Last week I asked the question, “If the Cardinals could add anyone, whom should they add?”  I was curious to see which active player — with accompanying contract — Cards fans desire the most.

Big thanks to all of you who participated in the poll. We got more than 150 votes, and they were quite interesting. All 19 players I listed got at least one vote, plus there were three serious write-in votes — not counting my Cubs fan friend’s Kosuke Fukudome pick — so the totals were pretty well spread out.

Results (as of noon Friday):

29 VOTES (18.35%): Troy Tulowitzki

15 VOTES: Justin Verlander

14 VOTES: Matt Kemp

11 VOTES: Matt Moore, Albert Pujols

10 VOTES: Clayton Kershaw, Evan Longoria

9 VOTES: Bryce Harper

8 VOTES: Andrew McCutchen

6 VOTES: Dustin Pedroia

5 VOTES: Buster Posey

4 VOTES: Jose Bautista, David Price, Mike Stanton

3 VOTES: Miguel Cabrera, Stephen Strasburg, Justin Upton

2 VOTES: Felix Hernandez

1 VOTE: Madison Bumgarner

Image via Wikipedia

I didn’t really undertake this poll with a clear expectation of how it would turn out, but I was somewhat surprised to see Troy Tulowitzki earn about twice as many votes as his nearest competitor.

On one hand, I can see why. Tulo is one of the game’s best players, and as a shortstop, he plays a high-value position where the Cardinals have little organizational talent. On the other hand, his contract guarantees him another $148 million over the next nine years, going through his age 35 season. If you believe Tulo’s performance during the first half of the contract will make it worthwhile to take on or that he will age in an especially graceful manner, I can see the argument for choosing him.

But remember that in this hypothetical situation, your entire budget is not unlimited, so absorbing Tulo’s contract severely cripples your flexibility. For me, the $74 million he’s owed for his ages 32-35 seasons is too much to ignore.

Some other observations about the results:

• I  found it odd that Justin Verlander, who finished second, outpaced Felix Hernandez, 15 votes to 2. Why? Their contracts going forward are both for three years, with virtually identical money. But while Verlander has been a little more valuable over the past three years, he’s also three years older. I think this result probably reflects Verlander’s outstanding 2011, but I would bet on King Felix being the better pitcher going forward.
• Albert Pujols got 11 votes, tying him for fourth. I find this fascinating. First, his 10-year, $240 million contract is insane. Second, I figured that if nothing else, fan resentment would prevent people from voting for Pujols. Is this sentimentality or a reflection of a belief that Pujols actually would be the team’s best bet over the next decade? If anyone who voted for El Hombre wants to explain in the comments, I’d be quite interested.
• The player I perhaps was most curious to gauge support for was Bryce Harper, the Nationals phenom who probably will make his MLB debut this year at the age of 19. One of the most hyped prospects of all time, Harper has incredibly high expectations and earned nine votes in our poll. I don’t think I would use my pick on someone who has played 37 games above the Class A level, but Harper is a special enough prospect that I think it’s at least defensible.
• No love for Justin Upton or Mike Stanton, who combined for seven votes? Maybe it’s a function of them being corner outfielders and the Cards already having Matt Holliday locked up long-term. But Upton is a proven star at age 24 and is signed for four more affordable seasons. Stanton has unreal power, crushed the ball last season at age 21 and is under team control for five more years. I’d include both guys among my top five choices.
• Nobody used a write-in vote on a relief pitcher. Thank you!

And now, my pick.

This was extremely tough. Obviously, all of these guys are tremendous assets, although some of their contracts make them less so. Some guys I love but ultimately decided against because of huge long-term contracts (Tulo, Matt Kemp). Some guys I love but decided against because I wasn’t sure they had enough time left on their contract to justify the pick under these circumstances (Hernandez, Clayton Kershaw).

In the end it came down to a pair of Tampa Bay Rays, who both fared pretty well in the poll. Third baseman Evan Longoria plays a valuable position, is only entering his age 26 season and is owed a staggeringly team-friendly $39 million over the next five seasons (including team options), a length that ensures good return on investment while ending before Longoria figures to begin his decline. Oh, and Fangraphs’ WAR has him as the second-most-valuable position player in baseball over the past three years, just a touch behind a certain Mr. Pujols.

Starting pitcher Matt Moore has all of 9 ⅓ regular season MLB innings under his belt, but the 23-year-old left-hander demolished minor league hitters  – 13.5 K/9 in Triple-A last year — and is MLB.com’s No. 1 prospect. If that weren’t enough, Moore signed a contract so beautiful I imagine Andrew Friedman putting a copy of it under his pillow every night: 8 years — the last three of which are team options — for $37 million.

Between those two, you clearly can’t go wrong. But as tantalizing as Moore’s deal is, he’s still a pitching prospect, and pitching prospects will break your heart. With apologies to World Series Hero David Freese, I’ll take the safer bet and sign on for five years of Evan Longoria.

