Hot Stove League Survey
by kkkkathmandubirdsview on Dec 5, 2011 8:11 AM EST
As the Winter Meetings begin, I thought that it would be fun to involve VEBers in the Albert Pujols free agency sweepstakes. Bernie Miklasz of the P-D put in his vote yesterday, suggesting that the Cardinals and AP accept a 5 year/$140 contract for $28 million per year. So, since there are so many astute Cards fans here, I was wondering what you think AP will eventually get? Initially, I thought that I would ask 2 questions, what do you think he is really worth in this market, years/total $, and then what do you think he will actually get? However, what he actually ends up receiving is in essence what he is worth in this market, so I will keep it simple, and just ask what do you think he will receive in contract years and total value of the contract? I will keep track of the answers, and once AP finally signs, I will post the average of all of your submissions. It will be interesting to see how close the average VEB estimate comes to the actual contract. I will start things off (Bernie's suggestions is not included in this) with my guess, which is 7 years/$182 million. This is shorter than the original 9/$198 supposedly offered by the Cards, but does increase the average annual value from $22m per year to $26 million, which would not surpass A-'Rod's average annual value of $27.5 million, but I think may reflect the current market, assuming that the Yankees and Red Sox are not in the market for AP, and given the economic climate as compared to when A-Rod signed in 2008. Looking forward to your views!
Fun & Gems with the 2011 Cardinals*
by d-dee on Dec 1, 2011 9:17 PM EST
- use the SBN wide view for nicer formatting
- warning, this will be a BIG, HUGE, GIANT post
- feel free to point out any defective or wrong links or inaccuracies
Soooo, it's that time of year again.. when baseball stops playing and we look back to dissect the season and see what was good and what was not. For my own sanity I like to concentrate on the positives. This year I was afraid that with the loss of both sides of the Boog and Bombs show and the most oledinddongcolorful player on the roster, this post would be rather bland, but I tried my best to extract the fun. And boy, was there baseball fun!
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Offseason and Spring Training The best thing that happened in the offseason was the signing of Lance Berkman who soon proved to be not only in the Best Shape of His Life™ but to be really funny. In his first AB in Spring Training, playing with a stiff elbow, he launched an opposite field bomb on the second pitch he saw and thus began the Year Of Our Berk. Also, we were finally able to take Allen Craig off the milk carton and dodged a bullet when Stavinoha was left off the 40-man. Matt Carpenter showed great promise in Spring Training and Eduardo Sanchez and Fernando Salas made an impression. Carp told Shelby Miller he was tipping his pitches but there was no luggage involved. There was a light dugout clearing altercation with the Nats that was, sadly, not televised. Oh, and there was a surge of new ink on the squad: Lohse, Molina and Carp This year's batch of Cardinals commercials was somehow not that great, and so devoid of spinning, but here they are anyway: Scatter plots for our top regular season HR hitters
Remember how bad of a spring training Jaime had and the Westbrook season collapse? Remember we almost had Jim Edmonds on the roster? Remember when Carp and Boggs exited a Spring Training game with injuries back to back? Remember Jon Jay being over eager to get to camp not being able to sleep so he left in the middle of the night to drive there? Remember when the Pujols contract circus was driving us nuts, and the Theriot jorts comment? How about when it was announced Adam Wainwright was going to have TJ surgery and be out for the entire season? Recall Matt Holliday's appendix, Albert Pujols's broken hand, David Freese's broken hand, David Freese's concussion, Allen Craig's broken knee and all the other assorted broken bones on the team, Tony La Russa's shingles and The Eye? Remember Joe Pettini - manager? How about the blown saves and the closer carousel? Remember the turtlenecks, the faux hawks, Ryan "the Captain" Theriot, Tony La Russa's Santana good luck charm, and the Shredder? Remember being 10 1/2 games out of the Wild Card with 35 games left to play? Remember the Texas Rangers asking the Cardinals to trade Lance Berkman to them at the end of August? Recall the squirrels and the tortoises and the moth? Phonegate, #HappyFlight? What kind of crazy weird chaos was this past season?!?! But look how that turned out! |
2011 Cardinals HRs
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Here is a couple of (highly amateur) spliced together videos of soundbites throughout the 2011 season (thanks to FSNMW, MLB, TBS, FOX, the world wide Interwebs and various sources). Don't look for any informative value or content or any quality, it's all just for giggles. (Btw, finding a host for the self made videos proved more complicated when i thought, bear with the 20 second spot in German before it starts, it's a pain in the ass but so far the only way to circumvent copyright stuff. I'm also giving you alternative links)
Regular Season - MLB summary video, a very cool season summary video from someone on YouTube and two part interview hilarity (either use the link or watch the embedded below)
Postseason video summaries NLDS, NLCS, WS (links), MLB NL Champs video, and in case you missed it - Freese on Leno and TLR on Letterman
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SHORTSTOP!!
I know they're not all his fault but they're all funny. If YouTube removes the video, here's an alternative link.
