Jumbo the more I read and sample everyones perception of the Dave story, the more I keep breaking in to a wry smile. Remember the 3 Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, or the Marx brothers movies. There would be a hallway with about 6 different doors per side. They would have endless chase scenes going in and out of these rooms, discovering and rediscovering their adversaries and their companions and finally them selfs as they finally broke away from the maze to discover the solution to there predicament. If you distance yourself a little from what you hope is true, you will probably notice an ending to this passion play. One thing you’re bound to notice, if you squint a little, is the image of Tony and Dave piloting the three masted Cardinal Flagship off into the playoffs, a small dingy in tow with Mo and the wanna be’s scrambling for elbow room. The tether that binds them is now a line of dialog that finally reveals that Tony and Dave have a different opinion of where they are and from wince they came. Try to notice who is wearing the epaulets and the fancy hats. The more the passengers in the Dingy try to steer and maneuver, the longer the tether will become. Someone was pretty clever getting all of the front office guys to climb into that leaky little boat. Just enjoy the show.

I’m coming into St. Lou to have a peak a Carp and Smoltz. I will let you know if I find any treasure.

The more I think about it, the more I believe our dear Daddy Duncan is headed out of town. He cannot say so clearly at this time, since the season has to run its course. And he has sent mixed signals about the source of his unhappiness, which confuses fans.

I figure Dunc can ignore dopey thoughts posted on message boards. And he could in a sense ignore fan complaints about Chris.

His son suffered an injury. Ok, injuries happen. The root problem is it was mishandled. This may have been unintended. Chris may have been an important party to the fiasco, which Dave acknowledges. But if its true that Dave yelled at the trainers (or Tony or Mo) that nobody was looking after Chris’ health (in 2008), then that seems a tough thing to foregive. Dave Duncan does not have to work for the Cardinals. He can retire or find employment elsewhere. It would have to be hard to continue to take salary from a team that mishandled your son’s injury in 2008 and thereby may have potentially cut-short his ML career. To re-sign would be tatamount to endorsing what happenned with Chris. Dave Duncan is a straight shooter and not wishy washy. He is unhappy and I doubt he is going to rediscover happiness here.

Unlike regular posts, which I am informed of, suspected spam just sits in the filter until I think of going there to check it. Sorry about that.

Did Tony and Dave “inescapably” try to steamroll a new GM, Mo. No. This idea can be laid to rest. Mo joined the Cards in 1995 or 1996. He is long familiar with players in the organization. Mo even directed the 1999 draft in which the Cards selected Chris Duncan in the supplemental first round, about 46th in the nation IIRC. Mo was involved in recruitment of Chris from amateur ranks.

Is Chris Duncan’s injury a “ruse”? Chris Duncan had a metallic disk installed in his neck to replace a disk he was born with. So yeah, he was injured in 2007 and aggravated his injury to the point of rupture while deemed playable with a bulging disk.

Compare CD’s situation to a pitcher who undergoes a shoulder surgery. The surgery may have been performed, but few pitchers are quite the same after shoulder surgery. The new disk has relieved Chris of pain and enables him to live a normal life, but its possible that his peak abilities as a hitter are not restored 100 percent. If so, he would not now be suffering from a disabling injury, but he could have dimunition of his baseball prowess owing to his 2007 and 2008 injuries. Dave Duncan may have wanted him evaluated by a neurological specialist, since nerves run through the spinal column. They are protected by the bones that constitute the spine.

Chris’ “failure” does not merely owe to strike zone and pitch selection. The guy got a new disk in his neck, an unprecedented surgery for a baseball player.

Nor did Chris’ struggles owe to the fantasy of codependency and confidence problems. Chris hammered the ball in 2006 and the first half of 2007, until he suffered two serious physical injuries. Nothing mental about his injuries. They were all too real.

Pujols will never enter into his option year. DeWitt would have to be a complete idiot to allow that to happen. That means there will be a bunch of exciting events for all in Cardinal land to enjoy in the meantime.

Write it down as dogma…..or dog manure, whichever you choose. I base this prediction on pure fatherly instinct. It’s what I would do and I get the feeling DD will too.

Given that you can get a job with any of 29 other companies in your industry, would you renew your contract to continue working for your current employer, the one that mishandled your son’s health and then fired him?

I suspect for Dave Duncan the answer is no.

I suspect Dave is trying to figure out what caused the Cards to jettison Chris. Two answers for him are the media and the fans. This explanation may somewhat overlook the poor hitting that inspired the fans and media to get riled up.

As to why Dave was involved in arranging a medical evaluation, that is easy. Like Rolen and Brian Jordan, Dave has developed doubt about medical evaluations by the Cards. He wanted an independant, outside opinion to find out where Chris is at.

While this is overall an unhappy situation, I have liked some of the quotes because they seem sincere. One was Rolen talking about “putting your head down at night.” Another was Dave Duncan realizing that neither his son, nor the training staff, had Chris’s best interest (his health) in mind (back in 2008), when Chris’ neck pain went undiagnosed for too long and led to a ruptured disk. Dave has that right and it is the crux of his pain, as a parent. Dave is honest, so he does not absolve Chris of blame for his part in this fiasco. He also does not absolve the Cards training staff, TLR, and Mo, who collectively considered Chris playable.

I suspect Dave and Tony are headed toward splitsville. It would take a lot to break them up after all these years, but having your son’s health mis-managed would be sufficient grounds. Dave is loyal to his pitchers and will work with them through the rest of his contract. Then he will depart. TLR has prepared the public for this potential outcome in comments quoted by Strauss.

On the lighter side. We don’t want to be the division winner with the worst record. Home field is huge in the first round especially. Giants and Rockie were raking today.

- The fans
- The media
- The front office
- The medical staff
- The minor league pitching philosophy

Exclude:

- The player
- Yourself