I just came from the psych ward

Now back to the Redbirds.

Call me crazy, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder, how bad would it really be to sign Barry Bonds? Now hear me out. He wouldn't have to play every day (or rather couldn't), but he could easily be a bench player and provide some power in a pinch-hitting situation. He isn't the worst outfielder, either, if he got a couple starts. Plus, and here's what keeps drawing me back in: he's super cheap. Like league minimum cheap. Tony's been heard once or twice suggesting it, and I'm just thinking out loud here. I know he's not the most popular player, but he's Barry Bonds for pete's sake. He's like Chris Duncan with a few minor modifications (and a real cervical disc).

Tell me if I'm totally off in outer space.

nothing to do with baseball

Sorry about that last post. I don't know what was going on in my head.

The Rams got some props from the geniuses at Sportscenter last night/very early this morning. "...best helmets in the NFL." Well, at least they've got that going for them.

Speaking of the Rams, hooray for Jim Haslett. I loved him in NO. I suspect that a big part of the players' problems in the first four games revolved around lack of leadership and lack of respect on either side of the table. The defense may not have been stellar (to say the least), but between the in-fighting, the release of Brown (most likely without Haslett's approval), and the absolute absence of offense (which can put a mighty hefty strain on a defense because they end up on the field for 40 minutes at a time), there was never really any hope for Jim or his guys to make a difference. I think Jim may be just what this team needs, and he was right there all along.

I'm calling it right now, folks. 12-4. 11-5. We'll just pretend these four games were part of an extended pre-season and give Jimmy a break.

Melvin to Yost: KIT (you knw, f u want)

dEr Ned,

tnx 4 keepn us n d race. dat S, er, tnx 4 yr hrd wrk n dedication. I mean, uh, tnx 4 showin ^ evry dy.

We culdnt av unlockd d clubhouse w/o u. So, um, f ur evr n d naybrhood, u knw, jst 4 Ny reasN, wd u mnd droppin off yr keys @ d frnt ofis?

It's jst dat w'v dis nu guy hu realy nEdz em, n Bsides, ur nt realy UzN em, ryt? So, jst, whnvr. Um, so, av a gud wintr, n BOL W d job hunt.

O, dat reminds me, I won't B abL 2 gt dat letta of ref. 4 u. UNo hw it S. I jst av so mch 2 do... jst realy bZ deez days W d post-season stuf. So, sry bout dat, bt f there's NEfin Ls I cn do 4 u, jst, um, jst leaV a msg, I gez, n IL gt b2 u wen fings Rnt so craZ. gtta run. -Doug

a big step forward

4 years, baby! 

That's the kind of commitment I like. 

If you hadn't heard, Kyle Lohse pledged to love, honor, and obey Tony LaRussa every fifth day for the next four years, forsaking all others, until one of them outlives their usefulness. It's been speculated that it could be around $48 million which would probably start at $10 million for next year. The details are still a little sketchy, but I'll be keeping on top of it. (Yeah, I missed the press conference. How's that for vigilance?) 

Immediate update (you like that?) : $41 million / 4 years / full, no-trade protection for Lohse $7,125,000 in 2009, $8,875,000 in 2010 and $11,875,000 in 2011, 2012 I definitely get the feeling that the fact that he liked it in STL and liked the pitching staff had a big impact on this contract. 

The NLDS will feature the Cubs hosting the Dodgers and the Phillies hosting the Brewers.

I'm going with the Dodgers and the Phils. Unfortunately, if I were to be really, really realistic, I'd have to go with the Cubs and the Phillies. And to take it one step further, I can see the Cubs in the World Series. Whether they can beat the Angels (yes, the Angels) is another story entirely. 

If Big Z can get his s*** together, it improves the Cubbies' chances by about three-fold. If he keeps giving up big runs and can't be counted on to pitch in the big series, then I see the Angels taking it in four straight. Not that Zambrano is their best pitcher strictly speaking, but he's kind of a leader on the team and I don't see them making the stretch without him. Plus, I don't want them to win, and I don't even want them to win one game. My bias comes in the form of allowing them one win IF it's Carlos' day to pitch. 

In other words, I'll give Zambrano one win, but the rest of the Cubs can go suck a lemon.

Go Dodgers.

I really shouldn't speculate, but . . .

I thought maybe I was missing something when I looked up and saw Brad Thompson on the mound for the Cards in the finale. I could've sworn Lohse was the scheduled starter.

Is it just because it's the end of a meaningless series to finish off a less-than-stellar season?

According to Derrick Goold, it's way more exciting than that. Kyle is apparently undergoing a physical with team doctors in preparation for a possible... (deep breath) contract extension.

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.

Update: Moze just all but confirmed the news with Frank Cusumano (he of the baaaad toupee) on KDSK. There's a press conference scheduled for tomorrow at 4:30 and according to John, "We'll have some exciting news."

the news is getting sparse

Albert is my MVP. He is the Cardinals' MVP. He truly is the National League MVP, but I refuse to get my hopes up that any of the voters will recognize this because I don't need the let-down. It's Albert's fault anyway. He's too good.

He reached 100 runs scored last night, and also took back over the team lead for HRs. Sheesh. That puts him at 100+ RBI, 100+ RS, 30+ HR for 8 straight years (except for last year when he missed RS by 1--he had 99--but I still count it). What a freak.

Now we just need Glaus to drive in two more and he'll have 100 RBI.

This made me smile:

Flores won't miss any time in 2009

That's rather optimistic, no?

Anyway, the story struck me because it sounds so familiar.

There's nothing wrong with Izzy.

Mulder will be ready to go in 2008.

Clement will be ready to go in May.

Carp will join the 'Birds after an extended Spring Training.

We've listened to a lot of BS from the front office over the course of the season, and it looks like they're getting an early jump on the BS for next year.

Not that it matters. Flores certainly isn't one of the players I'm counting on to save the team in '09.

I've decided to start watching hockey this year. I say this every year, just so you know, but this time I really mean it. Really.

I'm interested in hockey. I enjoy listening to the announcers pronounce the names (which are inevitably French and weird). I like watching grown men slip and slide aboot the ice, trying to get some traction with their skates as they rip at each other's jerseys and throw punches. I like thinking of other things that might be more interesting if the participants had to wear 150 pounds of equipment and ice skates. I like hockey fans with their obscenities and enthusiasm. Besides which, we've got a hockey team that has some real promise (as I understand it), even without Erik Johnson, eh.

Finally, in other St Louis sports news, there's been more strife at Rams camp. Marc Bulger got benched. Afterward, he apparently said some none-too-friendly things about "Coach" Linehan, although I got the feeling he didn't say anything that was supposed to get to the media. Marc's such a low-key guy that it's hard to imagine him getting mad, but honestly, I get the feeling that none of the players like Linehan, and maybe it's just a mounting situation that got out of hand. (Actually, I often question whether the whole disastrous season--all three games, as it were--is just the players showing their contempt for Linehan.)

