Pujols sets mark

Albert Pujols has another 30-home run season in his 11th consecutive season.

As for Pujols' other marks, he's 13 points shy of hitting .300 this season while he is 18 runs shy of 100 and 24 shy of 100 RBI on the season.

These are the standard stats for him in a season--at the minimum save for 2007 where he finished one run short of 100.

He gone!

The Chicago Cubs have ended their misery by firing Jim Hendry but they still have a Carlos Zambrano problem.

Softball rosters announced

Names are starting to be released for the 2011 Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game.

Participants in the game include Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton, Chris Pratt of “Parks and Recreation” and of the baseball movie “Moneyball” in theaters this September; Greg Grunberg from “Love Bites” and “Heroes”; Jake T. Austin from “Wizards of Waverly Place”; Dave Annable from “Brothers and Sisters”; “Transformers” and “Southland” star Amaury Nolasco; AJ Calloway host of “Extra!”; and returning player James Denton of “Desperate Housewives.”

Participants announced earlier in the week include Jason Aldean, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Chord Overstreet, Tim DeKay, Jesse Williams, Paul Dimeo, Tom Papa, Larry Fitzgerald and Jennie Finch.

Past MLB stars also are scheduled to participate, including former Diamondbacks players Luis Gonzalez and Mark Grace; former MLB All-Stars Fred Lynn, Mike Piazza, Steve Garvey and Bernie Williams and Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Rollie Fingers, Rickey Henderson and Ozzie Smith.

Kile's presence still felt

FS Midwest has an article up on how DK57's presence is still a major part of the Cardinals.

Nine years have passed since Darryl Kile was taken too soon, and the legacy of the former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher still makes Albert Pujols grin.
Memories are fresh.

A Pujols favorite involves one of the slugger's first appearances at spring training with the Cardinals. At the time, Pujols' promise had yet to mature and making the big club was his goal.

Yet, Kile saw something burn bright in the young player. He dared Pujols to dream.

"Don't be afraid to make the All-Star Game," Pujols recalls Kile telling him.

Such exchanges are what some Cardinals miss the most. Kile passed away in his sleep at age 33 due to coronary atherosclerosis on June 22, 2002, in a Chicago hotel room before St. Louis was scheduled to play the Cubs.[...]

"When I was around, he was one of those unique personalities that always made you feel special — no matter who you were, no matter what level you were," said General Manager John Mozeliak, who was St. Louis' director of baseball operations in 2002. "I think it was just a great compliment to him, because he had that skill of making people feel good about themselves."[...]

"When you're a big-league player, you can start to think you are the most important person on the planet if a fair number of people tell you that every day," said Rick Horton, a former St. Louis pitcher who served as the Cardinals' chaplain in 2002. "You can tend to get a little too wrapped up in that, but he had a great humility in terms of how he was with his relationships with people around the club."

That humility was evident. In his time with St. Louis, Kile mentored Matt Morris and Rick Ankiel, and Pujols credits Kile as one of his inspirations to make a mark with relationships in the clubhouse.

"He was a great teammate," St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan says. "A leader."[...]

"Team player" is an overused term in sports. To La Russa, "DK" was something more. He was St. Louis' soul.

"A member of the family passed away suddenly," La Russa said. "It has happened to all of us. It was shocking, because he was a young guy and in good shape. That's not how you expect it."[...]

"In the end, this game is never going to be there forever for you," Pujols said. "Some time, you're going to be done and walk away. You have to think about the things off the field and the relationships you build and take it with you. Those are the only memories you can take."

I get chills just thinking about DK57's loss.

All you have to do is take a look towards the bullpen during games.

In Memory: Darryl Kile

It's been nine years since one of the darkest weeks of Cardinal history.

Darryl Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002)) played his last game on June 18, 2002, the same day that Jack Buck died. Darryl tragically died nine years ago today in Chicago.

