What:   This One’s For You, a special telecast of St. Louis Cardinals baseball that aims to connect local troops serving overseas with home.

Troops will watch the game on American Forces Network. A live satellite link from Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan will allow FOX Sports Midwest to interview Fort Leonard Wood soldiers from the 463^rd Military Police Company and 988^th Military Police Company during the game. Troops’ family members will cheer on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The telecast may also include taped video greetings from Missouri National Guard airmen and soldiers in Egypt, Qatar and Afghanistan.

Cardinals fans attending the game can bring signs of appreciation. Fans watching on TV can tweet their greeting to the troops to @FSMidwest with the hashtag #ThisOnesForYou; greetings will be shown on TV.

When:   Friday, May 25. The game begins at 7 p.m. CT/4:30 a.m. Afghanistan time.   FOX Sports Midwest’s pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Where:
-At Busch Stadium in St. Louis
-On TV on FOX Sports Midwest
-In Afghanistan; troops will be shown live via satellite and will watch on AFN

Other videos:
15-second preview of This One’s For You: http://youtu.be/0aoM_ANUyZQ
Highlights of 2011 This One’s For You: http://bit.ly/JvC4wD
Greetings from Missouri National Guard troops: http://on.fb.me/JMDxRk

This One’s For You is produced by FOX Sports Midwest in coordination with the Cardinals, American Forces Network, DVIDS (Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System), Fort Leonard Wood and the Missouri National Guard. This is the third straight year, and fifth overall, in which FOX Sports Midwest will present This One’s For You.

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Those two runs batted in are Beltran’s 25^th and 26^th of the month. That is most impressive, especially considering the right-fielder has been slowed by knee and foot ailments, which have limited him to 16 May starts and 21 games total.

With the help of researcher Tom Orf, we can put Beltran’s 26 RBI into Cardinals full-month May context.

The list that follows indicates 11 prior occurrences of more than 26 May RBI, led by none other than Stan Musial, who plated 40 in May 1954. Beltran’s current hitting coach, Mark McGwire, appears on the list the most times, three. The man’s whose offense Beltran was signed to help replace, Albert Pujols, was the most recent to exceed 26 in May, with 33 in 2006.

May RBI, St. Louis Cardinals, 1950-present

Reaching the top of this list isn’t entirely out of question for Beltran, as he still has seven games remaining to collect 14 additional RBI. That is an average of two per game, a pace not much greater than he is currently tracking.

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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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Josh is the host of WGEM SportsCenter, the only sports talk show in the Quincy, Ill. area, on-air from 7:00–9:00 A.M. every morning. You can learn more at wgem.com and follow the show on Twitter at @wgemesc

Sister station WGEM 105.1 FM is a member of the Cardinals radio network. If you live in the Tri-State area, make sure you tune in all season long.

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Our focus was on the 2012 Cardinals, specifically some of the key injuries and new arrival Matt Adams. There was also some time for National League Tout Wars fantasy baseball talk.

For 2012, RotoWire’s Fantasy Sports Today show is back on Sirius / XM live, Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. – 1 P.M. CT. The call-in number is 888-XM-FANTASY and listener participation is encouraged.

Listen to audio: Brian Walton with Jeff Erickson and Chris Liss (12:53)

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It is bad enough to lose a game in walk-off fashion, but for it to occur as the result of a base-on-balls has to be the worst of the worst.

I asked researcher Tom Orf how often this has occurred, both for and against St. Louis. It is a fairly rare occurrence. Specifically, a game-ending free pass was issued by Cardinals pitching 21 times in the last 60 years. Almost half – 10 of the 21 – occurred in extra innings. At least three were rain-shortened games, which could be eliminated from consideration.

