shouldn’t dictate what moves he makes and how he runs the club…he is, after all the expert, and I’m just sales rep at a community newspaper.

That said, my expectation is that the club establish a clear path to developing a championship team again, and that he communicate to the fan base what that path is, through the use of fan conventions, online chats, etc. I truly believe the days are gone when a team can operate in their ivory tower without at least letting people know the direction of the club. Not a referendum on what to do, mind you, but understanding the mood of the fan base and even accepting some suggestions about non baseball related items, such as game day atmosphere. To his (Mo) and the Cardinals credit, I think they have done a good job of that for the most part.

on the MI situation is to let Izturis and Kennedy go (one to FA, one cut) and trade for Brandon Wood and Asdrubal Cabrera. I did not know that Cabrera’s stock was far enough down that they would think of trading him. I thought Cleveland is trying to get younger…he would help that. If available, those are my two guys. Miles can stick around to show them how to work hard to use the talent that you’re given. His advice to them should be: You have way more tools than I. If I am on the field, unless it’s a day off for you, then you aren’t doing your damn job. Work harder and get it done. :)

Alrighty. Enough out of me. Gotta run.

I was in Pittsburgh Saturday night. eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuu…. but being a few rows back from the Cardinal dugout I saw some interesting things.

One that bothered me was Albert not being able to run out the DP ball. He almost stopped as he went down the line. After the out was recorded he seamed to limp back to the dugout. He did run the bases well later, but that was a cause of concern on my part. The other thing about Albert that does not come across on TV every time he makes contact he crushes the ball. Even his ground outs were smashes. His defensive play at first caused me to stand and shout “Gold Glove! AND MVP!”

Wainwright obviously had a bad night, but the conditions at game time were as tough as they get. Temps were in the high 80’s and the humidity was unreal. I would have paid 20 bucks just for a slight breeze. My wife and I were both sweating and we were just sitting there. It had rained just before game time, and the air was heavy. That said he struggled to find the plate in the first inning and I was worried that it was going to be a long night, but he settled down some what the next three. He throw a 69mph change, but never topped 90 on the stadium gun. In the fourth Adam was wild in the strike zone and got nailed. It took a while before Tony got anyone up in the pen. I think he was expecting Adam to work through it. After the game was tied the team’s collective shoulders seam to sink. They lost their energy. They seamed to have run out of gas. I guess the whole month has been that way.

Motte and Perez both have exploding fast balls. Wow! they seam too just jump at the last second and really pop. I was very happy to hear that, Yeah I said hear it. Larue’s glove was really slapped by the 93 mph fastballs. I was expecting to see 96 or 7 when I looked at the board.

Felipe Lopez has a new fan. Boy my wife really liked what she saw in him. She has a good eye for talent. She renamed him Phillip. His homer wasn’t a shot but it carried through that heavy air. I like him at 2B next year.

So this off season seams pretty cut and dry, but who knows. A young SS that is blocked LB mentioned Wood. He has been talked about here a lot almost as much as Carlos Quentin was. Ben Zobrist has pop and is a switch hitter. Both have struggled. Does anyone here know who has the better glove? I would also like the Card to sign two pitchers one for the rotation and one for the pen.

The fact that the Cardinals haven’t played well in September since 2002, the summer they acquired Scott Rolen who lit the world on fire?

For all the BS in April and May of Tony running out Spring Training lineups to ‘keep his guys fresh’ for late in the season, apparently it isn’t working out so hot. If that were the case, wouldn’t the team play better in September than April? Perhaps we are all spoiled by the fact that we won the WS in 2006 and that we usually have a more laid back approach as far as the Cardinals results as a fan base but think about this:

Is there any other fanbase in baseball that wouldn’t be calling for their managers head on a stick right now if they had gone into play Friday with the chance to get back into a Wild Card spot only to be swept by one of the 4 worst teams in baseball? With their ace going?

Joe Strauss said last week that the Cardinals are close to an extension with Dave Duncan. That likely means that LaRussa won’t resign. Will he be fired? Should he be fired?

We will never know the full story on who was calling the shots. Maybe we’ve got LaRussa all wrong and he was throwing his temper tantrum with his lineups because he WANTED Freese and Rasmus but was told no by Mo. Who knows. Hopefully some day we get the full account.

But, for a manager that prides himself on a Hard 9, subbing the entire bench in with 9 outs left to go down only 5 runs to one of the worst teams in baseball isn’t kosher. Especially when your playoff chances hang in the balance.