I was minding my own business on Twitter this morning when the must-follow Sam Miller tweeted a link to this post from El Maquino, the results (as of Thursday morning) of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch online poll. Go check them out.

Are you done laughing yet? Can I continue? OK, I’ll wait …

Let’s get two facts out of the way first: 1) However much he made you curse and possibly destroy small household items at times, Tony La Russa was a great manager who helped guide the Cardinals to many successful seasons and two World Series titles; 2) Dave Duncan was a terrific pitching coach who had a profound effect on the team’s arms and deserves consideration as the first of his occupation to make the Hall of Fame.

With that said, to suggest that the departures of both La Russa and Duncan will impact the Cardinals more than the departure of Albert Pujols is pure lunacy. Pujols is a player on the actual baseball field doing actual baseball player things and doing them better than just about anyone, ever (analysis!). He has been worth approximately eight wins above replacement per season in the major leagues. This is a rare feat. The Cardinals probably have enough good pieces even without Pujols to reach the playoffs again in 2012, but to suggest his exit to Los Angeles of Anaheim doesn’t make St. Louis clearly worse is as nutty as suggesting the team should have brought back Corey Patterson.

As I guessed on Twitter, maybe this poll is less representative of Cardinals fans being misguided than it is of them being angry at Pujols the “trader,” to use the parlance of the seething Internet commenter. It’s probably some of both, but either way, it doesn’t speak particularly well of the BFIB.

Imagine watching a Cardinals game this season. Pujols’ absence will be highly conspicuous, what with someone else batting third, likely nobody hitting like one of the best players on Earth, and all of the players politely yielding to Jose Oquendo’s stop signs at third base.

How conspicuous will the lack of La Russa and Duncan be? Sure, the TV cameras won’t capture TLR glowering behind his shades in the corner of the dugout or Dunc walking out to the mound with a reminder to throw more two-seamers. But on an individual game basis, nothing likely will seem amiss. Over the course of the season, the Cardinals might hit and run less or exhibit other small adjustments in strategy, but it won’t be anything severe.

Now, granted, a manager and pitching coach make their biggest impact behind the scenes and outside of games. I’m not one of those people, if they even exist, who says a manager doesn’t matter. He does matter in many ways, most of which are difficult or impossible to quantify. But you’re not going to find any serious baseball analyst who will tell you that impact is like the 8 WAR/season Pujols contributes (or even the 5.4 he put up in 2011). We have no idea how Mike Matheny will fare as a manager, but chances are the team won’t be significantly worse with him than it was with TLR. This isn’t, say, basketball, where a change in head coach can lead to a complete 180 in style of play.

For his part, Duncan clearly got Cardinals pitchers to buy into a philosophy that seemed to generate positive results for many more guys than not, and his binders full of copious and detailed scouting information apparently will go on leave with him. But the Cardinals have a veteran pitching staff, most of whom have spent at least a year, if not several years, absorbing Duncan’s teachings. Duncan’s replacement, Derek Lilliquist, is qualified for the job, and did it last year when Duncan was away from the team. He’s also smart enough to know not to fix something that isn’t broken, as he told Joe Strauss:

Lilliquist remains a devotee of Duncan’s theories about pitch efficiency, the “pitch-to-contact” philosophy that meshes well with sinkerball pitchers who command the strike zone.

“‘Dunc’ had a successful formula that worked for a long time,” Lilliquist said. “You’d be foolish to come in and try to change philosophies.”

In the end, the Cardinals might miss La Russa’s relentless day-to-day intensity in the dugout and his many years of battle-tested experience. They probably will miss Duncan’s knack for reviving foundering careers and his ability to call up decades of first-hand data.

They won’t miss either as much as Pujols hitting the ever-loving %&*#$ out of a baseball. Period.

The worst of winter is yet to come. The world economy threatens to totter and fall. Albert is an Angel. All about us is football. But, lo, the past shall console us until a better future comes along!

So as you reflect upon 2011 and its many afflictions, take time for this little moment …

Well, I guess that’s not actually true – they’re not really free agents, but rather, mercenaries adding to their list of websites being infiltrated by their great work.

In addition to the great work Dennis and Josh do here at PH8, I’m happy to announce that we’ve somehow conned accomplished baseball minds and writers Dayn Perry (you’ve seen his work at NotGraphs, FOXSports.com, several other outlets, and his own books!)  and Andrew Simon (his blog Hitting the Cutoff Man is a personal favorite, and he also just happened to cover the Cubs as an intern for MLB.com one season – we don’t hold it against him).

Both of these guys are Cardinal fans who will use PH8 as an outlet for their Cardinal-specific ideas – a direct conduit for their Cardinal writing to us Cardinal fans.

You’ll still find that we’re just going to write as we see fit, there won’t be any regular schedule of posting from any of us – but hopefully you’ll find that among the group of us, there will be something you want to read.  Thanks for doing that, reading.

