Not including Matt, with the severity of his injury still unclear, the club currently has six players on the disabled list. Four of them landed there within the last week. Two have been there all season long – Chris Carpenter and Scott Linebrink.

Skip Schumaker is the only Cardinal to have missed time on the DL this season to date without returning to the shelf. Two are on their second DL stints of the short season – Allen Craig and Berkman. Unluckily, as a result, each has played in just 13 games of the team’s 43.

In addition, Carlos Beltran has struggled through knee and foot ailments that caused him to miss time while avoiding the DL and Adam Wainwright has not fully returned to prior Tommy John surgery effectiveness. Yadier Molina basically played through a recent hand injury. Rafael Furcal has a checkered injury history, but to date, the shortstop has avoided being shelved.

St. Louis Cardinals disabled list as of May 23, 2012

Looking ahead to the end of the season, vote for which player’s injuries you think will have the biggest impact on the 2012 Cardinals. You may want to consider the ramifications of both the time lost by the player as well as the results of his replacement.

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In three years, including as recently as 2005, three of the team’s seven initial relievers of the season threw with their left hand. At first blush, 2012 continued the more regular pattern, with two lefties rostered at season’s start.

However, there is at least one significant difference. 2012 marks the only the third time in at least the last 16 years that neither left-hander had been with the Cardinals at the start of the previous season.

There is good news and bad when considering the two prior clubs with all new lefties, 2001 and 2009. While each went on to the make the post-season, both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs, the League Division Series.

One might put an asterisk by the name of Marc Rzepczynski in 2012, as “Scrabble” isn’t entirely new, having joined the team last July. His former partner, well-traveled J.C. Romero, was given his walking papers on Monday after just six weeks on the team. Romero was replaced by a right-hander, Eduardo Sanchez.

The only two years during which the two season-opening Cardinals lefties both had sub-3.00 ERAs was in 1996 and 2004. Steve Kline and Ray King were the relievers in the latter year, following Rick Honeycutt and Tony Fossas.

St. Louis Cardinals, season-opening left-handed relievers, 1996 to present

(Bolded names represent a returning pitcher for multiple opening days.)

Of course this list does not include the leagues of others who passed through the pen for short periods within a given season, such as Arthur Rhodes and Raul Valdes in 2011.

In the short-term, no clear left-handed pitching help is on the way for the 2012 club. There is quantity in Memphis, but Major League quality is an open question. Four left-handed relievers and one lefty starter compete at Triple-A, but none appear close to the bigs. The only one of the group already on the 40-man roster, Sam Freeman, has yet to make his Triple-A debut.

The others are starter Nick Additon and relievers Nick Greenwood, R.J. Swindle and Barret Browning. The latter two joined the organization as a minor league free agent and via the Triple-A phase of the 2011 Rule 5 Draft, respectively. (Remember, to see the entire Cardinals system on one page, check out the Roster Matrix, always up to date right here at The Cardinal Nation blog. )

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The 17 strikeouts is just one off the Cardinals’ worst nine-inning showing ever in this category. On September 10, 1989, 18 Cardinals were fanned by Chicago Cubs pitching in a 4-1, nine-inning loss at Wrigley Field. (link to boxscore)

Researcher Tom Orf pulled the following table, which indicates the Cardinals had just two 16-strikeout nine-inning games prior to Thursday. It was their 30^th game of at least 14 strikeouts.

Strikeouts in a nine-inning game, St. Louis Cardinals hitters, history

Note the big bulge in the 1980s and 1990s of such games.

The Cardinals have nothing to be ashamed of or be worried about. Bedard’s career best game was even better – 15 strikeouts. Further, even after the bad day, the Cardinals still only rank fourth in the National League in strikeouts.

Even more importantly, the 2012 Cards are first in the NL in runs scored at 138, with only one club within 20 runs of their total. Further, their league-best batting average of .286 is 20 points higher than the second-place club.

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According to ESPN, a part of the necessary scheduling reconfiguration for next season and beyond may alter the annual “natural rivals” interleague series. The teams may still meet, but would not be assured of full home-and-home, six-game series. One set is more likely, rotating annually between the two locations.

Of course, this would affect the “I-70 Series” between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.

Let’s face it, meeting the Royals was exciting back in the 1980s. Since then, not so much. Taking nothing away from Kansas City’s young prospects today, but six games each season is at least three too many for my liking. This is reinforced by the fact that in part due to the uneven divisional alignment, the Cardinals often seemed to face the same group of other interleague opponents over and over as well.

From the aspect of won-loss records, the annual Royals series has been good for St. Louis overall, especially the games in Kansas City. The Cardinals lead the Royals 38-28 in all-time interleague play, including a 24-15 mark at Kauffman Stadium.

In St. Louis, the Cards hold a narrow edge, 14-13, with the Royals leading the series 8-7 at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals won 2-of-3 in both locations in 2011. This season, the Royals will travel to St. Louis on June 17-19 and the two clubs will meet again in Kansas City just seven days later for a second weekend series.

This is but one part of what will be a major schedule change across MLB starting next season. With an uneven number of teams in each league, there will be at least one interleague each day all clubs are scheduled to play. In one scheduling scenario, that could mean at least 30 interleague games for each team starting in 2013.

Given the necessity of change, some additional variety in opponents would be welcome.

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On the other hand, wouldn’t anyone have been happy to make a deal in March for the team to end April at 14-8 and with a three-game National League Central Division lead?

As the data below indicates, the offense and pitching have been equally impressive in the early going, with the last item, run differential, pulling it together.

There are some interesting parallels to 2011. The respective situations of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are more unclear this season than last, but the bottom line in terms of April wins from the co-aces each year is identical – zero.

Further, in both Aprils, the number five starter performed at an unexpectedly high level. Last year, Kyle McClellan was a perfect 4-0. This year, it is Lance Lynn (4-0, 1.33). Like McClellan in 2011, the unexpected current level of success by Lynn, Kyle Lohse (4-0, 1.62) and Jake Westbrook (3-1, 1.30) will not be sustained for the entire season.

Starters going deep into games, backed by high levels of run support, meant less pressure applied to a relatively-inexperienced bullpen. Performance in close games remains an open question.

All is not perfect. The Cardinals are just 5-5 in their most recent 10 contests, though in all fairness, for most of that time, the offense was missing two of eight position player starters in Lance Berkman and since-returned Jon Jay. Further, in 2012 there has been greater exposure with starters out since top reserve Allen Craig has been unavailable as well. Skip Schumaker also missed considerable time.

The concerned point to the easier first-month schedule for St. Louis, primarily made up of NL Central opponents. That is a fair question, in my opinion.

May should offer a better cross-NL test for the Cardinals. After Pittsburgh and Houston, St. Louis will face Arizona, Atlanta (twice), San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia. Of that group, only the Padres and Phillies have losing records. In contrast, the Cardinals are currently the only NL Central team with a winning slate.

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St. Louis will run their second ring promotion on Friday, July 6, as the Cardinals match up against the Miami Marlins.  All fans who attend the game will receive a wearable replica of the 2011 World Championship ring.

Springfield’s second promotion will be sooner, this coming Thursday, May 2. It is more limited, with only the first 2,000 fans through the gates receiving the collectible ring. Last time, fans lined up at Hammons Field starting over eight hours early.

In one measurement of the interest level in these rings, they are currently selling on ebay for up to $100.

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St. Louis is among the top three teams in the National League with its 11-6 record through 17 games. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds have been scuffling along in Pacific Coast League action, winning just one-third of their initial contests at 6-12.

