The Thank You Larry Borowski Thread

by Zubin on Oct 28, 2006 1:08 AM EDT

Hey, I think its appropriate that we all offer our thanks to our favorite blogger here.

LB, I just wanted to say thanks again for an incredible season. Your blog (along with Brian Gunn's Redbird Nation in '04) has let me appreciate baseball like I have never before. Your daily columns are both enteraining and informative. I still am in amazment at the work you do and the time you dedicate to it. Most of all thank you for creating an place for this part of Cardinal nation to gather.

Update [2006-10-28 8:17:47 by lboros]: i appreciate that, Zubin; thanks to you and to everybody who posted below, and to all who have hung out here to share the joys and sorrows of baseball fandom. this would have been a rewarding year for me even without a cardinal championship -- for all the good discussion and camaraderie. thanks to all for helping to create an outstanding community --- how lucky we are to have this unbelieveable champ'ship to share.

Tweet Comment 59 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I Second That

You're one of the finest bloggers on the net, and you've made this season a hell of a lot more fun to follow. Cheers, Larry. Enjoy it.

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel

by DaveoftheBirds on Oct 28, 2006 1:10 AM EDT reply actions

T third that

Thanks for a great blog. I plan to visit daily in the offseason.

Redbirds Fun
The Kentucky Democrat
Win it for JB and DK57

by cardsfan84 on Oct 28, 2006 1:11 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed

Larry and I got into some heated discussions when Pujols struggled and when about the Thomas/Thome move by the ChiSox...but this blog is my #1 spot on the internet to visit.

Thanks Larry. Here's to another great season next year!

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Oct 28, 2006 1:11 AM EDT reply actions

Absolutely

I found this blog last off season. I check it every time i get on...its my homepage...and i am proud.
THANKS LARRY
YOURE AMAZING
seriously though..if i were a chick...id want you
; )

by Dttl89 on Oct 28, 2006 1:12 AM EDT reply actions

add my thanks

I've been reading daily since the curveblog days. LB, you've added great enjoyment and insight to following the Cards through the ups and downs, esp this season. Love your work... thanks a ton ... looking forward to good reads for years to come.

by Tudor 85 on Oct 28, 2006 1:20 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed

This is the first place I stop when I get online in the morning, and I always look forward to reading your insights on this team. You do a great service for us, Larry, and I hope you never give it up. I still remember you're first sentence after the Cardinals swept the Phillies in April, "so when do the playoffs start?"

And I'm sorry if I've annoyed you with my constant attempt at reverse psychology. I'll try to do better in 2007.

by ryanisforever on Oct 28, 2006 1:23 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks

Larry, I think I'm most impressed by your ability to do it day in and day out. I keep two blogs of my own, and writing about the same topic every day, that's awesome, and impressive. Congrats on a fine year, and I hope the enthusiasm doesn't die down this offseason (I have a feeling it wont)!

Acquire Barry Zito!

by aet15 on Oct 28, 2006 1:27 AM EDT reply actions

We couldn't have done it...

without you, lboros.

And for Christmas, I'm getting you a Shift key for your keyboard. ;)

Obsessions of a Cardinal Fan
Redbirds Fun

by Quietude on Oct 28, 2006 1:46 AM EDT reply actions

amen to that

you do a great job here lboros. i've been reading this blog every day for about a year now. you always have great insight. thanks for you all your hard work.

The St. Louis Cardinals: No Curses, No Excuses, Just Wins

by amettrick on Oct 28, 2006 1:52 AM EDT reply actions

I couldn't say it any better

than those who came before me.

Thanks for creating and maintaining this blog. This is my only "must-read" each day. I may post infrequently, but I read it constantly.

Thanks again.

The '06 Cardinals - the new '87 Twins?

by BozCardsFanSF on Oct 28, 2006 1:55 AM EDT reply actions

cheers

thanks so much!

