What the **** happened in here?

Cards fan civil war.

Yeah we need some Royals fan to drop in and tell us we suck.

Or Hootie to come in and say that the Cubs have no weaknesses and the Cards have nothing in the farm system a year before that farm system produced:

Rasmus, Ryan, Hawksworth, Todd, Freese, Perez, Boggs, Wallace, Mortenson, and Garcia

Who turned into our starting SS who plays GG caliber defense, our starting 3B, multiple BP arms, trade bait for DeRosa and Holliday, one of the best young position players in baseball, and one of the best young pitchers in the league.

Damn. That ****ed sucked.

A seed to the 2B that turns into a DP.

Awesome start by Garcia

:clap:

I'm not really sure. But I think somebody needs to change their name to Tony's left nut.

How ****ing slow can you be, Yadi?

Damn that some bad base running by the Braves. Playing scared with a 6 run deficit.

The wife is PISSED. The broom is out of the closet and standing by for use tomorrow.

Doesn't look like I'm getting any tonight...... :D

First 4 game win streak of the season!:clap:

:clap: Damn thats impressive.

Dude :eek:

Garcia has been a pleasant surprise so far.

Bases loaded and nobody out. Pujols, Holliday and Rasmus coming up. How much money would you bet that we would score at least one run?

Damn nice to have a good lefty on the mound again. Not since Ankiel's rookie season could we say that.

Pleasant surprise? He keeps this up he's on the All Star team.

I remember being bummed out that the game I was going to in Milwaukee featured our new No. 5 pitcher. I got over that shit in a hurry. The kid was lights out that day and hasn't missed a beat since. :thumb:

I'm not terribly fond of Garcia's mechanics (they're a little 'loud', lots of movement with his upper body that could lead to some shoulder issues in the future).

But his stuff profiles perfectly for a LHSP. Every single thing he throws moves and most of it moves in different directions.

If he can refine that changeup, he has legitimate #2 or fringe #1 potential. The changeup to righties is what makes a truly elite lefty starter. If he can get that change to tail away and drop a bit more without telegraphing it, he'll be nearly impossible to get a good swing off of. Put a running fastball with a tailing changup and righties will be in a lot of trouble. Then you look at the slider he has (decent) and the curve (very good when he's on top of it, but not consistent), and you could see how lefties would struggle, especially with that power sinker fastball.

I really love the kid's arsenal. He has 4 pitches he can throw for strikes, 3 of which are plus pitches and the 4th (the change) has the potential to be the best pitch of all of them. And when it gets down to it, if he brings nothing but the sinker to the mound with him, he can give you 6 gutty innings.

He has a very bright future if he can stay healthy. I hope those mechanics don't jump up and bite him.

Could be get 4 pitchers on the All Star team?

Nah, think of how good the SPing in the NL has been.

Halladay, Lincecum and Ubaldo have all been at least as good as anyone we have to offer. Santana's looking healthy, Haren's looked good (even w/ the Cardinal start). Nolasco's started out well. Hell, Barry Zito deserves consideration.

Do we have 4 guys that could make an AS argument? Probably, but I can't see more than 2 of them on the squad, since you know AP will be there and probably Molina as well.

I'm guessing WW and Penny make the squad. The rookie will still have to pay his dues and Carp's doing it with smoke and mirrors right now; I'm just worried he'll fall off.

He's getting old but he ain't washed up yet....But it does look(at least right now) we may have a #2 lefty starter for 2012 if Carp falls off a cliff.

Garcia is turning heads big time...he's got filthy stuff with 3 maybe 4 pitches that he can control and put it where Molina wants...

If Brad Penny has another one or two more outings like he's been having, the Cardinals brass needs to start talking about an extension for him.

Not gonna happen. Penny is going to want a big payday, its his last contract so he will test the free agent market. The Cardinals can't give him #1/#2 long term contract money with such a short sample size. Less than a year ago he was washed up and nobody wanted a thing to do with him. How do we know he won't revert back to those days?

I think this team is the best team we have had since 2004 and may yet rival that team. And I think the 2004 team was the best team we have had since the Whiteyball era.

