One of the big things that Cardinal fans are thinking about this offseason is the fact that the Cardinals need to sign star Albert Pujols to an extension that will make him a Cardinal for life.
MLB Trade Rumors recently put up a post that SI's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Pujols camp is seeking something around A-Rod's 10 year, $275 million deal from 2007. A-Rod was 32 when that deal was signed. Pujols will be turning 31 next month.
I think in all of the offseason rumors that are milling about, this has to be the biggest "Duh" rumor out there. I mean, seriously, should the best player in the game get paid like he is the best player in the game? I imagine so... duh. After 10 seasons, Pujols is sitting at a career line of .331/.426/.624, 408 HRs, 1900 Hits, 1230 RBIs, 1186 Rs, 9 All Star Games, 3 MVP awards (never finishing out of the Top 10 in MVP voting either). Yeah, I'd say A-Rod type money is deserving for his final 10 years in the Bigs. Duh.
Showing posts with label Cardinals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cardinals. Show all posts
Jack Clark is a Doodyhead
Former Cardinal player, and current analyst for the team, Jack Clark, pictured below in all his unibrow glory, said recently that the St. Louis Cardinals have "poopy in their pants." I wish I was making that up, but that, my friends is a direct quote. In case you do think I'm making it up, the audio is directly below his hideous, ogre-like, child-eating smile.
Poopy. In their pants. Poopy. That's a fun word...
Poopy. In their pants. Poopy. That's a fun word...
You're Out!!!
One of the most exciting parts of a baseball game is the rare occasion when a manager runs out of a dugout to argue with an umpire over a controversial call, things get heated and the manager gets tossed. It's a lot of fun to see some managers get really worked up about things. Sweet Lou was the best at it. That's where his impact on the game will be missed the most, not as a manager, but as on-field, rage-filled entertainment.
If you like those moments in baseball, then you absolutely loved the game in Milwaukee between the Brewers and Cardinals on September 7th. It all began in the 2nd inning when a run scored on pitcher Chris Naverson's double-play groundout. Craig Counsell was called for interference and the run was called back to third. Brewers manager Ken Macha took exception to the call, and was eventually tossed.
Later on, in the third inning, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan was given the hook by home plate umpire Bob Davidson for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Duncan ejection was followed by Brewers OF Chris Dickerson, who was visibly upset at being called out on an inside pitch, slamming down his bat and helmet before getting tossed and hitting the showers.
As if that wasn't enough, Davidson capped off the ejections by throwing out a fan, who had been heckling Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. So, just to recap, that's a manager, a pitching coach, a player and a fan. On the television broadcast, one of the announcers made the comment, "We better watch what we say, or we might be next."
Oh, by the way, this was also the game when all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman notched his 600th save for his career. However, by the time the save was official, in addition to the above ejections, 14 concession workers, a ball boy, the Cardinals' bullpen catcher, the locker room attendant and Section 326 were all shown the door.
If you like those moments in baseball, then you absolutely loved the game in Milwaukee between the Brewers and Cardinals on September 7th. It all began in the 2nd inning when a run scored on pitcher Chris Naverson's double-play groundout. Craig Counsell was called for interference and the run was called back to third. Brewers manager Ken Macha took exception to the call, and was eventually tossed.
Later on, in the third inning, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan was given the hook by home plate umpire Bob Davidson for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Duncan ejection was followed by Brewers OF Chris Dickerson, who was visibly upset at being called out on an inside pitch, slamming down his bat and helmet before getting tossed and hitting the showers.
As if that wasn't enough, Davidson capped off the ejections by throwing out a fan, who had been heckling Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. So, just to recap, that's a manager, a pitching coach, a player and a fan. On the television broadcast, one of the announcers made the comment, "We better watch what we say, or we might be next."
Oh, by the way, this was also the game when all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman notched his 600th save for his career. However, by the time the save was official, in addition to the above ejections, 14 concession workers, a ball boy, the Cardinals' bullpen catcher, the locker room attendant and Section 326 were all shown the door.
Cards Looking to Replace Suppan With....
...this guy:
This is Bill Lee. He's 63 years old, and still has a pretty fierce glare. According to his MLB.com player profile, Bill is also known as Williams "Spaceman" Lee. Spaceman used to pitch for the the Red Sox and the Expos, where he posted a career 119-90 with a 3.62 ERA. On September 5th, Spaceman pitched once again... for the Brockton Rox, of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball League. And he did pretty well, going 5 1/3 and allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits. Spaceman will reportedly pitch for Cardinal scouts next Tuesday.
In honor of Spaceman's performance, how about a video feature his son - Dr. Leo Spaceman.
This is Bill Lee. He's 63 years old, and still has a pretty fierce glare. According to his MLB.com player profile, Bill is also known as Williams "Spaceman" Lee. Spaceman used to pitch for the the Red Sox and the Expos, where he posted a career 119-90 with a 3.62 ERA. On September 5th, Spaceman pitched once again... for the Brockton Rox, of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball League. And he did pretty well, going 5 1/3 and allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits. Spaceman will reportedly pitch for Cardinal scouts next Tuesday.
In honor of Spaceman's performance, how about a video feature his son - Dr. Leo Spaceman.
No Love for Phillips
In the Cardinals-Reds series at the beginning of August, Brandon Phillips had some rather inflammatory remarks for the St. Louis ballclub... calling them "little b*tches." The Cardinals took exception to Phillips' remarks and proceeded to sweep the Reds to reclaim first place in the division - and then went 4-13 to fall 8 games back in the standings. Over Labor Day weekend, the Cardinals hosted the Reds for the first time since Phillips' remarks, and for the last time this season. Cardinal fans let the Reds 2B know that they don't have a short memory.
Phillips received a standing ovation after his first inning strikeout, and was booed for the rest of the game. However, the most interesting part - one of his foul balls was thrown back onto the field. As you would expect, a person is ejected from the stadium after throwing something onto the field, and that was the case in this instance as well. That should be the end of the story.... should be. However, the person that was ejected, according to a tweet over the weekend, was none other than a grandson of Cardinal great Stan Musial. Oops...
Phillips received a standing ovation after his first inning strikeout, and was booed for the rest of the game. However, the most interesting part - one of his foul balls was thrown back onto the field. As you would expect, a person is ejected from the stadium after throwing something onto the field, and that was the case in this instance as well. That should be the end of the story.... should be. However, the person that was ejected, according to a tweet over the weekend, was none other than a grandson of Cardinal great Stan Musial. Oops...
That About Sums It Up
How bad are the Cardinals playing right now? So bad that there's no need to dispute this Freudian slip of a headline. By the way, I checked, it's been fixed.
The Wrigley Experience
On Friday, I had the opportunity to do something that I had never done before. I got to ride a bus with a bunch of old people, and a few obnoxious ones, to Wrigley Field and see a game. There is a tour company out of Lafayette, IN that sells tickets, gives you a ride to the game, drops/picks you off/up at the gate and brings you home. It was a good experience. I don't know how willing I'd be to do it again, and I'll say more about that in a bit.
We got on the bus at 9:00am and headed north. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out some things... like a cattle farm and windmills. Yes, folks, that's northern Indiana for you. We got dropped off on Waveland Ave, where there was a crowd of people ready to catch some of the batting practice home run balls that may come flying over the wall, and entered at the left field gate.
As I entered the stadium, some kid was standing there handing out shirts. I, always the eager receiver of free stuff, was quite disappointed when I actually looked at the shirt. It was a Cubs shirt.... sponsored by Budweiser. I don't drink. I especially don't drink beer, or Budweiser. I also don't wear Cubs shirts unless I am planning to working chest-deep in feces, which has never happened.