You can follow Dayn @daynperry and Andrew @HitTheCutoff on Twitter to get their instant updates, and as always, links to new posts are always funneled through @PitchersHit8th.  Follow Dennis @gr33nazn and Josh @aprfool79 to complete running the full PH8 Twitter gambit.

We’re excited and looking forward to hearing more from Dayn and Andrew here at the site, and hope you all are excited about reading their Cards stuff too.

I don’t say it enough, but great thanks are due to Dennis and Josh for keeping things fresh around here – they truly make the site what it is – and thanks to Dayn and Andrew for joining us.  Go Cards!

TheRiot and his lightsaber

Ryan Theriot has been non-tendered.  In non-baseball language, that means he wasn’t invited to play in the same sandbox next year.  I plan on wearing a pair of jorts at the home opener in his honor.  It’s not that he wasn’t good, either.  It’s just that his ability to catch and throw the round thing on the field offset his ability to slap that same round thing with a wooden implement.  I just can’t get sad about the fact he has been let go.  Besides, there is more important news today.

Sources are indicating that the Cardinals have come to terms with Skip Schumaker, although the details of the 2 year contract have not yet been announced.  I fully realize that not all Cardinal fans like Skip while some are huge Schumaker fans.  I’m not exactly running out to join his fan club, but I have no issues with the team signing him for another 2 years.  He’s worth it.  Consider the following: 

• Skip will only be signed through his age 33 season.  Just consider some of the available free agents who can play 2B: Andres Blanco (28), Orlando Cabrera (37), Alex Cora (36), Craig Counsell (41), Bill Hall (32), Jeff Keppinger (32), Felipe Lopez (doesn’t matter), Jose Lopez (28), Aaron Miles (35), Nick Punto (34), and Wil Rhymes (29).  Considering the position flexibility he provides as a 2B/OF combo player, I think I’d take him over most of the other free agents.
• The Cardinals avoid Skip’s last arbitration eligible year.
• If the deal is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 years for $5.6M, then the team won’t be paying much more than the $2.75M they paid him for 2011.
• He’s a really solid guy in RF, and his presence helps the Cardinals avoid some worries at that position.  Until Allen Craig is 100% and can be an everyday outfielder, Skip is a nice option to have.  After Craig is 100% healthy, Schumaker is a really good 4th outfielder.
• Skip also adds on to the depth chart at 2B.  If Freese needs a day off, Descalso can play 3B, and Skip can play 2B. 
• Although his numbers have been slightly down the last 2 seasons, he’s still a .290 career hitter with a .346 OBP.  The Cardinals could do worse, especially when you think of Skip as mostly a super-sub.
• He’s “scrappy”.
• This gives Skip 2 more years to work on perfecting the head first slide at 1st base. 
• There is always a chance that Skip will take the mound and lower his career 18.00 ERA, although it’s likely that his 18.0 strikeouts-to-walk ratio will come down a tad.

TIDBIT:  I feel confident stating that some team will sign Ryan Theriot.  There is always a demand for guys who can completely offset their offense with their defense (0.0 WAR in 2011). 

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for tips on copying the head first slide into a base!

It’s time.  Yes, it’s time for the UCB (United Cardinal Bloggers) members to pat each other on the back and remind each other just how awesome we think we are.  Okay, I’m exaggerating…slightly.  It is actually time for the UCB members to vote on the various annual awards which honor various people and blogs for outstanding…er, whatever it is they do.  However, a twist has been added this year, and you the 4 loyal readers of this humble blog also have the opportunity to vote for the same awards we do.  Since a picture tells a thousand words, and it takes me practically days to type a thousand words, I’ve decided to simply show you my completed ballot instead of providing you with instructions.  The fact that I have to make my ballot public in order for it to count has almost nothing to do with this seemingly magnanimous gesture.  After you finish looking over my ballot, please click HERE to go to the official balloting page and fill out a ballot.

Award 1: Cardinal Player of the Year

Yadier Molina.  I’m sure that Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, and Matt Holliday all had fine years, but none of them were “Ya-di” in stature.  When a catcher known for his defense leads the team in batting average, you know he is something special.  Hitting .305 while batting mostly in the 5th and 6th spots in the lineup is really special.  Gold Glove?  Got it.  Clutch?  For sure.  Molina hit .342 in August and .341 in September/October, and then he hit just under .300 for the entire playoff run.  Please step aside and make way for the man with the cannon where his right arm should be.  Yadios.

Award 2:  Cardinal Pitcher of the Year

Chris Carpenter.  He didn’t have a Cy Young kind of year, and he wasn’t particular dominant for most of the season, either.  However, he was an absolute workhorse for a team that relied heavily on innings from a beleaguered bullpen, and he went straight into “Bionic Carp” mode when the team needed it the most.

