The 2010 Cardinals seem to play worse after having a day off than they did just prior.
Much concern has been expressed by St. Louis Cardinals fans about the meat grinder of a schedule that awaits the club over the final weeks of the regular season. If the Florida Marlins August 8 rainout reschedule lands on September 20 as expected, the Cardinals will play 44 games in their final 45 days.
Thursday the 19th is the Cardinals second off day this week and fourth open date in the last two weeks – five if the rainout is counted.
Conventional wisdom says a team welcomes the time away and the rested club plays better afterward. The opposite view is that rhythms and routines are interrupted and days off can be disruptive.
Wondering which is the case for the 2010 Cardinals, I undertook a very unscientific study. I simply looked at the team’s record in the series or partial series just prior to each of their first 15 days off and compared it to their results in the series immediately after.
2010 Cardinals, series record after days off compared to before
| Days off | Better after | Same after | Worse after |
| 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
In just one-fifth of the time did the Cardinals win more games immediately after a day off compared to how they were playing just prior. In four cases, they played at same rate before and after. That leaves over half, eight of the 15 times, in which the Cardinals actually played worse just after taking a day off than they had been prior.
In terms of individual games, the Cards are six games over .500 just ahead of a day off and six games under after a rest.
Here are the specifics.
| Before | day off | After | day off | |||
| Day off | Wins | Losses | Wins | Losses | Better/Worse | |
| 6-Apr | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Worse | |
| 13-Apr | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Worse | |
| 22-Apr | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Worse | |
| 10-May | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Worse | |
| 24-May | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Worse | |
| 3-Jun | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Same | |
| 10-Jun | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Better | |
| 17-Jun | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Same | |
| 21-Jun | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Same | |
| 5-Jul | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Worse | |
| 12-14-Jul | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | Better | |
| 26-Jul | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Same | |
| 5-Aug | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Better | |
| 12-Aug | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Worse | |
| 16-Aug | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | Worse | |
| 24 | 18 | 18 | 24 |
I don’t know if this is simply coincidence, but if it really mattered, the long stretch of consecutive days ahead just might turn out to be a good thing.
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Yeah, but it may also mean they will play badly this weekend.
The Cardinals acquired Pedro Feliz? Just what we need, another Mendoza line hitter.
Feliz was sought after by the Phillies for 2008-9. This year, Pedro’s performance has slipped, no suprise, who would want to be an Astro? Not Roy Oswalt.
This is a good move by Mo. First, we are in a bad way and desperately need reinforcement at 3B. Two, A level reliever Dave Carpenter is a trivial price. Three, Feliz has had good seasons and might be able to lift his game after joining a contender.
I agree Jumbo. I fully expect Feliz to come out hitting balls all over the place at a .350 clip for a month or so.
I hope you guys are right. My worldview depends on what happenned the last few innings, so a 4 game losing streak has me gassing up the generator and stocking canned goods.
I don’t expect much out of Feliz with the stick. But there is no downside to adding him. He might contribute helpfully. Or if he cannot, we are no worse off.
Any ideas who will come off the active roster for him?
I saw on the news how the Reds came on strong in the ninth last night. A suicide squeeze with Jimmy Ballgame barrelling down the third base line. Damn. Those guys are not going to beat themselves. We need to man up. Plenty of time left. Like RC says, Albert and Matt have to lead the charge. The masterplan in action.
LaRue went on the 60 day DL.
LaRue clears a spot on the 40 man which Pedro filled. But LaRue was not on the 25 man, so we still need to clear a spot there. Presumably, Pedro will be put on the 25 man before the game tomorrow. Whether or not Jumbo is right about getting Pedro not doing any harm sort of depends on who we have to do without.
The likeliest universe of candidates to surrender a roster slot are Miles, Craig, and Stavinoha. Miles is hitting north of .300 and can platoon at 2B. He probably does not care if he is having enough fun, so he may stick. If so, its Craig versus Stavi. Stavinoha can be 3rd string catcher and pinch-hit. Its probably Craig.
Feliz will surprise…………………he will nestle down amongst the Latin faction…………… that’s good.
He will be stimulated, that’s good……………hopefully he moves Molina back to 7th or maybe even changes the configuration back to pitcher hits 9th……………..He is a bit introverted……..perfect to duck the BS that’s dominating.
His real value is that Lopez, Ryan, and Skip can now come to grips with their appetites. That’s huge.
Craig stays LaRue goes………..that’s a bit surprising and probably a little more relevant than you might think. Also maybe Skip will be bounced a little more often to the outfield……..that should help Colby and Jay find a little depth I’d guess.
On a scale of 10……….this would seem a 5……but its really a 6…………..
Westy, LaRue is already off the 25 man roster. Jumbo makes a good case for Craig going when Pedro is put on. No loss IMO.
We can go with all right swingers against Baumgardner. With Studbrook on the mond, we are going to wallop the Giants tonight.
Feliz, huh? Well, it’s a good thing that the NL is now allowing a designated hitter for one position player per game.
Oh. It’s not? Then adding an aging, washed up guy whose defense is still okay and whose bat is atrocious probably won’t do anything beyond allowing the team to claim that they went out and found 3B help.
Craig or Stavinoha can hide in the minors for the next week and a half until rosters expand without any worry.
We need a competent defensive 3Bman. So that is a clear gain.
For hitting, Feliz had 98 RBIs back in 2006. If he plays part-time and does not get overused, he could channel some of his past hitting ability for a pennant race.
The man who makes the most sense is Nutlaw.The optimism with regard to our latest acquisition is all well and good, but it’s time for a reality check… Pedro Feliz is a 35 year old who is in decline. Indeed, he comes to us very much diminished (.221 Avg/.243 OBP) from a less-than-mediocre lifetime .252 Avg/.289 OBP. While it is certain that he will be a subtraction to an offense which is already inconsistent, he will nevertheless represent an improvement with the glove at the hot corner (although he is no Gold Glover, he makes very few errors).
Aye, Pedro is a bargain for a GM who needs to “do something, anything” to stem the mounting clamor for a viable 3rd Baseman. We may or may not reach post season play, dependent upon lapses in our offense, meltdowns in our bullpen and the danger of burn-out in our Starting Rotation. Rally ’round the troops that we have and hope that they play according to their potential: As former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is famous for saying, “You go to war with what you got”.
Mo got some dollars out of the Astros, probably to cover Feliz’s salary for the rest of this season. We gave them Dave Carpenter to get them to pony up money.
It beats me why the Astros gave up Feliz so cheap. The Cards must told everybody wanting to unload a 3Bman, it was today or never, and the Astros blinked first.
From 2004-2007, Feliz averaged 21 dingers per year for the Giants. He has got more than 4,000 at bats in the majors. Impressive.
Adding Feliz does not preclude us from adding another 3Bman, if another team is willing to unload one. For now, we have reduced a gaping hole and strengthened our hand for another deal.
Attention gang………….SF has a good Latin foundation………..Philidelphia wanted that player……….bad environment……….Houston took him cheap, but not that cheap………..home of the Ruthian Jewish Puma…………..not so good…………………… he will do fine with The Gang…………back to his roots……don’t over think this……….. Gotcha BB……….. someone said Craig was history……..oh yeah, now I remember………….. they have to reestablish his value……..likely……….
Given Flip’s downward slope, I doubt we are giving up anything at the plate. Solid defense at third will help. Flip can play some 2B, Skip can play some RF while Colby is gimped up. Give Jay a day off.
I really like the way the Cards collect money in trades. They got money along with Jeff Weaver; Lugo came all expenses paid. Now we are getting cash to take away Pedro Feliz.
Back in 2006, the Astros released Preston Wilson, they were so disgusted with him. Preston was nearly free (ML minimum for 2 months) and he helped get us to a WS win. Now the Astros are liberating another disappointment for them, Pedro. Maybe lightning will strike again and Pedro will help us eke out a division win on the last day of the season!
Well I was sure Jake Westbrook was going to be a bust, so that proves my player assessment skills need work. Maybe getting a chance to play for the Cardinals will help him. I know that sounds arrogant. I have been a Cards fan too long.
For BB and RC……..
I went swimming today in the canyon……… went to the old diving hole with waterfall. I looked at the 14 meter shelf of my youth………..yeah, that’s going to happen. I settled on down to the 6/ 7 meter ledge which also seemed, stimulating………………….so I just sat down in the sun and pondered the reflections on the water………….. all of a sudden, up the stream comes a local hero with his cheerleader it looked like. Those swimsuits don’t amount to much. They didn’t seem to notice me sitting up there………………………. to make a long story short, this guy starts moving on this girl. He rounds second so fast even a speedster like myself was impressed. I could tell by her defense that she wasn’t likely to be blocking home plate……so…………what to do? Should I whistle? Should I call out? Should I look around for a box of popcorn?…………….. I decided to prank them………..I quietly stood up and made the dive……….good entry, very little splash…………I went deep and long and eventually came up across the pool (25ft deep)…………………….. it must of seemed like the movie “Predator” to them. When I came up they were just sitting there like a couple of innocents………..smiling though………….. I left them to their wickedness………. wishing I was young again. And wicked.
Studbrook was almost sure to be effective. He has a repertoire that suits Daddy Dunc. StudB is an $11MM/yr pitcher who when healthy is going to get the job done. He was healthy, so not a big gamble.
Feliz is iffier because he has been crummy for the Astros this year and is getting up there in years. He is said to be 35, but with all the fake Latin birthdates, he could be older. OTOH, the Cards have a knack for squeezing some performance out of veterans who have been dragged down with losing teams.
Pardon if this was ever covered, but Baseball Reference lists Pedro Feliz as the worst player in baseball by WAR. The worst.
You guys can be optimistic if it makes you feel better, but I’m quite annoyed that Mozeliak let this bum on the team.
Hear! Hear!
Look at it this way Nut—there is no place for him to go but up.
Great stuff WC.
No, he can definitely get worse. He’s cost the Astros 2.1 wins on the season over a replacement level player and he can cost the Cardinals more. He’s going to be stuck on the roster, sucking up ABs that could go to real players who aren’t long since washed up. Give me Greene. Give me Gotay. Give me anyone but this guy.
Nutlaw, are you looking at 2010 data only? Players are not simply their present year stats. To consider the potential performance of a guy with a considerable track record, it makes sense to weight all his data.
Feliz may be washed up. This is of course a real possibility. But its best to try to fix the gaping hole at 3B, rather than just sink like a rock. The Yenkees are not going to ship A-Rod to St Louis and cover his salary. Mo had to grab who ever he could obtain.
One season Walt added 3B Russell Branyan. He was injured or TLR refused to play him. Another late season reinforcement was Miguel Cairo; he made a lot of fans sigh. After Fresse was injured after the trade deadline, the available players are often unexiting. But in a close pennant race, you have to scrap for even the smallest advantage.
The Cards could have gone with Greene. He has a strong arm, but is not used to 3B and would probably unleash erratic throws. We lost one game to the Brewers owing to a 3B error. TLR wants to tighten up the defense.
Gotay is a 2B without a strong enough arm for 3B. He plays 3B at Memphis because Descalso takes priority at 2B.
I forgot to mention that I don’t own a swim suit RC…………a factor………………
Nut………….its done…………..but I would speculate that BD/Mo made an error here. He isn’t the worst. We have those………….he will be able to bunt etc,etc……..He is a trained player. Accomplished even…………….and his Latin credentials will get him a share of the carcass………..watch…….I’m familiar with this player………….he will be fine…………and maybe Lopez will cycle through his emotional impediments…………..did I mention that it was already done………………….are you suggesting the BD is a tight wad…………..what are you thinking………making money cashing in a prospect……….well I never……………..
If he can get worse, then he is not the worst. Unless he is playing in a time warp.
The great news about Pedro Feliz is he hates having fun. Instead, he likes discipline. Go figure. We have to adjust to individuals and if a guy likes discipline, we have some to give him.
Jumbo, RC and I already beat that horse.
Nice try though. 
It will be a welcomed addition Jumbo, Albert only allows spanish to be spoken in the clubhouse so feliz will fit right in. The sooner Colby puts that Rosetta stone to use the sooner he will be able to understand the commands that are coming out of Alberts mouth.
You mean saying “Hey mang” and pointing isn’t working?
Dammit WC, Now I have the visual of a naked Geronimo taking a swan dive off of a cliff in Acapulco. It kind of ruins the story of young love. An overweight naked man just took the plunge and broke up the young mans momentum. You know he got with his buddies and said I had it locked up until that old dude dove right out into the cove………naked.
Yea but Albert keeps pointing with his middle finger which where we come from has a different meaning than it does in the dominican…i guess. So Colby keeps giving him a middle finger point back. Maybe thats the problem right there.
That could be it………yeah.
Jumbo, other than pulling a random stat like RBI from four years ago, what numbers would you like me to consider? Last year he managed a career high .308 OBP? He was a kind of respectable hitter back in 2003 and 2004? Some seasons he hasn’t had a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio? His slugging percentage has only dropped every season since 2006? One year, he stole five bases?
Run prevention is not the problem. Lack of offense is the problem. Feliz makes that problem worse.
In 2008, the Nationals released Felipe Lopez because of his 619 OPS. He signs with the Cards and racks up a 964 OPS. From the outhouse, to the penthouse, same guy, same season. Its a mystery, except maybe he was not in a good situation on a lousy Nats team.
Lopez was about 29, a good bet to rebound, with a fresh start. Feliz is post-prime and not as good a bet. But positive things can happen when guys change uniforms.
Nutlaw, the guy had a pretty steady OPS in recent years. Teams valued him at about 5MM bucks per year. With good defense, a 700 OPS is ok for 3B. Its only during 2010 that Feliz has taken a dive. So we are hoping he can bounce back to his 2009 OPS. This was not long ago. It may be findable.
Now we could say lets use a replacement player. Except a replacement player is a hypothetical concept, not real flesh and blood. The best real player we could obtain today was Feliz, so this is who we shall fight with.
I’m not sure you can make a lack of something worse. I wouldn’t argue that Feliz probably won’t make it better. But I would argue about run prevention. It is a problem. We lost to the Brewers for that very reason.
I’m pretty sure that the Cardinals could score fewer runs per game, crdswmn.
