Around the Blogs: Walls Crashing Down

It's been, overall, a good season for the Cards, but the last few weeks have been on the rough side.  Touring around the blogs...........

Even CardinalNationGlobe has given up the ghost on this year.  One of the last to succumb, but as he points out, "you have win against the teams in your division come September if you want to make the playoffs and the Cards weren't able to do that."

Trey and John over at The Cardinal Virtue haven't posted since Sunday, but they were on the ledge then.  I can't imagine that they are still clinging to any postseason hopes.

Tom at CardinalsGM invokes a little Johnny Cash and takes management to task.  Obviously, I'm not excited about how September has played out, but it doesn't minimize how the rest of the season was in my book.

Without Fungoes, you may not have realized that a title besides batting average is being fought over by Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones.  Last night didn't help Pujols in that regard, either.

You'd think things on the minor league scene would be a little slower with those seasons wrapped up, but Future Redbirds has three separate posts up today.  One is about the Cardinals buying the Memphis franchise (more on that later), one indicating that Niko Vazquez isn't feeling the love from some prospect raters, and one about those prospects heading to the Hawaiian Winter League. If you want to keep with how players are doing in winter ball, FR is your place.

It's possible Mike did go play in traffic, because he's not updated Mike On The Cards in about a week.  Then again, there's not exactly been a lot of good stuff to update it with.

Remember I said that we'd revisit the Memphis topic?  (If not, wake up!  It's only been a couple of paragraphs!)  Pitchers Hit Eighth has done a great job looking at this issue.  It does look like the only holdup is that Memphis is a non-profit organization, but I bet they'll figure all that out before next season gets underway.

More after the jump..............



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Don at The Redbird Blog has started looking at 2009.  He highlights a quote from TLR that really got me worked up (and this would have gone into today's regular entry if I'd seen it):

"When you're trying to decide between whether Stavinoha gets an at-bat, or Phelps gets an at-bat or Barton, I think we know what Barton's capable of. We've given him enough playing time," La Russa explained.

Seriously?  Barton has all of 136 ABs this year in 73 games.  He's just had 14 ABs since the All-Star Game (and is hitting .571 in those ABs).  I know he had some injuries and I know he got some time in Memphis, but c'mon.  35 of those ABs came as a pinch hitter.  He's played all of 219 innings--the equivalent of 24 games--in the outfield.  We know what he's capable of?

I'm guessing TLR means that in a good way, that he knows he can play the position, but to continue to find out who can play outfield, whatever crazy combination he can come up with, in lieu of getting some development on a guy that could actually be a prospect is ridiculous.  Maybe I even give you Phelps, seeing if you can keep him as a backup OF type on the roster next year.  But Brendan Ryan?  Aaron Miles?  Felipe Lopez?  There's a reason players aren't considered interchangable parts.

Sorry, got worked up.  Back to the blogs!

cards4life at Redbird Ramblings also is taking a short look back at 2008, especially the fact that Mozeliak didn't make a move at the deadline.  I agree that not making a move for a move's sake was probably a good idea, though I do think a small deal could have invigorated the club somewhat.

Rockin' the Red takes a look at the lefties that will be on the free agent market.  The Cards have to make a run at one of them, don't they?  Ohman has been a little rough down the stretch, but I bet the Cardinals push for him since they almost had a deal for him at the deadline.

Viva El Birdos starts pondering what it would take to get Brian Roberts to change his feathers and whether it'd be worth it.  Seems like it'd be an expensive package to me.  I'm fine with Lopez there next year and a better shortstop.

The guys at Cardinals Diaspora really aren't pleased with the way this season is wrapping up.

Supposedly there will be a new-look lineup tonight, as chet at 4thebirds links.  Because that's the problem.  TLR is way too conservative with his lineup construction.  I'm guessing, though, that Pujols might get the night off after a couple of rough outings.  Also at 4thebirds, a live chat room tonight.  This is the same type that the UCB will be doing this weekend across many of the associated blogs.

Aaron at The Rundown brings up a very valid question: why is TLR's job not even considered to be in jeopardy?  I'm on record as saying I was a fan of LaRussa's even when he was in Oakland and was very excited that he was coming to St. Louis.  There's no doubt his tenure here has been very successful.  But I think ownership needs to start thinking about the post-Tony era.  I still don't know how well he'll mesh under a young, rebuilding-type team.  However, ownership loves him and have pretty much given him a blank check to stay as long as he wants.

That's a Winner hasn't been updated lately, but we'll give him a pass: Josh became a first-time father recently.  Congrats!  And in other blog news, Stan Musial's Stance is currently on hiatus, but should be returning next week.  In fact, theangryrant may be joining us in the UCB project this weekend.  Come and find out!

One of the great things about blogging this year is that the number of Cardinal blogs I've become aware of has grown tremendously.  Lots of great writing around the Cardinal Nation!