seat of the pants
by lboros on Sep 11, 2007 8:18 AM EDT
in St. Louis Cardinals News
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Printthe cards have now lost 4 straight for the first time since the first week of august, when they opened the month with 5 Ls in a row to washington and pittsburgh. that losing streak had a lot in common with the current one; a couple blowouts (15-1 and 12-1), a couple one-run losses that could and should have been wins. that was right before the team called up ankiel, right before the shambles of a rotation improbably stabilized and carried st louis back to within a game of first place. the cardinals' bad pitchers all got hot at the same time, and they stayed hot just long enough to make it seem like maybe they could keep it going for a while. but the run only lasted two or three rotation cycles; in retrospect it obviously was just a random blip, rather than the full-blown trend we had hoped it would be. pineiro's last quality start came on august 30, kip wells' on august 14, anthony reyes' on august 12. mulder and maroth have made things worse, not better; the rotation's a shambles again, and it looks to stay that way. duncan more or less admitted to rick hummel that the cardinals don't actually have a rotation: "It really isn't a six-man (rotation). We're trying to do whatever we can each day." the seat-of-the-pants approach always inspires confidence in september.
what do we make of joel pineiro? his contract includes a mutual option for 2008; should the cardinals exercise their half? after yesterday's start he has 3 quality starts in 8 tries, with the following line:
| W-L | ERA | IP | H | BB | SO | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | FIP |
| 4-3 | 4.60 | 43 | 51 | 7 | 26 | 9 | .298 | .330 | .538 | 5.27 |
the walk rate's outstanding, but the rest of that line's pretty terrible; barely 5 innings a start, a .300 average, isolated power pushing .250. and it's not as if yesterday's bad outing marred an otherwise good set of stats; even before yesterday, opponents were solving him pretty well (.281 / .317 / .484). pineiro's line looks as good as it does only because of an abnormally high strand rate --- 77.6 after yesterday's game. (70 percent is right around average.) he was due for a blowout; we should have seen it coming. aside from the walk rate, pineiro in 2007 has been pretty much the same starter he was his last few seasons in seattle:
| W-L | ERA | W/9 | K/9 | HR/9 | AVG | OBP | SLG | FIP | |||
| 2007 (starts only) | 4-3 | 4.60 | 1.5 | 5.4 | 1.9 | .298 | .330 | .538 | 5.27 | ||
| 2006 | 8-13 | 6.36 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 1.3 | .311 | .376 | .496 | 5.29 | ||
| 2005 | 7-11 | 5.62 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 1.1 | .296 | .350 | .458 | 4.63 |
doesn't look like a good pitcher to me --- he reliably yields a lot of baserunners and a lot of extra-base hits, and that inevitably leads to a lot of runs. note how opponents' slugging pct has increased as pineiro's walk rate has decreased; he has been throwing more strikes, but they're getting hit. in spite of all that, he might be in the cardinals' plans at the moment; dave n tony like him, and the organization is desperate for some certainty heading into next year. but if joel gets tuned up another time or two between now and the end of the year, it'll be hard to justify renewing the deal; there'll be dfas just like him out on the wire by next may, guys who can deliver the same performance for about $5m less.
speaking of next year, tony got pouty with a usa today reporter and renewed the i'll-go-where-i'm-appreciated act:
for that matter, would st louis fans have the same patience with tony if there'd been a single worthy rival in the nl central the last couple of years? those .500 records he's mustered would look a lot different if it took .550 ball to make the playoffs.
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agree lb
some people would be calling for his head, personally, i dont think he has done a bad job, considering what he had to work with, and the plague of injuries he has had to deal with
i mean, really, name the guys on this team where health has not been an issue at all? anyone come to mind quickly?
the few i can think of are: miles, taguchi, springer
every other player has dealt with some sort of health issue at some point, some minor some not
Reality is what you see...
Hmmmm ...
I mean, just look at the line up Tony's trotting out there, day after day.
by Urban Pawnee on Sep 11, 2007 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Great points on Pineiro
How much is the option for? Is it 5MM? Does anyone know for sure? also, could someone explain the "mutual" part of the option? Can he pick it up if he wants to?