Jumbo, the Astros, a laughable organization, rightfully got panned for signing Feliz this off-season. The only thing that he ever brought to the table offensively was his power, and he’s losing that quite steadily. MLB league average OPS hovers somewhere around .750, I think? So yeah, he was steadily below average before his age started showing.
Tyler Greene is a replacement level player who can be found as close as Memphis, plus he actually has upside.
I’ll give you credit for putting up the best Pedro Feliz defense available to you and I hope that this move doesn’t cause more harm than good, but I’m going to hold firm in my dissatisfaction with it (and amazingly, all of the team’s regular season moves except the signing of Aaron Miles. Winn was bad. Ludwick was bad.)
“Run prevention is not the problem. Lack of offense is the problem. Feliz makes that problem worse.”
One might say the same thing about Westbrook for Ludwick. Compared to that hit on offense, Pedro may not have a noticeabe effect.
The Cardinals don’t need help scoring fewer runs per game.
We don’t know how much TLR plans to play Feliz. Lopez’s offense isn’t helping scoring runs. It seems like a tradeoff to me. If Feliz can help on defense then why not try him and see how it goes? I just don’t see this as a major tragedy.
Your not taking into account that he will be immune to the disease Nut. Everyone’s performance will be enhanced………..if he is an antibody………even better…………..watch……..
The bad news……………….. Sanches/Burrel/Posey/Guillen………..all new bats. They are swinging it. Westbrooke better strap it on…………..
I’m not all the fat RC………….and you know what made the splash. They never saw me. Just a phantom noise…………….
I’m with you on the tradeoff crdswmn. Flip or Pedro seems like a wash offensively. The thing that intrigues me, and which holds the potential of disaster, is what kind of a lineup will Tony trot out? Feliz can not possibly be a leadoff man, that would be a travesty. So what then? It could be very ugly indeed, especially if Tony is not satisfied with Mo’s solution.
Flip was at the hospital today, visiting sick kids.
Tony could try the daring concept of batting the pitcher 9th.
Then bury Feliz in the 8 hole. Never happen.
In 2006, Feliz had 98 RBIs, with an OPS of 709. In ensuing years, his OPS was 708, 705, and 694 last season. Given he is a decent fielder, its ok. It was good enough for the Phillies to want him, until they could reacquire Polanco.
We dont know how Tyler Greene would perform if he played a lot. Maybe he would wilt like Craig. He is also by trade a SS. He made a couple of errors at 3B in spring training. TLR thinks Greene could grow into it, but there could be some errors en route. Right now, we have Greene stationed at Memphis, as backup to Ryan, playing regularly. If Ryan gets hurt, we could see Greene.
Feliz peaked with the bat in 03/04. He is not the greatest, but this also made him available and we had to add somebody asap. The only possibilities were Blum, who is worse, or Edwin Encarnacion. The Cards probably like Encarnacion, who came out of Puerto Rico the same year as Yadier, but the Blue Jays are probably looking to extort more than David Carpenter in return. Its too bad Mo did not get Feliz sooner, as soon as Freese got hurt. better late than never.
This move costs 0$………… thanks to the handy prospects coupons to cash in………. I laugh at people that still believe that BD is pressed for money………….
All of the other owners didn’t bother to talk with the Cards……….they know BD’s m.o………..only in St Louis do you find the denial of everything that transpires here. Detroit needed to move Inge, but they didn’t even waste their breath………..the Braves figured out something.
You are actually seeing what life will be like if they sign AP……..BD knows what he’s about.
Inge has not gone through waivers and might have been claimed by somebody. The Cards needed someone now, given Felipe has an OPS of 580 since the AS break.
Craig Counsell was available, but a 40 year old 2Bman. Feliz beat the alternatives.
I thought of that too crdswmn, but then I realized that Feliz may not be the worst hitter in the lineup. He would not have to heat up all that much to be outhitting Brendan and Skip. So think about Feliz more towards the middle of the lineup. Would not surprise me at all. I’m ready though, generator’s all gassed up, plenty of canned goods on hand.
There is no doubt that Feliz was not the top target for Mo and the cards….the problem is that when you don’t have any players that most other clubs consider to have any real value then you are limited in what you can do. you have to give up good players to get good players.
The Cardinals could have had Escobar a while back and boy would he have looked good at second or third but the cards didn’t have any parts to spare ….they thought. Escobar would have been a great fit for this cardinals team that has a soft spot for the latin guys in the clubhouse. That kid would have killed himself playing hard for Albert and Albert would have given him the guidance that could have made him a possible superstar. It would have cost the cards Colby probably but then you would have Ludwick in RF, Jay in CF, and Escobar at 3B. TLR would have preferred that lineup to the one he has today. Flip could play 2B when needed. That lineup is much better than the one that will take the field tonight against the Giants. Now Colby has potential as does Escobar and so you gave up something to get something and you get a player from the Braves that is talented but the manager doesn’t like, and you trade away a player from the cards that the manager doesn’t like. Have you seen how Escobar has improved in a different environment? Now its water under the bridge no doubt but I’m sure these types of deals pass over Mo’s desk all the time and fall off into the trash can because of what Mo thinks is best….then TLR trumps Mo’s thought process by doing something different.
I believe Mo has an idea of how he would like the pieces to fit on this team but TLR sees it differently…..and unfortunately for Mo, thats all that matters. So you have Mo keeping players he may like but TLR not wanting some of those same players and then you have this type of situation occur where you have the cardinals being forced to literally scrape some used gum off the bottom of the Astro’s shoe trying to suck that last little bit of the flavor that is left, out of it.
In the end Mo made a few moves but this team is weaker today offensively that it was prior to the Ludwick trade. That move crippled this bunch in my mind. If you have to have Westbrook then you deal either Jay or Colby to get him……….if you’re trying to win. Now if you’re worried about payroll then maybe you deal Luddy but don’t sugar coat it by pissing down my back and telling me its raining. Because the offense is the problem and has been the last two years. Its not better today. In my mind Mo made this move to secure Colby’s playing time because TLR was determined to put Colby on the bench and Mo didn’t want him there. He should have just got rid of Colby since it was what TLR wanted and kept Luddy. Problem solved for all party’s. Nope he kept Colby and now the mutual dislike only festers and that will not improve on eithers part.
This trend of picking up injured players or players that have had down years and rehabilitating them has worked in some instances but as a rule it seems to work out more like a lead balloon. There is no doubt that Dave Duncan has huge success with used up pitchers in getting the most out of them and TLR has great success in picking up every DFA’d player and getting the last bit of goody out of them as well but at this stage of TLR’s career that method seems to have run its course. I’ve stated it forever, if you are gonna have TLR manage your team then you must surround him with the type of players he prefers using………Well take a good look at the cardinals and compare them to the Reds and tell me what you think. Mo has done just that. The cardinals pitching is the best in the league in my eyes but the rest of the team is not even close to the Reds. Go position by position and it gets ugly in a hurry. Heck, Votto is every bit as good as is Albert so the cards don’t even have an edge at first.
I’m hoping for the best but like Bling, have packed the fallout shelter to the brim and have readied myself for a bad finish.
All the more reason for TLR to retire in my mind.
Its like I have stated numerous times………If you are gonna have TLR as your manager you must surround him with the type of players he prefers. The players he doesn’t prefer should be dealt away ASAP.