Award 3:  Regular Season Game of the Year

September 28 at Houston (Carpenter shutout on last day).  On quite possibly the best day of baseball I have ever seen, Carpenter went and shut down the Astros to guarantee the Cardinals at least a play-in game.  In the regular season, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Award 4:  Post-Season Game of the Year

WS Game 6 (two rallies with one strike left).  I fully realize that this game will be remembered for David Freese‘s walkoff blast to center.  That’s all well and good, but I was captivated by two different sequences during the game.  After Allen Craig homered in the bottom of the 8th inning, David Freese grounded out for the 2nd out of the inning.  Molina, Daniel Descalso, and Jon Jay went back-to-back-to-back with singles to load the bases.  The Cardinals were not able to push a run across, but loading the bases helped turn over the lineup, and it guaranteed that the heavy hitters would have another opportunity to bat.  The second sequence that stuck with me is from the 10th inning, and it again involved Descalso and Jay.  Facing a crafty left-hander in Darren Oliver, both Descalso and Jay managed to get on bases ahead of the pitcher’s spot.  The pair then went on to score and tie the game later in the inning.  Big time players make big time plays in big time games.

Award 5:  Surprise Player of the Year

Allen Craig gets the nod with Berkman a close second.  I expected a fair amount from Berkman, although he definitely surpassed my expectations.  However, he didn’t surprise me as much as Craig did, though.  In just 200 at-bats, Craig batted .315 with a .362 OBP, .555 slugging percentage, and a .917 OPS.  He also had 11 home runs and 40 rbi.  That translates to something like 33 home runs and 120 rbi for a full season with 600+ at-bats.  Wow.

Award 6:  Disappointing Player of the Year

Colby Rasmus.  For all his talent and potential, it is incredibly hard to imagine Raz hitting just .246 with 11 home runs and 40 rbi in 338 at-bats with the Cardinals.  If the home run and rbi totals sound familiar, see also “Award 5″.  There are not a lot of so-called “5 tool players” in baseball, and it’s a shame to see one digressing year over year.

Award 7:  Cardinal Rookie of the Year

Allen Craig.  Craig posted a 2.9 WAR seasonwith just 219 plate appearances.  For reference, the only Cardinals with a higher WAR total for the entire season were Pujols, Berkman, Holliday, and Molina.

Award 8:  Pre-Season Acquisition of the Year

Lance Berkman.  If only the Cardinals could add a Berkman to the team every season for $8M.

Award 9:  Mid-Season Acquisition of the Year

Edwin Jackson.  Jackson went 5-2 with a 3.58 era after being acquired by the Cardinals.  He also helped out a little at the plate by hitting .308 during his time in St. Louis as well.

Award 10:  Most Anticipated Cardinal

Matt Adams.  I’ve been really excited about Shelby Miller for a long time, but Adams looks to be one of those guys who can just go out and produce.

Award 11:  Best Individual Blog

On The Outside Corner.  If there is a more reasonable fan/blogger with encyclopedia-like knowledge of the Cardinals history, then I don’t know who it is.

Award 12:  Best Team Cardinal Blog

I-70 Baseball.  If you want a talented team with depth and comprehensive coverage, then I-70 Baseball is the site for you.  Of course, I could say the same thing for about a half dozen other blogs, but I-70 gets the nod for its content variety.  We shared this particular award with I-70 Baseball last year, and I’m honored to call the folks there friends of mine.  #Winning

Award 13:  Best Professional Cardinal Blog

Bird Land.  Professionally done with a great feel for what readers don’t get from all the mainstream media pages.  Just a half-step above the rest, and that’s a small step.  We’re fortunate to have so many legitimate pros bringing insight to Cardinal Nation.

Award 14:  Best Rookie Cardinal Blog

Aaron Miles‘ Fastball.  Good name.  Better people.  Spot-on coverage of real-time events practically before they even happen (yeah, they are fast).

Award 15:  Post of the Year

Fungoes – Why The Cardinals Will Still Beat The Brewers.  Convincing and well-conceived, this little gem is absolutely dense with useful information without a heavy stat overload.  Well played.

Award 16:  Best UCB Project

Roundtables.  Great opportunity to interact with the ever-growing and changing UCB community.  Intelligent discourse with thread rejoinders?  Yes, please.

Award 17:  Most Optimistic Cardinal Blog

Diamond Diaries.  The glass is always half-full with the ladies of Diamond Diaries, and the optimism is so infectious that even I almost grinned once.  Seriously, you just can’t stay down when you read this blog.

Award 18:  Best UCB Podcast

Conversations With C70.  If you only picked one podcast by Daniel (C70 himself), then you would pick a good one, because there isn’t a single bunt in the bunch.

Award 19:  Best UCB Twitterer

@poisonwilliam (aka Bill Ivie).  He’s real, he’s geniune, and he’s not afraid to run through a Taco Bell while wearing a loincloth screaming “I got your Black Ops right here, Brian Wilson!”  Okay, I might have made up that last part.  Regardless, he has a variety of interests, and we’ll enjoy watching him next year on “The Sing-Off”.  The honorable mention here goes to @throatwarbler, because Bob is the equivalent of a real life “sanity check” for Cardinal fans.  If his blog didn’t already have a name, I would suggest “The Ledge”, because he’s always reminding people to back away from it.