Steven Jackson defended Bulger and added to the criticsm of Linehan (and I have no doubt that he had every intention of the media picking up on his comments). Torry Holt apologized to Bulger for the lack of offense (like anybody blames Holt). Linehan said he would "talk with" Jackson and Bulger. What will he say? "Um, I know we've had our rough patches, but I don't know what I did to make you say those mean things..." Then he'll cry.

TrINT Green will start Sunday. Predictions: The Rams will lose to the Bills. It will be ugly. Linehan will be relieved of his duties. He'll cry some more.

what do the numbers really mean?

Three triples last night.

What?

That's right. Three. And one of them off the bat of the pitcher. Who has a problem with the pitcher in the 8-hole? Not I.

Speaking of which, there was some more discussion of the Tony-rific lineup last night, and the final conclusion that was drawn was that it is neither better nor worse than batting the pitcher ninth. The difference, may I point out, is that while other teams have started putting their power guy in the clean-up spot to get more runs in, we're doing the same thing, only we're not sacrificing any of Albert's at-bats.

At least that's the theory. I dug up some numbers, but what I ended up with was that Albert has actually had fewer AB/game than many of his counterparts.

It's entirely possible that this means nothing, and it doesn't matter because Tony will continue to put the pitcher in the penultimate spot in the lineup anyway, but it of kind puts a crimp in my defense of the skipper.

[Mere minutes after I wrote this, I found this. Go figure.]

If I were to go a different direction with this post, I'd point out that Kennedy seems to have taken on the wait-till-the-last-minute approach to batting average and slugging percentage. I've tried that approach with various things throughout life and generally have found that all it gets you is a headache. Maybe it'll work out better for Adam.

There's a rumor that Jim Hayes is going to get shaved during the telecast tonight.

eso sí que es

A-Rey's socks always made me smile. I wonder if he's rocking the stirrups at Cleveland.

Anyway, this is non-baseball, but as I was adding the ankle-warmers to my header, it reminded me of a joke.

A Latino man who spoke no English went into an American department store to buy socks. He found his way to the Menswear department where a young lady offered to help him.

"Quiero calcetines," said the man.

"I don't speak Spanish, but we have some very nice suits over here," said the salesgirl.

"No, no quiero trajes. Quiero calcetines," said the man.

"Well, these shirts are on sale this week," declared the salesgirl.

"No, no quiero camisas. Quiero calcetines," repeated the man.

"I still don't know what you're trying to say. We have some fine pants on this rack," offered the salesgirl.

"No, no quiero pantalones. Quiero calcetines," insisted the man.

"These sweaters are top quality," the salesgirl probed.

"No, no quiero sueter. Quiero calcetines," said the man.

"Our undershirts are over here," fumbled the salesgirl, beginning to lose patience.

"No, no quiero camisetas. Quiero calcetines," the man repeated.

As they passed the underwear counter, the man spotted a display of socks and happily grabbed a pair. Holding them up he proclaimed, "Eso si que es!"

"Well, if you could spell it, why didn't you do that in the beginning?" asked the exasperated salesgirl.

It's not funny. I know. But every time I see or think about socks I think of it.

it's funny because it's TRUE

MILWAUKEE—With both teams collapsing neck and neck, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that the Mets and Brewers will play a one-game choke-off to determine which team will spiral into playoff elimination. "The 2008 Brewers have proven that they can choke with the best of them, but the Mets have the choking experience," Baseball Tonight analyst John Kruk said. "It really all depends on which team decides to step up and wilt under pressure. Either way, this one should be truly painful to watch." Experts are predicting that the Mets and Brewers will both somehow find a way to lose.

I love the Onion.

With the rain in New York, there could actually be a one-game playoff (well, two) to determine the NL East and Wild Card winners. Eerie.

random thoughts

I got out my hoe and I killed me a rattler. You're welcome, Manny.

The Dodgers. I wouldn't have guessed it even if you'd given me five guesses. (Okay, maybe four.)

Anybody else think Perez looks a little worse for wear?

It's Joel Piñeiro's birthday, apparently.

Cumpleaños feliz,
cumpleaños feliz,
Y en este cumpleaños
Me comeré tu corazón,
Cumpleaños feliz...

Oh, and Pat and Rick (the hardy boys) figured out what the Cards should have been doing all season that could have made the difference between playing spoiler and playing in October...

Ready?

Score 12 runs. Yes. It's been 8 years since they've scored 12 and lost.

Ta-da!

Tony should file that away for next year.

just a different perspective

We're winners, folks! Uncork the champagne! Okay, maybe just pour me a shot of something. Better yet, make it a double.

82 games in the win column means we WILL finish above .500 and there's nothing anyone can do to stop us. We may not get into the playoffs (okay, we won't get in...) but as Wainwright said, "We're a playoff team, we just couldn't get it done." How depressing is that. I started this paragraph on a very different track, but here we are. Blah. I'm going to bed.

What a shame the Brewers had to win today. Nobody needs to see Prince Fielder untuck. Nobody. (Especially while he's running.)

I want to live on Carpenter Lane

I wanted to cry when I heard about Carp. 

Can't we just have one thing go right? We were supposed to have him back this year, and that turned into a disaster, but I stayed calm and reminded myself that I wasn't counting on him until 2009 anyway. 

2009 has a lot of hopes pinned on it from my standpoint. 

• The All-Star Game will be played in St Louis for the first time in like 4,600,000 years (except Ballpark Village won't be finished).

• Chris Carpenter will finally be healthy enough to rejoin the rotation and whip our pitching staff into shape (except he's undergoing his sixth surgery and may not even actually ever throw a ball again). 

• The front office is going to grant Cardinal Nations' dearest wishes and actually spend some money on players (except... well, that one remains to be seen. I'm not overly optimistic.) I want Brian Fuentes. I'm adding him to my list. 

Speaking of pitchers that we plan a lot of games around, Bernie Miklasz was on the radio (as he is every day) and he referred to the continual BS-ing from the Cardinals clubhouse about how well a player (specifically a pitcher) is doing in his rehab and recovery over extended periods of time only to find out in the end that he's done as "going down Mulder Road." 

I like that. 

Actually, it's even more involved than that. He talks about a bus, driven by the Cardinals, on which many people (himself included) are passengers as it drives (us) down Mulder Road. I'm guessing it's a dead end road. Please, oh, please, don't let Carpenter Lane end like that. So if pitchers were roadways... 