TLR is more valuable as a manager than any one or two players. You don’t get rid of the talent (TLR is the talent), you get rid of the stuff the talent doesn’t want.
Well it seems like the talent doesn’t want a lot of things. Considering the types of players he seems to prefer (Winn, Miles, etc) I don’t think much of his preferences. Surely there are other managers who can manage this team to a winning season who can get along with his players.
“In the end Mo made a few moves but this team is weaker today offensively that it was prior to the Ludwick trade. That move crippled this bunch in my mind. If you have to have Westbrook then you deal either Jay or Colby to get him…”
That’s not it RC………..They get Westbrooke if they will just take his salary and throw in what we just gave Houston for Feliz……………….they wouldn’t. They were going to off Ludwick at years end anyway………SD was hip …. they knew what was on BD mind………….so they did it to deflect Westbrooke’s salary………….its all about cash flow. It has nothing to do with baseball talent.
SD, by knowing the ropes, came out like bandits. Cleveland ended up with squat………it was just a salary dump for them., as Ludwick was for us. Dry powder in the pocket is worth twice what is wasted on the field.
I all likely hood, Westbrooke gets raked tonight…………..
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_b67270f9-e8b4-59a7-9f0a-6cee62b06c75.html
You must admit…………this photo can brighten your day……………… if they can’t convict him with that picture alone………someone else must be drinking at the DA’s office.
I had high hopes for this team at the beginning of the season. The team tanked in May and June but then came out after the ASB looking like the team I thought they were. My hopes were even more stoked when we swept the Reds. But after losing 4 games in a row at home, I am going to have to accept what others have been telling me all along—the Cardinals are not going to win the Division this year. We are now 4 games back and facing a good team this weekend and then a long road trip. I just don’t see us closing the gap with the Reds now. Maybe we never had a chance, though I don’t believe that myself. Who or what is to blame is irrelevant. Now my hopes are centered on Adam getting the Cy Young award he deserves. That will take some of the sting out of this disappointing season for me.
Its a game Crd……….don’t give up. Enjoy what is revealed by the playing of it.
I needn’t remind you I hope…………that they are the Reds……….they might tank………..and the Giants are big chokes in their own right. Lots to be played. Have fun. Don’t bet on games is good advice.
We may or may not reach post season play, dependent upon lapses in our offense, meltdowns in our bullpen and the danger of burn-out in our Starting Rotation. It may very well be that we’ve conceded the Central Division to the Reds, that we will give the Wild Card to the Giants this weekend and that the postseason field will be set by the first day of September. I prefer not to believe any of that, but to believe in a team that can win in spite of Tony. All you can do is rally ’round the troops that we have and hope that they play according to their potential: As former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is famous for saying, “You go to war with what you got”. ‘Cause you ain’t gettin’ very much more…
So far our only competition for the WC is the Giants. Taking the series this weekend will help. I am not worried about our pitching, it will hold up. The offense is what will make it or break it for us.
Cards lineup: Lopez 4, Craig 9, Pujols 3, Holliday 7, Feliz 5, Molina 2, Jay 8, Westbrook 1, Ryan 6
Feliz batting 5th? You have to be kidding me.
I forgot about the NL East race as far as the WC is concerned.
Feliz has some power CRD…………….its Craig in the dogs jaws that attracts attention….
Wild guess…………..Tony hasn’t made his point.
For those that are struggling to get this………………………there is no logic that places Craig at number 2…………….none…………. Winn……Stava……….the batboy……..Feliz……….this about something.
Explain to me Westie why TLR would sacrifice winning games to make a point. What is the point?
Watch it will be a big win tonight for the cards. Thats my prediction. You know I’m a converted pessimist.
Unless you can prove to me that you are clairvoyant RC, I still have my doubts.
The battle between On field and Off field is heating up……………Jay is hitting 300+ against lefties. Craig………..not so good……………..
I’m just feeling really positive today……but I always love fridays so maybe thats my problem..
I think I’ve got one in the filter.
I was pointing out we have a lot of money out there in the 3-4 combo. In terms of the supporting cast, they are sandwiched between the sub .200 rookie and the .220 dumpster dive. Ahead of the sub .200 rookie is the leadoff guy who hasn’t been on base in a couple weeks, and after the dumpster guy is our GIDP specialist. Then the slumping rookie, the pitcher, and the other .220 guy.
Ok, is in the filter twice now. Only need to rescue it once.
Is the hope to get Craig the supposed benefit of batting before Pujols?
Westbrooke is pitching with due caution……pitch count going up…….and they are getting some cuts. They’re bound to catch him up in the zone like this………..
Westbrook can read a lineup card.
It would not have made sense to trade either Rasmus or Jay for a two month rental of a pitcher. In the case of Jay, this would give up 6 years of his team control.
Several years back, RC used to complain Kid Rasmus did not skip over AAA and go straight to the majors; he suggested the Cards trade Colby. So his recent post above does not express new thoughts.
RC suggests TLR wants to bench Rasmus for Jay. This seems unlikely. The Cards traded Ludwick in part to find more at bats for Jay and Craig.
RC speculates about disagreements betweeen Mo and TLR. These do not seem credible. TLR felt he needed another starting pitcher to offset the injuries to Penny and Lohse. Mo got him an expensive one, Westbrook. TLR would have signed off on the trade price being Ludwick. Mo and TLR have been on the same page at least on that deal.
RC essentially admits to having been an overbearing was a (very successful) high school baseball coach. Because thoughtful, his views change through time and he now has some regrets about a few young men who he wishes he could have better helped. This reflects well on RC. Maybe he also sees similarities between TLR and himself and has regrets. But in any event, his personal contexts have modest relevance to the Cardinals.
Are the Cards slumping because young players Rasmus and Jay are not having enough “fun”? That does not seem plausible. Jay is averaging .353 and Rasmus has an OPS above 800, so they have been working hard and contributing their fair shares.
Penny, Lohse, and Freese were knocked out with injuries. Ryan had a wrist operation and has slumped, whereas Skip and Felipe did not have wrist operations and have also slumped. Craig has not produced much as yet. Rasmus is out with a leg injury. These are more plausible reasons for falling behind the Reds than whether young men are having enough fun.
Whether Rasmus likes TLR does not matter in terms of wins and losses in the majors. Lots of people, in lots of jobs, do not love their boss.
Try to think way, way back to your early twenties Jumbo. Stuff matters a awful lot then that seems unimportant now. RC works with young baseball players, he would know.
Everybody grows. This is one reason I never bash Colby Rasmus’ hitting. He is doing very well for his age. Accordingly, I could care less when blingBoy rants that Rasmus should be back in Memphis. Or when Westie rants incoherently about flaws in his swing.
RC knows a lot about baseball. But that does not make him an authority about what the Cards are thinking. Or about how ML managers should conduct themselves.
Jumbo, you are killing me. I’d love to get you at a local bar one day and tell you what I really think. But alas, I can’t. I’ve pushed right up against the limits of sanity in what I do say about the situation and I’m afraid I can’t go any farther. Not having fun is the best way for me to express something without being really specific. I’ve also stated a square peg in a round hole when referring to the relationship to try and keep it as vanilla as possible.
