eckstein's owie

by lboros on Mar 3, 2007 9:32 AM EST in St. Louis Cardinals News

from this morning's post-dispatch:

Shortstop and leadoff hitter David Eckstein probably will miss at least two weeks of Grapefruit League competition after experiencing discomfort in his left side, the same area that dogged him during last season's final weeks. . . .

Cardinals medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta is set to examine Eckstein this morning after arriving in West Palm Beach on Friday night. Meanwhile, the club issued an abbreviated statement Friday stating that "Eckstein is experiencing mild rib cage soreness not related to a specific injury."

full article here.

per matt leach: the cardinals' pitchers today vs the florida marlins will be wells, cate, keisler, hancock, flores, sillman and falkenborg. gameday link is here.

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Larry...

Have you offically adopted Troy Cate as the "VEB's Special Project Pitcher of the Year" yet, or does he still have more to prove? Last year's receipent, Josh Kinney, got the kiss, and look what it did for him!

Falk and Cate would be my nods to get a lot of pitches in key situations this spring to see what they can do. I would load them up on second or third slots, so they are throwing to first teamers and not to prospects or roster fillers.

by Brock20 on Mar 3, 2007 11:36 AM EST reply actions

Last Year's SPPotY

That was Brad Voyles, now in Minnesota's camp.

Anybody else enjoying their time in the St. Louis Cardinals Virtual Waiting Room this morning? It seems even worse than last year.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 11:48 AM EST reply actions

I got through

and got Casino Queen Party Porch seats for 4/29 against the Cubs (awesome!) but have been shut out on every other date I tried (not awesome). I'm a gonna have to scalp for opening day, I'm afraid (also not cool).

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 11:51 AM EST up reply actions

just

got two to the last home game of the year against the Stros as well. yea, me!

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 11:55 AM EST up reply actions

Sumbitch

I haven't gotten anything and I've been waiting for half an hour. I'm trying to get tickets to all three games of the Braves series in August, gonna get party porch tickets for one of those days. I got tickets for a party box last season (a KC game that we won) and drank enough beer and ate enough dog to turn a profit on the deal.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 12:08 PM EST up reply actions

have you

closed it out and restarted? I was stuck for an hour on that last series before I opened it up again.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

I'll give that a try

Thinking about opening up IE7 and Opera to have three VWRs running in three different browsers. Leveraging my competitive advantage, so to speak.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 12:13 PM EST up reply actions

virtual waiting

virtual waiting room.... bah. where's my virtual out-of-date magazine to read while i wait?

Rabid Redbird

by gthedamned on Mar 3, 2007 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

By mid-season.....

Kinney was the most discussed pitcher, as in call him up and give him a try. But I forgot about ST and Voyles.

I hate those VWR, so I broke down and bought a Pujols Pack for my mom for her birthday. She wanted to go to the ring ceremony and I think I have tickets to that same Cub game, I know I have a cub game.

by Brock20 on Mar 3, 2007 12:06 PM EST reply actions

Word

I thought we were just talking about Spring Training. I'm thinking Cavazos will be the guy we're talking about by mid-season, although when I look at the personnel we've got, I'm thinking it might be TJ, who could end up at Memphis with Rincon and Flores up on high-priced contracts.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 12:09 PM EST up reply actions

I was close

to pulling the trigger and getting a pujols pack, but I just didn't want to be hamstringed in to going to those particular games and planning that far out in advance. I think it's a really cool option, though and I'm glad the franchise offers it.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 12:09 PM EST up reply actions

La Russa Pack

The Friday game in this Atlanta series is on the La Russa plan, so I'm going for that game first. I'm buying five tickets and bringing three friends of mine who are Atlanta natives. (Last year's series was rough.) If it were just one or two tickets I'm buying, I probably would have bought the La Russa plan. It occurred to me too late that I could have bought tickets for that game in an all-inclusive area a few weeks ago.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 12:16 PM EST up reply actions