Wainwright Highway (only the occasional rest stop) 

McClellan Boulevard (because of the big divider between the right and left) 

Jason Motte Autobahn (duh, the speed) 

Chris Perez County Road (it starts off fine, but gets a little bumpy toward the end) 

Mulder Dead End Road (but all the signs said it went through, wtf?) 

Randy Flores Parking Lot (it's just him driving around in circles) 

Kyle Lohse Toll Road (yes, I'm smiling) 

Isringhausen whatever (doesn't matter, it's closed for construction anyway) 

Max Scherzer Interstate (starts off in Missouri but ends up across the country, and that was just a bonus because he's pitching against us tonight) 

I'm stuck on Looper. Any suggestions? 

Another bonus: Jim Hayes the other night on FSN: "... an amalgamation of emotion." I can't even tell you what he was talking about, but just try saying it three times fast.

all aboard

The number of people in the Pujols pool has grown again.
Manny Ramirez, Ryan Howard, and now Derek Lee have all lent their support to Albert in the MVP race.
C'mon Lance Berkman, you know you want in on this.

and miles to go . . .

That's what we ended with on Big Fox, the announcers making a Robert Frost reference and Aaron Miles popping out to (drum roll, please) Jimmy Baseball. 

Fantastically appropriate, no? To be honest, it could have been much worse. The Cubs were playing for the division, but we made some noise with our bats and didn't just roll over for them, and I think that says a lot about our team. The fact that we went into, let's face it, a pretty hostile environment, facing a team with a lot of hopes pinned on this series (not because they had to win it but because Lou Pinella doesn't use the backdoor for anything), and we won game one and made them work for game two, I think that speaks very highly of this club and the players on the field. 

Piñeiro actually pitched quite well, but unfortunately had some misplays and errors behind him that cost a few runs. (Muchas felicidades en el nacimiento de tus gemelos, Joel.) 

Franklin also pitched well, surprisingly enough, striking out three and not putting anybody on in his two innings of work. 

Glaus brought us to within one run of tying it with his three-run shot in the sixth, but we couldn't get past Marmol in the eighth or Wood in the ninth and ended up just short of a comeback. 

We had a rough season. We were on top for a while, but as time went by our deficiencies and outright holes became more and more evident. It was a brief success that we couldn't sustain. We played hard and showed a lot of spirit, even in the face of injuries and harsh media, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. 

Farewell, 2008 season. Our eyes and thoughts now turn to 2009 because as we all know, tomorrow's another day. 

As for the NL Central, well... These woods belong to the Cubs.

other meaningless stuff

Sheffield also said he watched the replay of the brawl to see who else came after him and tried to attack him from behind.

"I know who they are," Sheffield said, "and they are going to have to deal with me."

I think I'd hire someone to start my car for me if I were a Cleveland player.

Right-hander A.J. Burnett is expected to opt out of his contract following the season, which with the Marcum update, leaves the Jays' rotation with two significant holes.

So next April 6, the Jays' rotation would seem to consist of Roy Halladay, Jesse Litsch, David Purcey and question marks.

I want Burnett in a Cardinals uniform next year. Get this done for me, Moze.

Ichiro Suzuki wasn't able to celebrate his eighth consecutive 200-hit season because in a season with almost no end to the losses, the 200th hit came in a loss.

That didn't mean there wasn't some enjoyment for Ichiro, who tied Hall of Fame outfielder Wee Willie Keeler (1894-1901) for the most consecutive 200-hit seasons. Ichiro had shared the AL record with another Hall of Famer, Wade Boggs.

It's hard to celebrate when you play like a spoiled little league team with no coach. Or maybe it's easy.

This weekend's matchup between two of the worst teams in baseball will go a long way toward determining who gets the No. 1 pick in next summer's draft—widely expected to be Strasburg, the hard-throwing right-hander from San Diego State who is likened to Josh Beckett and Mark Prior.

Though the Nationals insist they're not thinking about such things and they're attempting to win every game the rest of the season, privately, the organization knows it could be better off finishing with the majors' worst record and adding Strasburg to its farm system.

[Padres watchers]'d like to see the Padres get Strasburg, which means the Padres would need to finish the season with the worst record in the major leagues—which means the Padres did themselves no good with Friday night's 11-6, 14-inning win over the Nationals in Washington, D.C.

The win—or loss depending on your view—gave Washington the worst record in the National League by a game over the Padres, although both teams are playing catch-up (again, depending on your view) with Seattle of the American League.

It's good to have your priorities straight. I guess.

Trade rumors generally don't amount to much in baseball, merely serving up conversation before the actual trade - something that wasn't predicted by anyone - goes down. Just wondering, though, if you heard the one from ESPN's Peter Gammons the other night: Matt Cain to the Milwaukee Brewers for Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy and perhaps a third player.

Fire sale in Milwaukee. Get in there fast.

the friendly confines

Kelvin Jimenez is a terrible pitcher. He's just not good. Can we all finally agree on that? Seriously, if your team is ahead by 10 (and then by 6 after you give up some late-inning goods) and you get pulled with only one out left to record, how do you look at yourself in the mirror? I mean, with a six-run margin, how many bad pitchers get left out there? But not you. You're not even as good as bad. You're awful. Dreadful. Shockingly, upsettingly worthless.

Adam Kennedy really wants to play somewhere else and he was showing the scouts what he's made of today. That's perfectly all right with me, because the better he plays, the higher his trade value. I wonder where he'll end up...

It would also be fine with me if Chicago played like they did again tomorrow and Sunday. Especially if Milwaukee keeps losing and New York actually does get abducted by aliens. But I'm not getting my hopes back up, I just enjoy watching our rivals get dismantled.

I love the Cardinals, I realize that our playoff hopes have all but vanished, and I know that my role as a St Louis fan now becomes that of rooting against our much-hated and long-time rivals (yes, the Cubs, duh). However, if there were one player in the Chicago organization that I would love to see earn a World Series ring, it's Big Z. I love his energy, his sense of humor, and especially his arm. The rest of the team can wait another hundred years as far as I'm concerned, but Zambrano is too good a pitcher not to make it to the October Classic. S'pose there's any chance he'll get traded to the Angels or Dodgers or Phillies this week? Yeah, I was afraid of that.

as the end approaches . . .

So the Cards played and won an ultimately meaningless game against the even-worse-than-us-yet-won-the-series Reds, but even more intriguing news came from Wrigley. 

Is it more notable that the Cubs won after being down by 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth with two out and nobody on, or that the Brewers lost after being ahead by 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth with no runners and one out away from victory? 

Goes to show how important a closer is, especially late in the season. Honestly, I'm just flabbergasted how unstoppable the Cubbies seem to be. 

But getting back to the Redbirds, I liked seeing Mark Johnson behind the plate just for the sake of seeing what he's got, but I wasn't overly impressed. I miss Yadi. 