One area in which the two clubs share early success, however, is in limiting physical errors in the field. Each shares the lead for fewest miscues committed across its respective 16-team league.

In the NL, St. Louis has just nine errors as a team. That ties them with Philadelphia and Washington for the lowest total in the Senior Circuit. Shortstop Rafael Furcal is the only Cardinal with multiples and he has committed just two.

At the other end of the spectrum, two Western Division clubs, San Francisco and San Diego, each have made over twice as many errors as St. Louis, with 19 each. The Cardinals’ current opponent, Chicago, is next with 16 miscues in 17 games.

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is all alone at the top of this unenviable NL leaderboard with seven errors. The Giants have three players with four each, catcher Buster Posey, third baseman Pablo Sandoval and shortstop Brandon Crawford.

Down in Triple-A, Memphis is tied for the PCL lead for the fewest errors with 12, along with Nashville (Milwaukee) and Oklahoma City (Houston). They are spread very evenly over the Redbirds roster, with third baseman Zack Cox and shortstop Ryan Jackson being the only Memphians with as many as two miscues.

The big-league Giants shouldn’t be looking for fielding help from Triple-A, as the most error-prone club in the PCL is their Fresno affiliate, with 25 in 19 games. The Bees’ three middle infielders alone have committed 17 miscues among them.

Coming into 2012, one area of expected improvement in the St. Louis club was to be their defense. With a ground-ball oriented pitching philosophy and a staff to match, this seemed very important.

So far, so good. At least in terms of errors committed in the early going, significant progress is being shown. Remember that in 2011, only one NL club, Chicago, was charged with more miscues than St. Louis. Right now at least, no club has fewer than the Cardinals.

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A pre-game ceremony that officially welcomes home the reigning World Champions will punctuate a day of activities celebrating the annual return of baseball to St. Louis on Friday, April 13th. The Cardinals will take on the Chicago Cubs in a 2:15 p.m. game. Following is a schedule of official activities, and information to help baseball’s best fans enjoy what has become an unofficial holiday for Cardinal Nation.

Opening Day Ceremony Celebrates World Champions

While Opening Day in St. Louis is always special, this year promises to be extraordinary. Fans won’t want to miss a single minute of the opening ceremony that will begin at 1:30 p.m. with the Budweiser Clydesdales and will pay tribute to the 2011 World Championship team described as the greatest comeback team in the history of baseball.

The ceremony will feature all four of the team’s Commissioner’s Trophies, as well as representatives of each of those World Championship teams (’67, ’82, ’06 & ’11). The ceremony will culminate with the formal raising of the 2011 World Championship Banner by the family of U.S. Army Specialist Jeffrey L. White, Jr. of Catawissa Missouri. Specialist White, who was serving his country in Operation Enduring Freedom, died April 3 in the Khost Province of Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Specialist White was an avid Cardinals fan who was home on leave for Game 7 of the World Series last October and was planning to attend Opening Day with his family before he was killed. Specialist Whites’ mother Paula, father Jeff and brothers Michael and Kyle will raise the championship banner.

10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m. Cardinals Official Opening Day Pre-Game Pep Rally, sponsored by Hardee’s: The Cardinals will host a pre-game pep rally in the Ballpark Village Lot, located directly across from Busch Stadium, at the corner of Clark Street and South Broadway. Local rock band Trixie Delight will perform from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Fredbird and Team Fredbird will be on hand to give away Opening Day tickets, autographed items and other Cardinals prizes. Fans can stop by the Hardee’s Photo Booth, where they can get their Opening Day picture taken for free and visit the Hardee’s Mobile Diner where, with the purchase of a Combo Meal, they will receive a complimentary Opening Day t-shirt. Other sponsors include: Budweiser, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Air Force, Dunkin Donuts, Energizer, First National Bank, Fox Theater, Fox Sports Midwest, Girl Scouts, Krispy Kreme, Lumiere/River City, MO Secretary of State, Muny, Papa John’s, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Tan Company and Qdoba

11:45 a.m. Gates open

Busch Magnet Schedule Day: All fans with a ticket ages 21 and over will receive a magnet with the 2012 Cardinals schedule, compliments of Busch Beer.

1:30 p.m. Pre-game ceremonies begin with an appearance by the famed Budweiser Clydesdales.

Introduce Missouri Governor Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon, St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay

Introduce Fredbird & Team Fredbird.

Cardinals Hall-of-Famers will be introduced via a Ford Motorcade around the warning track, led by the 2013 Ford Escape.

Video Tribute to the 2011 World Champions

Introduce representatives of the last four World Championships who will escort in the Cardinals last four World Championship trophies….Mike Shannon (’67), Tommy Herr (’82), David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds (’06) and Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan (’11)

Introduce the reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals via Ford Motorcade (2012 Ford Platinum F-150s and 2012 Ford Raptor F-150s)

The family of U.S. Army Specialist Jeffrey L. White, Jr. will raise the 2011 World Championship Banner in Leftfield.

Introduce the Chicago Cubs and the starting lineups

American Bald Eagle flight, courtesy of the World Bird Sanctuary of St. Louis

Color Guard – The U.S. Marine Corps

A moment of silence to former Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch

Shannon Magrane, singer and Season 11 contestant on American Idol, will sing the Star-Spangled Banner.

U.S. Air Force Flyover – Two F-16s

Ceremonial First Pitch

2:15 p.m. Game Time

After prospect Matt Adams homered in his second spring training game last month, some fans were ready for the big first baseman to shove Lance Berkman aside right then and there.

Speaking of Berkman, just 12 months ago, I was among those ready to write off the former Houston Astro as a faded Fat Elvis. I was dead wrong. Instead of the player who wasn’t getting around on balls in spring training, when he batted .182 with two extra-base hits, Big Puma became the National League Comeback Player of the Year for the eventual World Champions.

Like Berkman, shortstop Rafael Furcal has endured his share of injuries in the past and is approaching the twilight of a very good career. But was that twilight occurring here in early 2012?

Furcal struggled through camp with a .192 average amid similar whispers as were uttered about Berkman last year. In fact, his manager Mike Matheny dropped Furcal to the bottom of the batting order, noting late in camp that his shortstop was “not right.”

On Opening Night in Miami, when the bell rang, Furcal reminded us all that he is not done yet. Matheny put the 34-year-old back in the leadoff spot and he delivered.

Our friend and researcher Tom Orf, back for another season, notes that Furcal is just the 11th leadoff hitter in Cardinals history to collect three hits on Opening Day. Curt Flood holds the team record, with four in 1965. Further, in a nod to Matheny’s new Running Redbirds, Furcal is the only one of the 11 that also had a stolen base. (see photo)

In other words, after just 10 hits in Florida during the entire month of March, Furcal logged three in his first game of the regular season.

St. Louis Cardinals, leadoff hitters with three or more hits on Opening Day

As if we needed another reminder where to file spring stats, consider this closing thought. In 2009, the Cardinals’ starting shortstop batted .408 in spring camp and was rewarded with the cleanup spot behind Albert Pujols in the opening day batting order.

Several months later, Khalil Greene’s major league career was over.

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If you are new to the blog and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:

At the time of this posting, the St. Louis Cardinals had 253 players under contract from top to bottom, including 39 players on the 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his assigned level in the system by position and is updated daily or whenever transactions occur.

There is a group of 16 players listed under Injured/Rehab. They are not active on any of the rosters at this time.