“i don’t believe this team is simply an impact player or two away from being a strong championship contender; they might be a player or two away from being an october participant”

I tend to agree with that. And would anyone argue that the “one” guy who would have the team solidly in the WC lead this year, or at least right there, is a Nathan/Rivera/Lidge type?

I’ve said it before, this team has generated the second most save opps in baseball, behind only the Angels. (Caveat – I know that some games supply multiple save opps and that TLR’s bullpen usage generates even more, but still…)

Everyone clamors for more offense from the MIs. Yeah, OK, fine. Let’s assemble a powerhouse in all facets. That’s a fine goal. But, as the Angels have shown, you can win with good starters, great defense, and just enough offense, but you absolutley need to be able to pull out the close games. The Angels have k-Rod, the Cardinals have nobody like that. The Angels are playing in October. The Cardinals? not so much.

I have to believe management sees this, and will jump in for K-rod and Fuentes this winter. Is that what they should do? I’m not endorsing it or condemning it, just saying that, on the surface, an elite closer seems to represent the “impact player” mentioned by LB that will get them to October 2009. Now, whether that’s the right call or not will obviously be debated endlessly. Should be fun.

so many missed opportunities, the pirate sweep being the latest.
with the way the Cards are currently playing, ending below .500 is a real possibilty

…and yet, were STILL only 4.5 games back in the wildcard

Batavia’s victory was indeed the Cards’ minor league system’s first since the 2005 Palm Beach championship team. Their sweep the only bright spot of the weekend. Got 6 strong innings from their SP both games, (2008 5th rounder Scott Gorgen in game 1) shutting down a pretty solid Jamestown offense that’s team BA in the regular season was .281.

does anyone else think that it was wise to let Big Z throw 110 pitches at (sometimes) 97mph? I completely understand that you don’t want to deny someone that opportunity for a no-hitter. However, we are talking about a guy who has complained twice this year of shoulder pain and would be desperately missed in the playoffs.

Now Lilly has them no-hit through 3. I bet the Astros are thrilled to be playing in Milwaukee.

announced during the Cubs/Astros game. heh.

to be the Astros, in Milwaukee and getting no-hit… again? to be the Brewers, tanking… again? or to be the Cardinals, completely paralyzed and unable to seize any opportunities?

as to why the brewers would do this now…I still think they have a better than avg shot at taking the wc, this could work either way for them. Bernie the brewer should be calling the shots.

this is what it looks like:

2008: 4-8 (including a 5 game losing streak while the WC leaders lose 7 of 8)
2007: 13-18 (including 4 losses to CHC, who won the division by 7 games)
2006: 12-16 (including 5 losses to HOU, who lost the division by 1.5 games -Thanks Bobby!)
2005: 13-13 (including 3 losses to HOU, who won WC by 1.0)
2004: 16-12 (including 5 losses to HOU, who won WC by 1.0)
2003: 13-13 (inluding 4 loses to CHC, 3 loses to HOU, finished 3.0 GB of CHC, 2.0 GB of HOU)

That’s a whole lotta fail. We’ve screwed ourselves out of playoff spots, we’ve handed them to teams that eventually beat us in the postseason and we almost gave away a World’s Championship if not for the Braves bailing us out.

Saw it on Brew Crew Ball, and they say it has been confirmed.

I know its pre-mature, but I am thinking of rooting for the Rays… Just to stick up ESPN’s nose if they should win it all.

Astros have a guy named Mark Sacommano… Wonder if he is any relation to Bob Sacommano (who sold Rat Hats in battery Park for $50 bucks) :)

That wasn’t an error.

We sweep the Reds, Cubs sweep the Brewers, Braves sweep the Phillies and Marlins sweep the Astros. We’re 1.5 games out with 10 to play.

Who’s with me?!?!

I know his defense is weak to say the least, but what about Dan Uggla? The Marlins have a bunch of arb eligible players so he could probably be had. They have been clammering for a catcher, so why not Anderson and one of our pitching prospects for Uggla? We could even send an outfielder over, since we will still have an abundance next year.

if we go 13-0 the rest of the way out, we will win the Wild Card?

Just food for thought. Have we put Miles in the rotation yet?

While watching the White Sox / Yanks tilt, they cut away to a crowd shot of … Tony LaRussa in his skivvies, watching the game like any other fan.

What was he doing in NY on his off day? Going to a ballgame? Seriously? Some secret scouting mission, perhaps.

And don’t we all feel sorry for the grandstanding Brewers (Hall/Weeks/Braun/etc) as they slip into a swirling september storm culvert of despair?