The 2004 squad would've kicked the !@#$ out of the whiteyball Cards, IMO. Those clubs were a tough out because they were gimmicky and played in a ballpark ideally suited for them. Take the best Whiteyball squad, put them in a neutral stadium and have them play 162 games and I think the 2004 Cards win 90 of them.

That team was amazing and I'll listen to any arguments that have it as the best Cardinal ballclub of all time. The '67 Cardinals have a good argument, but I can't see anyone else really putting up much of a fight.

I wasn't saying this team and 2004 was better than the whiteyball teams just the best since. It's hard to compare different era teams against each other. Whiteyball was invented to fit a ballpark.


But the 67 team would have kicked the azz of the 2004 team. Gibby would have put a fastball in Pujols ear and took him out of the game fast. ROFL

If this pitching stays anywhere close to what its achieving now and our bats come close to their potential, this team can be put in the hopper for a nomination for best team.

Yeah, Gibby, Carlton, Briles were tough to beat.

Brock, Cepada, et al hit fairly well during a dead ball, high mound era as well.

My vote goes to the '67 squad.

Wish I could remember the 60's era of the Cardinals :( I was born in 62.

Gun to my head, I go with the '67 squad.

But it's easy to forget just how incredible that '04 lineup was. Edmonds and Rolen would've easily been the best hitters on that '67 squad. Hell, Walker might have been as well. Oh yeah, and Albert Pujols is possibly the greatest hitter of all time. Womack was at his best that season and ER was a perfect run producer. It was also one of the few TLR squads with legitimate, game changing, speed.

The defense was impeccable -- ER, Matheny, Womack and Edmonds up the middle with AP and Rolen at the corner IF spots. :drool: And then Walker had the best defensive instincts of any of them. Sanders was the worst defender and he was merely average. The SPing and bullpen for the '04 squad didn't have the elite talent at the top, but was much deeper. Carlton had control issues still and with the patient hitters on the team, I think the '04 squad could neutralize him by running up his pitches, drawing walks and relying on a lineup with 3 guys that terrorized lefties in AP, Rolen and ER to do enough damage to get by.

In a short series, the '67 squad trotting out that top 3 probably takes it. But in 1967, there were no playoffs. Over 162 games, I think the 2004 squad wins more games and take the NL pennant.

Always an interesting discussion but always subject to the "the old guys were better" bias. I think I'd be happy to take either side of that argument if needed. Both sides have compelling cases.

I was born in '81.

But I read a lot...that's gotta count for somethin'

We don't know if he'll revert back to his OLD ways, but that would be why Penny might consider taking an extension very soon. He knows what could happen with an injury . It would benefit him by getting a another year of guarantee'd money on his contract. The Cardinals could add another year to his contract and give him a few hundred thousand more for the 2nd year or give him One million more in year 2 with an option for a 3rd year that is incentive laden to the max.

I guess for Penny it would be the one in the hand - instead of two in the bush scenario :shrug:

I remember we got to watch the 67 or 68 World Series in class one year. I bet that never happens now.

I've got uncles and older brothers who talk about the 60's Cardinals all the time at family gatherings. Reading is good and I've read numerous items on the 60's articles. IMO, its still not the same like watching with your own
eyes and paying attention on a daily basis.

I agree with BRC that this team does have the potential to be one of the top Cardinal teams. But we have another 140 games left to the regular season
and hopefully lots of October baseball to determine that.

This team of 2010 has not a won the WS - 10 other Cardinal teams have.
This years starting pitching so far, has been terrific.

He's making 9 million this season coming off a lousy year last year.

He'll want at least 3/$36 to consider bypassing a FA run. And ultimately, if I were him, I'd want 4/$48 to keep me from at least testing the FA market.

With Carp, WW and Lohse, you're talking over $33 million on starting pitching. Throw another $11 in there for Penny (likely slightly backloaded) and you're talking about nearly $45 million in 4 starting pitchers, all of whom are locked up in long-term deals.

With the tenuous health history of starting pitchers, even more critically Penny and Carp, you're really risking a lot by setting up your budget that way. Especially if you intend to throw $30 million at Albert with Holliday already making $17.

$90 million for your rotation and 2 position players? Not gonna happen.