Joe Buck broke the news on Fox that day. And it was Joe Girardi who made the announcement at Wrigley:

"I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Thank you.... Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals' family."

Houston Astros: 1991-1997
Colorado Rockies: 1998-1999
St. Louis Cardinals: 2000-2002

Career record: 128-115 with 1,618 K's





The following was posted on CardNilly.com a few years ago. It's so awesome yet sad at the same time. I always get chills whenever I think of DK and his short time on earth.

Lee Smith

This has been sitting in my email for a few days but it's worth posting. Lee Smith ought to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Until his record was broken by Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith held the record for most saves. As such, if the Hall of Fame writers allow players like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage in the Hall, they ought to make room for Lee Smith, too.

Many baseball observers believe Lee Smith belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Smith hopes that belief someday translates into his own plaque in the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine.

"I surely hope we get that," said Smith, who threw out the first pitch and signed autographs at the Corn Crib Saturday. "It was good to see Bert Blyleven (elected). I hope he gets out of the way and helps me get some of the votes.

"But to actually be thought of in the same breath with some of those guys, Fergie Jenkins and a good friend of mine Harmon Killebrew, is really a good feeling."

Smith ranks third on baseball's career saves list with 478. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched from 1980 to ‘97 including stints of eight years with the Chicago Cubs, three years with the Boston Red Sox and four years with the St. Louis Cardinals.[...]

Currently working as a roving pitching instructor in the San Francisco Giants farm system, Smith said he enjoyed his time in Chicago and St. Louis but has to root for the Cubs when the heated rivals meet.

"I've got a couple guys on that coaching staff who are my buddies, Bobby Dernier and Ivan DeJesus," said Smith. "But in my heart, I've always been a Cardinal fan. I love the city and who wouldn't want to pitch in St. Louis in that era?

"You've got the big ballpark and Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee behind you. And the city itself is baseball knowledgeable. I have a lot of love for both of those cities."

Similarly, Marvin Miller should be in the Hall of Fame as well. The only reason I thought of his importance is that I watched Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story earlier this evening. Take out his leadership of the Players' Association and free agency would be a completely different animal altogether in this day and age. Sandy Koufax, before retiring, threw his support behind Miller.

The Utility Man

The Cards off to a strong start this season and I couldn't be happier.

It reminded me to post an old video I only discovered for myself recently. It's a tongue-in-cheek crusade to land Jose Oquendo into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's in several parts. Here's the first:



The rest can be found here. Hilarious.

This baseball season

Jerry Crasnick reports at ESPN of several milestones to look forward to during the 2011 season. Not included on that list are the 0-6 start for the Boston Red Sox or two appendectomies.

The list:
1. Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit
2. Jim Thome's 600th home run
3. Ichiro Suzuki's annual 200-hit odyssey
4. Mariano Rivera's 600th save
5. The Albert Pujols grab bag

Pujols, who turned 31 in January, needs 41 homers and 96 hits to become the 32nd player in history to reach 450 and 2,000 for his career. A-Rod was six days short of his 31st birthday when he surpassed both barriers with a single swing five years ago.

The problem in getting too worked up over Pujols' short-term milestones is that they're just pit stops on the way to more glorious achievements. Bill James gives him a 51 percent chance to collect 3,000 hits, so it's tough to get too amped over Pujols joining Lee May, Jack Glasscock, Mark Grudzielanek and 257 others in the 2,000-hit club.

6. The South Side tag team
7. Tim Wakefield's 200th win
8. The Juan Pierre double feature
9. Vladimir Guerrero, 2,007 games without a sacrifice bunt

Here is another one of note:

Johnny Damon can join Rose, Aaron and Brooks Robinson as the fourth player to appear in 140 or more games in 16 straight seasons. "He might be an idiot, but he likes to play," one scout said. As Chuck duly notes, Damon also can join Ty Cobb, Paul Molitor and Tris Speaker as one of four players with 500 doubles, 100 triples, 400 stolen bases and 1,600 runs scored.

