Onto San Francisco

Hey guys,

Hope you enjoyed the first round of the NFL draft. Fun series in Phoenix. We got to see a little bit of everything. Most importantly, we saw two Cardinal wins.

As far as the brawl goes...I think it was a lot made out of nothing. Edwin Jackson's fastball rode in on Carp and hit him. I don't think he did it on purpose - hitting the pitcher is just a no-no in baseball. I don't think Jackson is that stupid; he knows hitting a pitcher on purpose would get his three-hitter drilled. Apparently the Cardinals didn't think it was on purpose either, because if they did I think you would have seen Justin Upton or Mark Reynolds get a fastball in their earhole. Still, baseball players don't easily forget. Al Leiter tells a story of being shown up by a hitter during a playoff game, apparently Leiter thought he rounded the bases a little too slowly. Well, Leiter vowed that the next time he saw this particular hitter, he was going to make him pay. Some might think this little feud would have been resolved when this hitter got traded to Leiter's team a few years later, but Leiter hadn't forgotten. The first time he faced him after the incident was when he was throwing live BP to him during spring training. What happened? Leiter hit him in the middle of his back with the second pitch. If the Cards think there was any malice behind Carp getting hit, you're going to see some fireworks when the Diamondbacks come to St. Louis.

It was nice to see Colby and Ryan Ludwick finally start to heat up. Everybody has predicted this would be Rasmus's breakout season and we finally started to see that these past few games. I think you'll see a lot more of Felipe Lopez against the Giants. Apparently he's been bothered by a sore elbow. According to La Russa, Flip's sore elbow wasn't from pitching but rather a nagging joint injury that started in Milwaukee, which is an absolute joke. You're not going to be able to convince me that TLR had Lopez pitch knowing he already had a sore elbow, especially considering he had Mather ready to go multiple innings. Hopefully, Flip's elbow won't bother him the rest of the year. As long as we're on the subject, it was an elbow injury that cut Tony La Russa's playing career short. The story goes that after a decent year in pro ball, he signed up to play in a charity softball game. Well he got there late, and ran out to shortstop without warming up or anything. A ball was his to him deep in the hole, he fielded it, fired to first, and felt a haunting pop in his elbow. It was never the same again. He made it back, but wasn't the same player with an injured elbow and his playing career was cut short because of it.

Jaime's going to have his hands full again tonight. Six days after matching Johan Santana punch for punch, Garcia has to face the reigning NL Cy Young award winner. The Giants are toughest team we've faced so far. They're the only team in the National League with a comparable pitching staff to ours, and their offense is much improved from last year helped in part by Ex-Cardinal Mark De Rosa. We've won every series thus far, and if Jaime can steal us a win tonight we're poised to win another.

Enjoy tonight's game if you can stay up for it. I can't tell you how excited I am for 7:15 start times again. The song of the day is an obvious one: "San Francisco" by Scott Mckenzie. Have a great weekend.

Jack

Baserunning and the Desert

Hey Guys,

Well I figured this West Coast road trip would be our first real test and we answered the bell last night. It would have been all too easy after getting into Arizona at three or four in the morning to go through the motions and give a game away to a mediocre D-Backs team, especially after getting down 2-0 in the first inning. But we didn't, and that's a mark of a good baseball team. That's a mark of a Cardinals baseball team.

Funny story, I didn't plan on watching the whole game last night. A 9:40 start time here in the Eastern Time Zone is a little late, even for a college student. I was planning on calling it a night after about the fourth inning or so, but then the circumstances changed. Right before I was about to turn the game off, a good looking twenty-year old redhead from Kansas, who apparently is a baseball fan, came into my dorm room to pick something up from my roommate and wanted to watch the game. Well a guy doesn't find himself in a situation like that everyday - at least not in...Hillsdale. So I'm running on about five hours of sleep. But back to the baseball talk...

Two minor concerns for the Cardinals right now: baserunning and our home run reliant offense. Our baserunning has been just atrocious these past four games - Ludwick got thrown out three times against the Mets, two of which were at home; Skip was thrown out at third last night after some indecision. Jose Oquendo is known for being one of the most aggressive third-base coaches in the league, but I'm going to throw something at the television if I see another Cardinal thrown out at third or at the plate. Major League pitchers are too good to give away outs like that. It surprises me, too, because most smart baseball teams are good baserunning teams. We're a very smart baseball team. Nobody expected us to be a blazing fast team, but I think everyone thought we'd be smarter on the basepaths. This is a very minor concern, though; I expect TLR will make baserunning a focal point until we get a little better at it.

The second concern I have right now is our offense. It's been solid, but it's been incredibly reliant on the deep ball (over 60% of our runs have been scored on home runs). Again, like baserunning, this is a very minor concern that I expect will correct itself shortly. Pitchers tend to be a little ahead of hitters at this point in the season - their arms are as fresh as they will be and the weather is still relatively cool. I think our offense will heat up with the weather and we'll begin to manufacture a few more runs. The real concern right now is our bullpen...but I've harped on that enough for a while. Besides, we're 9-4. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

We're going to face another tough arm tonight. Danny Haren was just a notch below Waino, Carpenter, and Lincecum in '09. We're going to face some tough pitching overall on this trip. Lopez wasn't bad at all last night, Haren will be tough tonight, and we still have to face Edwin Jackson, Matt Cain, a much better looking Barry Zito than we've seen in recent years, and maybe even Tim Lincecum. That's why I think this is our first real test: we're going to see a selection of all-star arms and its our first trip outside of the Midwest. Bryan Anderson will get the nod behind the plate tonight. Look for the Diamondbacks to run on him early and test his throwing ability. The knock on him has always been his defense and I think that will be put under a microscope tonight. Other than that, if we can wait out Haren and claw and scratch across a few runs, I like our chances for picking up another victory.

That's all for tonight. The anthem for the evening is "Ain't Back Yet" by Kenny Chesney. Have a good Tuesday.

Jack

Frustrating

If Ryan Ludwick gets thrown out on the bases one more time...

A lot of reactions to last night's game and and few more after tonight's.

First off, I wasn't able to watch the game yesterday because FOX was showing the White Sox vs. Indians game in my region and MLB TV had to black it out because of the "National Broadcast". Of all the games to be blacked out...but enough of my story.

I was able to watch a condensed version of the game today and was surprised by a few things. I came on this blog before the game yesterday and predicted Bryan Anderson would get the nod behind the plate. Not only didn't that happen, but Yadi caught all twenty innings. I certainly thought after squating for seven hours yesterday, Yadier would certainly get the day off today, but again, that didn't happen. What this shows me is that TLR has very, very little confidence in Anderson's defensive catching ability. Last week I wrote that Anderson's strength was his bat, not his glove, but I never perceived the Cardinals' considered his defense to be this much of a weakness. Having said all this, Bryan will surely get the start in the desert tomorrow, right? One would think 29 innings of catching and a four-hour flight, all in the matter of 48 hours would be too much, even for Yadier Molina. But I was wrong about this last night and I'm prepared to be wrong about it again.

I did a lot of driving today and had ESPN Radio on for most of it and heard three or four prominent ESPN personalities conclude that La Russa was outdueled last night by Jerry Manuel. And for the most part, I agreed with what they said. In fact, I was planning on writing tonight that La Russa was exactly that, outmanaged.

But the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that maybe I was being a little harsh. Tony La Russa, who many consider to be the best active manager in baseball, was out managed by someone who has been on the hotseat since early last year? Instead of doubting La Russa, I asked myself, what did he see? I tried to put myself in his head. Still, I couldn't quite do it. Why would he double switch out Matt Holliday? He must have known the Mets would just pitch around Albert to get to the pitcher if he did that? I know Holliday was sick, but couldn't he have just made a straight substitution? And why did we end up with two position players pitching in the end? While nobody manages expecting the game to go into extras, let alone eleven extra innings, we must have had someone else avaliable. And our base running, what a debacle. We struggled hitting with runners in scoring position too. We had the bases loaded in the 10th, 12th, and 14th and couldn't push a run across. While the two above points don't fall directly (the first one even indirectly) on La Russa, it was still so frustrating. The Mets did not win last night's game, we lost it.

I started the blog entry with the Sunday Night Baseball preview on in the background. Joe Morgan made a comment that finally made me see the light, I don't remember his exact quote but it went something like this: "A lot of people think the Cardinals got outmanaged last night but I disagree. Jerry Manuel is managing for his job, Tony La Russa is mananging to win a divison. Last night, though very exciting, was just a single game in an 162 game season - it wasn't the seventh game of the World Series. Last night's game meant a lot more to the Mets than the Cardinals at this point in the season."

I heard this and I felt like an idiot. "How could you be so stupid, Jack?" I actually said that out loud. I got caught up in the excitment of a twenty inning game and forgot that the season is a marathon, not a sprint. If we had to win last night's game to make the playoffs, or to move on in the playoffs, I'm sure Tony would have managed it differently. But we didn't. Games in April in the cold and in the rain count just as much in the standings as games in September in the heat of a pennant race, I'm fond of that saying, and I used it earlier today to justify why I thought we were out managed. It turns out, I could use that same phrase to justify why La Russa managed a hell of a game last night. Tony could have brought in another starter last night, or left a few of our relievers in longer, and we might have won. We also might not have. We didn't lose last night because of our pitching. Mather and Lopez pitched pretty well. We lost because we couldn't get a timely hit. That will happen a few times over the course of an 162 game season. Instead of bringing in a starter (Kyle Lohse or Brad Penny) or leaving Blake in longer last night and giving us a slightly better chance to win, Tony made the smart choice and saved our pitching. His route gave us a loss, my route would have blown out our pitching for the next week and wouldn't have guaranteed a victory by any means. This is why La Russa is infinitly smarter than I am. If he could go back and do a few things differently, would he? You'd be hard pressed to find a losing manager who wouldn't go back a change a few of his decisions if he could. That doesn't mean he was outmanaged; like Joe said, Tony's managing to win a division.

Gutsy performance from Wainwright tonight. He needed to step up and eat up some innings and he did that. He also showed a lot of leadership and gave a tired bullpen and extra day of rest. He got it done with the bat too. In my mind he's the best pitcher in the National League, his stuff was absolutely filthy tonight.

Tonight's anthem is "Friends in Low Places", by Garth. It's been stuck in my head all day. Have a good rest of your Sunday everyone.

Jack

Friday Night Reactions, Saturday Preview

Hey Guys,

Exciting ball game last night - almost...too exciting. Franklin scared me a little bit, but he got the job done in the end.

Chris Carpenter pitched like Chris Carpenter again last night. 7 strong innings, 4 hits, 10 K's, and 0 Earned Runs. His fastball had a little more life than his previous start and he hit most of his spots. It seemed like we started our B team a little bit last night with a third of our starters getting the night off, but everybody played in the end. There was an article in the Post-Dispatch yesterday on whether La Russa "tinkers" with the line-up too much. I think early last year (pre Holliday and DeRosa) was an exception, because he was trying to find a line-up combination that worked, but aside from that, after the first couple weeks of the season, everyone seems to know about where they are going to hit when they play. I never minded playing for a coach who platooned me with another guy because there was always that certainty that I would play about half the games. The guys I hated playing for were the ones who seemed to put nine names into a hat and selected their lineup that way. I remember one summer in particular, I hit in every single spot in the lineup by seasons end. I would be hitting in the three-spot and go 3-4 with a double and be moved to the eight-spot for the next game. Other times, I'd be in the seven-hole and go 0-5 and be moved into the four-hole. It was really pretty frustrating because there was no sense of continuity. La Russa plays everyone to keep his bench players fresh. However, with the exception of Molina and Lopez, everyone knows where they are going to hit when they do play, and I think that's what is important.

I think Bryan Anderson will probably get the start behind the plate today. Tomorrow would seem to be the ideal day to do it, to give Yadier a night off before our west-coast trip, but I imagine Wainwright wants to throw to Molina. I've wrestled with this a lot, and there really doesn't seem to be an ideal day to play Bryan. Today makes the most amount of sense, to me at least, because Anderson and Jaime Garcia have worked together several times in the minor leagues. It would be easier for Anderson to get his first start catching someone he is familiar with. It also wouldn't surprise me if Lopez played over Schumaker, though I'm less certain about this than the catching situation. La Russa doesn't like to start Skip against tough lefties, and that's exactly what Johan Santana is. Other than that, I expect all the regulars to start. The Cardinals will try to wait out Santana today and expose the holes in the vulnerable Mets bullpen. If Garcia can keep us in the game through six or seven, I like our chances a lot.

Enjoy the game today everyone, it's always fun to hear Joe Buck broadcast Cards' games. The anthem for the day is Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina. Have a a good one.

Jack

Cards take 2 of 3 from Astros

Hey Guys,

Never good to give an 0-8 team their first win, but some good things came out of today. First off, we won the series. If we took two of three in every series we'd be the best team in baseball. We just ran into a hot pitcher - you can live with games like that because they don't happen too often. It's much more difficult to swallow 13 to 11 loses where you have five or six chances to win the game but just can't get it done.