8/13/79- Lou Brock 3000 hits

by lb3000 on Oct 28, 2006 2:26 AM EDT reply actions

Thank you thank you

Your far too kind!

lboros - YOU DA MAN!

Keep up the good work, and heres to some good chats throughout the winter.

CARDSIN06 Baby!

by El Hombre on Oct 28, 2006 2:38 AM EDT reply actions

Great

I don't post much....but I looked around the other SportsNation blogs at times this year and noticed that Viva El Birdos had the most traffic of any one by far.....there's something to say about the greatest fans in sports right there.

by Baseball addict on Oct 28, 2006 2:41 AM EDT reply actions

Signed.

Larry is the effing man. This blog occupies way too much time of mine each day :) Keep it up Larry!

Miller sucks.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Oct 28, 2006 3:30 AM EDT reply actions

Right On

LB--you are the man. That's it. I found your old blog 2 or more years ago and knew this was where I belonged. Regardless, you have done a helluva job keeping us all in line while providing the best baseball coverage ever. Thanks for allowing me to be part of it. WE WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!

by rockin redbird on Oct 28, 2006 3:31 AM EDT reply actions

Thank You For Helping to make 2006 the most....

Magical Season Ever.

I didn't post much, but the first thing I did every morning was read your blog. Although this was my first year on Viva El Birdos, it most certainly will not be my last.

Your 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals

Thank you.

Let's Go Yadi

by SHUCardinal on Oct 28, 2006 3:34 AM EDT reply actions

Props

Your work and doggedness is deserving of all the praise so far and then some. Just do us a favor and don't burn out - we've already lost Brian Gunn's Redbird Nation, which was a terrible blow to my insatiable need for intelligent Cardinals discussion and storytelling, until I heard of this site.

Sip some whiskey, take some time off if needed, and then keep doing what you do. We all appreciate it.

by taiko on Oct 28, 2006 3:36 AM EDT reply actions

couldn't have been a better way

to watch these Cardinals do their inexplicable thing. Thanks for the blogging, and for helping out your fellow blogger.

No thanks, though, to whoever coined the word blog.

by DanUpBaby on Oct 28, 2006 4:26 AM EDT reply actions

Good stuff as always, dude... WHAT A YEAR

To the best Cards site out there/here/anywhere... Thanks LB.
Hope you keep on blogging, brother.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Oct 28, 2006 5:53 AM EDT reply actions

indeed

Wonderful site; you make it even more fun to be a Cardinals fan.

Thanks Larry.

by redbirdbrain on Oct 28, 2006 8:50 AM EDT reply actions

Bravo, Bravo LBoros!!

It would not have been nearly the experience that it was without VEB and the people here...

God Bless ya Larry... :-)

"We came, we saw, WE KICKED IT'S ASS!!"

by iron duke75 on Oct 28, 2006 8:51 AM EDT reply actions

Ditto...

Thanks Larry! Awesome blog. You're insight into the game and the Cards is fantastic.

This season was unbelievable and the intelligent, fun-loving dialog between fans on this blog made it even more enjoyable.

"Don't fail to miss tomorrow's game!" - Dizzy Dean

by jdubya on Oct 28, 2006 10:13 AM EDT reply actions

great blog, larry baby!

People, people. No caps!

by sdrone on Oct 28, 2006 10:23 AM EDT reply actions

What they said...

despite some of our differences, there's a kindred spirit that all Cardinals fans share, and this is a great place to come and share it.

by cardsrul on Oct 28, 2006 10:33 AM EDT reply actions

thanks larry for all you do

it takes a lot of work to dig up the insights and perspectives you give, i consider myself very fortunate that i'm allowed to do my li'l chime in sundays. this is a great place. thanks to larry, and the fans who post here that make this place fun to share cardinal baseball!