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Awesomeness After struggling all Spring Training Jaime throws a CGSO in his first 2011 start on 102 pitches Apr 2 K-Mac 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 SO, W, single, double, 2RBI Apr 11 Back to back homers by Berkman and Jay Apr 11 17 hits, 15 runs, 8 doubles, Berkman GS, Skip HR, Sanchez debut, W Apr 13 Lohse CGSO 2-hitter Apr 21 Berkman goes 4-for-5 with 2 HR's one on each side, Jaime perfect through 7 1/3, pitches two-hit shutout on 102 pitches May 6th Cards pound Cubs for 9 runs on 16 hits, Jay 3 hits 3 RBIs, Jaime is 5-0 with 1.89 ERA May 12 Albert makes a start at 3rd for the first time since 2002 May 16 Pete Kozma hits an RBI double in debut May 18 Cards win 9-8 with the tying run and go-ahead run walked in back to back in the 10th, collect 13 walks (5 for Colby alone), 12 hits, Yadi goes 4-for-5 with a walk, 3 RBIs and a HR short of the cycle May 22 Tony Cruz debuts 3-for-5 May 24 19 hits, 10 runs, Colby 4-for-5 with 2 triples May 27 3 doubles back to back, Skip dives into first FTW May 31 Albert 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, 2 HR's (second's a walkoff) June 4 Albert hits walk off HRs in consecutive games June 4 and June 5 5 run 6th on 10 ABs Jun 9 6 run 8th on 10 ABs Jun 23 Carp throws CG W on 132 pitches Jun 29 3 HRs - Berk homers from both sides Jun 30 Lego and Berk go back to back plus one more from Holliday Jul 5 Albert's 2000th hit Jul 29 8 run 5th against the Cubs Jul 30 Riot collects 4 hits against the Cubs Jul 30 Albert goes 4-for-4 with HR, 4 RBIs, 3 singles Aug 11 5 run 6th Aug 12 Carp K's 10 Aug 16 Craigen goes 4-for-5 with two home runs, three RBIs, and two runs scored and defense; Yadi has his 10th 3-hit game of the season; Lohse K's 7 Aug 17 4 HR game; Albert goes 4-for-5 with a HR; Yadi hits 2 HRs, breaks his personal season HR record; Jay and Yadi hit back to back HRs; 14 hits, 6 runs, W Aug 21 Skip goes 4-for-4 - 4 singles and an RBI Aug 24 Lohse collects 100th W Aug 28 Sweep in MIL Aug 30-Sep 1 in dramatic highly entertaining fashion plus bonus features - Albert messes with Brewers fan, Westy hits a GS, Ryan Braun faceplants (see gratifying visuals below) Motte sets franchise record streak of 33 scoreless appearances over 26 1/3 innings June 23-Sep 7 Jay 3-for-4 plus defense; benches clear because Nyjer Morgan is a dumbass, Carp DGAF because he pitches a complete game shutout on 97 pitches, 4 hits, 2 walks Sep 7 Chambers' first major league hit wins game, Albert goes 4-for-4, Tyler Greene gets a PA!! and almost hits a HR Sep 16 3 HR game - Craig hits 2, Albert 1, plus Carp pitches 8 scoreless against Phils Sep 18 6 run 7th and Albert goes 4-for-5 Sep 20 Freese 2-for-4 with the game winning 2R HR, 3B, 5 RBIs Sep 21 Carp suicide squeeze Sep 23 Game 161 one game down from NLWC and down 5 runs, 5 run 4th, 4 run 7th, 3 run 8th, 17 hits, 13 runs, Punto 4-for-5 with 2 singles, double, HR and Cards tie for the NLWC Sep 27 In the deciding game 162 Carp pitches a 2-hit CGSO on 106 pitches with 11K's, offense scores 5 in the 1st, 8 total; ATL's historic collapse continues as they blow the save in game 162 and lose to PHI in the 13th. STL chants Torty! and Happy Flight! with champagne and beer raining down Sep 28 After starting off 1-7 because of poor defense and run support, Carp ends the regular season 11-9 and as bonus he hits 3 doubles and gets 5 RBIs Yadi beats his personal HR record and ends the regular season with .305/.349/.465 14 HR, 65 RBIs In NLDS 2, after trailing 4 runs Cardinals take Cliff Lee for 12 hits, 2 walks and 5 ER to win the game and tie the series. Bullpen pitches 6 stellar shutout innings of 1 hit ball between 6 pitchers. Theriot goes 2-for-4 with an RBI and 2 runs; Jay 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs Oct 2 In NLDS 3, even though the Cardinals outhit and outpitch the Phillies, they unluckily fall just short. Pujols goes 4-for-5 with an RBI and 3 doubles, Theriot 4-for-5 with 4 singles Oct 4 In NLDS 4, facing elimination and giving up 2 in the 1st after only 5 pitches, Cards fight back with some excellent defense, Freese goes 2-for-3 with 4 RBIs, a 2-run double and a 2-run HR and force a Game 5 Oct 5 In the decisive NLDS 5, Carp faces off with old friend Roy Halladay; Furcal hits a leadoff triple, Skip drives him in with a double after making Doc throw him 10 pitches. Yadi steals a base, the middle infield defense is stellar, Cards win 1-0 after Carp throws a 3-hit (1 walk) CGSO on 110 pitches and gets shredded. Cards advance to the NLCS Oct 7 In NLCS 2, after GIDPing in a very unfortunate spot the night before, Albert Pujols goes 4-for-5 with a HR, 3 doubles, 5 RBIs, 3 runs, 10 TB; Cardinals score 4 runs on 6 consecutive hits in the 7th, have 17 total hits; Lohse PHs, Yadi plays some 1B, Jay is 3-for-5; win 12-3, winning pitcher is Lance Lynn who threw one single pitch Oct 10 NLCS 3 four run 1st, bullpen holds the 1 run lead for 4 innings, Cardinals take first postseason series lead, rally squirrels everywhere Oct 12 Lance Berkman wins NL Comeback Player of the Year Award In NLCS 5 the Brewers trot out some horrendous