I was immediately overwhelmed by how crowed the concourse seemed to be. In reality, it wasn't all that crowded at this point, it's just really small. One of the members of my church was kind enough to give us the money to go to this game, so we thought we'd get him something at the gift shop while we were there. I thought it would be funny to get him a shot glass (after all, who doesn't want a shot glass from their pastor?!?), but we ended up getting him a Cubs hat... and immediately hiding it in my wife's purse for the duration of the game.
We made our way up to our seats. We were on the lower level, in Section 224, in the very last row. These were pretty good seats in one sense: we were in the shade. On a 90+ degree day, shade is a good thing. I also got to see why Chicago is called the Windy City because we had a fairly nice breeze the entire game (which was not so nice when it helped a couple of balls go over the fence). The major downside to our seats had to have been that there was a slightly obstructed view. If there was a left-handed hitter in the box, I couldn't see him. Not that there's a lot of lefties I actually care to see...
As for the game itself.... eh.... I have seen the Cardinals play a long time. I've watched some bad Cardinal teams, but this was the most lackluster performance that I have ever seen in my life. I've seen apathetic little leaguers play a more competitive game than this. I knew it was going to be a rough outing as soon as I saw Suppan was the starting pitcher. To put it bluntly, Suppan sucks. I like the guy. He was an integral part of the 2006 World Series team, but he has just been awful this season, and I don't even think that Duncan can fix him. That's not a good sign for a pitcher.
The Cards went down quietly in the 1st, and the Cubbies led off the game with a home run to right. The rest of the game was pretty much a droning blur from a Cardinal fan perspective. Perhaps the play the epitomized the game for me was a pop-up in the later innings. At this point in the game it is already 4-0, thanks to three dingers. There's two outs, and a runner on second. The batter pops one up. This bad boy was hanging in the air for a good ten minutes before it decided to come down. It couldn't have been more than 20 feet away from home plate in fair territory.
LaRue goes out, Suppan comes in, and Lopez comes in from third. About three second before it drops, all three players realize that they are just standing there looking at one another. LaRue tries to dive for the ball, which couldn't have been more than 5 feet away from Suppan, but he misses, and the runner scores from second. It was horrible.
We were sitting in a place where we could see the WGN broadcast, and they showed LaRussa repeatedly slamming shut the door on the bullpen phone. I realize that they had a rough, extra inning game the day before, but it was just a terrible performance by the Cardinals all around. There were several defensive mistakes (besides the dropped pop-up), the hitters couldn't piece anything together, and the pitching was terrible until the bullpen came into the game.
As I said above, it was a good experience, but I don't know if I would take the bus again. Not because I didn't like the bus, but because seeing all the different things in Chicago as we drove through made me want to spend some time in the Windy City to take in all the sights. When you go on the bus, you've got a schedule to maintain, and you don't have the freedom to explore the city and see the sights. If I just wanted to see a game, then I would definitely do it again.
We got on the bus at 9:00am and headed north. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out some things... like a cattle farm and windmills. Yes, folks, that's northern Indiana for you. We got dropped off on Waveland Ave, where there was a crowd of people ready to catch some of the batting practice home run balls that may come flying over the wall, and entered at the left field gate.
As I entered the stadium, some kid was standing there handing out shirts. I, always the eager receiver of free stuff, was quite disappointed when I actually looked at the shirt. It was a Cubs shirt.... sponsored by Budweiser. I don't drink. I especially don't drink beer, or Budweiser. I also don't wear Cubs shirts unless I am planning to working chest-deep in feces, which has never happened.
I was immediately overwhelmed by how crowed the concourse seemed to be. In reality, it wasn't all that crowded at this point, it's just really small. One of the members of my church was kind enough to give us the money to go to this game, so we thought we'd get him something at the gift shop while we were there. I thought it would be funny to get him a shot glass (after all, who doesn't want a shot glass from their pastor?!?), but we ended up getting him a Cubs hat... and immediately hiding it in my wife's purse for the duration of the game.