As I said above, Bud Norris was good today. No, Bud Norris was spectacular today. He had an "enchanted game" to steal a term from Steve Stone. He made Albert look as bad as I've ever seen him look, not once, but twice. Bud's been a Cardinals' killer too. He's only made three starts against the Cards but has come away with three wins and a 0.00 ERA.

Unfortunately, the Astros exposed our biggest flaw today - our middle relief. Boggs got knocked around a little bit to put it nicely. His velocity was fine and his breaking ball looked sharp, he just was missing his spots. That's going to happen to a young pitcher from time to time. Right now, our bullpen is very average. McClellan has to be better than he has been. Motte looked good today, and Hawksworth has been solid, but like Boggs, they are young. I predict Mozeliak will add another piece to the 'pen before too long.

Lohse was sharp today, much better than his first start. I don't know if any of you picked up on this too, or if I'm being too critical, but it seemed there were times when Kyle gave in a little bit. I'm thinking of both the scoring plays in particular. I understand Norris is a pitcher, but Lohse couldn't have given him a more hittable pitch and Norris didn't miss. With Bourn on base, Kyle also seemed to give in a little to Keppinger and make too good of a pitch. While its great that Kyle didn't give up any walks, I think some of his pitches caught too much of the plate. Still, he certainly pitched well enough to win.

The Mets come into town tomorrow. It would be a disappointment if we didn't take two more, and we have to be looking at a sweep. The Amazins don't look so amazin' this year; they just aren't the same team without Jose Reyes and their starting pitching is below average. Two of the three are on National TV; its going to be a fun weekend. Today's anthem is "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin. Enjoy your Thursday night.

Jack

Home opener, LaRue, and Tonight's Ballgame

Hey guys,

First off - it was great to see the Cardinals win the home opener...the first time since '06. Adam pitched well, Pujols was Pujols, and everyone else played the way they should. We're now 5-2, which is great, but don't get overly excited just yet. We should still win the NL Central, but that is no great feat this season. We have a lot of work left to do if we're going to make a run at a championship. The three teams we've played haven't exactly been tough. I think Cincinnati will finish below the Brewers, but not by much. For Milwaukee, if it ain't Fielder or Braun, it ain't happening. Rickie Weekes and Casey Mcgehee are nice players but they don't project as stars by any means. A Berkman-less Houston team only has three or four major league hitters in their lineup and a shaky rotation. We're a very solid team right now, but we've still got some question marks. We still aren't sure who our everyday third baseman will be. I like David Freese but he has a lot to prove. Our bullpen, too, has a lot to prove. McClellan has struggled, Motte's fastball has been elevated, and Ryan Franklin has to follow up last year's success with another solid year before he can be considered an elite closer. I know you guys didn't come to this blog to see a flood of negativity, but it would be foolish to get too excited just yet. Having said that, there's a lot to be excited about. Colby seems to be settling into the 5-spot well, Ludwick's bat is coming alive, and Pujols and Holliday are still the best one-two punch in the National League. Combine that with Wainwright, Carpenter, and a Brad Penny who seems to have returned to form, and we have an excellent shot at winning a pennant. We just have to patch up a few holes.

Bryan Anderson was recalled to the big club today after Jason LaRue was put on the DL retroactive to Sunday. Anderson's been hurt for a good portion of the last two seasons, but when he has played, he has hit (he's 6-18 so far with Memphis this season). His defensive game is still a work in progess, but he should get a start or two, as well as be avaliable for pinch hitting.

Finally, a couple things to watch for in tonight's game. Can Brad Penny repeat the success he had in his first start? Can Felipe Lopez force himself into the third base talk? Can the Cardinals beat a team they should beat?

Enjoy the game tonight everyone. The anthem for the evening is "Rise" by Eddie Vedder. Hopefully the Cards can rise to the occasion tonight. Have a good one.

Jack

Return

Hey Guys,

It's been a while. Things at school have been pretty crazy, but the semester is over in twenty days and I promise I'll be a more regular contributor then. Now onto the info...

For those of you that didn't get a chance to catch the Cards on Sunday Night Baseball last night, the question was posed to Tony La Russa on why Chris Carpenter has already allowed five home runs already this season (he only allowed seven all of last year) and he gave an interesting response: "Chris just hasn't been getting away with anything. He's made mistakes and he hasn't gotten away with anything"

I think this is pretty accurate, he hasn't gotten away with much (especially in Cincinnati) but he pitched up in the zone a lot yesterday. Oral Hershiser also made an interesting comment: "Sometimes pitchers struggle in their second or third start of the year because they deal with "dead arm". Pitchers never really sell out in spring training, and sometimes when they empty out the tank in their first start, they don't really have anything left in their second or third start." So make of that what you will.

Felipe Lopez swung the bat well last night. I see him playing close to every day if he can hit .280 or .290 with some power. Right now, he's also a defensive upgrade at second over Skip Schumaker and probably a defensive upgrade at third over Freese.

On David Freese, give him some time. He's made three errors so far this season, but he's always been a pretty average defensive player. If he becomes a fixture in the Cardinals lineup, it will be because of his bat. Also, remember that baseball is a game of averages. Early in the season, it's easy to get too high or too low on a player based on twenty games of statistics. At years end, virtually eveyone will be near their career average. I once read that George Steinbrenner used to call Bernie Williams "Mr. May" because he was such a hot starter but always slowed down toward the end of the season. On the contrary, staying with the Yankees, Mark Texiera is a notoriously slow starter, yet he always seems to end up around .290 and forty homeruns.

That's all for now. I promise I'll be more regular in the coming days. Today's anthem is "A Little More Country Than That" by Easton Corbin. Enjoy the home opener.

Cardinals Baseball

Hey Guys,

News is really slow this time of year, so if there is anything you want me to write about just let me know.

I watched a great baseball movie the other day - The Final Season

If you haven't seen it, you should definitely take some time and watch it. It's a touching, true story about a small town high school baseball team in Iowa. It is also based on the life of Kent Stock, a lifelong Cardinals fan. If you aren't doing anything this weekend, rent it and watch it. If nothing else it will get you back into baseball mode right before camp opens!

They've got a countdown to Spring Training on the Cardinals home website. It's shaping up to be an exciting spring. The anthem of the day is "Carolina in My Mind" by James Taylor. Have a great weekend guys!

Jack

Five-Step Plan

Hey Guys, Its been a little while since I posted but news is kind of dry this time of year. I wrote the following paper for an English class this week and though it really doesn't have anything to do with the Cardinals, I think its a pretty good baseball paper.