Extended spring training camp invitees are shown in separate groups. The first is those initially invited to major league camp as NRIs and the early minor league camp invitees. The second group is the holdovers from regular minor league spring training while the third group is those who arrived for EST at the start of April.

Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization.

Don’t be concerned about the order of the players’ names within a team. It doesn’t signify anything.

The players on the 40-man roster are designated in bold.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 253 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles updated at The Cardinal Nation.com / Scout.com. You can see bios, photos, videos, articles, news items, links to current season and career stats and much more – everything you need to know about a player in one place.

Click on the following links to be taken to one of the nine team pages at The Cardinal Nation. You can also see rosters and player profiles back to 2004:

Full-season clubs

St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Palm Beach Cardinals
Quad Cities River Bandits

Short-season clubs

Batavia Muckdogs
Johnson City Cardinals
Gulf Coast League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals

Once on a team page, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page for that year. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 2012 Memphis profile.

Looking ahead and back

Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right or use the dropdown menu at the top of the page: “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix”.

For details behind past rosters and transactions, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows.

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009, July 2009-February 2010, Spring camp 2010, Opening season 2010, First half 2010, Short-season 2010, 2010-11 Off-season, 2011 spring training, 2011 regular season, 2011 short-season, 2011-2012 off-season, 2012 spring training

Transactions

04/02: New matrix. Organization total: 253 players.

04/02: C Kleininger Teran onto Spr DL.

04/03: RHR Adam Ottavino lost via outright waivers to Colorado. New organization total: 252 players.

04/04: C Adam Lewis placed on QC DL. RHP Deryk Hooker to Spr DL. LHR Nick Greenwood from Spr to Mem. RPs Justin Wright and Jesse Simpson from PB to Spr. OF Cedric Hunter acquired from Oakland, assigned to Mem. New org total: 253 players.

04/05: RHR Ricky Martinez from EST to PB. C Travis Tartamella onto PB DL. C Roberto Espinoza onto Mem DL.

04/06: RHR Scott Linebrink onto StL DL. RHR Victor Marte onto 40-man, moves from Mem to StL.

04/09: C Casey Rasmus from EST to PB. C Luis De La Cruz from PB to Mem. C Steven Hill onto Mem DL.

04/12: RHS Seth Blair onto PB DL. RHR Logan Billbrough from QC to PB. RHR Kevin Jacob from EST to QC. IF Roberto De La Cruz to QC DL. IF Jeremy Patton from EST to QC.

04/13: C Luis De La Cruz from Mem to PB. C Casey Rasmus from PB to EST. C Mitch Canham signed, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 254 players.

04/15: OF Michael Swinson onto PB DL. OF Kyle Conley from Spr DL to PB.

04/20: 1B Lance Berkman onto StL 15-day DL. IF/OF Skip Schumaker off 15-day DL. IF Tyler Rahmatulla onto QC DL. C Adam Lewis off QC DL.

04/21: OF Tommy Pham onto Spr DL. OF Kyle Conley from PB to Spr. OF Michael Swinson off PB DL.

04/26: 2B Starlin Rodriguez onto PB DL. C Travis Tartamella off PB DL. OF Roberto Reyes, C Adam Lewis onto QC DL. OF Virgil Hill from EST to QC. IF Roberto De La Cruz off QC DL.

04/28: IF Packy Elkins to PB DL. IF Neal Pritchard from EST to PB.

05/01: IF Tyler Rahmatulla off QC DL. IF Jeremy Patton from QC to EST. OF/IF Allen Craig off StL DL. OF Erik Komatsu DFAed. New organization total: 253 players.

05/03: C Steven Hill off Mem DL. OF Chris Swauger from Mem to Spr. OF Rainel Rosario from Spr to PB.

05/04: OF Erik Komatsu claimed off waivers by Twins. OF Michael Swinson onto PB DL. RHP Todd McInnis to QC DL. C Adam Lewis off QC DL. OF Mark Hamilton off Mem DL. IF Jermaine Curtis from Mem to Spr. IF Niko Vasquez from Spr to PB. C Audry Perez to Spr TI list. C Kleininger Teran off Spr DL.

05/05: IF Neal Pritchard from PB to EST. C Casey Rasmus from EST to QC. C Jesus Montero from QC to EST.

05/06: C Travis Tartamella, RHR Ricky Martinez onto PB DL. 2B Starlin Rodriguez and LHS Kevin Siegrist off PB DL.

05/07: IF Tyler Rahmatulla to QC DL. OF Roberto Reyes off QC DL. C Audry Perez off Spr TI list. C Kleininger Teran, RHR Jesse Simpson to Spr DL. IF Neal Pritchard from EST to Spr.

05/08: LHS Jonathan Cornelius from EST to QC. C Adam Lewis to QC DL. Ps Fermin Montanez, Jeff Nadeau released. New organization total: 251 players.

05/13: 1B Lance Berkman off StL DL. OF Shane Robinson from StL to Mem.

05/14: LHR J.C. Romero released by StL. RHR Eduardo Sanchez from Mem to StL. Mem OF Amaury Cazana released. LHR Sam Freeman from Spr to Mem. RHR Jesse Simpson off Spr DL. IF Neal Pritchard from Spr to EST. RHS Richard Castillo from PB to Spr. RHS Todd McInnis from QC DL to PB. IF Tyler Rahmatulla off QC DL. OF Virgil Hill onto QC DL. New organization total: 249 players.

05/15: OF Jon Jay onto StL DL. OF Shane Robinson from Mem to StL.

05/17: LHR Clay Zavada, UT Jamie Romak signed to Mem. Mem LHR R.J. Swindle released. PB 3B Niko Vasquez released. C Travis Tartamella off PB DL. OF Anthony Garcia onto QC DL. OF Virgil Hill onto QC DL.

05/18: OF Allen Craig, RHR Kyle McClellan onto StL DL. OF Adron Chambers, RHP Brandon Dickson from Mem to StL. LHS John Gast from Spr to Mem. RHP Deryk Hooker off Spr DL.

05/19: IF Neal Pritchard, LHP Bob Revesz, RHP Travis Miller from EST to QC. IF Garrett Wittels, RHPs Brandon Creath, Kevin Jacob from QC to EST. RHS Carlos Martinez, UT Alan Ahmady to PB DL. LHP Ryan Sherriff and 3B Jeremy Patton from EST to PB.

05/20: StL 1B Lance Berkman to DL. 1B Matt Adams onto 40-man roster, from Mem to StL.

05/21: OF Lou Montanez signed, assigned to Mem. RHPs Seth Maness, Chris Corrigan from PB to Spr. RHP Scott Schneider from Spr to PB. RHP Jorge Rondon to Spr DL. OF Michael Swinson off PB DL.  New organization total: 250 players.

05/22: 1B Aaron Bates signed, assigned to Mem. New organization total: 251 players.

05/23: UT Matt Carpenter onto StL DL. C Steven Hill added to 40-man, from Mem to StL.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 05/23/12)

Codes
(I): injured
(TI): temporary inactive list
(SL): suspended list
(RL): restricted list
(MIL): military list
(TO): tryout player not under contract
(L) left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (DL+TI+SL+RL+MIL+TO) players

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Back in November when the new collective bargaining agreement between players and owners was announced, a miscellaneous line item simply said this:

“All Players will be subject to a policy governing the use of Social Media.”

Like most of the new CBA, the details governing use of Twitter and Facebook would follow. Earlier this week, MLB released their policy to all 40-man roster players.