One last point on Pineiro- he has been terribly prone to the long ball. He's given up 9 home runs in 43 innings in STL. As good as he has seemed that tells me some if it is some an mirrors because he's on pace to give up 40 home runs in 200 innings... ouch.
by Born in 82 on Sep 11, 2007 9:08 AM EDT reply actions
per Cot's
1 year/$4M (2007), plus 2008 option
* acquired in trade (from Boston) 7/31/07
* DFA 7/23/07, accepted optional assignment to AAA 7/25/07
* signed as a free agent 1/07
* $2M in performance bonuses based on GF in 2007
* 3 years/$14.5M (2004-06)
o non-tendered (by Seattle) 12/06
o $1.5M signing bonus
o 04:$2.5M, 05:$4.2M, 06:$6.3M
o re-signed 1/04, avoided arbitration as a Super 2
* 1 year/$0.44M (2003)
* ML service: 5.144
From Boston Globe
The Sox and Pineiro hold a mutual option for 2008, with a base salary of $4 million, the same as he is being paid this season. The 2008 base can increase based on his performance this season -- if he's a reliever.
The base increases to $4.175 million if he finishes 25 games, $4.35 million if he finishes 30, $4.625 million if he finishes 35, $4.9 million if he finishes 40, $5.225 million if he finishes 45, $5.55 million if he finishes 50, and $6 million with 55 games finished.
There are performance incentives built into his deal for 2008: $175,000 each for 25 and 30 games finished, $275,000 each for 35 and 40 games finished, $325,000 each for 45 and 50 games finished, and $450,000 for 55 games finished. That's another $2 million.
Should Pineiro hit all of those performance levels in 2007 and '08, the Sox will be paying him a total of $12 million. There is an additional incentive: If he finishes 35 or more games in '07 and is not on the disabled list at the end of the season with an injury that could affect him in 2008, the mutual option becomes a player option.
thanks for the link...
"While his 2008 base salary will remain the same if he starts, his salary in each of the next two seasons [i.e.,2007 and 2008] can increase depending on number of starts. He can earn $150,000 each for 12, 15, 18, and 21 games started, and $350,000 each for 24, 27, 30, and 33 games started. That's $2 million in performance incentives. Thus the maximum he could be paid in each of the next two seasons as a starter is $6 million per year, or a total of $12 million, the same as he could earn as a reliever."
You'd think that if he did manage to get around 30 starts, he'd probably be deemed "effective". But laying out that kind of cash for a .900 OPS against seems kinda risky to me.
Tony
As much as I love Tony this team needs a change and I hope he sees it and moves on. Hopefully out of the division if he changes teams. I still think he is effective but while I think he has proven that he can lead established players he hasn't proven that he can teach young players and that is where this team needs to focus right now.
Although he may not be the best...
Yes it is
/sarcasm off
Tony ripped our 'scouting'
see my post on it.
http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/comments/2007/9/1/94212/65475/92#92
If I read it the way I heard it (anyone can check on gameday audio I think???), it sounds like TLR is NOT on board w/ the development from within approach.
Sounds like he is all about developing talent
We've got 2 pitchers, a CF and a catcher in our minor league system that might be MLB capable players. That is pretty pathetic.
by Hardcore Legend on Sep 11, 2007 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Luhnow's first draft....
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I wonder if it's possible to put a percentage
So he was't necessarily ripping Lunhow et al.
by cardsfaninmass on Sep 11, 2007 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
he'd be a fool to rip Luhnow...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
you really think
- there has definitely been improvement since luhnow showed up.
- i do not know nearly as much about the cards' farm system as a number of other people here, and i will certainly defer to them.
Almost every minor league person i've talked to...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
they have two prospects who are top 5
It's time for Tony to go
His end-of-the-season whining routine has become almost as irritating as Roger Clemens' ruminations about whether he'll retire.
I am more intrested in whether Jocketty leaves than TLR. I would like Walt to stay. TLR, Duncan, McRae -- buh-bye.
by Dexter Westbrook on Sep 11, 2007 9:48 AM EDT reply actions
While it might be time
you are correct
by willievinceterry on Sep 11, 2007 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Not better, different.
I'm in favor of rebuilding with youth, and if TLR would sign on to that vision enthusiastically, I would be very happy about it. I think he's a great manager and baseball man, and it would be fun to see what a clubhouse of young players would get out of his mentorship.
