First off, congratulations to our new President Elect, Mr. Obama, as well as anyone else who may have won an election yesterday. Hopefully, this new regime will prove to be a harbinger of more prosperous times than what we've all been through in recent years. I also have to say, I'm a little glad the whole thing's over. I'm a fairly political person, but I'll also be the first to tell you that a 21 month election cycle is a little bit much.
Given that it's election season, I thought we might try something a little different this morning. I'm assuming that all of you out there are, in fact, good Americans who went out and participated in our democracy yesterday. But what's that, you say? You say you haven't had enough? "Aaron, I haven't had my fill of voting for things! I love weighing all the options carefully. I love the thrill of that moment, the moment when you come to a decisive, firm decision about an issue! And I just haven't had enough of that illusory sense of power that comes from participating in a representative democracy, the feeling that I've made a real difference, even though the actual electing is done by a group of officials who are not, in all reality, beholden in any way to me! So what do you have to say to me?"
Well, first off, I would tell you that you seem to have a bit of a mixed bag going on there. You seem to be awfully cynical about the process for someone so in love with the process of voting, but hey, we've all got our issues, right? I would then tell you not to fear, because the Baron is gonna take care of you, baby.
See, what we're going to do here at Viva El Birdos today is we're going to vote. It occurred to me not too long ago that we all have our own positions, and we mostly know each other's positions, at least on an individual basis, but it's kind of tough to really get a handle on the community opinions as a whole.
Thus, in the interest of, a) getting a better handle on how the community feels about a variety of issues as a whole, and b) filling up a day's post when there really isn't much of anything to talk about, I shall pose these ten questions to you, the Viva El Birdos reader. Feel free to discuss as much as you wish, but please include your votes at the top of your post. Please comma delimit, with no spaces, the same way we do the community projections. Please use the numbers for the choices in your votes, and remember to press the key down firmly when making your selection. I ain't havin' no hanging chad bullshit in my election.
A. Will Chris Carpenter be healthy enough to contribute in 2009?
- Yes
- No
B. Which of the following outfielders would you be most willing to trade this offseason?
- Rick Ankiel
- Skip Schumaker
- Ryan Ludwick
- Colby Rasmus
C. Who do you want closing games in 2009?
- Chris Perez
- Jason Motte
- Jason Isringhausen
- Ryan Franklin
- Other
D. Felipe Lopez in '09: yea or nay?
- Yea
- Nay
E. When should the Cardinals begin talking to Albert Pujols about a contract extension?
- Now
- After next season
- 2010
- When he becomes a free agent
F. Who is the most attractive lefty relief option on the FA market?
- Brian Fuentes
- Jeremy Affeldt
- Will Ohman
- Scott Eyre
- Other
G. What should be Mr. Mo's biggest priority this offseason?
- Middle infield
- Bullpen
- Starting Pitching
- Impact bat
H. Who would you like to see succeed Tony La Russa?
- Jose Oquendo
- Pop Warner
- Don Mattingly
- Bobby Valentine
- Other (feel free to specify)
I. Which of the following minor leaguers is most likely to make a significant contribution to the Cardinals in 2009?
- Bryan Anderson
- Jess Todd
- David Freese
- Mitchell Boggs
Do you like me?
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
Remember, everyone: your vote truly does count. I'll get these all tabulated up before next Wednesday, and we shall see what the official VEB positions truly are.
Have a nice day, folks.