Ah, school picture day. This was the day you got up a little bit earlier, fixed your hair, actually put make-up on, and put on a shirt that didn't have the name of your favorite sports team on it. You took a few practice smiles in the mirror and promised yourself you were not going to let the ginger-haired photographer bully you into awkwardly moving your head around and making you appear to have a double chin that you did not have. You got to school, avoided any major catastrophes with food and drink, took the picture and anxiously awaited for it to arrive weeks later. This picture was going to represent you for the year. It would be given to friends and family, put in a place of honor on Grandma's fridge, and since you were a senior, it would get hung on the wall with the rest of your class for eternity.
The 2014 Cardinals partook in their first photo day together, for some it was their first professional photo day ever. To many players, I am sure it was a burden and they would rather be working on baseball stuff as they have done this 1000 times. "Why am I in the shower?" they might ask. But to others, it represents the beginning of something they only dreamed of until recently. And aren't they adorable!? - FoxSports; STLToday
Other Things Going on in Baseball...
- BALLS HAVE BEEN BASED. - MLB
- And if balls are being based, then things are happening. Things like this! - MLB
- As we all know, Tim McCarver has stepped down from his broadcasting role during the World Series on FOX. Who took his place? (Side note: he is 53 years old? Whaaaaaa?) - SBNation
- MIKE TROUT GETS PAID AND IT IS A RECORD AND EVERYTHING! - MLB
- Yasiel Puig. I do this for you, Fink. - Cut4
- Johan Santana attempts to comeback from his shoulder surgery last April, but the outlook is not good. "Man, his changeup looks great." "Uh, that's his fastball." - MLB
- Here are some players to keep an eye on this spring. You might recognize an old friend's name. Hopefully he can once again be that player we remember. - MLB
- I am pretty sure this article has been written a million times this offseason, but here it is again, for good measure. Which teams have the best line-ups? Read this and see how it stacks up. - Sports on Earth
- MLB on FOX releases the games it will be broadcasting. So... yeah. - FoxSports
- Thinking about taking up a little gambling? Well that is probably not a great idea, but if you must, at least be informed on the betting lines. - Bovada
- There are some players expected to improve this season. No Cardinals made the list, but I like to think it is because they are already awesome. - Baseball Prospectus
- All of Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections are out and ready for public consumption. - Fangraphs
- Brad Ausmus seems really cool. - Hardball Talk
- The Face of the MLB tournament is getting heated. The Oakland Athletics are pulling out all the stops.
Opposing players are voting #EricSogard for #FaceOfMLB. pic.twitter.com/o27YM9LePE
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) February 28, 2014
What the Cardinals are Up To...
- If you are wondering how many miles the Cards will travel, darenw (@darenw) has the answer on his website. - Baseball Savant
- This past season we learned Carson Kelly, Cardinals minor league third baseman, will be making a position change. To catcher. I just don't know how he is gonna learn this position, guys. It isn't like there is anyone to teach him or anything. -
Ro Brains... Rob Rains - Here is an article written by a woman who loves the Cardinals. No it isn't me. Don't be ridiculous. I do not giggle for 45 minutes when discussing Michael Wacha. If I did that, I would never get anything done, ever. - Grantland
- Willie McGee is back at Spring Training, hopefully imparting some wisdom and fashion sense on our centerfielders in question. - STLToday
- Although the Cards graduated a lot of great, young players from their number one farm system last year, they still crack the top ten. Oscar Taveras and Kolten Wong probably have a lot to do with this, but younger talent like Alexander Reyes is helping out, too. - STLToday
- Minor League Ball does a list of the top pitching performances of the 2013 draft. A young Cardinal minor leaguer makes the list. - Minor League Ball
- I am not going to link the Carlos Martinez twitter thing. It is over and done and the Cardinals reacted and we are more mature than that, right? Here is some real stuff about Martinez you want to read that santiagofish shared this morning. - STLToday
- Mike Matheny is excited for the upcoming season and discusses teamwork in his blog post. - Mike Matheny
- Ozzie Smith is working to get Opening Day recognized as a national holiday. If The Wizard cannot get it done, than I don't know who will. As long as it gets me out of school and work. - MLB
- The shoulder pain Jaime Garcia was experiencing does not lead to any structural damage. However, according to sources, a Chris Carpenter mentality will be necessary from now on as his days of pitching easy and pain-free are probably over. "I cannot feel my @#$!ing face, but give me the @#$!ing ball, you piece of @#$!" -Sports Illustrated; - Viva el Birdos
- Sonofa... Oscar Taveras' ankle is still not at 100%. Thanks, guayzimi, for ruining my life. - Hardball Talk
- It is always about the lean.
Today was Photo Day in #STLCards camp, so here's a sneak peek of @MattCarp13's headshot. pic.twitter.com/FYbNMGb3tx
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) February 24, 2014
KNOW THY ENEMY...
- I am obsessed with this dog. - Cut4
- Cardinal70 (@C70) continues his Playing Pepper series with the Cincinnati Reds. - Cardinals Conclave
- The Pirates Steamer projections are out! - Fangraphs
- Even though most folks are picking the Cardinals to win the Central Division, there are some things that could stand in their way. No jinx, no jinx, no jinx. - Aaron Miles' Fastball
Viva el Stuff...
- Interested in learning more about SABRmetrics? Try auditing this class online for free. I think we are making a study group. I will bring mini-muffins! - edx
- Yesterday marked the return of Alxfritz's highly acclaimed LegoPiece Theater. Carlos Martinez finds himself in a bit of trouble in this week's episode. - Viva el Birdos
- stlfan has a pretty interesting challenge this week. See if you can guess the Cardinal projection based on the comp. - Viva el Birdos
- VEB's own Joe Schwarz gets named dropped in Bernie Miklasz's Bernie Bytes for his article on Aldemys Diaz. - STLToday
Other Things...
- The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have finally concluded. It was fun. See you in four years! Here is a wrap-up of some of the important moments. - SBNation
And here is the final medal count. - SBNation - The Blues returned from the Olympic Break and resumed play on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks, getting shutout for the first time this season 1-0. Freakin' Canada.
Tonight the Note will take on the AnaheimMightyDucks at... 10:00 pm?! Uhg. Freakin' California. - St. Louis Game Time - On Tuesday night, Wichita State made history by becoming the only team to win 30 games in the regular season in NCAA history, surpassing my beloved 2004-2005 Illini (man, does this remind me of the 2004 Cardinals). - SBNation
- Witcha State and Wisconsin can now be joined by Duquesne as the only teams to have beaten the Bilikens this season, snapping SLU's win streak at 19. - CBSSports
- We are weird in St. Louis. We have a lot of French names that we don't pronounce correctly. - STL Public Radio
Here's the @Cardinals lineup for today. Carpenter, Wong, Craig, Adams, Molina DH, Bourjos, Robinson, Cruz, Kozma, Martinez. #scoops
— Dan McLaughlin (@DannyMacTV) February 28, 2014