The opening statement seems simple enough, but of course, the devil is in the details.

“We encourage you to connect with fans through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Along with MLB’s extensive social media activities, we hope your efforts on social media will bring fans closer to the game and have them engaged with baseball, your club and you in a meaningful way.”

Among the policy elements are these common sense-type items.

Players cannot post anything:

• That condones the use of drugs banned by MLB.
• Sexually explicit, racist or sexist.
• Disparaging one’s national origin or disability.
• Illegal by federal or state law.
• That threatens or harasses others.

The challenge will be in who and how violations will be interpreted. Club and MLB officials will be even more busy than before monitoring their employees’ social media behavior. Will union officials immediately spring to the defense of players when the inevitable gray areas are entered?

Any appeal process is unclear, but it will certainly be needed – if there are penalties involved in policy violations. This is not spelled out as far as I can tell. MLB already seems to keep a stable of arbiters busy in other elements of their business. Could this become another?

Apparently to protect the owners, this item is also included.

• Players must have permission before making statements that could be interpreted as “official,” linking to a MLB website, or using copyrighted team logos, names, photos or other material.

It seems odd for players not to be able to link to stories on the official MLB website.

It sort of reminds me of the ever-present warning repeated during every radio and television game for decades now. It is one we can probably all recite by heart, sort of like a perverted MLB pledge of allegiance.

“Any rebroadcast, reproduction or other use of this game without the express written consent of Major League Baseball is strictly prohibited.”

Anyway, back to social media. The items that govern on-field activities are crystal clear in comparison to sex, drugs and harassment. These apply to all officials, including coaches and managers.

They are not allowed to post to social media:

• 30 minutes before a game
• During a game
• Until at least 10 minutes after a game ends

They are also not allowed to question umpires’ calls via social media.

In summary, it is good that MLB accepts reality and encourages players to use social media to interact with fans. Players will continue to have to be smart in their actions to remain clear of the new regulations. For most, that should not be a problem. It is the few outliers for which MLB had to create this policy and about whom they must worry.

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During the regular season, the Brew Crew and Cardinals had split their series, each club winning five at home. In the Championship Series however, St. Louis eliminated Milwaukee in six games.

Apparently the bitter taste of defeat remains in the mouth of Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, reigning NL Executive of the Year.

In an article posted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Melvin claims the Cardinals had an unfair advantage in September. His belief is that an imbalance occurs because clubs from “large markets” can afford more September call ups from the minor leagues.

Melvin went on to say this:

“I still say that St. Louis doesn’t get in if it’s 30-on-30,” he said. “Tony La Russa was a master at manipulating all the players that he had. They had a kid, (Adron) Chambers. They won a couple of games pinch-running with him late. They got Arthur Rhodes late. They play a team like Houston late in the season. They say they’re rebuilding with minimum-salary guys. They’re not going to bring up guys to accumulate service time. That’s my biggest beef.”

Let’s take Melvin’s claims one by one.

“large markets” – The Cardinals play in the 20^th largest market of the 30 MLB clubs. That may appear huge when you are in Milwaukee, ranked #26.

Let’s give Melvin the benefit of the doubt and assume that he meant to say “payroll” instead of “markets.” In that case, it still doesn’t hold water as neither club was in the top third in player payroll in 2011, with St. Louis at 11^th and Milwaukee 17^th.

The two clubs that experienced colossal folds in September, Boston and Atlanta, are located in considerably larger markets than either Milwaukee and St. Louis. The Red Sox had the third-largest payroll in MLB last season with the Braves in between St. Louis and Milwaukee. Their substantial resources clearly did not help them down the stretch.

“30-on-30” – This may be the strangest charge of all. First, let’s check the facts.

The Brewers added seven players to their major league roster in September, while the Cardinals added eight.

The Cardinals promoted six minor leaguers for the final month. They are Brandon Dickson, Shane Robinson, Maikel Cleto, Tony Cruz, Tyler Greene and Chambers. Two other Major Leaguers were activated from the DL during September, Nick Punto and Eduardo Sanchez, for a maximum roster size of 33. That compares to Milwaukee at 32.

Most of the new Cardinals rode the pines, while the Brewers, with a huge division lead, proudly announced their callups would play. I did not check the Milwaukee group’s September at-bats and innings-pitched, as I don’t see it being particularly relevant to this discussion.

The contention is the benefit received by St. Louis. The veteran Punto had more final-month at-bats than the four kids combined. The youngsters hit a combined 6-for-20 (.300) while Punto went 8-for-26 (.308). The Cardinals’ three September call up pitchers were a complete non-factor, throwing just 6 2/3 innings in total with an aggregate ERA of 4.05.

Did the Brewers add one fewer player for financial reasons or because their farm system just isn’t as good? In all fairness, even after several highly-publicized trades of prospects for veterans (Shaun Marcum, Zack Greinke), the Brewers certainly must have had additional Triple-A players had they needed them. If not, shame on them.

“Tony La Russa was a master at manipulating all the players that he had.” – OK, so does that mean his skipper Ron Roenicke was less adept at roster management of his 32 players than was La Russa with 33? Is Melvin suggesting the Cardinals should have stopped trying because their manager was too good at his job?

“They got Arthur Rhodes late.” – This is clearly a red herring. It seems a major stretch to tie the addition of a bit player signed on August 11 to September roster size. Rhodes played the role of the second left-handed reliever, a spot almost always occupied in La Russa’s bullpen, whether April or October.

Further, I would like to see anyone with a straight face assert that the 41-year-old with a 4.15 ERA was a 2011 difference-maker. If Melvin truly felt that way, he could have signed Rhodes himself for the mere pittance of a pro-rated share of the MLB minimum salary, less than $150,000. (Texas paid the majority of the 2011 salary of Rhodes, a player currently out of work.)

“(Houston is) not going to bring up guys to accumulate service time.” – Another very questionable claim.

Melvin implies the Cardinals unfairly benefited by playing the lowly and rebuilding Astros in September. The facts are that both clubs, St. Louis and Milwaukee, met Houston in only one final-month series.

The Cardinals won two of those September contests and Houston one. Of course, the last St. Louis victory is most memorable as it was in the final game of the regular season.

How about Milwaukee? They also played the Astros three times in September, earning a sweep. Despite the big division lead, individual games were still significant to the Brewers in the fight for home-field advantage. The Brewers took home field by just two games over Arizona. Didn’t they also benefit by playing Houston?

That one additional home game could have been the difference maker in their NLDS that went a full five games.

Despite Milwaukee earning the right to play more post-season games at Miller Park, they still lost to the Cardinals in the Championship Series. That brings us to a final point which Melvin did not make.

Rosters are of equal size in the playoffs. – The most relevant fact is that in the post-season, the best 25 players on the Cardinals and their manager defeated the best 25 players on the Brewers and their skipper. This cannot be disputed.

While Melvin admitted “I kill this thing to death…,” he is apparently so focused on his personal roster-size crusade that he presented a case that doesn’t hold water and makes him look like a sore loser.

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Chicago Cubs    73.5 wins
Cincinnati Reds    86.5 (-120o)
Houston Astros    62.5
Milwaukee Brewers    84.5 – initially 82.5
Pittsburgh Pirates    73.5 (-120u)
St. Louis Cardinals    87.5 (-120u)

Note the change for the Milwaukee Brewers, as Friday’s announcement that Ryan Braun will not be required to serve a suspension to start the season is taken into account. Those 50 games that the Hebrew Hammer will not miss translate into two additional wins for the 2012 Brew Crew, say Atlantis.

