WooWoo

In a move that was roughly as surprising as Ricky Martin saying he was gay, Freese was announced as the starting 3b yesterday.

Lugo traded to the Orioles:
http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzon...als-deal-lugo/

JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals have traded infielder Julio Lugo to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named, pending approval by the Commissioner’s Office.

Manager Tony La Russa and Lugo confirmed the deal. La Russa felt confident enough about it to have already notified outfield candidates Joe Mather, Allen Craig and Nick Stavinoha that they all have made the Cardinals’ season-opening roster.

Lugo hugged first baseman Albert Pujols and remained in street clothes while his former teammates dressed for their Grapefruit League finale against the Florida Marlins. Lugo then left camp to join the Orioles in Sarasota. The Orioles had scouted for middle infield insurance ever since second baseman Brian Roberts suffered recurring back problems this spring.

Lugo voiced satisfaction with the move but insisted he did not request it. However, Lugo’s role on the team appeared to become complicated once the Cardinals signed free agent utility player Felipe Lopez in late February. At the time Lugo said he adopted the attitude that he was playing for all 30 teams.

“I have a lot of respect for those guys. I loved it here,” said Lugo, acquired last July 22 from the Boston Red Sox. “I wish I could come back. I really liked it here. It’s one of the best places I’ve been.”

The Commissioner’s Office must give its approval to deals that include more than $1 million in cash considerations. An industry source indicated the Orioles will assume only the Cardinals’ $400,000 obligation to Lugo for this season. The Red Sox remain on the hook for the balance of Lugo’s $9 million salary.

Lugo refused to draw a connection between Lopez’ addition and his trade but La Russa acknowledged meeting with Lugo more than once about his role on the club.

Lugo had made clear he wanted an opportunity to start, something the Cardinals could not provide. Signing Lopez only exacerbated the issue.
“We were going to ask him to be something he doesn’t want to be,” La Russa said. “In his career he’s been an everyday player… He acknowledged he wanted to play a prominent role. It was going to be one of those cases where it was going to be utility. I used Aaron Miles, Miguel Cairo and Eduardo Perez as examples. Those guys could get three hits and the next day they don’t play. That’s a tough adjustment for most guys.”
“I don’t think one player changes a situation. You’ve just got to play good. That’s it,” Lugo said. “I did my best. I played good. It’s just a matter of choices.”

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak notified Lugo of a potential deal after Wednesday’s exhibition loss to the Washington Nationals. Lugo this morning learned a deal was done pending league approval.
It is unclear how much time the Orioles will afford Lugo. Roberts has played in the Orioles’ last three games. Shortstop Cesar Izturis has labored offensively this spring and may be vulnerable to a timeshare. Utility player Robert Andino has done little to secure his standing this spring.

The deal creates an avenue for the Cardinals to retain all three contenders for what was previously believed to be two outfield spots. Craig and Mather have experience at third base while Lopez is considered an option at second base, third and shortstop. Lopez’ deal includes a $1 million base but also provides $1.2 million in incentives based on plate appearances. Today’s move clears the way for him to achieve more of those incentives.

The club continues to mull whether to place reliever Blake Hawksworth on the disabled list to open the season. Hawksworth is scheduled to throw a side session this morning, his first test since being shut down after last Saturday with a right groin strain.

Can't decide if I was happier when we traded Duncan for Lugo or when we traded Lugo for nothing...

Eh, it's a push.

But if we could get a reliever to bump Hawksworth from the roster in the deal, that'd be great. Starting him on the DL won't do any good; he just doesn't have much to offer out there. Very marginal stuff and doesn't hide it well. Not a fan.

Roster is set.