Award 20:  Best Fake Cardinal Twitter Account

None.  There was some clever stuff coming out of the various alter ego Twitter accounts, but I really like being able to put a face with an avatar.

Now that you have made it this far, maybe you are willing to go an extra mile and click here to vote.  Since the rules prohibit me from voting for myself, the PH8 blog, or anybody on the PH staff, I’m going to have to ask some of you to vote for us as well as the blog.  It’s not that I’m biased, though.  I just think Josh deserves credit for best original screenplay, and Nick should get something for best original motion picture score….oh, nevermind.  Just do us all a favor and rock the vote a bit.

-Dennis

It is important to give a little more background as the entire experience that was the 2011 season finally starts to sink in for this Cards’ fan. Growing up in Iowa, two main topics surrounded my family every summer. Who was going to be happy all winter between the St. Louis and Chicago faithful? And please let the snow be over by my birthday!

You see when my least favorite day of the year is April 1, the thought of baseball and warmer weather makes it a little easier. And while I never really celebrated being a Fool baby, 2007 was definitely an exception. That year I gladly accepted my fate and watched the ceremony at Busch in awe. Knowing what is coming against the Cubs on the 13th of April next year is enough to get through even the coldest nights the next five months.

But this isn’t just a post about baseball.

Today is the 236th Birthday for the United States Marine Corps. Over the past decade I have been extremely proud to have two special days to celebrate. Of course the saying is true — you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. After joining the Marines, my love for baseball grew after leaving Cardinal territory.

Technology has made it easier to follow our beloved Birds on the Bat, but this was not always the case. Look no further than this very site, where moving to enemy land brings out the best. Of course the military doesn’t take America’s Pastime into consideration when setting up bases.

I was known for having the red STL cap at the ready to go with any score needed. That was probably what kept me out of trouble for watching so many games on duty

To all the Devil Dogs serving overseas, be safe and get home when the job is done. The Leathernecks here will be waiting with a cold beverage and a TV tuned for the game!

Happy Birthday USMC

I kid. 

Maybe the angry mob in Blazing Saddles didn’t need any “stinkin’ badges”, but we certainly do need ethics.  Ethical principles provide us with a set of rules that are effectively the checks and balances system for our actions.  When our moral compasses fail to point to true north, a code of ethics helps calibrate those compasses and provide a reminder of what needs to be done to find true north again.  What is “true north” in ethical terms?  In absolute terms, “true north” is the right action which is most commonly the openly honest one, and it is not necessarily the same thing as “legal”, socially acceptable, or what you believe your heart tells you to do.  Colleges and universities teach many courses that focus solely on ethics, so my practical definition may be slightly different from what some of you may have been taught, but I’m fairly confident that I’ve got a decent working definition.

At least, I hope that my practical definition is good, because it is the one I apply to things like my contributions to this blog.  To be perfectly honest, I probably only concern myself with ethics for fear of doing something wrong.  That fear of breaching the generally accepted code of ethics is a healthy one to have, although it might be better to follow the code as part of a great desire to do what is right.  Regardless of how I arrive at the end result, the fact is that I somehow manage to arrive at it or at least believe I have done so.  However, an issue has just recently come to light which has forced me to re-examine the inner workings of my own moral compass.

A member of the Rangers clubhouse staff who wished to remain anonymous recorded Ron Washington’s clubhouse speech which was given prior to game 7 of the World Series.  A copy of the recording was leaked to Matt Sebek over at Joe Sports Fan, and Matt published the audio clip on the JSF website.  I should warn you that the clip is most certainly not suitable for work, small children, or farm animals.  You have been warned.  The clip is here.

For the record, I don’t take issue with anything that Ron Washington said in the clip, because his speech was definitely not intended for public consumption.  We all say things in private that we would not like to have broadcast on the internet.  I may enjoy talking to our dogs and referring to them as “big fluffeh lovies”, but I don’t necessarily want that information to be public (oops).  Regardless, any conversation that takes place under the expectation of a high degree of privacy is one that I have to react to differently than I would that same conversation taking place in public.  It’s sometimes difficult to modulate that initial reaction to information that has been leaked, but different rules simply should be applied.  The contents of the leaked audio clip are not the issue here, though.

The real issue is about whether or not the code of ethics was violated by the clubhouse employee or anybody who made use of the clip (audio or transcribed form).  This is where the issue gets really complicated for me, so I’m open to hearing from anybody who can provide guidance.  Let me begin by making something clear, though.  I am neither condoning or condemning anybody involved with this issue, because I am not qualified to cast the first stone here. 

Now, the Rangers employee may or may not have committed an ethical violation.  It’s pretty much certain that he violated company policy at least twice.  He should not have recorded the speech, and he should not have released the audio clip without permission from the organization.  However, violations of company policy may not necessarily constitute ethical violations.  Ya’ dig? 

