I jumped out of my chair, grabbed him to hug him, which happened to be around his legs, and said something like, I know who you are Mr. Musial. You're the greatest Cardinal ever. I had to go to the bathroom so badly and was so excited that I was jumping up and down. There I was in the middle of Stan and Biggies in my pink dress and black patent shoes jumping up and down and hugging Stan Musial. Around his legs. Thank the good lord my bladder withstood the excitement.

Color my parents mortified. He was a true gentleman and so nice. He bent down and said something about how nice it was that a little girl like me knew about baseball. I don't recall anything else of that conversation. I was just totally entranced that Stan Musial had talked to me. He handed me his photo card and laughed with my parents. He then went on to the next table.That experience impressed me more than I can ever put into words.

I finally went to the bathroom. I don't think I walked, I floated. My mother might have mentioned something about being "surprised" I grabbed Mr. Musial.

My photo looks like this one. (PhotoFile)

When I got back to the table there was an 8x10 picture at my place setting. It was a picture of Stan Musial in his Cardinal uniform standing in that famous batting stance of his. It said, "To a sweet girl. Best wishes, Stan Musial." I was over the moon. By this time he was no longer in the room for me to thank him. Can't imagine why.

That photo, along with my grandmother's Wrigley and Busch programs and some other memorabilia are tucked away safely in storage. I am thankful for them.

But what is really important is one small memory of "baseball's perfect knight" that I treasure, will never forget, and for which I am forever truly grateful.

Thank you, Mr. Musial.

2010 Cardinal Blogger Awards Ballot

2010-11-16T23:22:00.003-06:00

Each year the United Cardinal Bloggers put out postseason awards. Since there were four of us voting, of course we had to make it into a little roundtable back and forth between the four of us, if for no other reason than because it gave us an excuse to chatter about the boys together for a couple days over email!

So without further ado, here is our ballot for this year...

Cardinal Bloggers Awards

2010 Ballot

1. Player of the Year
–Matt Holliday - Erika surprised no one with this vote, saying, "Holliday, because I love to watch him.  More reasons? Because he rallied back after a dry spell and played like every out mattered to the bitter end.  Everyone is going to say Albert because he is Albert.  But I think Matt gets a nod here too."
–Albert Pujols - Erika was outvoted. Jacqueline said it best, "Best player in the game from Opening Day to Oct. We are blessed to watch him play. Doesn’t take him half a season to 'warm up'."
–Colby Rasmus
–Write-in: _______________

2. Pitcher of the Year
–Chris Carpenter
–Jaime Garcia
–Adam Wainwright - Did you even have to ask? Now that he has officially taken home 2nd place in the Cy Young voting, it's a no brainer who the best pitcher was for the Cards this year... and no, I'm not saying that just because he's my favorite. This one was unanimous! The announcement yesterday also tripped a clause in his contract that will most likely (provided he does not end 2011 on the DL - please no!!) keep Adam in the birds on the bat through 2013. Consider this our CDD happy dance of the day!
–Write-in: _______________

3. Game of the Year
–April 5 at Cincinnati–Opening Day, 2 HR from Pujols, slam from Molina
–May 30 at Chicago–Pujols three home runs
–July 18 vs. Los Angeles–Five runs in eight and ninth to win
–July 19 vs. Philadelphia–Four home runs
–August 10 at Cincinnati–Brawl, home run from Molina - Well now you know what gets our blood boiling! Erika chimed in with, "Finally we played with real passion and it finally looked like it would propel us into first and keep us there…..Not exactly." I think all of us in Cardinal Nation had our blood boiling during that series, and to fall flat and not ride that adrenaline high or whatever you want to call it right through to October was a definite letdown after the smackdown the Cards laid on Cincy that weekend.
–Write-in: _________________

4. Surprise Player of the Year - One of the bummers with having 4 votes is that we completely split. While I tried to be the deciding vote in most of these, I couldn't make it happen here. So here's our tie!
–David Freese - Erika and Jacqueline sat firmly in this camp, with Jacqueline saying, "Complete player. Hot bat, good glove, bad ankles."
–Jaime Garcia - Cadence echoed my thoughts with this one, "Although I knew he would be good, I wasn’t expecting Jaime to come out like this.  Awesome to watch." I absolutely felt the same way. Every time I saw Jaime pitch this year was awesome! I'm looking forward to see him and Waino taking turns shutting down the opposition for many years to come.
–Jon Jay
–Write-in: ________________