The numbers in the parentheses can be interpreted like this. Those wishing to bet on the over for the Reds or the under for the Pirates or Cardinals will have to risk more – $120 – to win $100.

The 87.5 wins for the Cardinals compare to their actual total of 90 victories secured on the field last season. The only other club in the NL Central that would decline year-to-year based on these lines is the other 2011 playoff club, Milwaukee. The Brewers won 96 games on their way to the NLC title.

The flipside of 62.5 wins for Houston would be 99.5 losses. Still, that would be an improvement over their 56-106 record last season. The Reds, Cubs and Pirates would also improve from 2011 if they reach their respective betting lines.

If these were to come to pass, the three 2012 NL division winners would be the Phillies (95.5), the Cardinals and the Giants (87.5). The Braves and Reds at 86.5 each, would be the co-Wild Cards.

Of course, these lines will be adjusted up and down over time as the oddsmakers try to ensure equal betting on the over and under for each team.

What do you think?

Vote below for your view of the number of Cardinals wins this season. (In choosing, consider the number of wins at which you are most comfortable. For example, selecting 87.5 means you would bet on the over at 87 wins and the under at 88 victories.

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“I really and truly believe that my time has come and gone, that the dynamics of the business, of what it takes to be involved in the business with all the tweeting and the blogging and that stuff, with an audience with a different taste … I’m not comfortable — it’s not me any more,” Ryan said.

I don’t know Ryan, having only read his work occasionally and seen him from time to time on television. At the age of 65, he certainly deserves the chance to enjoy his later years as he so chooses. However, Ryan provides another reminder that some elements of the new media world are not being embraced by all.

Speaking of new media, this week the Memphis Redbirds announced a new campaign, the likes of which I have never seen before. They are basically using follows on Twitter as an inducement to come to the ballpark.

While there are other elements to the April 26 Social Media Night promotion, this one really caught my eye. The first 500 fans to provide their Twitter handle to the Redbirds as they enter AutoZone Park that day will be followed by the team’s Twitter account.

I have seen countless inducements from businesses to encourage individuals to “Like” them via Facebook, but bartering follows on Twitter take the game to a whole new level.

For example, in a more traditional offer, the Cardinals Class-A affiliate, the Quad Cities River Bandits just awarded four tickets to the Midwest League club’s Opening Day to the 5,000^th Facebook user to “Like” them.

Not unlike the number of Facebook “friends,” having a large follower count on Twitter is a status symbol to many people. Further, being followed by those considered to be important is considered important to them, if you get my drift.

I guess I might be more like Ryan than I would like to admit in some ways, as I look at the world a bit differently.

On Facebook, I have no problem “liking” a business, but I handle personal interaction differently. The only people I “friend” are individuals I actually know, as in have a real relationship of some kind. I realize my definition of the term is old-school, but I just don’t get putting my implicit friendship stamp of approval on a complete stranger. Further, why in the world would I want to sort through mounds of Facebook chit-chat among anonymous people? It is bad enough reading what comes from those I actually know – and they probably feel the same way about me!

With even higher volumes of instant commentary, Twitter could be even worse.

Some people expect that if they follow someone, that person is obliged to follow them back. I am sorry, but if you consistently tweet content worth reading, I will follow you. Otherwise, you just generate noise – the likes of which I strive to cut out.

Again, there is the status symbol effect. I see many – even national media figures at times – literally twitter-begging for more followers. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if they earned that support by providing value to the reader?

Plenty of Cardinals-related news providers are doing just that as reporters from MLB.com, the Post-Dispatch, FOX Sports Midwest and many, many more entities are already providing instantaneous updates from spring training camp in Jupiter, Fla.

I do mean instantaneous. Consider this example from Cardinals Winter Warm-Up last month in St. Louis. As players spoke with the media, I watched as several writers standing among us were feverishly tweeting key player comments as soon as they had been spoken.

That brings me to athletes and their use of social media. On the positive side, it enables them to take their message directly to the masses. It can also pull them too close to the flame if they are not careful.

After embarrassing episodes, some colleges have banned their athletes from tweeting, especially during the season. MLB educates players about the potential pitfalls of social media each spring and so on. (Edit: In fact, the summary of the new labor agreement between MLB players and owners specifically says, “All Players will be subject to a policy governing the use of Social Media.” Details are TBD.)

Still, at least 10 of the Cardinals players on the 40-man roster are on Twitter along with well over 50 minor leaguers across the system. Though I typically don’t befriend them on Facebook, I do follow them all on Twitter.

Like most tweets from individuals, the vast amount of them are uninteresting to non-acquaintances. Just as with any cross-section of young men, some tweets are funny, some are strange and others are probably inside jokes among friends.

Looking to increase fan interest, some players are actively campaigning to increase their follower count. Always competitive, they compare their numbers with their peers as they apparently equate the quantity of followers to popularity. I’ve even encountered player agents very in tune with this subject.

Now and then, interesting and useful information is offered, which is why I participate. For example, last summer, Cardinals top prospect Shelby Miller was the first to disclose his promotion to Double-A Springfield – via his Twitter feed.

Especially in terms of information delivery, social media in sports as well as the role of the sports media itself will continue to evolve. Past participants will need to do the same or be left behind.

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Though there are no documented reports of the 42nd President of the United States attending a Cardinals contest while in office from 1993-2001, he listened to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio while growing up in Arkansas and has remained a strong supporter of the national pastime.

As documented in the attached photo, Clinton attended a Cardinals-New York Mets game at Shea Stadium on August 22, 2006, visiting the St. Louis clubhouse. (I was also working that game, though I did not come into contact with Clinton.) “I’m so old, I remember Harry Caray calling the Cardinal games,” Clinton cracked at the time. Earlier, in February 1993, the President was presented with a Cardinals jacket during an appearance at St. Louis’ Union Station.

His wife Hillary grew up as a Chicago Cubs fan. An Illinois native, Ms. Clinton is the current Secretary of State. She added American League allegiance to the Yankees in 1999 when preparing for her successful run for one of the New York seats in the US Senate.

Opened in 2004, the Clinton Library and Museum is located in Little Rock, Arkansas within the Clinton Presidential Center and Park, along with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, and the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation.

In addition to Clinton’s archival collection and research facilities, the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum features exhibits, special events and educational programs. The museum includes replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room.

Updates: Some basic information can be seen here about the 100-item exhibit and several special limited-time artifacts. They include the World Series trophies from 2006 and 2011, World Series rings, and a newly-restored Stan Musial uniform.

Baseball Hall of Famer and Arkansas native Lou Brock will speak at the exhibit’s grand opening on Friday, March 2. The grand opening program and reception are free, however, reservations are required. RSVP to 501-748-0425 or by emailing operationslr@clintonfoundation.org.

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St. Louis Cardinals pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Jupiter, Fla. on February 18 and conduct their first workout on February 19. The remainder of the players are expected to report by February 23 with their first workout on February 24.

In the meantime, I thought I would post a short survey to gauge your opinion on which recent St. Louis Cardinals-related topic has been beaten most to death in recent months, not just here, but by the media and fans in general.

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With the 2012 spring training camp invitations issued, it is time for another refresh of the St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix. This version reflects the changes made until 2012 spring training concludes and the regular season and extended spring training get underway. The previous matrix reflects the rosters as they evolved from the end of 2011 play until spring training invitations were issued.

