At 4 p.m. Central on Sunday, the St. Louis Cardinals provided a welcome distraction by their mere existence.
It was nothing unique to the Cardinals: the Pittsburgh Pirates by definition were every bit as integral to the process as the Cardinals were. And every other team in baseball also did their part. But after a drab and difficult to comprehend morning, escapism was nice.
I'm always conflicted when these bits of escapism come into focus. Is it a good thing? Does becoming engrossed in baseball, an ultimately trivial venture, distract us to a point of apathy?
It can, but ultimately, that's up to us. And to take a moment to recharge one's batteries through the silliness of sports can be a good thing. I know I appreciated it.
And, of course, Viva El Birdos is generally a distraction, too. Most of what is written and discussed here concerns on-field results of baseball games. A healthy and well-rounded person should not spend every waking moment on this site, but this does not mean that it can't serve a purpose in the absolute silliest way possible. As can a myriad of other websites which can instill a sense of calm by treating small things with great meaning.
And here is what VEB had over the weekend.
Tales of ex-prospects past
Ben Markham anaylzed the prospects whom the Cardinals have traded at the deadline in recent years. While trading prospects for rentals has in the past been the action of many short-sighted and ultimately foolish general managers, the Cardinals have been remarkably successful at trading prospects at just the right times. While names like Brett Wallace and Zack Cox originally seemed like future stars being jettisoned for a couple months of production from established veterans, very little became of the players the Cardinals dealt.
A mid-rounds draft recap
Resident draft guru the red baron waited all year for the draft, and he did not disappoint with his volume of coverage, recapping draft picks from Rounds 6 through 15.
The game recaps
On Saturday, the Cardinals won and lil scooter recapped it. Mercifully, they refrained from scoring six runs for the sake of her word count. On Sunday, the Cardinals won WyoCardsFan recapped it.
Have a great day, VEB. The Cardinals are being awesome and hopefully the rest of the world can catch up.