Every time you and I reach this impasse I think of the joke I tell my players when they start acting like they know more than me….Lets say me and you are in a small room alone Jumbo, and all of a sudden I smell a fart. I look at you and say dammit Jumbo what the crap. And you look back over at me and say, “I didn’t do it”. Well I damn sure know I didn’t do it. Every time you give me a little essay on what really happened I think of the conversations Colby has had with Mo and the conversations Colby has had with TLR, and I think of my fart joke
RC, its fine with me if you keep inside the Clubhouse discussions inside the Clubhouse. Players and managers are individuals and each has some rights to a little privacy, imo.
You seem reasonable, based on what you know. Yet different actors in this soap opera are going to have different roles and outlooks. This does not make them liars, but each may not fully explain the whole picture. For instance, Mo’s job is to compete this year and in future years. Mo is not going to trade Rasmus or Jay for 2 months of Westbrook, even if this would be fine with many managers, who tend to have a single season focus. Mo is responsible for dollars, so cannot just take on Westbrook’s salary, even if TLR would like him to spend $200MM on payroll. I would bet neither Mo nor TLR wanted to trade Ludwick, but Mo felt obliged to, if TLR was to get the player he wanted, Westbrook.
It is possible Mo wants to force feed opportunity to Jay and Craig to see what they can do. TLR may not want this. he can support it or he can quit. TLR does not have to be all lovey dovey with Mo, nor Colby. Everybody is an adult and has different jobs to do. Its not all just about being buddies or having fun. Teams take years to assemble, players years to develop, contracts can be multi-year, no GM can change out 25 players per annum. TLR can never have 25 players who are all as happy as clams.
Jumbo, now where have I came across as saying I am an authority on Cardinals baseball operations or Major league managing? Heck I wouldn’t even know where to begin to start with regards to running the cardinals and I definitely couldn’t handle all the ego’s in that locker room. But I, like many folks feel obligated to voice my opinion on every topic regarding all baseball topics and even including the Iran nuclear situation
But you see its just my opinion and I am under no illusions that I really know what I’m talking about in regards to 99.9% of what I type on any blog. But when it comes to Colby I am right 100 out of 100.
You and I have clashed many times and it always happens when you reach the point of getting personal in that you take jabs at me for just voicing an opinion. I never claim to be right, I just think I am. There lies the difference.
In regards to Bling saying Colby needs to go to Memphis, that is his opinion and he has every right to write whatever he chooses. I don’t know bling so why would I care what he writes. Heck many times I have agreed with him
But I have learned to temper my expectations in regards to Colby’s baseball, and knowing how he feels about his situation I have come to the realization that he is doing really good considering. But I’m in touch enough to know that everyone on the outside, who doesn’t know what I know wants and expects more. I get that and understand. No need to take any of this stuff personal and I believe you do sometimes.
As for WC, I enjoy his ramblings about hitting mechanics, poetry, theology, history, business ethics, investments, psychiatry, hitting mechanics, politics, hitting mechanics, world peace, greenpeace, hitting mechanics, naked diving amongst the kiddies, hitting mechanics and hitting mechanics
How could you not love that stuff? I have even thought long and hard about some of his hand position stuff, and then 2 seconds later , forgot all about it 
No Jumbo, I believe the ability to listen to other people and not take very word they write to heart is the best way to handle any of this stuff. Just people with different personality types expressing their views on the cardinals in different ways.
Its about you told me you don’t like me and I told you I don’t like you. The fun talk or buddy stuff is just smoke and mirrors.
“RC knows a lot about baseball. But that does not make him an authority about what the Cards are thinking. Or about how ML managers should conduct themselves.”
I can’t agree on that Jumbo. IMO RC has the background and connections to qualify as an authority and to have and express sound pronouncements. Rather, I consider RC’s comments keeping in mind the possibility of lack of objectivity where his son is concerned and the certain presense of an agenda and the desire to further it. All perfectly fine and in keeping with human nature. I’m a dad too. I certainly don’t think I know better. Perhaps you have the background to justify feeling that way.
That business of hitting Pedro fifth last night is still bugging me. So too having Lopez and Craig 1-2. Well, Craig at least, not too many choices as to leadoff. Tony had to have something in mind.
As to Pedro, 2 for 4 kind of gives the wrong idea. There was the dying quaill fisted out over short, and the lazy liner than the non-outfielder didn’t handle. And there was the bobble on the kind of tough play the our third baaseman has been flubbing, and evidently still is.
A fan’: RC has “the connections to qualify as an authority” about what the Cards are thinking.
RC’s opinion: “now where have I come across as an authority on Cardinals operations?”
This is the enormous difference in perspectives that I sometimes try to point out. RC may not imagine how a fan will be influenced by his opions. A guy like blingboy assumes he is getting the whole story, whereas for his part RC does not claim this.
It seems like RC and I are in agreement that he does not know the whole story. Unlike him, I have no inside contacts at Busch Stadium. Nor do I ever claim that I do. A great deal of information about the Cards is in the public domain, available on the Internet. It is not necessary to interview players or hang out in the locker room to know a fair amount about the team.
The ‘fair amount about the team’ sprayed around the internet is the party line, spewed or manipulated by the PR department. They love the fans that lap it up and waddle away content with a full belly.
I am amazed at how far you will go in this exploration your self worth Jumbo………… Your father was a “heavy” social drinker. Your mother didn’t like that and let him know it…… From a very early age you found yourself standing between them, defending your father from what seem like an endless harassment. You learned a thousand ways to defend him in truth and in your mind, because you loved him, as he loved you. But he continued to drink, and stand behind your defense. Your believe in him. As much as you loved and needed your mother, you learned to be suspicious of all women and their motivations…………………. But they are gone now Jumbo. But not the whiskey. You duel with it still. As your father did. Your love of the Cardinals may have been inherited, maybe not. But the altruistic value system you espouse for them was one you imagined your father had. He was likely a good man Jumbo. It isn’t about that. Its the whiskey. Give it up. See that the Cardinals could be what you hope them to be, but only if you change. You can stop the cycle of anger and its compensations. Its just whiskey. Let it go………………………………………. I love you Jumbo……….I think we all wish that life could be as you have hoped it. And by the laws of creation, somewhere it is…….
Chase Utley………….RC………..the hands………..its the solution…………………
“We need to figure out when to play better,” said Albert Pujols, whose 32nd home run of the season provided one of the Cardinals’ late, tidying-up runs. “There are a lot of different things that we aren’t doing the right way, and you can’t win like that. … Every game is important. There’s no tomorrow.”
Is the opening line a “Freudian slip”???????????
I wonder where we will see Feliz in the lineup today. And Jay. And Craig?
Jay will most certainly be at 2 me thinks. TLR wouldn’t put Craig in the lineup against Lincecum would he? Maybe Wynn instead.
Ok I’ll go
1. Skip….2. Jay….3. King Albert…..4. Matterson Holliday…….5. Feliz……6. Molina…….7. Randy Wynn…….8. Carp…….9. Brendan. This is my guess.
or how about this, Skip in right, Felipe at second? Any more guesses?
I am certainly not lacking for originality, but when there are some things worth repeating that I could never say better, I can’t resist copying and pasting:
“The ‘fair amount about the team’ sprayed around the internet is the party line, spewed or manipulated by the PR department. They love the fans that lap it up and waddle away content with a full belly.”
- blingboy
“I am amazed at how far you will go in this exploration your self worth Jumbo”
- WestCoastbirdWatcher
“No Jumbo, I believe the ability to listen to other people and not take very word they write to heart is the best way to handle any of this stuff. Just people with different personality types expressing their views on the cardinals in different ways”
- RCWarrior
“I am entertained by the braying and blathering of a mealy-mouth as much as I am by the bombast and bluster of a megalomaniac.”
- CardFanSince57
“We need to figure out when to play better”
- Albert Pujols
Late moves yesterday may suggest Lopez plays short. You might see Miles with Skip in right. Tony is incredibly unpredictable right now. Short controlled swings……….. I put Jay 5 for his protection…..moving Feliz to six. That would be a reason to put miles up front.in the 2 hole.
On reading what I scribbled………………… why not put Feliz second. He has good bat control…….that may boost him to join the team…………he is hardly the least proficient batter that the Card have.
I like your thinking on the lineup possibilities, Westy. But alas, it makes sense, so it won’t happen. RC is probably closer.
I’ll say something like this:
Mid 200′s guy, slumping rookie, $14M guy, $17M guy, Mid 250′s OBP has been, DP boy, Sub 200 guy, 220 guy, pitcher.
I admit, Tony could swap the slumping out of gas guy for the mid 200′s guy.
RC wrote: “If you have to have Westbrook, then you trade either Jay or Colby.”
This is mistaken, for two reasons. Trading Jay surrenders 6 years of player control or trading Rasmus surrenders 5 years. For what? Two months of Westbrook. Then the Cards are screwed for years to come by giving up a useful young player. We only lost one year of control with Ludwick.
The second factor is cost. Westbrook costs $11MM. The Cards could not afford to take on Westbrook’s salary without getting rid of some salary. This is why I suspected if the Cards traded for an expensive pitcher, Ludwick would have to be part of the deal, so the Cards could swing it financially. Trading low cost Jay or Rasmus does not help pay for Jake.
RC: “In my mind, Mo made this move to secure Colby’s playing time, because TLR was determined to put Colby on the bench.”
“In my mind” is a good qualifier. This outlook is very unlikely to be what what was on Mo’s mind. TLR is a character, but also generally loyal to the team. Mo does not have to trade somebody to keep Rasmus playing, so that idea seems farfetched. Rasmus has an OPS over 800. He is an important part of this team and Tony knows it. If Tony still abrasively rides him, it is not merely for Tony’s sadistic fun. Its would only be to try to get Rasmus to try to improve in some aspect, to help the team. This may not be working, but its not ill-intentioned.
Rolen and TLR had a rupture. Two strong willed men do not always agree about every last thing. But last summer, Rolen still went looking for TLR to tell him lets let bygones be gone. Its ok to disagree about some things, but there is no reason for it to become personal dislike.
Jumbo, just don’t get too worked up every time RC suggests that the team should have or is likely to trade Colby Rasmus or bench him. His motivations are very much apparent and suggestions like Rasmus being traded for Westbrook should not be taken seriously by those who know better.
“If you are going to have TLR manage this team, you have to surround him with the players he prefers using.”
The Cards DO add players TLR has wanted, such as Mulder, Matt Holliday, lately Westbrook. Mo does this all the time.
Would TLR have wanted to trade Ludwick? Of course not. Luddy’s older brother was a Cardinal. Luddy plays hard, plays good D, seemed like a good team-mate and grateful and cheerful, We only traded him because we had to, to land Westbrook. We loved Ludwick, If you trade a guy you really like, this shows personnel decisions are often about team needs, not about petty personality matters, such as who likes who or who dislikes somebody.
“Now the mutual dislike only festers.”
Its hard to imagine TLR dislikes Rasmus. This seems too simplistic. It could be that TLR wants a player to do something differently for the sake of the team. Its the manager’s job to convey this. Maybe TLR wants too much change and a young player wants to stick with what he knows and what has gotten him to the majors. That could be a reason for two people to not agree. Lots of people in this world work for bosses who want them to do something differently. In many jobs, around the world, not everyone adores their boss. Its hard enough running a ML team finding players, let alone trying to get each guy to like all his team-mates. So disagreements are par for the course, inside every Clubhouse.
Nutlaw, IMO, RC tends to be honest. I take his concerns seriously and in return offer him additional factors to consider. Now if RC wants to admit that he is just joshing and baiting me, again, successfully, then so be it.
1. Schumaker, 2B
2. Winn, RF
3. Pujols, 1B
4. Hollliday, RF
5. Jay, CF
6. Molina, C
7. Feliz, 3B
8. Ryan, SS
9. Carpenter, P
Its a copy and paste so two right fielders not my fault.
Jumbo, when referring to the Westbrook trade I did mention that if winning this year was the objective, then Ludwick should not have been traded. But that if money was the key issue then thats a different story. Please tell me the team is better today plus Westbrook and minus Ludwick. Your mention of money only serves to prove that you obviously believe the same thing.
Nut, you’ve got it figured out huh?
Whats gonna end up happening is you will pick up the paper one day and you’ll get to read someone’s thoughts. Or you’ll see Rob Dibble/Sweet Lou number 2…..and don’t you know that will be bad.
Jumbo, RC isn’t posting for your benefit. He is, as always, publically attempting to drive wedges between his son and his boss and his son and his employers. You won’t get anywhere by discussing the baseball merits of these statements.
Colby Rasmus seems like a very nice guy and I personally root for him. While this sort of behavior is unlikely to get him traded, it is more likely to make his life a little bit more difficult. You’re a rah-rah guy, Jumbo, so don’t feed into it by engaging.
So RC, your comments are meant to deflate or incite Dibble/Lou #2? Sure seems like the latter.
I love to consider the blood between the lines in all of the Warrior’s carefully crafted statements. When the day eventually comes when the Good Ship Rasmus sails on to another port, I will miss the color that he brings to this blog and the clout that his son brings to our lineup.
I also appreciate the contributions and the discussion on the whole. However, all I have to say to this crowd is that responsible parents would be supportive of their children. I would be mortified if my parents started stirring up trouble at my job.
There is no doubt that TLR wants to win and there is no doubt he will do everything in his power to do just that. You will never get an argument out of me regarding TLR’s professionalism or his desire to be the best. Never. I’ve just always believed that some folks respond differently to different motivational styles, and those particular guys will never achieve any kind of level of play that they may achieve somewhere else. Subsequently I’ve always felt Colby would do much better somewhere else. And this is no indictment of TLR or his managing style, which I will always say has been one of the best of all time. The burden to produce under this managerial style resides with Colby and Colby alone. It is his failure to be able to be the best he can be under TLR in my eyes. But feeling that Colby may not be able to ever be a winning player in this system do you think it an error in my judgement to wish him out of it?
. However, all I have to say to this crowd is that responsible parents would be supportive of their children. I would be mortified if my parents started stirring up trouble at my job.??????????????
This is satire…………….right?
BB………….the Jay to five speculation was exactly right………………it’s only motivation being that it was not Tony that was pissing in Jay’s ear…………..but he is aware of it now and is shielding. The pitcher to 9 means that someone has stepped up in his environment also……….. likely Dave oddly enough.
