dalgreen

I think I'd kiss a man (closed mouth, of course) if it meant the Cubs would be 2006 World Series champs. Is that picture even real?

Yeah, you'd think since the city of Chicago hosts the World Series every other year that they'd be used to this by now and not devote ten minutes to the Sox. Some of the threads and comments made about the Sox crack me up. Had Sox fans shown the same envy, some of you same people would be dogging the Sox fans.

I'm trying to figure this out. MLB can't make any more money or any less money if the roof is open or closed tonight. So, why does Selig care? Maybe with less noise with the roof opened, the umps can now hear whether a ball hits the bat or the wrist of a player.

If steroids helped him pull Lisa Dergen (they're engaged), then steroids should be legal.

I don't like pitchers throwing high pitch counts early in the season. But why do some people seem to get caught up in this stat? Pitching is probably the most abnormal motion an arm can make. I mean are some of you basically saying well let's get 5-6 years out of a guy then it's okay if he has arm problems? Maybe it's all in the make-up of a guy's arm? Zambrano, thankfully, hasn't had a problem with his arm directly caused by pitching (who would've thought staying on the internet would cause arm problems?) yet, but let's say he has a problem next year. If Baker saves 100 pitches a year from him, can anyone guarantee that he wouldn't have a problem? I think of a guy like Jon Lieber, who had no problem going 8 or 9 innings while only throwing 89 -95 pitches and he got hurt. I just think there's more to arm problems than the number of pitches thrown. Maybe it's the make-up of the arm? Maybe it has something to do with your arm activity before the age of 18? I don't know. But I'm amazed that Matt Clement, who throws a whole lot of sliders hasn't had arm problems yet. I also think Prior and Zambrano could help themselves out, too, if they could wipe a guy out when having them behind 1-2, instead of having to toss seven more pitches just to get the strikeout.

Just curious about Suppan. Isn't his contract up? Or at least a rather large team or player option? I seem to recall one or the other.

I'm not sure if Sanders and Edmonds will start in the outfield next season. I can see one of them, but not both. I heard Reyes may be back by August next year. Evidently, his prognosis was better than what they initially thought it would be after surgery. I still say the Cardinals need another big time starter. The Astros had a big advantage in starting pitching because there's little to no drop-off between Pettite, Oswalt and Clemens. But for the Cardinals, it's Carpenter and then a big drop off after that. Mulder absolutely looked clueless last night. He covered first base late, threw wild pitches (Molina should have been charged a passed ball on one), and he didn't know which base to throw to on the sac bunt. Mulder just looked shaky. Edmonds is a lock to be back next year. I agree the Cards could use another big time arm but I just don't see the cards finding another "shut down" pitcher out there. Anyway really the Cards offense was a bigger problem in the post season then the pitching. I think you could make a strong case that the Astros pitching is what caused the Cardinal offense to be a problem.

Willie McGee had power? :-s OK, maybe ya got me there. I sure thought I remembered him getting alot of doubles/triples, but he only averaged about 29 XBH's per year. Not great power, average power, I guess... He didn't have power. His doubles and triples were pretty much regular style extra base hits. Remember, when he played the power alleys at Busch were 386 and it was 414 to center, and they played on astroturf. A lot of his extra base hits at Busch were liners in the gap that would take off on the turf and go to the wall. With his speed it wasn't hard to get three baggers.

I'm not sure if Sanders and Edmonds will start in the outfield next season. I can see one of them, but not both. I heard Reyes may be back by August next year. Evidently, his prognosis was better than what they initially thought it would be after surgery. I still say the Cardinals need another big time starter. The Astros had a big advantage in starting pitching because there's little to no drop-off between Pettite, Oswalt and Clemens. But for the Cardinals, it's Carpenter and then a big drop off after that. Mulder absolutely looked clueless last night. He covered first base late, threw wild pitches (Molina should have been charged a passed ball on one), and he didn't know which base to throw to on the sac bunt. Mulder just looked shaky.