• Chipper Jones needs two hits and six RBIs to join Eddie Murray as the second switch-hitter with 2,500 hits and 1,500 RBIs. Is there really any debate whether this guy belongs in the Hall of Fame?

Impressive. Most impressive.

2011 Preseason Baseball Predictions

It's hard this season for the predictions in the National League. Adam Wainwright is out for the year for my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.

The Phillies are having the worst spring ever. Chase Utley will miss significant amount of time with a knee injury. Dominic Brown, who was the early preseason pick for Rookie of the Year in the National League, is injured and likely won't play in the major leagues until May. Brad Lidge just got injured, too. As for their starting pitching, they are stacked.

All of that said, here are my predictions. Keep in mind that when the Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA Championship, the New York Yankees have won the World Series in all but one year. I hate the Yankees as much as the next person but one cannot just ignore historical trends like that.

I've updated this since Kentucky lost.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST: Philadelphia Phillies
CENTRAL: Cincinnati Reds
WEST: San Francisco Giants
WILD CARD: St. Louis Cardinals

NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies over Cincinnati Reds

AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST: Boston Red Sox
CENTRAL: Minnesota Twins
WEST: Oakland Athletics
WILD CARD: New York Yankees

ALCS: Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees

World Series: Boston Red Sox over Philadelphia Phillies

POSTSEASON AWARDS
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays

Red keeps busy

The Palm Beach Post notes that Red Schoendienst still keeps busy at age 88.

Red Schoendienst can be found around the batting cage before each St. Louis Cardinals spring training game, hitting fungos or analyzing every swing in the cage.

But when the Cardinals are on the road, that's when the 88-year-old is doing what he loves most - roaming the back fields at Roger Dean Stadium watching minor leaguers, some born 30 years after Schoendienst retired as a player.

Schoendienst followed his 19-year playing career with more than 12 as Cardinals manger.

Mike Shannon, the Cardinals broadcaster who once played under Schoendienst, calls his former manager an "expert" at judging young talent.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said judging talent is just a fraction of what Schoendienst brings to the organization.

"The bases are still 90 feet apart and everything about the game is the same," Shannon said. "The players are bigger, stronger and in better shape, but still you have to use the same qualities. I rely on him a lot. I know Tony relies on him a lot."

Schoendienst sits in the Cardinals dugout in his familiar No. 2 for every home spring training game. During the season he watches games from GM John Mozeliak's booth.

"I ask what he sees, what he's thinking," La Russa said. "He's smart and he's current. That's a true compliment."

Schoendienst is completing his 67th spring training, all but seven in a Cardinals uniform. His title is special assistant to the general manager but he is much more: He represents nearly seven decades of Cardinals history, starting with his first spring training in 1945.

"I'll keep going as long as they don't tell me you can't come out here," he said.

Schoendienst is one of three living members of the Cardinals' 1946 World Championship team, along with Stan Musial and Joe Garagiola. The trio lost a teammate when 94-year-old Marty Marion died March 15.

As for octogenarians who still put on the uniform, nobody is as active as Schoendienst.

Don Zimmer, 80, stills wears a Tampa Bay Rays uniform and, like Schoendienst, is on the field before every regular-season home game. But Zimmer can no longer hit fungos after back surgery about a year and a half ago.

Yogi Berra, 85, still dons New York Yankees pinstripes but isn't as involved as Schoendienst.

"My arm is shot," Schoendienst said of his health. "I don't hit as much as I used to. It used to be hours and hours. But I love to hit fungos just to see their reaction, the quickness of their feet and their hands."

Each morning in Jupiter, he hops in a golf cart and drives to the far fields looking to unearth another Albert Pujols or Adam Wainwright. Schoendienst notices the hard workers, looking for players who seek out coaches or put in extra time.

He said he doesn't resent the current system in which the minimum salary of $414,000 is almost as much as he made in his entire playing career with the Cards, New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves.