XZero771679666304

Jeezus Gotta go with the LH'er

Damn, Papa Grande looks like he's about to become a Mama grande.

DeRo just went deep again. :evil:

Welcome back from hell :D Eh I'm living with my parents, I'm still in hell ;) Living with parents, or living in MO? Thats a tough choice :D Not really. Living with your parents after college is more dignified.

Joe Carter, Dave Otto, Joe Morgan, Buck and McCarver, Hawk Harrelson... The whole Nats TV team can go on that list. Brutal. I had to listen to them for one of the games of the Cubs series. The Pirates' guys were horrible in the years past that I've heard them. Not that that they were particuarly obnoxious, but more in that they were just SO boring. They're boring because they're always losing. When something good happens they're practically screaming. There's no middle ground with those guys. The Mariners' broadcast team is also horrible.

I like Brenly more, and wouldn't trade him for Stone, but Steve does not suck as an analyst. He isn't god's gift to color commentary as some claim, but he is, at the very least, very good at his job. I do find it funny that very little of this Steve Stone hate was to be heard before the 2004 drama. I think people's distaste over Stone's titanic ego and borderline obsession with the Cubs has clouded their opinion of his work.

This is true, which is why I think it could screw the Cards if he leaves. It's apparent re-signing him is going to be a priority, and even if he does leave, it will likely drag on until January. It could be much like the Houston/Beltran situation a few years ago. the cards are in pretty good shape next year money-wise: pujols 16M carp 14.5M lohse 8.875M molina 4.25M wainwright 4.65M franklin 2.75M (option but obviously will be exercised) reyes 2M that's 53M in commitments. glaus and greene (bad contracts) are off the books. pineiro's contract is up; he might be pricing himself out of their range (sorry dave duncan, looks like you might be TOO good at your job). rasmus will be back in CF for free. ankiel is almost certainly gone. ludwick is due a nice raise in arbitration. i think they can compete for holliday with the red sox/yanks if they're going after him, but i don't think they can keep holliday and ludwick long term. derosa will probably do something like 2 years, 16M - nobody will go real long term with him but he can cash in and get a nice raise from what he's been making the last 3 years. If DeRo finishes the year off strong, I think he might go as high as 2/20 or 2/22. My point about Holliday is that I think it will become an offseason saga, the kind that leaves you twisting in the wind in late January if you don't get your guy. If Holliday goes elsewhere (again, I don't think he will), the Cards may end up out in the cold with just about all the FA's having already signed with other teams.

Besides all the Cardinal fans - I kinda like it here. You're sick.

That's a different issue, but very true. Then again, simply living in STL constitutes a suicide attempt, so they'd already be past the watch stage.

This is true, which is why I think it could screw the Cards if he leaves. It's apparent re-signing him is going to be a priority, and even if he does leave, it will likely drag on until January. It could be much like the Houston/Beltran situation a few years ago.

It's funny how much better I would feel had the Cubs won the second game of the Philly series (which they should have).

Nobody should be on suicide watch at this point in this division. It's a half game in July.

The only way this isn't a break even at best trade for the Cards is if they re-sign DeRo, which I don't see happening. Mark will get a nice contract after this season, and the Cards will have their hands full re-signing Holliday (which I think they will). if those guys leave they'll recoup some of the loss in early draft picks. True, but those picks won't help them in the next couple years. If the Cards fail to make the playoffs and lose both DeRo and Holliday, it won't be a pretty scene in STL until at least 2012. But again, I think they'll re-sign Holliday. That is unless Boras convinces Matt he has to go for the big payday because his recent numbers are still inflated from his last couple season in Colorado, which he will likely never repeat. But something seems natural about Holliday in STL, don't ask me why. If the the Cards pay him 15 million+ per year, that is a good thing, because they will be getting an .800-.850 OPS guy, IMO.

What a pollyanna-ish thing to say.

I disagree. With just 66 games left in the schedule, every half-game is pretty significant. It certainly doesn't mean as much as it would a month from now, and even less than two months from now. I'm not saying it means nothing, but it isn't worth doing cartwheels over.

The only way this isn't a break even at best trade for the Cards is if they re-sign DeRo, which I don't see happening. Mark will get a nice contract after this season, and the Cards will have their hands full re-signing Holliday (which I think they will).

It's nice to be in fisrt, but is doesn't mean much right now. Having said that, the facts that Soriano and Bradley are showing signs of breaking out, Harden is pitching very well and ARam is raking make me feel like there is a very good chance the Cubs have a much better second half.

This

This is not good.

Hard to blame him for that one. Had he swung he almost certainly would have missed.

Crap luck

Man, the Brewers announcers are hilarious. "the Brewers are in a really good position" (referring to the season) "the Brewers could have a comfortable lead in this division right now" Down 4 in the 8th, Jody Gerut muffs a line drive and allows a runner to score. "poor Jody Gerut, he gets a couple of hits, gets things turned around, and then he makes a huge error" A huge error would be if the came were closer. Of course, that took the Brewers out of "grand slam range".

It would be intense if it were the last week of September.

I think there probably is. Say what you will, if I get to warm up against mid-90's pitches, and the pitcher then throws me laser straight 100 mph fastballs right down the middle (which would never happen in game action anyway), and I know they're coming and where they'll be, I'll get around on one. I faced guys who threw in the 90's in HS, and for chuckles we used to crank the pinching machine to max velo (which was mid-90's) and ofter a couple of minutes you could time that. And I wasn't even a good hitter. I don't care how hard you throw, if it has no movement, you can't paint the corners with it and you have no other pitches to mix in, you'll get hit, even by mediocre hitters.