defense (4 errors) and Zack Greinke gives up 5 runs (2 ER) in 5.2 innings. Matt Holliday goes 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, Yadi 3-for-4 with an RBI, Nick Punto bunts in the 8th spot with runners on and Jaime drives a run in the next AB. Lance Berkman swipes a bag. Cards win 7-1 and take a #happyflight back to Milwaukee leading the NLCS 3-2 Oct 14 Game 6 is won 12-6, both teams hit 3 HRs each and set a postseason record. Cards put up 4 in 1st and 3rd. Pujols is 2-for-4 with a walk, a HR (15th in postseason play tying Babe Ruth for seventh-most all-time), 2 RBIs and a run scored; Yadi goes 2-for-4 with a walk, Freese 3-for-4 with a HR, 3 RBIs, 3 runs scored, Jay makes some crazy defensive plays. Cardinals win the NL pennant and advance to the World Series Oct 16 Freese is the NLCS MVP - 12 for 22 (.545), 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 3 doubles, 7 runs, 24 TB, 2 Ks, 1.091 SLG, 4 for 5 with RISP, and defense Cards win WS Game 1 3-2 on a crazy cold night, when Carp makes this play, a PH'ing Craigen drives in the winning run, Freese extends postseason hitting streak to 11 games (18 hits) Oct 19 PH'ing Cragen drives in the go-ahead run off the same pitcher and on the same pitch as in Game 1. Jaime Garcia pitches sensational 7 innings and K's 7. Freese extends hitting streak to 12 games (19 hits). Unfortunately, Cards blow it in the 9th and end the #HappyFlight streak. Oct 20 TLR sports a faux hawk WS Game 3 is positively nuts - Cardinals make all kinds of individual and team history. They score in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th and become the first club to have 4 multi-run innings in a WS game. Game is won 16-7, Allen Craig hits a solo HR in his first AB, Freese is 2-for-4 with a walk, a run and 2 RBIs (extends hitting streak to 13 games and 21 hits); Yadi is 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and 4 RBIs; Albert (previously hitting .000) goes 5-for-6 with 4 runs scored, 14 TB, and 6 RBIs - a 3-run HR, a 2-run HR and a solo HR (one tiny little Grand Slam away from the Pujolsian Cycle :), ups AVG to .417) Oct 22 WS Game 7 is much more timid. In a bizarre 5th, the Cardinals push 2 through without a single hit - BB, HBP, IBB, BB, HBP. Oct 28 Freese is the WS MVP - 8 for 23 (.348), 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 4 runs, 5 walks, 16 TB, .696 SLG Freese now holds the postseason record for RBIs with 21 and TB with 50 MLB looks back on the Cardinals 2011 pennant run Full video of the Victory Parade Yadier Molina wins 4th consecutive Gold Glove Cardinals name Mike Matheny as the new manager Nov 14 The last out of 2011
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Craziness Theriot takes 12 pitches to help Brian Wilson blow the save Apr 8 5 man infield, 3B Craig, rundown Apr 8 4 consecutive games with 16+ hits (16, 17, 16, 19), 43 runs scored (8, 15, 9, 11) Apr 12-Apr 15 7 consecutive games with 11+ hits (11, 14, 16, 17, 16, 19, 13), 56 runs scored (6, 8, 8, 15, 9, 11, 9) Apr 10-Apr 16 Apr 11-Apr 15: total team HRs - 13 (Berkman HRs - 6) Apr 15: Yadi 4-4, Berkman 2 HR, Pujols 2 HR, Colby 3 doubles, 19 hits, 11 runs, Lohse collects 1000th career strikeout, W TLR pulls a fast one with Batista-McClellan swap before rain delay. Dusty Baker whines Apr 22 Berkman has 7 consecutive multi-hit games Apr 20-Apr 28 Puma returns to Houston and gets a standing ovation Apr 26 Riot returns to Chicago and gets booed May 10 Apr-May K-Mac in conversation for NL Cy Young Carp yells at Hanley Ramirez May 4 La Russa misses 6 whole games to treat shingles May 10-May16 Lohse impersonates TLR May 12 Yadi scores on his own triple May 22 TLR tossed for arguing balls and strikes May 23 Theriot 20 game hitting streak May 15-Jun 8 Westy hits a 3-run double Jun 7 Tony manages 5000th Jun 10 Mark Hamilton dives head first into 1B for an infield single to drive in the only run in a Carp-Cueto luggage free shutout duel Jul 4 Albert regrows bones in 16 days Jun 19-Jul 5 Cards battle back from 0-8 against CIN, with a 5 run 7th, to tie it in the 9th, go 13 but lose it. Still, very exciting game Jul 6 Carp pitches 4 straight with 119+ (124, 124, 132, 119) pitches June 17-Jul 4 Riot riots Jul 17 Berkman deposits one on the Shea Bridge at Citi Field Jul 19 Yadi a triple shy of the cycle goes 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored Jul 25 Carp picks up 1,000th strikeout as a member of the Cardinals Aug 1 Yadi riots and Tony riots, Brewers hit Pujols, Motte throws at Braun once and misses him and then drills him in the ribs with the next pitch Aug 2 Riot and Furcal successfully fake a DP Aug 19 Matty and the Moth - the attack and the consequences Aug 22 Skip pitches the 9th, updates ERA to 18.00 Aug 23 Yadi has a double, no a single, oh wait, how many runners do we have on 2B, schrew it, it's a base hit Aug 31 Westy hits his first career HR and it's a GS Aug 31 3 HR game - 1st inning leadoff Furcal and then Albert, Westy GS in 4th Aug 31 Game almost identical to previous night - 1st inning leadoff Furcal HR then Albert HR, then Albert GS in 3rd; Pujols goes 4-for-4 with HR, GS, 2 singles, 5 RBIs; team 10 