The second part of this is probably even more difficult to assess.  Did Matt Sebek commit an ethics violation by publishing the ill-gotten audio?  Also, did Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch commit an ethics violation by publishing a transcribed version of the speech?  I don’t know, but I probably should.  If either is guilty of a violation, then there but for the grace of God go I.  Why is that?  Because I would not have thought twice about publishing the audio, if someone had contacted me with it.  As a matter of fact, I would have done some Photoshop work, created a huge banner, and passed the news along to every single person I’ve ever known or spoken with for more than 15 minutes.  Braggadocio, thy name is Dennis. 

Does that make me a horrible person?  No.  I may indeed be a horrible person, but it has nothing to do with my decision-making regarding what to publish.  Would it make me a violator of one or more ethical standard?  Some might say “yes”, and some might say “no”.  Presented with such a situation, I should take a step back before creating that huge banner.  Would I do so now?  Most definitely. 

Lesson learned.  Ethics?  Apparently we do need those “stinkin’ ethics” after all.

TIDBIT:  I am the unintended blogger, and I am certainly not a journalist.  All opinions expressed in my articles are strictly the product of my own semi-lucid brain.  I am not a role model.  Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  Anyhoo, it is worth noting that while I am not actually a journalist, I sort of play one here on the blog.  That means that all 4 of our loyal readers should hold me to the same ethical standard that applies to true professionals like Derrick Goold. 

MORE BITS OF TID:  It is probably inevitable for me to ask a simple question of myself.  Knowing what I know now, would I have published the clip (either in audio or transcribed form)?  Probably, but I would consult with the ManFridge first.  Would you have published the clip?

FINAL TID:  I don’t know Derrick Goold or Matt Sebek personally, but based on my familiarity with their work, I do truly believe that both would err on the conservative side when faced with an ethical dilemma.

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for topics other than ethical dilemmas…like fluffeh dogs!

That’s right, folks.  The end of the world is at hand, and the Mizzou football team is about to embark on a 7 year winless streak in conference games against their new friends in the SEC.  This is dreadfully important news, because football is most definitely the only sport involved in the move (no, it is not).  After all, the SEC currently has 6 teams ranked in the top 25 according to USA Today, and those teams could all probably slaughter Mizzou with just their second string players.  Heck, I don’t know why the Tigers are going to even show up for the first couple of seasons in the SEC.  It would probably be safer to just forfeit those games rather than embarrass themselves against the pre-ordained eternal powerhouses there.

On the other hand, Mizzou could show up and see what happens.  Granted, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia, and Auburn are all to be respected and deserve the recognition that comes with being a top 25 team.  However, it is probably worth pointing out that Mizzou is leaving a conference that currently has 4 teams in the top 25 and is no stranger to that polled list itself.  Certainly Mizzou is not peaking right now, but that doesn’t mean that the Tigers cannot compete.  While the SEC does include some top notch programs, it also includes a few that are having down years as well.  If I were a bettin’ man, I’d lay even odds that Mizzou can return to top 25 prominence just as quickly as any of the weaker SEC teams.  Why all the rainbows and unicorns?

Mizzou just gave itself a leg up on the recruiting competition, and recruiting is the lifeblood of college football (although booster donations are the soul).  Mizzou football was doing pretty well recruiting players from place like Podunk, Texas and Nowheresville, Kansas.  The Tigers were even starting to get a handle on the concept of actually recruiting players from the state of Missouri as well.  Now they have changed the playing field and added a large carrot to dangle in front of potential recruits.  Just imagine how the conversation could go now…

• You!  You want to play against the best competition at the college/semi-pro level, but you don’t want to live someplace down south?  Come to Columbia, Missouri and join the SEC and remain a Yankee.
• Do you like predictably crappy weather, slush, and ice?  Stay right here in Missouri, and we promise that you’ll get to experience all 4 seasons equally AND get to scrape ice off of your car every winter!
• Interested in meeting southern belles without having to learn something other than your “Country Grammar“?  Come to Mizzou and circle the dates on the calendar for roadtrips to exotic southern locales like Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, and a completely different country, Arkansas. 
• Turned down at Alabama just because you are a 6’3″, 240 lb linebacker who ONLY runs a 4.4 40-yard dash.  We’ve got a place for your at Missouri, and you won’t even have to switch to cornerback.  (NOTE: I’m kidding.  You can totally put on a few pounds and play safety.)

If that doesn’t work, then maybe recruiters can play some highlight clips from the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic.  That was the Mizzou versus Arkansas bowl game from a few years back.  That’s also the one that featured 2 of the top 4 Heisman candidates, Darren McFadden and Chase Daniels.  It’s also the game in which Mizzou running back Tony Temple went off for 281 rushing yards and 4 trips to the end zone.  The final score of that game?  38-7 in favor of Mizzou.  FYI – Arkansas was not voted out of the SEC for losing to a Big 12 team, although it was probably a close vote. (Again, I kid.)