And it looks like you're implying that the 90-95 Cardinals were awful because of Joe Torre. While I was continually unhappy with the way he managed those teams, the basic problem was the really crappy roster the old owners kept throwing out there.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Sep 11, 2007 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I would doubt
I don't want TLR to go because I think he's done a bad job. I just believe it's time for a different, more youth-oriented approach that is better suited to the realities of our market.
by Dexter Westbrook on Sep 11, 2007 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
if the Cards some how some way
i say if they make the playoffs Tony deffinatly stays. if they miss the playoffs i say the odds are 60/40 that Tony is gone. maybe as high as 80/20 if another high profile job with a team that can win it all now, and with a high vet presence that Tony likes opens up in early november.
oh and no on joel. he sucked in seattle, he sucked in boston. and he sucks here. whenever the season is over, we need to say goodbye to joel. here's a nice Cardinals gym bag, some hats & jersery's for your effort.
Jo'el
by yer dog first on Sep 11, 2007 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Building from within...
by 4CardsFanz on Sep 11, 2007 10:00 AM EDT reply actions
Yes to TLR and Pinero
Goodbye Tone
On this date in 1973
I'm not giving up on this team yet. They did this before and then ripped of an improbable run.
It is Mark Mulder's second start, one that hopefully won't be effected by rain. Maybe this time out, he'll actually throw curveballs instead of just tossing in fastballs the first 2 innings.
Didn't Gibby get hurt in 1973? Anyone know when that was?
by Hardcore Legend on Sep 11, 2007 10:28 AM EDT reply actions
Gibby
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/tgl.cgi?t=p&team=STL&year=1973
re 1973
the mets 1973 analogy is worth citing, but it only goes so far. they had one of the best rotations in the league that year. tom seaver led the league in era and won the cy young. jerry koosman finished 8th in the league in era; the #3 starter, jon matlack, was in the top 20 or so. the mets finished 3d in the league in team era.
that's the big difference betw them and the cards. it's true, the st louis rotation could suddenly get hot again --- nobody saw it coming before, so maybe they'll surprise us again. i hope so. but i think they face longer odds than the '73 mets did.
I think this Cards team
Something else the Mets had in their favor
CHC: 6 Games (3 home/3 away)
MON: 2 Games
STL: 2 Games
PIT: 5 Games (2 Home/3 away)
That Pittsburgh set was particularly interesting because they played the Pirates 2 games in Pittsburgh, then flew back to New York to play a 3 game midweek series. Monday thru Friday, the played the defending NL East Champion Pirates.
They lost that first game 10-3, then proceeded to take the next 4.
Tom Seaver ain't walking through that door, though.
by Hardcore Legend on Sep 11, 2007 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
TLR
Pitching
"developing pitchers"
As has been discussed in earlier threads
I'm frustrated that Wells did not work out. Seeing him pitch the other night and during the earlier stretch when he had five out of six quality starts, it looks like he could have really helped us. I wonder if he had been handled differently if he could have been stabilized. Pinella's ability to manage Marquis comes to mind. Tony kept pushing Wells into exhaustion early in the season to get a win, only to secure a loss. Pinella would have let him have a positive experience pitching well (even if that was only for 4 or 5 innings) and then pulled him before he blew up. Perhaps that could have been worked on. Maybe so-called "head cases" aren't lost causes, but they need to be worked with in a certain way.
by nycardfan on Sep 11, 2007 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
You are right about how Pinella has
TLR bashers
The whole problem is the starting pitching. And sorry Looper has done well for this team but no good teams would want his numbers. Mulder is up in the air. I have no idea if he will ever be good. Pinero is not worth spending cash on. There was a reason he was DFA. He is not very good. Anthony Reyes has problems not pretaining to TLR and Dunc. He has horrible location issues.
Wainwright is the only positive thing this year in terms of starting pitching.
Agreed...
Why is it a "pout" when TLR expresses
Is TLR not allowed to defend his own or his players' integrity? Is it really fair to characterized that reaction as akin to a child's "pout" or unreasonable tantrum. I believe he has the right to speak out angrily in defense of his own or anyone else's honesty and dedication to the game when it's been challenged in public.
Having said that, I'm ambivalent about TLR staying.
On the one hand, I think he's lost enough games to keep us out of first place. He has especially mismanaged pitchers--leaving people in too long who were obviously laboring until they blew up. He probably did this according to some principle--they earned the right to prove themselves or he was trying to build confidence, etc. But I think it backfired--both losing us games and undermining their confidence, especially for Wells and Reyes.
