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Cardinal baseball, from the girls
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.
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
It feels like FOREVER since Cardinal baseball was on my television!
Okay, okay…. for those of you needing a little help, here is an alphabetized list of the players included above. =)
I was in Texas this past weekend for a family Fall Break trip to San Antonio. We took the kiddos to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We saw the Shamu family, dolphins, sea lions and penguins at Sea World. We lounged by the pool, rode bikes, played catch on the grass and truly enjoyed our time together having fun.
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Ryan Madson – my reason to cheer the Phillies (vs the Giants) photo from dailypostal.com |
http://onegreatseason.com/home/2010/10/20/the-best-worst-of-espn.html
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Logo Credit: MLB.com |
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Cliff Lee & Teammates celebrate his CG and series win. (Oh hey…there’s a MOLINA!) Photo Credit: J. Meric, Getty Images |
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Ted should make it on hotness alone. |
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Cliff Lee (AP photo) celebrating the Rangers ALDS victory |
I know, two days later and I’m talking about the Reds losing. Welcome to my busy and random world. Anyway, I was thinking about this time last year, and how awful and pathetic I felt to be a Cardinals fan, having just watched my team flush away the season with some rather lackluster play and a quick three game sweep by the Dodgers. I even made the seven hour trek to St. Louis for game three after lucking into some tickets last minute. I was fairly convinced that I could turn things around and help the team climb back into the NLDS. That didn’t happen, obviously…
I really enjoyed that Braves/Giants series. It felt like watching the Braves games I used to catch all the time on TBS as a kid (yes, I was a kid in the 90’s… sorry). Turner Field was electrified last night, and despite the loss, the atmosphere of that game was a fitting send-off for Bobby Cox. I never had a problem with Bobby (Leo Mazzone was another story… watching him rock away in the dugout made me crazy) and actually enjoyed seeing him get tossed all the time. While I was fairly surprised to see it happen in the playoffs, it almost seemed fitting for it to happen to him.
I did a pretty horrible job picking teams so far, didn’t I? Last week I went for the Phils, Twins, Braves and Rays.
Let’s face it, the Phillies should have won that series, plain and simple.
Picking the Twins was a hopeful thing, not a ‘I actually think this could happen’ pick. Beating the Yankees in a short series is no simple task, so losing that one didn’t really surprise me.
I assumed that the Braves/Giants would be a crapshoot, and I think that was the series I wavered on the most. At times I forgot who I was rooting for and cheered for both teams.
I did not expect the Rangers to make it out alive. They have impressed me. Unfortunately, I pretty much assume that no matter which team comes out on top, they will probably lose to the Yankees in the ALCS. Part of me wants to remember that it’s a funny game (“… eh Monty?”), but the rest of me knows that they are the d*** Yankees for a reason.
Anyway, I did actually do some writing about the Cardinals for today (crazy, right?), but you have to head over to Baseball Digest to read it. I like to-do lists, so I started one for Mo and the front office to hold on to as the offseason really starts to set in. Head over there and give it a read, okay?
One last thing about last year. I might not have been able to turn the team around in the NLDS, but at least I didn’t cry like Brandon Phillips. Just sayin.
Welcome to Monday’s Girl Talk… except, this week, we let the boys join in! Before you gasp in shock, let me explain. Each year the United Cardinal Bloggers does a roundtable discussion in October, with the bloggers taking turns asking a question. Today is ladies’s day, so read through our question and the boys of the UCB answers, then head over to the UCB website and check out the full calendar of questions and sites. Enjoy!
Our question won’t surprise most of you, given our love of the Baby Birds. We wanted to know which of our beloved Baby Birds that were wandering the grass of Busch Stadium throughout the year should be looked at as permanent members of the squad next year, either as regulars or bench guys. We also asked which players should get the longest looks in the spring and which of the boys the team should (*gasp*) cut ties with, whether through trades or releasing them. I included the names Daniel Descalso, Allen Craig, Mark Hamilton, Fernando Salas, Joe Mather, Tyler Greene, Matt Pagnozzi and Bryan Anderson, but the responses threw out a couple other names as well. I’ll toss it over to the boys, then chime in with my thoughts at the end…
Daniel (C70 At The Bat)
I think Salas has established himself as a strong bullpen presence and should be a front-runner for a bullpen slot next year. Craig looks like he’s good for at least a platoon slot in the outfield and Descalso should be a capable bench guy, though I’m not completely sold on him taking over second for Schumaker.
As for the catchers, I think they should keep Bryan Anderson; it’s obvious they are going to keep Matt Pagnozzi. Anderson needs to be traded, because he’s not going to get the shot he needs in St. Louis.
The rest, I don’t mind having them in the system, don’t mind them getting spot time in the bigs, but if the club can get something for them, so be it.
Dennis (Pitchers Hit Eighth)
The one player who I think should be penciled in as a regular next year is Salas. I believe that his 30 innings pitched represent just large enough a sampling to pass judgment on him, and his 3.52 ERA is lower than both Boggs and Miller. I’d like to see Craig make the team as well, but I have reservations about his ability to be effective as a platoon player or pinch hitter. He seems like he’s best suited for an everyday slot that affords him 500+ plate appearances a year. Unless a slot opens due to trade/injury, I just don’t see that opportunity there for him right now.The situation at catcher deserves some real consideration. At 23, Anderson should probably be the catcher of the future. If Pagnozzi is the backup coming out of spring training, and the Cardinals force Yadi to sit more games, the trade value for Pagnozzi could rise. Pagnozzi could be traded by the deadline, and Anderson could be bumped up. If needed, Descalso may be a viable option at 2B, but I haven’t seen enough of him to feel comfortable writing his name in the lineup there. As for Green (27), Hamilton (26), and Mather (28), they are starting to feel like “players to be named later”.