Among the 19 Cardinals pitchers to share this unfortunate event are current team television commentators Al Hrabosky and Ricky Horton. Larry Jackson walked in the game-winner twice in the span of just three weeks in 1958, though one was relatively harmless. Nelson Briles also did it two times, both in painful fashion, especially a wild pitch walk with a runner on third that ended a 1967 contest. It even happened to the greats. Bob Gibson did it once, early in his Hall of Fame career.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching, final play walk issued, 1952-current

On the other, positive, side of the ledger, during the last 60 years, the Cardinals have been the recipient of a free pass on the final play of the game just slightly more often – 22 times. One of those contests should probably be thrown out as it was the final play of a 7-0 rain-shortened win in 1985.

This play seems to be an increasingly-rare occurrence, happening just three times in favor of the Cards during the 16-year reign of Tony La Russa. The most recent such case was not all that recent. In fact, it was back when the current manager, Mike Matheny, was still an active player.

The catcher ended an April 2004 Cubs contest by drawing a bases-loaded walk against LaTroy Hawkins, which scored Albert Pujols. Hawkins, still active today, is now Pujols’ teammate with the Angels.

Since then, the Cardinals have suffered three walk-off walk losses, including Friday night. Matheny earned an assist, ordering an intentional base on balls prior to Salas’ unintentional walk to A.J. Ellis that ended it.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters, final play walk received, 1952-current

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.” Since the last time we spoke, the Cardinals have gone 2-5, including a 1-4 homestand.

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (10:12)

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On at least five upcoming nights, St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series replica rings will be given in limited numbers of fans in Memphis, Springfield and now, Quad Cities. In addition, St. Louis is having another ring night themselves.

Next up is Triple-A Memphis. On Friday, July 6, the first 3,000 to arrive at AutoZone Park will receive a ring of their own. Busch Stadium attendees will also be given rings that same night.

Newly-announced on Wednesday is the promotion in Davenport. On two different Wednesdays in July, the 8^th and 22^nd, the first 2,000 Quad Cities River Bandits attendees each evening will leave with their own ring.

Earlier, Springfield announced they will have two additional World Series replica ring promotions this season. However, as of yet, the dates have not been disclosed. The Double-A club had two ring nights early in 2012.

Despite the earlier giveaways, interest level in these rings remains high. They are currently selling on ebay for prices approaching $100.

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I thought the Cardinals did a good job in organizing and executing the pre-game festivities. Still, I have carried this nagging question about the timing of the event itself.

There is a reason the National Baseball Hall of Fame and other comparable career-honoring entities have a five-year waiting period before individuals can be considered for inclusion. That allows ample time for reflection and avoids the risk of emotional decisions that are later regretted. Of course, number retirement decisions are solely under team ownership control.

In an editorial this weekend, writer and friend Rob Rains reminded readers of the Ken Boyer case. The former team captain with the undistinguished and short managerial record passed away at the too-young age of 51 in 1982. The club moved swiftly to retire the Missouri native’s number 14, a decision that does not feel like it is standing the test of time.

In my view, that was the worst of both worlds, a quick move that was not clearly warranted, done after the individual had already passed away.

In La Russa’s case, there seems no doubt that his Cardinals legacy will remain strong. Perhaps holding the ceremony just one month into the next season following his retirement was considered a way to gain closure from a long, but sometimes complicated relationship.

La Russa’s on-field successes with St. Louis were many. Even so, there seemed no willingness on either side to continue the partnership in the front-office role that La Russa appears to be seeking for his post-managerial employment.

Other than a recent scare with shingles, La Russa seems healthy and strong. Yet he is now 67 years of age and says his managing days are done. Perhaps holding this celebration when it could be fully enjoyed by all was the right thing to do.

I was set to leave it at that… until I read and fully considered the ramifications of the close of Rains’ article.

The writer calls for a companion move to La Russa’s number retirement, specifically to:

“… put “Pujols 5” next to him in the not-too-distant future.”

I see and understand how and why some rail at the negative backlash directed toward Albert Pujols in recent months over his departure from St. Louis and his early struggles with the Angels. I find heaping portions of the criticism distasteful and uncalled for.

