***Offical 2012 STL Cardinals World Champions Thread ***

[BigRedChief]

St. Louis Cardinals: 7 reasons fans should feel good about 2012

Posted Wednesday, October 24, 2012, at 9:26 PM

St. Louis Cardinals fans are likely feeling deflated after the collapse that put an end to the team's dreams of a World Series repeat, but there is good reason to be excited.

With all of the odds against them, the Cardinals managed to push their 2012 season beyond any anticipated boundary.

Given all of the season's changes and the adversity the team had to fight through, the fact that they played in October at all was an anomaly in itself. On paper, it made sense for the Cardinals to be in the playoffs, but few saw them as a true threat.
As the season continued, even fans began to doubt as they watched the team seemingly crumble in June and July. When the Cardinals finally came to life in September they went 11-5 in the last 16 games of the season to lock up the second Wild Card position in its inaugural year.

That run, despite it's crushing end in Cincinnati in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, lots of good came from the Cardinals' season and playoff run.
Following in no particular order are 10 reasons Cardinals fans have to be excited about the 2013 season.

Trevor Rosenthal
When rookie fireballer Trevor Rosenthal made his first trip to St. Louis, it was obvious almost instantly that he was something special.
Between his 100 mph fastball and the general inability for almost anyone to hit off of him, he became a huge part of the Cardinals playoff run.

He pitched in a total of 19 regular season games before the 22-year-old rookie from Lee's Summit, Mo. got his first taste of postseason baseball and he put on quite a show.
In 8.2 IP over seven postseason appearances, Rosenthal held opponents to only two hits and no runs.
It's possible that down the stretch he may have already earned his spot in the rotation for 2013.

Shelby Miller
The long-coveted fastball pitching prospect Shelby Miller also made his first trip to St. Louis in 2012 and put on a good show.
In 13.2 IP over six regular season games, Miller surrendered only two runs on nine hits. His postseason performance was more of the same with two runs on four hits in 3.2 IP.

Despite a dismal first half of the season in Memphis, Miller got himself together and still managed to make one major league start before the end of the season -- a very impressive start at that.
Against the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of the regular season, Miller posted 5.2 hitless innings. He gave up no runs and collected his first major league win.

Expect to see a lot more of Miller in St. Louis early in 2013.

Joe Kelly
When Joe Kelly made his major league debut on June 10, few could have guessed the importance he would play throughout the remainder of the 2012 season.
Kelly started 16 games for the Cardinals this season filling in for Jaime Garcia and Lance Lynn, but it was the postseason when he really came through for his teammates.

When starting pitchers struggled time and again in October, it was Kelly who came to their rescue.
In seven postseason appearances, Kelly threw 7.2 innings and surrendered only two runs on six hits. Kelly came through for the Cardinals from the bullpen.
There's a good chance that could be his home in the future.

Mike Matheny
When the Cardinals hired Mike Matheny to take over for Tony LaRussa, many question bringing in a manager with no experience to such a storied franchise.

He had a few hiccups and growing pains along the way, but for a rookie manager to get his team where Matheny did this year speaks volumes.
His players have a strong respect for Matheny and credit his positive style with being a driving force behind their 2012 success.
True, he didn't get them through the NLCS, but the team made it to an all or nothing Game 7. That's good experience for the players obviously, but also for Matheny. Not only did he learn a lot about managing in the media pressure cooker that is postseason baseball, he also got a taste of what it felt like to win as a manager.

NLCS loss means more drive to win
While the NLCS loss was a good lesson for a young manager, it's an even more important lesson for a young player.
The 2011 championship lit a fire under young players like Lance Lynn and Jon Jay. That fire helped drive them to extremely successful sophomore seasons.

What happened in 2012 will likely do the same for Rosenthal, Miller and Kelly. Their 2013 season may not be like Jay or Lynn's 2012, but now they've gotten a little taste of what it feels like to be a winner.

Both the excitement and the public humbling can be a great experience for any young player.

