Pujols rises, is not enough for 2001 Cards against Dbax
Cardinals vs. Orioles today. Gameday link here
Current spring training leaderboard:
AB Duncan 72
HR Duncan 5
ERA: Qualified Thompson, 0.73, overall, six at 0.00
W: Reyes, Wainwright at 3
This is always the worst part of the season. The roster is mostly set, the exiting young guys are back in minor league camp, and we're just waiting for the games that count to start. In a lot of ways, the last week of ST is more duldrum-y then January.
I just still can't believe that last October happened. It was the complete opposite of all the recent October's past. I still vividly remember being glued to the television during the painful 1996 collapse, when we all thought that the dark ages were finally over, and the Braves proved us wrong. Of course, the 2000 postseason with the Mets and Rick Ankiel, will forever live in infamy. I remember as particularly painful the 2002 disaster at the hands of the Braves, where we couldn't buy a hit off of %*#ing Kirk Reuter. Of course, the 2004 World Series still lies in all of our hearts as one of the most disappointing ends to a promising season.
But the postseason collapse that broke my heart the most had to have been 2001. Nearly everything broke correctly for the team in the regular season that year. The future promise of JD Drew as finally starting to show (an OPS over 1.000, and would have had well over 30 HR if not for Boomer's stupid fastball to his wrist. Darryl Kile was having a spectacular recovery from his Colorado days. Matt Morris had come back beautifully from his injury into full time pitching. Ankiel's decline and fall continued that year, of course, but that was more than canceled out by the rise of a somewhat unheralded prospect known as Albert Pujols who got his shot at the majors, and simply dominated, holding up the third base position solidly, while the Cardinals found a brilliant Will Clark to fill in for the injured and increasingly all-or-nothing Mark McGwire.
Every hope the team had dashed, they had filled in by another promise. 2001 was the perfect summer. And then it was erased by a stupid bloop hit by Tony Womack in the fifth game of the NLCS. That was disappointing. I still cheered loudly as they soared to break the Yankees dynasty two weeks later. But that will forever be my most depressing postseason. And that is what last October, the exact opposite of this, helped quell.
And that concludes todays edition of hyperflowery language theatre.
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63 comments
Comments
As long as we're bored...
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6032
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Player to Watch: Kosuke Fukudome. The soon-to-be 30-year-old Fukudome is an on-base machine. Many Japanese hitters grow up playing the game with the approach that making contact and moving runners is the path to success. Of course, in some cases this is true, but Fukudome has his own idea at the plate. The past five years have seen him produce on base percentages of .406, .401, .367, .430, and .438, far above the average for Japanese players, and projectably stellar in the Major Leagues as well. In addition to his batting prowess, the Dragons' outfielder has a cannon arm, and regularly contributes double figures in assists despite opponents knowing they shouldn't run on him. The 2006 season was an MVP year for Fukudome, and he was a contributor to the WBC championship. He'll be looking for a move to MLB after the 2007 as a free agent.
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by mikedallas23 on Mar 28, 2007 2:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
2008 RF
It doesn't matter if you like him or not he is under a backloaded contract (6.5 Mil in '08) so I doubt he is going anywhere.
by Born in 82 on Mar 28, 2007 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He doesn't need to be
I don't know much about this Kosuke Fukudome guy. But it looks like he can play SS, 3B, 3 OF positions and is "famous for his throws to the plate from RF" -- he also can swipe a bag, slugged .653 last year, and has hit between 23 and 34 homers for the last 4 years. Sign me up.
by plh903 on Mar 28, 2007 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He does his LHed though
by plh903 on Mar 28, 2007 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
4th OF
by Born in 82 on Mar 28, 2007 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well sure there is
by sdrone on Mar 28, 2007 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure that
Supposedly they had talks with Soriano and a couple of other outfielders this offseason, so who knows. They really shouldn't be paying $6.5M for Juan, but that's another story.
by plh903 on Mar 28, 2007 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
huh?
by jeff abs on Mar 28, 2007 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's through 5
by chuckb on Mar 28, 2007 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
another good inning
by jeff abs on Mar 28, 2007 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not a man of history...
- Cards played the Giants in the 2002 NLCS, not he Braves.
- Will Clark was retired in 2001 and was brought over as a mid-season replacment in 2000 for McGwire, not 2001.
by JMedwick on Mar 28, 2007 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
2001 Was Beautiful
And little did we know that even greater infamy awaited the Yanks in 2004!