A Five-Step Plan for Success in a Small Market

For the last fifteen or twenty years, small market teams have struggled to compete in Major League Baseball. There are many reasons for this, most notably free agency. Large market teams, like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, can afford payrolls that exceed $100 million. Smaller market teams, teams like the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, etc., cannot afford to do this and must run better and smarter organizations to succeed. The following five-step plan illustrates how to do this.

The first step is the most important. In a small market, the front office and coaching staff must agree on an organizational philosophy; if the front office believes the team should be run one way and the coaching staff believes it should be run a different way, the team will fail. This starts with choosing a general manager. The general manager will be responsible for assembling the front office and the coaching staff. A good general manager can make the difference between an average team and a great team, so the small market team must choose wisely. Someone with experience as an assistant general manager in a successful small market city is a smart choice. A tired, older baseball guy who has not changed with the game and still believes spectators wear suits and ties and players wear stirrups would be a poor choice. Once a general manager has been chosen, it is time to look for a manager (head coach). Again, this is a very important decision. Joe Maddon transformed the Tampa Bay Rays from the worst team in baseball to the World Series runner up in two seasons. A good manager can do that. A bad manager can set your team back a decade. In choosing a manager, a small market team cannot just throw millions of dollars at the biggest name available. Lou Pinella and the Tampa Bay organization proved this strategy does not work. A small market team must look for someone who has had success in the minor leagues, which means someone who can win without superstars. Small market teams have few, if any, superstars.

The second step is by far the most difficult - a small market team must draft well. This sounds easy enough, but do not be fooled. Drafting in Major League Baseball is much more difficult than drafting in any of the other three major sports. A blue chip, five-tool prospect usually needs a minimum of three minor league seasons (most need far more) before he is ready for the major leagues. This is not the case in football or basketball; Lebron James averaged over 20 points per game in his first year out of high school and Mark Sanchez led the New York Jets to the AFC Championship game in his rookie campaign. What makes drafting in baseball so difficult? With three-plus minor league seasons needed for prospects, the chance of a player getting hurt and never playing in the major leagues is high - especially among pitchers, whose arms are more fragile than fine china. There are also many busts, especially among high school players who have never faced major league caliber competition. There are fifty rounds in the major league draft for a reason: in any given year, a team can expect that no more than two or three of their fifty draft picks will contribute in the major leagues. How can a small market team maximize each draft? A small market team should only select college players in the first ten rounds of the draft, not high school players. In those high rounds, players are usually being paid six or seven figure signing bonuses. Though there are no “sure things” in baseball, college players are more likely to become contributors than high school players because they have faced better competition. With less leverage than high school players, there is also far less chance that a college pick will refuse to sign and leave a small market team with a wasted draft pick.

Once a small market team has a drafting philosophy, it is time to pony up and pick a young player to build around. This is going to be pricey, near fifty or sixty million dollars, but it will be worth it in the long run (i.e. the Tampa Bay Rays and Evan Longoria). Who to pick, however, will not be an easy decision. If the drafting philosophy works as planned, your team will be rich with young talent. There will likely be five or six players who seem worthy of long-term, multi-million dollar deals. You only have the budget to pick one. Pitchers are not a smart choice; they will come and go and they will get hurt more frequently than position players. It is important to be strong up the middle. Therefore, look for a catcher, a shortstop, or a center fielder to build your franchise around. If you pick the wrong guy, and he busts, your franchise will be set back a decade or more (i.e. the Toronto Blue Jays and Vernon Wells).

The fourth step to building a successful small market baseball team is to make smart trades. This is the most subtle step, but it is pivotal. A team that has followed the second step should be rich in young talent and will not be able to afford re-sign all (or even most) of them. Therefore, you must trade them for role players and pitchers when they are at their maximum value. Though your team will be built around your one superstar, it must be strengthened with these role players. They will not make headlines, but they will make the difference between a mediocre team and a playoff team.

The fifth and final step to building a successful small market team is choosing one or two low-risk, veteran free agents each season. Though these players will be past their prime, they will add depth and leadership to a young clubhouse. These players will not hit .300 or 25 homeruns, but they will bring experience and will implant a winning culture in a club for years to come. Many times, this type of players will accept a low guaranteed, incentive-laden contract. Players like this will not be available every year, but when they are, a smart team will seize them before somebody else does.

This five-step plan is designed to deliver maximum success to small market teams. Inevitably, there will be injuries, there will be down seasons – making the playoffs every year is not a realistic expectation. A small market team’s expectation should be to be playing meaningful games deep into September every year. This five-step plan can make this expectation a reality.

Hope you guys enjoyed this. The anthem for the day is "The Needle & The Damage Done" by Neil Young. Have a great weekend everybody.

Rich Hill and Rick Ankiel

So we signed Rich Hill last week...

I'm torn on this one. A pro is that he was a pretty low-risk option for the Cardinals. He was signed to a minor league contract so even if it blows up on us, it really isn't that big of a deal.

Dave Duncan is the best in baseball at reviving pitchers, there isn't any doubt about that - he's showed that with Joel Pineiro, Ryan Franklin, John Smoltz, etc. However, Pineiro and Franklin are a little different than Rich Hill. Hill developed serious control problems in '08, not entirely different from Rick Ankiel's a few years ago. We couldn't solve Ankiel's problem, so I'm not sure how we're going to solve Rich Hill's, maybe we could make him into an outfielder...yeah right. Dave Duncan is excellent at diagnosing mechanical issues with a pitcher, and if that's all Hill's problem is, then great, it might work out. I fear, however, that Hill's issues are more on the mental side of things. If he does succeed, and is able to return to his '07 form (11-8, 3.92 ERA), then he would be an ideal 5th starter as well as our only left handed starter.

It's a little late, but I am sad to see Rick Ankiel leave, though not surprised. Ankiel deserves one last shot at being a starting outfielder and, unfortunately, we couldn't offer him that. I think his down season last year was mostly due to his injury; I attribute his hot finish to the fact that he was finally healthy. I sincerely hope he can revive his career yet again in Kansas City. I have no doubt I am speaking for Cardinal Nation when I say this: I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Rick Ankiel - Farewell 24.

They were showing the '06 NLCS Game 7 on the MLB Network today - everyday something new gets me siked for the 2010 season. Give "Margaritaville" a listen today - it will put you in a "summery" mood for four minutes and nine seconds. Have a great weekend guys.

All-Decade Team

Hey Guys, today we're going to take a look at my all decade team for the first decade of the 2000's.

