"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


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[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And here's your alternative: At 32 years old, he isn't fit enough to safely run out of the box in the first 3 weeks of the season on a rainy day with a bit of an nip in the air. I'm sure that will only get better when he hits his mid to late 30's...

Yeah - we should totally give him $200-$250 million guaranteed.

yeah wellllll you thought Albert was looked like a 33 year old washed up hitter who couldn't get around on a fastball anymore. But some how he's tied for the lead in HR's.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

yeah wellllll you thought Albert was looked like a 33 year old washed up hitter who couldn't get around on a fastball anymore. But some how he's tied for the lead in HR's.

Never said he couldn't get around on a fastball - that's Berkman (who, if you'll notice, is hitting his HRs to the opposite field...)

I said when hitters of his type start to go, it's reflected in their batting average first and their power tends to remain static until the decline really sets in. I've also said that if Albert struggles this season, it will be because he's pressing.

And that I'm not interested in paying him $30 million when he's 36 years old, let alone when he's 40. He's either lazy or fragile - take your pick.

[BigRedChief]

Albert dogs it on easy ground outs but he is far from a lazy player. There is not a chance in hell of him being this consistent over the last 10 years without him putting the time in off the field.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Albert dogs it on easy ground outs but he is far from a lazy player. There is not a chance in he'll of him being this consistent over the last 10 years without him putting the time in off the field.

So it appears you've chosen fragile?

Otherwise, I'm not okay with selective effort from a guy that's approaching his mid-30s and is demanding an historic contract.

In a couple years, when off-season leg presses are as much fun as running out grounders in the rain, I wonder if he'll be putting in that effort when he's lugging around $30 million/season guaranteed. Especially if his LaRussa/Molina cabal is still intact.

[Frazod]

Well, bitching about Albert aside, we got the win and took the series.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And here's your alternative: At 32 years old, he isn't fit enough to safely run out of the box in the first 3 weeks of the season on a rainy day with a bit of an nip in the air. I'm sure that will only get better when he hits his mid to late 30's...

Yeah - we should totally give him $200-$250 million guaranteed.

NO one is expecting albert to sustain this level at age 35+. my point about signing him and overpaying in the last part of the contract wAs thT the cardinals can make that money up through marketing and brand name as he breaks records in those years.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

NO one is expecting albert to sustain this level at age 35+. my point about signing him and overpaying in the last part of the contract wAs thT the cardinals can make that money up through marketing and brand name as he breaks records in those years.

If they're winning 75-80 games/season, they won't even approach making the money back that they lose through sub-par performance.

The fans are going to be jaundiced by the fact that Albert's record chase is keeping them from winning games. Furthermore, with the way his lower half is built, I don't see him tracking down those records.

The fans turned on McGwire in a hurry when he was no longer the force he was during his 70/65 HR years. That last season in STL was ugly for him. If Albert declines and his decline (and contract) prevent us from winning, there's no way some record chase that will last a week or 2 will be enough to make up for the loss of revenue. You and Frazod keep saying it, but the history of the franchise and the city show that this simply isn't true.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If they're winning 75-80 games/season, they won't even approach making the money back that they lose through sub-par performance.

The fans are going to be jaundiced by the fact that Albert's record chase is keeping them from winning games. Furthermore, with the way his lower half is built, I don't see him tracking down those records.

The fans turned on McGwire in a hurry when he was no longer the force he was during his 70/65 HR years. That last season in STL was ugly for him. If Albert declines and his decline (and contract) prevent us from winning, there's no way some record chase that will last a week or 2 will be enough to make up for the loss of revenue. You and Frazod keep saying it, but the history of the franchise and the city show that this simply isn't true.

????

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by frazod

????

Is it you or Hamas that keep saying "Pay him what he wants, he's Albert Pujols..."

If it isn't you, I apologize.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Is it you or Hamas that keep saying "Pay him what he wants, he's Albert Pujols..."

If it isn't you, I apologize.

Not lately. And I certainly don't want the team to drop every cent on him and them end up being the St. Louis version of George Brett and the 24 Dwarfs.

I do hope they resign him. If they don't, it'll suck, but such is life. I agree that his productivety will likely diminish soon, and we've already got the best years he has to offer.

I still think if his numbers go to shit and he ends up being a liability (much like McGwire) that he'll hang up his spurs, and not stick around collecting $30M per year for nothing. I believe he's been too good for too long to be able to endure that, and it's not like he'll need the money.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by frazod

I still think if his numbers go to shit and he ends up being a liability (much like McGwire) that he'll hang up his spurs, and not stick around collecting $30M per year for nothing. I believe he's been too good for too long to be able to endure that, and it's not like he'll need the money.

Not if he has even an outside shot at those records.

If he's been productive enough to get close to those records, he'll make every attempt to get them. If he hasn't been productive enough to get close to those records, even if he retires after 5 years, the contract will have still been a disaster.

There's no upside to the contract, there really isn't. When the status quo at twice the price is the best you can expect from an option, you probably ought to explore other alternatives.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

You truly have to be one miserable bastard to hate on Pujols. Everyone knows he doesn't sprint out hard hit grounders. With his history of plantar fasciitis, I really don't give a shit, either.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Not if he has even an outside shot at those records.

If he's been productive enough to get close to those records, he'll make every attempt to get them. If he hasn't been productive enough to get close to those records, even if he retires after 5 years, the contract will have still been a disaster.

There's no upside to the contract, there really isn't. When the status quo at twice the price is the best you can expect from an option, you probably ought to explore other alternatives.

I don't agree with that. I really don't believe that he'd let himself get to the point where he was a pure liability.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

You truly have to be one miserable bastard to hate on Pujols. Everyone knows he doesn't sprint out hard hit grounders. With his history of plantar fasciitis, I really don't give a shit, either.

I wonder, did you give JD Drew a pass for his lazy play when he was fighting fasciitis in his damn knee?

I kinda doubt it.

But hey, anytime we can give a 1st baseman in his decline years $30 million/season when he's not healthy enough to be expected to run out ground balls in April, clearly that's a no-brainer, right? I mean afterall, on the 20% chance he's approaching some records in over half a decade, surely a month-long PR drive will more than make up for the several years of sub-par production we're getting from the easiest position in baseball to fill.

I don't hate Albert Pujols, but I do care about Cardinal baseball. When your superstar is demanding a contract that will hamstring the organization, I'm not inclined to go looking for excuses for him when he refuses to run out ground balls.

If he's healthy enough to give him a contract that will screw your franchise, he's healthy enough to run 90 ****ing feet 4 or 5 times/gm. If he's not healthy enough to do that, we damn sure shouldn't be tying up the franchise in him.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I wonder, did you give JD Drew a pass for his lazy play when he was fighting fasciitis in his damn knee?

I kinda doubt it.

Yes, Drew's lazy injury prone missing 30+ games every year ass should be compared to AP.

Apples and dog turds comparison.