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Off Day Bullet Points

Not a whole lot to talk about, so let's just hit the high points.

• Really thought last night was going to be the night the National League stopped the streak.  Having that two run lead late in the game was good, though I will say that Volquez worried me when he came in.  After two outs, though, I thought he was safe.  Should have known better.
  
  
• For a while there, I thought Dan Uggla was going to be the MVP for the AL.  I mean, has anyone had a tougher half hour in ASG history?  A double play, which kept the NL from taking the lead, then back-to-back errors.  Heck, even the play he made could have been faster and a DP instead of just one out.  Then he struck out later with a runner on third.  You think maybe he was hoping for a better experience?
  
  
• I made it to the top of the 13th.  After that, I had to hit the sack and saw that Lidge got the loss in the 15th.  After that long, you can't say anyone blew it, really.  And, from the replays, it looks like they almost got another fly ball double play there as well.
  
  
• I know a lot of people are going to say Aaron Cook had a great game.  He did well getting around Uggla's errors, but he got lucky that Kinsler and Navarro were called out on tags that were either phantom or late.  Seemed like he was a Houdini--one that was escaping traps of his own making.  That strikeout of Longoria in the 11th was big, though.
  
  
• Glad to see Pujols have a good game.  2-3 is nothing to be ashamed of, though I wish Hurdle had left him in longer.  The way the game went (and the fact that Wright struck out his first two times up after taking over for AP), Hurdle might wish that as well!
  
  
• And what was up with walking Morneau in the 11th (or 12th--I forget now which!) to get to Kinsler with a man on third?  Usually power hitters have more holes in their swing, and since you only needed one out, you'd think they'd have gone after Morneau.  I thought maybe they were looking for an extra force play, but then they let Morneau steal without a throw.  You'd have thought Kinsler would be the one more likely to bloop a hit, but it worked out, so maybe there were some stats behind it I am not aware of.
  
  
• A new Cardinal site to mention.  Redbirds of a Feather has a weekly podcast summing up the week that just went by and looking ahead to the week to come.  Give it a listen when you get the time.
  
  
• I'm also trying to expand my internet knowledge and so have come up with a Facebook page.  If you are on the site, join up if you want.  I don't know exactly what I'll do with it, but it's there and that's something.
  

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Padres series.  At least the break doesn't last an extra day like it does for some teams--I hate having no Cardinal baseball!

Mid-Season Review, UCB Style

Stick around after the jump for thoughts on last night's Home Run Derby, but right now, it's the next installment of the United Cardinal Bloggers franchise!

Last week, the UCB members started a roundtable discussion on how things had gone so far and what was coming next.  Each person tossed out a question for comment.  Today, each blog--CardinalsGM, The Cardinal Virtue, Fungoes, Redbird Ramblings and Mike on the Cards--will be posting the transcript of answers to their questions.  (Links will change from the general blog to the specific entry when they go up.)

My question was "Which player or players is/are the most likely not to be a Cardinal come August?"  It probably won't surprise you that one name dominated the discussion.

C70: I still have to think Anthony Reyes is at the top of Mozeliak's move list.  There's really not a spot for him in St. Louis going forward, at least under the current management, so why not give him a shot somewhere else?

Mike on the Cards: The trade market sure seems to be the hot topic right now, especially after the moves made by the Cubs and Brewers.  Tony wants help.  Mo wants to sit idle.  Fans want the world for nothing.  I think there might be a small move made at the deadline, involving Anthony Reyes and one or two middle tier prospects.

Redbird Ramblings: I think Reyes is the guy most likely to be traded.  He needs to go to get a change of scenery and he should be dealt for a guy that also needs a change of scenery; that's only fair.  I mean, no one is gonna take Reyes as a centerpiece to any kind of big trade; only probably as a throw in.  I also would like Mo to unload Duncan and, if they are out of the playoff picture, Lohse too because he is having a career year and will probably cost way too much come free agency.

The Cardinal Virtue: Duncan and Reyes are both out of option years.  If they are going to stay on the 40 man roster next year they'll have to be on the active roster as well or clear waivers--and neither of those are probably happening.  Don't be surprised if they are packaged for a reliever of some kind.

Fungoes: Iron Cap Reyes.  If the team was more willing to let Mike Parisi, Mitchell Boggs and Mark Mulder start games than Reyes, they'll never have a need for him again.

