C70 At The Bat: A St. Louis Cardinals Blog.

UCB January Project: Top 5 Iconic Moments

Posted on January 26, 2012 at 1:30 PM

Before we take on the latest of the United Cardinal Blogger projects, it seems to me that we have to define the terms of what we are looking for. What does the dictionary say about iconic, for instance?

Iconic (adj): of, pertaining to, characteristic of an icon.

Well, that doesn't do us much good. Maybe going a level deeper and defining icon might be.

Icon (n): a picture, image, or other representation.

Still not helpful. Any other definitions that might get us a little closer?

Icon (n): a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it.

Closer, but still not something that makes a list like this cut and dried.

If you heard me ramble on about this topic on Wednesday's UCB Radio Hour, you know that I consider this to be one snapshot moment, one picture in your mind that you think of instantly when you talk about the St. Louis Cardinals. So while the Chris Carpenter game from this year's NLDS was amazing and a classic, it wouldn't necessarily be on my list because it's an entire game, not one signature event. You'll likely see what I mean as you read on.

After the jump, I have the five that are my selections. However, there are so many that you have to put down an honorable mentions list as well, in my mind. Some of those would include:

--Grover Cleveland Alexander striking out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series.

--Enos Slaughter's "mad dash" in the 1942 World Series.

--Bob Gibson's record 17th strikeout in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.

--Jim Edmonds' catch in Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS.

Now, let's take a look at the top five:

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals Leave a Comment

Cards Continue To Avoid Arbitration

Posted on January 26, 2012 at 7:36 AM

Yesterday, the Cardinals settled their last remaining arbitration case, signing Jason Motte to a one-year, $1.95 million contract. That figure represented the midpoint between what the club had offered and what Motte had filed for in arbitration.

The last time the Cards actually went to a hearing in the arbitration process was 1999, when they beat Darren Oliver. I think it says a lot about this organization that they do their very best to stay out of a process that can only engender bad feelings between a young player and the club. Not that it doesn't happen anyway at times, as we saw with Colby Rasmus, but it helps not to have a guy that you hope to be a part of your future sit and listen to you pointing out all his faults and why he shouldn't be paid what he wants to be paid.

Also in the Motte story was the little nugget that the Cards aren't engaged in talks with Roy Oswalt. That seems to go against what Joe Strauss said on Twitter last night, but not necessarily. Strauss said that the Cards had offered Oswalt $5 million, but that he expected the Rangers would go higher than that. It seems likely to me that the Cards aren't "talking" to Oswalt, they've made him their only offer. If he comes around and accepts it, fine and dandy. Odds are he won't, since Texas may offer him more like $7-8 million, but if he really wants to play in St. Louis and will take the big discount to do so, they'll find a place for him.

Finally, it was announced yesterday that Tony La Russa will manage the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. I don't think that was any surprise at all, since both Bud Selig and La Russa had indicated they'd like him to do that. I know it's possible that some would get worked up about a retired guy managing a game that "counts," but 1) TLR probably approaches driving to the grocery store as something he has to win and 2) no matter what MLB says, they still don't play that game like it counts. Come talk to me when pitchers throw more than two innings or there's still a starter out on the field in the ninth. I don't think having TLR in the dugout rather than Ron Roenicke will make a lick of difference.

Check back tomorrow as I'll put up my top five iconic Cardinal moments as part of the January United Cardinal Bloggers project. You can find other lists over at this post.

Finally, congratulations to a couple of my favorite people. The worlds of I70 Baseball and Cardinal Diamond Diaries are colliding as Bill and Angela are now engaged to be married. I think I can speak for all the UCB as we wish them the best in their future life together. It's a no-brainer to have this wedding at the ballpark, isn't it?

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

The State of Cardinal Nation, 2012

Posted on January 25, 2012 at 6:51 AM

Ladies, gentlemen, fellow Redbird fanatics:

Last night was the annual State of the Union address, given from the White House in Washington. It was an (inspiring/depressing) speech, full of (uplifting messages/political malarkey) but it didn't address a major point of life in 2012. It didn't address the state of the Cardinals as we approach spring training.*

*I am assuming that it didn't, at least. I didn't watch the speech, instead bathing and putting the kids to bed and watching White Collar. There are better ways to spend an evening, but not many.