At the high school I attened, our HS principal was a huge baseball fan.
In our study hall (next to his office) he would allow us to watch the playoffs
every year. That was f'n SWEET.

Does anyone else get nervous watching Pujols walk around around after legging out a single or running the bases hard? Like holy crap he didn't hurt something did he?

Not nearly as nervous as I do when he catches a ball from short and steps backwards across the baseline.

It's an absolutely awful habit that he's developed and it will likely get him some bruised ribs (if we're lucky) one day. He just steps backward right into the path of these runners for no good reason.

I wish they'd try to work with him on getting rid of that.

The facts are staring us in the face. We are not the Yankees. We can't keep every good player we have and not worry if they fall off a cliff performance wise.

When Duncan leaves its gonna leave a mark on us being able to get these MLB rejects and get some production out of them.

The only solution is to keep finding the Rasmus's and Garcia's.

The farm will need to come up big.

Lance Lynne is our 5th starter in 2012, IMO. Garcia will have stepped up as a #3 and Shelby Miller will be waiting in the wings for 2013 when Carp will have to be let go in order to afford WW's new contract.

2012: WW, Carp, Garcia, Lohse, Lynne
2013: WW$, Garcia, FA, Lynne, Miller

And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Oquendo as our manager with Mike Matheny as the pitching coach.

EDIT: Forgot we had a club option on WW for 2012 and 2013.

When the club exercises those, they'll get Adam Wainwright for 6 years, $36 million over the life of that deal.

Are you F'ing kidding me?

Yeah if Tony leaves after this year or next it has to be Oquendo. Especially if Pujols isn't resigned.

Give Pujols the day off. Bat Rasmus in clean up. No problem....3-0 first inning. :clap: With Waino on the mound.

2004: Walker, Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds
vs.
2008: Ludwick, Pujols, Holliday and Rasmus

????

I like them both. You might want to add David Freese to that list for this year. He's got 6 RBIs today :) Its now 8-1 with Waino in a groove and the Braves Bull pen imploding.

Get on that Broom boys and ride it over the Arch.

helluva 2 out rally.
sec

Rasmus getting the Pujols type of intentional walk treatment lately. And molina/freese have made them pay.

You offer Penny arb, let him walk, and collect the draft picks.

yep, thats exactly what will happen.

Lets hope this is a sign of greater things to come. Are the bats waking up
like we hope ???

Tyler Greene, holy balls ROFL

prolly......jezuz, now Tyler Greene gets in on the fun :thumb:

Lets save some of this for the Reds and Dusty ass clown Baker.

They need to pull yadi now

welll the last few games hadn't been all home runs. So hopefully

I'm about ready for us to bring up Daniel Descalso, because Skip couldn't hit water if he fell out of a ****ing boat.

Big Sweat is looking like sack mist so far today.

Nine runs? Christ, maybe we should sit Albert more often. :D

The sweat beads are dripping into his eyes and he needs a towel to wipe
them off. he might have dropped 5 lbs today.

BRC you are absolutley correct to pull Yadi right now. He needs a break.
Put him next to # 5.

Colby Rasmus: Why I love compensation for Type A Free Agents

Some friends and I are heading down to catch the May 20th game. Its
also on a Thursday afternoon. I hope Albert plays that game. But if this
keeps up, we might be up by 10 at that point.

Radio guys just said the D-Backs are beating the cubs 6-1 at W'ville :)

I heard on the radio that a bunch of pro-illegal alien douchebags were planning on protesting at Wrigley because the Cubs are playing Arizona. I hope they're enjoying the game. :D

:LOL:


Prolly a bunch of Polish Pro-illegal douchebags...Chicago's full of Polish people.
Prolly explains the cubs !!!

4 runs scored today. He's been an OBP machine thus far. :clap:

<CITE class=source>http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/Stark_Jayson_35.jpg By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Archive </CITE><!-- end mod-article-title --><!-- begin story body -->
Ryan Howard might have rocked the world of baseball bean counters everywhere this week with his five-year, $125 million extension. But here's one thing he didn't do:
Decimate the first-base free-agent market of 2011-12.

Yeah, it's sad to report that Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder and Lance Berkman don't have Howard around to keep them company, and feed them Subway footlongs, anymore. It won't be the same without him.

