"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


.

[Hays]

Well 1 down, and a few more to go. I expect them to be done by all star week.

[Rams Fan]

9 years ago today, DK57 died.

RIP.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I am ready for them to trade Rasmus.

We will regret that move. Someday Rasmus will blossum to his potential and we will regret that trade.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

Well we just released Batista and recalled Lynn

McClellan back to the pen?

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

McClellan back to the pen?

Yeah, let's send our 3rd best starter to the bullpen.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

McClellan back to the pen?

No. Lynn will be long relief.

[BigRedChief]

I can't believe that we are still tied for first place and 6 games over .500 despite the way we have played lately.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We will regret that move. Someday Rasmus will blossum to his potential and we will regret that trade.

It's time to ask if that potential will ever be met here.

Ultimately, how he produces for someone else is fairly immaterial if he's not going to produce like that here. He simply doesn't play a consistently focused brand of baseball. Worse still, he's tentative out there.

Ultimately, I'm not sure the kid's smart enough to ever become a legitimately great player. Worse still, I think LaRussa has gotten far enough into his head that he'll never unlock his potential here.

If we could get him moved for an elite SS prospect, I'd do it. Ship him to Baltimore for Machado and Uehara and call it good.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

We will regret that move. Someday Rasmus will blossum to his potential and we will regret that trade.

Well Rasmus hasn't lived up to the hype. He asked to be traded last year a couple of times. We could of put him in a trade and got something back out of him. I hope we haven't waited to long to get good value out of him.
I wonder if he isn't playing up to his potential because he doesn't want to be here. Not saying he isn't trying just that if he is not happy he may not be giving it his best effort.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's time to ask if that potential will ever be met here.

Ultimately, how he produces for someone else is fairly immaterial if he's not going to produce like that here.

See that is how I feel about Brendan Ryan. He played horrible for us last season. He may be lighting it up for the Mariners but he never did it here. So it didn't and doesn't seem like a bad move to me.
Don't get me wrong I always liked him and hoped he would be our guy. He always seemed scrappy and kind of a pain to the pitchers.
But it didn't work out.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Brendan is hitting .250 with a .619 OPS. I wouldn't say that's lighting it up . He hit close to .300 2 years ago with an OPS of .740, soooo it's not like he just turned it on as a Mariner. I do miss seeing a competent MLB shortstop though.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's time to ask if that potential will ever be met here.

Ultimately, how he produces for someone else is fairly immaterial if he's not going to produce like that here. He simply doesn't play a consistently focused brand of baseball. Worse still, he's tentative out there.

Ultimately, I'm not sure the kid's smart enough to ever become a legitimately great player. Worse still, I think LaRussa has gotten far enough into his head that he'll never unlock his potential here.

If we could get him moved for an elite SS prospect, I'd do it. Ship him to Baltimore for Machado and Uehara and call it good.

I don't think he has lived up to his potential but not in the same way that Greene hasn't even come close.

And maybe he will never achieve it here also but blossum elsewhere and we kick ourselfs for letting him go but we keep him and this is the way he stays?

But, I defintely don't want to trade him for some rental player this year. Nor Ramirez, Miller etc.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

See that is how I feel about Brendan Ryan. He played horrible for us last season. He may be lighting it up for the Mariners but he never did it here. So it didn't and doesn't seem like a bad move to me.
Don't get me wrong I always liked him and hoped he would be our guy. He always seemed scrappy and kind of a pain to the pitchers.
But it didn't work out.

He was phenomenal for us the year before. Then he started the season with a bum wrist and a completely bizarre approach at the plate (taught by our coaching staff). And even when he was 'horrible' for us at the plate last season, he was still the premier defensive SS in the national league.

He was never anywhere near 'horrible' overall.

Dealing him for a shitty reliever that should likely never see the major league level again was inexcusable at the time and remains so to this day. It was a bullshit attack by a curmudgeonly manager that needed a scapegoat to explain why the team he was supposed to motivate laid down and died last year.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I don't think he has lived up to his potential but not in the same way that Greene hasn't even come close.

And maybe he will never achieve it here also but blossum elsewhere and we kick ourselfs for letting him go but we keep him and this is the way he stays?

But, I defintely don't want to trade him for some rental player this year. Nor Ramirez, Miller etc.

Greene never had potential. He hasn't been a good player at any of his minor league stops. Had the Cardinals not drafted him in the first round and given him a 7 figure signing bonus, he'd have never seen AAA, let alone the majors.

The answer is to jettison Tony LaRussa, but I believe he has pictures of Bill DeWitt ****ing sheep, so that's never going to happen. So if LaRussa stays, Rasmus is wasted on this team and his value is going to continue to diminish.

If ownership elects to keep LaRussa, they need to move Rasmus.

[OnTheWarpath15]

This bullpen ****ing blows.