If you are new to the blog and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:

At the time of this posting, the St. Louis Cardinals had 266 players under contract from top to bottom, including 39 players on the 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his assigned level in the system at the conclusion of 2011 and by position. Spring training camp invitees are shown separately. This matrix is updated daily or whenever transactions occur.

Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization.

Don’t be concerned about the order of the players’ names within a team. It doesn’t signify anything.

The players on the 40-man roster are called out in bold.

The short-season pitchers are broken out into returnees and summer 2011 signees.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 266 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles updated at The Cardinal Nation.com / Scout.com. You can see bios, photos, videos, articles, news items, links to current season and career stats and much more – everything you need to know about a player in one place.

Click on the following links to be taken to one of the nine team pages at The Cardinal Nation. You can also see rosters and player profiles back to 2004:

Full-season clubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Palm Beach Cardinals
Quad Cities River Bandits

Short-season clubs
Batavia Muckdogs
Johnson City Cardinals
Gulf Coast League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals

Once on a team page, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page for that year. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s 2012 profile.

Looking ahead and back

Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right or use the dropdown menu at the top of the page: “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix”.

For details behind past rosters and transactions, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows.

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009, July 2009-February 2010, Spring camp 2010, Opening season 2010, First half 2010, Short-season 2010, 2010-11 Off-season, 2011 spring training, 2011 regular season, 2011 short-season, 2011-2012 off-season

Related resources

St. Louis Cardinals 2012 major league spring training schedule
St. Louis Cardinals 2012 minor league spring training schedule (subscriber article)

Transactions

01/24: New matrix. Organization total: 266 players.

02/06: SS Alex Cora signed to a minors deal with MLB spring camp invite. New total: 267 players.

02/08: Dominican RHP Andres Serrano signed (in October). New total: 268 players.

02/10: RHR Scott Linebrink signed to a minors deal with MLB spring camp invite. New total: 269 players.

02/11: Five DSL players added: LHP Erick Hurtado; RHPs Juan Perez, Luis De La Rosa, Daylin Martinez; OF Bladimil Franco. Five DSL players released: LHP Delvi Rodriguez; RHPs Addelin Ceballo, Jean Carlos De la Cruz, Douglas Planchart; OF Domingo Diaz. Total remains 269 players.

02/23: RHP Sam Gaviglio invited to early minor league camp.

02/25: C Adam Lewis invited to early minor league camp.

02/28: 1B Victor Sanchez retired. New total: 268 players.

03/05: C Robert Stock moved to RHP. He and RHP Jordan Swagerty reassigned to minor league camp from NRIs.

03/06: Contract of DSL LHP Erick Hurtado voided due to failed PED test. New total: 267 players.

03/08: Seven players to minor league camp: Adam Reifer, John Gast, Nick Greenwood, Tyrell Jenkins, Cody Stanley, Luis De La Cruz and Kolten Wong.

03/14: Spr RHR Francisco Samuel released. New total: 266 players.

03/14: Seven players to minor league camp: Brandon Dickson, Maikel Cleto, Zack Cox, Pete Kozma, Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly and Kevin Siegrist.

03/19: Four players released: RHR Pete Parise, LHRs Dan Calhoun, Sean Watson, Jean Mijares. New total: 262 players.

03/20: Seven players to minor league camp: Chuckie Fick, Adam Ottavino, Sam Freeman, Trevor Rosenthal, R.J. Swindle, Ryan Jackson, Steven Hill.

03/23: Bat LHP Pat Daugherty released. New total: 261 players.

03/25: NRIs Alex Cora and Koyie Hill released. Mark Hamilton, Eduardo Sanchez and Matt Adams to minors camp. New total: 259 players.

03/26: OF Adron Chambers optioned out.

03/27: C Cody Stanley suspended 50 games.

03/28: Six minor leaguers released: IFs Joey Bergman, Romulo Ruiz, Ted Obregon, Phil Cerreto; RPs Cory Rauschenberger, Justin Edwards. New total: 253 players.

03/29: NRI RHR Scott Linebrink added to 40-man roster. 40-man now full.

03/30: C Bryan Anderson optioned out. NRIs Victor Marte and Eugenio Velez reassigned to minors camp. RHR Adam Ottavino designated for assignment.

03/31: RHR David Kopp released. OF Jake Shaffer signed. New total: 253 players.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 03/31/12)

Codes
(I): injured
(TI): temporary inactive list
(SL): suspended list
(RL): restricted list
(MIL): military list
(TO): tryout player not under contract
(L) left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (DL+TI+SL+RL+MIL+TO) players

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(In one artificial measure, Pujols is the only person to appear on the cover of  the Cardinals Media Guide in each of the last three years. Stan Musial was also pictured twice.)

I want to be clear that I have never heard anyone even remotely connected to the team mention the phrase “face of the franchise,” even in jest. Yet some writers obviously came in with this idea firmly planted in their heads and sure enough, they followed through.

Do a Google search on the term and you will find half a dozen articles from the last few days about this very subject. I am not listing them here, as I don’t want to single one out. They are all pretty much the same other than drawing different conclusions as to the eventual winner, perhaps.

It does provide a safe vehicle to create a laundry list of “candidates” and string some quotes together during a very dry period for real news, but that is about it. No, here is how I really feel. I thought the concept was stupid then and actually felt a bit uncomfortable for the players when the questions were being asked. After reading a few of the articles, I feel even more strongly now.

If there is such a thing as a face of any franchise, it has to be earned on the field, and hopefully off as well. Leadership isn’t something that is proclaimed by a teammate or worse, a writer.

After all, this isn’t the Pittsburgh Pirates we are talking about here, a team that hasn’t had a winning record in 19 years. This is a proven, consistent winner. If you want a face, how about using the 2011 World Championship trophy?

If a true leader of the St. Louis Cardinals emerges down the road, it happens. If it doesn’t, as long as the team continues to win, who really cares?

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Included in row order below are Matt Adams, Brandon Dickson, Daniel Descalso, J.C. Romero, Shelby Miller, Jon Jay,  Jason Motte and Shane Robinson, with more to come throughout the day.

The Cardinal Nation subscribers should check out on the main site where I loaded the comments from each of the above Sunday speakers. I did the same Saturday and expect do so for Monday as well.

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Pitchers (10): Shelby Miller, John Gast, Joe Kelly, Jordan Swagerty, Trevor Rosenthal, Victor Marte, R.J. Swindle, Kevin Siegrist, Nick Greenwood, Tyrell Jenkins

Catchers: (5): Steven Hill, Koyie Hill, Robert Stock, Cody Stanley, Luis De La Cruz

Infielders (4): Matt Adams, Kolten Wong, Ryan Jackson, Eugenio Velez

Cardinals Major League pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Fla. on February 18 with their first workout set for February 19.  The Cardinals full squad reports on February 23 and begins workouts on February 24.

You can view the entire 2012 Cardinals spring training schedule here.

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The first show will include interviews with players, a look at the Warm-Up and video from the Cardinals Caravan, held this weekend. Episode two is expected to include player interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from the St. Louis Cardinals visit to the White House on Tuesday, January 17.

Cardinals Winter Warm-Up specials on FOX Sports Midwest (times Central)

Monday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. (episode 1)
Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 10 p.m. (episode 1)
Sunday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. (episode 1)
Monday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. (episode 2)
Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9:30 p.m. (episode 2)
Friday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. (episode 2)
Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 and 7:30 p.m. (episode 1 and 2)
Friday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. (episode 2)

I will be at the event this weekend as well, and will be posting content primarily on the main site, TheCardinalNation.com.