Albert is the MVP. Whether or not anyone beyond Cardinal Nation will give him the credit he deserves for giving this team the chance he has remains to be seen. Ryan Howard may be from St Louis, and he may hit some home runs, but he's struck-out 190 times in 580 AB and has consistently hit well below .250 all year. Albert has 51 K in 497 AB and is hitting .354 with a real shot at the batting title. 

The fact that Howard is even being considered while there's a player named Pujols in the majors is a joke.

Spring Training

February:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

14 Reporting day - pitchers & catchers

15
16

17 Reporting day - position players

18
19
20
21

22 Reporting day - All players

23 SLU - Roger Dean Stadium

24 OFF

25 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

26 BAL Orioles - Ft. Lauderdale 1:05pm

27 NY Mets Port - St. Lucie 1:05pm

28 WSH Nationals - Jupiter 1:05pm

March:

1 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

2 TB Rays - Jupiter 1:05pm

3 NY Mets - Port St. Lucie 1:05pm

4 OFF

5 WBC/Dominican Republic - Jupiter 2:05pm

6 NY Mets - Jupiter 1:05pm

7 HOU Astros - Kissimmee 1:05pm

8 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

9 OFF

10 DET Tigers - Jupiter 1:05pm

11 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

12 BOS Red Sox - Jupiter 1:05pm

13 BAL Orioles -SS Ft. Lauderdale 1:05pm
BAL Orioles- SS Jupiter 7:05 p.m

14 ATL Braves - Jupiter 1:05pm

15 PHI Phillies - Clearwater 1:05pm

16 DET Tigers - Lakeland 1:05pm

17 OFF

18 BAL Orioles - SS Jupiter 1:05pm
BAL Orioles - SS Ft. Lauderdale 1:05pm

19 TB Rays - Port Charlotte 1:05pm

20 PHI Phillies - Jupiter 1:05pm

21 WSH Nationals - Viera 1:05pm

22 BAL Orioles - Jupiter 1:05pm

23 WSH Nationals - Jupiter 1:05pm

24 OFF

25 HOU Astros - Jupiter 1:05pm

26 NY Mets - Jupiter 1:05pm

27 BOS Red Sox - Fort Myers 1:05pm

28 BAL Orioles - Jupiter 1:05pm

29 MIN Twins - Fort Myers 1:05pm

30 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

April:

1 NY Mets - Jupiter 1:05pm

2 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

April

1 NY Mets - Jupiter 1:05pm

2 FLA Marlins - Jupiter 1:05pm

3 off

4 off

5 off

6 vs PIT 1515
7 vs PIT 1915
8 vs PIT 1915
9 vs PIT 1240

10 vs HOU 1915
11 vs HOU 1210
12 vs HOU 1315

13 @ ARI 2040
14 @ ARI 2040
15 @ ARI 1440

16 @ CHC
17 @ CHC
18 @ CHC
19 @ CHC

20 off

21 vs NYM 1915
22 vs NYM 1915
23 vs NYM 1240

24 vs CHC 1915
25 vs CHC
26 vs CHC 1315

27 @ ATL
28 @ ATL
29 @ ATL

30 @ WSH

April record:

May

1 @ WSH
2 @ WSH
3 @ WSH

4 vs PHI 1915
5 vs PHI 1915
6 vs PHI 1915
7 vs PHI 1240

8 @ CIN
9 @ CIN
10 @ CIN

11 off

12 @ PIT 1805
13 @ PIT 1805
14 @ PIT 1805

15 vs MIL 1915
16 vs MIL 1210
17 vs MIL 1315

18 off

19 vs CHC 1915
20 vs CHC 1915
21 vs CHC 1915

22 vs KC 1915
23 vs KC 1815
24 vs KC 1315

25 @ MIL 1305
26 @ MIL 1905
27 @ MIL 1205

28 off

29 @ SF
30 @ SF
31 @ SF

May record:

June

1 vs CIN 1915
2 vs CIN 1915
3 vs CIN 1915
4 vs CIN 1915

5 vs COL 1915
6 vs COL 1815
7 vs COL 1315
8 vs COL 1315

9 @ FLA
10 @ FLA
11 @ FLA

12 @ CLE
13 @ CLE
14 @ CLE

15 off

16 vs DET 1915
17 vs DET 1915
18 vs DET 1915

19 @ KC
20 @ KC
21 @ KC

22 @ NYM 1810
23 @ NYM 1810
24 @ NYM 1810
25 @ NYM 1210

26 vs MIN 1810
27 vs MIN 1210
28 vs MIN 1315

29 vs SF 1915
30 vs SF 1915

June record:

July

1 vs SF 1915
2 vs SF 1815

3 @ CIN
4 @ CIN
5 @ CIN

6 off

7 @ MIL 1905
8 @ MIL 1905
9 @ MIL 1305

10 @ CHC
11 @ CHC
12 @ CHC

13 2009
14 All
15 Star
16 Break

17 vs ARI 1915
18 vs ARI 1815
19 vs ARI 1315

20 @ HOU
21 @ HOU
22 @ HOU

23 off

24 @ PHI 1805
25 @ PHI
26 @ PHI

27 vs LAD 1915
28 vs LAD 1915
29 vs LAD 1915
30 vs LAD 1915

31 vs HOU 1915

July record:

August

1 vs HOU 1815
2 vs HOU 1315

3 off

4 @ NYM 1810
5 @ NYM 1110

6 off

7 @ PIT 1805
8 @ PIT 1805
9 @ PIT 1235

10 vs CIN 1915
11 vs CIN 1915
12 vs CIN 1915

13 off

14 vs SD 1915
15 vs SD 1815
16 vs SD 1315

17 @ LAD 2110
18 @ LAD 2110
19 @ LAD 2110

20 @ SD
21 @ SD
22 @ SD
23 @ SD

24 off

25 vs HOU 1915
26 vs HOU 1915
27 vs HOU 1315

28 vs WSH 1915
29 vs WSH 1815
30 vs WSH 1315

31 off

August record:

September

1 vs MIL 1915
2 vs MIL 1915
3 vs MIL 1315

4 @ PIT 1805
5 @ PIT 1805
6 @ PIT 1235

7 @ MIL 1305
8 @ MIL 1905
9 @ MIL 1305

10 off

11 vs ATL 1915
12 vs ATL 1815
13 vs ATL 1315

14 vs FLA 1915
15 vs FLA 1915
16 vs FLA 1315

17 off

18 vs CHC 1915
19 vs CHC
20 vs CHC 1315

21 @ HOU
22 @ HOU
23 @ HOU

24 off

25 @ COL
26 @ COL
27 @ COL

28 off

29 @ CIN
30 @ CIN

September record:

October

1 @ CIN

2 vs MIL 1915
3 vs MIL 1210
4 vs MIL 1315

October record:

take note

The lineup tonight is as "creative" as we've seen in a while.