SP - Chris Carpenter
RP - Jason Isringhausen
C - Yadier Molina
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Tony Womack
3B - Scott Rolen
SS - Edgar Renteria
LF - Matt Holliday
CF - Jim Edmonds
RF - Ryan Ludwick

Starting Pitcher - To me, this is pretty much a no brainer. Carp has gone 68-24 in 6 seasons with the Cardinals and posted a 2.91 ERA. He's been the anchor of our starting rotation since he's been here and been one hell of a leader - the whole clubhouse has missed him when he's been hurt and our record has been reflective of it.

Relief Pitcher - This was a little tougher choice but Izzy was a special closer when he was healthy. In 7 seasons, he went 17-20 with a 2.98 ERA, and I believe that he pitched better than his statistics show. He was hurt and missed the playoffs when we won the Series in '06 and didn't pitch well in the playoffs in '04 but I still believe he was the best relief pitcher of the decade.

Catcher - This was between Molina and Mike Matheny. They both have been exceptional defensively but Molina has been a better hitter. Still, if you've read Three Nights in August you realize how important Mike was to the Cardinals' teams of the early 2000's. The hitting made the choice for me - Molina it is.

First Base - No contest here. Albert has been everything you could ask for with the Cardinals hitting .334 and 336 Homeruns with the Cards in nine seasons. Oh yeah, and he also plays Gold Glove defense too.

Second Base - This was a very tough choice for me and I chose a player who only played one season in St. Louis. Womack was instrumental in our World Series run in '04 hitting .307 during the regular season. He was above-average at second base and provided a veteran presence in the clubhouse.

Third Base - Scott was really good when he was healthy but, like a lot of the players on this list, was plagued by injuries late in his Cardinals career. He hit .286 in six seasons in St. Louis and won four Gold Gloves.

Shortstop - Edgar Renteria was considered to be the next great shortstop when he left St. Louis after the 2004 season. Sure, his career has fallen off a cliff since then, but that doesn't diminish what he did in St. Louis - a .290 average in six seasons and two Gold Gloves.

Left Field - If you think about it, there really isn't a great candidate for this spot. Ray Lankford? Reggie Sanders? I think its Matt Holliday. He hasn't played very long in St. Louis but I don't know if we make the playoffs without him last year. Albert began to slump after the All-Star Break and Holliday took an immense load of his shoulders.

Center Field - Again, no contest. Edmonds played eight seasons in St. Louis and had one of the most beautiful swings I've ever seen. That swing earned him a .290 average with the Cardinals and 241 homeruns. He also captured six Gold Glove awards roaming the outfield at Busch.

Right Field - Like left field, there really wasn't a great choice for right either. Ludwick came out of nowhere in 2008 to hit .299 and 37 homeruns. He's bounced around the order in three seasons in St. Louis and produced wherever he's been asked to hit. I expect big things from Ryan in the 2010's decade.

Your thoughts?

That's all for today guys. Its 45 degrees up here today and its starting to feel a little bit like Spring. The anthem of the day is "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Why I'm a Cardinals Fan

I wasn't born a Cardinals fan. I'm not from St. Louis - I've never even lived in St. Louis. My parents weren't Cardinals fans. So why am I a Cardinals fan? I'm afraid the answer is more complex than I can explain, but I'm going to give it my best effort.

I was born in Chicago in 1990. My Dad was a Cubs fan. I never really liked the Cubs. Growing up, I watched the Cubs on WGN 9 with my Dad all the time, but I never got attached to them, I never got into them. For 10 or 11 years, I didn't even really have a favorite team. If I had to pick one, it probably would have been the White Sox, but I hate the American League almost as much as I hate astroturf. The Cubs just played such bad baseball. They played like an American League team - high priced homerun hitters, inept managers, a complete lack of defense, no concept of bunting - it was hard to watch. I never had the strongest arm or the most power growing up, I certainly didn't have great speed. I had to do all of the little things right to play everyday. How could I watch and cheer for a team that cared nothing about the things I worked so hard at - things like baserunning, defensive skills, and bunting? I was desperate to find a team that exemplified all of the traits I valued.

Then, when I was 14, I went to a Cardinals-Astros game in Houston. Chris Carpenter was on the mound against Andy Pettitte. Carp went 8 innings and didn't give up a run and the Cards won 2-0. David Eckstein played shortstop. You hear of a five tool player? Eckstein might have had two tools. He worked and scraped for everything. He never quit. He never stopped playing. Yadier Molina caught. Being a catcher, I noticed everything about him. The way he prepared before the game, playing long toss. How he blocked balls even when runners weren't on base. He was my kind of player. Then there was Albert. Everything was so effortless. He went 2-4 with an RBI and saved his infielders from two or three errors. My Dad and I listened to the post-game press conference driving home and he talked about how the defensive plays meant more to him than his double. That meant so much to me.

As much as I loved watching the Cardinals, I didn't become a fan that day. It wasn't instant, it was far more gradual. I started watching more and more games. I started waiting up and watching the 10 o'clock edition of Baseball Tonight to see how the Cardinals did. When I woke up in the morning, I'd get on the internet and check out the box score to see how Albert did the night before. I went to Hat World in the mall and bought an authentic Blue Cardinals Road Hat. A year or so later, I was sold. I loved how La Russa managed. I loved how business-like all of the players were. I loved small ball. I loved how Walt Jocketty built the Cardinals. He didn't go out and pay tens of millions for mid-thirty year olds, he grew a farm system. He developed talent from within. I loved how good of a defensive catcher Yadier was...I would so much rather have an excellent defensive, average hitting catcher than the other way around. I bought the extra-innings package so I could watch the Cardinals every night. It was so great - my summer team's games started at about 5:30 and we'd be done by 7:30 or 8. The Cardinals started at 7:05 Central Time, but since I lived in the Eastern Time Zone I could watch virtually every game, every night. I learned so much baseball watching the Cardinals and listening to Dan Mclaughlin and Al Hrabosky. I was completely hooked.

It hit me when Walt Jocketty was fired in 2007. What is going to happen when all of these guys who make the Cardinals what they are - guys like Jocketty, La Russa, Pujols, Molina, etc. - what's going to happen when they're gone? It truly made me question my Cardinals fandom. I was scared that I was merely a fan of Jocketty, and La Russa, and Pujols, and Molina, etc., not the Cardinals organization. After a while of thinking, I realized that as much as I am a fan of the aforementioned men, I am more a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals' culture. Every organization has a culture. The New York Mets have that second-rate, junior-varsity culture characterized by that goofy "Meet the Mets" theme song. On the contrary, the Yankees have a very dignified, prestigious, classy culture characterized by their facial hair policy and their pinstripe uniforms. The Cubs had a losing culture that I could not buy into, but the Cardinals, the Cardinals have a special culture.