So today, members of Cardinal Nation, I want to rectify that oversight. As I stand (well, sit--who stands to type a blog post?) before you now, I contend that the state of Cardinal Nation is strong, perhaps as strong as it has ever been.

There are arguments for other times, of course, arguments that Bob or Mark or Tyler might be best in the position to make. You could say that back in the '40s, when the Cards were in the midst of their run of three straight World Series, that things were better. More recently, coming into the 2005 season, with a team that had won 105 games in the last season and had made the big move for Mark Mulder, things were very good. However, right now most likely at least ties for first in Cardinal history.

Anytime that you are coming off of a World Series title, of course, things are good in a fandom. It's the ultimate achievement for a squad and, no matter how expected, still creates a lot of good feelings among its followers. When you do it in the dramatic fashion that the Cardinals did it last year, that buzz and excitement is going to last well into 2012.

There are more reasons than just a shiny trophy, though, for the high standard Cardinal Nation is setting right now.

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals Leave a Comment

Keeping You Informed: TLR Manages All-Stars

Posted on January 24, 2012 at 3:51 PM

I know, it's been a while. These dead times are tough to write through, but I probably should make a better effort.

Until that happens, though, I can continue to pass around press releases. This time, Tony La Russa has made it official that he'll come out of retirement for one game this summer, skippering the National League All-Stars. Wonder if he'll name Mike Matheny as a coach?

LA RUSSA TO MANAGE 2012 NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS

Retired Cardinals Manager Will Lead All-Stars for Sixth Time, Third with N.L.

Tony La Russa, the longtime manager of the St. Louis Cardinals who retired following his Club's 2011 World Series Championship, will serve as the manager of the National League All-Star Team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today.

Commissioner Selig said: "Tony earned this opportunity with the remarkable run that the Cardinals completed last October, and I am delighted that he shared my enthusiasm about his staying in this role. The All-Star Game celebrates all the best of our game, and it is very appropriate that we will have the chance to celebrate one of the greatest managerial careers of all-time as a part of our festivities."

La Russa will lead the N.L. All-Stars for the third time (previous: 2005, 2007) and it will mark his sixth Midsummer Classic managerial assignment, matching Joe Torre's total and surpassed only by Hall of Famers Casey Stengel (10), Walter Alston (9) and Joe McCarthy (7). While leading the Oakland Athletics, La Russa was the American League All-Star skipper from 1989-1991. La Russa has a 3-2 record in his five Midsummer Classics as manager. The remainder of La Russa's N.L. coaching staff will be announced in the months ahead.

La Russa, 67, managed 33 years in the Major Leagues, with the Chicago White Sox (1979-1986), the A's (1986-1995) and the Cardinals (1996-2011). His clubs won three World Series Championships and made six World Series overall. The four-time BBWAA Manager of the Year won three National League pennants (2004, 2006, 2011) with St. Louis, including its National League-best 10^th and 11^th World Series Championships.

This will mark the second time that a retired manager will lead an All-Star squad. Hall of Fame manager John McGraw retired following the 1932 season and managed the N.L. squad in the first Midsummer Classic in 1933. Two managers led an All-Star team after moving on to new Clubs immediately following a World Series. Dick Williams was the 1974 A.L. All-Star manager after leaving the A's for the California Angels following the 1973 World Series. Dusty Baker, who managed the San Francisco Giants to the 2002 Fall Classic, was the 2003 N.L. All-Star manager after joining the Chicago Cubs.

The 2012 All-Star Game will be played at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, July 10^th. The 83^rd All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. Pregame ceremonies will begin at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/7:00 p.m. (local). ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals Leave a Comment

Cardinal Nation Meets National Capitol

Posted on January 18, 2012 at 7:59 AM

You can definitely turn the page on 2011 now. The final coda has been completed with the Cardinals making the traditional trip to Washington to meet the president.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this administration but for the second time in just about a year, I found myself watching the official White House feed. As much as it was great to see Stan Musial up there last year--a fact the president referred to in his remarks--this was a little better because it was solely focused on the Redbirds. It was fun to see the players and hear what the president had to say.

Plus, the first lady admitted she was a Cub fan, and anytime you can twist that knife just a little bit, it has to be a good day.

I thought it was an interesting tidbit that they confiscated the baseballs the players had brought for the president to sign, noting that they were projectiles. It seems a little extreme, but then again, you did have Chris Carpenter there. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of his fastball!