hits (4 HRs), 8 runs, all 12 runs in the game were scored via the long ball (9 HRs altogether), Holliday hits 200th career HR Sep 1 Furcal hits 3 HRs in 3 consecutive games Aug 31 - Sep 2 Nyjer Morgan gives an obnoxious postgame interview, then takes to Twitter and calls Pujols "Alberta", writes the Cardinals off and murders grammar and spelling Sep 7 Alberta couldn't see Plush if she had her gloves on!!! Wat was she thinking running afta Plush!!! She never been n tha ring!!!" Where still n 1st and I hope those crying birds injoy watching tha Crew in tha Playoffs!!! Aaaaahhhhh!!! The Shredder gets shredded Sep 9 Furcal career SB 300 Sep 10 Tony tries smoke signals, pantomime, postal pigeons to signal to the bullpen Sep 17 MarmLOL meltdown in the 9th - FO, single, SB that turns into two, K, BB, BB, BB (run), wild pitch, game over Sep 24 Pujols Holliday double steal Sep 26 September: from 10 1/2 games back on the WC on Aug 25 the Cardinals go on a 23-9 tear to tie ATL for the NLWC at game 161 and clinch the NLWC in game 162
(also check out our chances to make playoffs by day) Not a single ESPN or MLBN "expert" picked us to win or do anything notable in the NLDS. The talk was entirely about the Phillies rotation and they all thought we were just going to roll over and go away The rally squirrel shows itself in NLDS 3 The rally squirrel returns, Charlie Manuel wants to shoot it in NLDS 4 TLR introduces the story of Torty to the media pre NLDS 5 The rally squirrel makes an impromptu appearance in the clubhouse in Philly during BP before NLDS 5 The rally squirrel befriends Octavio Dotel at NLDS 5 TRL says Torty and the squirrel are dating at NLDS 5 The Cardinals kick the universal favorite, the Phillies, out of the playoffs in 5 TLR bullpen in the NLDS (5 games): Game 1 - relievers used 4, IP 2.2, runs allowed 5, ER 5; Game 2-5 - relievers used 6+2+5+0=13, IP 11, runs allowed 1, ER 1 Just like the Reds last year, the Brewers try to force a rivalry on the Cardinals. Zack Greinke tells the media that the entire Brewers team dislikes Chris Carpenter and explains that it's because "phony attitude [..] yells at people [..] states people down and stuff", Nyjer Morgan backpedals and Tony responds - pre NLCS TLR bullpen in the NLCS (6 games): relievers used 5+6+4+4+4+5=28, IP 28.2, runs allowed 7, ER 6 Only 4 of 26 ESPN "experts" pick us to win the WS. The two that predicted correctly Cardinals in 7 did it for the following reasons: "The most surprising World Series team can't stop one step short." (Karl Ravech) and "Home-field advantage, two or three Chris Carpenter starts, Tony La Russa and bullpen, Albert Pujols, and, well, destiny?" (Gene Wojciechowski) TLR forgets how to work the phones WS Game 5 WS Game 6 is postponed [questionably] because of inclement weather, which allows Chris Carpenter to be the eventual starter in Game 7 if the now 2-3 trailing in the series Cardinals tie the Rangers by winning do-or-die Game 6. WS Game 6 will probably go down in the books as the craziest ever. It makes all kinds of firsts in WS history as the Texas Rangers are twice one out away from their first ever championship, which looks so much like a sure thing that the plastic is already up in the visitors clubhouse. Down by 3 runs in the 7th as a result of some bad baserunning and 3 fielding errors, the Cardinals score in the 8th and 9th to tie it, fall back 2 in the 10th just to tie it again with 2 outs and win it in 11. Berkman 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored, including the game-tying hit in the 10th inning. The Rangers blow 3 saves and David Freese becomes the 1st player in WS elimination game history to drive in the tying and go ahead runs. Freese gets shredded, donates jersey and bat to Hall of Fame. And just to make it more interesting, the win is a walkoff HR in the 11th and down goes the plastic in the visitor's clubhouse, Cards force a Game 7. Oct 27
Chris Carpenter pitches WS Games 1, 5 and 7. Carp pitches 6+ in Game 7 on three days’ rest for the second time in his career and second time this postseason. TLR bullpen in WS (7 games): relievers used 5+5+4+2+4+6+4=30, IP 25.2, runs allowed 16, ER 13 Tony La Russa retires Oct 31 |
Number awesomeness:
In 2011 regular season the Cardinals had:
- most hits in the NL - 1513 (before the second place NYM (1477) and 4th in MLB)
- most runs in the NL - 762 (before the second place CIN and COL (735) and 5th in MLB)
- almost broke the GIDP record and still made the postseason
- lost Waino and still made the postseason
- most total bases in the NL - 2351 ahead of MIL and 6th in MLB
- highest AVG in NL - .273 and 5th in MLB (1st TEX with .283)
- highest OBP in NL - .341 and 3rd in MLB (1st BOS with .349)
- highest wOBA in NL - .332
- tied for 1st in SLG in NL - .425
- highest OPS in NL - .766, 5th overall
- highest OPS+ in NL - 113, 2nd in MLB behind BOS with 116 (per baseball-reference)
- turned the most DP in MLB - 167
- induced the most groundouts in MLB - 1738
- allowed the second fewest stolen bases - 64 (BOS allowed the most - 156)
- best wRC+ in NL - 111
- lowest strikeout rate in NL - 15.7%