Now, nobody is going to mistake that Mizzou team for the current version, but it does show what Mizzou is capable of being in terms of football.  It will most certainly take a few years, but it’s not like they are trying to bring the air traffic system into the 21st century or build a particle accelerator out of duct tape.  Mizzou is just 1 really good recruiting class away from being legitimately good.  Period.  No qualifiers.  Not SEC good.  Not “in-transition” good.  Just good.  Maybe all it takes is that 1 really high end recruit to decide that he wants to play against the Alabamas and LSUs of the world, but maybe he doesn’t want to be too far away from his home in Des Moines…..or East Podunk, Kansas……or St. Louis. 

Regardless, it’s far too early to pass judgment on a decision that has such far reaching implications.  It may work out for the better, or it may be trigger the aforementioned zombie apocalypse.  Either way, the move is being made, and it’s time to start getting comfortable.  If there are any concerns in Columbia, MO, then maybe the concerned should take a look east across I-70.  A team in St. Louis was recently given up for dead, and things turned out just fine for them. 

TIDBIT:  While I don’t think a storybook ending is in the “cards” for the Tigers right away, I do think it will be interesting to watch.  I’ve always considered college football a game of matchups, and it will be fun to see how SEC opponents adjust to having yet another spread offense to contend with on a regular basis.  Regarding the other sports involved, I do hope that some people more familiar with them than I am take the time to write their thoughts on how this move impacts gymnastics, diving, and all the rest.

MORE BITS OF TID:  It should be noted that the Tigers join the “East” division of the SEC which already includes Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.  Thank the Smurfy stars that they didn’t join the other one, although I had no idea that Mizzou was in any way “East” since I grew up being taught that St. Louis was the “Gateway to the West”.  Silly public schools were wrong all along!

FINAL BIT O’ TID:  I’d like to suggest some alternate names for the SEC divisions.  For your thoughtful consideration, I submit the following options:

• Hatfields & McCoys
• Young & Restless
• Dumb & Dumber
• Student body left & Student body right
• Thelma & Louise

Also, it wouldn’t hurt to change the unofficial name of the SEC to “All Your Extra Teams Are Belong To Us”.  Alright?  Thanks.

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for just a slight bit of sarcasm in daily doses!

PS. Yes I know this isn’t about the Cardinals, but I found this “General Sports” category that I just had to use at least once.  You will now be returned to my irregularly schedule blatherings about baseball and such.

The Rally Squirrel does not approve of the wave.

Jaime Garcia held the Brewers to just 1 run in 4 2/3 innings last night, and the bullpen finished off the rest of game to put the Cardinals just 1 win away from the World Series.  Unfortunately, Garcia’s performance did little to silence those who have voiced concern about his ability to pitch his way out of rough innings to go deeper into games.  For a guy who hasn’t pitched 8 innings or more in a game since June 3rd, this is a valid concern.  Considering Garcia set career high marks for innings pitched (194 2/3), hits per 9 innings (9.6), and home runs allowed (15) during the regular season, I believe some of his recent trends to be cause for concern as well.  Just chew on some of these tidbits for a moment:

• Prior to the All-Star break, Garcia went 9-3 with a 3.22 ERA and .309 BAbip.  Opponents had managed .254/.304/.354/.658 batting line against him, and the Cardinals were 12-7 in his starts before the break.  Shortly after the break, the wheels on the bus went from going “round and round” to going “upside down”.  Garcia went 4-4 with a 4.07 ERA and .344 BAbip.  The opponent’s collective battling line improved to .300/.337/.453/.790, and the Cardinals were 7-6 in his last 13 starts.
• If you think that wins matter, then Garcia’s 3-0 finish in September represents a huge positive.  He posted a 2.64 ERA with a .308 BAbip during that time, and the Cardinals went 4-1 in his 5 starts.  It’s not that I don’t consider wins to be important, but I’m much more enthused about his ERA and drop in BAbip.  However, Garcia averaged just slightly above 6 innings per game, so the relievers threw quite a few innings to back Jaime.  That total of 30 2/3 innings pitched for September was signifcantly better than the 26 1/3 innings he pitched in 5 starts for the month of August. 
• In Garcia’s 2 starts against the Brewers in the NLCS, he only made it through 4 innings in game 1 and 4 2/3 innings in game 5.  Considering that he only threw 82 and 68 pitches in those games respectively, I can’t help but wonder about whether or not his workload throughout the season has taken its toll.
• In that NLCS game 1 loss to the Brewers, Garcia relied heavily on his changeup and curveball which he threw a combined 31 times for 19 strikes.  In the NLCS game 5 win, he opted to use his curveball less in favor of his slider which he threw for a strike 7 out of 13 times.  Even though he threw 14 fewer pitches in game 5, he threw almost as many fastballs (32) as he did in game 1 (34 fastballs).  More importantly, 24 out of 32 fastballs in game 5 were thrown for strikes while only 22 of 34 were strikes in game 1. 
• The phrase “shutdown inning” is often used to describe the half inning that follows a half inning in which a pitcher’s team scores.  Maybe the sample size is relatively small, but it seems that Garcia has had trouble with “shutdown innings” recently.  In game 1 of the NLCS, the Cardinals scored once in the top of the 1st inning, and Garcia promptly gave up 2 runs in return.  When the Cardinals scored a run in the 5th inning, the wheels came completely off, and Garcia allowed the Brewers to blow the game wide open.  Something similar happened in game 5 after the Cardinals scored a run in the bottom of the 4th.  Garcia took the mound in the top of the 5th and surrendered a run before departing with runners on 1st and 2nd with Ryan Braun at the plate.  It’s not like every run scored by the Cardinals is immediately followed by a rough inning for Garcia, but it’s curious to note the possible relationship. 