I disagree entirely with the Warrior’s politically-correct statements concerning Tony. However, knowing that Tony will be gone long before Colby, I firmly believe that Colby’s interests are served best as a Cardinal and that there is really no future in any attempt to set the horse behind the cart. When Tony is gone, it will be a whole ‘nuther world and Colby (along with most of the rest of the team) will be much happier.
Nut you can believe this or not. I have never once spoke to Colby and told him anything but he needed to be the best player and teammate that he could be. I refuse to even listen to any negative talk from him in regards to anything that is cardinal related. Heck I worked with him in an attempt way back in Early june to help him in his hitting. Then after that ridiculous article I haven’t fooled with it since. He has never once spoken bad of TLR to me because he knows I wouldn’t listen to it. I would support TLR every time because he is the boss and has earned the respect of every player who plays for him. Now I am forced to hear about his feelings through his mother but he would be wasting his time with me.
Damn RC………………….I believe what your saying………………………… thus the Morphing back to his “fetal” batting stance. I’m going to have to put up a damn sign around here. Start banking a little.
Nut, furthermore, TLR made a few comments the other day regarding Colby and his hurt leg. I read the article and agreed with every thing that was stated by TLR, and in my agreement with TLR have had numerous serious arguments with my other kids because I agreed. I mean two of my sons have not spoken with me in a week because of it. In other words I would never advocate Colby do anything but shut his mouth and do his job. The few conversations I have had with Colby have sounded much like Jumbos’ comments. You know, TLR is doing his best to try and get the best out of you, and I used to ride you just like TLR is, and if you were traded tomorrow whats to say you would hate being there worse than here, and the grass is always greener until you get over to it and realize its not grass at all, its spray painted and just looked pretty from afar. Nothing but positive get your butt in gear and be the best you can be kind of stuff. Trust this, I know what its like to play the game and know that the negativeness enters the mind on a regular basis and someone needs to keep everything as positive as they can. Colby is allowed to vent on his mom and brothers but none of us are allowed to give him any ammunition. We are all positive, positive positive when speaking with him. Listen to his thoughts some of us do but never offer any negatives thoughts back to him.
If the Cards are behind by 2 after four………..and haven’t scored at least 3………….go out and barbQ.
After last night’s lineup I don’t wish to speculate since I now believe Tony has gone mad. I did correctly guess that we would go back to the pitcher hitting ninth. That is because the lower part of the order is as likely as the upper to push runs across, as we saw last night. Getting more runners on ahead of Albert and Matt has proven to be not very effective in scoring meaningful runs. Now perhaps the bottom of the lineup can get a little more done.
I regard RC as a straight shooter. I respect him, which is why I will joust with him on the Internet. RC will josh around, but I dont think he is trying to drive wedges between his son and the employer. I think he is sincere in sharing his views. Instead I think to reach MLB you need to have a ton of drive and determination. A lot of guys are strong-willed, including Colby, which is normal. If he were not strong minded, he would not still be playing baseball. You have to be tough to survive.
Now some fans get driven crazy by lots of Cards hitters, not just Rasmus. Westie for instance offers his pointers and sometimes thinks the batters or the hitting coaches are incompetent. It may provide some small comfort to frustrated fans that TLR does not just kiss every player’s backside, but instead offers advice to players, not just Colby, but not excluding him either, about how to be more productive for the team as a whole. Tony and Lou Piniella poll about the lowest in voting by players for who they would want to play for, because these managers can be demanding or abrasive. So, inside the Clubhouse, not everybody may adore TLR (or the next manager) at any given time. What matters is not whether everyone adores one another, but trying to pull together so as to win as a team, combining individual talents into a group effort.
RC carefully mentions that he does not know everything about the teams gameplan and about team dynamics. This is not just being politically correct, imo. It is probably also honest. The issue for readers of this blog is to appreciate RC is just a player’s Dad, at a distance. He knows a ton about baseball of course and about life too. He has his own opinions and guesses, about the Cards, but they are not necessarily fully right. As Nutlaw suggests, trading Jay or Colby for 2 months of Westbrook not have made sense.
Sometimes trades are tough, sometimes you have to sacrifice someone you respect and would very much like to keep, like Ludwick, because of his conduct on the field and in the Clubhouse. I bet Mo and TLR disliked having to make this trade, but they also felt they had to do so.
I have already started burning down a pile of hickory for my bbq Westy.
Interesting discussion above. All contributors appreciated.
Those storms that crdswmn described finally came in last night after the game.
Let’s get the comeback underway tonight and go roaring down the stretch. Hopefully Albert kicked some butts. Starting with Tony’s.
Bling……Isn’t it nice. We have about 65-70 people over here at our home with country style ribs, chicken, about 25 filets and some Ribeyes on the grille. Fun stuff for sure.
Righteous RC. We’re a couple of wholesome old school family men. We don’t have a crowd or a big spread tonight, for a change. Lobster tails and some prawns on a spit. Couple ears of corn I’ll pick here in a minute. Me and my sweety, 30 years and counting. Told her a while ago I was thinking about firing up the Norton and taking her for a spin.
Lincecum is good, Yadi had noting up where he could get it into the outfield. Might as well go if you’re Matt, not likely to get many chances and a .220 hitter up next.
And the 220 guy does what 220 guys do. Put up some zeros Carp.
Nice if Winn can get on ahead of our 3 .300 hitters.
Who are some players TLR admires? Pujols of course. Plays hard, hits for strong average and power, but has never exceeded 100 Ks in a season. He has good plate coverage and few holes in his swing. TLR wanted Matt Holliday, another line drive hitter. Matt Ks about 100-115 times a year.
Colby is on pace to strike out 170 times in a season. That’s high. Rasmus is going to get better in the years ahead. But he is not an All Star yet. TLR may want him to improve his situational hitting, make more contact after he gets 2 strikes. Just because a manager wants a young player to work at improving, does not mean the manager dislikes the player.
Mo and TLR seem usually on the same wavelength. TLR craves Holliday, Mo and DeWitt get it done, no matter the price. TLR wants Westbrook, out goes Luddy, even though TLR and Mo love Ludwick.
Okay, RC. I’m fine with all of that. As people are fond of reminding me, and as history has shown, however, these discussions are fully public and read by more than the handful of people participating in them. If word got back to me that the family members of one of my employees were criticizing me online and saying that this employee couldn’t really work well for me, it would cause a significant strain in our working relationship despite the best intentions of all involved.
Nut, Here again, which employee has been critical? And The employer fully understands the feelings involved in this situation, that I do know. So this is not new news to those actually involved.
But for the record, being critical and pointing out issues are two different things. Saying a message may not be getting across is not being critical nor is saying a square peg doesn’t fit in a round hole. Its like I wrote earlier, I would support TLR every time and Colby none in any situation that occurred. TLR is not the problem if you get my drift. But no matter what the case may be, they would both be better if they were on different planets
if you know what I mean.