The Braves

better get one hell of a standing ovation the first time they're at Busch this year. We really owe them.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

You bet

I imagine my friends, decked out in their Andruw Jones jerseys, will get some high fives from the section. I got my tickets for the series, so I'm pleased. Now I'm picking up some tickets for the Bud Light T-shirt game on May 24th and trying to decide whether I want to go to the previous game against the Pirates (the game when kids can get autographs from current players and I can get 'em from retired players) or the Friday game afterwards against the gNats.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 12:36 PM EST up reply actions

And of course,

every Memphis pitcher that deserved a shot over Jason Marquis in the rotation.

by Valatan on Mar 3, 2007 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Just Memphis?

There were some guys at QC that I would have let pitch over Marquis.

How many options does Tyler still have? That may keep him on the roster. Cavaos is a stellar call as well. Lots of bullpen depth, some of which I can see being traded in a minor deal right after camp is broken. Alternatively, Walt stockpiles and uses at the deadline.

Alex, I'm pretty sure the tickets could be sold pretty easily, even for a mid-week game against the Pirates. So, I'm not really concerned about that. Plus, like I said, my mom really wanted to go to the ring ceremony and she's the hardest person in the world to shop for so when she actually mentioned that she wanted to go see them get the rings, I thought "SCORE!"

Its a nice full circle kind of thing since I took her to Game Four of the World Series for an early Christmas gift.

Another note, they sell party room tickets individually now. They are pricey, like 100 bucks, but they come with all the food and drink you want. If you guys are still in the drinking parts of your life, you could make your money back and then some. If you are not, the food is decent: hotdogs, brats, nachos, chicken strips, and cookies.

Its a good fallback if you absolutly have to go to a game.

by Brock20 on Mar 3, 2007 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

wasn't marquis 9-0 at one point last year?

what happened to that?

Evident The Wash.

by brock on Mar 3, 2007 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

Looks like

personal circumstances are once again going to prevent me from traveling to STL this year. Goddammit...

by cardsrul on Mar 3, 2007 12:58 PM EST reply actions

Gameday link

The link in the post needs to be fixed, the retrosheet code for the marlins is FLO, not FLA.

This is it.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 1:21 PM EST reply actions

Must have been

a heck of a double by JRod to score Yadi from first!

by RedbirdRay on Mar 3, 2007 2:35 PM EST up reply actions

Ooops

Eli, not JRod.

by RedbirdRay on Mar 3, 2007 2:36 PM EST up reply actions

Cate

Looks like 6 up, 6 down for him today

by tdawg on Mar 3, 2007 2:48 PM EST reply actions

Keisler, too

He got nothing but groundballs. He'll be a man to watch at Memphis.

by liam on Mar 3, 2007 2:56 PM EST up reply actions

Nice

digging through Gamedays, I saw Papelbon pitched two innings: no hits, no walks, struck out 4 against some of Phillie's best.

by RedbirdRay on Mar 3, 2007 3:15 PM EST up reply actions

The Marlins scored less runs than I thought

they would, considering that we had a whole lot of low-ends and prospects pitching. Spring training, spring training... well, it's nice to win, but I'm finally not taking the results as seriously as I used to. At this point, I'm happy just to have baseball back.

Sparks of Dementia Cards, A's, and Rockies coverage by an amateur if very enthusiastic blogmistress, myself.

by Scarlet the Cardinal on Mar 3, 2007 4:39 PM EST reply actions

But hey,

check out the slugging percentage on that Rasmus kid!

by jfs on Mar 3, 2007 6:45 PM EST up reply actions

Does anyone else think that the Eckstein injury

could be a blessing in disguise for the Cardinals? Given all the talk of an extension, which I don't think would be wise, the Cardinals may be forced to look at other options.