There was a report that Pedro Gomez said that A.J. Burnett could be moved for a package including Reyes and Chris Duncan.  I don't know if that's valid or a joke (probably the latter), though I could imagine that being reasonable since Burnett is going to opt out of his deal at the end of the year.  Whatever the deal winds up being, most of us would be very surprised to see Reyes still wearing the birds on the bat after the deadline.

Now, for the HR derby..............
  Continue Reading

Big Win in Philly

The Cardinals showed last night that the road doesn't intimidate them this year.  They've struggled away from Busch the last couple of years, but this year they can beat people anywhere.  In fact, they have the best road record in the National League, one of only two NL teams (Philadelphia is the other) with a winning record on the road.

You can't say enough about the job Joel Pineiro did last night.  He had a tough draw, going up against Cole Hamels in a launching pad, but he kept the powerful Phils off the board.  The Cards really needed a win after the weekend and all the trading activity in the division and he provided.

Tough to give anyone a Goat tag when they go up against someone like Hamels, but Troy Glaus gets it not only for his 0-4 but his double play he hit into in the ninth against Lidge.  An insurance run there would have made me feel a lot better about Ryan Franklin facing Utley, Howard and Burrell in the ninth, though it turns out it wasn't necessary.

The Cubs called the Brewers' raise in the pitching department, getting Rich Harden to add to their stable.  We all know the caveats on Harden, but if he is healthy, that gives the Cubs the 1-2 punch they've been lacking.  I've always thought that Zambrano was basically the only pitcher on that staff and they were getting by with the rest of them.  Adding Harden makes me a lot more concerned about their postseason life--they may have enough to go deeper in October, if they get there.

So what do the Cardinals do now?  Both of the top competitors have added aces.  I know Mozeliak is going to say things like "no need to do anything," "nothing on the burners", "the calvery will be like a trade," but is that really true?  I know that Wainwright will be back sometime in August, which does give a boost, but that's just getting the team back to health.  If Carpenter does make it back this year, he's not going to be able to provide significant innings, so as nice as it'll be to see him on the mound, will he really be the difference maker if he's going two times a week out of the pen?

I'd like to see the Cards make a run at Erik Bedard, if they can get him at a reasonable price.  These last couple of trades may make that unlikely, since both the Brewers and the Cubs gave up some good talent and, more notably, a good number of bodies, but the flip side of that is that two of the teams most likely to be in any Bedard derby are now out.  I'm not sure any AL team will be that excited to get him after his Seattle showing, which may mean the Cards just need to compete with Philadelphia, the Mets, or teams like that to get him if Seattle puts him on the market (and they'd probably be crazy not to.)

If a package that didn't really damage the farm system (i.e., no Colby Rasmus, Jamie Garcia, Jess Todd) was put together, I'd be in favor of it.  A couple of days ago Larry at VEB mentioned moving Mitchell Boggs or Clayton Mortenson would not be a bad thing if they could get value.  If Anthony Reyes or Chris Duncan had value, I'd suggest some sort of modification on the Santana deal I proposed last winter, but that's wishful thinking.  If the price is dropped because of the reduction of teams, I'd think the Cardinals might be able to be in contention for someone like Bedard.  If it hasn't, though, then they should go ahead and pass.  Anything that happens this year is gravy, since this team is really designed for 2009 and beyond.

Of course, tonight's game might go a long way toward showing whether any kind of deal is really necessary.  Mark Mulder takes the mound against rookie J.A. Happ.  If Mulder can be somewhat effective, it might lead to hope that he can be a part of a second half surge.  I don't expect he'll get past the fifth, just because he's not thrown that much lately, but if he could give five innings and just a couple of runs, there'd be a lot more optimism in Cardinal Nation.  Whether that'll happen or not is a different story.

And, before I forget, it's XM Radio ad time!  XM will be all over the All-Star stuff.  Shows will be hosted from New York, the Futures Game (featuring four Cardinals, don't forget!) will be on XM 175 on Sunday, then the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game itself will be on XM 176 on their respective days.  If you want to stay up on what's going on with the All-Stars, tune in to your XM!

Speaking of the All-Stars, I see where AP is saying he'll do the Home Run Derby if asked.  Last time it didn't affect his swing (I think he hit more homers after the break!) so I'm all for that.  I love seeing Cardinals do anything during the All-Star festivities.  Seeing all the different jerseys (well, that's only in the game now, so they can make more money on All-Star sales) on the same field is really neat.

Just keep an eye on Philadelphia tonight.  A big part of the rest of the season could be riding on it.