Pip (Fungoes)
One player who showed some promise in limited action was Daniel Descalso. He demonstrated excellent plate discipline and offers versatility at two positions where the team has the most doubts, second base and third base. Assuming he’s not traded this winter, Bryan Anderson should get some exposure not for a spot on the 25-man roster but in order to showcase his talent for a trade.
Which players should the team consider cutting ties with, whether through trades or releasing them?Anderson, certainly, because he is blocked as both a starting catcher and a backup. Craig and Mather offer largely the same skill set, so the team needs only one. And depending on what happens with Albert Pujols, Mark Hamilton will either be superfluous or a good-buy (and goodbye) replacement.
Joseph (The McBrayer-Baseball Blog)
Joey Bombs Mather, may not get anything in return.
Dustin (Welcome To Baseball Heaven)
As far as guys who could become permanent members of the squad next year I’m leaning towards Salas, Pagnozzi and Allen Craig. Fernando established himself as a viable option out of the pen as a middle reliever this past season. I could be wrong but I’m assuming with a solid spring that Matt Pagnozzi will be Yadi’s backup next year. I’m thinking Allen Craig will get the nod over Joe Mather as an outfield bench option. I’d also like to see Descalso get a long look next spring as a utility guy in the infield.That leaves names such as Mather and Greene on the outside looking in. I do bounce back and forth a lot on what to do with Craig and Mather, but the organization needs to make a choice and possibly move one. As far as Tyler Greene I just don’t know. He seems to have a never ending case of the yips every time he makes an appearance in St. Louis.
Mark (RetroSimba)
Salas should help the bullpen in 2011. He could be an upgrade over Hawksworth. Craig is a better hitter and run producer than he showed in the majors this year. He should have a role as a bench player with St. Louis in 2011. Descalso should compete for a utilityman role.
I agree that Anderson should be given a long look in the spring, and Cards should make a decision to keep him or trade him.
I agree that Mather and Hamilton have no futures with this club, and should be traded.
Tom (Cardinals GM)
Salas is in. He looked sharp and deserves a bullpen shot. Craig I would keep as an extra outfielder,. He show the prowess to get some hits and a spot starter.
After that, I am not handing out spots just yet. I believe the backup to Molina will be/and needs to be a veteran (can you insert walkaway Dioner Navarro here?) Pagnozzi needs more daily reps in Memphis. Anderson needs to be somewhere else, in a package trade and Delscaso just needs to show us in Spring Training he is ready. The rest can play AAAA ball
Cole (Redbird Report)
I’d say Fernando Salas. He was solid just about every time he stepped out there this year. Also, you can’t ignore his 19 saves and 0.98 WHIP that he posted in AAA this season. He clearly has good stuff, and it wasn’t just at the minor league level.
In 27 games with the Cardinals, Salas posted a 3.52 ERA and struck out 29 in 30.2 innings pitched. With Franklin aging (and struggling) I wouldn’t be surprised to see Salas get looks in the ninth inning next year. He’ll certainly be an eighth inning guy at the very least.
Bill (I-70 Baseball)
I am of the belief that a good portion of the Cardinals Minor League system are nothing more than career minor leaguers.
Craig, Mather, Greene could all be traded or cut loose and I honestly would not notice or care (sorry, Erika).
That being said, as for “long looks” next Spring, I would like to see Descalso, Anderson, and Pagnozzi be given every opportunity to play themselves out of a job. Fernando Salas needs to be a part of this bullpen.
Hamilton is intriguing, but projects as a first baseman. Let’s hope he’s blocked.
Finally, I think there are a few guys that need to get a look in Spring to determine where they belong this year. Guys like Matt Carpenter and Darryl Jones need to be evaluated and determine where there future is and how quickly it is coming.
Goodness. Not much love for some of our favorite Baby Birds, is there? Last I checked Erika hadn’t read any of these responses… I think we should all be crossing our fingers that she hasn’t made it this far into today’s post. If she has, sorry dear, but I’m going to probably agree with all of the above.
I want Pags and Anderson given shots to make it on the roster as Yadi’s back-up, but whichever one doesn’t make it should probably just be traded ASAP, because it’s not worth keeping them both around anymore.
I think Descalso will become next year’s Tyler Greene if he doesn’t make the roster. He’ll be the first one up to be the bench guy. In all honesty I want him to have a strong spring and oust Skippy for second base, but I’m not sure he’ll get that much of a chance.
Salas is here to stay. He put it a lot of miles this year between Memphis and St. Louis, and played well everywhere he went. Keep him around.
Craig needs consistent playing time. If he can get it in St. Louis and finally put up the numbers he’s been putting up in Memphis he’ll stick. If not, sayonara.
The rest? You all know I love Joe Mather, but I don’t see him ever being anything more than a AAAA guy (*sheds a tear*). Tyler Greene has never impressed me at the big league level. Ever. His defense isn’t as good as Brendan, his bat isn’t as good as Skip, and I have to believe that there will be someone standing at third not named Tyler Greene. I like the look of Mark Hamilton, but if he is manning first for the Cardinals in the coming years, that means Albert is not. I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with that idea.
Now, we just included players that were actually on the big league squad at some point this year. There are still plenty of names and faces coming up through the ranks of the Cardinal minor league system… but it might be awhile before the calvary comes riding in. Just sayin’.
Thanks to Daniel and the rest of the UCB team for letting us join in on the fun, and be sure to check in over at the official site to see some of our responses to other questions throughout the month of October! Oh hey, while I’ve got you here, yesterday my newest post went up at I-70 Baseball, checking out the Cardinals from 1900-1905. Give it a look and let me know what you think!