"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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[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Coltman

is Chiefs Planet so get your stupid St. Louis baseball thread back to St. Louis..........what a joke........

This guy, apparently, posted this in the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals thread:

Originally Posted by Coltman

Get off the Chiefs PLANET with this dribble, or move to STL

[Mi_chief_fan]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

correct, thats the majority opinion in here. Utility fine and dandy, but we needed a legitamate 2B.

Unfortunately, looking around MLB, there are only a handful. Nobody available this offseasonthat really stood out, maybe Orlando Hudson, but I certainly wouldn't overpay someone as inconsistent as him.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Here's what I heard from my uncle who's friends with a Cardinals minor league coach..... not a lot different from the other rumors out there, but I'd thought I'd share anyway,

All the scuttlebutt among the minor league coaches is that the Cardinals are offering $30 million a year for 7 years or a $300 million lifetime contract that continues on with the Cardinals organization after his playing time is done.

Holy shit if true. He couldn't turn that down.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Here's what I heard from my uncle who's friends with a Cardinals minor league coach..... not a lot different from the other rumors out there, but I'd thought I'd share anyway,

All the scuttlebutt among the minor league coaches is that the Cardinals are offering $30 million a year for 7 years or a $300 million lifetime contract that continues on with the Cardinals organization after his playing time is done.

That would be very smart of the Cardinals to do.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

jeeezz WTF has Descalso ever done? Especially anything ro get mad about not getting playing time in the big show.

WTF has Punto ever done? Descalso might actually be able to contribute as a starter to a major league team. Punto absolutely cannot.

And again - the Ryan thing was a copout. Blaming Brendan Ryan for the 2009 squad laying down is a pathetic excuse thought up by a curmudgeonly manager that didn't feel like dealing with a hyper player. Ryan was energetic. He wasn't a malcontent, he was just a high-strung guy. That doesn't do a damn thing to explain why the Cardinals were the worst team in baseball against sub .500 teams from August forward. That's a problem that lies direction with the manager's inability to inspire his team. But that require an assumption of blame by the Infallible Ego.

He's essentially become my grandfather at this point. Brendan was the irritating grandchild that he didn't want around anymore so he got booted. We took the single best defensive player on the squad (yes, including Molina) and threw his ass out of town. Not for baseball reasons, but because our manager didn't like him. Now we have a 'pitch to contact' staff that relies on a defense built around a guy that was so bad at playing SS that the Dodgers chose to play an OFer there instead of him when Furcal went down last season.

Oh yeah, and we have a first baseman in RF instead of the GG caliber guy we had last season because said player decided he wanted playing time and questioned the mighty LaRussa about his role. Nah, can't have gamers on your squad - he's gotta go.

So now, on a team that considers Dave Duncan one of its greatest strengths, we're paying TWENTY MILLION to our 4th and 5th starters. Oh, and we're paying another $14 million to a below replacement value 2nd baseman masquerading as a SS, a 1bman playing RF and a 5th OFer playing 2b. To complicate matters, we're counting on a 3b that hasn't made it through an entire season healthy in nearly five years with a backup that is unlikely to put up an OPS of .600 next season and for his career has a SLG% that's the same as his OBP, for an ISOP of approximately zero. Awesome - gotta love that kind of production from your corner IF.

This is the most poorly constructed baseball team I've ever seen. It makes no sense on any level. They built a pitching staff that relies on its defense, the proceeded to field one of the worst defensive squads in baseball. They have an offense that's contingent upon production from the 3 thumpers in the middle of the lineup (presuming Berkman hits) and yet they haven't found any OPB guys to put on either side of them. To top it all off, they're probably going to finish mind-****ing Rasmus this season before blaming him for the failings of 2011 and trading him for a B level prospect next season.

The only plan in place seems to be to do whatever LaRussa wants and hope it's enough to get Pujols to re-sign. Gotta keep that cash cown in Cardinal Red.

This team is rotting from the bench and it's completely rudderless. If that means Pujols walks - so be it. We're not going to win a damn thing with AP and LaRussa on this squad going forward. LaRussa will absolutely hamstring this team for as long as he's here. And I used to worry about losing Duncan if LaRussa left, but seeing as how we're content with paying 7 figures to our 4th and 5th starters at this point, I'm not real sure WTF we need Duncan around for either. It's not like he knows anything about mechanics (by his own admission).