Quit Complaining About The Game!

Every year, you hear a couple of the same complaints at All-Star Game time.  After hearing some on the radio again last night (and yelling my responses at it) I realized that I have a baseball blog and that'd be probably the better place to vent.  If you aren't interested, of course, feel free to skip down to today's Cardinal post.

First off, let me say that there never has been anything wrong with the All-Star Game.  That is, until Bud Selig got embarrassed in his home park and decided he had to do something.  It's one of the lowlights of a regime that, frankly, has little to redeem itself.

I first wrote about this five years ago, when the general plan was being developed.  I didn't like it then, I don't like it now.  The All-Star Game is designed as an exhibition.  To give it meaning, to assign a value to it, is just as reasonable as saying the league with the most wins in spring training gets the home field in the World Series.  The two are not interrelated enough to be connected in that way. 

Besides, since they started this in 2003, it hasn't mattered.  The Marlins won Game 6 in Yankee Stadium the first year.  The Red Sox swept in '04, the White Sox in '05.  The Cardinals won in five games in '06 and, of course, another sweep by the Red Sox in '07.  So far no series has gone to Game 7.  Heck, only two haven't been sweeps!  Tell me that home field advantage made that much of a difference.  Maybe it swung a game, but decisive series like that?

So when you look at the ASG in the way it is supposed to be looked at, as a game, a lot of the complaints don't really measure up, in my book.

Some people say, "Hey, take the vote away from the fans if the game is going to mean something."  That's so backward it's hard to believe it's even mentioned.  The whole thing is about the fans.  Teams charge outrageous prices and jack those prices up even after bad years.  They trade favorite players and give up on seasons.  They do everything they can to separate the fan from their money.  And letting this group, which is the lifeblood of the game, get a shot at actually mattering for once is a bad thing?  Really?

So what if Ian Kinsler should start over Dustin Pedroia?  (Just as an example, though that's definitely debatable.)  The fans wanted to see Pedroia, so let them see him.  Bat him a couple of times then bring in Kinsler.  It's the fans' game.  People seem to forget that from time to time.

Besides, the players proved this year that they are just as biased as the fans.  Jason Varitek?  Really?  The fans haven't made a selection that bad in years.

The complaint I get the most riled up about, however, is the one where people say, "We don't need players from every team.  Who cares if the Royals (or Pirates or fill in the blank) get a player on the roster?"  I would expect that people that say this either one, don't care to watch the ASG at all or two, grew up fans of a big team (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, etc.) 

Ask a Royal fan if they are glad that they've got representation.  See if it's not the highlight of a Pirates fan season to see Jason Bay hit with Pujols on deck.  The fan base of baseball isn't just in the big cities, as much as some people would have you believe.  Smaller teams have fans too and they want to see their players on the big stage.

As a Cardinal fan growing up, I've been pretty lucky.  Most every year Ozzie was starting the game when I was younger and now Pujols is there every year.  But I always wanted to see the Cardinal representatives get into the game.  I was so aggrevated in 2002 when Matt Morris was the only Cardinal selection, couldn't pitch in the game and they didn't take another Cardinal to cover for him, so the Redbirds had no chance of having their player on the field.

So when I'm watching the game this year, I'll be waiting to see when Ryan Ludwick comes in and if he does more than pinch-hit.  In some ways, it's validation for believing that your favorite players are actually that good, when another manager uses them in the game.

If there wasn't at least a guarantee of a Cardinal being introduced, some years I probably wouldn't watch the game.  It's fun and I always want the NL to win, but without that hook of seeing my favorite team's cap out there on the field, I'd possibly let it slide.

So please, please, can we can the shots at the ASG and just enjoy the ballgame?

It's All About Pitching

Let's see, what's on the PD site this morning?

Well, the biggest news probably is the status of Adam Wainwright.  According to Derrick Goold, he can start throwing anytime now, but it's going to be after the All-Star Break before they even start talking about a return date.  I'd expect he'll probably get one rehab start, so if he's back by my birthday (August 2, mark your calendars) I'd be a little surprised.  Still, it doesn't sound like he's having any setbacks, which is good news.

Chris Carpenter is working his way back as well, but it doesn't look like he'll be in the majors before August either.  In fact, it may be with expanded rosters before we see him in St. Louis.  I've said all along that if he was back before mid-August that it'd be pretty surprising, even when the team was talking about him being back at the All-Star Break.  Tommy John just doesn't heal that quickly.

