Jim Edmonds to retire

Jim Edmonds has announced that he is retiring from baseball. In doing so, he retires as a St. Louis Cardinal, where he provided so many spectacular plays in center field.

Jim Edmonds, the Cardinals' star center fielder from 2000-07, is retiring from baseball.

Edmonds, 40, had agreed to a one-year, non-roster contract and was due in camp today.

But his injured left foot has not come around and Edmonds, who has been in California in the offseason, has informed general manager John Mozeliak that he will be retiring.

The club will make a fornal announcement at 10:30 a.m. (St. Louis time).

Edmonds, who played for San Diego, the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee and Cincinnati besides the Anaheim Angels and the Cardinals, will finish with 393 career homers and eight Gold Gloves.

He was a four-time All-Star and a member of the Cardinals' 2006 World Series championship club.

Thank you, Jimmy Ballgame, for your service. You're a Hall of Famer in my book.

Albert Pujols wants to stay with St. Louis Cardinals

According to the AP, Pujols would like to stay with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"What do I want? Hey, I want to be a Cardinal forever," Pujols said. "That's my goal."

Jayson Stark writes more on today's presser upon Albert Pujols' arrival at Spring Training.

These were the words his fan club in St. Louis needed to hear. These were the words he most needed to utter if he wants to make it through this season atop the same pedestal where these people have placed him for a decade.

He couldn't possibly have sounded more sincere, couldn't possibly have looked more comfortable. It was Sir Albert at his finest, at his smartest, at his most charming. He had his message to deliver. He made sure to deliver it in response to as many questions as possible.

If you want to take him at his word, accept all of this at face value, feel free. Just recognize that there was plenty he didn't say.

He certainly never said he wanted to be a Cardinal forever no matter what.

He certainly never said he wanted to be a Cardinal forever at any price.

He certainly never said he wanted to be a Cardinal forever at a discount -- especially the kind of hometown discount this team has grown so accustomed to being granted by its stars.[...]

Listen to Pujols' answer Thursday to a question about how important it would be to him to be known as a Cardinal for life:

"Well, it's a good thing I don't have to make that decision today," he said at first. But then that little voice in his brain, the one that was supposed to remind him to voice only happy thoughts, kicked in -- and he shifted gears, practically in mid-sentence.

"Yeah, this is a great place to have on your résumé, to be a Cardinal for life," he said. "You know, there's not too many players who stay with one organization. So believe me, it's a good place to have in your life."

All right. Now listen, however, to the grand finale:

"So yeah, hopefully that happens," he concluded. "But if not, I mean, then it's something that you can't control."

Well, of course he can control it. Both sides control it. Yet both said repeatedly, in their dueling meetings with the media, that this was out of their control. Really? Then who controls it -- Donald Trump?

A decision will be made after the season.

TV Details start to come out

While I would love to purchase MLB TV, I doubt that I will. Anyway, details have started to come out about the Cards schedule on TV this season.

Fox Sports Midwest will carry 152 games as the St. Louis Cardinals announced their television schedule for the 2011 season.

The other 10 regular-season games are scheduled to appear as part of Major League Baseball’s national television packages with Fox and ESPN.

FSM, which carried 130 games last season, will televise the Cardinals’ regular-season opener on March 31 against the San Diego Padres.[...]

Dan McLaughlin, Al Hrabosky and Rick Horton will again call the games.

FSM also will produce the Cardinals Live pregame and postgame shows with Jim Hayes, Pat Parris and Cal Eldred for every regular season telecast on the network.

In 2010, Cardinals telecasts on FSM posted the highest local market television ratings in Major League Baseball.