"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


.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by McMillan

I say Brock's inability to slide towards home plate in Game 5 is what screwed the Cards. When you have a 3-1 series lead, you shouldn't let it come down to that and Flood's misplay in Game 7.

It was a scoreless game at the time. Lolich was great that game too. Gibby was running on fumes, their inability to getting thing going against the chubby lefty was the biggest factor in that game 7.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

http://tinyurl.com/6d7393w

I watched this special on HBO last night, bio about Curt Flood, his time coming up to the St. Louis Cards, his error in the 1968 World Series, his subsequent trials with the reserve clause, very interesting stuff. He was a very complex guy with a lot of twists and turns.

When I was little, my first team wasn't the Royals, it was the Cards. I started following baseball for real in 1967. The first year I really paid attention, my team (The Cards) won the World Series vs Boston, and the next year they lost vs. Detroit. I just took for granted that my team would be in the world series all the time! Then in 1969 we got the Royals in KC, and I became a die hard Royals fan.

I can still remember lots of guys who were on the 1967-68 era Cardinals. I had all their baseball cards:

OF: Tolan, Brock, Flood
INF: Shannon, Maxville, Javier and Cepeda
C: McCarver
Best Pitcher: Gibson.

That was a Hell of a team.

They had video highlights of Curt Flood in the 1964 World Series when he was a rookie. He reminded me a lot of Willie McGee (not as ugly). Very graceful in the outfield, reliable, had one season (I think it was 1966?) where he made ZERO errors in the outfield. That's why the misplay in the 1968 series was so shocking.

He was a heavy drinker and boozer. His career was shot once he left St. Louis.

Do you St. Louis Cards fans have a take on Flood? Do you love him, hate him, don't care about him any more? He's a truly historic baseball figure.

I never got to see him play in person, but it was that 67 and 68 team that I began to really follow baseball. My family for generations had been Cards fans and it was just a given that they became my favorite team as well.

Flood was a great outfielder in the old school way, didn't just rely on athleticism but was very sound fundamentally. At the time it appeared to me he just didn't want to leave the Cards. It was just a given that the owner's had the right to do anything they wanted with players. In hindsight it is obvious they were all short sighted pricks. Had they seen the future we might not have the heavily weighted player system we have now.

He certainly had his demons, but you can't help but feel for him. Hearing his mother's story was pretty revealing and helped me to understand some of his feelings later on in his life.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by VAChief

I never got to see him play in person, but it was that 67 and 68 team that I began to really follow baseball. My family for generations had been Cards fans and it was just a given that they became my favorite team as well.

Flood was a great outfielder in the old school way, didn't just rely on athleticism but was very sound fundamentally. At the time it appeared to me he just didn't want to leave the Cards. It was just a given that the owner's had the right to do anything they wanted with players. In hindsight it is obvious they were all short sighted pricks. Had they seen the future we might not have the heavily weighted player system we have now.

He certainly had his demons, but you can't help but feel for him. Hearing his mother's story was pretty revealing and helped me to understand some of his feelings later on in his life.

That comment to his mother and she almost got lynched? His uniform in a pile of dirty uniforms has contaminted the white players uniforms? The attendent picks it up with a stick?

We seem to forget that wasn't so long ago. Flood was in the minors experiencing that in my lifetime.

[Rams Fan]

Bernie is interviewing Tony Rasmus at 12:15.

Gonna be some fireworks.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Bernie is interviewing Tony Rasmus at 12:15.

Gonna be some fireworks.

Goddamn it I wish he would just shut the **** up

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Bernie is interviewing Tony Rasmus at 12:15.

Gonna be some fireworks.

I am too late but it would of been nice to of known what station.
Since I am late what was said???

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I am too late but it would of been nice to of known what station.
Since I am late what was said???

He's being interviewed still.

www.101sports.com

[Chief Roundup]

So even his dad thinks he needs to be more aggressive and take charge in the outfield. His dad said he has finally been working hard on his swing for the last 3 weeks. Uh shouldn't he of been working hard on his swing like this ooh say about 2 years ago. Don't think Colby will be traded if he is until after the season is over.
Colby is being viewed as mentally weak throughout the league because of the way he responds to harsh critism whether he thinks he deserves it or not.

Rasmus definitely needs to work on the mental aspect or he will never make it and very few will ever want him.

[VAChief]

Albert!!!! Now hold on bullpen.

Driving to Cinci tomorrow to see game two.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Saw that coming.

This is going to be a LONG 2nd half.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Welcome to STL, Heath Bell.

As badly as this rotation needs help, we desperately need someone that won't shit down their leg with a lead in the 9th.

[OnTheWarpath15]

16th blown save.

3rd worst in all of baseball.

****ing ridiculous.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

16th blown save.

3rd worst in all of baseball.

****ing ridiculous.

Lynn has been pitching lights out. Time to give him a chance.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Welcome to STL, Heath Bell.

As badly as this rotation needs help, we desperately need someone that won't shit down their leg with a lead in the 9th.

Better not trade for Bell. No friggin way do I want to give up Rasmus, Miller or Martinez for 1/2 year of a rental player. We won't get him for less than that caliber of player.

No need to mortgage the future for the present. We will get another shot at the playoffs in the next 3 years.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

I like Bumgarner more than Garcia because he can go deep into games, his frame projects for longevity, his fastball has more veolcity, and he has more pitches in his arsenal.

Oh, and the argument that he's a product of Pac Bell is complete bullshit. Look at his Home/Away splits this year. His road ERA is half of what it is at home.

He's also 21 years old.