Further, there is no doubt that the Cardinals legacies of the manager and the man he calls “the best player I’ve ever managed” are forever intertwined.

On the other hand, even thinking about retiring Pujols’ number at this point – midway through his time as an active player – seems an over-reactionary swing in the opposite direction from the current negativism. It could be just as out-of-place as the Boyer decision we both seriously question, albeit for different reasons.

In his defense, Rob does not define “not-too-distant,” which puts this in a gray area. Still, I don’t agree, no matter how liberally one interprets the term. My view of the right time for such a discussion is five years after Pujols retires, same as his Hall of Fame qualification.

Assuming the first baseman fulfills his current contract, the date would be no sooner than following the 2026 season. Many, many years should still remain to look back and celebrate Pujols’ many accomplishments while wearing the Cardinals uniform. He would still be in his mid 40’s and only part-way through his Angels personal services contract.

In my book, a minimum of 15 years into the future is clearly “distant”, not “not-too-distant,” a very important differentiation. To help emphasize 15 years in Albert Pujols context, consider this. 15 years ago, Pujols was just 17 years of age, playing high school ball in the Kansas City area.

Over the next decade and a half, Pujols and the Cardinals will be in direct conflict, each trying to win the World Series. It certainly isn’t inconceivable to envision them meeting on the field over the ultimate prize at some point in the upcoming years.

In conclusion, there seemed good reasons for a rapid closure of the La Russa era, but there should be no comparable sense of urgency to make such move to honor Pujols.

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The future Hall of Famer had been left out of manager Fred Hutchinson’s lineup so he could achieve the milestone at home in the next series. However, with the Cubs up 3-1 in the sixth inning and a runner in scoring position, Hutch sent Musial up to pinch hit. “The Man” launched an RBI double off Moe Drabowsky to help power the Cards to a comeback 5-3 win.

The umpires stopped the game and presented the ball to Musial. After a pre-game ceremony the next day at Busch Stadium, Musial homered in the first inning. He ended that season with a .337 average.

The bat used by the left-handed hitter for his 3,000^th hit is part of the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.

The pictured card is part of the Topps 1959 set.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.” Of course, Friday marked the ceremony to retire Tony La Russa’s number 10.

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (9:23)

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Our focus was on the prospects playing on the Cardinals four full-season clubs to start the 2012 season, with special attention on several of the top prospects playing at Double-A Springfield.

In addition to their weekday show from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M CDT, catch Rob’s writings at RobRains.com and B.J.’s daily beat coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals at FOXSportsMidwest.com.

Listen to audio: Brian Walton with Rob and B.J. Rains (16:14)

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The Hall of Famer is simply one of the best players to ever don a St. Louis Cardinals uniform as he did with the club from 1982 through 1996 and is doing again as a special instructor. In fact, back in 2007, we ranked “The Wizard” as the fifth-greatest Redbirds player of all time, after only Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Rogers Hornsby. (Many more details about Smith’s career can be found in this article.)

As I wrote at the time, “Simply put, pound for pound, the Cardinals’ 150-pound shortstop was the best player of his era and under that criterion might have been the best to ever play the game.”

I had the opportunity to speak with Smith via phone on Tuesday afternoon. In the following interview, we touch on a number of topics. They include his return to active involvement with the Cardinals, his view of the 2012 major league club, young infield prospects in the system and specifically Tyler Greene, what his close friend Willie McGee has been up to, how PGA golf now stokes his competitive fires, his view of Whitey Herzog’s career recognition and his perspective on his frosty relationship with Tony La Russa.

Listen to audio: Ozzie Smith with Brian Walton (10:50)

The former Cardinals star has been seen regularly on national television as one of the stars of the Pepsi Max “Clubhouse in the Corn” commercials along with other Hall of Famers and current MLB stars. Smith has been participating in interviews to help draw attention to the second year of the Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams promotion.