"Go Crazy, Folks! Go Crazy!"

by erik on Oct 28, 2006 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah

starting out writing here has made the level of work required very clear, and that's just for one day a week.

by Valatan on Oct 28, 2006 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions

thanks larry!

for all of your hard work. you are the finest cardinal blogger on the net! i've been on many cards blog(and have on of my own), but VEB is simply the best! keep doing what you do larry, because its been great so far, did i mention, amazing blog!

www.redbirdramblings.wordpress.com

by cards4life on Oct 28, 2006 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah lboros

thanks, can't find the words for this place.

Muck the Fets

by viva el rojo pajaro 42 on Oct 28, 2006 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Since

I came over from Redbird Nation, this has been a tether to the Cardinals' world, and a link to other Cardinals' fans. Living in New York, it's very hard to find comrades--first game of the NLCS excepted!

This site was my home page for the second half of the season, and a place that was a big part of this strange, difficult, enraging, and ultimately joyous baseball season. It would NOT have been as joyous without this site, and the unfathomable amount of work that LBoros has done to make it such an amazing place.

by glennrwordman on Oct 28, 2006 12:26 PM EDT reply actions

concurrence

I found this place after Brian Gunn's site went down, and I must say you've done an excellent job filling his shoes and representing the Cardnials fan base. Thanks for all your tireless effort!

by edgesofsanity on Oct 28, 2006 12:44 PM EDT reply actions

LB is King!

May he long reign!

So says, The Dude

by Titus Pullo on Oct 28, 2006 12:51 PM EDT reply actions

the rational approach

I was on my way out to a bar last night to watch the game (the bar ended up sucking so I headed home and watched it there) but while I was waiting for the Metro some guy came up and started talking to me about the series. We talked for about 5 minutes but the whole time I was thinking, "I wouldn't know 10% of the stuff I'm telling this guy if it weren't for VEB."

lboros runs a great site here and I honestly believe he's helping to create a knowledgeable base of Cardinals fans by fostering such a intelligent and insightful community.

It can be quite difficult at times I'm sure (remember that vacation he went on?) but excellent work, lboros. We all appreciate it.

by dontEATnachos on Oct 28, 2006 1:02 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed...

thanks lboros. this site helps feed the spirit of those of us scattered around. It's a great site like everybody said with a lot of knowledge and a lot of spirit. I'm glad to have been a part of it even if only in a small way. Maybe I will have to change my posting name now!!!!

by 1985kid on Oct 28, 2006 1:33 PM EDT reply actions

Joining the Chorus

Love the discussion here. Great, solid stuff. Hope to have many more long postseason runs to be analyzed here!

by Cardinal70 on Oct 28, 2006 2:57 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks for making this season special

Thanks LB for keeping the Cardinal universe informed, inspired, and vented through a long, roller coaster, magical season. As a die-hard Bird fan, your blog has given me a place to read and discuss a life-long passion...Cardinal baseball. There is no other place like this, for both quality and quantity of relevant baseball musings. Thanks your efforts are greatly appreciated.

go crazy folks..........

by wwbd on Oct 28, 2006 3:38 PM EDT reply actions

here here

great job Larry!!

by truemun12 on Oct 28, 2006 4:13 PM EDT reply actions

adding my thanks

I've been in New York since '94 and didn't know any Cardinals fans. Redbird Nation and then VEB reconnected me to my team and made me a more rabid fan than I've ever been in my lifetime.

I value this site not only for lboros' terrific insights and gifted writing skills, but for his penchant for linking to the myriad of other Cards sites out there over the course of the year, and then opening his own site up to Valatan and Erik's contributions. From the beginning, he's strengthened the ties in an already ironclad network of great Cardinals fans that span generations, geography and viewpoints. This is a community that I'm extremely proud to be a part of.

Three more things:

(1) My favorite feature of VEB this year was the interviews with players in the Cards' farm system. When our team struggled this year, it was easy to lose sight of what a great game baseball is, and how much our players are invested in this game. My favorite is the blake hawksworth interview, especially where blake talks about anthony reyes.

(2) Through VEB, I met up with a number of great fans living in New York, and celebrated LCS and World Series victories with them. I never would have met this tremendous group of people otherwise. I've hugged more strangers in the last two weeks than I will at any other time in my life.

(3) As the season wore on and it became abundantly clear we weren't a great team, negativity hit this board like a flood, and Larry was put in the unenviable position of having to police this board. So let our world championship put that bs to rest.

Thanks lboros! Viva El Birdos!

by mikeoat on Oct 28, 2006 6:01 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks, lboros

Cardinal Nation is a better place due to your efforts.

by liam on Oct 28, 2006 10:34 PM EDT reply actions

I'd like to 39th the sentiment

Larry, through your fantastic writing and analysis, you've made Viva El Birdos my first stop on the Internet each day.

I learned so much from you and from the ever-growing community of VEB commenters.

Thank you for providing a great place where Cardinals fans can gather and talk about the best team in the world.

The 26th Man

by 26thMan on Oct 29, 2006 12:40 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks Lboros

I have allowed myself to become addicted to this site- check it every day and feel like I've learned a lot about this game I love. Viva El Birdos!

I'm going to my happy place now.

by RosevilleRedbird on Oct 29, 2006 1:41 AM EDT reply actions

hell yeah

Thank you LBoros. You made a great season that much greater.

by Fitz on Oct 29, 2006 1:51 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks Larry

Some of the rest of us have Cards blogs, but yours is tops (by a large margin) because of the hard work you put into the research and analysis behind your thoughts and opinions.

You've made this a fun and rewarding place for us all to come and enjoy being fans of the Cardinals.

by player2bnamedl8r on Oct 29, 2006 9:35 AM EST reply actions

My favorite place on the net

Thanks so much for the entertainment and knowledge. I appreciate your efforts and look forward to reading VEB each day.

by KY BirdsonBat on Oct 29, 2006 9:50 AM EST reply actions

me too

I have lurked all season, never missed a day, have never posted anything anywhere in my entire life, but felt I just had to tell you how much I appreciate what you have done here.

Thank you very, very much!!!!

by nocrying on Oct 29, 2006 10:44 AM EST reply actions

Thanks

for many of the nice comments about Redbird Nation above, and congrats to you, Larry, for your standout work. You made my love for the Cardinals more fun, more intelligent, and more passionate that it already was... Thank you!

Brian Gunn

by briangunn on Oct 29, 2006 12:43 PM EST reply actions

Here here

I don't think I can say anything because it already been said. But thank you, lboros, you made those ungodly losing streaks bearable. Thank you!

Invisible Gophers---2006 Tempe, AZ Slow Pitch Softball Champs!!!

by BigdJC on Oct 29, 2006 1:15 PM EST reply actions

I feel like

the 47th person giving a toast. Siffice to say, this has been a blog worthy of a World Series champion.

by DCGreg on Oct 29, 2006 2:53 PM EST reply actions

suffice

by DCGreg on Oct 29, 2006 5:55 PM EST up reply actions

muchos gracias!

agree with the sentiment. larry, you've awakened my intellectual curiousity about this game, and that has really added to my enjoyment of watching cardinal baseball. have been reading since the spring and cannot think of a better way to have spent this world championship season!

by ChiTown CardFan on Oct 29, 2006 6:09 PM EST reply actions

This is a fantastic blog

And I appreciated it every day many times a day. Larry, your writing is teriffic, and the thoughtful, baseball-minded musings by all the fellow bloggers are a treat to read. I don't usually feel the need to even post because my every angle gets disscussed around these parts. Thank you, Larry, and thank you every one else.

by mdarshan on Oct 29, 2006 8:57 PM EST reply actions

better late than never?