We made our way up to our seats. We were on the lower level, in Section 224, in the very last row. These were pretty good seats in one sense: we were in the shade. On a 90+ degree day, shade is a good thing. I also got to see why Chicago is called the Windy City because we had a fairly nice breeze the entire game (which was not so nice when it helped a couple of balls go over the fence). The major downside to our seats had to have been that there was a slightly obstructed view. If there was a left-handed hitter in the box, I couldn't see him. Not that there's a lot of lefties I actually care to see...
As for the game itself.... eh.... I have seen the Cardinals play a long time. I've watched some bad Cardinal teams, but this was the most lackluster performance that I have ever seen in my life. I've seen apathetic little leaguers play a more competitive game than this. I knew it was going to be a rough outing as soon as I saw Suppan was the starting pitcher. To put it bluntly, Suppan sucks. I like the guy. He was an integral part of the 2006 World Series team, but he has just been awful this season, and I don't even think that Duncan can fix him. That's not a good sign for a pitcher.
The Cards went down quietly in the 1st, and the Cubbies led off the game with a home run to right. The rest of the game was pretty much a droning blur from a Cardinal fan perspective. Perhaps the play the epitomized the game for me was a pop-up in the later innings. At this point in the game it is already 4-0, thanks to three dingers. There's two outs, and a runner on second. The batter pops one up. This bad boy was hanging in the air for a good ten minutes before it decided to come down. It couldn't have been more than 20 feet away from home plate in fair territory.
LaRue goes out, Suppan comes in, and Lopez comes in from third. About three second before it drops, all three players realize that they are just standing there looking at one another. LaRue tries to dive for the ball, which couldn't have been more than 5 feet away from Suppan, but he misses, and the runner scores from second. It was horrible.
We were sitting in a place where we could see the WGN broadcast, and they showed LaRussa repeatedly slamming shut the door on the bullpen phone. I realize that they had a rough, extra inning game the day before, but it was just a terrible performance by the Cardinals all around. There were several defensive mistakes (besides the dropped pop-up), the hitters couldn't piece anything together, and the pitching was terrible until the bullpen came into the game.
As I said above, it was a good experience, but I don't know if I would take the bus again. Not because I didn't like the bus, but because seeing all the different things in Chicago as we drove through made me want to spend some time in the Windy City to take in all the sights. When you go on the bus, you've got a schedule to maintain, and you don't have the freedom to explore the city and see the sights. If I just wanted to see a game, then I would definitely do it again.
Epic MacPhail
Orioles' president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail was quoted as saying that no player is considered untouchable at this point in the season. While the Orioles do have a good core of young talent, they're awful. He also said that it would be difficult to give up their young talent, even if it was for a big bat. Once the statement was released, there was immediate rejoicing in the Orioles clubhouse.
We at BLB are still trying to determine if there is any truth to the rumor that the Orioles offered their entire roster for Albert Pujols. The Cardinals, not seeing it as a fair trade on their end, immediately rejected the offer.
We at BLB are still trying to determine if there is any truth to the rumor that the Orioles offered their entire roster for Albert Pujols. The Cardinals, not seeing it as a fair trade on their end, immediately rejected the offer.
Players Want to be Scouted Still
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweeted that the Tokyo Giants had a scout at the Dodgers-Cardinals game at Busch Stadium on Friday. When asked what he was doing there, the scout said a lot of things in Japanese that couldn't be translated, but probably was something like, "We like to look for new talent to improve our league. We hear there are fantastic players in this series, so we wanted to come out and see what they can do. We hear that Garrett Anderson may be looking for a new location because his talents haven't kept up with the professional baseball of the United States. That is exactly the type of big name we are looking for."
When he heard that the Tokyo Giants had a scout in the stands, Dodger OF Manny Ramirez seemed quite interested. "I never thought about playing in Japan. That could be pretty cool. I'm sure they'd give me another $20 million contract because I'm certainly not getting another one over here!"
When he heard that the Tokyo Giants had a scout in the stands, Dodger OF Manny Ramirez seemed quite interested. "I never thought about playing in Japan. That could be pretty cool. I'm sure they'd give me another $20 million contract because I'm certainly not getting another one over here!"