But allow us to point out that the four guys Howard abandoned have 17 All-Star appearances, six Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves and 10 40-homer seasons among them. So there's an excellent chance they'll get paid slightly more than, say, Alex Cintron in 2012.

So what does their market look like now? What are they worth? And are there enough teams out there to pay them what they're worth? You might be surprised. So let's take a look at the star-studded first-base class of 2011:

Sir Albert


If there's a living human who thinks Pujols will wind up playing anywhere other than St. Louis, please raise your hand. You need to get out more. The Cardinals' entire franchise is built around Pujols. They can't possibly let the best player on our planet walk -- or even make it to the auction. Right?
<!-- begin player card -->
http://a.espncdn.com/i/headshots/mlb...rs/65/4574.jpg Albert Pujols

#5 1B
St. Louis Cardinals




"I don't even consider that a question," one GM said. "He's a god there. No way he leaves."

So the debate about Pujols isn't where he's going. It's how monstrous his checks will be. And let's just say that when we asked his agent, Jeff Borris, what effect Howard's deal might have on his client's earning power, Borris actually laughed.
"No contract has any effect on Albert," he said. "Albert is the best player in Major League Baseball. As great a superstar as Ryan Howard is, there's no comparison to Albert Pujols. He stands above all the rest."

The Cardinals, you'll be stunned to learn, have noticed that, too. So we're not sure what they're waiting for. But the best guess is that they'll get that extension done during the winter. And although it's hard to comprehend where the dollars will land, you can bet that, as one baseball man put it, his annual salary "is going to start with a '3'" -- as in $30 million a year for seven or eight years (i.e., the biggest salary ever).

The 1942-44 Cardinals also have a great argument. They won 3 consecutive pennants, two WS, and three straight 100+ games. Rob Neyer considers the 1942 team as one of the greatest of all time.

I chased my wife around the house with a broom last night. She was not amused. :evil:

So you and the right hand are going to become reaquainted again?

Left, actually. :D

From an article on A-Rods arrogance from foxsports.com. This is why I loved Gibby growing up...

Word of advice to Braden: Don’t issue threats, just do. The next time A-Rodsteps to the plate, send him a message.

That's what Bob Gibson did in 1972 when a San Diego rookie named Derrel Thomas elaborately dug in for his first big-league at-bat against the Cardinals' Hall of Fame-bound pitcher.

"'If you're going to dig, dig six feet,'" Dave Garcia, the Padres' third base coach at the time, recalls Gibson telling Thomas. Then Gibson threw the first pitch at Thomas’ neck.

There's no way we resign Penny, IMO. It just doesn't fit the scheme of things in St. Louis, especially if Garcia proves to be a reliable option through the course of the year. With the way he's progressing, Miller will be ready for the rotation in 2012, if not next year. We don't have the money to spend on another top free agent starter (which is what he'll be if he even comes close to duplicating what he's doing now) with #5 coming up for a payday.

I just found out that we have 3 top 50 picks in this years draft and 6 picks in the top 85.

http://www.draftsite.com/mlb/

Great throw by the rookie Jay to gun down a runner at home and end the inning. :thumb:

Penny and Garcia may be the Cards key to a huge year. If they keep pitching like they are Cards could win the division by 15 games. ( I know it's 1 month so far)

Problem is that could be too early.

Apparently there's been reports of a tornado on the ground in south metro St. Louis. Scary situation with a stadium full of people nearby.

You dirty redbirds might pick up a cheap win tonight.

If the game gets called, those 2 runs scored in the 6th get wiped off the board and St. Louis wins in 5.

I don't know, Larussa is pretty good about keeping them focused during the regular season. His teams seem to tighten up in the playoffs. I think that one of the reasons for the post season success in 2006 was that no one thought they were going to do anything in the playoffs but get their butts kicked. No pressure.

Teams that have the best record in the National league and are kicking butt and taking names don't need cheap wins. :harumph:

Yep.

We live about 20 minutes south of the ballpark, and were having dinner in Clayton, a midtown area.

We just got home to find trees down and shit everywhere. Guessing the wind had to be 80+ or higher - and from what I heard, the worst went just south of us.

Looks like they changed the rule and the game will continue tommorrow.