Of course, a few players didn't make it. There was no Albert Pujols, which was not surprising--can't imagine how awkward that would have been for the team and for Pujols, who would have been besieged by the media--or Tony La Russa. Adam Wainwright didn't go, most likely as he was working out and probably because he didn't feel like he should, since he never was on the roster last year. Ryan Theriot missed as well, again I'd think because of the uncomfortableness of having to sit next to the guy that cut him from the team.

You noticed Edwin Jackson went, though, and I can't blame him at all. He's not signed anywhere, so he has no loyalty to another organization, and he's been around a while. He knows that it's not every player that gets to make this trip. I'd have definitely gone if I were him. Heck, if I were Theriot I might have dealt with the tension and gone anyway!

Leave it to Matt Holliday to put it into a great quote: "Let's do this again next year"

Before the team went to the White House, though, they made time to visit the wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. In one of those "small world" type of encounters, Sgt. Justin Griffin made sure to find David Freese, since they had attended the same St. Louis high school. Freese Tweeted out a picture of their meeting later on and there's no doubt the whole experience was memorable for both sides of that equation.

Like Lance Berkman said, this is "life-altering stuff" and the players seemed to get a new perspective on those that serve in the military and the sacrifices that they make for our freedom. I'm sure that the soldiers really got a kick out of seeing the players come through, especially those that were Cardinal fans.

It could be stated that John Mozeliak is a workaholic. I mean, most GMs would have just enjoyed the day, soaked up the experience, just kinda kicked back on this trip. Instead, as I noted yesterday in posting the press release, Mozeliak got work done on the trip by signing Kyle McClellan to a contract, avoiding the arbitration process with him. Mozeliak actually got the deal done on the bus to Walter Reed, which is just got to be one of those legendary things about Mo that we'll talk about years from now. (Granted, it'd have more lasting power if it was more than extending a middle reliever, but it's still a good story!)

Kevin may link to this when he writes more about talking with McClellan, but you can see some of his interaction with the media at Winter Warm-Up over here. At least in public, McClellan is saying all the right things and appears to want to stay in St. Louis. Mozeliak also said over the weekend that they expected to keep him, so at least for now it seems that McClellan will be wearing the birds on the bat in 2012.

Jason Motte is the last arbitration guy out there and you'd expect the two sides will come to some sort of deal before they have to go to a hearing. The Cards always avoid the hearings, not having had one in over a decade.

Remember, it's Wednesday, which means UCB Radio Hour is tonight. Tara from Aaron Miles' Fastball and Matt from STL Sports 360 will be hosting and I'm sure will be talking much about the Warm-Up and the trip to Washington.

Also, if you are into the fantasy side of baseball or other sports, check out The Fantasy Sideline Show. I know Dennis through various organizations and he wanted me to pass this along, noting that they are just outside the top 20 on iTunes and would love some ratings if anyone was so inclined. (Of course, if you are going to rate that one, would you mind rating and commenting on this one?)

Lots of things will be coming down the pipe as we get closer to spring training. Those that have read here for a long time know that there are a couple of traditional things we do and I'm making plans to have those happen again. Until then, stay warm and keep counting the days until February 18!

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals Leave a Comment

Keeping You Informed: No Arb For McClellan

Posted on January 17, 2012 at 2:35 PM

I'm still not sure what to make of Kyle McClellan and, in my mind, the organization isn't either. After a couple of years of saying, "hey, prepare to be a starter" and then putting him in the pen, McClellan gets to start last year. That went OK for a while, but by mid-season the Cards are going out to get Edwin Jackson and McClellan's back in the pen. Then he's left off the NLDS roster, put on the NLDS one but pitches only a third of an inning in a series where the bullpen worked more than the starter, then left off the World Series roster.

However, there are still plans for him within the club, it appears, since he's come to terms on his 2012 contract, avoiding arbitration. That's 1) not unexpected--I think the last time the Cards went to arbitration was Darren Oliver back in the late 90's and 2) a good idea, because the criticism that comes with an arbitration hearing is the last thing McClellan needs right now.

This doesn't mean he can't be dealt somewhere. I'm still thinking that's going to happen at some time, even if it's after the season starts.

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals Leave a Comment

Another Farewell

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 2:04 PM

I've written too many of these recently.

Sure, we know about the big defections on the field. We know about Albert Pujols going to Anaheim, Jeff Luhnow going to Houston and Tony La Russa going to retirement. The people wearing the uniforms have undergone quite a shakeup in the past few months.

However, those in our little off-field community haven't been immune from the upheaval either. First it was Mike Metzger retiring Stan Musial's Stance, then Matthew Leach getting the kick upstairs, as it were, to cover the national scene.

They always say things come in threes, of course, and that trio was completed when I heard news today that Terry Rodgers would be leaving the Cards to head back home to Pittsburgh.

Most of you reading this don't know Terry, but he was in public relations for the Cards and, as such, was the main contact for the UCB inside the organization. He was the one that we'd drop an email to for an answer, which we often got back immediately. He was the one that would arrange things like the blogger contingent at the Warm-Up this weekend. He was always at the events, directing traffic and handling things like a pro.

Beyond all of that "officialness," though, Terry was a great guy to know. Last year at the blogger event, we talked for a long while about baseball, both here and in his home of Pittsburgh. Since then, we've sympathized about long road trips (his taking the family to Pittsburgh, me taking my crew to the wife's family in Ohio) and he always been great about answering emails and texts. I'd actually been looking forward to introducing my wife and kids to him this summer, as we hopefully will get to take in a game.

Now, though, the pull of home has gotten too strong for him to resist. I joked with him that he must have been the PTBNL in the Jenifer Langosch deal, with her coming from Pittsburgh to take over Leach's role. All I know is that Pittsburgh's getting a great asset and our community is losing yet another piece of the puzzle.

While I look forward to working with Terry's replacement (whomever that may be), I'll miss him here in St. Louis and wish him the best back home with the Pirates!

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

Carlos Beltran Bits from WWU...

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:46 PM

A few quick bits from Carlos Beltran in media scrum at Winter Warm-Up:

* He will wear number 3 for the Cardinals. Says family wishes factored into decision.

* Carlos says, "Lance called me...recruited me. I also talked to Holliday. It's gonna' be fun to play with good ballplayers."

* Carlos indicated he said (while with Mets), "Let's turn the page and let Pagan play center field and let me play right field."

* Carlos said, "Right field is easy for me." He then later smiled and said, "If I knew it was going to be that easy, I would have made the switch a long time ago."

* Beltran said, "Last year, the games I missed weren't because of the my knee...it was because of an injury to my wrist. My knee felt great."

* Beltran said, "Pujols is a hole maybe no one can fill...but with myself, Berkman, and Holliday, those are three guys who can produce in the middle of the order."

* Beltran said, "New York is a city, it's not for everyone...to play there, you have to be strong mentally."

* On his decision to come to St. Louis: "The decision was based on being on a team to give me the opportunity to play in the playoffs."

* The list of teams Carlos says were in on him: Cleveland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and, of course, St. Louis.

* Beltran said another team was in it with a 3 year deal for less money (he did not specify the team), but "At the end of the day, I came here because I felt it was a good fit for him."

- Kevin

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

David Freese says 2012 will be different for him...

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 1:17 PM

Last year David Freese saw his season start with various levels of concern focused on his surgically repaired ankles. As a result, he saw the number of games he was scheduled to play limited from day one. Add to that the break-out play of reliable, gold-glove finalist Daniel Descalso, and Freese saw multiple interruptions in playing time. Some days it was just a day off, other days it was getting an inning or two of rest as Descalso finished the game at third.

This year, however, Freese says he and Matheny have talked, and things seem to be looking up.

"I think 2012 is going to be different," said Freese. "I think it's just going to be, 'Hey, Dave...just go play.'"

During the rest of his time with the media, David touched on several points, not the least of which was his ability to relax this season and just play the game. Fully recovered from both ankle surgeries and a broken hand, he's looking forward to handling as many games as possible at third base for the Cardinals in 2012.

"I would like to handle 162, but I'm not going to throw a number out there...I'm not nervous [about it], and that's a good thing."

- Kevin

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

Matheny views Cards as a "well-rounded" / "pitching club"...

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 12:08 PM

After taking what has been a decidedly offensive club the last several years under Tony La Russa - at times, at the expense of specific defensive sacrifices - it's natural to assume a 4-time gold glove winner behind the plate will begin to pull the team a bit closer to center.