The Cardinals culture is defined by success and loyalty. Cardinal fans are the best in baseball, and, because St. Louis was the most Westward franchise for 50 years, Cardinal fans are found everywhere. I'm a freshman on a college baseball team and two of my teammates are Cardinals fans. One is from Spokane, Washington, and the other is from Las Cruses, New Mexico. Cardinals fans can literally be found everywhere. It's more than that though. I was so concerned the organizational philosophy would change when Jocketty was replaced by Mozeliak...but it didn't. I shouldn't have doubted that they would find a guy who would carry on the same philosophy. For a while I worried the team would change drastically when La Russa leaves (which hopefully won't be for a long time). I am fully confident the front office will find the right guy to manage the Cards whenever Tony decides to hang it up. The people may change, but the organization doesn't. One of the most puzzling questions in all of baseball is how St. Louis can convince free agents to play for the Cardinals for less money. The answer is they love the Cardinals culture. They love playing in St. Louis. I am so convinced that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in St. Louis. Jocketty hasn't nearly replicated the success he had with the Cardinals in Cincinnati. Every year, Dave Duncan finds a washed up guy and transforms him into an above average pitcher - two years ago it was Joel Pineiro, last year it was Ryan Franklin. Who knows, maybe that guy will be Rich Hill this year. There is not a culture in baseball I am more in love with than the culture of the St. Louis Cardinals'. There is not a better culture in all of Major League Baseball than the St. Louis Cardinals'.

That's all for today guys. We're inside a month until pitchers and catchers report! The anthem of the day is "Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky.

Ludwick and Lineup

Hey Guys,

Well we signed Ryan Ludwick today to a 1 year, $5.45 million deal...avoiding arbitration. Did we overpay for him? Probably...Ludwick hit .265 with 22 homers and 97 RBI. It's a lot of money for a guy with those statistics, but arbitration is an ugly process and I'm sure the Cards' Brass and Ryan Ludwick were both happy to avoid it. Plus, he's only a year removed from a near .300 season.

Well, I am long overdue to project my Cardinals lineup for the 2010 season. For starters, a lot of you have asked if I think the pitcher will hit in the 8-spot this year. I don't foresee that happening. When Tony used the pitcher in the 8-hole, it was to have a second leadoff hitter in the 9-spot, virtually making Albert a clean-up hitter after the first time through the order. Will Holliday in that 4-spot, I no longer see this to be necessary. Each spot lower in the order gets, on average, 30-40 less at bats per season than the spot above it (the 8 hitter hits 30-40 more times per year than the 9 hitter). Because of this, it natrually makes sense to have your weakest hitter hit 9th, which is why most teams bat their pitcher 9th...now onto the lineup.

1. S. Schumaker 2B
2. C. Rasmus CF
3. A. Pujols 1B
4. M. Holliday LF
5. R. Ludwick RF
6. Y. Molina C
7. D. Freese 3B
8. B. Ryan SS
9. Pitcher

1. For starters, I see this lineup being the same regardless of whether we are facing a RHP or LHP. Some people have talked about inserting Lugo in at 2nd and in the leadoff spot against LHP because Skip only hit .220 against left handed pitchers last year, but I don't see this happening...at least in the beginning of the season. Skip is a definite defensive upgrade at second and I think La Russa will give him the opportunity to hit left handed pitchers.

2. Ideally, you'd like to break up Schumaker and Rasmus because they are the only two left handed bats in the order, but I don't see this being possible. I toyed around with the idea switching Rasmus and Ryan...but Tony likes to have some power in the two spot and Brendan has 7 career home runs.

3. Pujols is and will be in the 3-spot as long as he is a Cardinal.

4. Holliday is the ideal clean-up hitter, protecting Albert and hitting with power.

5. Ludwick may get some at-bats in the two spot, but the majority of its AB's will come in the 5-hole.

6. Molina hits well enough to warrant being in the 6-spot...and there really isn't another candidate. Freese will be best in the 7-hole until he can prove he can hit major league pitching.

7. The 7-hole is a safer spot to hit Freese in than the 8-spot because, in the National League, there is a lot of pressure for the 8-hitter to get on base when there are two outs so the pitcher does not lead off the next inning.

8. Ryan is a perfect 8-hitter - little power, but a consistent hitter. Like Yadier, he rarely strikes out.

Only 28 more days until pitchers and catchers report! Our first spring-training game is only a little over a month away! The song for the evening is "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. That's all for now guys.

Jack

McGwire Reaction

Hey Guys,

So I had planned to project the Cardinals 2010 lineup/order today, but breaking news and interesting press conferences don't happen all that often this time of year, so when they do occur...you just gotta go with it.

Mark McGwire admitted steroid use on a conference call earlier today, and then again in an interview with Bob Costas a few minutes ago on the MLB Network. I've got a few reactions.

First, why now? Well that's pretty obvious, he had to make some sort of statement or he and the Cardinals would have been distracted by steroid questions deep into the summer. The more interesting question is, if he had not been named the Cardinals Hitting Coach, would he have been this forthcoming with information about his usage? McGwire is a very private person, and if you listened to the conference call today, you could tell how broken up he was about it. His voice cracked several times and you could tell how hard it was for him to share all of this. One starts to realize why he went into seclusion after his retirement; he was deeply ashamed by his steroid use.

Second, how does McGwire fit in with other players in his era? Baseball is a game of eras, whether historians want to admit it or not. Nobody views the Earned Run Average's of pitchers being ridiculous during the dead ball era, or during the 1960's. Nobody questions the legitimacy of Bob Gibson's 1968 (the "Year of the Pitcher) statistics. Gibson was throwing off a 15 inch mound to a strike-zone the size of a plasma television. Nobody challenged his ungodly ERA of 1.12. McGwire became a scapegoat of the steroid-era because he was one of the first associated with the juice. He was also one of the most successful. Until a year or two ago, McGwire and Barry Bonds were the faces of steroids. After Jose Canseco's books and the Mitchell Report, that has changed. Now guys you never would have expected to be juicing were implicated, guys like A-Rod and Manny Ramirez. Suddenly, McGwire's statistics don't look so ridiculous. Suddenly, Big Mac doesn't look so bad.

