Recently in Cliff Politte Category

Moves and Lineup

Per the ever-resourceful duo of Derrick Goold and Matthew Leach, Cliff Politte and Chris Perez will be starting their season in AAA.  No big surprise there.  Politte hadn't done a whole lot in the spring and Perez, while showing flashes of brilliance, also showed that he could use a little more time in AAA.

So that means that the roster is set, except for one pitching spot.  Who will be in that spot might be a surprise.  Kelvin Jimenez and Anthony Reyes (yes, the subject of so much angst in the blogosphere lately) are the final two candidates.  I can't believe that having Reyes work out of the pen is a better idea that having him be a starter in Memphis, but it is something that worked for Matt Morris as he came back from injury and for Adam Wainwright as he was getting used to the majors.  Whether it'd work for Reyes, I don't know, but I think I'd be for it.  He's obviously done as much as he can in Memphis, so if Looper or Wellemeyer start blowing games early, it'd be an easy swap.

What might be most noteworthy is this quote:

“Dave and I don’t agree on everything. … It is still fluid.”--Tony LaRussa

Now THAT is news!

Today's lineup:

1. Skip Schumaker, RF
2. Chris Duncan, LF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Rick Ankiel, CF
5. Troy Glaus, 3B
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Adam Kennedy, 2B
8. Adam Wainwright, RHP
9. Aaron Miles, SS

The bench is standard, with most of the major-league complements available. Brendan Ryan is set to take infield and cuts in the cages today. The bullpen, as listed on the lineup card: LHP Randy Flores, RHP Russ Springer, RHP Kyle McClellan, RHP Kelvin Jimenez, RHP Hugo Castellanos.

Looks pretty standard, save Miles at short.  That's a lineup that we'll see quite a bit this season (with Izturis instead), I'd expect.  And just more proof that it's time to get serious, seeing all those regulars playing.  The season is coming!

Back to the Grind

Before anything else, I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas. I spent four days off line for the first time in ages and just enjoyed the season and the family. I hope you got everything that you wished for and more besides.

I meant to note this last week, but over at Stan Musial's Stance, there's a discussion on the informally retired numbers and whether they'll ever make it up on the outfield wall. Check it out and add your two cents.

As far as I can tell, the Cardinals took the holiday time off as well, as only the small news of Cliff Politte signing a minor league contract cracks the public consciousness. There's no telling what they are working on behind the scenes, but I doubt there will be anything big happening between now and January. As for Politte, another arm that has a chance to make an impact in the bullpen. No risk, medium reward. Nothing to get excited about, but he could be another Percival type next year.

In case you have some grievances out there, Erik at Future Redbirds has up his Festivus Pole. I've got a feeling some at CCH would like to have at ownership this time of year. 'Course, those are the ones who have at ownership every day of the year, so it's not much of a stretch.   Also, Pip at Fungoes has started the Cardinal Twelve Days of Christmas.

Generally, you may notice some snow at the top of the blog and throughout the page. Wordpress has that as an option between now and January 2, and since it's the closest thing to snow we're going to get around these parts, I clicked the box.

Also, I have e-mailed those Cardinal blogs that participated in the last blogger project with a new idea. If you did not participate last time but are interested in this project, aimed for December 31, e-mail me (cardinal70 at gmail).

Also on the Network: √ Yanks Beat A Lefty? [Depressed Fan] √ Yanks Start Second Half With "W" [Green Pinstripes] √ All-Star Breather: The Giants Catchers [El Lefty Malo] √ Rock Is Dead; Shea Stadium July 18, 2008 [Loge 13] √ Citi Field Revealed (FYI: No Loge Here) [Loge 13] √ My Rifle, My Pony and Me [Beantown West] √ Quick Chicago roundup [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Giants Reveal New Stadium Ticket Plans [Loge 13]