<TABLE class=shsTable cellSpacing=1><TBODY><TR class=shsTableTtlRow><TD colSpan=10>St. Louis Cardinals: Roster 2010</TD></TR><TR class=shsColTtlRow style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><TD class=shsNamD width="4%">No.</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="21%">Name</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="5%">Pos</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="6%">B/T</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="5%">Status</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="5%">Ht</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="5%">Wt</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="12%">Born</TD><TD class=shsNamD width="30%">Birthplace</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>41</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Mitchell Boggs</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-4</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>215</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>2/15/1984 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Dalton, GA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>29</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Chris Carpenter</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-6</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>230</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>4/27/1975 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Exeter, NH</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>66</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Allen Craig</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>LF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>210</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7/18/1984 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Mission Viejo, CA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>31</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Ryan Franklin</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>190</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>3/5/1973 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Fort Smith, AR</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>23</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>David Freese</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>3B</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>220</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>4/28/1983 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Corpus Christi, TX</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>54</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Jaime Garcia</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>L/L </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>215</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7/8/1986 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Reynosa, Mexico</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>53</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Blake Hawksworth</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>195</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>3/1/1983 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>North Vancouver, Canada</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Matt Holliday</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>LF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-4</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>235</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>1/15/1980 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Stillwater, OK</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>21</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Jason LaRue</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>C</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5-11</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>210</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>3/19/1974 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Houston, TX</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>26</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Kyle Lohse</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>210</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>10/4/1978 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Chico, CA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>8</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Felipe Lopez</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>2B</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>S/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-1</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>203</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5/12/1980 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Bayamon, Puerto Rico</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>47</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Ryan Ludwick</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>RF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/L </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>218</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7/13/1978 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Satellite Beach, FL</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>22</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Joe Mather</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>RF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-4</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>215</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7/23/1982 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Sand Point, ID</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>46</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Kyle McClellan</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>215</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6/12/1984 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Florissant, MO</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>43</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Trever Miller</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/L </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>185</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5/29/1973 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Louisville, KY</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>4</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Yadier Molina</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>C</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5-11</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>230</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>7/13/1982 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Bayamon, Puerto Rico</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>60</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Jason Motte</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-0</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>200</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6/22/1982 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Port Huron, MI</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>33</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Brad Penny</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-4</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>230</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5/24/1978 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Blackwell, OK</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Albert Pujols</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>1B</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>230</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>1/16/1980 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Santo Domingo, DR</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>28</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Colby Rasmus</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>CF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>L/L </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>200</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>8/11/1986 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Columbus, GA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>36</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Dennys Reyes</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/L </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-3</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>250</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>4/19/1977 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Higuera de Zaragoza, Mexico</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>13</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Brendan Ryan</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>SS</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>195</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>3/26/1982 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Los Angeles, CA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>55</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Skip Schumaker</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>2B</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>L/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5-10</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>195</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>2/3/1980 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Torrance, CA</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow1Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>34</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Nick Stavinoha</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>RF</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-2</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>240</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>5/3/1982 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Houston, TX</TD></TR><TR class=shsRow0Row><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>50</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Adam Wainwright</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>P</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>R/R </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Active</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>6-7</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>228</TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>8/30/1981 </TD><TD class=shsNamD noWrap>Brunswick, GA</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I'm okay with batting Ryan 2nd as long as he doesn't hit .250. Hitting Colby there takes away his speed if he's on first. He can't steal. Even if he steals the base they just walk Pujols. Taking the bat out of Pujols hand for any reason is bad baseball. I'm sure Tony's reason for Rasmus 5th is to break up the 3 RH power hitters in a row. guess that makes sense.


La Russa revealed his probable lineup for today’s 12:10 p.m. game at Great American Ball Park:

1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
2. Brendan Ryan, SS
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Matt Holliday, LF
5. Colby Rasmus, CF
6. Ryan Ludwick, RF
7. Yadier Molina, C
8. David Freese, 3B
9. Chris Carpenter, RHP

Wow, that's showing a lot of faith in Colby Rasmus.

Ludwick looked good this spring, I think I'd flip him and Rasmus. I'd also put Freese ahead of Molina due to the fact that Freese will have more power and Molina is glacially slow.

Eh, at least the pitcher isn't batting 8th.

Rasmus has been tearing it up during spring training. But, Ludwick hasn't been too shabby himself. I could see trying to break up the 3 RH in a row and get some speed in there. But, if Colby doesn't produce Tony had better make the change.

I thought I had read somewhere that Tony felt he had more weapons now so he didn't see the dire need to get Pujols those 50 more at bats in a season so that the team could have more offense?

