Cards vs. Astros

April 10, 2009
Houston 3, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (1-0)
SV - Kyle McClellan (1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (2)

April 11, 2009
Houston 2, St. Louis 11
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (1-0)
HR: Albert Pujols 2 (3)

April 12, 2009
Houston 0, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (2-0)

The Cards swept the Astros and moved to 5-2 on the season.

Cards vs. Pirates

First series of the year: I experienced opening day at Sedgwick's in Chicago. It's the main bar for Cardinal fans to hang out at and watch the ballgame.

April 6, 2009
Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Jason Motte (0-1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (1)

April 7, 2009
Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 9
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (1-0)
HR: Chris Duncan (1), Yadier Molina (1), Albert Pujols (1)

April 8, 2009
Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (0-1)

April 9, 2009
Pittsburgh 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (1-0)
SV - Dennys Reyes (1)

The Cards finished the series 2-2.

I've been slacking...

Between Pesach, grad school, and the job search, I've been slacking with this blog and there's no excuse for that.

I'll recap things soon enough.

Cards Broadcasters on Harry Kalas

John Rooney, Bob Costas, and Mike Shannon remember Harry Kalas.

John Rooney:
"He was like Jack....He was like Jack in the way that they both just loved sports, really loved baseballs and gave so much back to people around them. He had one of the greatest voices ever, but he was an even nicer man.”

Mike Shannon:
"Great person, great baseball man. He knew how to call a game, but he would always, always really bring a smile to face of anybody he talked to. Mr. Kalas was one of the best.”

Bob Costas:
"He was a great announcer. You couldn’t convince someone in Philadelphia that there was anyone better to call a game than Harry Kalas. He was what baseball sounded like to you in Philadelphia.”

I feel for the Angels

I wasn't watching TV due to Pesach but I caught Outside the Lines this afternoon and immediately relived DK's death and Josh Hancock's death so as a Cardinal fan, I know what the Angels fans must be going through. It's not fun and it never is.

Here's comments from the Cardinals as to what they went through and what the Angels are going through.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who suffered through the deaths of pitcher Darryl Kile in June 2002 and pitcher Josh Hancock in April 2007, say no words, only time, will ease the anguish.

"It's going to be tough for them all year," Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Every time you take the field, it's going to be there. You really don't get a release until the offseason."

The Angels placed Adenhart's image and number on their outfield wall, preserved his locker at home and will set one up on the road, too.

"I remember looking at the faces of everyone the day we found out Josh died," said Oakland Athletics pitcher Russ Springer, Hancock's ex-teammate in St. Louis. "I saw that same look with the Angels. It was that zombie look. For some guys, that didn't go away for a long time.

"It was especially hard at home because Josh's locker was there. You go to the bullpen, his number is on the wall. Different things bring you back to that day."

Said Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan, who was one of Hancock's closest friends, "Even today, when I drive on the freeway past the spot where Josh died, I think about it. It's something you never really get over."

Yet with nearly six months left in the season, the Angels have no choice.

"The season doesn't have to be over," Cardinals hitting coach Hal McRae said. "You're never going to forget, but after the first two weeks, you start to feel better. And if you win, everything starts to feel better."

2009 MLB Predictions

I don't claim to be a prophet but I just happen to make smart guesses. Anyway, here are my predictions for the 2009 Major League Baseball season.

National League
East: Philadelphia Phillies
Central: St. Louis Cardinals
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals over Arizona Diamondbacks

Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks
MVP: Albert "El Hombre" Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
ROY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins

American League
East: Tampa Bay Rays
Central: Minnesota Twins
West: Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jays

ALCS: Minnesota Twins over Toronto Blue Jays

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
MVP: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
ROY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Minnesota Twins

My day went well...

But then I read this:

Fresh from winning his second NL MVP award, Albert Pujols is eyeing the future. As in, will St. Louis still be the right fit for him?

The Cardinals star said the team's commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs when his contract expires in two years.

It's not about the money all the time," the first baseman said Sunday in Jupiter, Fla. "It's about being in a place to win and being in a position to win.

"If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team [on the field] every year like they have, I'm going to try to work everything out to stay in this town. But if they're not bringing championship-caliber play every year, then it's time for me to go somewhere else that I can win."

Pujols arrived in camp Sunday and spent time in the batting cage. He's signed to a seven-year, $100 million deal, and hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs last season.

The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, but have missed the playoffs the last two years. They were 86-76 last season, fourth in the NL Central. Their biggest offseason moves were trading for shortstop Khalil Greene and signing reliever Trever Miller.

Pujols had surgery on his right elbow to fix a nerve problem in November and is unsure how it will react to the everyday workload of spring training.

Manager Tony La Russa said the Cardinals will be "very careful in the progression with his drills and swinging and off-field work."

Pujols is uncertain if he will play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic because of the surgery and insurance issues. He was a member of the team in 2006.

"I've already done it once," he said. "I need to make sure everything goes the right way."

The Cardinals better get their act together because El Hombre is a Cardinal for life!

Cards release Adam Kennedy

Post Dispatch:

The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa, represents a 180-degree shift from the position staked out by the club in December after failing to find a trade partner for the veteran second baseman.

The Cardinals assume Kennedy’s $4 million salary for the upcoming season; Kennedy becomes a free agent.

Monday’s move creates an open competition for the position, barring a trade or free agent signing. Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Tyler Greene, Joe Thurston, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Skip Schumaker are considered the front-runners should the club promote from within. Ryan leads the group with 377 major-league at-bats in parts of two seasons with the Cardinals.

It's been a month...

There is not much going on as far as the offseason is concerned.

We have three outfield positions and five guys are trying to get a starting spot on the roster for those three spots.

The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield is so crowded some players are surprised they're still around.