Nutlaw, good point. IHowever it may be the context here is honestly untroubling. Say you have a son who plays MLB and you are interested naturally enough in his welfare and future. So you come up with worries like the Cards are going to demote him, though this is pretty unlikely. Or TLR will be a meanie. Or Mo and TLR seem on different wavelengths. Lots of fans criticize TLR (ignorantly in my opinion) on-line. Or lots of posters and journalists conjecture about differences between DeWitt, Mo, Luhnow, TLR. This is the on-line world and this is what RC reads and is influenced by. He gets into it too, because interested in baseball too and he has as much right to opine as the next fan. He has a lot of wise thoughts to contribute and I like reading some. But that does not mean he knows what he is talking about on all points to do with the inside workings of the Cards. Some of it is just his speculation or parental worries and it can be a little off. Some of it is close enough to sound plausible, but actually may not be fully plausible upon careful consideration, like trading Rasmus or Jay for just 2 months of expensive Westbrook.
To his credit, RC can be consistent in terms of expressing support for many young players. A couple of years back, he hoped the Cards would release or trade Anthony Reyes, so Reyes could get an opportunity elsewhere.
In any event, here one way I put things in context. There are lots of heartaches, throughout the world, though we would wish otherwise. Some young people serve in wars and lose limbs or their lives. Lots of other jobs may not be dangerous, but they are not fun. Given this reality, am I concerned if a well paid promising player and his boss do not agree about everything? No.
Well put Jumbo. That qualifies you for a hold and a save
Edmonds had 167 Ks, his first season with TLR. Jim racked up Ks, HRs, and BBs. Rey Lankford collected his share of Ks too.
My actual experience is limited to little league as player and later as player’s dad and as a coach. At that level a certain percentage of dads are a pain in the butt. Dads are still dads as the kids grow up, so I’m sure that the same is true even at the major league level.
I don’t know how many pain in the butt dads the typical MLB team might be expected to have, nor do I know RC’s degree of buttiness compared to other pain in the butt dads. Maybe other posters do know those things and are able to conclude that RC is stirring up trouble at work for Colby. I have no idea about that. Something does seem to distract Colby from keeping his focus. Maybe its just him being a guy in his early twenties with some dough in his pocket. That would be problem right there if it was me. My guess is that having dad’s like RC around is common enough that teams and coaches take it in stride.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_0f03f8d4-8cd0-5a98-b01a-be68e684ee59.html?mode=comments
Exquisite revisionist BS by Strauss……………….. some of the comments are certainly interesting, and they only see a small portion………….
BB……….it would appear Colby is being weened………. it has to happen sometime. In nature this is a cruel process that all involved must share responsibility and witness.
Lost in all these struggles is some accountability recognized concerning the MM Rolodex. I would grade it D at this point…………..and that is generous………………….. if you notice, it is only the new hitters or veteran hitters that are showing any signs of life……………….Feliz, Winn, etc.
You can’t fool with Jay…………if he doesn’t like the input……..he will just stand there and look at strike………..head back to the dugout and sit down.
Miiles at 2nd today………..
AB R H RBI TB BB K AVG OBP SLG
B. Ryan, SS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .225 .286 .304
J. Jay, CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .353 .400 .518
A. Pujols, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316 .409 .593
M. Holliday, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .302 .375 .521
F. Lopez, 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245 .321 .358
P. Feliz, 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .229 .250 .323
Y. Molina, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .253 .323 .326
A. Craig, RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .175 .221 .254
J. Garcia, P
This pretty much settles it…………….TLR is a idiot…………..
If Zito is going to be giving-up fly balls like that, there’s hope…
Albert nearly took that one out of the park! May it be that Zito’s contact-pitching will consist of fly balls today…
My involvement Bling , is limited to internet jabber. The only direct interaction I have had with the cardinals is when I have gotten tired of Colby struggling and decided that I would do something to stop it. That happened a couple of times last year, one being right before the playoffs. This year one time, right before his 9 jacks in june. Unfortunately for me and Colby I can fix what ails him in about 3 hours in the batting cage. He takes other peoples advice, just watch, he will change his stance and everything about his swing 3 times a week which just works his swing into a mess. All I ever do is try to put him back where he was to begin with, which isn’t hard.
WC is right, I tried weening him off of me last year but relented because of my wife in the end and helped him, which the cardinals absolutely do not like(no matter what is stated publicly, and I understand that). Then this year after the May he had, I decided again to try and fix him, which led to his big June. Then the cardinals got all huffy and the school we were hitting at in the St. Louis area wouldn’t let us hit there again(because of someone or something associated with the cardinals), and I said the hell with it.
But I still refer back to some comments made way back, if you run a MLB organization, or manage one and make decisions or judgements from stuff posted on an internet forum, then you have bigger problems than a parent hitting with his son
Way bigger problems.
That all sounds about like I had it in mind from past discussions RC. Except for the ‘the hell with it’ part. That doesn’t fit. As I see things, a dad like you wouldn’t say the hell with trying to help the son because of interference or attitude from anyone or anything other than the son himself, or maybe the son’s mom or wife. But that’s getting beyond what I have any business contemplating. I would mention there are plenty of batting cages around and if you can’t find one my boys and I will shag for you. Like I posted yesterday, this is a team where a guy can be a hitting standout pretty easy. That’s not an opportunity that comes along every day. My advice-send Tony some flowers and a note telling him you hope he’s feeling better.
Its revealing that guys like Westie and CardsFan57 pronounce TLR is an idiot, based on a lineup, but are unable to articulate why their reasoning is superior to TLR. Generally people who label others idiots are not making themselves seem thoughtful.
Zito is a lefty. He throws high breaking pitches and he is not especially tough on left swinging batters. His best pitch is a curve. TLR has loaded the lineup with right swingers, save for Jay, who he figures is a good enough hitter to bat high in the lineup against Zito, though TLR placed him 7th on Friday against Baumgardner, who is probably tougher on lefties. TLR will not the stats, not me, nor Westie.
Because Craig has been underperforming, TLR has put him 8th, to take the pressure off the rookie. Its not a surprise Craig has responded today with a HR. Lopez rested yesterday, so he gets the start today at 2B. It was a good lineup design, based on the opposing pitcher and TLR’s players. Good job TLR. You may not be a genius, but in comparison to petty critics, you stand tall.
Gonna make a couple more comments on the posts of RC and why they do not trouble me.
Players are responsible for their performances. Coaches may be available to try to help, but ultimately pitchers have sole responsibility for their pitches and batters for their performances. Of course its fine if Colby works out with his father. He should listen to whoever gives him tips that are useful.
I do not buy that the Cards are opposed to Daddy R. giving hitting tips to Colby. Colby and his father may think this, but it may be more in their imagination than in reality. It makes a good story, but what team is going to object to a son talking to his father?
Skip trained with McGwire in the off-season, before MM joined the staff this year. What players do on their own time and the choices they make are their business, not that of the employing team. Players can hire their agents, doctors, shrinks, trainers, coaches. Its none of the business of the Cards who Colby or any other player trains with, on the side.
RC also mentions disagreements among Mo and TLR. I am not buying into this much, either.
It is public knowledge that the team and TLR disagreed about Rolen. TLR went very public with objections to trading Rolen. Mo made a different decision and traded Rolen for Glaus. TLR got to express his views. Often the team supports TLR. The team did not support TLR in relation to Rolen. But its no big deal. Mo did support TLR on folks like Pineiro, Lohse, Holliday, Westbrook, Schumaker. The Cards are able to accommodate a diversity of opinions. This is healthy.