The run was without several key components
In a season riddled with injuries, none were as crucial as those late in the season.
The loss of Lance Berkman and Rafael Furcal significantly weakened the team's bench. Instead of having Pete Kozma, Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter to pinch hit, the team wound up having to use them in the lineup.

The loss of Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook also rocked the Cardinals. Instead of having Lynn and Westbrook also available from the bullpen, Lynn was pushed back into the rotation after a very successful NLDS bullpen stint.

Having gotten as deep into the playoffs as the Cardinals did in spite of the injuries is quite the accomplishment.

They did it without Pujols, LaRussa and Duncan
Few in the world of sports gave the Cardinals a fighting chance when Albert Pujols left the team to play on the west coast. Surely this team couldn't be as good as they were?

Few gave them a chance after longtime manager Tony LaRussa decided it was time to retire.
Few gave them a chance after pitching coach Dave Duncan left the team.
The Cardinals did it despite all of that. That's something any fan should be proud of.

No, they didn't hoist a trophy. There will be no parade or tickertape.
What there is, though, is hope for next year and that will come sooner than you may think.
After all, pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in just four short months.

From a blog I was sent on twitter: http://www.dailystatesman.com/blogs/...es/entry/50051

[rico]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Wonder if we are picking up some bandwagoners?

Don't you DARE imply that I'm a ****ing bandwagoner.

I decided to become a freaking Chiefs fan when I was younger because my dad (who is a Cards fanatic) is a Bears fan and tried raising me to be one.... I noticed that the same kids who I bickered with at school who were Cubs fans, were generally also Bears fans. Therefore I couldn't root for that team because I ****ing hated Cubs fans and still do. I randomly chose the Chiefs and have become die-hard about the Chiefs since. I wouldn't even be on a Chiefs message board today if it weren't for my love for the Cardinals and hatred for the Cubs. Hell, my first toy when I was a newborn was a Fredbird doll. I still have it propped on one of my shelves.

Never thought that I'd neg rep someone without being prompted by being neg repped first, especially to a Cards fan on a good night for the Cards.... This crossed the line. Up yours, dipshit.

[veist]

So is it just me or is Matt Holliday actually playing some defense in left these days? I mean, like not deferring to Kozma on pop ups that are clearly his and otherwise not filling me entirely with dread on anything hit to left. You know, just mostly filled with dread but not entirely!

[rico]

Eh, I've thought about the earlier rant a bit. I can see how the big red dude would think I was a bandwagoner...I haven't exactly been a huge contributor in this thread. And when I have contributed, it hasn't been much. I can see it. Another thing to add to my case, my fiancee and I have been together 4.5 years (off and on 10) and she was a huge Cubs fan before we started dating seriously. I told her that if she didn't preferably become a Cardinals fan, but at least ditch the Cubs, then we would for sure, have relationship problems. So she ditched the Cubs and is hardcore Cardinals now. I made her throw away her Cubs apparel....at first she was pissed about it, but now when she looks back, shes glad she did it because she hates the Cubs and has noticed the same idiocy in their fanbase that I have now that it has been pointed out to her and she is able to observe it from the opposing side. She is embarrassed to have rooted for the Cubs, even though it was to a pretty minimal/moderate extent. She likes the Cards more than she's ever liked the Cubs.

Anyways, I usually engage in my Cardinals talk with my friends, fiancee and dad. I don't really have the "Cardinals talk" void that needs to be filled, for there are plenty of knowledgeable fans to converse with about the Cardinals where I am from (Southeast Iowa where Cards fans and Cubs fans are split 50/50). However, my Chiefs-chat void is never filled, for there isn't very many Chiefs fans to converse with over here....mostly Bears, Packers, Vikings, Steelers, Cowboys fans. And to make things worse, the few Chiefs fans there are around my area are total dumbshits. Most don't see a problem with Cassel and stare at me with a blank face when I go on anti-Cassel tirades. They seem to not even know who Pioli is. So yeah....there is definitely a Chiefs-chat void in my life. Problem is, this place to me is like a soap opera to my mother. I get drawn into all this shit and mostly lurk to the point where it takes up way too much of my time.