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As you might imagine, the list has grown substantially, to the point it currently numbers 55 players. At least these are the ones of which I am aware. (Feel free to check back, as I am sure to be reminded of several that I inadvertently forgot and informed of others.)

A number of the players are anxious to gain more followers, so if you are interested, their names and ids follow. Several others are just the opposite, protecting their tweets, so don’t be offended if they don’t respond to your follow request. Some are far less active tweeting than others, so you’ll have to decide what is best for you.

I can’t guarantee your baseball IQ will increase substantially as a result, as this group is like any other cross section of individuals on Twitter. Some content is interesting, some is typical banter between friends and certain tweets are frankly a bit off the wall.

Yet, within the last two days, the excitement of players such as Tyrell Jenkins, Joe Kelly and Nick Greenwood radiated through their tweets as they announced receiving invitations to major league spring training camp and accepted congratulations from others.

The players are organized below by the level at which they ended the 2011 regular season. The active links for many of the names will take you to their stats pages at Baseball-Reference.com.

Remember the roster matrix: Exclusively here at The Cardinal Nation Blog, you can view every player in the entire Cardinals system by level and position, kept current all year long. Click here or you can always access current as well as past matrices from the “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix” dropdown on the menu bar at the top of this page.

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There seemed plenty of reasons to feel that way. The club had lost both road and home series to the surging Milwaukee Brewers and dropped consecutive series to three clubs with losing records at the time, Pittsburgh, the Cubs and the Dodgers. It got so bad that Skip Schumaker made his professional pitching debut during one blowout loss to Los Angeles.

As the month neared its end, Milwaukee pulled ahead into a commanding lead of 10.5 games in the National League Central Division. That same week, the Cardinals were third in the wild card race behind Atlanta and San Francisco, 10.5 games behind the Braves. According to coolstandings.com, the Cardinals’ odds of making the post-season either way had dropped to a low of 1.1 percent.

Addressing a group of 200 boosters in St. Louis, general manager John Mozeliak offered what appeared to be a concession speech.

“As a whole, we were about as down as you could be,” Mozeliak recalled to the Washington Post. “I get up to speak, and it was sort of like a conciliatory speech: ‘Sorry, guys, about the season.’ It was like apologetic. It was more like, ‘A lot of things that we tried to plan for didn’t go right.’… I [was] trying to have that hint of optimism, but I was thinking about 2012.”

Mozeliak complimented the Brewers while acknowledging the problems were in his own backyard: “I compliment them and what they’ve done, but the reality is that we just didn’t play good baseball here,” he said.

The players weren’t there yet. At the same event, the Knights of the Cauliflower Ear dinner, Adam Wainwright told the audience, “We’re still in this.” It turned out he was right.

Characterizing the tenor of a team meeting held before their next game, Chris Carpenter seemed somewhere in between. “It was about playing hard and playing like we are capable of, not embarrassing ourselves, and also not giving up.”

When things looked bleakest, the Cardinals played their very best baseball of 2011. The club went 18-8 to close out the regular season, including wins in their final seven series.

Though Milwaukee’s division lead was never in serious jeopardy, Atlanta dropped 20 of their last 30 games, opening up the Wild Card as a legitimate opportunity. The last of those Braves defeats came on the final day of the regular season. Carpenter two-hit the Astros as the Cardinals won game 162. That meant the Cardinals took the fourth and last NL playoff berth by one game.

The Cardinals completed their regular season with a 90-72 mark, finishing second in the NL Central, six games behind Milwaukee. Their comeback was consistent but without a long winning streak. In fact, the team’s longest winning stretch all season long was just five games, logged from September 6-11.

The lineup’s big bats helped power the surge. Lance Berkman ranked fourth in the NL in batting during the month (.374), while Albert Pujols was ninth (.355). Pujols tied for fourth with 20 RBI and he and Allen Craig tied for fifth in the league with five September home runs each.

St. Louis’ comeback was truly historic. In just three prior times in history did a team overcome a Wild Card deficit of ten or more games to reach the post-season as did this club. The others were the 2003 Marlins and 2005 Astros (11.5 games each) and the 2001 A’s (10 games).

The 2011 Cardinals stand alone as the only one of those Wild Card comeback clubs to go on to win the World Series.

Link to The Cardinal Nation Blog’s top 20 stories of the year countdown

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In my annual just-for-fun endeavor, I look at rising and falling autograph prices from year to year. These are set by someone within the Cardinals hierarchy, and offer at least some estimation of the expected supply and demand for the autographs.

In addition, the list of those signing for free includes over 40 names of former, current and aspiring Cardinals. Also included for the second consecutive year are a trio of former Negro Leagues players, DeMorris Smith, Jesse Rogers and Sam Taylor.

As always, the proceeds go to charity, Cardinals Care, so the needy are the true winners. Autograph tickets will go on sale online at cardinals.com at 9 A.M. on Wednesday, December 21. There is a limit of three tickets per player except for Lance Berkman and David Freese at one each.

Those two vaulted up to the top prices, replacing Albert Pujols. Also at the top of the pecking order are Matt Holliday at $75, down from last year and Yadier Molina, returned to his $75 from two years ago.

The signatures of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are considered equals as Tony La Russa’s price is up following his retirement. His replacement, Mike Matheny, sees an expected increase, but still seems a good bargain. Allen Craig and Jason Motte move right on up.

Shelby Miller and Matt Adams make their first for-fee appearances, with the prospects being shown as much love as several long-time starting pitchers.

The ranks of the Cardinals Hall of Famers are halved, down two this year, with  Bruce Sutter and Lou Brock apparently not signing. Bob Gibson is again staying away and those hoping for an Ozzie Smith return look to be disappointed.

The roster of past Cardinals heroes signing for a small fee is down quite a bit, though Mike Shannon is a nice addition.

The article would not be complete without noting those former Cardinals who signed in past years, but are not a part of the 2012 event – for a couple of different reasons, no doubt.

Finally, here are those who will be signing for free. There are some nice names, so don’t think you have to drop big money to snare good autographs. For example, signatures of past stars like John Tudor, the Benes brothers and Wally Moon plus future Cardinals like Zack Cox can be had at no charge.

The 16th Annual Winter Warm-Up, a three-day event, will take place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend; Saturday, Sunday and Monday, January 14-16, 2012. Three-day event passes are $40 for adults and $10 for children 5-15 years of age, same prices as last year.

For full WWU information, including signing schedules and ticket ordering, follow this link.

January 5 update: Three late additions have been made to the autograph group – Lou Brock and Carlos Beltran at $75 each and Brian Jordan at $5.

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I was sent the following job description from MLB.com via SABR and am posting it here to share with you as well.

MLB.com, the Official Site of Major League Baseball, is seeking stats stringers in Miami, Pittsburgh, Houston, St. Louis and Atlanta for the 2012 season:

Stats stringers are responsible for digitally scoring games from one of the 30 MLB ballparks, which provides the data used in the live content applications on MLB.com, including Gameday and MLB.TV, real-time highlights and text alerts, and by our business partners. This is a perfect part-time job for a diligent, responsible employee who happens to be a big baseball fan.