Just got back into town from St. Louie and hadn't had the chance to sign this until now. Good to know there are others who care about this team like I do. (and know how to use a computer...)

i salute you and thanks for letting me pimp my beard.

by effin fisk on Oct 29, 2006 9:17 PM EST reply actions

Best baseball team blog

It is quite fitting that a team with the best fans in baseball and the best tradition outside the Yankees has the best team blogger out there. Thanks Larry for your talent. It has greatly enhanced the ambience of the season, especially for a lifetime Cards fan who lives in Chicago.

by dancurry on Oct 29, 2006 9:50 PM EST reply actions

this is definitely

my favorite VEB thread ever . . . . .

honestly, you guys, this is very gratifying. thanks for all these nice sentiments --- and thanks for building this place with me. it feels good to know that the community we all created together means something to people. many, many people contribute great insights here and are committed (either by example or direct engagement) to enforcing etiquette, keeping the discussions smart and civil, etc etc.

particular thanks to Erik and Valatan on both counts.

by lboros on Oct 30, 2006 7:11 AM EST reply actions

Merci Beaucoup!

This site has given me so much knowledge and satisfaction this season. It is the first place I come to when I get to work in the morning & it occupies WAY too much of my time here at work. But I usually have a lot of free time on the clock, so VEB is a godsend. Plus, reading here is always time well spent, regardless of how much work I could have accomplished otherwise.

Larry, I am always impressed with the quality and quantity of information that you put out daily, and am amazed at the dedication required to produce consistently intelligent material every day. (I would also like to thank the guest bloggers that have assisted Larry, to give him a break & to allow us to observe your different takes on this worthwhile obsession.)

This community that has gathered here has allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the game of baseball and deepen my devotion for my Cardinals. Larry has fostered an environment where well-thought-out discourse, well-intentioned banter, and well-meaning stories can be shared with respect. Where casual fans can become impassioned, where the ignorant can become knowledgeable, where the imitators & instigators can go elsewhere.

This is one Village where Red is definitely the Good Color.

Thank you, Larry, for being a sounding board for my off-kilter ideas, a source for something worth talking about, and a magnet for drawing in like-minded fans.

Oh, the joy of intelligent discussion.

Oh, the burden of stupid people.

by Solanus on Oct 30, 2006 11:39 AM EST up reply actions

Let me add a belated thanks

Sorry that I didn't see this thread earlier but I can only echo all the comments made above. Thanks Larry for all your time and effort. I would never see half the Cards news that I do without VEB. I found the blog at the end of last season and it provided wonderful info and analysis during the hot-stove season. Looking forward to another interesting off-season and, hopefully, another celebration next October.

by ArkansasTravs on Oct 30, 2006 11:59 AM EST reply actions

fo rilla

Larry, you are the man! You do such a fantastic job, you should really be proud.

by Andy @ Viva El Birdos on Oct 30, 2006 12:12 PM EST reply actions

WHAT A YEAR!!!!

I'M GOING TO BE THE BIZARRO-LB FOR THIS POST AND THIS POST ONLY...ALL CAPS, BABY. ALL CAPS.

DO YOU EVER WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND JUST FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS "RIGHT" IN YOUR WORLD? I'VE HAD THAT VERY FEELING FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS. CARDS ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPS. ALL IS "RIGHT" IN MY WORLD.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK, THE DAILY COMMITTMENT AND THE MENTAL ENERGY YOU PUT INTO THIS BLOG. IT'S TRULY A MUST-READ FOR EVERY CARDINAL FAN. YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT ON THE GAME AND THE CARDINALS, IN PARTICULAR, MAKE THE SEASON MORE ENJOYABLE.

THANKS AGAIN, AMIGO. WE'VE ALL BEEN ON A WONDERFUL RIDE THIS YEAR WITH THIS TEAM. THANKS FOR BEING A GREAT FASCILITATOR OF SOME FIN BASEBALL/CARDINAL DISCUSSIONS.

PEACE.

by busch league on Oct 30, 2006 12:42 PM EST reply actions