5. Disappointing Player of the Year
–Kyle Lohse - Jacqueline
–Dennys Reyes
–Brendan Ryan
–Write-in: Brad Penny - Cadence says, "I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from Penny, but not seeing him again after the Grand Slam was a surprise to me.  Did anyone know the injury would be that bad?  Even Kyle Lohse had surgery and came back (while not necessarily good, he came back).  Even better, we hear in the offseason that Penny spent his “hard earned” Cardinal cash on an engagement ring."  Disappointing. Ang agrees, and that became the deciding vote.
Erika did not vote in this one, hysterically (predictably?) saying, "I can’t even answer this one!  Calling any of them disappointing would be too mean!  Haha  Help!!" Don't worry - we got your back on this one!

6. Rookie of the Year
–Jaime Garcia - Another unanimous vote for us. I was pulling for Jaime in spring training to snag that fifth spot in the rotation. I wasn't exactly expecting him to hold down the third spot for most of the year! It would have been unfair to have such lofty expectations for the 24 year old who was rolling out of Tommy John surgery rehab, so we've chalked him up as a "pleasant surprise"... one that we hope to see again in 2011!
–Jon Jay
–Fernando Salas
–Write-in: _________________

7. Acquisition of the Year
–Aaron Miles
–Brad Penny
–Jake Westbrook - Jacqueline took the words right out of my mouth when she responded with, "Is this question for real? Brad Penny won four games and spent the rest of the season Dancin with a Star. Miles really didn’t do too badly, just wasn’t a huge game changer. Westbrook could be a good acquisition if he stays a Card." Guess what? We win!
–Write-in: ________________

8. Biggest Off-Field Story
–Jaime Garcia’s shutdown without him knowing - I'm pretty sure that I knew Garcia had been shut down before he did. That's pretty impressive. Erika's got a point here, "Hard to pick between this and the Colby story.  But the Garcia shutdown was fascinating because it involved how social media and twitter can directly affect  the communication (or lack of) within a professional sports team.  The fans knew before Jaime?  That still amazes me.  Do the players like or loathe twitter?  A curious question."
–Mark McGwire’s return to baseball
–Colby Rasmus’s trade request
–Write-in: _____________

9. Most Anticipated Cardinal - Shoot, another split vote. Daniel's going to be maaaaaad...
–Zack Cox - Cadence and Jacqueline went for this year's number one draft pick, saying, "Supposed to have a major league ready bat. 3rd baseman who might be moved to 2nd. Bring it on!"
–Lance Lynn
–Shelby Miller - Last year's number 1 draft pick spent the year at high A Quad Cities, and Erika and I are waiting to see if he lives up to the hype, but I know we both realllllly want him to.
–Write-in: ________________

10. Best Individual Cardinal Blog
–Write-in: C70 - The first blog that comes to mind, and Jacqueline was just kidding when she added, "Very informative-great writing. I could be sucking up."

11. Best Team Cardinal Blog
–Write-in: PH8 - Each one of the guys over at Pitcher's Hit Eighth gives a different point of view. Sounds kind of like us!

12. Best Media Blog
–Bird Land - Derrick Goold is probably our collective favorite scribe for the Cardinals, and his depth of research makes every piece worth the read.
–Cardinal Beat
–Obviously, You’re Not A Golfer
–Write-in: _______________

13. Best UCB Project
–Cardinal All-Decade Team
–Progressive Game Blog
–Roundtables - Far and away the winner here. Cadence said it best, "While I couldn’t participate every time, I really enjoyed the banter.  Cool way to get a lot of bloggers in one place."
–Write-in: ______________

14. Most Optimistic Cardinal Blog
–Write-in: C70 - We were basically unanimous here, although Jacqueline chipped in with, "We’re Card fans. Even when we’re discouraged or angry, we know it’ll get better. We ain’t the Mets or God help us…the Cubbies." In that case, we all win this award!

