"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


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[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

That last pitch would have been a double play if the infield is at regular depth.

Yeah, but with Bourne at 3b and 1 down, you don't have a choice but to play your IF in. I understand that decision.

But again, if Yadi hadn't cost his pitcher a clear strike, the 2nd out is Bill Hall and the IF is at normal depth with 2 outs for the next man up.

Baseball isn't a complicated enough game for stuff like that to go unpunished. This team does not play smart, focused baseball. If it's not LaRussa's job to address that kind of crap, I'm not exactly sure what we pay him for.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Not yet you need more than 6 innings pitched in the big show before taking on the "closer"role.

Salas was decent last year in the bigs. He should at least be splitting time with Boggs at closer.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Yay.

Another game lost to an inferior team when we held a late lead.

This team may not lose 90 games as suggested, but they probably should.

Bad ****ing baseball.

Despite that.... Still tied for first. 86 wins may win the division this year.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm sure their superstar team leader has nothing to do with that.

It all comes back to Pujols and Molina for you. It's pathological.

We'll just forget that one of these supposed lazy players made a bigger difference in runs saved at his position than any other player in the league, save for three outfielders last year (Molina), and that Pujols saved more runs than any player in the NL in 2007 and 2008 just with his defense, not just for his position, but of all positions.

Both guys are super slow runners, and yet are always among the first to get the extra base or swipe a bag when the pitcher isn't paying attention, and their ESP backpick play is the best in baseball. That too must be attributable to laziness and stupidity, because of lazy and stupid baseball players are known for anything, it's catching the other team off guard, again and again.

You've wanted to dump Pujols and Molina for a while, claiming that they were part of the latin contingent that mailed in the 2010 season. Sure, Felipe Lopez is the best example of a mail in job, but the last I checked, Molina caught more games than any catcher in baseball last year, and Pujols had the best numbers in baseball again. Where exactly are these mail in jobs?

This isn't a game played by automatons. There are lags, lulls, and mistakes that will happen more often in a protracted season. It doesn't mean the players who make them are lazy, especially when they have a long and documented history of showing tremendous effort through offensive and defensive production.

Pujols has saved far more runs with his supposed lazy defense than a bum like Brendan Ryan ever made running balls out on a one hopper to the second baseman.

[BigRedChief]

punto leading off and freese batting 2nd? Larussa comes up with the wildest lineups.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Lohse pitching well again tonight.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by PGM

Lohse pitching well again tonight.

I swear aliens took over his body.

[veist]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

I swear aliens took over his body.

Well at least the aliens like us?

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by PGM

Lohse pitching well again tonight.

I guess it was the injury holding him back?

[Rams Fan]

Is Franklin working on blowing a Cards 6 run lead?

[Rams Fan]

Tony pulled Franklin. Wow.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Is Franklin working on blowing a Cards 6 run lead?

Better now than when he can cost us a game.

[Rams Fan]

Bases loaded for the Astros.

****ing great...

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Tony pulled Franklin. Wow.

He faced two batters. Had horrible location and both batters hit the ball hard. Glad to see some common sense out of Tony.

No firggin way Salas should be sent down to the minors. Franklin needs to go down to find his groove. And now Miller hasn't retired a batter in his last 4 appearances.

Quit giving those old guys a chance to cost us games.

[Marcellus]

Franklin is toast. He can't even pitch with a 6 run lead.

JFC he is done.