- our defense was the second worst beside the NYM -30.8 UZR but made up for it with offense and were still first in NL in non-pitching WAR with 34.3 (per fangraphs)
Walkoffs
Berkman walk-off May 17
Albert HR off Samardzija Jun 4
Albert HR off Lopez Jun 5
Skip HR off Collins Jun 19
Cruz PH RBI double Jul 9
Punto sac fly and gets shredded Sep 9
MarmLOL wild pitch with bases loaded, Chambers rushes home Sep 24
Freese WS Game 6 HR and gets shredded Oct 27
Defensive gems
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Time for giffy extra dugout happiness (you're welcome)
Schadenfreude
My little personal collection of Lego 2011 head connector fail
The tweeting
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Young Shelby Miller (@ShelbyMiller19) likes to tweet some pretty random stuff. The kid also likes the expression "it's the bomb.com", go figure.. ShelbyMiller19 Long hair like a grizzly bear 1 May On the the complete opposite to our most promising baby bird, Daniel Descalso (@DanielDescalso) likes to tweet like an old man.. DanielDescalso Cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle...great way to start the day. 9 Jul Edwin Jackson (@EJ36) tweets a little too. Don't expect to see any hash tags though. EJ36 Thanks for everyone's support! Wasn't quite how I planned it but a win is a win!!! Happy flight!!!! 17 Oct Jon Jay (@jonjayU) likes shoes. A LOT. And everything Miami sports. He replies to a lot of tweets and that's about it jonjayU So I was supposed to leave for Jupiter at 6am but decided since I'm so fired up and can't sleep I'll just go now Goodbye305 Hello Season 14 Feb |
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I don't speak any Spanish but Eduardo Sanchez (@ESanchez52) is so short in his tweets, I really don't need to. His very first tweet is "tranquilo..." followed by 4 months of silence. He's a big fan of his buddy Salas and has two beautiful little twin girls who, I believe, are called Anthonella and Arisbeth (I could be wrong) and posts pictures of them every once in a while
ESanchez52 ...(A+A)/Es?Br=<3... Simple!!!.. 26 Apr
ESanchez52 "ferd salas" hahahaha... 27 Apr
ESanchez52 1er salvado para "ferd salas" nice Job 28 Apr
ESanchez52 To milwaukee with the big ferd! 10 Jun
ESanchez52 Nothing bad with me shoulder will be back soon... 16 Jun
ESanchez52 Back to STL.... 19 Sep
ESanchez52 Nice job by carpenter tonite #WCRace #happyflight 28 Sep
ESanchez52 Ferd salas n eddie to play off! yfrog.com/khtcvxkj 28 Sep
ESanchez52 Big game 5 tonite STL Vs phi vamos cardenales #NLDS #buenavibra #believe 7 Oct
ESanchez52 Happy flight....wow here we go!. #buenavibra. 7 Oct
ESanchez52 Tranquilo en wilwaukeé #NLCS #buenavibra 8 Oct
ESanchez52 Game 3 #NLCS tonite mil Vs STL let's go cards!.. #postseason #RallySquirrel #11in11 12 Oct
ESanchez52 Game 5 let's go cards fans #believe #nlcs #buenavibra 14 Oct
ESanchez52 Thanks for all everyone and congrats to @dfreese23 MVP #NLCS #believe #buenavibra #WorldSeriesBound and the best one #HAPPYFLIGHT..... 17 Oct
ESanchez52 Wow a 9 grados centígrados y con viento será que hay frío para el juego 1 #WorldSeries 19 Oct
ESanchez52 Wow what a game #believe #11in11 28 Oct
ESanchez52 Cardinals fans thanks for all support, we have a Game 7 tomorrow we need them all one more time! #WorldSeries #believe #11in11 #buenavibra 28 Oct
ESanchez52 Gracias a todos por el apoyo juego 7 #WorldSeries mañana uno mas #believe #buenavibra #11in11 28 Oct
ESanchez52 Oh thanks everybody thanks so much!... World champions yeaaaaahhh... #11IN11 #believe 29 Oct
Our biggest and funniest tweeter David Freese (@dfreese23) had around 18 thousand following his tweets at the end of the regular season but is currently (as of Nov 16) rocking over 82 thousand followers
dfreese23 What's up Twitter World. Only bout 5 years late but I'm here... 17 Jun
dfreese23 I mean honestly... can u wake up to Ice Cube knockin off one anaconda after another and feel any safer? I think not. Good morning guys. 18 Jun
dfreese23 Cardinal Nation how pumped are we the big guy is on our side... unreal! #mattholliday 18 Jun
dfreese23 Pretty sad when the first thing that popped in my head when I woke up was "This place about to blow!" Dreamin about Ke$ha? #blameTheriot 6 Jul
dfreese23 There's Jeter... There's Varitek... There's The Riot. Leaders are born, not made! #captain #theriot #thepulse http://lockerz.com/s/117953784 7 Jul
dfreese23 Apparently some people aren't fans of Beiber playin postgame. Try and say u don't blare Beiber in ur car with a straight face... ready go. 9 Jul
dfreese23 Pet peeve.. Goin thru the channel guide. Click on a show and yep commercial. Find another show yep commercial. Over it.. DVR here I come. 9 Jul
dfreese23 Jumpin on the plane soon with 5 or so players. Crickets! Prolly better since Garcia's wallet is gonna take up more room now!! #racks 14 Jul
dfreese23 Kids lookin for ya downstairs @DanielDescalso. Need an autograph. Apparently we look alike. Do u see it? Ya me neither. #happenswaytoomuch 16 Jul
dfreese23 Guess that bird lettin one go on me for good luck this mornin got us a win. Who am I kiddin... Carp + Alberto blast usually gets it done. 16 Jul
dfreese23 First time in the NYC. I'm lost already. #thehugeapple 17 Jul