On the other hand, I don't know whether any other manager would have been able to keep a team fighting this hard through so much adversity. Besides Wainwright, we've had no reliable pitchers since the all star break. How many managers could be competitive without a real rotation? And how many would stay competitive themselves trying to play with what he's been dealt with this year. And given the peculiar year, is it a good one to judge him by?
by nycardfan on Sep 11, 2007 10:41 AM EDT reply actions
Agreed
OTOH, if the article's tone is accurate, then it is irresponsible of TLR to be sending mixed messages to his players this late in the season while we still have a chance, however slim that chance might be.
by cardsgirl95 on Sep 11, 2007 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Thank you!
read the sidebar
"There were people writing that because of what happened in the spring [ie, the DUI], I had lost credibility and respect on that issue. That I was less likely to pursue my responsibility or be a leader on that issue. Those were personal insults.
You gotta be shitting me. To think that because I fell asleep I would be reluctant to confront Josh, that kind of bullshit goes beyond responsible journalism. At some point you say, 'It ain't worth it. It's not fun.'"
i'd characterize that as pouting. in most media markets, tony would have been manhandled over that DUI. the st louis media and fan base handled the incident with deference and respect --- they pretty much gave him a pass. when hancock died, there were some legitimate musings in the press about whether the hancock incident was symptomatic of some larger problem in the clubhouse. spiezio's subsequent trip to rehab suggests those musings were neither inaccurate nor unfair.
yet tony's feelings are still hurt over what he perceives as mistreatment. to me, that's pouting.
but that's TLR's beef exactly
he is pouting, yes. But, I think he has a legitimate claim 'just because I've got a dui doesn't mean I can't lead this clubhouse...doesn't mean when I speak about substance issues, no one listens'
In fact, if I remember the accounts correctly, TLR took Hancock aside the morning when he was late (thurs before he was killed) and gave him a stern talking to.
Now, are we supposed to believe that if Tony hadn't gotten a dui, his stern talking to would have been obeyed and followed by Josh. I really doubt it....the manager can't control everything...the fact that he took josh aside and had a talk shows a large degree of initiative and leadership.....
my two cents....
by cardsfaninmass on Sep 11, 2007 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
I need to preview my posts better
Sorry....
by cardsfaninmass on Sep 11, 2007 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Wait
we don't know what spezio's problem is
by cardsfaninmass on Sep 11, 2007 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes I know
just shows that
by jeff abs on Sep 11, 2007 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I'd still call that standing up
Bernie definitely challenged TLR's professionalism, especially after Hancock died. He began tying lots of things together and putting them on Tony's door. He insunuated that the clubhouse had a widespread "cultural" problem that wasn't being dealt with under TLR's leadership.
Just because reporters in other towns may have insulted TLR even more doesn't mean that he cannot or should not stand up for himself when his professionalism and integrity is called into question by the local press.
If we followed that logic, then we could only respond to the worst offenses against us; we'd be "pouting" if we objected to insults of a lesser order.
Again, "pouting" sounds like a child's tantrum. He sounds to me like he's (angrily) defending his responsibilities as a leader.
by nycardfan on Sep 11, 2007 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
tony should have expected some criticism
yet the st louis press came out and defended tony at the time of the DUI, and only made critical remarks (mild ones, at that) after the hancock tragedy. tony could have accepted that criticism as fair and responded in proportion; instead he got indignant that anybody might find fault with him.
its very debatable whether the criticisms
It's also very debatable wheher the criticisms were mild. Having one player's death and another player's substance abuse placed on your shoulders because of your questionable "leadership capabilities" is not a mild criticism, especially knowing TLR's pride in his club. That's a load.
TLR's anger right now also has to do with Ankiel, and as this site demonstrated the other day, there are many people who are dismayed with the impression that has been left by the press and others that Ankiel did something illegal or that he is a cheater. He has a right to be mad and to stand up for Ankiel.
by nycardfan on Sep 11, 2007 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
agreed...
if it was me and i was critizized for not doing enough for a player implying that i was somewhat responsible for someones death i think i wold be a little indidgent too...
if i were in tony's shoes
i bet tony was having those thoughts in private. there'd be no shame nor dishonor nor weakness in admitting it.
I agree
that sounds a bit like
by nycardfan on Sep 11, 2007 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Would anyone be pissed if...
Everyone would be pissed...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
and also
More likely 2 East coast teams
If free agent pitching is too expensive...
I have not put much thought into this, but the question remains, what are we going to do for starting pitching?
Wainwright is all we have.
In my mind Carp is a question mark due to injury, Mulder is a question mark due to injury, Looper is a question mark due to the fact that he is not a starter by trade, the rest of the bums are question marks because they stink.