15. Funniest Cardinal Blog
–Write-in: Joe Sports Fan - Is there something amusing going on in the sporting world? Do you need amusing photoshop pictures to brighten a strange situation (the Colby/Tony spat comes to mind)? Are you entertained by people obsessed with mustaches? Matt and Josh have you covered. Trust us - you'll laugh daily!

16. Rookie Cardinal Blog of the Year
–Cardinal Diamond Diaries
–i70baseball - We've obviously got a lot of respect for all the hard work that goes into i70 on a daily basis, from the writers to the editors to the *cough* photo gal *cough*. Those of you that read us but not i70... umm... where have you been???
–RetroSimba
–Welcome To Baseball Heaven

–Write-in: _______________

Feeling Silver And Gold

2010-11-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

Pardon me for a minute as I wipe away the cobwebs that I've unintentionally allowed to pile up around my little section of this site lately. Real life and such, you know.

Gold Gloves came out two days ago and Silver Sluggers yesterday, and I was borderline giddy to see so many Cardinal boys rolling through the lists. I mean, do you realize that it's already been over a month since we last saw the boys of Busch? I'm sad just thinking about it! Suddenly though some of the favorites are in the news, and people have more to talk about besides the non-news of Pujols' contract negotiations or which players might or might not get traded in all the Hot Stove chatter (Erika can't take any more talk like this!!!).

First up, the Gold Gloves (Derrick Goold has all the numbers-y stuff here):

For Albert, he takes home his second GG, after picking up his first four years ago in that distant memory known as the 2006 championship year. Watching Albert play first is like watching a coiled spring that is about to *boing* and fly across the room (I teach middle school - this is a daily occurrence). He literally snaps at the ball sometimes, diving to get a ball that he had no business getting to, making crazy picks out of the dirt when the defense is just hurling junk at him (No offense boys, but did you look at what happened at third after Freese went down? I saw a lot of 'YIKES' throws this year). My absolute favorite play though is when he and Yadi have that crazy ESP thing going that allows them to pick guys off of first with no real signal that I've been able to discern.

Speaking of our GG catcher, Yadi never fails to impress. His cannon of an arm gunned down half the runners that even attempted to go off of him, but most teams are too smart to even try. His numbers don't even look that gaudy when compared to the league leaders in terms of number of runners gunned down, but that's also because those catchers had probably twice the chances and allowed three times as many runners to advance safely. Not quite fair to match up the counting numbers then. The fact is that you could rotate most of the lineup (minus Albert and Holliday) in and out and not notice just too terribly much when you combine defense and offense. No Yadi? Yikes. People noticed that. To be fair, Jason LaRue, Matt Pagnozzi and Bryan Anderson didn't get a chance to log a lot of innings, but when they were out there, people took note.

The question that was posed to me (beyond the one I thought myself that had something to do with Brendan of course) was this: "What did your boy (Adam Wainwright) do to not be deserving of the award this year that he picked up for the first time last year?"

*shrug* I dunno. Guess I hadn't really thought about it. The Gold Glove awards are kind of a 'win one and keep winning until you retire or spend the year on the DL' type thing. Non-New York loving AL fans are probably still seeing smoke come out of their ears trying to comprehend how Derek Jeter picked up the GG this year. He's not the top defensive shortstop in the league anymore. He is the star power, and he is the incumbent. Case closed. But in Adam's defense (get it? defense? never mind), if there was one award he was going to pick up this offseason, that would not be the one I would have chosen. Still waiting on the Cy to be announced of course, but I'm not going to be surprised at all if/when he loses to Roy Halladay. Dude's a beast.

Nope. Not talking about Brendan. This isn't the same day and age where you can hit for peanuts and glove like Ozzie and win stuff, especially when you don't play on a coast. If he was going to lose, I've made peace with losing to Tulo. It's a defense award, but you just can't win it when you hit that badly.

On to the Silver Slugger. You know, I've never been one to get riled up about Silver Sluggers. I don't even get how these awards are chosen. Some are voted on by peers, some by writers, some by managers and coaches. What a mess. The BCS doesn't make any sense, but at least it uses a common algorithm every week.

*ahem* I digress.