And, even in times of pitching need, Matt Clement cleared waivers and is going to work as a reliever in Memphis.  Talk about a move that backfired.  Granted, it was a low-risk move, but Clement seemed pretty well in spring training and I really thought that part of the improved pitching this year would be because of him.  Now, he may be an August or September callup as well and in the bullpen (which needs the help).  I guess it's still possible the Cards would pick up his option for next year, just to see if they can get something out of him, but this is not what Mozeliak thought he was getting.

General tangent: I'm going to do my All-Star rant in a little bit, but in other baseball news, I wanted to say how nice it was to see Milwaukee get CC Sabathia.  Not in the competition aspect--it makes Milwaukee the favorite in the NL Central in my book now--but in the fact that here's a small market team being able to make a play for the biggest name on the trade market.  Sabathia didn't wind up in New York or Boston or Chicago.  That's a good thing for baseball, in my book.

The matchup tonight is not exactly one that screams "win" for the Cardinals.  Joel Pineiro will go into Philadelphia and take on Cole Hamels.  The good news is that the Phillies don't have much of a book on Pineiro, at least not from personal experience.  The bad news is that some of the Phillies that have seen him have done pretty well.  As for Hamels, well, both of those statements pretty much apply to him as well.  Albert Pujols has done a good job against him and hopefully will continue that now that he's gotten #300 out of the way.  As long as they realize that some things you hear about Hamels may be exaggerated, the Cards could be OK.

Housekeeping:  You'll notice a few new links over on the blog roll.  St. Louis Sports Magazine has been nice enough to link over here a couple of times and I appreciate that.  Player to be Named Later is back from hiatus.  And a couple of the more, well, colorful Cardinal blogs, Cardinal Diaspora and Bert Flex, are on the list as well.  Bert Flex was nice enough to include me in their Cardinal Blogger Appreciation Month, which I appreciate.

Fantasy Baseball

The Cards get started on the real thing tomorrow, but until then, we've only got fantasies.  I had my keeper league draft today and this is what the result was.  I'm pretty happy with it, and I know there's nothing more boring than people talking about a team in a league you aren't in, so one time post and that's it.

5x5 league and here's the roster:

C B. McCann (Keeper)
C Y. Molina (Round 12)
1B A. Pujols (K)
2B P. Polanco (7)
SS H. Ramirez (K)
3B R. Zimmerman (K)
MI J. Hardy (5)
CI M. Teixeira (K)
DH B. Butler (11)
OF C. Granderson (K)
OF J. Hamilton (1)
OF C. Hart (2)
OF M. Kemp (3)
OF R. Ankiel (9)
P E. Bedard (K)
P F. Hernandez (K)
P J. Santana (K)
P A. Wainwright (K)
P R. Harden (4)
P J. Isringhausen (6)
P J. Soria (8)
P Z. Greinke (10)

Granderson went on the DL after the draft and I picked up Austin Kearns.  So, what do you think?

XM Radio

Today's main entry is below, but I got an e-mail from XM's marketing group asking for a plug.  Being a huge XM fan, I'm more than willing to do it.

The whole reason I got an XM radio for Christmas 2006 was the baseball coverage.  I leave the radio on Home Plate 175 almost all day in the office.  (The Show, with Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy, gets on my nerves so I'm usually flipping during that time.)  Being able to hear all the different games, all the different announcers, it's well worth it.  Plus having the baseball talk during the winter can be a lifesaver!

Next weekend (March 29-30), they are having the Play Ball channel.  They had this last year and it was great.  The XM radio I have, the Inno, has the option to record songs and I was getting lots of them.  (Did you know there there was a Mark McGwire song--"King of Swing"--as well as "Stan the Man", "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Curse of the Billy Goat"?)  Mixed in with the songs were classic calls and other readings.  From the promotional e-mail:

For 48 hours leading up to Opening Day, XM Radio will broadcast 412 songs about the sport, 27 songs about players, 7 dramatic readings of baseball stories and various classic calls of historic plays – truly an audio euphoria for every baseball fan. From March 29-30, fans will hear non-stop classics on XM Channel 120 such as “Take me out to the Ballgame,” “Casey at the Bat,” and the Shot Heard Round the World.

It's great stuff.  If you've got a radio for next weekend, listen in.  If not, well, good reason to go get one.