Suppan may be gone, as well. I'm sure Jocketty will trade some no-namer or low-impact player and get an All-Star in return.

Willie McGee had power? :-s

Congrats to Houston. But after the Red Sox lost, maybe we shouldn't be surprised that the Astros won. After all, they are a wild-card team.

It is a "bargain" because I do think he's the best player in the game. However, it wasn't a "hometown discount" like McGwire's. Pujols himself said, "No hometown discounts." And arbitration is a crapshoot. Yeah, he could've been awarded $20 million (although I don't think his agent would've asked for that, but you get my point) or he could've been awarded $6 million (a figure the Cards could have offered and would still be a nice raise over his 2004 salary). Neither side wanted to take a chance. But taking an average of $14 million is not a hometown discount. Pujols said "no hometown discount" because he was in bargaining mode, at the time. What do you think he was going to say? "Anything they want to offer me is fine"? He wanted to stay in St. Louis, but he's not braindead. Maybe it wasn't a hometown discount. Maybe Edmonds' relatively cheap salary isn't, either. Maybe Carpenter's isn't. Maybe Morris' isn't. Maybe Jocketty is just a genius. Either way is fine with me. Steve Kline is on record as saying that he wishes he had taken less money to play in St. Louis this year. That didn't go over well in Baltimore, but he said it, nontheless. Look, I'm not saying the Cardinals haven't had guys who publicly said they would take less money to play here. Heck, I live here, I know about Edmonds, McGwire and Rolen. But I just have to refute anyone (and I'm not necessarily saying you) who even pretends that type of stuff only happens to St. Louis. Need I remind you of Andre Dawson's blank check offer to the Cubs back in 1987? Anyway, for every Rolen there's a Renteria, who didn't want to accept less money. And don't forget Matt Morris turned down a lucrative offer from the Cardinals in 2004, but then got hurt so he had to sign the one year $2 million contract he now has. Had he not gotten hurt he wouldn't even be a Cardinal today. I think Carpenter took the best offer possible after coming off of surgery. Yes, Pujols could've said nothing just as he did even though he was grossly underpaid after the 2003 season when he got a raise from $900,000 to $3 million. Plus, he, I'm sure, was fully aware of guys who had said they'd take less to stay here. I doubt he would've accepted a 7/$65 million contract just because he wanted to stay in St. Louis. It's a bargain for the Cardinals but Pujols didn't give them a hometown discount.

Great discussion! Too bad this isn't in the baseball discussion section. I'm not sure how one can quantify pitching, but in my opinion, I would take a great pitcher on my team over a great hitter. I know we're dealing with semantics, but I don't think good pitching stops good hitting, though. But I do think great pitching will stop great hitting. The great pitcher does have control over the 27 outs. The great hitter can only have direct control the four or five times he comes to the plate, and that's if he doesn't get the intentional pass. But I don't know how one could quantify it, though.

It is a "bargain" because I do think he's the best player in the game. However, it wasn't a "hometown discount" like McGwire's. Pujols himself said, "No hometown discounts." And arbitration is a crapshoot. Yeah, he could've been awarded $20 million (although I don't think his agent would've asked for that, but you get my point) or he could've been awarded $6 million (a figure the Cards could have offered and would still be a nice raise over his 2004 salary). Neither side wanted to take a chance. But taking an average of $14 million is not a hometown discount.

I understand what you are saying but have you ever noticed how players sign discounts and waive no-trade clauses just to play in st louis? I love the short memories. Seems to me in the early spring Pujols was getting ripped by fans and media in St. Louis for proclaiming, "No hometown discount". But he did give them a discount. Wasn't it 7 yrs/$105? I don't know the structure and that is cheap for the best player in the game, but I don't consider that a discount considering he had only put in 4 years prior to the contract. How many arbitration only eligible players get that kind of raise?