King Albert picked up his sixth (third in a row) Silver Slugger, and people almost sound surprised about it. I mean, yes, obviously Joey Votto had a really really great year this year. People are still talking about him winning the MVP award. I'm not entirely sure myself if I could have written down Albert's name over Votto's for MVP this year, and that's saying something. The word 'impartial' is not in my vocabulary when it comes to having to not pick sides and one side is my favorite team. I want my boy to win. I'm glad Albert won. It means he has the offense and defensive awards, now wouldn't it be a trip if he loses the MVP?

Holliday picked up his fourth Silver Slugger. In all honesty, talks of his 'clutch' performance are beyond old. The Cardinals opened up their wallets and brought in a great player. The great player played like he was supposed to. Some people howled every time he couldn't bring Albert home after an IBB, but there were a lot of them! You can't expect anyone to be able to get a hit every time the guy on front of you gets on base. It just does not work that way. Matt Holliday earned this one.

These three guys aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Just writing about them again I'm ready to see them all out there every day playing.

Winter is going to be cruel. Even all this silver and gold, while making me smile more than a little, cannot help the days tick off fast enough! Maybe I'll post again soon... or at least make sure a month doesn't zip on by again!

My Hot Stove Wishlist

2010-11-09T19:01:00.000-06:00

Last season I was introduced to the concept of baseball’s Hot Stove. Baseball talk all winter? Yes, please! ;)

So, I spent my first winter cozied up to that stove longing for any and every bit of news about Matt Holliday. Would he return? Would Mr. Boras, his evil agent, force him to wear pinstripes instead? Well, I got my Holliday wish last year and decided that offseason baseball dealings were not only very entertaining, but could make me very happy.

Happy is good.

This offseason has not started off with such warm fuzzies. Joe Mather, gone. Matt Pagnozzi, gone. Personally, I’ll take a nice campfire and a warm Cardinals snuggie instead, thank you.

Maybe that’s what I get for not respecting the Stove? Maybe I took it for granted that the Cardinals would always make decisions in my best interest? I guess I still have a lot to learn about baseball. (thankfully)

So, just in case, the Hot Stove is like Santa and needs a little help in knowing just the right gifts this winter…

My Hot Stove WishList

1. Save our Shortstop. Yep, I know there is a different player’s contract topping everyone else’s wishlist. But since you all have that one covered, I am going to make sure ol’ Boog doesn’t get forgotten.

Brendan Ryan is irreplaceable. The fans love him. Brendan’s attitude and personality bring the Cardinals to life and brighten team energy. Brendan’s got the D. Plus I have a serious need to be able to watch him leap and jump and dive and be the ballhog that he is in order to fully appreciate Cardinals baseball. Brendan will be a better hitter than he was last year. I promise. Surgery and fiddling with his batting stance messed him up. With another year of experience, maturity combined with the right ADD meds, we are bound to see a better batter.

Trust me on this. Brendan stays. Got it? Good.

2. Now, I am no expert on salary figures and balancing budgets, so I am going to head over to my happy place and pretend that I can wish for absolutely anything here.

Two free agents the Cardinals must snag? Cliff Lee and Mariano Rivera.

Don’t burst my bubble here… I’m dreaming of a 2011 rotation with Wainwright, Lee, Garcia and Carpenter for a moment. It’s glorious.

You can see it too, right? Yeah, I thought so. ;)

3. As long as I am not being restrained by common sense, I’ll take Ryan Ludwick back too please. Power outfield bat? Restored. Luddy back in the Birds on the Bat? Priceless.

4. Now this is where I need a little help because I’ve read all sorts of chatter about Orlando Hudson, Dan Uggla, Edgar Renteria and other guys who might be able to step in and give us some relief in the middle infield (hands off the shortstop position though, remember?!)

This is where I sit back, let the ol' stove heat up and listen and learn as all you smart baseball folk tell me why one ballplayer is better than the other. Just keep in mind that I’m one of those fans who gets attached to the players we already have - and I LOVE to see the Memphis boys finally get their shot. Sentimental? Yes. Loyal? Absolutely.

I am ok with bringing in someone new IF that means we keep Skippy (probably platooning) and Daniel Descalso gets a good shot at proving himself in the big club. Can we keep Jon Jay and Allen Craig too while we’re at it?

