“Do as I say, not as I do.”
How many times were we told that as youngsters by our parents and specifically our fathers?
I am doing it again today as I sit in the Busch Stadium press box working instead of enjoying this holiday at home.
Here is hoping all of you celebrate this day with those closest to you, whether you are a father, son, daughter or simply played a part of those roles at some point in your life.
I can’t be with my three sons today and like many men, am not great with sentiment. Here is the message I sent them as I retired last night.
Guys, I did not make a good decision to be away for Father’s Day, but I want you to know that the most important part of the day is the pride I have in each of you. I look forward to seeing you next week.
Love,
Dad
Happy Father’s Day to all!
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“Here is hoping all of you celebrate this day with those closest to you, whether you are a father, son or simply played a part of those roles at some point in your life.”
Uh, what about daughter?
Thanks.
Right. Oversight corrected.
Nice thoughts Brian………… Boston is torching Gallardo………….
Freese on the horizon has Danny a little on edge……….. thats three peccadilloes in one inning.
The Philly and Toronto series are going to be rough then, as Freese is at least a week away.
This lefty throws hard………if he ever develops a hard slider, he’s going to be good. Both Pujols and Brown stood in against the breaking pitch which is way slow as a stand alone pitch………
Gotta break in first inning. Looked like Yadi took strike three but got favorable call from Ump.
Colby is beaten by three pitches in a row up and in…………………. he can’t hit that pitch the way he is holding his hands (again) I know what your thinking RC……… it does not work at this level. Everyone is showing him why…………. we will reenter the swoon unless we win this game…… 3 / 0 to a strikeout…on the same pitch………not so good…………
Brown with the big swing………….. Molina with the big hacks………… we don’t have any roll players….this to a degree is MM……………….
That was a big break….losing Duffy………. He has to use Berkman now……….. Theriot was searching for some……….”surprising power for a little guy”…………….not so good…….. this should get Brown out of the game or Jay at least……………
the lord moves in mysterious ways……………………….
give credit where credit is due
Nice play by KC…………..Kozuma/Berkman out to lunch………………….. who thinks we win this game by 4 runs?
Mystery call by Tony………….DP……………. sometimes he just wants to be involved………..that was a high enough pop up to get back………….silly……….
What am I even seeing here……………..
Tony calls for the hammer…………in a 1 run game……….for 1st place???????????????? Sassy………
And ……………………..Stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You said a mouthful WC.
I am completely lost, did TLR bring in Tallet to hit the lefty? Did Tallet do that on his own? Why is Tallet in a 1 run game in the first place.
I can’t imagine Tallet coming in the game at this point except to hit Gorden, weird timing. One behind him sent the message, why put him on base after the message was sent?
I’m getting censored here
Sorry, KSB. There was nothing in your post that should have caused the spam filter to step in, but it did.
The filter thinks you’re KansasbirdWatcher.
“Pujols Goes from Hero to Injured”
My quick summary of what I saw.
Not to split hairs, and I haven’t seen a replay, but I thought Albert knocked the glove off with his right hand after the runner had gone by. As though it were painfull just to have it on.
that is true………… he shook it off………..
I recheck in super slow mo……… he threw it off…….. he was trying to keep the glove from being involved so his wrist was in a bad placement to endure any contact………… the contact was inward but may be more complex than that ……. maybe an elbow or forearm doing the damage………..
Tony will be real cooperative on the post game presser when asked about that one.
I’d rather be lucky than good any day…………….. says Tony…………
We win this going away now………You can smell it………….. AP misses the Philly’s series…….lets watch.
A perfect test for WC’s theories………….
Not sure if I know what you mean. I haven’t been around here long. Does it go something like this? Albert’s production is inversly proportional to the rest of the team. So with Albert down Rasmus, Holliday, Berkman rise?
pretty much it in a nutshell Lee…………….. if Tony would disapear………it would help……….
Tony strikes again……………………the guy won’t stay out of this game…………. Berkman committed to that pitch early on the hit and run……….thus pulling it……….
its like a nightmare…………….
Win or lose Tony is going to be at full boil during post game.
I believe I will sit in the second row.
TLR mentioned that Brown had a smart comment abt opposing pitcher bc he had faced him before and was otherwise complimentary of Brown. Any idea what the quote was?
I’m guessing that he isn’t suggesting it was a smartypants comment KB………maybe just a key or tendency “smart”……..
No, he seemed to say it was a mature and insightful comment.
Reread your original comment KB……that will square you away.
Yes, TLR was impressed by the insight provided by Brown when he asked him about the KC pitcher Duffy.
If you are a subscriber to The Cardinal Nation, I posted a bunch of TLR comments on the subscriber message board, including this one.
Quit working Brian. Jeesh.
It is what I do, bb. Just arrived in Springfield. Will see Miller and Punto in action tomorrow night.
Thank god Freese won’t be there. Press on.