We wrapped up the interview with me trying to get the now-57-year-old to disclose how his patented backflip was incorporated into the popular commercials. Ozzie remained a bit coy on that matter, however.

You can create an All-Star roster of your own with a salute to the living legends of the game, including Smith, of course. Now through June 30 at MLB.com/PepsiMAX, you can vote up to 25 times per day for your favorite players at each position, including starting pitchers and relievers.

Gibson, Musial and Bruce Sutter are among the 27 retired greats on this year’s NL ballot. There is separate AL voting available as well.

For each ballot cast, you will be entered to win the chance to play with the American and National League Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Teams on your home turf next spring. The 2012 game will be held at Columbus, Ohio’s Huntington Park this coming Saturday, May 12.

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The real story of the game for me was the back-to-back home runs hit by Allen Craig and David Freese in the top of the seventh inning. That gave the Cardinals important breathing room after the Snakes had hung a six-spot on the board in the bottom of the sixth which pulled the home team to within one run.

They were the second back-to-back long balls for the Cardinals on the wild evening. In the third inning, it was Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday doing the honors.

According to researcher Tom Orf, Monday marked the first time since July 15, 2007 that the Cardinals hit back-to-back homers twice in a game. That time, it was Albert Pujols/Chris Duncan and Juan Encarnacion/Adam Kennedy doing the honors.

Leading off Monday’s game, Rafael Furcal also homered. It was the team’s first five-home run showing since that same July 15, 2007 outing, which was held in Philadelphia. The Cards hit six taters that night. Pujols launched two with Ryan Ludwick adding the other.

Monday’s five home runs are the most by a National League team in a game this season to date, but how does that compare over time? I asked Orf, and he answered!

Monday marked the 31^st time the Cardinals hit at least five home runs in a single contest. The team record is seven, coincidentally accomplished on the same May 7 date, back in 1940. It was tied by Tony La Russa’s first Cardinals club, on July 12, 1996. Four times, Cardinals hitters launched six homers in a game.

Here is a summary of the first 30 such games, sorted by number of home runs then date, with most recent on top.

Most home runs, game, St. Louis Cardinals team history

What makes Monday’s game stand out from the ones that preceded it was the fact that the five home runs originated from the bats of each of the first five hitters in Mike Matheny’s batting order – Furcal, Beltran, Holliday, Craig and Freese.

Again, Orf delivered in the clutch with the answer to my question. It was only the second game in team history in which the top five hitters went deep.

The first was on April 14, 1955. It was just the second game of the season, a year which quickly became forgettable. Manager Eddie Stanky would be fired after just 36 games, to be replaced by Triple-A skipper Harry “The Hat” Walker.

In a painful twist and an indication of what was ahead, the Cubs launched six homers against Cardinals pitching in the very next contest. The 1955 Cards went on to lose more games than in any year since 1924. That cost Walker his job after the season, as well.

All was still hopeful during that April 14 contest, an 8-7 Cardinals win over the Braves in the home opener at the first Busch Stadium. The top five in the order, all of whom homered, were right fielder Wally Moon, centerfielder Bill Virdon, first baseman Stan Musial, left fielder Rip Repulski and second sacker Red Schoendienst.

In just his second game as a major leaguer, the number six hitter that day, Ken Boyer, just missed joining the others as he tripled in the game. Virdon’s long ball was the walkoff winner in the 11^th inning.

Perhaps there should be an asterisk next to the home run totals of the 1955 Cardinals. That season, the 21-foot high screen in front of the right field pavilion, a fixture at Sportsman’s Park since 1929, was removed. This was done to take advantage of the left-handed power hitters in the lineup.

While the Cards may have won the battle, they clearly lost the war. The club increased its home run total at Busch from 57 in 1954 to 84 in 1955, but as noted, the bottom line was not pretty. The 1955 Cardinals went 68-86 and finished 30 ½ games out of first place. As mentioned above, two managers lost their jobs and Frank “Trader” Lane was brought in as general manager following the season.