Cardinals to Open Gift Wrap Business in Denver
For the second night in a row, the Cardinals dropped a game to the Rockies in horrible, bullpen-collapse, walk-off fashion when Chris Ianetta hit a solo shot in the 9th inning on Wednesday night, giving the Rockies a 8-7 victory after the Cardinals entered the bottom of the 8th inning with a 7-4 lead.
Evan MacLane, who gave up Wednesday night's walk-off to the first batter he has ever faced in the major leagues, on his historic appearance: "I've always wanted to be on the same list as [San Diego pitcher] J.J. Trujillo, and now I feel like I've finally made it."
In related news, the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to open their own gift wrap business in the greater Denver area. Closer Ryan Franklin, who gave up 6 runs in Tuesday's 12-9 defeat: "I've really been looking for an opportunity to put my new Santa goatee to work in some special ways for people in need. I think I've finally found that opportunity here in Denver. Any time you have an opportunity to give back, it's a good day."
The new gift wrap business is going to be available for Denver residents for just one more day before moving on to Houston.
Evan MacLane, who gave up Wednesday night's walk-off to the first batter he has ever faced in the major leagues, on his historic appearance: "I've always wanted to be on the same list as [San Diego pitcher] J.J. Trujillo, and now I feel like I've finally made it."
In related news, the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to open their own gift wrap business in the greater Denver area. Closer Ryan Franklin, who gave up 6 runs in Tuesday's 12-9 defeat: "I've really been looking for an opportunity to put my new Santa goatee to work in some special ways for people in need. I think I've finally found that opportunity here in Denver. Any time you have an opportunity to give back, it's a good day."
The new gift wrap business is going to be available for Denver residents for just one more day before moving on to Houston.
Cardinals Unleash Historic Collapse
True story. I woke up on Wednesday morning with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had a dream/vision just before I awoke that the Cardinals had lost their game to Colorado 6-5 on a 3-run walk-off home run. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I grabbed my phone (which sits on my nightstand), and checked the score. Boy, was I relieved to see that I was wrong... sorta. They lost 12-9 on a 3-run walk-off home run.... and allowed 9 runs in the 9th inning.
Do you want to tell me how a major league baseball teams can't get three outs before the opposing team scores 9 runs? Colorado is not that good. Their Final Vote representative is Carlos Gonzalez. They have two All Stars, neither of which played in the game.
When asked about the collapse, pitcher Dennys Reyes, who pitched in the 9th for the Cardinals, giving up 3 runs, somehow managed to lose his ability to speak/understand English.
Do you want to tell me how a major league baseball teams can't get three outs before the opposing team scores 9 runs? Colorado is not that good. Their Final Vote representative is Carlos Gonzalez. They have two All Stars, neither of which played in the game.
When asked about the collapse, pitcher Dennys Reyes, who pitched in the 9th for the Cardinals, giving up 3 runs, somehow managed to lose his ability to speak/understand English.
Jays Fans Surprised by Games
The Toronto Blue Jays avoided a sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night, but the big news coming out of the series was not that Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and 3 of the Cardinals top pitchers played. The big news was that reportedly just over 43,000 people attended the games. Not each game... all the games. For a three game series against the Cardinals, the Blue Jays drew in less than 15,000/game.
When asked about the reasons for the poor attendance, Fred Madeupguy said, "It's really not surprising. We have tried to model our organization after the Montreal Expos - the only other successful Canadian baseball team. As you can see, as far as our attendance goes, we are tracking right where we should be. We have no doubt that by 2020, we'll be the first professional team from the big four sports to be playing our home games in Las Vegas. I know it sounds like a gamble, but we figure it worked for the Expos. A definite plus to this long-term plan is the fact that we will no longer have to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Give us a break. We're having a great year, and we're still in 4th place."
In related news, the Jays are looking for a boost in home attendance numbers as they host the Phillies in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit in Toronto.