Will be moving on to Des Moines Tuesday for that debut, too…
Expecting that rehab to last longer than one game…
The high riding fastball has been a Salas friend…………. That one wasn’t high enough……….and riding in the wrong direction……….. we win here………… Tony may have to be tossed first………..
Glad to see Schu get one of those.
One for his Dad.
The little guys now rise………..Skippy is a superman in our new world order……………. great play by Jeff F. thats as good as it gets………
that was a great attempt by Descalso………took a perfect play to get him………..
Yes, the KC defense is impressive to the extreme
Second game in a row that a player wearing stirrups hit the go-ahead homer. Just sayin.
The positive up side to Albert’s injury………………….
1) Gives the team a chance to reform. And they will……………this team needs AP…..but not the one you saw today……….. no on responded to his lead………. what ever your belief, if he goes 4 /4 in that game, and we loose, we enter the swoon zone again and likely lose the next 6 in a row, ending this season……….. if his representation of religion provides for his success…as he endlessly reminds us…… it also by definition, likely punishes for hubris………….. as long as he won’t respond to his successful teammates….and he hasn’t………….it cannot be expected that they can respond to him………..and they haven’t…………
2) When he returns………when it suits him……… early if they are doing well…..later if they are struggling………… he will have a sore left wrist…….. he will compensate by relying more on his right hand………this will force him to pull his hands into the zone instead of through it…developing the bat head sooner and deeper in the zone………….. that is going to solve all his problems I’m speculating…..he returns better is what I’m saying……………and maybe they will again be ready for him…………………lets watch and see………..
I don’t think we will be hurt too much going with Lance at first and Jay in right. With Brown able to relieve either. If it drags out beyond a week or two, we should have Freese coming back, which will help both O and D.
It would be interesting to see how the team does if Albert is out more than a couple series’. He will insist on coming back early, playing the wounded warrior, slapping out dinks and dunks like he did a good part of last year and this. If Mo is smart he’ll DL him tomorrow. Let him heal up like the mortal he is. That wouldn’t surprise me all that much because the hit and run call yesterday suggests somebody in the org has reclaimed their manhood.
Despite doubts and criticisms of Pujols that appear, he goes out with an 855 OPS, tied for team lead in dingers with 17. It will be good for fans to see what a Pujols-missing team will look like.
Andrew Brown brings to mind John Rodriguez in, IIRC, 2005. J Rod was a ho-hum AAA guy who caught fire during June at Memphis and by July was with the Cards. He was around for a while in 06, but never recaptured his brief moment of AAA superstardom and faded from view.
Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are great hitters and carry on. Role players like Rasmus, Jay, Theriot and others will try to supplement them.
That’s a mean swipe at the young man, Jumbo, comparing him to the guy who was DFAd to make room for Ceasat Izturis.
Brown was a college senior from U Nebraska inked in June 07. During the next four winters, he was not ranked among Top 40 prospects of the Cardinals. He was not exciting, because a little small for 1B, not nifty for 3B. But Brown has kept working away and excelled this spring as a AAA rookie. The analogy to J Rod at Memphis is fair enough, because JRod went beserk at Memphis during June 05, after signing as an unheralded minor league veteran free agent.
J Rod and Brown both play corner OF, whereas Caesar Izturis is a SS.
J Rod slugged over .800 for Memphis, 17 dingers in 120 at bats, about a year older than Brown this year. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=431138
His worth was chisseled in stone when he was unceremoniously DFAd to create a roster spot for the pitiful Izturis. He never sniffed MLB again, and now plays for Bud Harrelson and the Long Island Ducks. Let us hope for better things from Brown.
J Rod got about 300 at bats with the Cards, spread over two seasons. I used to like the guy, but maybe he was best cut out for DH. His departure was accelerated by an injury. If Brown were to earn as much playing time as J Rod, it would have to be counted as a surprise.
I am making a serious point. If the Cards lose a star like Pujols for a while, he is not readily replaced. I am glad Brown has had a chance at AAA this year. If he gets a chance for some ML at bats, maybe he will excel. But for perspective his ML OPS right now is 462.
Jumbo, I didn’t see anyone suggesting stardom for Brown. I will note that it is pretty silly to be quoting OPS (good, bad or indifferent) based on a total of 13 at-bats.
I offer caution about the thought Jay and Brown will cover for Albert. I cannot be rosy about everything.
But you could be gladiola that all players will be running now……even Molina………
watch what happens Jumbo, to this team……….. they’ve already responded ………..
but watch this most important of all things………watch how the pitchers respond to the shared chemistry……………..
In light of the rumors about the Cards considering dealing for a closer, the blown save should not be overlooked in the post walk off euphoria. At the least, a closer needs to keep it in the park. So, it might affect the thinking on the issue.
During yesterday’s game, I wondered if Westbrook is less of a ground ball pitcher than before. Seems to give up more homers anyway, If anybody knows were to find stats on that, it would be interesting. And appreciated.