If the veterans just have their normal years and Colby and Freese step up this will be a "Yankees" type of hitters line up.

I hope he isn't rushing Molina back too soon. I'd hate for the injury to become nagging.

And that's exactly what an Oblique could become.

This isn't a bruise or a break; this is a muscle pull. It's fairly stupid rushing him out there already, IMO. Both Pagnozzi and Anderson would be capable fill-ins. I've seen enough of these oblique strains to know that they can really hang around awhile, especially for catchers and pitchers.

If I'm the Reds, I'd run just to force Yadi to throw. The long term benefits of taxing a key weapon for a division rival more than outweight any outs they may make on the basepaths.

The Reds will be in it all season, IMO. They'd be wise to make things as difficult for us as they can going forward.

Pagnozzi is a capable back up but I wouldn't want him playing every day any more than LaRue so lets hope Yadi is ready,

If you need to DL Molina, you bring up Anderson. Anderson would be capable of being the #1 for a couple of weeks before the exposure caught up to his rookie rough spots.

Stavinoah still has options. If you don't DL Molina, you send down Stavinoah and keep Pagz on the big club until Molina is absolutely ready. Or you send down Hawksworth and carry 11 pitchers like a normal club would (because Blake looks like boiled ass out there).

With Lopez and Schumaker capable of playing so many positions, we could get away with a shorter bench than most clubs if LaRussa insists on a 12 man staff.

There are a lot of ways this could've been handled that don't involve risking one of our key players' long-term health. Yadi had better be ready to go.

I agree. Why would you risk a starting a season with a catcher with a naggin oblique? Thats just asking for trouble. We can get by for a little while without Yadi. No need to push it on opening day. If he's really ready, no biggie. But, if he reinjures it or it "nags" I'll be pretty ticked off.

And Pujols goes yard for his AB in 2010 regular season :clap: :clap: PBJ PBJ

And Carp gets a K for his first batter faced in 2010 regular season :clap: :clap: PBJ PBJ

:cuss: damnit I forgot the game started already. DVR'ing in to watch after work.

But, anyway...Thats a hell of an omen...:toast:

Carpenter ripping into Votto after a single (Carp had a borderline 3rd strike not called on the previous pitch).

ROFL

Ok. Top of the second inning, and we just had our quote of the year.

"Colby, lost 25 pounds over the course of last year because of his high anal hernia"--Hrabosky.

ROFL ROFL

Attaboy Rasmus

Carp getting slapped around a bit in the 4th. Damn you Rolen! :cuss:

So far Albert has gone 2 for 2, hit a home run and a single, and scored from third on a throwing error. Awesome.

Big A just hits his 2nd Home Run. Cards up 6-2!

And Albert hits a second home run. :rockon:

Pujols sucks :D

Buerhle just made an amazing play. Hope they show it during a break.

Motte certainly sucks. :mad:

Motte's absolutely terrible.

His plan is to throw it very hard and hope they hit a line drive at someone.

We need some RH relief in the worst way. That DeRosa trade needed to be done at the time, but it sure does look bad in hindsight.

The bullpen scares the shit out of me.

Now McClellan is stinking it up. :shake:

This .......... Get the Dramamine ready for this season folks when we go to the bullpen.

We just got a little insurance from Rasmus. A couple/few more runs would be good, though.

You can thank Dusty Baker.

GRAND SLAM!

MOLINA GRAND SLAM :rockon:

Everyone will talk about Pujols 2 HR day but Colby Rasmus has had a great ... great game

And then Yadier Molina hits a Grand Slam LMAO LMAO :clap:

I think even Franklin can get through the bottom of the 9th with a 7 run cushion. :D

Wow, great start to the year for the Cards!

He's trying to prove you wrong, apparently.

And now Franklin starts to piss down his leg. Had this been a save situation we would have just lost.

We're not going to score 11 runs every day. Although with this bullpen we may need to.

****.

:shake:

this...



Our lineup is sooooooooooooo much better than last year but they're going to need to score 6-9 runs per night with the makeup of our bullpen.