dfreese23 Well this is a first... cab ride, BAM!! We got a flat tire!!! Feel so bad for the driver. 18 Jul
dfreese23 U think milk is a bad choice... try jeans!! #NYC #Anchorman 18 Jul
dfreese23 Gonna miss Colby. Great friend. Always will be. Wishin him the best. Do ur thing buddy. Even @joeybats19 is gonna love his pop! #Rasmus 27 Jul
dfreese23 All good yall. Lil concussion. Not much up there anyway. Be back in there soon. Tough way to grab a steak but we'll take it. #thatsawinner 4 Aug
dfreese23 Watching a woman eat a bowl cereal next to me at a stoplight... and driving and texting is bad??? 9 Aug
dfreese23 Gettin blown up here. "At a stoplight" texting!!! And yes she drove away eating still... can't knock her if #cinnamontoastcrunch 9 Aug
dfreese23 Dillard has a sinker!! Write that down. Big win!! 11 Aug
dfreese23 What have I done on my off day today? Rolled over, tweeted. So far planned to perfection. Bad thing about 8 pillows... where is the remote?! 18 Aug
dfreese23 Congrats to Kyle Lohse on his 100th win today. Career not season... that would be a record pretty sure. Keep grindin Birds! #stlcards 28 Aug
dfreese23 I think I hear Westy thankin me for being an idiot on the bases right before his salami. I sure set that up nicely. #oweyayadi #grandslam 31 Aug
dfreese23 So ur sayin there's a chance... #happyflight 19 Sep
dfreese23 We did it!!!! Now we go. Thank u Cardinal Nation for believing!!! Best group of guys I've ever been around, top to bottom. #happyflight 28 Sep
dfreese23 Let's talk about double plays... na. Let's talk about blown saves... nope. Let's talk about a team that never bought into all that. #cards 29 Sep
dfreese23 Thanks for tweets. Nice win. Carp Halladay... win or go home. Gonna be insane. Busch was rockin this series!! Team appreciates it!! 6 Oct
dfreese23 What a game to be a part of last night!! Even got people in Thailand rootin us on!! @HereLiesMoon @JOSH_WILLS29 @DanMarsala @storyoftheyear Oct 8
dfreese23 Tough loss. Been down before. Battle back tomorrow. Miller Park brought it today! Know Busch is waitin to rock on Wed! #nlcs #stlcards 9 Oct
dfreese23 #Happyflight #enoughsaid 10 Oct
dfreese23 How do u lose a fantasy football week by .8 pts? I'll show ya how. Unreal!! #fantasy #NFL #optionalmeansmandatory 11 Oct
dfreese23 Is the beach ok? RT @spllrblyell: Bought a @dfreese23 shirt, despite my superstition...god I hope he doesn't go anywhere in the offseason :! 11 Oct
dfreese23 @RobKennedy70 Mr. Kennedy! Great to hear from u. Remember u umpin our games. Sorry for the bad looks on tough calls:) 1 of our fav teachers 13 Oct
dfreese23 #happyflight 15 Oct
dfreese23 Big Brian Elliott save to help snag the win for the #Blues. Love it!! Goodnight. Game 6 here we come. #nlcs #stlcards 16 Oct
dfreese23 Thanks for the love yall. We had to play great to beat the Brewers. For the first time gettin smoked in fantasy football doesnt feel too bad 17 Oct
dfreese23 Lafayette High School, too kind with the sign out front of the school. Thanks for the thought. Means a lot to me. Good ole days!! #LHS 17 Oct
dfreese23 Contrary to popular belief #happyflight is about to take place. See ya in Texas. #nlcs #stlcards 21 Oct
dfreese23 Feels great to be back in STL. Nobody thought we'd be here weeks back. Heck of a ride. Unfinished business... lets do this!! #worldseries 25 Oct
dfreese23 Not much to say but thanks everybody. Like I said though... unfinished business. One more. #worldseries #totalteamwin 28 Oct
dfreese23 St. Louis Cardinals are World Series Champs! Beat a great Texas team. Thank u Cardinal Nation. Helped make all this possible. #ring 29 Oct
dfreese23 Speechless... #proudtobeabird 30 Oct
dfreese23 What a great time on @JayLenoTonight @jayleno great meeting u and thanks for having me on the show. #airstonight 31 Oct
dfreese23 Really cool hangin with @justinbieber today on The Tonight Show with Leno. Great dude. #noyoudaman 31 Oct
dfreese23 So much fun on @accesshollywood with @KitHoover and Billy. Billy throwing some heat with that wiggle ball. Sign em up!! Thanks guys!!! 1 Nov
dfreese23 Ellen boxers are feelin pretty comfy. Great gift! Thanks for having me on the show. A blast! @TheEllenShow lockerz.com/s/152398763 1 Nov
dfreese23 Heckuva time Nelly @KYJUANSTL @murphylee RT @Nelly_Mo: BDay gift, hung out at studio w/ WORLD SERIES MVP @dfreese23!WOW twitpic.com/7a7ok5 3 Nov
dfreese23 Bag didn't make my connector to Nashville. I wonder if I can get by presenting with @ErinAndrews in Nike sweatpants and a hoodie?!?! #cmas 9 Nov
ErinAndrews @dfreese23 are we going shopping this afternoon? #mvpproblems 9 Nov
dfreese23 @ErinAndrews I don't know how to shop. I think so. #guyproblems 9 Nov
dfreese23 Just glad we didn't trip. RT @ErinAndrews: The MVP cleans up well..we're abt to present on the @CMAs yfrog.com/nvfshvj #cmas 10 Nov
dfreese23 Can I still call Matheny #CaptainAmerica now that he's my new manager? We'll see... Love the hire. STL should be pumped. #Rightmanforthejob 13 Nov
For bonus tweets, if you're into that thing, read @TortyCraig, @BuschSquirrel, @SirGloveAWilson
Here's my photos from the 2011 season and the parade on Flickr.