Finally, how will St. Louis and all of the MLB remember McGwire. Cardinal fans are the best in the game. I don't care what anyone says. I've been a lot of Major League cities and none of them are as crazy about their team as St. Louis. Sorry Yankee and Red Sox fans, that means you too. Cardinal fans also tend to be blindly forgiving, and I think that is how they will treat McGwire. He was given a standing ovation in 2006 when he returned to Busch for the final game at the old stadium, and I believe that after this confession, the Cardinals will love Big Mac forever. Baseball fans as a whole tend to be quite forgiving. Andy Pettite is looked at like a stand-up guy after his confession. Nobody remembers just how deep the hatred for Alex Rodriguez was in February. I believe McGwire will be forgiven in the same manner. Does this mean he will get into the Hall of Fame? I don't know. Probably not. If La Russa plays him this fall and his HOF clock starts over, that will certainly improve his chances. Ultimately, I believe McGwire will go down much more like Pettite and Rodriguez, and much less like Roger Clemens. I believe he's going to be a hell of a hitting coach too.

That's all for tonight guys. I'll project the lineup/order sometime later this week. You guys are the best.

Pitching Staff...Various Scenarios

Hey guys,

Today I'm going to break down our pitching staff. I have concocted three possible scenarios and how they would affect our rotation and bullpen.

Scenario 1 : No Free Agent Pitcher is signed.

Starting Rotation: 1. Carpenter, 2. Wainwright, 3. Penny, 4. Lohse, and 5. Hawksworth/Boggs/Garcia/McCllelan

The first four starters are pretty much set no matter who we sign or don't sign. I doubt Blake Hawksworth would get the 5th starters role under this scenario, because he was so effective last year in that 8th inning role, Jaime Garcia would be my favorite candidate, but La Russa has already said he will proceed with extreme caution with Jaime after coming off of Tommy John surgery. It'd be nice to have a left handed starter though. Mitchell Boggs pitched okay last year, posting a 4.19 ERA in 58 innings - he seems to be the early favorite. Kyle McClellan has been talked about, but I don't think this is likely. He hasn't started a game in his Major League career and hasn't been a starting pitcher since 2006.

Bullpen - Closer - Franklin, Set-Up - Hawksworth, Middle Relief - McClellan, Middle Relief - Trever Miller, Middle Relief - Jason Motte, Middle Relief - Dennys Reyes, Long Relief - Ben Jukich.

Franklin will obviously be given a chance to be the closer again this year. Hawksworth was very good in that 8th inning role last year, as I said above. Middle relief should be no surprise, other than Motte, all the others were pretty consistent last year. The wildcard is Ben Jukich, our rule 5 draft pick from Cincinnati. We can release him at anytime, but as long as he's with us, he has to be active on our Major League roster. I would assume that we wouldn't have drafted him unless we were planning on using him. He was a starter last year in AAA for Cincinnati, posting a 9-6 record and a 4.10 ERA. He will eat up innings out of our bullpen.

Scenario 2 - We sign a free agent starting pitcher.

Rotation would be the same with the free agent sliding into the 5 spot. The bullpen would be virtually the same too. I'm afraid that means Boggs and Garcia would both find themselves starting the season in Memphis.

Scenario 3 - We sign a free agent reliever.

I would assume that if we spent money on a free agent reliever, he would be a late inning guy. The first four spots in the rotation would be the same, but Blake Hawksworth would become our fifth starter. He was a starter in the minors and there were whispers about converting him back into a starter before we signed Smoltz last year. As a starter in AAA in 2009, he had a 3.58 ERA. The kid is a winner. I'm sure he'd make a fine starter. The free agent would move into the set up role and also act as an insurance policy should anything happen to Franklin.

Possible Free Agent Signees -

John Smoltz - Smoltz has hinted that he would like to come back to St. Louis; at this point in his career, he wants to play for a championship contender. He also has a good relationship with Dave Duncan. I think he would be a great fit for St. Louis, and St. Louis for him, but he would have to accept a very incentive-laden contract.

Noah Lowry - He hasn't pitched since 2007 so he might come cheap, but his durability is a question mark. In his last full major league season, he was 14-8 with a 3.92 ERA for the Giants. With Boggs, Garcia, and P.J. Walters in Memphis, the Cardinals have enough room for error to take a gamble on someone like Noah Lowry.

Joel Pineiro - He is a type B free agent and is reportedly looking for a 4-year deal. He is not in the Cardinals price range.

Vicente Padilla - The Cardinals saw how dominant Padilla could be in the Division series last year, and he posted a 12-6 record and a 4.46 ERA combined with the Rangers and Dodgers. There were murmurs earlier in the offseason that he might be coming to St. Louis but nothing has happened thus far. My prediction is that, whomever he signs with, it will be late in the offseason. Padilla is higher on himself than anyone is on him, and probably thinks he's worth more money than what he'll actually get.

As far as relievers go, your guess is as good as mine. I wouldn't rule out Octavio Dotel, but his asking price might be a little steep.

Over The Hills and Far Away is the anthem of the evening. I love Zeppelin. Have a great night everybody.

Saturday

No Cardinal's posts today. Its been a hectic day with a blizzard and a funeral. Tomorrow I'm going to look at our pitching staff; Monday I'll give my best guess at the lineup/order. Your thoughts?

The song for today is Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - Willie Nelson...Have a great weekend everybody

Holliday, McGwire and the Bench

Hey Guys,

Entertaining National Championship game. Texas is making a comeback. I feel so badly for Colt McCoy - what a tough way for a great career to end. Roll Tide!

Matt Holliday was formally reintroduced to the Cardinal's media and fans today. Nothing too spectacular to touch on, pretty normal press conference. Matt will change his number from 15 to 7. Holliday also said that the Cardinals commitment to winning and Albert Pujols were two factors that influenced him to stay.

Tony La Russa said today that he expects Mark McGwire to break his silence soon, possibly by the end of the month. No date has been set for his introduction as the Cardinal's Hitting Coach. According to the New York Daily News, (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2010/01/07/2010-01-07_mark_mcgwire_pinchhitting.html) La Russa also said that he would consider putting McGwire on the expanded roster come August 31, 2010. This could get interesting.

As far as the bench goes, there are still more questions than answers. Our farm system is depleted, ranking 29th out of 30 teams by Baseball America.

Infield - As of right now, we are counting on David Freese to be our everyday third baseman. The two other young infielders on the 40-Man Roster, Tyler Greene (108 MLB AB's, .222, 2 HR, 7 RBI ) and Mark Hamilton (0 MLB AB's), are virtually untested at the Major League level. Greene will be given the opportunity to make the club as a utility infielder. He is very good defensively and hit .277 in his two years in Memphis. I expect him to be on the opening day roster. Hamilton, however, is a first baseman. Unless something unexpected happens to Pujols, we won't be needing a first baseman for quite a while in St. Louis. The Cardinals will also carry Julio Lugo as a utility infielder to start the year who can spell Schmaker, Ryan, and Freese.