ANYWAYS....shouldn't have neg-repped you or snapped. I can understand how I can be perceived as a bandwagoner on this thread....I'm just seriously one of the last people in the world that anyone who knows me can imagine being referred to as a bandwagoner....so it threw me off guard to say the least.

Positive rep (repiprocaton).

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by WV

My Cardinal fandom waned a little when Larussa left and with both local teams being in the playoffs, but I'm still a Cards fan.

Mine actually strengthened when TLR left.

On an unrelated note I hope the next time Angel Pagan does that ****ed up half assed bundle of sticksy salute that someone beans him in the head.

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Mine actually strengthened when TLR left.

On an unrelated note I hope the next time Angel Pagan does that ****ed up half assed pillowbitergoty salute that someone beans him in the head.

That dude made play after play last night. He deserved to show off a bit.

[Mother****erJones]

Please beat the tigers in the series. They're the cockiest ****ing team in baseball!! Pitchers kiss the ball, Cabrera does his you can't see me bullshit and valverde and his gay ****i g dancing! I'm a white sox fan so go cards

[seclark]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

That dude made play after play last night. He deserved to show off a bit.

yeah, i don't think he's actually trying to show the cards up...i mean, he's saluting his own guys in the dugout. no biggie imo.
sec

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Wonder if we are picking up some bandwagoners?

There's a lot of us here that grew up Cards fans but are thoroughly bored with baseball.

I only watch during the Playoffs/Series.

[Marco Polo]

I will give Pagan some props. He reminded me of Jimmy E last night in CF.

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

There's a lot of us here that grew up Cards fans but are thoroughly bored with baseball.

I only watch during the Playoffs/Series.

That would describe me as well.

[rico]

I would say my primary barrier to accessing Cards games is not having access to the games. I went back to college and was (I recently quit) working 60-70 a week at an underpaid salary job that I had been at for 5 years...ugh, majoring in Psych at a private college was a huge mistake. Anyways, I am trying to build as comfortable of a living environment for my family's future, which is why I went back to college...and is why I am frugal with my money to the point where I am unwilling to buy a cable TV package. It is more difficult to find a live feed for the Cards games, so sometimes I am S.O.L. and have to resort to watching them on ESPN game cast while listening to Mike Shannon. I get to watch the games at my parents' house when they are home....they live just a mile down the road, so that's nice.

[oldandslow]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

There's a lot of us here that grew up Cards fans but are thoroughly bored with baseball.

I only watch during the Playoffs/Series.

Honestly I have become more enamored with baseball as I grew older. Football has become a different sport since I was a kid - can't touch the QB, can't pass defend, etc.

Baseball, with the one exception of the steroid years, is basically the same as it's always been. I kinda like that.

Offer me tickets to a Cards or Chiefs game and I know which one I am taking.

[WV]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Mine actually strengthened when TLR left.

On an unrelated note I hope the next time Angel Pagan does that ****ed up half assed pillowbitergoty salute that someone beans him in the head.

I grew up loving the Bash Brothers and eventually TLR in the process. So when I followed TLR and McGwire from Oakland to STL, I was saddened when they both left.

The Cards are still my favorite, but I love to see the local teams do well too.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

rico....He may have just been asking you that, not accusing you of it. May have been asking you if you thought we were picking up some bandwagoners? Heck, you've posted in here quite a bit I believe.

[rico]

Originally Posted by PGM

rico....He may have just been asking you that, not accusing you of it. May have been asking you if you thought we were picking up some bandwagoners? Heck, you've posted in here quite a bit I believe.

Posted much more last year. I had 1 baby instead of 2 babies last year, so it was easier to haul them over to my parents' house...so I've had to rely on the radio/gamecast much more this year. Since last year I've changed my avatar and have changed my name from "ricoswaff" to just "rico" so he may not recognize me or may not remember me because I haven't added a whole lot of substance to the board....just have kind of come off as a cheerleader and will occasionally add more if I see something I disagree with or can elaborate on, which you guys usually cover things pretty accurately IMO. Regardless though, I was a butthurt little he-bitch last night, but got over it quickly.