illiniguy

I forgot that defense doesn't matter. My bad. It better matter a ton for Rasmus to be better than Fukudome. Also Aramis Ramirez gets no mention? I guess he isn't very good either? Probably just wasn't mentioned because of the DL time this year. Well he has around 200 at bats. Brendan Ryan has around, what 250?

I forgot that defense doesn't matter. My bad. It better matter a ton for Rasmus to be better than Fukudome. Also Aramis Ramirez gets no mention? I guess he isn't very good either?

Wait. Ryan Theriot has an OPS+ of 95. Brendan Ryan 91. Fukudome has an OPS+ of 117. Colby Rasmus 93.

I think they are a very good team. I think most people here do. Wainwright, Carpenter, Pujols, Holliday, and Dero are all very good players. The rest are kinda bleh, but that's all they need. Simply wrong. Brendan Ryan, Yadier Molina, and Colby Rasmus have all been nearly if not as valuable as any cub position player besides Derrek Lee this year. While Ludwick isn't a 35 home run player (and I don't think anyone would try to convince you that he ever was) he plays passable defense and hits enough to be a serviceable starter. This year, when our team has been crap. Let's put it this way, if DeRo and Holliday walk, those studs will have you right back to being very average. How much better has Ryan been than Theriot? Rasmus than Fukudome?

I just wish they would have a punishment for Cal too, he gets off scott free.

I think they are a very good team. I think most people here do. Wainwright, Carpenter, Pujols, Holliday, and Dero are all very good players. The rest are kinda bleh, but that's all they need.

How big of Jim. Really Jim it was you built the mess? Are you sure it wasn't someone else?

Broxton and Rodriguez both have 5 blown saves a piece, including failures against the Padres, Pirates, Orioles, Giants and Dbacks. Great. But to beat all three of the guys you did right in a row makes that a little more odd, no?

exactly, I don't know if Cardinals fans don't understand it or what the deal is, but most of the Cards fans around in 1985 were around to see the 2006 title, how can that not make up for it? Maybe it's our fanbase that doesn't get it. Sorry, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. Yes, winning a title would/should help soothe a lot of wounds. I'm simply saying it doesn't erase what happened before. And, for the sake of this argument, Aramis Fan, it seemed to me like you were saying it did. I disagree. Like I said, if the Cubs win, the fan base will be happy. But, does that mean that people will stop talking about everything they've been through? Red Sox fans still talk about Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, trading Ruth, etc. even though they're the only team in this decade with two World Series titles. Winning them has allowed them to become smug, while referring to the horrors of the past still allows them to play the scorned role. Of course, none of us would really know for sure. A Cubs fan can assume that the Cards would/should forget about 85, but without being in that position, they don't really know. If/when the Cubs get there, they'll know. As an Indians fan, I'll probably never know. The Red Sox thing was different because they were so close so many times, we really haven't ever been that close. Hell even '03 wasn't the World Series. And as for the Cubs will win one one of these years. Right, that's what they said in the 30's I'm sure too.

I love the whole you never get over it thing if you get one taken from you. Am I the only one who only wants one title in my lifetime? We get one I forget all the other crap and everything after it would be gravy.

We win a title and most of us will quickly forget 03. It's been a hundred years. A lot of us have had grandparents and parents be born and die without seeing a title. You wouldn't even begin to understand that.

I also love the Aramis trade being included. He wasn't even the main point of the trade at the time. Lofton was. Ramirez was hitting about .230 at the time of that trade. Not hardly comparable to picking up Mark McGwire for a bunch of crap. Without him you might not even have your new ballpark. How about Albert Pujols? How many guys picked where he is go on to be the best player of their generation? I am not even saying its bad, it just is what it is. We run out a team like you did for '06 and we don't even make the playoffs. Case in point look at our '01 season.

I know you previously mentioned 2006 but, even this kind of crap has a way turning around in the playoffs. Wouldn't be one bit surprised if they lose a few games in a similar manner. I would be, face it that type of stuff just does not happen to that franchise. They are the team that turns Ryan Ludwick's older brother into roided up Mark McGwire. Jeff Weaver has two good months in his entire career, which of course nets them a World Series. They trade for Matt Holliday, he mashes for over 1.200OPS. We trade for Nomar he's hurt for 2 plus years. It is what it is. Just be happy the few times we do beat them.