And this is this the Reds. Ugh.

Our lineup is nails. Pujols and Holiday will rake consistently. Colby is physically stronger and now knows what to expect. I love his bat infront of an RBI machine like Ryan L... Ryan L. hit ropes today but they were right at fielders.

Our 3-4-5-6 batters will make opposing managers lose sleep at night. Molina and Freese have plenty of pop too (see Grand Slam). For Freese to get his first hit today and RBI is huge for his confidence :)

One would think that all four of those hitters will not be in a FUNK at the same time for any prolonged periods of time this season. Skip and B. Ryan will come around.

To think we don't have Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel in our lineup is such a blessing.

This is a good thread...

http://johngushue.typepad.com/photos..._comic_dog.jpg

... to POOP on.

Bored with the Royals game already?

:D

Heh. Scumbrano gave up six runs to Atlanta in the bottom of the 1st. ROFL

Will the Royals lose 100 games again ?

I'm going to have several cold ones tonight, this news on hambrano is frosting on the cake for me. ROFL

The Reds are going to surprise a lot of people this year.

Votto is a beast, Bruce soon will be. Phillips is among the best 2b in baseball, and Rolen showed today that he still has some pretty serious skills out there. Stubbs and Dickerson are both solid table-setters and good speed guys. Cabrera was a perfect pickup for them and even Ramon Hernandez provides a solid stick for his position.

The Reds will score runs all season. The question is going to be their rotation. Cueto's due to break down (too small, throws too many sliders, is managed by Dusty Baker); Bailey is a wild-card, Volquez is hurt, Chapman may or may not be ready, Harang is an enigma and then some, Arroyo is what he is (exceedingly mediocre). If Harang pitches to his peripherals and Bailey turns the corner, they're in pretty decent shape.

They have some nice pieces out in the pen (Masset's much better than he showed and would be our closer, no questions asked) and strong defense.

Don't sleep on the Reds. I have them finishing 2nd in the division this year and hanging in the WC hunt 'till the end (though the fact that Heyward is evidently the 2nd coming of Albert may make that a runaway as well).

Good start. Not perfect but we don't have a perfect team. We have a lot less holes than most teams. Someone will have to step up for late inning relief but a lot of teams have questionable bullpens. I think Larussa will find someone come playoff time. I think our starting pitching and lineup is way to strong for us not to win the Central division.

Our offense is going to rock this year. Unless we lose Carp or Waino that will get us into the playoffs. We got 161 more games to settle on a bullpen.

I just hope that Franklin continues to pitch like that so we have no option but to try and acquire a closer.

If he's the closer, he will end our season at some point.

I was never a fan of that trade, but I was in love with Jess Todd, sooo...

He's already on the roster.

Anybody that can make Joey Votto and Jay Bruce look like little leaguers is a guy that can close games for my team.

Kyle McClellan can close games for this club. Otherwise we're going to have to take on someone's bad contract (Wood or Cordero) or trade Ludwick for a guy like Papelbon (the Bosox need a bat and love Bard).

Kyle Mac has the stuff and the mound presence to get the job done. Send Franklin back to the 8th and give McClellan te 9th and we'll be just fine.

I wouldn't mind giving Eduardo Sanchez a look at some point. He's absolutely filthy.

Screw that. We just need someone to step up. When Izzy melted down/got injured Waino stepped up. Franklin stepped up last year. We will find someone without trading a major piece away. I'd be okay with giving Kyle the first shot.

This. Fuk the Cardinals. Die in a fire.

I agree 1,000%.

It's a good thing it happened early. The only issue I see is this affinity Tony has for certain players and I think Franklin is one of those. Eventually Tony did pull the plug on Izzy. After a lot of pain to us fans but he did pull the plug. Maybe he learned his lesson and won't wait as long to pull Franklin.

I gave you some pos rep by mistake. My advise to you is just place this thread on ignore if it upsets you.

Heh..... Ari .... Ari .... Ari.....

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...=225988&page=4

You know you can always come over to the good side

:D :evil: :evil: :fire: :fire: :fire:

Has your son become a Cardinals fan yet?

Gotchyer back...