And that right field pavilion screen? It was returned to its place in 1956. In fact, the new one was four feet higher, at 25 feet.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.”

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (8:09)

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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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Two batters later, however, both Pittsburgh pitcher Erik Bedard and catcher Mike McKenry had to be stunned with Cardinals hurler Jake Westbrook took second base for a stolen base of his own.

It was the 34-year-old Westbrook’s first career steal. It wasn’t all that unusual as the pitcher has spent most of his 12 MLB seasons in the American League. Westbrook had only 117 career plate appearances prior to Thursday.

Westbrook logged the Cardinals first stolen base by a pitcher in over three seasons – since Joel Pineiro did it back on April 15, 2009.

With the help of researcher Tom Orf, we learn that since at least 1930, the Cardinals have a total of just 64 stolen bases by pitchers, with never more than one in a game.

Not surprisingly, arguably the best athlete to play the position for St. Louis is both the club’s single-season and career stolen base leader – Bob Gibson.

Gibby also has two of the top three seasons and three of the best eight. 1968 may have been known as the “Year of the Pitcher,” but the next season was Gibson’s “Year of the Stolen Base.” He logged five of his career 13 that year.

Stolen bases by a pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals, single season since 1930

Stolen bases by a pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals, career since 1930

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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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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Joe Quinn on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.”

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Joe Quinn (7:12)

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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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Those outside of the Cardinals-designated markets, however, must continue to rely on pay packages such as MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV to catch their club on live video. Another vehicle to remember – one that is available on many cable and satellite systems – is MLB Network.

Despite it being owned by the sport about which it reports, MLB Network offers the best major league baseball coverage of any national broadcast entity, in my opinion. That includes selected live game telecasts. Though still blacked out in home markets, they provide another opportunity for displaced fans to view their favorite club in action.

MLB Network has announced its  live game schedule for May. The Cardinals will be presented in a primary or alternate telecast five times during the upcoming month, including one contest with MLBN broadcasters instead of team feeds. Two are road games with the other three originating from Busch Stadium.

May 11: vs. Atlanta
May 12: vs. Atlanta
May 19: at Dodgers
May 24: vs. Philadelphia (Bob Costas and Tom Verducci on the call)
May 28: at Atlanta

As always, check your local TV listings for games to be shown on your specific system.

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With the emergence of popular social media venues such as Facebook and Twitter, the player and fan can interact directly. The outcomes aren’t always pretty.

During the off-season, when St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte created and publicized his Twitter presence, I winced. Every player has bad days, but there is no single position that matches the volatility of closing, with its immediate highs and lows.

It is one thing to interact with fans when there are no games, but even the best closers are going to blow saves. When the lows come, they will be fast, hard and painful.

At those points in time, interaction between the angry fan and the athlete would best be insulated. Twitter has no such buffer, however.

In all fairness, after Monday’s surprising loss in Chicago absorbed by Motte, the vast majority of fans that expressed opinions were supportive of him, sending tweets of encouragement. After all, the closer has built up considerable goodwill given his and his team’s 2011 finish.

Following the loss, Motte made a single, somewhat generic, tweet:

“Whatever it is…it’s not outside Gods control. He may not get you out but He’ll get you through. #blessed”

The best closers are known for being able to quickly erase the result of the previous game. Yet the dozens of fan comments throughout the day on Tuesday encouraging Motte prolonged the memory of Monday’s missed opportunity.

Of course, Motte could decide to just stay away from social media until the storm passes. But then why use it in the first place? To deploy only when times are good?

Another blown save or two in the next week and the current supportive climate would likely change. Then what?

Former Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin once had a Twitter account, too. He had regular conversations with the masses, but after some bumps in the road, the account was canceled. Fan discord wasn’t directly the explanation offered, but my suspicion was that it contributed.