The worst thing that could happen to this team this year is an 80 win season. If they don't win 95, I hope they win 70.

Blow the whole damn thing apart.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mi_chief_fan

Unfortunately, looking around MLB, there are only a handful. Nobody available this offseasonthat really stood out, maybe Orlando Hudson, but I certainly wouldn't overpay someone as inconsistent as him.

Jose Lopez was available. Jorge Cantu is still out there and has at least played the position effectively earlier in his career.

Descalso can play. I watched him in the spring and he was clearly a ML caliber player. He rotated in and out with Dovanan Solano and the difference was night and day - Descalso is a MLer that just needs a crack.

When the bar you have to clear is Skip Schumaker, there's no such thing as a lateral move. There are probably more than 100 people in the majors and minors that could've been had easily that could play better 2b than Skip.

Then again, that would require that Mozeliak actually do his job or LaRussa admit failure. Lord knows that's never going to happen.

[Mi_chief_fan]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Jorge Cantu is still out there and has at least played the position effectively earlier in his career.

Yeah, and Lance Berkman was once an effective CF. Those days are over, for both. Like I said, not alot of good 2b in MLB, let alone on the FA market.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by Mi_chief_fan

Yeah, and Lance Berkman was once an effective CF. Those days are over, for both. Like I said, not alot of good 2b in MLB, let alone on the FA market.

Seriously though, I'd rather ride with the unknown or lesser known quantity in Descalso than to open the season knowng full well there is a mountain of suck to overcome at 2nd, just my opinion.

[DTLB58]

For you Fantasy Baseball guys out there....Fantasybaseballinsiders.com

My son started this site last spring, he puts a ton of time into it. Give it a look see. Thanks.

[DJ's left nut]

Cantu to the Padres for $850K

The Padres gave 100K more for a guy with 25HR/100 RBI potential than we gave for Nick ****ing Punto.

I'm sorry, but anyone that ever again attempts to utter a positive word about John Mozeliak and Tony LaRussa is nothing more than a braindead homer.

These guys are absolutely ****ing terrible. Congratulations on the World Series that Walt Jocketty won for you, Tony. Now get the **** out of town and take your scarf wearing lapdog with you.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mi_chief_fan

Yeah, and Lance Berkman was once an effective CF. Those days are over, for both. Like I said, not alot of good 2b in MLB, let alone on the FA market.

Cantu is 29 next year...younger than our boy Skip, in fact.

Care to explain to me why he couldn't play 2b anymore? I mean it's not like he's a converted OFer or anything, he actually came up as a 2b. So why has he completely lost the ability to play the position during what would be his baseball prime years?

Lance Berkman is 35, that's why he can't play OF. Cantu is still young and still has the ability to play the position.

Too bad it's blocked by superstars like Skip Schumaker and the utility role is now filled by stalwarts like Nick Punto.

This team blows. It absolutely goddamn blows.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Cantu to the Padres for $850K

The Padres gave 100K more for a guy with 25HR/100 RBI potential than we gave for Nick ****ing Punto.

I'm sorry, but anyone that ever again attempts to utter a positive word about John Mozeliak and Tony LaRussa is nothing more than a braindead homer.

These guys are absolutely ****ing terrible. Congratulations on the World Series that Walt Jocketty won for you, Tony. Now get the **** out of town and take your scarf wearing lapdog with you.

I've wanted the cock sucker gone for years. I'll always believe he cost us more World Series than he won. And over the past couple of years his endless tinkering and obvious favorite-playing (regardless of on-field suckage) have absolutely ruined us.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by frazod

I've wanted the cock sucker gone for years. I'll always believe he cost us more World Series than he won. And over the past couple of years his endless tinkering and obvious favorite-playing (regardless of on-field suckage) have absolutely ruined us.

Until last year I've always thought that Larussa's teams overperformed to their talent level.

Now we know there were locker room issues. There are.is a veteran/younger player gap in the locker room, in part because of Larussa. Tony has always treated the rookies and younger players different than Carp and Pujols etc.

I have no problem with Rasmus and Pujols being treated differently. I'm cool with that part of it.

Just who would you guys want instead on Larussa?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Until last year I've always thought that Larussa's teams overperformed to their talent level.

Now we know there were locker room issues. There are.is a veteran/younger player gap in the locker room, in part because of Larussa. Tony has always treated the rookies and younger players different than Carp and Pujols etc.

I have no problem with Rasmus and Pujols being treated differently. I'm cool with that part of it.

Just who would you guys want instead on Larussa?

At the risk of being 'that guy' - I'd honestly take any major league manager other than Dusty Baker. LaRussa's done here. His clubhouse his poison because he's poisoned it. He has unfettered control over the organization and he's become a curmudgeonly dicatator. It's like Congress to me at this point - I don't care who you put in, but get the present guy out. He's a carcass that's rotting the well.

However, I'm not completely devoid of substance here. Here are candidates I'd actually like to see get a look:

Ron Warner in Springfield has always impressed me a great deal. From a developmental standpoint, AA is the most important step and he's done a pretty solid job with some of our better prospects down there. He has a great rep among the players and he's come up with the organization (drafted and played in the Cardinals minor league system for 9 years). He's the kind of guy that could step in with a bench coach like Mike Matheny and really get you a re-built organizational attitude.

Bochy could've been had and he's been, IMO, the best manager in baseball for several years. The job he did in SD was outstanding and he finally got the credit he deserved in SF. He's probably not leaving now, though.

Hurdle would've been more of an old-school manager but he still had a players manager approach in Colorado. He'd have definitely taken the STL job over the Pitt job.

Girardi was rumored to be interested in the Cardinals job before we showed no interest and he moved along.

Terry Pendleton would love to come here and get a shot and I think he'd be a great manager; he's been a very good hitting coach and was always a smart player. He would be my 1a with Warner being my 1b.

Fredi Gonzalez could've been had after the Marlins fired him for daring to insist that his superstar hustle, but we missed the boat there as well (though in fairness, Albert would not have been please with the Gonzalez hire as he can't be bothered to run out groundballs).

Bobby Valentine never got a fair shake because he was stuck with incompetent management in NYM, but he still did a very good job with those teams and has shown he still has the touch in Japan.

Ted Simmons has the pedigree and managerial track record for the role. Tony Pena could be in line for another crack at a ML job as well.

If you want more names, I can keep on giving them to you; it wouldn't be hard at all. But here's the important part - I wouldn't have made the hire, Chris Antonetti would have.

He's the guy that was going to take the Cardinals GM job when we canned Jocketty. He's one of the best young baseball minds around and he'd have been a fantastic hire for us. But he was told that he was stuck with LaRussa and Luhnow so he declined the job and decided to wait out the Indians gig (he was an assistant when we made him the offer). Worse still, any other qualified candidate did the same thing and we got stuck with an organizational stooge in John Mozeliak.

LaRussa should've been fired the day Jocketty was (or more accurately, LaRussa should've been fired instead of Jocketty). When the organization insisted on keeping him, they virtually eliminated the entire pool of front office talent and got left with this worthless coffee-getter we currently employ. So he essentially jumps when LaRussa tells him to and we have a completely dysfunctional organization for our efforts.

The ultimate blame falls on Bill DeWitt for being a gutless piece of shit and putting us in this position.

This is what happens when you allow unchecked control of an organization. Bright minds don't want to come into the job and you end up with organizational group-think run amok. You end up with career yes-men like John Mozeliak tasked with running the ship. You end up with crotchety dictators like Tony LaRussa running talent out of town and building his teams around 'scrappy' hustlers that won't rock the boat...or play baseball worth a shit.

In short - you end up with a bad baseball team.

It's coming, folks.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Until last year I've always thought that Larussa's teams overperformed to their talent level.

Now we know there were locker room issues. There are.is a veteran/younger player gap in the locker room, in part because of Larussa. Tony has always treated the rookies and younger players different than Carp and Pujols etc.

I have no problem with Rasmus and Pujols being treated differently. I'm cool with that part of it.

Just who would you guys want instead on Larussa?

If you wanted to stay in house Jose Oquendo has done a great job with the world baseball teams he's managed. If we were to go outside there are a LOT of names who could really do well here. I wouldn't be opposed to giving Terry Pendleton or Tony Pena a shot if we wanted to keep it in the family.
DJ said anybody but Dusty but I'd like to add Bobby Valentine to that list.