Lets come out and put up a 10 spot on the reds tonight and take a sweep and all will be right with the world...hope I'm not asking for too much ????

That's an excellent analogy.

The respective cities have a pretty similar love affair with their teams. Each guy was just as important to the resurgance of their squad.

Yeah, I could see the mix being pretty similar with one MAJOR distinction. In GB, Favre can at least say that he was essentially pushed out the door. The Pack decided to move on without him, he decided he still wanted to play football. A lot of fans still hate him even though he didn't really walk away from them as much as he was sent packing.

If Albert leaves St. Louis (or even if he stays and takes so much money that the team struggles to compete), it will be exclusively about $$$$. Lots and lots of $$$$.

That will not go over well in St. Louis at all.

:mad: stop making sense....jeeezz this aint going to end well. :facepalm:

Unfortunately, you're right.

The economics of baseball absolutely preclude any kind of clean resolution here.

He's either going to make so much money that the Cards will struggle to compete (the players union seems hell-bent on ensuring this) or he'll walk and the Cardinals will likely be better off from a competition standpoint, but will lose a true icon.

I just hope they give me strong seasons this year and next because things will be very very different in 2012, no matter what happens.

We can't afford Yankees/Red Sox/Cubs type of payrolls but we can afford a top ten payroll. That should be good enough to keep your talent without screwing your team.

5 out of the top 106 picks in the draft this year depsite going to the playoffs last year.

25. Cardinals regular pick.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
46. Compensation for DeRosa.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
50. Compensation for Pineiro.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
75. Cardinals 2nd round pick.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
106. Cardinals 3rd round pick.<O:p</O:p

If you want a top 5 team on a top 10 payroll, you need bargains all over the lineup.

Carp -- older, declining; wouldn't be a bargain
Pujols -- see above
Holliday -- Paid above market for him; he'll never be a bargain

Now, WW is a screaming bargain. Molina is as well and Freese/Rasmus probably could be.

But if 1/4 of your payroll is dedicated to a guy that's not going to be a value signing, you're going to have a hard time keeping your results ahead of your payroll.

Sorry man, but the numbers are terrifying. This is a club that's going to be Albert/Holliday/WW, maybe Molina, and a roving band of minor leaguers. Carp - gone, Luddy - gone, Penny - gone, any established relievers - gone.

The only way is to draft well. Shelby should replace Carp etc.

Typical 1st inning, the 1st 2 runners get on. Pujols pops up, Holliday damn near hits into a double play then Freese the rookie at least hits the ball hard but flies out to deep center.

JFC.

Good God, what did McGwire do to Pujols? :shake:

Colby probably gets to that ball.

LaRussa must have money on the Reds.

Let a reliever hit with a runner on first and no outs.

Then lift Rasmus for a pinch hitter with two outs.

Let that runner swipe second UNCONTESTED with no outs in the bottom of the 9th?

Then the ball drops in front of Mather that Rasmus would have caught.

You can't make this shit up. It's like these idiots WANT TO LOSE.

God, I ****ing hate Ryan Franklin.

FML

I think Franklin went to the Izzy school of closing.