Duncan
When did the cardinals
2005 was a remarkable draft, filled with remarkable talent and has helped our farm system considerably. However since then we have fallen back into the same strategy of taking low ceiling draft picks that are considered safe. Kozma falls into this category this year and the failure to sign Russell Highlights the reluctance to take a chance on high risk/high reward talent. The Braves, Dodgers, Tigers, Diamonbacks and others have had considerable success with this philosophy, yet the cardinals continue their strategy that has not worked in the past.
I'm afraid that even without the presence of TLR and co. fans would not see the quick injection of youth they are expecting.
by Some witty name on Sep 11, 2007 12:09 PM EDT reply actions
there has been one draft since 2005...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Two Drafts
by Some witty name on Sep 11, 2007 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
what's wrong with the 2006 draft?
that looks like a damn good draft to me.
re the 2007 draft --- way too soon to tell, but a lot of those players moved up quickly and posted some very good numbers.
I agree with you, Larry
Of course, the primary factor in the decision to promote is based on how well the prospect is handling his current level. But if the organizational depth is such that the players ahead are legitimately deserving of the playing time (and not just 28-year-old journeyman filler), it is going to be harder to justify aggressive promotion.
the encouraging thing
the organizational depth is definitely increasing. they have a logjam of outfielders and first basemen at double A / triple A, and a logjam of relief pitchers is developing. they're beginning to develop some depth on the infield. and the rotation at triple A next spring will probably include four bona fide prospects --- mitch boggs, pj walters, blake hawksworth, and mike parisi. if/when jaime garcia's elbow recovers, they could have five real prospects in the rotation at memphis . . . unless one of those guys has graduated to st louis by then.
Yes, 2006 did provide some quick movers
Shorey, Hamiliton and Marti, certainly don't look like big leaguers at this point. Perez certainly moved fast, and will probably be in St Louis by next year, but how successful will he be. He used a high fast ball and questionable command at Springfield to compile some good stats, but how will those things translate into the majors. Same thing with Ottavino, his walk rates aren't hideous, however how will his command work when he hits a higher level of hitters.
If the origination is focusing on quick moving college draft picks why aren't they taking more polished players, and if they're taking upside over polish why aren't they taking higher upside high school arms.
I can't complain about it all, P. J. Walters has thrived despite not being highly touted and was drafted on the basis of his statistical performance if I recall correctly. What I'm trying to drive home here is that they took young high upside players in 2005 and had great results with potential big league impact players, and then quickly reverted back to quick moving low upside players soon after.
by Some witty name on Sep 11, 2007 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Good call...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Sep 11, 2007 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not a huge fan of TLR
without
Hopefully a GM
I think TLR ties Walt's hands
how many games has cairo started?
by willievinceterry on Sep 11, 2007 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions
What are you talking about?
When we needed a second baseman and a hitter who could torch lefties; he signed Kennedy.
When we needed to replace our bi-polar starter; he signed Kip Wells.
Seriously though, I agree that Walt has dodged most of the blame for this season but he didn't have a lot of options given our payroll. Plus Walt doesn't make a move without getting Tony's blessing.
We really can't know for sure
And if it IS true, that's where I would have to ask some hard questions if I were the owner. If we have an organizational commitment to developing young talent, but our manager insists on giving guys like Miles or Taguchi 400 PAs every year, should the GM be deferring to the manager for roster decisions? Shouldn't the GM be making hard decisions and requiring the manager to make them work?
by MdRedbirdFreak on Sep 11, 2007 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions
he insists on giving them those PAs?
by willievinceterry on Sep 11, 2007 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions
I think,,,
Cards
Ryan should get a chance to play SS as he is not a 3B man.
I personally think Ryan should be at SS & Miles at second with Eck filling in.
Same goes to people who dog So Taguchi. He does a heck of a job hitting considering he does not get consistent AB's.
All you people seem to love Edmonds but he has sucked this year and I thought he should not have been signed to a 2 year extension.
Adam Kennedy from day 1 I believed to be a bad signing. He was wearing a knee brace while at Anaheim, so why sign an old injured player. That was a really bad move. Aaron Miles has been 50 times better than Kennedy.