I know Eckstein is a fan favorite -- grit, hustle, great attitude and on and on, but I'm not sure he's really a very good shortstop. He's certainly adequate but signing him for another 3 years seems like a bad idea. I hope he does well this year. I also hope the Cardinals keep an eye on Brendan Ryan in Memphis and free agent to be Carlos Guillen.

by azruavatar on Mar 3, 2007 7:50 PM EST reply actions

concured.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Mar 3, 2007 8:36 PM EST up reply actions

Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones

The belief is that Alex Rodriguez will opt out of his contract this off-season and become a free agent, looking for a deal more lucrative than his current on.

The Cardinals aren't particularly known for making 'big splashes' in the free agent market, usually looking to gain 'high impact' players via trade (or if GOB drops one in their lap ala El Hombre).

With these two players, you will be getting two relatively young (Alex - 32, Andruw - 31) on Opening Day 2008 who are well established stars with still a lot of upside.

Each is going to command a massive amount of money (well above Soriano or Beltran dollars) however both are better than either of those players.

The Cardinals in 2008 will need to fill a hole a SS and in the OF (hopefully no more Juan). Of course, obtaining both of these players would be foolish and prove to be too expensive.

However, if one could be had, how drastically would it change the direction of the franchise? With Pujols locked up through the 2011 and Rolen through 2010, adding a Alex Rodriguez or Andruw Jones would be costly but I don't believe unrealistic.

The front office showed they were willing to throw $15 million/year at players like Jason Schmidt (albeit short term). Rodriguez will probably be looking in the ballpark of $30 million, where as Jones in the $20m range.

Would getting into a bidding war for either of these players be a bad idea? It would be uncharacteristic, as the Cards traditionally like to model contracts shorter term or for less money but with the current swing of the market, is it believable that a better free agent hitter than Andruw or Alex will come availible until $25m annual contracts become the norm?

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 3, 2007 7:51 PM EST reply actions

My personal feelings about A-Rod aside

I just don't think that management will pull the trigger. For one thing, I don't see them giving anyone more money than Pujols, ever and if $252 million isn't enough for A-Rod, then it's certainly more than what Jocketty and Co. are going to be willing to throw at him. Also, aside from an infield crowded with superstars (assuming that Eckstein makes the move to second base) it would Pujols, Rolen, WS MVP Eckstein, and Rodriguez. There would be a lot of questions there.

First, would Eckstein be willing to move to second base if management wants to keep him? Second: That's... a lot of egos to manage, even for Tony. The management has built this team around Pujols, with, of course, excellent reason, and you don't know how he'd respond if A-Rod was brought in to share the spotlight. I also don't think that management would ever take the risk of alienating El Hombre. That question aside, it would be nonstop media drama - how's A-Rod fitting in with the team? - How is his relationship with Pujols? - and to be honest, it would start to be a drain.

As you may also know, I don't like A-Rod. I don't necessarily think that he's good for a team and for a championship, no matter how many individual numbers he puts up, and I don't buy the "oh, people are so hard on him" routine. He accepted that contract, that spotlight, that place on the Yankees; he's asked for everything he's been given. He's a good hitter - great - in the regular season, one of the best in the game. But it's just numbers. Perhaps the less-intense stage of the Cards would be better for him than the bright glare of NYC, I don't know. But I don't like him, don't think we necessarily need him - we won a championship last year while A-Rod and the Yankees went home early yet again - and would have a hard time supporting his inclusion on the team.

Just my 0.02.

Sparks of Dementia Cards, A's, and Rockies coverage by an amateur if very enthusiastic blogmistress, myself.

by Scarlet the Cardinal on Mar 3, 2007 8:28 PM EST up reply actions

His overall postseason numbers are very good

You can cherrypick horrible postseason series for anyone, including Babe Ruth. And he's an absurdly good offensive and defensive player. If they can afford A-Rod, they would be crazy to not let Eckstein go and pick him up, and have an infield of Rolen, A-Rod, Kennedy and Pujols. That might be the best offensive and defensive infield ever.

by Valatan on Mar 3, 2007 8:57 PM EST up reply actions

But it's not happening

as much as I think it would be an interesting move.

