ManEatingTarp

I see great minds think alike! :D That's exactly what I want to happen. The Cards should wipe the field with the Padres, and they have a better chance against the Braves or Stros in a 7 game series.

Was there a Ron Santo Pizza under the candy bar?

One of my all time favorites, and the Name of my Fantasy Baseball team for many years. Golden Sombrero

Phil Rogers didn't vote for Lee? :shock:

I think the Cards will make a push for Giles. With Walker gone after this year, they're gonna make a splash with the new stadium. This move fits that perfectly.

I'll be around. Of course I wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with a fellow Redbird ;) My Dad may be giving me his tickets because he's done with the Cubs at this point.

I think Jose would be great. Matheny will be a manager at some point also. He's probably several years from retirement, so maybe he can be the Cards manager after the Secret Weapon ;)

I'll go back to my last statement. If a team finishes under .500 and 20ish games out of the division, how valuable can a player have been? I know the stats are there. I know he's a great player. Player of the Year= Yes. MVP= No. I think the MVP should play on a playoff team unless the #s are so overwhealming you have to pick them. Lee/Pujols/Jones are all very close. Jones and Pujols will be in the playoffs. Lee won't. It's a 2 horse race at this point.

Does Dusty even know that he's lost the fans? Does he know he's lost his players?

well, planet, at the time you stated this, I would have agreed with you. Who knew? The Cardinals are currently on pace to break the team record (192 in 1974) for double plays turned in a season (over 200). Yeah big shock Eckstein and Grudz both became better players once they donned the Red. The impact of the Secret Weapon, Jose Oquendo. Next great Cardinal Manager!!!

Nice article. Totally agree about the 20 man roster thing. That's what I hate about the 5 game series. You take a team that isn't as deep, hasn't played to the same level over 162, and you help them by making a short series that hides a lot of weaknesses.

Vance- #1 It's good to see you posting on the board. I don't know what it's like in your hometown, but I wanted you to know I thought about you while all the Katrina stuff has been going on. I hope all your friends and family are OK. On the MVP. Pujols should be the favorite imo because he is the dominant player on the league's most dominant team. His #s are very close to Lee's, but with the Cubs in 4th or 5th place, how valuable can you really say he has been. I would have no problem with Lee getting the Player of the Year award if he finishes strong. Andruw Jones is making a case for MVP in a big way. While his #s aren't on par with Lee or Pujols (except HRs) I think he may sneak in a get the MVP if he is "Mr. Clutch" in Sept. Much like Tejada a couple years ago.

Yeah, nevermind. Just found out he was claimed. Oh well. Maybe in the off season.

Don't know if this will turn into anything, but he was in the starting lineup for tonights game, and was pulled right before gametime. Makes me think he may be on the way to another team. (fingers crossed he's a Cardinal by morning)

I've been figuring on the Cards in the Series, and probably winning it, the whole season. I've posted as much in this thread and others. However, I'm less certain (ha, certainty in predictions -- what a pompous statement) with Rolen's injury. I still consider the Cards as favorites, but I can now envision them being upset in the NL more easily than before. Are they a better team with Rolen? Sure thing. But Rolen really hasn't played this year, and when he did, he wasn't very good. I agree that a healthy Rolen would make them a better WS team, but they've done pretty darn good so far without him.

If the Braves are a better team than the Cardinals, Yoda is a Sith Lord.

Have faith that Dusty will manage the Dodgers. That Pie will be ROY. That Prior can stay healthy. That... sorry, I give up. We'll always take you over on this side of the rivalry!

Shut up! Cardinals fans opinions are not allowed here! :P Love you too Otis :) Keep the faith brother!

What do you mean hope? We're 33 games above .500! ..... huh..... uh oh... sorry, wrong board. Seriously, the Cubs should have the ship righted next year. [/code]

The cookie cutter era was in the 70's. Riverfront, Veteran's Stadium, Busch, etc. are a thing of the past. The new era of ballparks blow those away, and are anything but cookie cutter. You can have your PetCo, GABP, and Busch II, give me Wrigley. No better place to see a ball game. Agreed. Fenway and Wrigley are the only two field left and there is a reason why people visit them just to watcha game there. Some things aren't meant to be modified or blown up. Wrigley will eventually have to be rebuilt. It will never leave Wrigleyville, but I imagine a 4-5 year project of rebuilding it a section at a time. It should always have the same look, but it will get a facelift at some point. Ps. Love the Thanos avatar!

I doubt it, but who knows? We are that shorthanded. I'd think they would play Seabol (meh) and Mabry more at 3rd and Nunez and Luna at 2nd. I think Luna would be the guy. Nunez will continue to start at 3rd as he is now the "starter". Just get healthy, and pitch Mulder at night and we should be OK.

Grudz should be back for the playoffs. That's all the matters. Put that same statement behind Molina, Walker, Sanders, Role.... oops.

The same thing can be said for Bobby Cox. I don't agree with either. If a Tony LaRussa team loses a series, it's not because of Tony. Last year as an example, they just stopped hitting.

You're entitled to your opinion... even it's wrong. Basically the same? Molina Grudz Eckstein Mulder Nunez A healthy Chris Carpenter! A healthier Matt Morris. If any 2 of Walker, Sanders, Molina or Rolen come back healthy, I think they win the World Series. To say they're the same team as last year shows me that you haven't seen a single Cardinals game this year.

Thanks for the compliment :o Anyway, I will go somewhat off stats and somewhat off of what I saw last night. He has improved in some categories this year, like HR/9IP, K/BB, and GB/FB. Still there are concerns. His BAA is easily the highest of any season in his career, and his OPS against is only slightly better than last season. His expected W-L record suggests he's the second luckiest pitcher in baseball this year, so don't let that 12-5 record fool you. His K rate is as low as it was last year, which doesn't bode well. I think he's definitely a talented pitcher who was never really a #1 like he was being paid, but could have been a solid #2. I don't know that he has that kind of stuff any more. His breaking ball really flattened out a few times, and he was fortunately to have not given up two more runs on that hanger he threw to Lee. I'm not sure if the reports of his fastball sitting 91-94 mph were wrong or if he's lost velocity from when he returned from the DL, but either way, his stuff didn't look all that good to me. He could end up the rest of his career being kind of like the Greg Maddux we see today... a guy who is acceptible as a starter because he doesn't walk many people, but is too hittable to be considered anything better than a #3/4 starter. See, I knew you could do it! And all you other jokers, I GOT MY EYES ON YOU! :D