Outfield - I assume the Cardinals will carry 12 pitchers, 2 Catchers, and 6 Infielders...which leaves room for 5 outfielders. Holliday, Rasmus, and Ludwick will have three of the spots, so there are two positions up for grabs.

On the 40-Man right now, the Cardinals have Allen Craig, Daryl Jones, and Jon Jay, all of whom have no MLB experience, as well as Joe Mather, Shane Robinson, and Nick Stavinoha, who have a combined 302 Major League At-Bats among them. Because of this, I expect the Cardinals to go out into free agency and sign another outfielder. I do, however, expect St. Louis to break camp with one of these six outfielders on the active roster, probably Stavinoha or Jon Jay. Allen Craig has a promising bat but no position, Daryl Jones is still too young, Mather was hurt for most of '09, and Shane Robinson struggled in Memphis last season.

The case for Stavinoha is that he has played more than 300 games at the AAA level hitting .293 in that time with above average power. The knock on Stavinoha is that he won't take walks. The case for Jay is that he can play all three outfield positions, hit .288 in 152 games in Memphis, and stole 20 bases last season. His on-base percentage is also higher than Stavinoha's.

In looking to free agency to fill the last outfield spot, I imagine the Cardinals will look for a player who has played or can play all three outfield spots, especially considering the questions surrounding Colby Rasmus's durability.

Three players come to mind: Randy Winn, Ryan Church, and Reed Johnson. Upside - Winn would seem to be the Cardinals first choice - another veteran in the clubhouse and a switch hitter off the bench. Downside - Winn only hit .158 against left-handed pitching last year and might not sign somewhere he knows he will be the fourth outfielder. Ryan Church, I believe, is the most likely option. He is a career .272 hitter and has enough speed to get by anywhere in the outfield. He also seems to be the most comfortable of the three options as the fourth outfielder. The last option is Reed Johnson who hit .255 with the Cubs in limited action in '09. Johnson is a career .282 hitter who is an excellent defensive outfielder. The final plus for Johnson is that he is a former Cub, and don't we all enjoy seeing former Cubs come to St. Louis and play well? I would love to see Randy Winn in Cardinal red, but I think Ryan Church is the most likely option. Your thoughts?

Sorry for the Stat overload today guys...I dislike next level statistics as much as anyone. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells is the anthem of this evening...in honor of the Alabama National Championship. That's all for tonight.

Jack

Holliday and Hall

More information on the Matt Holliday deal:

He passed the physical today, which was the last foreseeable roadblock. The official press conference will likely take place sometime tomorrow. Though the exact time is not known, it should take place sometime in the afternoon. Bad weather in St. Louis is the reason for all the uncertainty. 

Interesting piece on pro's and con's of Holliday deal - http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bernies-extra-points/bernies-extra-points/bernies-5-minutes/2010/01/the-pros-cons-of-the-holliday-signing/

Chuck Brownson (The Hardball Times) looks at the Sabermetrics of the deal (http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/holliday-signs/)...and concludes that  Holliday is only worth 112.91 million based on various statistical studies and projections. Garbage. Absolute garbage. I'm not saying that, in the end, this won't be true, but we have no way of knowing this. Baseball is a game played on the field, not through computer models. The fact of the matter is that the Cardinals are a significantly better team today with Holliday than we were yesterday without him.

On to the the Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire (23.7%) and Lee Smith (47.3%) both fell well short of the 75% necessary to gain induction. Both, however, improved their tallies from last season: McGwire going from 118 to 128 votes, Smith going from 240 to 255 votes. Only Andre Dawson gained enough votes this year to be admitted to the Hall. Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven fail just short. Both, likely, will gain induction next year.

Tomorrow we will go through the Cardinals bench options for 2010. I've been listening to C'mon C'mon by the Von Bondies all night, which was the theme song for the MLB Networks 30 Clubs in 30 Days Spring Training show last year. I'm siked. Only 43 more days guys, hang in there. 

Jack

Cardinals Offseason

Its been a busy offseason. A lot has changed and nothing has changed at the same time. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a happy new year.

With the signing of Holliday today, the Cardinals appear to be set at 7 positions (Holliday in left, Rasmus in Center, Ludwick in Right. Brendan Ryan at SS, Schumaker at 2B, Pujols at 1B, and Molina catching.). Third base is the only question. I don't take this Miguel Tejada talk seriously. Brendan Ryan had a fine year last year at shortstop. He won't drive in as many runs or hit as many bombs as Tejada but he's far better defensively and, unlike Tejada, we know exactly how old Brendan is.

David Freese appears to be the favorite at the moment to win the third-base job, despite his DWI incident last month. The Cardinals signing of Holliday virtually rules out the club looking to free agency for a third baseman. Matthew Leach estimates that the Cardinals have 6-7 million left to spend this year, and I would imagine the bulk of that will be spent on pitching.

Now to the Holliday deal. 7 years, $120 million - could be worth as much as $136 million - also includes a full no-trade clause. I don't anticipate the no-trade clause will be a problem in the future, but it would certainly be nice if that wasn't in there. Holliday is, at best, an average defensive player. If his hitting ever falls off, the Cardinals are going to have a near-impossible time moving him and be on the hook for a lot of money. Having said this, he's only 29, and this doesn't seem likely. All in all, I think this was a very good deal for both sides.

For the rest of the offseason, it'd be nice to see the Cardinals add some pitching. Right now the Cardinals have 4.5 starting pitchers (Carpenter, Wainwright, Penny, Lohse, and Blake Hawksworth/ Mitchell Boggs) and a shaky bullpen. It would be nice to add another starter, which would allow the Cardinals to keep both Blake Hawksworth and Mitchell Boggs in the bullpen for another maturation year, but I would feel comfortable with Hawksworth being the 5th starter - provided we add some bullpen help. Jaime Garcia could also conceivably be our 5th starter...but he's coming off Tommy John surgery. Ryan Franklin had a nice season last year in the closer's role, but no one is sure its duplicatable.

I would grade the Cardinals offseason thus far a B-. Signing Holliday was nice, but we have no clear plan at third base and a depleted pitching staff. The offseason will be considered a success and only a success if we can add a couple more pitchers.

That's all for now guys. 44 days until pitchers and catchers report.

Jack