Some arbitrary number of things I'm thankful for

by azruavatar on Nov 23, 2007 1:41 AM EST in News Comment 34 comments

I'm thankful . . . . .

the Cardinals didn't sign Torii Hunter to a 90M dollar deal.
Tommy John surgery has an increasingly good prognosis (Get well soon Carp!).
the STL Rams won at least one game.
this clip never gets old.
I still have 6 months before my Master's thesis has to be done.
we can debate whether Albert Pujols or Alex Rodriguez is the best baseball player.
someone is doing their small part to right the wrongs in the world.
the Cubs will get to celebrate their centennial next year.
there won't be any middle relievers for the Cardinals to spend money on in the future since Ed Wade has a job again. (Although Kenny Williams is doing his part.)
for family.
Anthony Reyes is going to put it all together next year (shut up -- I'm being thankful!).
Baseball America (Derrick Goold) will release their top Cardinal prospect list in 1 week.
we traded for Adam Wainwright.
Chris Duncan doesn't have proper social inhibitions.
Carlos Beltran took a hammer curveball for a strike.
an off year for Albert Pujols is a .329 EqA.
Aaron Miles is a Cardinal.
for Rotoworld, which keeps me up to date on transactions and provides me with 70% of my daily snark.
only 3 people saw me when I tried to jump over my couch and failed.
for Family Guy (especially the syrup of ipecac episode -- do not watch if you have a light gag reflex or are old and crotchety).
our forefathers picked the bald eagle. Eagles kick ass. Yes, I know that's not a bald eagle but when was the last time you saw a turkey take a deer down.
for anyone who was foolish enough to think I'm thankful Aaron Miles is a Cardinal.
for the original Nintendo games.
for my friend. (Yes, I know that's singular. I'm thankful you didn't point it out in the comments.)
for the 2004-2005 Cardinal teams that featured some fantastic offensive lineups.
this comment still cracks me up.
I have about 25-30 uncles in Nigeria who want me to help them launder millions of dollars for a cut of the money. . . . . provided I forward them a thousand dollars and my social security number.
for Charlie the Unicorn and magical leopluridans. (Be prepared for bizarre humor if you watch that clip.)
I had a blast making this list.
for stuffing.
for Jim Edmonds peak circa 2000-2005.
for Colby Rasmus.
for ninjas and The Onion.
no one had already made a diary about what they were thankful for.
for Amaury Cazana Marti who is the best 18th round selection ever made by the Cardinals.
for baseball-reference.com.
for the St. Louis Cardinals.
for Viva El Birdos and the entire Cardinal blogosphere.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving with loved ones and good food. Take it easy and sleep off all that tryptophan.

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As long as the friend isn't imaginary

I think you'll be okay :)

by outraged on Nov 23, 2007 1:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Chaaarlieee... Charliiieeee... Chaaaarlieeee...

WE'RE ON A BRIDGE, CHARLIE!

by mateodh on Nov 23, 2007 2:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

azruavatar

this is a great post. if any body is deserving of a HR-529, it is you sir

"My cat's breath smells like cat food"

by Dave Barry on Nov 23, 2007 2:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Star Wars kid. I sat in my friend's dorm room a couple of years ago and laughed with tears running down my face at that, and the remix video with the light saber effects, for hours. What a beautiful thing.

Why are we thankful for Miles though?

by plh903 on Nov 23, 2007 7:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thank you!

Thank you for starting my day off with laughter!

by RedbirdRay on Nov 23, 2007 8:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

great job azru

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38lyWtsyg1Q

and kudos for the ipecac scene, here it is in case anyone hasn't seen it

foot soldier in the memphis mafia.....

by CarolinaCardinal on Nov 23, 2007 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Aaron Miles

Jeees guys, could we quit ripping on the dude? Miles is an acceptable 25th man on the roster. It isn't his fault Kennedy sucked, Eck was injured and Tony has rookaphobia.

The St. Louis Cardinals- 11 time World Champions!

by Zubin on Nov 23, 2007 10:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Fat chance

the Cardinals didn't sign Torii Hunter to a 90M dollar deal.

Of that or of them making any other bold moves either!

by MikeG on Nov 23, 2007 10:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm thankful

for your Aaron Miles take-back. I was about to lose faith in you!

by chuckb on Nov 23, 2007 11:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

OT, but newsworthy...