But 2001 was the year that the first blow was struck. And it was glorious!
by Titus Pullo on Mar 28, 2007 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not to be picky
That was the same year I saw a truly beautiful sight. My brother and I drove down from Chicago for the playoffs and stayed with a married couple in the burbs that we are friends with. We bought tickets for them and us for Game 3 of the NLDS. (We booed lustily at Alex Cintron - hsss! Still can't get past his name without disgust.)
Anyway, she had just had a little girl a couple months earlier and they brought her to the game. She was very cooperative the entire time. The amazing thing I saw was, while 50,000 fans were screaming their heads off in the eigth inning (and banging those damn Thunder Sticks), the little baby was sleeping right through the whole thing. I'm not sure which was the more profound feeling: that it was beautiful that a baby could sleep through that -or- that our friends were doing a terrible job indoctrinating their little girl into Cardinal Nation. She should be awake and aware of what was going on!
by Solanus on Mar 28, 2007 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Will Clark was 2000, not 2001
Still, 2001 was a tough way to go down - especially with Morris pitching as well as he was. If we could have gotten past that 2-headed monster of Schilling/Johnson, it's very plausible that we could have handled the Braves in the LCS, and toppled the 3-time defending champions in the WS.
fucking womack.
by musial6 on Mar 28, 2007 2:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Should we start to believe Yadi
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 28, 2007 2:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He was good last year ST
With sno-cones getting 4 hits his last two games, the catcher position may have been the most production position all spring. Add another CS for Molina each day, and it's fun to watch (even only on gameday).
by Birds on the Bat on Mar 28, 2007 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't know that I believe
But damn, if Yadi could hit .260 and boost the OBP into the .310 territory, I'd be ecstatic!
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 28, 2007 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Amaury Marti
I thought he was going to be our surprise 4th outfielder in 2007, going .290/.380/.510 in 300 plate apperances, leading Cardinal fans to kidnap Juancion before the playoffs and not release him until more postseason hardware is collected.
by salvomania on Mar 28, 2007 2:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
His
by DCGreg on Mar 28, 2007 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ankiel's my pick for
Yes, I do drink.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 28, 2007 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've been blamed for that 2001 loss
I don't even talk to that girl anymore. In some ways, I've never forgiven myself...
by Jonathan23 on Mar 28, 2007 3:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Lesson...
by saladdays on Mar 28, 2007 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've informed the new girlfriend
by cyko42 on Mar 28, 2007 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i didn't have to inform the new girlfriend
that was what passed for dinner conversation.
i think at this point, she probably knows.
by nycbirdo on Mar 28, 2007 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Were those dates at Dewey's?
by BozCardsFanSF on Mar 28, 2007 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am much like you
I mean who else has a tattoo of the ST. Louis Cardinals and one of the Arizona Cardinals?
I ask you...
by BozCardsFanSF on Mar 28, 2007 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I shoulda...
by cardzfanbub on Mar 28, 2007 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I met my wife in 1986
By 1987, she was committed to me, but it did come as a rude shock how much of my time I committed to watching and talking baseball.
She had it easy from then until the new millinium, but since then, I've not spoken to her.
by tinstl on Mar 28, 2007 6:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
choices
--Dave Barry
by Youneverknow on Mar 28, 2007 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was she hot?
by sdrone on Mar 28, 2007 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
thank goodness for mlb.tv
by SleepyCA on Mar 28, 2007 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
2002 was the most painful for me
I missed fucking Lofton's series-ending walk off hit off of Kline (not to be confused with fucking Womack's series-ending walk off hit) because, as fucking Lofton stepped in the batter's box, the local news broke in to report that the D.C. area snipers had shot someone else. They went back to the game to show the Giants celebrating. It was creepy, and scary, and wrong.
by tdawg on Mar 28, 2007 3:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Reminds me of 2000
by Nate811 on Mar 28, 2007 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ST Errors
by Birds on the Bat on Mar 28, 2007 3:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
2001? 2002?
1968. 1985. I still bear those scars.
by Youneverknow on Mar 28, 2007 4:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
1996 was brutal too. Blowing a 3-1 lead was bad enough, but getting outscored 34-1 (approx) in the process? O-U-C-H.
by TurdFerguson on Mar 28, 2007 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
85 was the worst
by madding on Mar 28, 2007 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Three things that give Cardinals 3 championships
- Don Deckenger makes correct call.
- Chris Carpenter stays healthy in 2004.
- Curt Flood's first step is back in 1968
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 28, 2007 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Chris Carpenter stays healthy in 2004.
2. Mariano Rivera closes out the Red Soxs
by stl3bagger on Mar 28, 2007 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I agree
by sdrone on Mar 29, 2007 12:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am not sure.
There's a big difference psychologically to coming home 1-1 than 0-2. In addition, Carp winning in game 1 would have meant he would pitch at least one more game in the series.
by RedbirdRay on Mar 29, 2007 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
2001
moral of the story is, there is never anything more frustrating than losing when you know (KNOW!) you should win.
by jroman on Mar 28, 2007 5:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Kirk bleeping Reuter
by rmerrill on Mar 28, 2007 5:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
IIRC, Reuter more or less
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 28, 2007 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
A Resolution of the Encarnacion Problem
Encarnacion update: Juan Encarnacion still is not swinging a bat after he received a cortisone shot on his surgically repaired left wrist on Sunday. He will not be with the team for Opening Night, though he will travel to St. Louis to participate in the World Series ring ceremony on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. "I haven't done anything yet," Encarnacion said, when asked if the shot had helped his wrist feel better. "I've had a few days of not doing anything." Encarnacion will start the season on the disabled list, and it is unclear when he will be available to play in games.
Remember how well cortisone shots worked for Larry Walker? Yeah, right. He needed about one a game. So I'm getting the distinct impression that Juan's not coming back any time soon.
Upshot? This won't make anyone happy. My guess is that Skip and Gooch are on the team, and J-Rod's the odd-man out, at least until Gooch or Skip go bust.
My bet on the opening day outfield: Edmonds, Wilson, Spiezio, with Dunc coming in only after Glavine gets knocked. (Yeah, I'm not happy about it either).
by Titus Pullo on Mar 28, 2007 6:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
OTOH they worked for Edmonds last year
by sdrone on Mar 28, 2007 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Medical Info
- Larry Walker had a freaking herniated disc in his neck that was pushing on a nerve, thereby causing horrible pain, as well as weakness/numbness into his arm. Cortisone shots did what they were supposed to do - knock out the inflammation and give him some time to play. So they worked. He had surgery AFTER the season (and the injections).
- Juan E had surgery on his wrist. Scar tissue built up. Inflammation has set in. Hence, cortisone shot to decrease the inflammation. It takes a week or so to totally set in. The surgery fixed the tears BEFORE he had injections.
3) Jimmy Ballgame never had cortisone shots into his foot. He had "numbing" shots, probably lidocaine. I know this because he received one before every playoff game. No way it was a steroid.
Hope this helps.
by silent_bob on Mar 28, 2007 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I won't take the time to look it up
by sdrone on Mar 29, 2007 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Start here, Oct. 6th
by sdrone on Mar 29, 2007 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe he had 1 cortisone shot
by silent_bob on Mar 29, 2007 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
any love for LOOP yet?
still, the man has been impressive when seamingly everyone was hoping and wishing and rooting for him to fail. now I'm not ready to say he's going to be in the running for a Cy Young, but still, he has not sucked. that's got to be worth something right? where's the love people?
by gdm426 on Mar 28, 2007 7:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
quoting myself
" . . . Not discounting all the well-founded skepticism expressed here re: Looper, maybe LaRussa and Duncan know what they are doing. . . ."
That's a little cautious love. A little. And cautious.
by Youneverknow on Mar 28, 2007 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wanna quote myself, too!
At any rate, initial skepticism aside, I think all Cardinals fans will be ecstatic if he continues his impressive spring performance once the real games start.
by Mr Clean on Mar 29, 2007 2:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Much like Air Supply,
by Alxfritz on Mar 28, 2007 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nicely played
They played at Argosy in Alton last year. They had a billboard up on 40 by the stadium. It was a scary, scary sight.
by silent_bob on Mar 28, 2007 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now I'm calling him Looper instead of Blooper
by joker24 on Mar 28, 2007 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
feelin the love
so yeah, it's only march. lets see how LOOP and the boys do when the games count, and the wind it's blowing in at 40mph. but still, what LOOP has done so far after never starting in the majors, is pretty freakin amazing.
by gdm426 on Mar 29, 2007 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually..
FYI: Spiezio put up a .251/.363/.555 line against RHP last season. His LHP line wasn't as good (.318/.372/.365) but it was certainly better than most of our bench. Imagine if we could get that kind of production out of him at second base, even.
by VORP is too nerdy on Mar 29, 2007 12:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My biggest playoff disappointment...
2004 is obvious -- that was the best team in baseball in a while, just ran into Boston at the wrong time.
In 2002, I had tickets in section 351 for game 3 of the World Series. The Cardinals have since prevented my method of getting those tickets (I had something like 12 copies of the window open).
by whopperman on Mar 29, 2007 2:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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