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Old 01-04-2012, 10:08 PM  
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***Offical 2012 STL Cardinals World Champions Thread ***

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

Last edited by BigRedChief; 10-24-2012 at 08:57 PM..
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Old 05-26-2012, 06:29 PM   #736
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Nobody said he should be called up now.
Not here but pother boards. Just ticks me off. Didn;t they learn a damn thing from last year. We have to think long game, not just this year. We are not the Brewers or Reds hoping for a one year lightening strike. Put all the cards on the table. We get our bullpen fixed and everyone healthy we will be fine.
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Old 05-27-2012, 08:41 PM   #737
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Old 05-28-2012, 09:41 AM   #738
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Damn Adams is looking good. He's tore it up at every professional level since Slippery rock graduation. His swing doesn't look like a home run or strike out swing. Both Methany and McGuire think he's the real deal.

Presents a nice problem to have when Craig comes off the DL. I see Craig giving Beltran's knee some well deserved rest at first but then we are right back where we were before Berkman went down, 2 positions and 3 players you need to keep on the field. Good problem to have.

My only concern is they are trade bait at the trading deadline for bullpen help.

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Old 05-28-2012, 10:11 AM   #739
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Pitching still scares the crap out of me. I feared that the loss of Duncan would be the biggest blow we suffered, and that really seems to be the case. He was like Dr. Frankenstein, assembling dead pieces into an effective pitching monster. Now we've just got rotting parts.
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Old 05-28-2012, 10:25 AM   #740
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I think the biggest problem with the pen is there just isn't any kind of defined role for anyone that isn't Motte. Salas and McClellan are both bills coming due for getting pitched hard last year.
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Old 05-28-2012, 10:32 AM   #741
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Pitching still scares the crap out of me. I feared that the loss of Duncan would be the biggest blow we suffered, and that really seems to be the case. He was like Dr. Frankenstein, assembling dead pieces into an effective pitching monster. Now we've just got rotting parts.
Yeah, Duncan was the master. No way you replace a guy like that. But, the dude has spent him life on the road and his wife is sick, dying sick. I can understand his desire to be at his bedside. I heard on the STL radio is in in contact with Linquist and does give advise when asked.

Yet, we have a farm system that is producing talent. That wasnt happening during most of the Duncan era. Hopefully, that will help offset the loss.
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Old 05-29-2012, 12:04 PM   #742
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Pitching still scares the crap out of me. I feared that the loss of Duncan would be the biggest blow we suffered, and that really seems to be the case. He was like Dr. Frankenstein, assembling dead pieces into an effective pitching monster. Now we've just got rotting parts.
But Duncan always had something of a hands-off approach with the bullpen, if you'll recall. And the SP isn't really hurting us at all right now.

Ultimately Liliquist did fantastic work with Motte, Salas, and Lynn last year when he got the call in Duncan's absence and was tasked with restoring order in the 'pen. I don't believe he's been at all responsible for the struggles of the BP thus far.

Ultimately he's simply working with some guys that are broken down from last year (Salas and McClellan), lousy in general (Romero) or mostly mediocre stop-gaps like Marte.

Boggs and his 2.08 ERA has looked better than he's ever looked before and Motte's looking solid; just getting unlucky (seriously, how the hell did the Soriano and Pence bombs get out of the park?). And for as much as Scrabble seems to get hit - is everyone aware that his WHIP is below 1.00? He's actually pitching well on balance; once again there have just been some poorly timed key hits that stick in our memory.

To tell you the truth, after seeing how well Lynne and Lohse have pitched this year, as well as the relative bounceback from Westbrook, I'm not convinced we've missed Duncan at all. Liliquist has done a very nice job with the guys that have had some raw materials to work with. You can't really fault him for not turning Victor Marte into a stud anymore than you could blame Duncan for not getting anything out of Batista. You can't blame Liliquist for McClellan anymore than you can Duncan for Franklin. But on the flipside, he's gotten more out of Lynne, Boggs and Motte than Duncan ever managed. He's a much better developer of power arms than Duncan was, IMO.
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Old 05-29-2012, 12:20 PM   #743
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Anyone planning on hitting the Royals series next month at the K?

Tickets are cheap, but hotels are ****ing insane. The Westin Crown Center wants over 3 bills a night - I usually stay there during football season for under $100.

Debating on whether to stay way out of town, or hit Chicago again for the July series at Wrigley.
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Old 05-29-2012, 12:24 PM   #744
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Anyone planning on hitting the Royals series next month at the K?

Tickets are cheap, but hotels are ****ing insane. The Westin Crown Center wants over 3 bills a night - I usually stay there during football season for under $100.

Debating on whether to stay way out of town, or hit Chicago again for the July series at Wrigley.
try priceline, put in 4 star+ downtown crown center/plaza areas and bid around 100 a night... never fails for me.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:44 PM   #745
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:57 PM   #746
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**** YOU DIE WESTBROOK
When Carp gets back they better be sending Westbrook to the pen and not Lynn.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:58 PM   #747
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When Carp gets back they better be sending Westbrook to the pen and not Lynn.
Christ I hope so.
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Old 06-02-2012, 11:45 AM   #748
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Not one comment on the no hitter?
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Old 06-02-2012, 12:15 PM   #749
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Not one comment on the no hitter?
Speechless.
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Old 06-02-2012, 12:24 PM   #750
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First no-hitter in 22 years? I'm fine with that, especially giving that it was Johan, not some scrub that normally throws these.
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