Amen
by willievinceterry on Sep 11, 2007 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Young guys
1b albert
2b some minor league guy
ss brendan ryan or we may have a better ss in the minors to bring up
3b rolen (they should know by Jan how he is)
lf duncan play him all the time quit messing around
cf rasmus might as well play him
rf ankiel
c yadi
p- wainwright and our best minor league arms fill in
What do you all think? You want it young
The Marlins tried something similar
Looking forward to seeing what Hoffpauir does in ST at 2nd, though.
Pitchers
Narveson - injured
Hawksworth - sucks
Smith and Parisi both have near 5 ERAs as well.
Garcia, Walters, Ottavino, Boggs all lack experience and we traded Lambert
we just don't have pitching in our system, so that really is the place to spend money unless they plan on signing ARod.
Joel p
Aw
Reyes if he can revert to those outings we saw not too long ago..
Joel P
Thompson? Welly? Not wells..unless he comes cheap
id like Joel as a 3-4 guy..most times he has kept them in the game..
Chicago announcers made it seem as if he was trying too hard yesterday..trying to throw harder than he actually could..didnt see the game but if that were true and he was trying to do too much and failed i like the heart work on the smarts..
i think looper is a legitimate option too
by willievinceterry on Sep 11, 2007 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
hugo
What is with STL and pitching. What do they look for when drafting? It seems like the Cubs draft all these pitchers who throw smoke, and all the Cardinal pitchers top out at 91 or 92. I want to see some guys throwing 98 to 99 like lots of other organizations. You can turn those guys into bullpen arms if they cant start. I am sick of seeing cardinal pitchers who all throw alike. Remember 04, Morris, Williams, Suppan, Carp were basically the exact same pitchers with overhand curve balls. The Cards may have to change ideas on pitchers.
Drafting
I would suggest reading futureredbirds and whiteyball if you want to get up on the minors both seem to have good analysis, also as an FYI the Swing is changing their name (or maybe not) and have a poll on their website so you can give them input.
Pitchers in our system that I like:
Garcia, Boggs (though probably over performing), Walters (control soft tossing righty, think what current Gregg Maddux is but he is young and may not pan out), Ottavino, Norrick, Herron and Dickson.
Motte, Maiques and Perez are showing good promise as a releiver as well.
Also QC was swept out of the playoffs but made it that far, and Springfield is in the championships right now (check out whiteyball's preview on mvn.com http://mvn.com/milb-cardinals/2007/09/10/texas-league-championship-preview/)
QC Swing
Name change
Which of the following names do you want to win? (results reflect only a portion of the total vote)
Quad City River Bandits 36.4%
Quad City Channel Cats 25.1%
Quad City Talons 23.7%
Swing of the Quad Cities 6.3%
Quad City Current 5.9%
Quad City River Eagles 2.6%
That is how the poll is going right now. River Bandits was their old name from what I can gather.
QC Times...
48% Channel Cats
4% Current
2% Talons
5% River Eagles
29% River Bandits
12% Swing of the Quad Cities
This from the Quad City Times web-site...i dont know if it is accurate but it is what they have.
Swing website
Vorp
Player PA AVG OBP SLG SB CS VORP
Albert Pujols 609 .321 .424 .563 2 6 62.3
Chris Duncan 431 .259 .355 .481 2 1 17.9
Rick Ankiel 107 .316 .364 .663 0 0 12.3
Brendan Ryan 151 .328 .383 .460 4 0 12.0
David Eckstein 424 .296 .345 .356 9 1 11.8Ryan is 4th in VORP? I can understand Ankiel but really did anyone in their wildest dreams expect that from Ryan? BTW Ranking for Pitchers goes Waino, Franklin, Izzy, Springer, Looper
Even more shocking
Molina, Miles, Wells, Taguchi, Wainwright, Schumaker, Ludwick, JuanE, Rolen, Spiezio, Looper, Edmonds, Mulder, Barden, Franklin, Maroth and Jimenez. After that everyone is negative, Stinnett, Wilson, Bennett and AK bring up the rear.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/team_audit.php?stats&team=SLN
This Team...
To make matters worse, I'm honestly not sure what else could have been done this offseason to improve the team...They needed a 2Bman, and while Loretta and Belliard have had better years than Kennedy, I highly doubt that would have helped Rolen's shoulder be healthy or taken 5 years off of Jimmy. Kip Wells has been an unmitigated, unrelenting disaster, but would Miguel Batista or Jason Jennings or any of the other guys who changed teams via free agency/trades been infinitly better (keeping in mind the costs many of these guys had for their new teams). If Wells had worked out you're talking about the steal of the offseason, but he didn't, and we'll soon be parting ways with Baron von Kippington, Viceroy of Horrible Commandville and Ruler of No-Confidence Land.
Another thing that consistently has grated my nerves this season is the continuous bitchfest over Anthony Reyes. I'm quite disappointed with the way he's pitched this season, but to be honest there is PLENTY of blame to go around on this one. True, Dunc may have tried to fit a square peg in a round hole by trying to make Reyes a pound-the-knees guy, but on the other hand Reyes has done plenty to shoot himself in the foot too. He's the guy who ultimately has to go out and make his pitches, and he's the one who has to make on the fly adjustments. In my mind, from the moment Reyes came up, I said that he was a guy who was going to lose velocity b/c his mechanics are FLAT OUT GODAWFUL!!! He's slow, his arm action is very herky-jerky w/ a low elbow slot, and he doesn't use his legs or athleticism well AT ALL...These are the things that have doomed Reyes, as he's lost velocity and seems to have no clue where the ball is going 90% of the time. From what it sounds like, Dunc also tried to tweak Reyes's mechs., trying to get him to throw w/ a better arm action. In my mind it is the PC's job to make these kind of suggestions and corrections to keep the pitcher healthy...And if the pitcher doesn't want to do those things than tough shit for him. So in my mind, both parties bear the burden on this one, and to throw one or the other under the bus is completely unfair to everyone involved.
by redbirdnation8206 on Sep 11, 2007 3:36 PM EDT reply actions
I apologize
by redbirdnation8206 on Sep 11, 2007 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
LMAO
http://www.rankmytattoos.com/Illinois/Canton/15002.html
redbirdnation8206
I tried to hint at the fact that people need to quit complaining about So Taguchi and Aaron Miles as being a problem with the team. If those two would have stayed in their roles we would be loving the contribution. They both play more becaue of the injuries. Miles resigned with the Cards knowing he would not be a starter but a guy to give the middle infield guys rest. Who knew he would out preform Kennedy by leaps and bounds. So Taguchi has to be one of the best "team" players on the team. He always plays hard and smart. He is a guy I would want back on next years team. Look at his AB's vs Lilly. He is one of few to make solid contact consistenly.
thanks
Time
Anyone have time to do that? I would like to see it compared to other MLB teams to see just how much Injuries have hurt the Cardinals.
I know there is someone who is smart and has time to compile this date and post it.
thanks
Jimmy E
The extension was a mistake
Agreed
plus, he is opening a restaurant down the street from my home, so i am on the jimmy bandwagon to stay.
Hey, mail me some
by MdRedbirdFreak on Sep 11, 2007 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
JEd restaraunt
F15TEEN
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/87D11782F5858623862573490015FFA1 ?OpenDocument
Edmonds' restaurant
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/01/2007
Following the trend of Mike Shannon and Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds will open a restaurant, Fifteen, later this month. His steak house and lounge, named for his number -- or F15TEEN, according to its logo -- will be at 19th and Locust streets.
Edmonds
TLR
by BluesDrummer85 on Sep 11, 2007 4:57 PM EDT reply actions
Copy and paste
---------------------------
I think TLR should leave if he doesn't want to develop but that doesn't mean I think he did a bad job, someone at stltoday just said that Tony has the best winning stretch since the 40's so I went to baseball reference and sure enough of managers with over 5 years with the team (I didn't bother with 1-2 year wonders) he has the best winning percentage, better then Torre (sub .500 for him even) better then Whitey who was better then Red who took 14 years to reach his win total verus Tony's 12. Our best manager ever was Charlie Comiskey from 1883-1891 who had a .673 winning percentage (better then all the 1 year wonders too) then Billy Southworth from 1929-1945 with a .642 then Eddie Dyer 1946-1950 .578 and Frankie Frisch 1933-1938 .564 and finally Tony LaRussa 12yrs 1996-2007 1921g 1046W 875L .545
We need to respect him but that doesn't mean that he isn't done managing here, the longest tenured Cardinal Manger by years is Red (yes those 14 years includes the times he took over for Whitey) and by games it is Red but after that it is TLR. As a last aside only 1 cardinal manager has won 2 world series championships and that was Southworth. Comiskey leads in pennants with 4 (Herzog and Southworth have 3, Tony Red and Gabby Street have 2 the most major difference here is that Tony has 7 post season appearances where each of those guys won the Pennant every time they went)
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