St. Louis Cardinals Preview 2010: April in April
by DanUpBaby on Apr 5, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
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Print[Programming note: In honor of Opening Day, the best day of the baseball year, and to apologize for my Friday no-show, I'll be writing about the Cardinals month-by-month in five parts all day, including the ever-exciting first game thread of the year. (Comments will be off on the other morning entries, in keeping with Viva El BIrdos's characteristic abuse of huge, threaded discussions.) Keep checking in.]
The Cardinals' Opening Day festivities just got a little slower—Yadier Molina is in the lineup tonight, pending a morning physical, and with his participation the last question about the first few weeks of the Cardinals' season has been answered. April, pending the first worries about injuries and ineffectiveness of this long, long season, is a closed book, and the first page looks like this—
1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
2. Brendan Ryan, SS
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Matt Holliday, LF
5. Colby Rasmus, CF
6. Ryan Ludwick, RF
7. Yadier Molina, C
8. David Freese, 3B
9. Chris Carpenter, RHP
I'm not sure Brendan Ryan is going to have a better year with the bat than David Freese, but he looks the part of the number two hitter, and if Mark McGwire's going to have some extraordinary Ted-Williams-in-Washington effect on the Cardinals in his first year as hitting coach it'll probably start with his most determined, least-settled-in-the-box pupil. During Spring Training games on TV I was astonished to see him get to the plate, lick his shoulder... and then stop moving. There is nothing more subtly surprising and disorienting than a new baseball season—players in new uniforms; prospects who've been on paper for so long showing up in the flesh; Brendan Ryan, noted treasure-hunter, comedian, and spaz staying still in the batter's box and pulling the ball.
But in April I don't expect a lot to go on. The potentially weird backup catcher situation is rectified, the most ten uous parts of the bullpen might not appear enough for things to change, and the bill for the strange construction of this team's bench will only come due this early if one of the players on it is pressed into starting duty—at which point we have something more important to worry about, and this sanguine season preview will look ridiculous even earlier than anticipated. (The tentative date for the final hilarious peace-in-our-time-style repudiation of this piece is June 5, 2010.)
April, even more than March, is a chance to see what the team's most careful planning and best intentions are actually worth. The team they've intended to put out there for half a year will get this one month to play exactly as constructed, and we'll see which of our worries were the product of genuine weakness, and not the endless reconsideration and cable news-y overanalysis of the Hot Stove League. In May the triage will begin; this April's team, in the purest sense, is the Cardinals we've been waiting for, the ones Mozeliak and the coaching staff have built. They'd better not suck.
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I would like to be the first to wish everyone a Happy Opening Day...
It’s been a long time coming. And with that well wish put forth, I am off to my new job I start today. The poetry of how that lines up is great… Here’s to a great season and selfishly that this job doesn’t end when the Cardinals season does.
"The two most important things in life: good friends and a strong bullpen." - Bob Gibson
Cards look deep this year
Good bench, good bullpen. I think Lohse and Penny win 12-14 games each. Keeping fingers crossed on Carp and Waino — solid seasons from them and we go into playoffs again.
Biggest need I see is some lefthanded hitting. Would like to see Cards find a fourth outfielder who hits from the left side for power.
Anxious to see Ryan for a full year with no injuries and McGwire tutoring him. Could be a breakout year for him. Allen Craig got a lotta love from BP’s Pecota —just can’t see where he will get ABs.
Trade I would like to see — Ludwick and Samuels/Salas for Dunn and an extension for Big Adam.
Just win
I request veto authority for that trade
While I wouldn’t hate to see Dunn playing for the Birdos, I would hate trading more prospects for a guy that will require a big salary with Albert’s extension pending and Holliday’s $ taking up a lot of space on the table.
I like what Lopez does for the bench more than I like the bench. I think I’ll have to tip my cap to TLR’s M.O. in preferring vets coming off the pine. But, if those guys can get it done, which I believe they can now that there is another guy who can bat lefty down there, then… yeah, sure- good bench.
With the bullpen, as with Carp’s health, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I see a very plausible scenario where the bullpen is a big problem. But, it doesn’t have to be that way, so until they stink I’ll go along with you and say “good bullpen.”