ESPN is reporting that former A's pitcher Joe Kennedy has died. He was 28.

by cardsrul on Nov 23, 2007 1:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I saw that too

This is terrible news. The day after Thanksgiving no less. This makes him the 3rd active major league pitcher to die since the 2006 season. Horrible, horrible news, especially the last line which mentions his one-year old son.

by redbirdnation8206 on Nov 23, 2007 1:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good lord

I hope that Chris Perez is almost ready to take over the closers role.

Francisco Cordero @ 46M over 4 years to the Reds per Rosenthal.
link

by azruavatar on Nov 23, 2007 5:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I kinda think it's a good deal

Cordero was completely dominant last year moving to the NL even if Yost ran him into the ground earlier in the year (see him pitching 6 days in a row May 4-9). The Reds have had a crappy back end for so long I can't even remember the last time they've had a decent closer...Danny Graves is the best they've had in the last decade at least.

If they can get something for Dunn/Griffey/Freel/Hamilton when they call up Bruce, Bailey steps in as a pretty good #3 at the least, they find a 3/4ish starter behind Harang/Arroyo...none of this seems too far fetched does it?.....that could be a pretty good team, certainly good enough to contend in the Central.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Nov 23, 2007 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

KoKo Cordero

was awful. Don't swing at his slider and he's powerless. He can't throw anything in the strikezone. If you don't get fooled by the slider in the dirt off the plate, he's yours.

Teams started to figure that out in the second half.

"Well, you wait for a strike. Then you knock the shit out of it. - Musial to Flood on how to hit a curveball

by Hardcore Legend on Nov 23, 2007 11:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He maintained healthy K and BB rates

in the 2nd half. Gave up a couple extra bombs, he was still very good.

Look, I'm as conservative with free-agent signings as they come, but at what point when everyone "overpays" does it become just what the market value is? Is he going to single-handedly change them? Of course not. But they fixed by far their most glaring need with a very effective guy and as I detailed above have put themselves in a position to make the playoffs.

Who else are they going to spend their money on anyway?

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Nov 24, 2007 1:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Cardinals extension for Carpenter

was 63.5M over 5 years, which is an average value of 12.7M.

Even assuming that Cordero maintains his new walk and strikeout rates for 4 years (which is never something I particularly want to bet on with relievers), that's a massive amount of money for someone who is going to throw 70-80 innings a year. Cordero is 32 so they're buying a reliever headed into the decline phase of his career. The Reds definitely needed to address their pen but this is not a good way to do it, imo.

by azruavatar on Nov 23, 2007 11:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Come on

He was under contract for last year and an option for '08. That was de facto a 3 year 48 million extension for 16 per + we had to pay him more in the first 2 years. And since it was 2 years off so the long-term guarantee deflated the average annual value.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Nov 24, 2007 1:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

sure

I'll roll with that answer. I don't agree with it but the real problem here is that the Reds decided to pay a reliever 10M+ a year for 70-80 innings. Does that really strike you as the best use for that 10M and do you really expect Cordero to maintain his rates from 07?

by azruavatar on Nov 24, 2007 1:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

they dropped 7 relievers from last year that had a RA of 8.00 combined for a total of 145 runs in 163 IP which was 32% of relief IP.

They brought up a buncha minor leaguers. I think they they think they fixed the rest of the pen and need an alpha dog for insurance and/or added punch.

If Cordero + Richie Gardner, Tyler Pelland, Ramon Ramirez, Alexander Smit, and Daryl Thompson can combined pitch 5.00 RA (NL average was 4.80) their Pythagorean will put them at 4 more wins.

Basically they cut the fat and think they need an anchor.

"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"

by rocKStark5 on Nov 24, 2007 3:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do I expect him to be the same?

Not quite. He had an utterly dominant season rate wise...even some regression leaves him as a top-tier reliever. When a 38 year old Rivera is getting 15 mil per and BJ Ryan got ~10 2 years ago, the market has clearly changed and 11.5 mil for a top tier guy isn't terrible. This is a win now move for a franchise that NEEDS to do something to get back into relevance. Assuming that this is what it took to get him and they weren't bidding against themselves, it's a fair move in my opinion. It's not great, it's not efficient, but it's an OK move.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Nov 24, 2007 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This just

gives the Cards more freedom.

Next year and the year after the Cubs, Astros and now Reds will be so upside down in bad contracts.

It is increadible that teams can show the ability to place failed starters in as closers and have it work then turn around and over pay for a "proven" closer.

Look GMs stop working for a second. If Bobby Jenks can be good at something...it's not as hard to do as you think.

by Harknights on Nov 23, 2007 7:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

silva and loshe

What are Silva and Loshe going to get?