I haven’t done the math, but I’ve probably got about 12 players on the field already. So, I’ll stop here.

Similar to writing a letter to Santa, it is best to keep it short. I wouldn’t want to be too greedy. The Hot Stove may not like that. ;)

America's Pastime...Taking a backseat?

2010-11-05T11:06:00.005-05:00

I missed game 5 of the World Series, the Giants clinching and becoming world champs. I can’t say that I am all that disappointed I missed it, but I didn’t do it on purpose. As a baseball fan, I wouldn’t do that. I was in class on Monday night until approximately 8 PM, and then I went to dinner with friends. It was by complete momentary brain-dysfunction that I forgot I needed to go home and check it out. (I even had people saying to me “YOU missed the game?!?”). By the time I did get home the game was over, and all I had to do was pull up the twitter homepage to see that the World Series was in fact over as “World Champions” and “Edgar Renteria MVP” trending topics scroll across my screen. Surprising that I heard no reaction in the bar/restaurant that I was in indicating that the game was over; I guess most people in Edwardsville, Illinois felt the same way I did – they either didn’t really care who won or they didn’t want the Giants to win. My other guess as to why there was no reaction from the crowd in the bar; there was a Monday Night Football game on, and they weren’t watching baseball.

As much as it breaks my heart every time I see stats that a Sunday Night or Monday Night football game ratings beat LDS, LCS or World Series TV ratings, it doesn’t surprise me in the least bit. Baseball is lasting too long; people begin to move on to other sports – heck, we are halfway through the NFL season at this point. This year, the World Series wrapped up and the NFL, NHL and even the NBA are all underway. So, is it surprising that America’s Pastime is taking a backseat in late October-early November? No, not really. I don’t have to go explaining to you all how much I love baseball, but I have gotten myself fully lodged into the football and hockey seasons. And even though the postseason games were still being at least partly watched on my TV, I lost interest. Baseball is having to compete with the other 3 major sports after a 7 month long season…going into that eighth month (while it was only one day, and could have only potentially been 4 days) is where a lot of casual baseball fans get lost. (Side Note: this year's WS ratings equaled the lowest ever...see here).

Let’s face it, there is a lot going on around here (St. Louis and otherwise) other than baseball. If you are like me, you are very interested in what the St. Louis Rams are doing; 4 wins at home, a first-round draft pick quarterback, and Stephen Jackson breaking the all-time rushing record for the organization. Not to mention, the St. Louis Blues are undefeated at home and have been recently ranked number one in the ESPN power rankings poll (even if it doesn’t mean much now). On top of that, Mizzou beat Oklahoma! WOW. Yeah, they got roughed up by Nebraska, but if you are a Missouri fan, you can’t deny that it was exciting. I know not everyone that is a Cardinals fan is a Rams, Blues and Mizzou fan as well – most are not or don’t even like/pay attention to other sports besides baseball. Even if you don’t like all St. Louis sports, you might have other teams to root for. But, I am an avid sports enthusiast, and I love watching all sports whenever I can. Because the last few winters in St. Louis have been pretty painful because of under-achieving or competitive teams besides the Cardinals, this comes as quite the warm welcome. Not to mention, since the Cardinals had a dismal season, it has been exciting to look forward to and enjoy other St. Louis sports again! And because of that, I, like many others, might have lost an interest in baseball.

This is my beg and plea to Bud Selig; we have got to end the baseball season earlier. I hate the offseason; it is a long 4-5 months without my boys of summer, but the MLB is taking a backseat to the other major sports in late October-early November, and it just devastates me. I want the World Series to be the most watched sporting event, not a middle-of-the-season Monday Night Football game. I understand that the ratings may have had something to do with the teams playing (God forbid there are other teams besides the Yankees in the World Series), but the World Series – the Championship for Major League Baseball for goodness sakes – should be getting more attention. I mean, on Monday, the last game of the series, EVERY SINGLE intro for EVERY SINGLE sports program was about Randy Moss being waived from the Vikings, not about Lincecum vs. Lee – probably one of the greatest pitching matchups to end a World Series in a long time. As much as I don’t like him, Lincecum (before the night began) had a chance to be a back-to-back-to-back Cy Young, Cy Young, World Series Champ. How incredible? But yet everything was about Randy Moss.

This is unacceptable for baseball. They have to figure out a way to get back into the spotlight during their designated time. All eyes are on Football during the Super Bowl – no hockey game or basketball game out-rates that championship game. I know that every season is like this; football starts in early September, Hockey starts in early October, Basketball starts in late October, but why is it that all of a sudden, baseball seems to be losing its steam? I don’t think it would have even mattered if the Yankees were in the WS this year – I mean, I wouldn’t have watched, but that’s just me. I hope that with an earlier start to the baseball season in 2011, there will be an earlier end to the season and the World Series will get all the attention it deserves. Thankfully, with Hot Stove season now in full swing, there will be more baseball stories. However, I have a gut feeling it might all be about the Yankees again. Egh.

End Rant. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. As a sport management grad student, I pay a lot of attention to these details, less about players and games, more about the behind the scenes stuff and what drives discussion topics amongst TV programs and even fans of the game. Do you see it that way too? Are you angry that the World Series had low ratings? When will baseball be able to get back to having its time in the spotlight – or has the long season turned into too long of a season for that to ever happen again? I might be a tad dramatic, but I am curious to hear what others think.

Oh No, Joe!

2010-11-03T15:00:00.001-05:00

Joe Mather was claimed off waivers today.
Joey Bombs is going to Atlanta.
The sad news hit my Twitter feed around 1:30 pm.

First reaction: Claimed off waivers???? Who put Joe on waivers?? Why didn’t we know this? Oh yeah….

Ok, who ELSE is on waivers?????

*panic*

*deep breath*

*Call Hubby to break the news and get some sympathy*

*Check Twitter to make sure nothing else horrible happened*

(irrational fear setting in)

Then, after a little time to think it through and read reactions from those less emotionally attached...

Sure Joe Mather was probably never going to get the playing time in St. Louis. And yes, while we loved him in AAA Memphis, it is probably better for him to get a shot with the Braves. Maybe he will get a better chance over there. Maybe they will love him and appreciate him. Joe deserves that.

But it still sucks. THIS is the one thing I hate about baseball! No loyalty - players move around and the team changes. I get attached to the players. I don’t want to see them go. And being claimed off waivers?? Well, that just shows we gave up. Not even traded. Blech.

The way this offseason is starting off…. well, I don’t like it. I am putting the Cardinals on notice now. Do something to make me *happy* for a change - because this giving away of 'my boys' is not going to cut it.

Yes, I will feel better tomorrow. And yes, this is "for the best." But right now I don't have to like it.

Good luck Joey Bombs!

*Adds another stepteam to the list*

Spring Training Countdown

2010-11-02T11:15:00.001-05:00

First, congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, World Series Champions for 2010!

While I personally would have preferred to watch the Rangers win it all (or at the very least drag it out a little longer), the Giants did indeed play (and pitch) some absolutely spectacular baseball. I was pulling for Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson, Elvis Andrus and Yadi's big brother Bengie to beat out the Giants, but I gotta admit that Buster Posey, Cody Ross, Edgar Renteria and Aubrey Huff were a ton of fun to watch! ;)

And now the dreaded offseason begins... hopefully the Hot Stove heats up and the baseball chatter keeps us busy all winter. We have a few months until our Cardinal pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter Florida.

So....Let the countdown begin!

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

YO! DUDE! GO GIANTS!

2010-10-27T17:55:00.003-05:00

Sooo glad the World Series is finally here. I am really looking forward to this one. Sorry to my friends out east, but elated we finally have a Series without the damn Yankees, the bloody Sawx and the fightin Phillies.

I'm ready for some new blood and nothing makes me wanna scream more than when I hear the east coast whiners cryin about the upcoming low ratings. Oh paaaaallllllleeeeeease! Like no one in the great US of A wants to see a WS without the same ole same ole.

To hear the ESPNers talk, you'd think Dallas and San Francisco were tiny little burgs in the middle of nowheresville that are still waitin for cable tee vee. I've met enough easterners, specifically NYers, who think the country miraculously drops off at the Hudson River. Well, too bad-so sad, cause the rest of the country is ready for this series.

I'm a National League girl. Can't imagine cheering for an American League team. Maybe the Royals. Maybe. I am really excited to get behind the Giants. This is a great team to root for. And by great I don't necessarily mean talented. This is a motley band of misfits known as the Dirty Dozen. They have everything I wish the Cardinals had shown.They play as a team with joy and passion. They're loose, positive and easy going. They persevere. They play a hard nine. They wear orange and black. Cool.

Their home is the beautiful privately financed AT&T Park, located in the world's most lovely setting, where booming homers land out in McCovey Cove. They play in a gorgeous, zany, liberal city with great food and crazy, creative, innovative people. They choose people to sing God Bless America that wear sequins and a replica skyline on an humongous hat. One of their best selling tees says 'Let Timmeh Smoke.' (and they ain't talkin bout his fastball.)

And they have two of my all time favorite players that don't wear the Birds on the Bat. Timmeh Lincecum, who looks like a surfer dude, loves to drop the f bomb, and pitches like the Freak he is. I love that dude.

And then there's closer Brian Wilson with a Mohawk
haircut, a dyed jet-black best-ever real but fake-lookin
beard and um..several tattoos. The guy is seriously gloriously hysterically out there and, maybe just maybe, a little insane. I love that guy.

Oh...and of course they have a 1,000 year old rookie catcher named Buster. Posey.

You can't make this stuff up. Gotta love this team.

GOOOOOOO GIANTS! Win for the N.L. Win for real baseball. Yo!

All photos from MLB and San Fransisco Giants.

Boredom Buster - Answer Reveal

2010-10-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

If you missed our game yesterday, we were giving you a chance to show off how well you know your St. Louis Cardinals! We asked how many of the 2010 Cardinal players you could recognize by just their eyes.

And now the big reveal..... *drum roll please*

The Answers

Chris Carpenter -1, 10

Ryan Franklin - 14

David Freese - 16

Jaime Garcia - 7

Blake Hawksworth - 17

Matt Holliday – 4, 21

Jon Jay - 13

Josh Kinney - 18

Jason LaRue - 23

Tony LaRussa - 26

Kyle Lohse - 6

Felipe Lopez - 19

Ryan Ludwick - 9

Aaron Miles - 27

Trevor Miller - 12

Yadier Molina - 11

Jason Motte - 8

Brad Penny - 25

Albert Pujols - 2

Colby Rasmus - 24

Dennys Reyes - 15

Brendan Ryan – 3, 22

Skip Schumaker - 5

Adam Wainwright -20

Thanks for playing!

Go on, fess up.... how did you do? (without peeking, that is!) =)

The World Series starts tonight on Fox!

Play Ball!

Boredom Buster: How Well Do You Know Your St. Louis Cardinals?

2010-10-26T11:16:00.002-05:00

It feels like FOREVER since Cardinal baseball was on my television!

I am bored, I miss the boys, and while this round of postseason baseball has been entertaining and exciting (both powerhouses, the Yankees and the Phillies, got kicked off the island,) it just isn't the same without our beloved Cardinals.

So, you see, I had this idea back in the middle of the season, but knew I should really wait to create this post until the offseason - in order to keep busy when there was no baseball to watch.

Well, I've never been good at waiting....at least I made it past the ALCS and NLCS, right?

Here's the game: Can you correctly identify the 2010 Cardinals by their eyes alone?

(No cheating or copying off your neighbor!)

~~Answers will be coming in another post soon.~~

Okay, okay.... for those of you needing a little help, here is an alphabetized list of the players included above. =)

Chris Carpenter (2)

Ryan Franklin

David Freese

Jaime Garcia

Blake Hawksworth

Matt Holliday (2)

Jon Jay

Josh Kinney

Jason LaRue

Tony LaRussa

Kyle Lohse

Felipe Lopez

Ryan Ludwick

Aaron Miles

Trevor Miller

Yadier Molina

Jason Motte

Brad Penny

Albert Pujols

Colby Rasmus

Dennys Reyes

Brendan Ryan (2)

Skip Schumaker

Adam Wainwright

Good Luck!