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Cardinals 2011 Musical Free Association Mix by DJ CFIC
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Nov 26, 2011 4:06 PM EST
1. Autechre - pce freeze 2.8i (electronic)
2. All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors - Catcher (alt-pop/shoegaze)
3. Clutch - Sinkemlow (hard rock)
4. Failure - Moth (90's alternative rock)
5. Matt Elliott - Broken Bones (dirge/singer-songwriter)
6. Dysrhythmia - Running Shoe of Justice (tech-metal)
7. Faceditch - Space Flight Cat (jazz fusion)
8. Tortoise - Minors (post-rock/fusion)
9. Tipsy - Zombies Mood (electronic/collage)
10. Belong - October Language (experimental/ambient)
11. Karp - Octoberfleshed (sludge rock)
12. The Nels Cline Singers - Squirrel of God (jazz/indie)
13. Estradasphere - Elderly Normal Samurai Tortoises (fusion/video game)
14. Sun Ra and the Blues Project - Flight of the Batman (jazz)
15. Iron Maiden - The Talisman (classic heavy metal)
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Mozeliak's Cardinals and Matheny's New Coaches
by KVin2 on Nov 16, 2011 11:26 AM EST
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Mike Matheny should not be the St. Louis Cardinals' manager. He has no coaching or managerial experience at any level other than as a special instructor during Spring Training. The Cardinals, and John Mozeliak in particular, encouraged his return to baseball because of how much they respect him. However, of the six candidates Matheny was by far the least qualified. It seemed at first as if the Cardinals were looking only at candidates with major league experience, but clearly that was not the case. "Mo" and Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt made it clear they were not as concerned with his lack of experience, and Matheny himself said after his interview,
They made it clear that this is a leadership position and that what they were looking for to fill the role is a leader. Yes, there are the baseball things and the knowledge of baseball, but we talked a lot about the characteristics that are necessary to be a leader at this level and a leader of that clubhouse.
While there is a great deal of truth to that assessment of the role of modern major league manager, Matheny's lack of experience with "baseball things and the knowledge of baseball" is so utterly deficient compared to the other candidates it seems almost absurd he would be given the job. In any corporation in America, he would have to be the son of the CEO's best friend in order to get the job. Which, as many beat writers and bloggers have pointed out, is probably precisely why he got the job.
What a number of fans probably don't realize is Tony LaRussa was the most powerful man in the Cardinals organization since he won the World Series in 2006 and Walt Jocketty was fired after the 2007 season. Since Mozeliak took over there has been a concerted effort to return to the days of Branch Rickey when for years the Cardinals had the best farm system (and indeed the only farm system for several years) in all of baseball that regularly produced cornerstone players for the parent club. Two recent examples provide illustration of what Mozeliak is trying to prevent with Matheny's hire.
By now no Cardinals fan is unfamiliar with the stories of Brendan Ryan and Colby Rasums. TLR forced the trades of both players because they did not get along with him.** The only reason Rasmus (a five-tool player in the Grady Sizemore mold) was ever available in the first place was because of his strained relationship with TLR. What is more interesting is Brendan Ryan's story. The Cardinals have for years now been looking for their "shortstop of the future", ever since The Wizard retired and Edgar Renteria wanted more money than the Cardinals were willing to give him. They have made several trades and moves to acquire a shortstop in the past year (Ryan Theriot, Daniel Descalso, Nick Punto, Tyler Green, Pete Kozma, Rafael Furcal) out of concern for their defense, when all along they had an elite defensive shortstop in Ryan. He was driven out of town for the cardinal (no pun intended) sin of having the wrong attitude; something that could have been fixed through veteran leadership. But because he rubbed TLR the wrong way, he was shown the door.
**I will admit the Rasmus trade can no longer be questioned because it gave TLR the pieces he needed to win the World Series. It did not guarantee a WS win, but it would not have happened without trading Rasmus. I no longer care what Rasmus' career arc is; it was worth sacrificing him for our 11th World Series.
I am not saying the Rasums and Ryan trades should not have happened or were bad or good, nor am I discounting the importance of team chemistry. What I am pointing out is those trades were made with no thought given to the big picture plan for the team. They were made solely because TLR wanted those two players gone. That is the sort of thing that will never happen with Matheny as the manager. Mozeliak is making it clear this is his team and he will run and build it as he sees fit. Yes, Matheny will have input as far as the 40-man roster, Spring Training invites, trades and the several MLB drafts are concerned, and clearly if there is a problem in the clubhouse he will work with Mozeliak to resolve it. However, Matheny will largely work with the players he is given, and any problems will be resolved in respect to the overall blueprint Mozeliak has for the team, not Matheny's whims.
The other side of the Matheny hire is no one really knows how he will fare as a manager. He has no track record on any level, and the reviews on unconventional hires (such as his and Robin Ventura's of the White Sox) are mixed. The Diamondbacks were terrible in their one-plus year under front-office-man-turned-manager A.J. Hinch, who was promptly fired in July 2010. Two even more unconventional hires, Jerry Coleman of the Padres (1980) and Larry Dierker of the Astros (1997), were both former broadcasters before being hired as their teams' managers. Coleman only lasted a year, going 73-89. This wasn't a surprise; they were terrible the year before and actually improved by five wins. Dierker actually won four NL Central titles with the Astros, though that had much more to do with the fact the Astros were loaded with a core of Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman than any managerial skills he possessed (as a side note, the Astros lost in the NLDS all four of those years).