I understand what you are saying but have you ever noticed how players sign discounts and waive no-trade clauses just to play in st louis? I love the short memories. Seems to me in the early spring Pujols was getting ripped by fans and media in St. Louis for proclaiming, "No hometown discount".

No. The Cardinals are still playing. But it makes me wanna puke hearing Hrabosky always talk about Ramirez and the others who stare at their homers but then he never says anything about Pujols. As I said earlier, it's not just him, but a whole bunch of fans and STL media, too. You're certainly not going to bait me into defending Hrabosky. He's a stone-cold idiot, in my opinion. No baiting, my friend. I just try to call 'em as I see 'em. I figured we could agree on Hrabosky.

Walking and staring at your work is showing up the pitcher, and generally poor sportsmanship. But many people tend to like poor sportsmanship nowadays. That's fine. I'd prefer that to an on-field celebration before you've won anything, but that's just me. It's preference, I guess. But don't ever watch a basketball game, football game or hockey game because those guys always celebrate before the end of a game, especially in the playoffs, when the game is no longer in doubt and they're getting ready to advance.

No. The Cardinals are still playing. But it makes me wanna puke hearing Hrabosky always talk about Ramirez and the others who stare at their homers but then he never says anything about Pujols. As I said earlier, it's not just him, but a whole bunch of fans and STL media, too.

He may have been less inclined to walk to first base if Berkman hadn't "danced" his way around the bases earlier, and if the Astros' dugout hadn't been high-fiving before the final out of the game, and if they hadn't celebrated on the field after Game 4. You're making something of nothing. Every player isn't a Pete Rose type who sprints around the bases every time he makes contact. Man, I hate the double standards that Cardinal fans seem to place on players. Only in St. Louis, I guess. If it's no big deal for Pujols to stand and watch almost every home run, then I want Cardinal fans and announcers to quit shoving down our throats how "professional" it is when Rolen sprints around the bases when he homers. I could take Pujols standing at the plate watching it in that situation but he does it every time whether it's a game winning homer or a homer in the eighth with the Cardinals leading by 8.

The main difference this year between the two teams is Jocketty knew what the his team needed and improved it. Hendry knew what the team needed and just attempted to fill holes, not really improving it. Both teams needed a leadoff hitter. The Cards got Eckstein, who knew his only role was to get on base. Hendry pretty much gave up and relied on Baker to choose the leadoff hitter. Both teams needed pitching - the Cards a legit front-line starter and the Cubs some bullpen help. The Cards got Mulder, while Hendry chose to go with an often injured Chad Fox, a surgery recovered Borowski, and really not making it known how Dempster would be used, and trading Farnsworth, while relying on kids to help in the pen. Cards needed a second baseman with a pretty good glove, who you don't really need to rely on offense for, and they get Grudz. We needed high OPS guys in the outfield and Hendry relies on Dubois/Hollandsworth and Burnitz. I can see how the two teams had completely different seasons.

Technically, if the numbers hold true, then the Cards should be favored. Using home field advantage as the barometer, the Cards are right where they need to be (and exactly where they were last year). The Cards are 1-1 at home this year in the NLCS. Unless you're talking about some other numbers. I still think Pettite is the worst of the Astros' big three. The key for the Astros is to continue their strong starting pitching and they have to get the Cardinals' starter out fairly early. It's pretty evident that LaRussa has no confidence in his bullpen (other than Izzy and Marquis).

I actually like Shannon. He's funny and compared to some of the other goofs who call Cardinal games (on tv and radio), he's good. He is to Card fans what Santo is to Cub fans. Anyway, he's a former Cardinal player who had to end his career early due to some illness/disease. He's been a broadcaster for the Cardinals for more than thirty seasons. He may be funny Dal but it hurt listening to his call on the last play of the game. When it's a loss it can't hurt.

Is JR Richard with the organization? I would love for him to get one. He could've been one of the greatest pitchers of all time.