Rick Ankiel was a big draw at the team's Winter Warmup on Sunday with his autograph going for $60, twice as much as the going rate for manager Tony La Russa. But it's been an uncertain offseason for the former pitcher who hit 25 homers in his first year as the starting center fielder, seeing his name mentioned as trade bait for a starting pitcher.

"Are they rumors or are they not?" Ankiel said. "I mean, who knows? I heard I was getting traded, but you never know until something happens.

"You prepare to play and that's all you can do."

Skip Schumaker thought he'd be part of a blockbuster deal for former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, who ended up in Oakland.

"I thought I was gone, I'm not going to lie to you," Schumaker told reporters. "I thought that was a done deal, and from everything I heard and from pretty good sources I thought I was definitely out of here."

The uncertainty is a byproduct of the team's depth. Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick are both coming off breakout years, Ankiel was a force at times and power-hitting Chris Duncan appears ready to reclaim playing time coming off cervical surgery.

Plus, 2005 first-round pick Colby Rasmus apparently is ready to crack the major leagues. That makes it five players for three spots.

Thus, the rumors. Schumaker and Holliday worked out with former home run champion Mark McGwire in the offseason, and discussed the possibility they'd be trading places with Ludwick joining Schumaker in Colorado.

"He didn't think it was Oakland, he'd never heard that and I don't think anybody really did," Schumaker said. "He thought the same thing as me, that he was probably headed here and I was probably headed there."

Winter meeting roundup: McGwire has integrity

Here's what happened with the Rule 5 draft today. Luis Perdomo was taken during round 5 by the San Francisco Giants.

The righthanded reliever the St. Louis Cardinals received in the Anthony Reyes trade with Cleveland was selected in the Rule 5 draft this morning by the San Francisco Giants. Luis Perdomo will be added to the Giants’ 40-man roster and taken to spring training where he will have the opportunity to make the major-league 25-man roster. He must be on that roster all season or be offered back to the Cardinals before he can be sent to the minors.

Perdomo was a likely loss after the Cardinals elected not to protect him from the draft by putting him on their 40-man roster. The players the Cardinals did protect were SS Tyler Greene and RHP Matt Scherer.

Adam Kennedy and Colby Rasmus are back in favor with Tony La Russa.

Kennedy "just wants to play," La Russa said. "I think it was a mutual respect thing. I thought he handled himself really well the times he didn't play. He ended up on a plus note."

For Rasmus, La Russa heaped on the praise.

"This guy has a chance to be an impact, everyday outfielder," La Russa said. "He has a chance to be a very special package."

After several offseasons of stumping for a cleanup hitter — a request he echoed toward the end of this past season — La Russa acknowledged that the priority right now should be pitching. He's content with the lineup that's in place since the addition of shortstop Khalil Greene. Yes, he plans to hit the pitcher eighth again in 2009, but Greene hitting in the No. 6 spot or lower has the potential to add run-producing depth to the lineup, La Russa said.

He added that outfielder Chris Duncan is "feeling great" as he recovers from surgery to repair a herniated disc and that Duncan shouldn't be slowed at all entering spring training. The manager said Duncan will be ready for the throng of outfielders the Cardinals have vying for jobs, citing five besides Duncan: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker — the incumbent starters — and rookies Joe Mather and Rasmus.

Inviting Kennedy back into the flock is as simple as assuring him playing time. Kennedy has told the Post-Dispatch he is warm to a return to the Cardinals if he has a legitimate shot at starting. La Russa said he hasn't reached out to Kennedy personally.

Tony also said that Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame. With his numbers, he most certainly does.

Given the chance to celebrate and comment on Rickey Henderson’s appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa also seized the opportunity to stump for another dynamo member of his Oakland Athletics teams who will be on the ballot.

On his third try, Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame, La Russa believes.

It’s a matter a of “integrity.”

“This steroid issue, that’s a matter of integrity, right?” La Russa said. “That’s one way to describe it, right? Well, it occurred to me, I know that I’ve never spoken much about it at all, but this guy did something that screams integrity. … How many guys do we know that had a contract like he had? He had a contract in his hand for $15 million over two years, and he walked away from it because he didn’t feel like he could play to that level. That, to me, there’s a certain integrity for the sport, for self-respect and everything.”[...]

La Russa: Now, our guess, and people that I’ve talked to, our guess is that a whole lot of guys, just being normal, would be figured some way to either talk to the organization, like let’s get a buyout, give me $5 million instead of $30 million, whatever it is, or go ahead and play less than their best and collect a check for two years. He walked away from two years of $30 million, and I thought to myself when I told this one writer, ‘Man, I think that speaks to the public or the voters about his integrity.’

You’ve got to be a pretty solid character guy … Am I reading that wrong? Do you think that’s a good sign of character, that you would walk away from $30 million if you didn’t think you could play to that level? How would you take that decision and not make sense of it.

Reporter. I’m not sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.

La Russa: So how would you describe a guy that walks away from $30 million?

Reporter. I’m agreeing with you that that’s a sign of character, not to have a debate that’s going to be transcribed here. This isn’t the place. I would agree that that’s a sign of integrity. But I think we all do things that show integrity in one side of our life and make questionable moves on another parallel track.

La Russa: I’m just saying that the fact that he walked away from that money has been an under-discussed, under-publicized — I know I have not discussed it, and I think that is a hellacious sign of the type of person he is, and that should translate into knowing that he’s a special guy. I just never talked about it. I thought I had the chance so I’d mention it.

Reporter. So you’d consider it as an intangible for his Hall of Fame?

La Russa: Yeah, he’s got this cloud over him.

Reporter. Character is an issue (on the ballot).

La Russa: So I think that showed great character because there’s not many guys that I know that wouldn’t have said, ‘I’ll just stumble along and take those checks.’