When asked about the reasons for the poor attendance, Fred Madeupguy said, "It's really not surprising. We have tried to model our organization after the Montreal Expos - the only other successful Canadian baseball team. As you can see, as far as our attendance goes, we are tracking right where we should be. We have no doubt that by 2020, we'll be the first professional team from the big four sports to be playing our home games in Las Vegas. I know it sounds like a gamble, but we figure it worked for the Expos. A definite plus to this long-term plan is the fact that we will no longer have to play the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Give us a break. We're having a great year, and we're still in 4th place."
In related news, the Jays are looking for a boost in home attendance numbers as they host the Phillies in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit in Toronto.
MLB Draft - #25 Pick Edition
One thing that you'll probably discover over time is that I am a huge St. Louis Cardinal fan. I fully realize that by saying this, some people will no longer read this blog, which is exactly why I'm saying it in an early post before anybody is actually reading the blog to begin with - you can't say I didn't tell you!
With the #25 pick, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted 3B Zack Cox, a sophomore out of the University of Arkansas. At the time of the draft, the Razorbacks were playing Washington State for a birth in the Super Regional. Shortly after being drafted, Cox continued a long-standing tradition for Cardinal third basemen.
Following in the shoes of Troy Glaus and Scott Rolen, Cox came out of the game because of a 'minor' injury. When asked about possible injury concerns, Cardinal GM John Mozeliak said, "We are planning on Zack making his major league debut on the DL. We really think we can get him through the minors in no time, so he can start his career of rehab and bench-warming right away."
Mark Mulder Retires
According to MLBTradeRumors.com, pitcher Mark Mulder has retired. Of course, this isn't any surprise because Mulder admittedly hasn't touched a baseball since February and has been playing in amateur golf tournaments through Arizona, winning 6 of the 9 tournaments that he has entered.
It also isn't a surprise because Mulder has barely pitched since the end of 2005, a year after the Cardinals traded for him from the A's for DAN FREAKING HAREN and a couple other players who aren't that important right now. Haren is currently one of the most sought after pitchers in the trading market, while Mulder retired with a 22-18 record as a Cardinal. Guess who got the better end of that deal.
It also isn't a surprise because Mulder has barely pitched since the end of 2005, a year after the Cardinals traded for him from the A's for DAN FREAKING HAREN and a couple other players who aren't that important right now. Haren is currently one of the most sought after pitchers in the trading market, while Mulder retired with a 22-18 record as a Cardinal. Guess who got the better end of that deal.
Suppan! Who's Hungry?
Did you see what I did with that title? Suppan... soup on... don't judge me.
Word came down yesterday that the St. Louis Cardinals were close to re-signing Jeff Suppan, recently released from the Milwaukee Brewers. Rumor has it that the Cards were looking for someone to replace Kyle Lohse's +5.00 ERA, and Suppan was released at "just the right time" to pull the trigger on the deal. Said Cardinal pitching coach Dave Duncan, "That guy again?"
Before being released, Suppan was in the final year of a four-year, $42 million contract with the Brewers, which, at the time, was the largest contract in club history. That should tell you why the Brewers have not been in the World Series since 1982.
Word came down yesterday that the St. Louis Cardinals were close to re-signing Jeff Suppan, recently released from the Milwaukee Brewers. Rumor has it that the Cards were looking for someone to replace Kyle Lohse's +5.00 ERA, and Suppan was released at "just the right time" to pull the trigger on the deal. Said Cardinal pitching coach Dave Duncan, "That guy again?"
Before being released, Suppan was in the final year of a four-year, $42 million contract with the Brewers, which, at the time, was the largest contract in club history. That should tell you why the Brewers have not been in the World Series since 1982.
Dodgers Break Out the Brooms
The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a rare sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first time the Cardinals were swept in LA since 1988. When asked about it, newly acquired Cardinal OF Randy Winn said, "It's not really that big of a deal. After being with the Giants for so many years, I'm pretty used to getting swept by the Dodgers."
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