Salas is doing a good job BB………… Everyone makes bad pitches…..he came back. Notice you haven’t heard anything about Franklin……………BD/Mo are determined that we carry him to market….apparently at all costs………… there is major tension and manipulations being traded back and forth right now…..
In my opinion………Tony came very close to challenging for an investigation with his conduct today…..
His redundant hit and run failures, along with the “payback incident” looked dangerously like a gambling manipulation ……………………. no sane coach does that with a 1 run lead after a 6 game losing streak………… Berkman is a famous situational hitter……….. and you restrict him with that call and that count????????????? does it again the next inning.??????????? Taking the bat from the ego master….forcing him to respond…….is one thing……. the others were BS…………. Pujols jog to first yesterday was letting everyone know it was a sacrifice……….. thats bush league…… Lozano is already plugged in to his injury situation…………..guaranteed………. Pujols now has an excuse for missing his numbers…………..that leverage will not be easily relinquished by him ………. why should BD argue….he gets paid for 15 day or more ………….. Phillies are beatable with this team as it is…..with AP…..not so much………
The last two games Tony’s tried to throw some unexpected twists at the opposition. He stinks at it. The Talet thing, good grief. Hitting a guy in the meat with a floater that he knows is coming. Hit and runs with the heart of the order is certainly unexpected with this team. May see more of it now.
Cards starters have three wins in June, the last was Lynn ten days ago. That’s kind of disturbing.
Brian, what you wrote (in this article’s topic) is fairly common. However, I am pleased to honestly announce that I never once heard my dad utter those words…and I’ve tried to emulate my dearly deceased father with the way I’ve raised my 3 sons and 1 daughter. My dad RARELY told me what to do, but constantly showed me how to live. He wasn’t a perfect dad, but I cannot think of one thing that he did wrong.
Now, concerning baseball…I was glad to see us send Greene to Memphis…he’s better off and so are the Cards. But one thing I’m not sure how it works…will Greene now play just about every game in Memphis? Mostly short and 2nd base, I suppose. I wonder if there’s much resentment by the younger, “greene-r” guys who are displaced whenever someone is sent down from the bigs…or they just know that’s the way it works, and make the most of the chances you have. I always wondered about the dynamics between those “career” AA / AAA guys and those who are mostly big-leaguers but are struggling and are sent down.
I don’t believe Greene will return to a contending team…………….. he is trade fodder at this point ….
Punto was always intended for other purposes than he found first time back as Skip was hurt at that time………. his rehab won’t be long…….its bound to have SS in the mix with 2nd and third…………. I hate to say this, but Greene was a head case ……… I don’t see a guarantee that he returns to the big leagues…anywhere……… that was a Mo/BD investment ……… he has no value………… Tony does not have final say on these moves although I’m sure he at least has input…………………
Headcase?? Probably no more than most of us who post on these blogs. But I’m no expert…obviously.
I can see how one might be “fooled” by Tyler Greene’s “tool set.” He can do it all…he just usually doesn’t! Any of it! (Well, perhaps that’s a bit too harsh…I’ve rarely seen him NOT use his speed nor his arm-strength). But his potential hitting skills MUST be far greater than his ACTUAL hitting skills….same could be said for his fielding skills- he’s got some; just doesn’t employ them often and under the right set of circumstances.
In looking back to ST, I know there were thoughts about turning Tyler into an outfielder. Personally, I think he’s better suited for that role. Two problems (at least) here, however: 1) he doesn’t hit well enough / consistently enough to get much playing time; 2) we’ve got more than enough outfielders…all of whom are better players than is Tyler. Those problems pose significant issues for T-Greene’s future as a Cardinal…or probably for any ballclub. So…what to do? I think they’re doing the right thing by sending him down. Let him play…A LOT!… and see if he can become a better hitter. Plug him into the outfield…all three positions, I’d say…and see how he does. If he can become a .330+ hitter at AAA, and play a decent outfield, then we might get some value from him in a trade. We don’t need outfielders. And I don’t see that he’ll ever become a good enough, consistent fielder to make it in the Bigs playing the infield….UNLESS he can hit .300+ at the big-league level. Then, he’s probably adequate enough, as he’s not much worse than Theriot fielding SS.
Thoughtfully worded……..and reflected upon Mouse. Within reason, a very complete observation. One important variable that is miss for me was……..marketability………… the Cardinals have a number of marketing challenges at this point………….. They know what Punto’s roll was suppose to be, and if you recall……….Greene was likely going to be the odd man out anyway……….. he just bombed a week early…………and as everyone was clamoring for change………they made one………. Greene was the Organizational investment………..Tony was stuck using him………. Lets face it….Theriot needs some competition for playing time……and more rest………if he is to stay sharp……….. Punto and Descalso will be the utility infielders……….. they will be a big boost.