And I would think that Pujols would be more interested in winning than anything, and adding the best available player to the team would do that.

Of course, Walt would be crazy to not talk to Albert first.

by Valatan on Mar 3, 2007 8:58 PM EST up reply actions

Despite being the one to start this discussion

I too, believe that Alex is too rich a price for the Cardinals, with or without Albert.

I do, however, think that a run at Andruw Jones isn't out of the question. I think if the Cardinals management could convince Jimmy to move either to LF or RF for the final year of his career (2008), Jones in CF would provide the same caliber defense of Edmonds coupled with legit protection for Albert in the lineup again.

The idea all boils down to "what are future HOF'ers' worth. We aren't talking about guys that are in their late 30's, early 40's tagging on to some team at the end to pad stats. These players still have 3 or 4 'prime' years in their career along with probably 2 or 3 more 'above average' seasons. When the Alfonso Sorianos and Vernon Wells of the world are making upwards of $20 million a year, at what cost would 'near sure things' come at and wouldn't it be a sound investment to buy in?

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 4, 2007 3:30 AM EST up reply actions

Absurdly good? Offense, most likely

And he was good as a SS before moving to third, but still... 24 errors? Not sure that that falls under the label of "absurdly good." Still, of course, he might benefit from a return to his first position.

And as much as I love Albert, I do think that he has a bit of an ego, and a definite knowledge that he, with good reason, is THE centerpiece of this team. He does, after all, have a championship ring now, something that A-Rod lacks. One thing I've never doubted, however, is Albert's all-consuming drive to win, so if he thought that A-Rod would help, he'd be amenable to it. A-Rod, however... I've never exactly gotten that feeling from him. It's, "Oh, why should the people booing me at Yankee Stadium bothering me? I know I'm good and I'll go on my merry way." Of course, the fans there can be, and are, merciless to anyone who hasn't done much for them in the past three games or so, but I think that if A-Rod had that drive, he would have more of a reaction to it. Again, naturally, he can't really win - he'd get criticized for letting it affect him if he said that it did, but all I really get from A-Rod is, "I'm good at baseball and I like to play because I get paid a lot of money - " something which he's admitted. I don't get that feeling at all that he's willing to let himself come second to the team.

Again, however, just an opinion, and since it won't happen, it's just as a matter of speculation. :)

Sparks of Dementia Cards, A's, and Rockies coverage by an amateur if very enthusiastic blogmistress, myself.

by Scarlet the Cardinal on Mar 3, 2007 9:10 PM EST up reply actions

He's a gold glove SS

and was underrated defensively with the Mariners. We already have Rolen at third, so he wouldn't be playing out of position for the benefit of the most overrated player in all of the majors.

I don't know. I think it'd be interesting.

by Valatan on Mar 3, 2007 9:45 PM EST up reply actions

Which you are certainly allowed to think.

I, on the other hand, don't think so. :)

Sparks of Dementia Cards, A's, and Rockies coverage by an amateur if very enthusiastic blogmistress, myself.

by Scarlet the Cardinal on Mar 3, 2007 10:11 PM EST up reply actions

spring training stats?

anyone know of a good links to see spring training stats?

by gocards80 on Mar 3, 2007 9:59 PM EST reply actions

They're posted on the team site

Just go to the stats link at stlcardinals.com and it'll show stats for spring training.

by Phyrkrakr on Mar 3, 2007 10:41 PM EST up reply actions

Bigbie....

This from MLB Trade Rumors. A great site in my humble opinion.....

The biggest story so far out of Dodgers' Spring Training is the resurgence of Larry Bigbie. In two and a half games, Bigbie is 5-5 with 6 RBIs and two HRs (three including an intra-squad game). While the sampling size is extremely miniscule, it's enough to show that he's healthy and draw interest from scouts in the stands."

Yea uh, thanks for NOTHING ya douchbag. Ok most likely that was uncalled for. ;-)

by Pujols for MVP on Mar 4, 2007 2:12 AM EST reply actions