That Pujols sequence also happened for them against Pittsburgh about two weeks ago. So in the past three weeks they have beaten Broxton and Heath Bell. They also have tied the game against Broxton and KRod. All three All Star closers. It's their year.

It's gonna be tough to cap last night, but I'm sure our Cobs are up to it.

I think the same could be said for track. It has it's niche audience as well. The audience obviously swells around Olympic time (same with swimming). But as far as driving people away, I don't think it would do too much. It'd be big news for a few weeks if he got caught, but the people who are willing to watch guys run around an oval are probably going to keep doing it if more big names get caught. It's a shame that we have to even ask the question of steroids in any sport, but unfortunately that's where we're at as a culture. If someone is head and shoulders better than everyone else at a sport, he or she is automatically under suspicion. I think the only one that is above suspicion is Tiger Woods. If seemingly everyone wasn't getting caught or if they didn't have a huge cloud around their heads we wouldn't always be thinking they were cheating. The cool thing to me about Bolt still is that he isn't giving it his all the entire race. He always loses his form at the end and lets up. If Gay can really keep pushing him, he's gonna go even faster.

They certainly improved their lineup by acquiring Holliday, but both he and Lugo have played well over their heads since going to St. Louis. Holliday OPS in Oakland this year: .831 Holliday OPS in St. Louis this year: 1.266 Lugo OPS in Boston this year: .719 Lugo OPS in St. Louis this year: .987 If those two come back to earth, that's a decent lineup but not a gauntlet. Other than Pujols you have Rasmus with a .742 OPS, DeRosa with a .792 OPS, Ludwick with an .800 OPS and Molina with a .747 OPS. The Cardinals are likely to have a lineup with four players over an .800 OPS the rest of the way (Pujols, DeRosa, Ludwick, Holliday). Ill give you Lugo, but I think Holidays legit. It could be said that Hollidays decline this year was due to leaving Coors, but kepp in ind, that A's lineup is pretty much garbage, and he had no protection, and now that hes sandwiched between Pujols and Ludwick, hes being pitched to differently. I doubt he keeps up the 1.300 OPS, but somewhere in the mid-hi 9s wouldnt surprise me. Hopefully he flyd the coop next year and the Cards go back to their mediocrity. Can they even afford both him and Pujols, who will be a FA in 2011? Holiday is legit in that he is a good player, not that he is better than Albert Pujols has ever been. Pujols has never had an OPS over 1.133. He's going crazy right now and will stop at some point.

I would really like to see Lake start to drive the ball a bit more. Our system is a heck of a lot better than a year ago that's for sure.

Did you miss '06? You're right, what am I talking about, Franklin will probably set some kind of a post season save record along with Lohse and Pineiro throwing a combined 18 or so shutout innings. Eh they are good now. But, the crushing every all star reliever thing is getting a bit old.

Did you miss '06?

Hopefully the NL West teams beat up on each other and the Cubs make up ground against inferior opponents. I think Colorado and San Francisco are the only real contenders and they both have what appear to be more difficult schedules. That they do, but never ever count out the Marlins.

Let's just hang with them as much as possible and the Wild Card will take care of itself.

That's very true, except that both teams have very similar schedules the rest of the way and the Cardinals now have a 5 game lead. That's going to be very tough to overcome, short of us sweeping them in September. Their last two weeks has 9 road games. In Colorado, Houston, and Cinncy. We still have a shot. So you mean to say they will only win 7 out of 9? If Holliday and Lugo conitune to hit at a 1.400 and 1.000 OPS, then yes, they are gonna keep steamrolling.

That's very true, except that both teams have very similar schedules the rest of the way and the Cardinals now have a 5 game lead. That's going to be very tough to overcome, short of us sweeping them in September. Their last two weeks has 9 road games. In Colorado, Houston, and Cinncy. We still have a shot.

So that's what the third all star closer they've beat in the past two weeks?