I liked the trade because we had a healthy Carpenter and Pujols was killing it. This window will only be open for so long and we can't afford to waste a season because we didn't want to trade a right handed relief prospect (those guys grow on trees if you have a solid scouting department).

What angered me about it was that the Tribe offered DeRosa straight up for Perez 3 weeks before the trade was made but Mo refused. Then DeRosa spent a series gang-raping STL, Thurston continued to suck and it became apparent that we needed more help. So CLE got another bidder or two and managed to get Todd included in the deal.

So Mozeliak's hesitation cost us 3 of DeRosa's hottest weeks, 3 more weeks of Joe Thurston, and Jess Todd.

That's what pissed me off. Not that we lost Perez (who I didn't have any faith in to close because of his awful command), but because we needlessly lost some productive ABs and yet another bullpen arm because our GM wouldn't shit or get off the pot.

I liked the pickup at the time but it didn't help that Derosa got hurt before even recording a hit for the Cards. It will be interesting to see how Perez does as the closer for CLE while Wood is out. I really liked his stuff at times but agreed that his command was just not there, which could have been due to his ugly mechanics.

You have to give it your all in these windows. We only got another 2 years with this ball teams window. After that? who knows what will happen. I never thought we would have to wait so long to start to win consistently after Whitey ball. In baseball you have to sieze the moment.
Where did you hear this? I've never heard we could have traded for Derossa and Perez straight up?

Tony has always been slow to pull the plug on a shitty closer, remember how long Dave Veres held on blowing leads left and right?

Not always, he pulled Motte after one game. Franklin hasn't been his closer for years up to this point. I'm more hopeful that he will pull the trigger sooner than later.

Sadly, I think LaRussa is long past the point where he'll learn anything new.

can you say Isrenghausen (sp)?

Got rings, bitch ?

It must suck for you to realize that Greinke is all the Royals have. Here's to them losing 90+ games again ! ROFL

cry about it.

Franklin doesn't have the history Izzy did with LaRussa. Izzy pitched for LaRussa in Oakland.

LaRussa was long gone by the time Izzy arrived in Oakland. He was drafted by and played for the Mets for a couple of years before he became an Athletic.

Bernie Miklasz reported it about three weeks prior to the trade being made. Evidently the Cards insisted on Boggs instead of Perez (the Indians declined).

Once the Cards waffled, DeRosa started crushing the ball and Perez wasn't enough anymore. Also, there's no telling if DeRosa gets hurt if he was traded earlier (butterfly's flapping wings and all, there's a good chance he doesn't).

It was just more evidence to me that Mo wasn't ready for prime time. I'm still not convinced, the Holliday move was pretty much something that had to get done and most believe he overpayed, but at least he's not completely nutless anymore.

We're still living off the fruits of the Jocketty regime; I certainly hope Mo can do some of his own digging soon enough.

Franklinhausen.

That's Dave Franklinhausen aka "Eck"

Since you are new here I'll give you the scoop. Everyonce in a while we will have some Royals fans come in here and say Cardinals suck, die in a fire whatever. We ususally just gang neg rep them and tell them to go away(sometimes in not so nice terms:)) They usually never return. Ari is a different animal. He's good people, he just hates on the Cards to distract him from how much his Royals suck.

Thanks for the scoop. I'll try to be kind to him and the others from now on. ;)

oohhhh no need for kindness just don't let them lure you into smack. Get under your skin. Just post a pic of the World Series trophies or something. Then they will post a 1985 pic. We post derenkingers blown call. It's all too predictable. Most, if not all Card fans here don't consider the Royals a rival so we can't get too worked about them. We keep all the Cards talk in this one thread and the Royals fans can place this thread on ignore where they will never see it again if it upsets them.

I can't post a pic yet, and that's probably a good thing. ;)

Try not to rip on the Royals fans too much. There are a handful of butthutt whiners who hate all things St Louis, but most don't bother. But you don't want to alienate too many people. This is a Kansas City board, and it will go badly for you.

Of course, if they're from Kansas, don't worry about it, since they don't have any professional sports teams, and their opinions don't matter. :D