Motte certainly isn’t the first to muff a save opportunity. Just the other day, Minnesota closer Matt Capps was repeatedly insulted by a “fan” on Twitter after blowing a save. Twins blogger “Jesse” wrote about it here, rightly pointing out the inappropriateness and cowardice of the “fan” in making the criticism personal while complimenting the player for his professionalism.

I certainly agree with that assessment, but I also have to wonder about creating the environment in the first place. How wise is it for athletes to be that accessible?

Let’s face it; no matter how much we sermonize, those who need the lessons the most will not heed them. The lunatic fringe will remain. The only question is at what frequency and intensity they will surface. So, why enable them?

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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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Following is a look at what the two have done through April 22, as they have the lowest ERAs among the five starters.

Sure, the season is early, but with Lance Lynn needed in the rotation for Chris Carpenter, where might the Cardinals have been without the aforementioned veteran arms? Both are in the final year of their respective contracts.

St. Louis Cardinals, starting pitchers through 2012 game 16

The Cardinals starters aggregate ERA of 2.75 is third in the National League, after Washington and Philadelphia. Atlanta, with eight wins from starters, is second to St. Louis’ 10.

Several other observations:

While there is no doubt that Adam Wainwright has struggled, his teammates could help remove pressure with some offensive support. Lohse has excelled despite little run backing while Jaime Garcia has been the beneficiary of much support. Of course, as in the case of all of this data, it tends to balance out over time.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.”

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (9:53)

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Already down one man due to a recurrence of Lance Berkman’s calf injury, the club appears to be ready to bring Skip Schumaker off rehab early for the second consecutive year. That is clearly a performance downgrade. As good as fill-in first baseman Matt Carpenter has been in the early going, he isn’t Berkman.

Of course, Schumaker is more relevant in the context of Jay’s potential replacement. Skip can step in if needed, but what about the Cardinals bench? The immediate options in Memphis to backfill Jay’s roster spot, infielder Pete Kozma (.261) and outfielder Adron Chambers (.229) haven’t started 2012 particularly well with the bat. Neither have third baseman Zack Cox (.137) and catcher Bryan Anderson (.045), other slow-starting Memphians. Like Kozma and Chambers, they are on the 40-man roster, but don’t fit well with the current needs from a defensive position perspective.

Some of the anxious and excited, especially those who don’t understand or care how rosters work, want to see hard-hitting first baseman Matt Adams head up I-55 from Memphis to St. Louis today. They apparently believe one Matt – Adams – would be a substantial upgrade starting at first base over the “other” Matt – Carpenter.

However, the Cardinals’ 40-man roster is full. Some suggest moving the “main” Carpenter, Chris, to the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for Adams.

The situation is more complex than that.

If the Cardinals truly believe that Chris Carpenter won’t be ready until June, then there is little immediate risk in putting him on the 60-day DL retroactive to the start of the season.

One problem is that no one knows. What if Carp improves next week? Is it worth the risk of not being able to use Carp for several weeks compared to the difference between your 25th man being a player already on the roster and one that is not?

Further, taking such a step now would force making a tough roster decision as soon as Carp is ready to come off the 60-day. Whenever it would be, another player will have to be dropped. One has to assess the risk of long-term loss for potential of some short-term gain.

The last two players the Cards removed from the 40-man were both snapped up off the waiver wire. One could argue that both reliever Adam Ottavino and especially outfielder Andrew Brown could be of value to the Cardinals right now had they remained.

Some of the many interrelated factors that must be considered by general manager John Mozeliak include the following:

• How long will Berkman and Jay be out?
• How long until Allen Craig will be ready?
• Is Mark Hamilton getting closer from returning from his spring injury?
• How much would the new player to be added to the 40-man and 25-man, Adams, actually play?
• How much of an improvement would that be over what Matt Carpenter is providing?
• How would this affect Adams’ contract status and potential free agency down the road?
• Who would the Cardinals drop from the 40-man when Chris Carpenter is healthy?

Bottom line, I am not among those clamoring for Adams – based on what we know right now. If the variables change significantly, so might my point of view.

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Previously, eight other Cardinals teams got out of the gates at 9-3. Three of the clubs went on to win over 100 games and most impressively, five of them captured the World Championship, most recently in 1982.

Another 9-3 club, in 1981, went on to tie for the second-best overall record in the National League East, but was shut out of the post-season. A strike led to unprecedented first half and second half standings used for playoff qualification, but the Cards finished in second both times.

Another key factor across these 9-3 clubs noted by researcher Tom Orf is run differential. While the 2012 club is only third among the nine with 70 runs scored (RS) and right in the middle of the pack with 36 runs allowed (RA), when you put the two together, a different story is told.

The positive run differential (RD) of 34 runs by the current team is the greatest of the nine 9-3 clubs and is double that of three of the earlier fast-start Cardinals squads. That is a strong indicator, reflecting good balance between offense and pitching, and considerable dominance in the early going.

St. Louis Cardinals, most wins, first 12 games, since 1900 (oldest to newest)

For completeness, the best Cardinals start ever through 12 games, including pre-1900, was 10-2. This occurred three times – in 1884, 1889 and 1899. No Cardinals team has ever started a season 12-0 or even 11-1.

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This is the final of our series of St. Louis Cardinals-related trivia questions here at The Cardinal Nation Blog. Before responding, please familiarize yourself with the complete contest rules (follow the link) to ensure your entry will qualify.

The reader who posts the first complete and correct answer below will win a free copy of The 2011 World Series Champions Collectors Edition DVD Set, courtesy of A+E Networks Home Entertainment/MLB Productions.

The 2011 World Series Champions Collectors Edition DVD Set includes all seven complete World Series games plus a bonus DVD. This box set includes alternate St. Louis Cardinals radio network play-by-play and features over 20 hours of game action.

The eighth disc includes extras like all the regular season walk-off winners, individual milestone plays by Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday, the highlights, last out and celebration at each winning level of the playoffs, the trophy presentations from the NLCS and World Series and a ride with David Freese at the Victory Parade. This eight-disc set retails for $56.99.

Here is your trivia question. Note that it has multiple parts, all of which must be answered correctly. Only one answer per person is allowed.

After leaping over A-Advanced this season, 2011 first-round draft pick Kolten Wong has been impressive in early Texas League action with both the bat and the glove. Springfield’s second baseman may be considered the most exciting middle infield prospect the Cardinals have developed in some years.

To that end, how long has it been?

Specifically, name the most recent Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year (as selected by the organization) who called the middle infield his primary home AND identify the year he won.

Good luck to everyone and please remember to read the rules before answering. Thanks for playing!

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Prior to last Saturday’s game at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals held their ceremony to present 2011 World Championship rings to players, coaches and staff.

Fans who attended the game received their own collectible version, as well. In case there was any doubt about the popularity of these wearable replica World Series rings, they are already being sold on ebay for $100 or more.

If you missed out on getting yours at Busch Stadium, you will have a second chance this Thursday, April 19 in Springfield. That evening, the Double-A Cardinals will be giving away 2,000 of the replica rings before Springfield takes on Tulsa at Hammons Field. In a bonus, hot pitching prospect Trevor Rosenthal is scheduled to start.

It should be a great homestand for S-Cards fans as the Cardinals 2011 World Series trophy will arrive in Springfield the next day and remain on display for the entire weekend, through Sunday, April 22. Tentative starters will be Michael Blazek, Tyler Lyons and Scott Gorgen.

Related items:

• Cardinals receive 2011 World Championship rings (photos and video of actual rings and ceremony)
• Tony La Russa to present rings to Octavio Dotel and Gerald Laird
• View past World Series rings at WorldSeriesRings.net
• Ring discussion on The Cardinal Nation message board

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