Now, at the top of the blog I said Matheny should not be the Cardinals manager. That is not my opinion of the hire, merely an assessment of his resume compared to the other candidates'. Whether this will be a good hire or a poor one will depend much more on the talent Mozeliak can put on the roster than any managerial skill Matheny might have. He might turn out to be a fantastic manager, being able to be a leader of men and a decent tactician. What he lacks in TLR's skill with the X's and O's of the game, he will have to make up for in his leadership abilities in order to succeed. The Rangers and Ron Washington proved you can have great success and be one of the worst tacticians in the game. Sure, they lost the World Series two years in a row, but they were also in the World Series two years in a row, something incredibly difficult to do in the Wild Card era.
What Matheny's downfall may ultimately be is too high of expectations. TLR is arguably the best X's and O's manager in baseball history and no one is going to be able to teach that level of understanding to Matheny. He must learn through experience, and more importantly, failure. For baseball is a game defined by failure. And it is not critically important Matheny be a great strategist right off the bat. As discussed above, the talent level of players usually has more to do with the success or failure of a manager than his tactical skill set. However, where bad X's and O's managers are exposed are in small sample sizes like 7-game playoff series. If Ron Washington had Nelson Cruz positioned properly, Game 6 would be remembered as the sloppy, run-happy conclusion to the run-fest everyone predicted the Rangers-Cardinals World Series would be. The Cardinals won the World Series in large part because TLR simply out-managed and out-maneuvered Ron Washington. But it would be hard to be as bad tactically as Ron Washington, so take heart Cardinal fans.
I personally like Matheny's hire. Or at the very least I do not dislike his hiring. I hope he succeeds because I always respected and liked him as a catcher. I also believe he has the intellect and drive to be a very successful manager. But it is clear his power will be limited, unlike the incomparable TLR.
Albert Pujols is moving
by p_lampe on Nov 14, 2011 1:04 PM EST
This is more like TMZ gossip: I have heard that the Pujols family home in St. Louis is being sold. Now, it could be for a pending relocation to Miami, or it could just be that Mr. and Mrs. Albert are looking for more house in a better school district. Either way, their home is on the real estate market. Of course, it could also be a ploy to make it LOOK like he's moving. (FYI: The folks I heard this from are people who are very familiar with the neighborhood where Albert and his family currently reside).
Breaking: Matheny is the new manager
by ICEYhawtSTUNNAZ on Nov 13, 2011 6:34 PM EST
According to Jon Paul Morosi, on twitter. DIscuss?
http://twitter.com/#!/jonmorosi/status/135855817386762241
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2011 Cardinals, An Odds Thing Happened On The Way To The Championship
by Xeifrank on Nov 12, 2011 1:46 PM EST
Here is a look at how the Cardinals 2011 actual results stacked up compared to what the Vegas odds makers thought of them throughout the season. If you take the win Vegas win expectancy from all 162 of the Cardinals games and add them up, you get a seasonal win expectancy of 0.5425 which translates to an expected win total of 87.88 games. If you do the same for my simulation of each Cardinals game you get a seasonal win expectancy of 0.5721 or 92.67 wins. The Cardinals actually went 90-72 on the season and of course went on to have a pretty successful post-season. Below is a list of all 162 games with the Vegas odds for every game, the list is sorted by games in which the Cardinals were the largest favorite to win.
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All True Cardinals Team
by Chris St. John on Nov 8, 2011 2:06 PM EST
Over at Beyond the Box Score, I come up with a "True Cardinals" team. Basically, what is the best 25-man roster you can put together with players who have played for the Cardinals their entire career? 6 of the players are current Cardinals. This includes Albert Pujols (he's coming back anyway, right?). Of course, Stan Musial leads the team. A few players didn't quite make it because they weren't eligible, but I tried to give them a shout out at the end. Come on over and start a conversation about the team!
Ron Washington says "[expletive] Carp."
by chriswallace on Nov 7, 2011 2:44 PM EST
Someone leaked Ron Washington's game 7 pre-game speech where L'il Ron Ron tries to pump his team up. I certainly laughed pretty hard throughout considering what ended up happening in game 7. Warning: the video contains strong language.
on the fence
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Nov 6, 2011 5:06 PM EST
There are plenty of things I'm on the fence about after the magnificent ending to the 2011 season. World Series champs again, and it feels sooooo much better than it did in 2006 (in my opinion anyway, I think most would agree). But something happened after that that was at least a little bittersweet. Tony Larussa retired after an era in Cardinals baseball had become obvious that it was complete.
I joined VEB back during the end of spring training 2008 (or was that 2007?). Anyway, it was right before the season started. I remember Hardcore Legend once describing to me why people did not like Larussa as much as I would have thought at the time. I tended to disagree, still thinking Larussa was some kind of genius mastermind. I think VEB in general was saying it was all smoke and mirrors, and that he was not actually that good of a manager (of course there were a few exceptions). At the time I did have some inkling what they were talking about, but did not think about it much (and in the past, not at all). In fact I thought it was a little suspect, considering Tony's track record, especially since winning in 2006 with a not so great team... and somehow righting the ship in 2007 so that the team still did have a chance (which was on Ankiel's shoulders too much.... I'm still rather disappointed about how the HGH thing played out. it's times like that where I can hate sports journalism, or whatever it was).
But going forward, after I had time to absorb why many criticized Larussa, reading game threads and comments, I started to realize what they were talking about. Tony seemed to be getting a little worse with age, to put it lightly. Did we ever see Adam Kennedy deployed as he was in 2008? To me it almost seemed sarcastic or a joke to play someone like Adam Kennedy in the outfield 10 times, 6 of them starts? What was going on there? AK would be one of the lesser talked about people who either disgruntled TLR or vice versa: Tony totally getting under your nerves and your goat.
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