They say sing while you slave but I just get bored
by Scarecrow7775 on Apr 5, 2010 7:01 AM EDT up reply actions
problem with that trade is that Ludwick is about as good as Dunn is when you factor in D
Allen Craig > Nick Stavinoha
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 5, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
I am Worried....
…about Penny; if we picked tails instead of heads and he stinks this year it cud throw off our rotation – Lohse mooves up to #3 guy, Lefty to #4 and then who for #5? Rich Hill? KMac? Boggs? The first penguin that escapes from the zoo?
I won’t feel cowmofrtable until I see 3-4 quality starts in a row from Penny.
:=8/
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
Penny has never "stunk" in his entire career, but for injury (which is not stinking; it's just being hurt). And he's not been injury-prone.
Penny being pretty good (i.e., WAR of +3) is about as sure of a thing pitching-wise as there is on this team.
I’m much more worried about how upset I’ll be when we keep blowing late-inning leads.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Apr 5, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, he kinda stank this spring...
..and I know we shouldn’t put too much behind ST numbers, for pitchers it can sometimes be an alarm bell. Like I said, once he puts together a few quality starts in a row I will feel better. I always worry about the rotation because I firmly believe pitching wins Championships. And defense. And hitting. And good coaching and managing. And nice red uniforms.oooooooooooooo NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!!
;=8)
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
Are we going to have to put you in the Comfy Chair for a while?
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
No one expects
the Spanish Inquisition comfy chair!
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
I was just trying to make you feel better about Penny - the dude's been good his whole career.
by Willie McGee's Twin on Apr 5, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
I know...
…and I appreciate it – he has been good. I always worry about the rotation.
:=8/
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
Penny did well at the end of ST
I think he was just tinkering with his pitches the first half
Allen Craig > Nick Stavinoha
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 5, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Opening Day
And its in Cincinati where the season should open but doesn’t anymore because of FESPN. Atleast “opening day” still opens there. Of course the noon game sucks because i have to work
The bible declares an eye for an eye, so, let us now take our vengeance on this murderous ocean. . . You won't be hurting anyone anymore
by Buddhasillegitimatechild38 on Apr 5, 2010 9:16 AM EDT reply actions
I kept hoping that Fenway would implode last night and take the ESPN crew with it...
With all the serial fellating of the Sawks and Jankees that goes on at FESPN I’ll bet they have to buy Carmex by the tanker truckload.
by RollBirdsRoll on Apr 5, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
"Little Bunny Foo Foos...
..hoppin’ through the forest, scoopin’ up the field mice and boppin’ them on the head…"
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
I like that one Clutch song that says that first line
Allen Craig > Nick Stavinoha
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 5, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
why am I so excited??
Watching this vignette of Adam Wainwright’s performance against the Giants, I think he is one of the big reasons why. He is really coming into his own. By the end of the season his luggage will be just as big as Carp’s.
And Colby, I’m excited to see what he can do this year. Carp and Albert, we know they are awsome. Not so say they are boring but I am complacent. They are the best and that’s no surprise.
And Holliday, eh?? I hope he has a good year, but I’m not sitting on the edge of my seat anticipating his first at-bat.
My Twitching Tail Tells me....
…that Colby will have a break-out season – expect 25+ dingers!
:=8)
Big McLargehuge!
:=8O
i'll make something up
and then make it up at a later date. it’s not really a test anyway. more like a “quiz.” i actually have to go to the testing center to take the real test sometime this morning. the part that is in class is the no calculator part and will probably only be worth 5% of the overall test score. just inverse trig functions and shiz
besides, opening day is more important than stupid math
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
plus
i get to drop my lowest test score. wasn’t planning on using that privlege like this, but chances are this will be my lowest test score anyway. i got high As on my previous tests and i have a pretty tough time with proofs, so i’d be pressed to do better than a B on this test
whatever. baseball
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
My answer was "it's worked for hundreds of years without exception...why should I have to convince you?"