Responsibilities include:

• Arrive at the ballpark no later than one hour prior to the scheduled start time;
• Double-check and verify all pre-game information: rosters, umpires, weather conditions, etc.;
• During the game, enter the results of every pitch and game event (plays, substitutions, etc.) using our proprietary software and coding language;
• Work closely with our game-night support staff (via AOL Instant Messenger) to ensure proper scoring of all game events and accuracy of data;
• After the game, enter all post-game information: winning and losing pitcher, saves, holds, time and attendance
• Validate all stats in software box score against the official box score provided by the Official Scorer, and print out a final box score and game text for the club PR staff

Qualifications include:

• Previous experience (including pressbox exposure) with a professional or college sports team, preferably baseball;
• Exceptional (and demonstrable) knowledge of baseball and how to score a baseball game;
• Strong computer proficiency (Windows OS and Windows-based software) and the ability to quickly learn and operate new software;
• Regular availability to attend games in-person as required by the schedule: weekdays, nights and weekends;
• A “team player” with a great attitude, including but not limited to a willingness to make and learn from mistakes and the ability to work closely and cooperatively (and take direction from) our game-night staff;
• Professionalism. It’s a fun job and we pay people to watch baseball, but it’s also an important job and we want people who will take the responsibility seriously.

(New stringers undergo an 8-10 week correspondence training program, and co-score several practice games in the ballpark with a returning stringer, before scoring any games solo in the ballpark.)

Those interested in applying should send a resume and cover later, addressing the above-listed qualifications, to stats@website.mlb.com

ONLY those who reply to this e-mail address will be considered, and due to volume, we may be unable to respond to all applicants.

What better way to remember the most surprising of seasons than by its images? The cover photo shows Jason Motte’s exhilaration after securing the final out with the final one a unique shot from above of the pileup near the mound as the Cardinals defeated the Brewers in the NLCS. The rear cover image captures the jubilation of the entire squad as the World Championship was secured.

To be fair, Wild Cards is much more than a photo piece. Veteran author and sportswriter Rob Rains tells the story of the Cardinals amazing 2011 season in four most-logical chapters – the Regular Season, NLDS, NLCS and World Series. As one would expect, the articles are expertly written and enhanced by generous inclusion of quotes from the news-makers themselves.

One doesn’t have to wait until the final chapter to re-live the ending. In a bit of a surprise, the World Series chapter is presented first. Like the other post-season sections, each contest is covered individually, along with stories on key events such as Albert Pujols’ three-home run game as well as features on Motte and World Series MVP David Freese.

The Regular Season section begins with the Adam Wainwright surgery, captures the excitement of Opening Day, notes the physical problems of Tony La Russa, Pujols and Matt Holliday, the bullpen struggles, Lance Berkman’s re-emergence, the July trades, and of course, the home stretch, during which the Cardinals came back from a huge deficit, coining the term “Happy Flights” along the way.

Already in its second printing, Wild Cards should make a perfect holiday gift for any Cardinals fan on your list. But, consider this advice. Make sure you also grab a keepsake copy for yourself.

As The Cardinal Nation Blog reader “friendmouse” posted here recently, “…I ordered and just received today, Rob Rains’ book Wild Cards, and it is EXCELLENT! It’s well worth the money.”

Wild Cards: The St. Louis Cardinals Stunning 2011 Championship Season, is available through the Triumph Books website and www.ipgbook.com, digitally on the iBookstore, the Kindle Store and BN.com, and in bookstores for just $14.95.

Note: While you are here at The Cardinal Nation Blog, make sure you register for our free, World Series Highlights DVD sets giveaway.

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With the 2011-2012 free agent period underway, it is time for another refresh of the St. Louis Cardinals system roster matrix. This version will reflect the changes made from the conclusion of the World Series until 2012 spring training. The previous matrix reflects the rosters as they evolved from the start of short-season ball through the end of 2011 play.

If you are new to the blog and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:

After eight major league and seven minor leaguers declared free agency following the season, the St. Louis Cardinals had 278 players under contract from top to bottom, including 33 players on the 40-man roster. The matrix places each one at his current assigned level in the system based on his placement at the end of the season as well as by position. It is kept updated daily or as transactions occur.

Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization.

Don’t be concerned about the order of the players’ names within a team. It doesn’t signify anything.

The players on the 40-man roster are called out in bold.

The short-season pitchers are broken out into returnees and summer 2011 signees.

At the end is a group of currently inactive and unassigned players.

Free agents are listed, but are not included in the system-wide totals. As they sign, their organization will be noted.

Full team rosters and player profiles at The Cardinal Nation

Remember that to get detailed profile information on every single one of these 278 Cardinals players, simply check out their free player profiles updated at The Cardinal Nation.com / Scout.com. You can see bios, photos, videos, articles, news items, links to 2011 season and career stats and much more – everything you need to know about a player in one place.

Click on the following links to be taken to one of the nine team pages at The Cardinal Nation:

Full-season clubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Palm Beach Cardinals
Quad Cities River Bandits

Short-season clubs
Batavia Muckdogs
Johnson City Cardinals
Gulf Coast League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals

Once there, just click on a player’s name to be taken to his individual profile page. For example, here is Shelby Miller’s profile.

Looking ahead and back

Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right or use the dropdown menu at the top of the page: “Players/Staff” > “Depth Charts/Roster Matrix”.

For details behind past rosters and transactions, check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization roster matrix as follows.

Link to previous matrices: Jan–March 2009, April 2009, May 2009, June 2009, July 2009-February 2010, Spring camp 2010, Opening season 2010, First half 2010, Short-season 2010, 2010-11 Off-season, 2011 spring training, 2011 regular season, 2011 short-season

Transactions

11/9: New matrix. Organization total: 278 players. GCL RHR Richard Mendoza released. New total: 277 players.

11/11: Seven released: Mem RHP Bryan Augenstein, Spr OFs Jim Rapoport, D’Marcus Ingram, PB OF Edgar Lara, QC P Cale Johnson, Bat P Manuel De La Cruz, C Kevin Moscatel. New total: 270 players.

11/17: PB RHS Arquimedes Nieto released. New total: 269 players.

11/18: Three added to 40-man roster: RHS Adam Ottavino, RHR Chuckie Fick, LHR Sam Freeman.

11/27: JC 3B Hector Garcia released. New total: 268 players.

12/8: Rule 5 draft: OF Erik Komatsu (Was) onto 40-man. LHR Barret Browning (LAA), RHS Shooter Hunt (Min) to Mem. Taken were Spr C Charlie Cutler (Pit), PB SS Domnit Bolivar (Mil), Bat RHS Javier Avendano (Tor).

12/10: Free agent SS Rafael Furcal re-signs with StL. New total: 269 players.

12/12: IF Ryan Theriot non-tendered, becomes free agent. New total: 268 players.

12/15: LHR J.C. Romero signed to StL. New total: 269 players.

12/18: RHR Hector Corpas released. New total: 268 players.

12/21: LHR R.J. Swindle and 2B/OF Eugenio Velez signed to minor league deals. New total: 270 players.

12/22: Free agent OF Carlos Beltran came to terms on a two-year contract. New total: 271 players.

01/12: C Koyie Hill signed to minor league deal. New total: 272 players.

01/15: QC IF Jason Stidham retired. New total: 271 players.

01/23: PB P Justin Smith retired. Bat OF Victor Encarnacion released. RHP Cole Springer signed. C Adam Lewis invited to minors camp as a tryout player. Both assigned to Batavia on matrix.

The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 01/23/12)

Codes
(I): injured
(TI): temporary inactive list
(SL): suspended list
(RL): restricted list
(MIL): military list
(TO): tryout player not under contract
(L) left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#) number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (DL+TI+SL+RL+MIL+TO) players