They've got some great people on XM talking baseball.  Right now, I'm listening to the Ripken Brothers, who know their stuff, obviously.  I love Chuck Wilson--big fan of his since he was on ESPN Radio.  MLB This Morning with Mark Patrick and Buck Martinez is a great way to start the day.  Like I said, the only ones I have any problems listening to are Dibble and Kennedy, so when 95% of the channel is good, you put up with the bad parts.

Baseball season is coming.  Be prepared for it all with XM!

Slow, Slow, Slow

Talk about a dead period. This time between Christmas and New Year's is terrible for baseball news, it appears. Just running down the headlines on Pro Sports Daily's rumor site, there was only one story yesterday (about the Reds still wanting to make moves) and most everything over there deals with Johan Santana, with an occasional dash of Eric Bedard.

Really more of the same at MLB Trade Rumors. Lot of rehashing of Santana. Doesn't part of you wish that the Twins would either fish or cut bait? Take him off the market or send him somewhere, I don't care anymore, just do something! Though if Santana winds up a Yankee or a Red Sox, it's very disheartening.

We congratulate Deaner at CardinalNationGlobe for having heat in his house again. That also gets him back into the Cardinal blogosphere, which is a good thing as well.

Keep following Pip's Twelve Days of Cardinal Christmas. It's great already and there's only been two days!

Looks like there are four of us so far for the next United Cardinal Bloggers project. Readin' Redbird, CardinalsGM and CardinalNationGlobe have all indicated willingness to participate. Always looking for more, though!

Rounding Third

It's not Cardinal baseball, but with little going on in that arena, it seemed fitting to take a little time out to recognize the passing of Joe Nuxall.

Sure, Joe was a player.  His first outing, famously, was against the Cardinals when he was just shy of 16--yes, 16--years old.  Not surprisingly, the nerves showed in facing players like Stan Musial and he was tattooed for five runs in the outing.

Eight years later, he made it back to the Reds for his real career.  He had success and failure, like most every other player.  He bounced around a little toward the end of his career, but he was always a Red at heart, being an Ohio boy.

While his playing background is well remembered, his legacy was on the radio.  Teamed with Marty Brennaman for 28 years, Marty and Joe were the background of Ohio afternoons and evenings just like Jack Buck and Mike Shannon were here in St. Louis.

My father-in-law is a huge Reds fan and listens to Marty and Joe on a daily basis.  I came to appreciate them from listening to him talk about their broadcasts.  There are a lot of sad people in that area today, as the ol' lefthander has finally rounded third and has headed home.

A Blog Rundown

There's not much to say today that other people aren't saying better, so let's see what they are saying.  Of course, all of these topics can be discussed further at your local Cardinal message board.  I know the Clubhouse has threads on just about all of them.

*Molina loses out on a Gold Glove.  Bird Land really lays out the unjustice, and I have to agree.  Any catcher that stops the running game like Yadier does, that makes the first base pickoff a legitimate option, has to be the Gold Glover.  I don't think I'd ever seen a 1-3 pickoff until Molina, and now it's almost a regular occurrence.  Others talking about this: Bernie's Extra Points, Deaner at Cardinal Nation Globe, and a diary at VEB.  Pujols was denied a glove as well, which was in and of itself an injustice, but nothing compares to Molina not getting one.  Hopefully next year they'll both be able to take home the hardware.  The tough 2007 Cardinal season continues, it appears.

*Tom over at CardinalsGM gets you ready for next year's fantasy season (because, in my mind, you never start that early enough) with a look at the top players.

*The Cardinals have declined the option on outfielder So Taguchi.  Pip at Fungoes has a mixed take on this one.   I've appreciated what So has done here in St. Louis, but it probably is time to move on, especially since outfield is a place the team is deep at.  Stan Musial's Stance has a fitting tribute to the outfielder.

*Along with the daily prospect report, Erik at Future Redbirds is already looking forward to next year's first-year draft with his projection of who the Cards will take.

*Dan at Get Up, Baby! looks back at Scott Rolen's lost season and discusses why not to trade him right now.  I'm a Rolen fan and I'm of the opinion that he'll be an asset for the team next year.  As Dan says, though, even if you aren't sold on that, you can't trade him now because his value is so low.

*Readin' Redbird has the news that Curt Schilling is going back to Boston.  That's not a huge surprise--a one year deal for a guy that's legendary in the organization and wants to retire a Red Sox?  Even the traditionally unsentimental Theo Epstein had to go for that one.  And, as I've said, it doesn't bother me that he's not coming to St. Louis.

*And Whiteyball is doing a link post.  What kinda cop-out is that?

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]