Miles is starting in left, Kennedy in right, and Mark Johnson will be catching Lohse. (Okay, so that last one isn't exactly stretching the imagination...)

I'm all for this. In fact, I say mix it up even more, after all, what do we have to lose? Has Brad Thompson always wanted to play short? Has Cesar Izturis ever pitched? Who knows, maybe we'll find out that Nick Stavinoha was born to play second base.

the stages of grief

I'm disappointed. That's all... I'm not angry. I'm not (really) surprised. I'm certainly not happy. I'm not even hopeful anymore. Not even cautiously.
It's over. I'm finally willing to admit that I've run out of faith. My new mantra: Next year is gonna rock. It'd better.

I keep sitting in front of the com-puta-dora (don't ask), and staring blankly at the screen, searching for the words to capture my feelings, but there are none, really.

Grief is a process, and I hadn't realized it until now, but I am smack in the middle of grieving the playoff possibilities of this team.

Let's recap, shall we?
Stage one: Shock. (gasp) There are only 12 games left and we're out of (realistic) contention for the division title and behind three teams in the wild card race. Could it be that the Cardinals won't make the playoffs this year? I can't breathe...

Stage two: Denial. What do you mean, there's no chance? There's always a chance until you've been mathematically eliminated. See, if the Brewers lose 12 in a row, the Phillies lose 18 of 20, and the Mets get abducted by aliens, everything will be fine. There's no crying in baseball!

Stage three: Anger. I can't believe he didn't make that play! This whole thing is Felipe Lopez' fault. Just shut up, okay? I can't even talk about it right now, and you are an idiot! I hate the Cubs...

Stage four: Bargaining. What if I promise to make pie if we win some games? Or brownies if we give everyone on the Phillies the measels? I'll go to church every week (or so) if we could just string together a few wins! Please!

Stage five: Depression. I can't even blog because my world is ending. Thhhbbbbtttt.

Stage six: Testing. Okay, we just need a plan. We need to win a few games in a row, get our confidence up, and then maybe we can still do it, right? After all, the Brewers are sliding and the Mets have a history of giving away leads.

Stage seven: Acceptance. All right, you're right. It's over. We tried our best, we gave it a shot, and we came up short. Good thing it's only a game and not really all that important in the grand scheme of things. Rest in peace 2008 St. Louis Cardinals.

I'm fully prepared to feel like a complete idiot if something outrageous happens and I'm proven wrong. I have no problem with that.

the least surprising of all

The Brewers didn't wait to see if their playoff hopes evaporated completely before eliminating what may have been the been the biggest factor in the late-season collapse, manager Ned Yost. 

Dale Sveum ("swain") (3B coach) will manage the rest of the season. 

The Brewers lost 11 of their last 14 including a four-game sweep by Philadelphia. The Phillies are now tied with Milwaukee for the NL wild card lead.

just a tease for you Rams fans

All 87 of you. (Although that number may be considerably smaller after today.)

Chris Berman (Sportscenter) remarking on the impressive (and 12th straight) win by the Giants this afternoon:

Now I realize they played the Rams, which, ehh... [audible shrug]

That's gotta make you feel proud. ehh...

ps--You may have noticed that I did not include myself in the category of "Rams fan." I appreciate and respect the Rams and the organization because they are local. I am and will die a Colts fan.

free fallin'

Everybody close your eyes and imagine you just jumped out of an airplane. You're plummeting towards earth, the wind stripping the flesh from your exposed face, and suddenly you realize that you aren't wearing a parachute.

The Cardinals will awaken from this terrifying nightmare tomorrow, but in the meantime, there's a lot of drinking going on tonight. At least there is at my house.

In other thoughts...

Boy, Ron Villone can get after it, eh? Rick speculated that the two (Ron and Mintkayvitch--not the correct spelling, but I don't care enough right now to look it up) headed to the tunnel to "discuss" the matter further, and for the sake of argument, let's say he's right. In other words, I don't want to argue, so he's right. Villone and the aforementioned Pirate snuck off where no one could see and "discussed" what took place on the field. Here's how I imagine that "discussion" went...

Minty: You suck!

Villone: You suck!

M: (slapping Ron's shoulder and grabbing at his shirt) Shut up!

V: (pushing Doug and throwing his hands up in front of his face to block another slap) You shut up!

M: (grabbing Ron's hair and trying to elbow him in the ribs) Ouch!

V: (slapping at Doug's hands) Don't hit me! Hey!

Security guard: (stepping in between Ron and Doug) Hey you two, break it up!

V: (reaching toward Doug while simultaneously hiding behind the guard) You heard him, stop it!

M: (tripping and falling backwards onto his rear end, then scooting away and scrambling to his feet) I'll get you next time, you jerk! You better never come back here!

V: (being pushed the other direction by the guard and gesturing emphatically with his hands for Doug to "bring it") Bring it, stupid!

(As you can see, the recent drought in good news has me a little off-center. Please ignore my ramblings if they make no sense.)

Miles is a bit feistier than his calm demeanor would imply. He's also very short, and I rarely think of short guys as instigators. But that may just be my own personal stereotype.

Thompson pitched like a Friday-afternoon-softball "thrower" but he hit and stole bases like a champ. Go Brad. Last night I was ranting at the tv about Piñeiro (because you can't really get mad at Wainwright) and I suggested to my voodoo doll of Tony that he try starting Brad in place of Piñeiro and tie Joel up in the locker room and let the guys take turns giving him noogies or wedgies or something (kind of like a girl-less version of what the fictional Indians did in Major League to inspire the team to win). Suddenly today that plan has less merit.

I absolutely cannot get over this swan-dive the Brewers are in. I saw somewhere that Ned Yost may be looking for a job if his team doesn't make it to the playoffs. What a shame that would be. I'll be looking for Milwaukee fans to burn this man in effigy.

News update

Brewers' Yost thought he was managing Twins 

Pecas y Pecados 

September 13, 2008 

In a press conference after Milwaukee's ninth loss in 12 games, Manager Ned Yost confessed to having been confused about which team he was managing. 

"I guess maybe it was a combination of the geographic proximity and the similarity of the uniforms," Yost told reporters. He added, "I always wanted to manage the Twins." 

Yost's bench coach, Ted Simmons, said he remembered Yost making some strange, even inappropriate comments, but had just ignored the manager at first. "I thought maybe he was blowing off some steam," Simmons said. "One day he said something like, 'What's our plan for the Angels?' and I thought he was just trying to be funny, you know, like if we got to the World Series." 

Yost had been baffling both reporters and his own team recently by remaining calm in the face of a serious losing skid and refusing to acknowledge the possibilty of a late-season collapse. The cause of the behavior was finally identified when Yost was asked about the NL Central standings and the toughness of the remaining schedule for the Brewers. 

The manager responded by telling reporters that he does not pay much attention to the National League. "No I don't know how the Brewers are doing. I don't have time to watch those guys." 

As reporters sat in silence after Yost's seemingly incongruent remarks, he continued, "I've got my own team to worry about. Why don't you ask me about the game with Baltimore and Justin [Morneau]'s 4 hits. Ask me about goddamn Scott [Baker]'s performance. Don't ask me about a team we may or may not play." 

At that point, a local reporter pointed out to Yost that he was in fact the manager of the Brewers. Yost removed his cap, looked at the front, and then asked the convened media, "Doesn't 'M' stand for Minnesota?" 

Unfortunately for Yost, he is (sort of) managing the Brewers, and for the second season in a row seems to be letting a lead slip away. 

After the loss today, the Phillies are a mere 2 games back of the wild card leader, and with 2 games tomorrow in the day-night double-header, there could very easily be a tie for first come Monday morning.

thin ice

I'm about two games like last night away from abandoning my possibly-misplaced belief that this team still has any kind of remote chance at winning the wild card this year. I hate to be negative (really I do) but you can't play like that and expect anything good to happen.

Houston was creamed last night in a disaster that had nothing to do with baseball. You know what I don't understand about hurricanes?... Why people don't evacuate. I'm not saying that everyone should have the good sense to get out when they can, because I realize that there are extenuating circumstances. I also realize that evacuating is more than just putting some things in a car and driving until you get somewhere safe. There are things you have you take care of at home. There are pets and family members to worry about. There are valuables and mementos you can't leave behind. There are decisions to be made. There is also the task of figuring out where to go. Where are the shelters? Will you have to sleep in the car? I've never done it, but I can imagine the stress and fear and confusion. What I don't understand is the absolute inability of people to do anything. People who wait to see what happens. People who would rather risk the weather than have to pack up and leave. People who put others at risk by staying and then calling for help when it really is as bad as they said it would be. People who have to be plucked off their rooftops when the water rises that high. Especially when it's not just a handful of people but the majority of residents. Why do people abandon their good sense when things get bad? I wonder, too, how many of those residents were scratching their heads about people who didn't evacuate New Orleans before Katrina hit. And now here they are in the same situation. I choose to believe that if a natural disaster threatened my town I would not hesitate to find a safe place to go.

Okay, back down off the soapbox, but I don't want to talk about the Cards. They will pull out of this tailspin, I just hope they do it before it's too late.

it's only natural

I was reading Joe Sports Fan and came across this:

"It looks possible now -- likely, even -- that the Red Sox and Yankees will play their first meaningless games in a few centuries when they meet at Fenway for the last three games of the season." – Peter King

Centuries? As in hundreds of years and not one meaningless game? Contrary to the way the media would like to portray it, the Red Sox and Yankees haven't been dominant every single year in their histories. Stick to Favre-ball, King.

And it reminded me of something (else) I heard on the radio today (yes, I spend too much time driving and Team 1380 is about the best thing to listen to). Bernie and Jay, Jr. were talking about the Rays and the BoSox and the (eternal) question came up about who would end up winning the division, and one of the guys (they kind of run together sometimes) said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Oh, it'll be the Red Sox. Nature will take its course."

I'm sorry, what?

And he was serious.

Is it just "nature taking its course" for Boston to win the division? Is that the end-all of the AL? That Boston will come out on top and the Rays will slink back into the murky depths whence they came?

I think the brainwashing is working...

waiting

(She's still not here.)

The Brewers and Phillies need to split this upcoming series, obviously.

The Astros need to calm down a little, obviously.

The Cubs (after they lose tonight) need to sweep Houston. Yes, I know that means they'll probably end up with the division title, but that seems inevitable anyway, so they could give us a hand and slow down the 'Stros while they're at it. Then they need to throttle Milwaukee, have a pre-emptive celebration, get drunk and forget they have a series against the 'Birds (maybe even forget to show up), and then do whatever the hell they want for the rest of the season.

Nuestros pensamientos están contigo, Yadi. Ted Lilly maybe didn't need to slam him quite so hard, but as a Chris Duncan-slide fan I can't really complain.

What was Looper doing with that ball up and in?!?! Does he think he's Kyle Lohse? I felt bad for him after Yadi went out there and scolded him (or whatever). Good for him, though, protecting his catcher. I wonder if he remembered he was up first in the bottom of the inning.

TGTIF (thank god TOMORROW is friday)

Okay, middle of the week is brutal this semester so I'm not afforded much opportunity to express my baseball-related thoughts, but since I have about half an hour (as I wait for someone) I'll give it a quick go. 

How HUGE was Motte Tuesday night? Good grief, Charlie Brown! Talk about a hold. That was phenomenal. Massive. Obscene. And then again last night after our precious lefty threw four straight balls (maybe someone should explain to him what a LOOGY does), Jason came in and wiped up the mound. Uf. 

Albert is a god. But that's not news. 

Troy Glaus is hurt. Okay, so they keep talking about this on the radio and I must confess that I'm utterly confused. Bernie Miklasz is too. Either Troy's got a small tear, he has structural damage, he's just sore from sleeping on it wrong, or he's fine and this is just a disgusting attempt to keep Troy out of the lineup against a Cubs rotation that he has not fared well against. 

The first comes from Bernie. The second is from bizarro world (because Troy claims there's NO structural damage and in bizarro world you say the opposite of what you mean). The third and fourth are straight out of my own brain, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong. Just probably. 

Will we see him back in the lineup on the road trip? 

Is he done for the year? 

Can I see the MRI report? 

 Brendan Ryan put on Skip Schumaker's jersey by accident the other day. Or maybe he was trying to increase his playing time by confusing Tony. Or maybe he heard the speculation that he might play in CF and he's showing his support for the idea. Or maybe, oh hell, he makes me smile... 

Someone has been calling Cardinals players on their unlisted cell phones. I wish I had more for you, but the rain interferred with my reception in the car this morning and I only heard about every tenth sentence from Jim Hayes. Sounds like Wainwright and Perez and possibly Motte have gotten unsolicited calls from strangers and the number-giver-outer might be a producer on Cat's radio show. Please don't take any of this too seriously. 

Why (and I've said this before) does it seem like every time there's a clutch situation with important runs needed, there's a rookie at the plate? Maybe it's because when there's a clutch situation and a veteran is at the plate they get something done. Why was Phelps in left anyway? I'd much rather see Stavinoha. 

So, just a thought, but being up there in a pressure spot with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth and the team down one run and Josh pops out to end the game, well let's just say I hope he didn't kill himself last night. 

And quickly, as I run out of time... 

Where did the Astros come from? 

Ned Yost couldn't manage a ham sandwich. 

Go Reds!

wish list

Josh Johnson. Maybe a pipe dream ('cause if I were the Marlins I wouldn't let him go), but I wish it nonetheless. (Update: signed a one-year deal to start for the Marlins in '09)

AJ Burnett. I think if we begged enough (and maybe threw in a few dollars) he'd be happy to come to STL. (Update: signed a pretty big contract with the Yankees)

Brian Fuentes. A lefty and a late-innings guy. Can you beat that? (Update: Too expensive, too specialized and too biased towards his home-town team)

Cole Hamels. Yeah, I know. I can still dream, though, right? (Update: Ha ha)

Jason Isringhausen.

Anybody from the left side. (Update: I guess this qualifies.)

The 1987 version of Ozzie Smith.

Carlos Zambrano.

Andy Pettitte.

don't quit your day job, boog

Brendan Ryan put on his press hat (literally--it was a brown fedora with a press card stuck in the rim) and went one-on-one with fellow Cardinal Todd Wellemeyer.

Welley likes Skittles better than Twix, has raised a plant (but no cacti), and would be "a dog that likes to have fun" if he had to pick a dog to be. He also likes rainbows but did not appreciate BR's unpreparedness for the interview. "Isis" may or may not be backwards for something. Oh, and his first-born would be named Leon.

If you missed the remarkable interview, I'd advise you to start watching the FSN pre-game shows. This was one for the ages.

Sometimes I wonder if an hour is just a little bit too long for these guys.


ps--I'll be keeping my eye on this Josh Johnson character because he sounds like he could fit in really well with our pitching staff. Just a thought.

k-what?

Tigers, Cardinals early leaders to land K-Rod????

Do we need him?
Do we want him?
Can we afford him?

(insert title here)

The White Sox won in 15. I'm just throwing that out there because it seems important the way the announcers are going on. Thome hit the game-winning HR to put the Sox up 7-6 over the Angels. Very intriguing game between two potential AL Champs.

The Cards won in 9, thank you, which is a much better way to do it if you ask me (nobody ever asks me). Yadi was my hero for this game. He makes it look soooo easy, doesn't he? I have big plans for him.

After missing the first inning-and-a-half (thank you, KSDK), I glued myself to the tv for the rest of the game and was quite happily rewarded. You know, the blow-out games can be fun and certainly I would never complain, but there's something extra special about the close ones. The excitement and stress make the win that much more satisfying in the end.

Pie for Albert.
Brownies for Flores and Franklin.
Eight-course meal for Wellemeyer. Plus dessert for the single.
Am I forgetting anyone?


ps--pitching duel in Milwaukee tonight and quite the opposite between the Cubs and Reds.

The Brewers and Pads played over 1 run (with the Brew Crew coming out on top) and Chicago and Cincy split 23 (with Chi-town getting the win).

Chicago's bullpen gave up 7 runs, Cincinnati's 'pen gave up 9.

Sheets and Peavy were pretty evenly matched with the exception of that one run--a 2-out RBI double from Fielder.

bah-humbug

I don't usually have much to complain about when it comes to the television coverage of my beloved Cardinals. The games are broadcast either on the ever-dependable FSN Midwest, Big Fox (when it tickles them), ESPN (if I've been very, very bad), or KSDK channel 5. 

Unfortunately, this afternoon, when I flipped over to channel 5 to see the game, I found not baseball, not some other STL-based sport, not even some half-ret***ed important weather warning. 

I found Notre Dame football. 

Yes, right here in the heart of Cardinal Nation, Irish football took precedence over a Cardinals game. And I was mercilessly subjected to it as I none-to-patiently awaited the game. 

In fact, I got to watch the entire last four regulation minutes of the blasted football game, plus a wonderfully touching post-game interview with the QB in which some idiot woman asked him question after question without considering for a second where her microphone was located resulting in a lot of "what?"s and "huh?"s from the interviewee. 

And when they finally found it in their hearts to switch to the baseball game, an inning and a half had elaspsed and the Redbirds were up 2-0. Not that I'm complaining about the score, rather the fact that I didn't even get to see Albert's 427-foot home run following a Troy Glaus walk. I was instead watching the idiot woman and her idiot crew.... 

but I'm not a bit bitter about it.

here goes nothing

Welcome to the fun part of a less-is-more season. I say less-is-more primarily in reference to the lineup which, while usually effective, is also usually bone bare due to the ridiculous overuse--and therefore unavoidable stacking--of the bullpen. It's been going on all year, but somehow we managed to work around it, or through it, if you will, without too much random shuffling. César Izturis here, Brendan Ryan there, Felipe Lopez stuck pretty much anywhere, and Aaron Miles making Tony look really smart. All in all, guys played hard wherever they happened to be stationed, and offensive performance was stunningly adequate. (In other words, no, it wasn't a perfect system, but our infield was not banging on all cylinders even when things were lined up according to "infinite wisdom". It wasn't because of the assignments, but rather some other external force beyond our control.) I guess what I'm trying to say is that after a season of wondering how much playing time Kennedy could possibly hope for when he couldn't seem to get it done at the plate, we are now at the point in time when we can have all those extra bodies around and still come up short. I looked at the team site a few minutes ago and saw a picture of Brendan Ryan with a caption that read: "Brendan Ryan has never played center field in the majors." Why would anyone care if he has or hasn't? I asked myself. The caption might as well say "Brendan Ryan has never hula danced." Is it "Weird things you didn't know about Brendan Ryan" day? Is it "Things Brendan Ryan has never done and has no intention of ever doing" day? And then it struck me, good gods are they thinking of putting him center field? You know they are. I have no doubts that "boog" (incidentally, this was my son's nickname for a long time, short for "booger butt") is a good athlete. I am sure that he will be a top-level middle infielder someday and make us all very proud. And I know that he is a stand-up guy who would do anything to play at the big-league level, even catch, or pitch, or (shudder) play center field. But really? Center field? The most difficult of the three outfield positions? Mm-hm. So that brings me back to the fun stuff. When you come to the point in the season where things aren't going exactly as you had hoped and the chances for a real surge are dwindling, you have a couple of options. You can (a) sit back and act like it's the ninth inning of a 20-2 game, focusing on keeping your star players from getting hurt and giving some of the younglings a chance to play, or (b) you can take off the gloves, lay yourself and your team on the line, and go out kicking and screaming (and maybe taking a few other teams with you as you go). This might call for some creative (or fun) management. It might mean your catcher playing first base, your first-baseman playing third, your bat boy pitching, or your shortstop running the slushee machine. It might mean someone has to take one for the team. I totally support option b. I am in no way, shape, or form conceding that anything is done or over or finished. It's merely time to put everything we've got out there and find out if it's enough. No regrets, right? Do you want to spend the off-season wondering what if? or do you want to spend it knowing you did everything possible, no matter the outcome? Never surrender.

not a complete waste

(sigh)


(SIGH)


Things are looking rather dim.

But, no matter what happens, I refuse to give in to the pessimism. Here are some positives we can take away from the pile of disappointments that was the game last night:

1. Braden Looper pitched like a superhero.

7-1/3 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 6 strike-outs

He had guys chasing and spinning all night. Go Braden! and I hope we see him a Cards' uniform next season.

2. Springer and Villone got it done. (They each get brownies.) Ron especially impressed me because it seems like his command has been a little off lately, and while he wasn't exactly perfect last night, he was good enough... and that's good enough.

3. Felipe López played a little right field and is well on his way to cementing himself in the utility role for Tony. Maybe next we'll get to see him pitch an out or two. Wonder what will happen with him in the off-season...

.

4. Kennedy was on fire (at least by Kennedy standards) and made a couple of really tough, really important plays at second base. He also provided the only RBI we had.

5. Albert had a couple of hits, and Chipper had none, and apparently even Atlanta can beat Washington. (And, no, that doesn't have anything to do with anything.) So if you're focusing on individual accomplishments in an effort to block the pain, José Alberto's .360 currently has him in the lead for the batting title.

That's all I can think of right now. If anything else occurs to me, I'll get back to you.

(The Cubs lost.)

Pujols for MVP.

whatever it takes

PHE makes a good point. Starting tomorrow, since there's no game today, any reliever who can get his guy(s) out without giving up a walk, hit, run, or wild pitch--I'm talking to you, Ron Villone--will also get a pie. Heck, I'll even whip up some whipped cream (that sounds funny) to put on top and we'll just have a big pie party.

Come on, now! Time to buckle down. The Brewers are losing and we're not capitalizing.



►UPDATE/REVISION: How about BROWNIES?
I'm kind of sick of pie, I discovered, and I found a terrific recipe for dark chocolate-chipotle-cinnamon brownies. So relievers, BIG game today. And hopefully brownies at the end, 'cause just looking at the pictures is making my mouth water.

as I said . . .

(I love Jim Hayes. Anybody else?)

Yadi must really like pie.
And Troy, of course, is not one to be left out when it comes to baked goods.
I'm going to need more flour...

I'm not going to tell you what happened to me during the game last night. Suffice it to say that now that school has started again, I've been getting up at 4:30 every morning and driving a LOT every day, and when you combine that with the copious amounts of pie that have been lying around (seeing as none of the players have been here to claim them) and the fact that pie does not just lie around for long, you can use your imagination to figure it out.

I did, however, watch every excrutiating inning of the loss today. That's all I have to say about it. No, scratch that, I have one more thing: Someone needs to castrate our bullpen.

The Brewers got swept by the Mets. That's good.

The Cubs have lost five (?) in a row. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) That's also good.

I hope Zambrano is okay. After a very long recovery, that is.

I was listening to the radio guys on 1380 again this afternoon and surprised to hear all the negative comments (from listeners) directed toward Glaus. Maybe there are just a lot of die-hard Rolen fans out there who still haven't gotten over the trade, but you can't argue with Troy's numbers (or Rolen's, for that matter), and I think it's a real shame that we don't have more love for Troy in Cardinal Nation.

Speaking of Troy, he hit his 300th career home run today. Muchas felicidades, Troy.

Book two will be entitled Men are from Mars and Troy Glaus is from somewhere even better: The story of it's only September 3 and I've already been thinking about the GG for a month. 

Here's a glimpse...

Heat rose up from the ground and the dry air seemed to sizzle throughout the stadium as the afternoon wore on. Two teams had come together on this late summer day. Two teams, each in the heat of a pennant race and each looking to prove itself here in the heat of the desert.

The scorching southwestern sun beat down relentlessly on the players' heads as they marked their positions in the field of play. They squinted towards the plate and the mound, exchanging glances with each other and their coaches.

In a scoreless game, now with a runner on base, the number two hitter stepped confidently into the batter's box and carefully adjusted his helmet. His bat swung loosely in his left hand before he assumed his stance, but soon he acknowledged the pitcher and readied himself for the battle.

....

The pitch came in just over the plate, the ball spinning as it flew through the air. He braced himself as his bat cut across his body, moving with a will of its own, his arms merely following helplessly behind.

He heard the crack of the contact before he felt it, and when he did feel it he knew it had been enough to send the ball into the stands. The world seemed to slow down then, every movement drawn out as he watched the ball fly over the outfield and into the seats beyond.

He was acutely aware of every sensation. He smelled the burning wood and heard the thud of the bat as it hit the dirt behind the batter's box. He felt the air pass over the sweat on his face and arms as he spun and ran down the line. His eyes burned from the dry air and dust, his legs tingled as they carried him over each bag and back to the plate, and his heart pounded in his ears.

It was a moment he would remember the rest of his life. Number three-hundred. How many players can say they've reached that milestone? How many? One more, now.

pie update:

In the spirit of not having the Cards stop hitting home runs (even though the sane half of my brain realizes how absurd it is to think that my pie promises had anything whatsoever to do with the power display last night), I've made a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight and am preparing to make three pumpkin pies (because when you buy the big can of pumpkin and prepare it according to directions it actually makes three pies-worth of filling) for dessert.

I still owe Ron Villone a pie and have no intention of welshing on that promise, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow because there's only so much pie one person can handle in a 24-hour period.

And, yes, half of my brain is quite disturbed.

baseball à la mode

I guess I'd better start baking. If you'd asked to me to list the players I thought might really like pie, Yadi and Mather would have made that list. Albert seems like more the cake type. Lopez, well, I never... Come on, guys! All I need to know now is what flavors. Apple is my favorite. I have a freezer full of blueberries, peaches (fresh from the tree my sister planted), and blackberries. Of course, there are also a variety of cream pies, pumpkin or sweet potato pies, minced meat pies (not my favorite), and chicken pot pies. I can make a fish pie, but I'd prefer not to. Shepard's pie is good too, and then of course there's always a traditional English steak and kidney pie. If you want to stretch it even further, I can make pizza pie. Just so you know, I am an expert at crusts, and I refuse to put any canned, jarred, or otherwise preserved fruit in a pie. What I use is either fresh or frozen, and always good. When I promised pies to the Cards, I meant only the best. So let's keep it going, boys. Too bad four homers weren't enough to win it. In happier news, Philadelphia, Milwuakee, and Chicago all lost as well. p.s.--I think I'll make a pie for Villone, too, for the passion he showed in the seventh.