Probably why I didn’t do so well in higher math classes…
by RollBirdsRoll on Apr 5, 2010 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
This is just one opening day out of 50 or so more to come.
It seems like the thing to do now, but a day of class has the potential for much more long-term impact than one game out of 162. Try to see beyond the immediate gratification. If I could have done that in my college years I’d probably be making double my current salary right now.
::devil’s advocate::
by QuadCitiesCardsFan on Apr 5, 2010 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
i had a post typed up
justifting my actions, but you have a point. it’s the first three innings of the first game of a 162 game season. plus i can watch on my phone up until the last 15 minutes or so when she hands out the test. i’ll go. thanks for the wisdom
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
loser
it’s not what you know, it’s who you know
Blaine Matthew Burns: Albert Pujols' biggest fan (his first words will for sure be "Albert Pujols is RIDICULOUS")
Same reaction
MLB is shatting on their traditions to appease ESPN?? What Cincinnati is too far away to travel??
longshot
if anyone has charter internet and can host a proxy server for like 10 minutes so I can sign up for remote access on espn3.com, that’d be great
Going to the game Saturday
Driving up from the Chicago burbs with my Evil Twin, got seats in section 113 (they do like their premium pricing), looking forward to the game. If anyone else plans to attend and would like to meet up pregame, send me a message at cordane73 at myspace dot com.
I was reading about how countless species are being pushed toward extinction by man's destruction of forests. Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Calvin, Scientific Progress Goes "Boink", Watterson
see you there!
i’ll probably be there on Friday and Saturday. bleachers for saturday. the trip from madison isn’t horrible, but I will be missing the UW-RIT Frozen Four game.
"...and pujols has given st louis the lead"
The Best Defensive Play I Have Seen in Person/a>
"Comments For This Post Are Closed"
Morning thread comments? I missed this memo…tell me there’s an awesome story behind this.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Dan just wanted to keep the comments in one thread
since he put up 2 posts.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
I'm on a plane back to New Orleans today
And my flight leaves from Lambert at 12:30pm.
I’m trying to decide whether I should watch the game right when I arrive from near the end of the game or start it from the beginning without looking at the score. Ahhhhhhh! What a terrible day to book my flight!
by LandSickness on Apr 5, 2010 11:44 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Yes, media blackout is the only option here. I will be logging off VEB
shortly, and enjoying opening day this evening.
Asshattery: it's an epidemic.
Also, Dave Concepcion.
Lohse getting some front page love lately
or is that Lopez (I think it’s Lohse…)
Allen Craig > Nick Stavinoha
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 5, 2010 11:54 AM EDT reply actions
yeah
Allen Craig > Nick Stavinoha
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Apr 5, 2010 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I gotta go shortly
but the live pictures from batting practice are on your FSM.
BASEBALL!!!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
p.s. CJ Beatty is more ready than you.
I am not even kidding, this is a real tweet.
cjbeatty44 ok ok ok im set..NOW ITS THE REAL OPENING DAY! I HAVE MY CARDS SOX, CARDS UNDERWEAR, MOUTHPIECE, AND SLIPPERS! THIS CANT GET ANY BETTER! lol about 3 hours ago via web
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
The fact that his "lol" is in lowercase makes me think it's a slight chuckle
"There's a new sheriff in town." - Brendan Ryan
by jd is legend on Apr 5, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
He doesn't want to hit homeruns, he wants to drive runners in.
Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.
any live feeds of the game anywhere?
stuck at work.
I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby
by hoofhearted-pujols on Apr 5, 2010 12:33 PM EDT reply actions
prolly blackout'd at mlb.tv
and on the iphone :-/
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
hmm,
i got blacked out on both mlb.tv and my iphone.
"How depressing is it being you? Would you equate it to being a lifelong Cubs fan?"
Lineups!
Is there going to be a separate game thread?
I never would slip you Mickey! It is merely rhinoceros horn. This makes the champagna bubble.
by The Continental on Apr 5, 2010 12:52 PM EDT reply actions
Ask / receive
I never would slip you Mickey! It is merely rhinoceros horn. This makes the champagna bubble.
by The Continental on Apr 5, 2010 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
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