11.5 mill/yr for a closer? WOW

He is not that good, I would want to see him close a bit longer before giving a guy a contract like that. Bullpen guys tend to be very up and down. Just think about how many bullpen guys have been good for 6+ years, not many.

by ICbirdfan on Nov 23, 2007 8:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not going to matter

How good their closer is if they can't ever take a lead into the 9th. They need to sign at least one more decent reliever, maybe two, to justify even going after a superstar closer. Even then, the money and years are ridiculous and borderline irrational.

"A great catch is like watching girls go by; the last one you see is always the prettiest." - Bob Gibson

by stl tyler on Nov 23, 2007 10:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yuh

this was an obvious Panic Button hit after having the worst bullpen in the League that gave up 299 Runs. I say we combine the reds with the cards and make a respectable team ;)

"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"

by rocKStark5 on Nov 24, 2007 12:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

WTH

11.5 on a closer but they wouldn't lock up Dunn?

by RedbirdRay on Nov 23, 2007 11:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd like to give thanks

For what I consider one of the best blogs out there, and that even though I'm a very long ways from St. Louis, there's a great community here to share every moment of the season with.

And in the spirit of Charlie the Unicorn, I'm also thankful they didn't take my freakin' kidney.

The Falcoholic
The SBNation's Atlanta Falcons Blog

by Dave the Falconer on Nov 23, 2007 6:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Was I

the only one hoping the Rams went 0-16? That would have been breath taking. Especially since they were once referred to the Greatest Show On Turf and widely regarded as the best offenses of all time.

"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"

by rocKStark5 on Nov 23, 2007 6:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow...

I didnt know the Cardinals drafted Ryan Freel

Miller sucks.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Nov 23, 2007 7:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

but he didnt sign

Miller sucks.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Nov 23, 2007 7:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Freel...

Freel would fit in well with the cards.

Bat leadoff, play multiple positions, crowd favorite type...

by RDF922 on Nov 23, 2007 8:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what i am thankful for

(or at least as far as the cards are concerned)

being a 10 time world champ, (special thanks for that 2006 title)

having the best player (arguably) in the game

that i can listen to mike shannon call the action, and that we had the best announcer ever for almost 50 years

the cardinal tradition, which is defined by the hall-of-famers; what a roster of talent:musial, gibson, brock, schoendienst, smith, and sutter

i am also thankful for memories over the years by guys who wont make the hall:

keith hernandez: possibly the best defensive first baseman ever, he also won an MVP

tommy herr: good defense, better hitter than generally given credit for; 3 words: seat cushion night

terry pendleton: great defensively (i see a pattern here); 2 words: roger mcdowell

vince coleman: ROY, 100+ steals 3 times; 1 word: tarp

willie mcgee: MVP, great defense, fan favorite; 2 words: retire 51

john tudor: rough start, great finish in 85; best lefty in a while

jack clark: whitey said he was the most feared hitter he ever had; 2 words: tom niedenfuer

lee smith: just simply dominant

todd zeile: never lived up to the billing, although he had a decent career

mark whiten: very simple; 4 HR, 12 RBI

ray lankford: in one word: underappreciated

mark mcgwire:feel however you want about him; that is your right, but he put up 2 of the best seasons ever in the game; (and yes i think he used PED's)

jim edmonds: best centerfielder in the game for about 5 of his seasons here

scott rolen: when REALLY healthy, i would take him over any 3rd baseman, for the combo of offense and defense

chris carpenter: i hope he can get back to his pre-surgery form, which was shy of only gibby for the birds

jason isringhausen: 2 words: TOUGH competitor

lastly, darryl kile: great pitcher, better man; died way too young, and despite a short stint here, he will never be forgotten

Pujols is the greatest Cardinal in my lifetime.

by bigcardsfan5 on Nov 23, 2007 11:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

talking animals

well said.

by infallibleopiniongenerator on Nov 24, 2007 12:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thought i seen edmonds tonight

at Tatget in Longview wa, I even did a double take to make sure it wasnt him..sure i have a cold and stuff but it looked like jimmy from a glance. Not sure why he'd be in Wa but neway maybe it was his twin...

I can't believe i gave up a homerun to that punchinjudy hitter-major league 2

by punchinjudy on Nov 24, 2007 12:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jimmy Ballgame

doesn't get the credit he deserves for playing as he has since becoming a redbird. I would have taken him over Andrew Jones, Torii Hunter, Coco Crisp, et al as a Cardinal. He played an incredible CF and hit as well as anyone. He was absolutely the best at his position since we acquired him up until probably the '06 season; and he still gave us big time at-bats in the playoffs.

by TICY on Nov 24, 2007 5:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs