The Cardinal Nation blog

No one could have predicted how the shortstop position would have evolved for the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.

Erroneous news on a supposed new Matt Holliday offer from the St. Louis Cardinals is amplified all over cyberspace before being pulled.

Why might both Scott Boras and the St. Louis Cardinals consider a shorter-term contact for free agent Matt Holliday?

Is Mark DeRosa’s reported two year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants out of line with the market? If not, why didn’t the St. Louis Cardinals jump in?

Using unearned runs to measure fielding prowess, St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers don’t measure up to par.

Some major league clubs have advantageous leases that offer flexibility but shackle their communities. Others carry stadium-related debt.

The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals’ centerfield featured a transition from the veteran to the kid along with some interesting twists.

The Batavia Muckdogs lost less money in 2009 than in 2008, but the deficit still runs in six digits and their patron is hurting, too.

The St. Louis Cardinals again added a future Hall of Fame pitcher nearing the end of his career but it didn’t end like in 1926.

Why has Mark McGwire’s coming out party remained in his most familiar place – limboland?

St. Louis 2009-drafted outfielder Tyler Bighames tests positive for drug of abuse.

The St. Louis Cardinals ventured into unfamiliar territory when making their first-round pick in the 2009 draft.

The agent of former Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan is making some interesting claims.

The MLB Players Association plays a powerful, but almost-invisible role in placement of top free agents.

There may be something for Matt Holliday to learn from this week’s Johnny Damon saga and a similar story from over two decades ago.

Major changes occurred among the Cardinals minor league coaching ranks following an uneven 2009 season.

Can the St. Louis Cardinals learn anything from a dissection of the New York Yankees’ 2008 pursuit of Mark Teixeira?

The sweetest amateur free agent signing in St. Louis Cardinals team history quickly went sour.

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting to the point where they need to force Scott Boras to declare his hand regarding Matt Holliday.

Rankings for the entire Cardinals team, not just their free agents, offer some interesting comparisons.

An errant tweet pre-announced a new MLB initiative. You can get in on the ground floor.

A pair of former big bats from the Colorado Rockies are now free agents. The St. Louis Cardinals are thinking about at least one of them.

This blog is officially one year old today, December 12.

The St. Louis Cardinals are experiencing some extra spice in their Holliday cooking due to an unwanted touch of Bay while the GM puts the heat on the super agent.

Brian Walton joins Friday “Sportsnight” on St. Louis’ KTRS 550 at 8:05 p.m. Central.

The progression of St. Louis Cardinals spring training ticket prices since 2000.

Passed over in the Hall of Fame veterans committee vote was the winningest St. Louis Cardinals owner ever, Sam Breadon.

Rather than retiring the number of every new Hall of Famer, the St. Louis Cardinals need a two-tiered system.

Whitey Herzog and the other six most-winning St. Louis Cardinals managers in club history are either in or locks for the Hall of Fame.

St. Louis Cardinals history remains in mothballs while development project flounders.

Why is the Matt Holliday contract situation causing heightened emotions across Cardinal Nation?

St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Jefferson Segundo receives a 50-day suspension, the second from the organization since the season ended, fifth in 2009 and 16th in the last five years.

Recent comments attributed to management and the union are positive, but will they actually get to work on it?

The title pretty much says it all – links to 2010 schedules for the St. Louis Cardinals and their top minor league affiliates.

Based on Tuesday’s arbitration offers, the St. Louis Cardinals may get four compensatory picks, but exactly where they will fall in the 2010 draft is unclear.

Brian Walton joins minorleagueball.com’s John Sickels and host Jeff Erickson of Rotowire.com on Fantasy Focus on Blog Talk Radio Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Commentary on 20 search arguments that recently brought readers to TheCardinalNationblog.com.

How the St. Louis Cardinals went from 59 players eligible for the Rule 5 draft down to 21.

Toronto offers at least one recent indication of scouts coming back into prominence.

A quick look at several St. Louis Cardinals prospect-related items.

Minnesota’s Joe Mauer missed the first month and won the AL MVP in a landslide while Chris Carpenter lost the NL Cy Young Award because he missed 30 games.

A net of four veteran jobs may be lost on the St. Louis Cardinals year-to-year. Does that mean anything?

Using an MVP-like scoring system for the Cy Young Award keeps Tim Lincecum on top.

St. Louis minor league hitting master Dan Radison is moving to the Washington Nationals as their first base coach.

Would a hypothetical expansion of the 2009 National League Cy Young Award vote to five places have changed the winner?

Chicagoan Nick Kladis, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals ownership group, passed away on Monday.

A significant discrepancy in a widely-used database reflecting the St. Louis Cardinals’ player payroll has been corrected.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus made an appearance in the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year voting.

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary sprinkled in.

Long-time Double-A Cardinals radio voice and media contact Mike Lindskog takes job in California.

The St. Louis Cardinals owner during a record period of prosperity is being considered for election to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

With distance a problem in spring training, would the Cardinals benefit by a possible move of the Chicago Cubs to Naples, Florida?

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa reportedly declined an offer from the Washington Nationals to interview for their managerial job.

Former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog is again up for Veterans Committee voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Toronto has made a habit of claiming former Cardinals off the waiver wire. Could the two rekindle trade talks, too?

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock is currently auctioning off 78 memorabilia items.

Tony La Russa’s use of pitchers in the eighth spot in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup ended in late July. Did it matter this season?

Intended only as fun, this award has been created to honor the highest level of hitting futility by a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher in a season.

Looking at past good-hitting pitchers on the St. Louis Cardinals.

Creating a new award to recognize the best-hitting St. Louis Cardinals pitcher during the previous season.

The new general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals A-Advanced club has a down-to-earth background.

Many items owned by the late Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood will soon be sold at auction.

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary sprinkled in.

How many awards will Albert Pujols take home this season?

How much playing time did those called up from Memphis to St. Louis actually receive in the final days of the 2009 season?

Why might Bud Selig be looking at Mark McGwire differently than he does at Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez?

Two former Cleveland stars face off Wednesday night for other teams while the Cardinals’ aces are under contract at least three more seasons.

Summarizing the trenches dug over the return of Mark McGwire.

Matt Holliday’s Oakland results following Mark McGwire’s winter instruction leave some major questions as to its effectiveness.

Will Mark McGwire become the next St. Louis Cardinals’ hitting coach? Could he do it without shedding his considerable personal baggage first?

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary mixed in.

It looks like a number of big money teams will get in on the Matt Holliday chase. Every one decreases the Cardinals’ dwindling chances of retaining him.

Comparing and contrasting Mark McGwire’s recent comments about Albert Pujols’ value with a famous 2001 interview critical of escalating MLB player salaries.

Two former Cardinals take new jobs a bit closer to their ex-home.

The St. Louis Cardinals have passed up the potential opportunity for 16 additional draft picks the last four seasons.

A review of the St. Louis Cardinals early draft picks over the last six years, with special focus on regular versus compensatory selections.

A San Francisco article offers additional insight into Tony La Russa’s future plans.

Some doubt the presence of Matt Holliday in the Cardinals lineup benefited teammate Albert Pujols.

A comprehensive look at multi-year in-season roster changes across the Cardinals minor league system leads to conclusions that may differ from prevailing perception.

A long-term contract with a two-year out for Matt Holliday might not be as crazy as it first may sound.

Brian Walton joins FantasyPros911.com’s Lenny Melnick and Paul Greco on their weekly Talking Baseball Live show on Blog Talk Radio Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel will become a free agent. It may be best for all involved for the 30-year-old to move on.

As the old saying goes, figures never lie and liars never figure. Have it your way – 2009 is the fifth highest total attendance in history or the biggest single-season loss since Harry Truman was president.

To kick off the off-season, a quick look at those who may have played their last game as St. Louis Cardinals.

Two perspectives on the Cardinals chances of coming back against the Dodgers based on past League Division Series.

Catch Brian Walton talking Cardinals baseball with Matt Perrault and Ken Miller on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines today (Friday) at 6:05 p.m. Central.

Matt Holliday’s error did not end the 2009 NLDS, yet the blueprint for the blame game has been in place for a long time.

Historically-based factoids from the Cardinals’ NLDS game one loss Wednesday night.

Now available in relief, two veteran Cardinals starters have been there before.

Dana DeMuth and his crew of five umpires have been assigned to work the St. Louis-Los Angeles NLDS.

How might Cardinals relievers Dennys Reyes and Trever Miller fare against the Dodgers’ Jim Thome in the NLDS?

Is Chris Carpenter’s NL-leading 2.24 ERA enough to win the 2009 Cy Young Award?

Brian Walton joins Rotowire.com’s Jeff Erickson on Fantasy Focus on Blog Talk Radio Monday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.

An in-depth look at St. Louis Cardinals participation in the mid-summer prospect showcase shows strong representation from the 2005 draft class.

Rochester group will continue to try to stem continued financial losses in management of Cardinals New York-Penn League affiliate.

St. Louis’ ugly and costly loss on Friday night has to be hung on the manager.

Adam Wainwright is on his way to the seventh-best pitching season in MLB this decade.

Injured at the plate while swinging earlier this season, Chris Carpenter instead put a hurt on the Reds Thursday with his bat.

Is the Cardinals problem Bronson Arroyo, messed up baseballs or something else entirely?

I will be back as a panelist on FOX Sports Midwest’s live blog during the Thursday morning/afternoon Cardinals game. Join in the discussion!