But when asked to characterize the identity of his 2012 team and beyond, Matheny declined to pigeon hole a club he hasn't even put through Spring Training yet. He did, however, have some insight as to what is there work with.

"You look at what we have right now," said Matheny, "We have a team that has respect for how they can drive the ball, how they can hit the gaps...but i believe we're also a well-rounded club."

Citing players such as Furcal and Tyler Greene, the manager stated his belief that this team has intangibles such as grit as well as more measurable traits such as speed. Ultimately, though, Matheny couldn't help but at least somewhat define the club's personality.

"I believe we're a pitching club. You look at the five starters we have and bringing back Adam...that amounts to a very strong rotation and a young bullpen that opened everybody's eyes."

The managers favorite theme to "pound into the ground," however, is admittedly his desire to work with what he's given by the front office and insist that it's "quite a bit."

"You take all that and there's really not one characteristic that you hang your hat on."

Just a bit more...

Earlier in the conversation, Matheny gave a bit of insight into his scheduled Spring Training work.

"We're gonna' be hitting base-running hard again," the new manager said. "Even some of the players said they'd like to have a little bit of focus on breaking some things down (regarding base-running)."

Matheny indicated Aldrete and Oquendo will be key coaches involved in base-running improvements as well as several "guest instructors" and "guys from the past" that may not have been able to fully fill that role in previous Spring Trainings.

Winter Warm-Up coverage continues throughout the day...

- Kevin

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

Allen Craig's knee may have influenced last out of WS...

Posted on January 16, 2012 at 11:05 AM

Allen Craig met with the media briefly this morning before his signing session. He indicated that although he has started working out, he's not getting ahead of himself.

"I'm not running yet," he said. "That wasn't part of the plan at this point. I'm walking around great and doing light strengthening exercises. It feels really good. I feel like I'm on track if not a little bit ahead."

A lot has been discussed about Craig's knee since he played through pain in the postseason of 2011, making more than one significant play in the outfield that included catching the final out of the Series. When asked about that play at the BBWAA dinner on Sunday night, Craig again mentioned turning the wrong way on the ball before turning and making an adjustment to get back on the ball.

"I don't really know why I did that," Craig said about initially turning the wrong direction. But Monday's Winter Warm-Up scrum may have offered a possible explanation.

When asked about any discussions during the Series centering on Craig's knee and his ability to make potential plays in the outfield, Craig offered the following:

"Nothing specific but maybe subconsciously that's why I turned the wrong way (on the final play)...I don't know."

The statement brings back memories for Cardinal fans of David Freese's triple over Cruz's head in Game 6 to tie the game. It's possible the Cardinals came much closer to a similar fate than they would like to admit. With the World Series already infamous for it's quirks and mishaps as much as it's drama and comebacks, a misplayed potential out to end the Series in Game 7 would surprise no one.

Fortunately, Craig was able to adjust on the fly...and the rest is history.

- Kevin

Filed Under: St. Louis Cardinals | United Cardinal Bloggers Leave a Comment

Sponsor

Subscribe

Archives

Players

Categories

UCB January Project: Top 5 Iconic Moments

Cards Continue To Avoid Arbitration

The State of Cardinal Nation, 2012

Keeping You Informed: TLR Manages All-Stars

Cardinal Nation Meets National Capitol

Keeping You Informed: No Arb For McClellan

Another Farewell

Carlos Beltran Bits from WWU...

David Freese says 2012 will be different for him...

Matheny views Cards as a "well-rounded" / "pitching club"...

Allen Craig's knee may have influenced last out of WS...

Search

United Cardinal Bloggers

Other Cardinal Blogs

Recommended Cardinal Forum

Other Cardinal Sites

General Baseball Blogs/Sites

Heroes

Goats

Cardinal Nation Approval Ratings (March 2011)

Referrals

Blogs In The Network

Baseball Bloggers Alliance

Sign In

Sponsor

Subscribe

Archives

Players

Categories

Search

United Cardinal Bloggers

Other Cardinal Blogs

Recommended Cardinal Forum

Other Cardinal Sites

General Baseball Blogs/Sites

Heroes

Goats

Cardinal Nation Approval Ratings (March 2011)

Referrals

Blogs In The Network

Baseball Bloggers Alliance