"Official" 2011 St. Louis Cardinals Thread

[BigRedChief]

This is so unreal. We were dead. No hope. A season over. Somehow, someway we find some team chemistry and squeak into the playoffs on the last day of the season.

Only to find us facing one of the best pitching staffs assembled in years with home field advantage. We somehow, someway find a way to beat the best pitcher in baseball on the road in an elimination game.

We have to go on the road and beat the team with the best home record in baseball. A team who mortgaged their future to make this run .We somehow, someway find a way to beat them on the road and make our 18th World series trip.

We take game 1, we give away game 2 and home field advantage. Albert goes off for probably the best performance in World Series history and we take game 3 easily. Games 4 & 5 our bats fall asleep, Phone gate happens and its not looking too good.

Game 6, one of the best baseball games of all time and it takes place in a season ending go home game. Cardinals are down 2 runs in their final chance on the season, twice. They are down to their final strike of the season, twice. They give up a 2 run homer in extra innings. In the bottom of the inning their final 3 batters are a combined 3-26 in the Playoffs and a pitcher because the bench is empty. Somehow, someway they get some runners on and the comeback player of the year drives in the tying run. Mr. Freese hits the walk off home run. We will see you tommorrow night.

Game 7, With our bulldog on the mound pitching on 3 days rest he is able to give us 6 good innings and get us to within 9 outs of our 11 World series title. Texas meltsdown, probably left over from last nights game and its over.

The underdog, come back team who had no business even being in the playoffs wins a World championship. They make movies about events like this in life. Events that you remember even if your not a fan of the sport or team for the rest of your life.

When it is your team.......Priceless


.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Jocketty would be an idiot to deal Votto.

That's kinda what I was thinking.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Aside from Cecil, Romero, and Drabek, what young arms do you have?

Well Drabek has become a bit of a question mark after his awful 2011. Morrow (fantastic peripherals and stuff, 20 cent head) and Henderson Alvarez (throws 95 consistently, heavy sinker stuff) are both quite good and in the majors now, though. They have a few guys coming up in the high minors that project to be at least as good as Shaun Marcum (Drew Hutchinson, Nestor Molina). There's a huge amount of pitching depth in the low minors, too, which could be used in trades. It's really amazing how far the system has come since JP left.

If the Jays plan to win in 2012, though, they'll need another top level starter along with Romero. There's been talk that Anthopoulos will go after Darvish (he was in Japan scouting him), but giving that guy Dice-K money scares the crap out of me. I suppose anything is better than the mega rich media corporation that owns the team not spending at all, though.

[OnTheWarpath15]

FIVE.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Albert called time to get Fielder more applause. Class move.

Now, strike this mother****er out.

The more the guy does, hitting and personality wise the more I want him to be a Cardinal til he retires. He really is a class act and can hit a baseball a ton.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Barring the Cubs grabbing him, I'll be damned glad to have that dude out of the division.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Albert called time to get Fielder more applause. Class move.

Now, strike this mother****er out.

Props to Fielder for giving Stl home field in the WS. .

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I just don't understand why Cincy would be willing to move Votto at this point. I know Yonder Alonso is a pretty damned good hitter, but if I'm shopping Votto, I need a number of premium players to get back.

Seems crazy to me, too. Votto's going to free agency after 2013, but you might as well try to win with him in 2012. It's not like the NL Central isn't right there for the taking each year.

There are some bad GMs in this league and Anthopoulos has taken advantage of a few of them so far, so I wouldn't put it past him to do it again. I'd probably give any player in the Jays organization for Votto outside of Bautista, Lawrie, Escobar, and Romero.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Props to Fielder for giving Stl home field in the WS. .

Easy, boys. Let's hold off on the talk until it's official. Karma's a mother****er sometimes.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by O.city

The more the guy does, hitting and personality wise the more I want him to be a Cardinal til he retires. He really is a class act and can hit a baseball a ton.

Somebody will ****ing murder Mozeliak if Pujols is allowed to walk.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Barring the Cubs grabbing him, I'll be damned glad to have that dude out of the division.

Yeah and if the Reds trade Votto, we are in good shape in the central.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Well Drabek has become a bit of a question mark after his awful 2011. Morrow (fantastic peripherals and stuff, 20 cent head) and Henderson Alvarez (throws 95 consistently, heavy sinker stuff) are both quite good and in the majors now, though. They have a few guys coming up in the high minors that project to be at least as good as Shaun Marcum (Drew Hutchinson, Nestor Molina). There's a huge amount of pitching depth in the low minors, too, which could be used in trades. It's really amazing how far the system has come since JP left.

If the Jays plan to win in 2012, though, they'll need another top level starter along with Romero. There's been talk that Anthopoulos will go after Darvish (he was in Japan scouting him), but giving that guy Dice-K money scares the crap out of me. I suppose anything is better than the mega rich media corporation that owns the team not spending at all, though.

I totally forgot about Morrow. He has 2-3 ungodly starts a year, but I almost wonder if he'd be better off closing like he did as a rookie in Seattle when he was lights out.

Yes, Drabek seems unable to throw strikes, and that has to be troubling.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Seems crazy to me, too. Votto's going to free agency after 2013, but you might as well try to win with him in 2012. It's not like the NL Central isn't right there for the taking each year.

There are some bad GMs in this league and Anthopoulos has taken advantage of a few of them so far, so I wouldn't put it past him to do it again. I'd probably give any player in the Jays organization for Votto outside of Bautista, Lawrie, Escobar, and Romero.

The NL central has proven to be a pretty tough division each year. It's no Al east but it's pretty good year in year out.

[OnTheWarpath15]

FOUR.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Barring the Cubs grabbing him, I'll be damned glad to have that dude out of the division.

Don't worry, he won't be due for someone to exorbitantly overpay for him for a few years, so Theo's out.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

FOUR.

Holy shit this is happening.

Now we just gotta get out Mickey Mantle and we are 3 outs away.