There is certainly a danger in overanalyzing anything, especially when you are working with relatively small sample sizes.  However, I have a theory about Jaime’s recent problems with shutdown innings that isn’t solely based on statistics.  I believe that to a great extent Jaime is a pace/rhythm pitcher.  He is great at settling into a groove which basically consists of him throwing 14-18 pitches, returning to the dugout for 10 minutes, and wash/rinse/repeat.  When that rhythm is broken, or when the pace changes due to a long half inning by the Cardinals on offense, I perceive that Jaime has trouble getting locked back in when he returns to the mound.  It’s just to consider the next time you watch him pitch. 

TIDBIT:  The seemingly nonstop chatter about the Brewers / Cardinals “rivalry” needs to go away.  It’s easy for the media to play up the notion that the teams hate each other and that a “huge rivalry” now exists.  This is purely an attempt to manufacture something that does not really exist by using sensationalism as the catalyst.  A few years of competitive baseball do not a rivalry make.  Wait until the teams have met a few hundred more times to start the “rivalry” talk. 

EXTRA BIT OF TID:  Since moving to the NL prior to the 1994 season, the Brewers have made the playoffs just twice.  During that same timespan, the Cardinals have participated in the postseason 9 times. 

FINAL BIT OF TID:  The story behind the “beast mode” thing is absolutely wonderful, touching, and blah blah blah.  I don’t care one bit about the explanation.  Performing a celebratory move after every positive outcome just screams of egotism.  “Hey, look at me and praise me for doing my job!  No, keep looking at me, me, me!”  Yes, congratulations on getting hit by a pitch.  By all means, please draw more attention to yourself.  Don’t mistake my cold-hearted reaction to Brewer family time as hypocrisy, though.  While so many people pause and admire many home runs by Albert Pujols, it’s easy to forget that he is also pausing to admire them as well.  Then Pujols flips his bat like as though it represents the disdain he has for the baseball, and both must be discarded.  Hit ball.  Run.  If you happen to enjoy the pause accompanied by the bat flip, then by all means enjoy it.  Just don’t get on your soapbox when the “beast mode” thing happens. 

I somehow doubt that all Brewer fans enjoy “beast mode”, Nyjer Morgan‘s antics, and the stuff that Zach Greinke spews forth occasionally.  Collectively, their fans are better than that.  So are we.

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for suggestions on how to replace “beast mode”!

Not that I talked to a squirrel....just heard it..from a guy.

Each and every single one of us has done at least 1 thing in our lives that we’ve almost immediately regretted doing, and we’ve been mildly embarrassed at a minimum or brutally ashamed and guilt-ridden at a maximum.  Maybe we’ve offended someone by speaking too loudly at a dinner party about the host’s over-exuberant use of the word “aperitif”, or maybe we’ve attempted to drive home after having a few cocktails and accidentally parked the family car in the wrong garage.  Perhaps there was an incident in Belize involving some tribal rituals and a fire walker, or it could have been that team of synchronized roller skaters doing jello shots.  It doesn’t matter.  You made a bad decision or a series of bad decisions, and it cost you – whether it be a moment of shame or internet fame involving your own YouTube channel.  Maybe it even cost you a job along with your professional reputation.  Still, you managed to somehow persevere, and you are still around today to read this.

Imagine for a moment walking a mile in Steve Bartman’s shoes.  Allow me to refresh your memory.  The Cubs made it to the 2003 NLCS and were playing game 6 at Wrigley Field with a chance to clinch the pennant with a victory.  They were up 3-0 against the Marlins in the top of the 8th inning with 1 out when the Marlins’ second baseman, Luis Castillo, sent a ball toward the corner of the left field wall behind the bullpen.  As Cubs outfielder Moises Alou reached for the ball, a guy named Steve Bartman reached out and disrupted the catch.  No big deal, right?  Wrong.  Boos, chants, and curses words of all kinds (in various languages) rained down.  The Marlins then went on to score 8 runs, and then they also took the deciding game 7.  In the meantime, Steve Bartman had to endure the obvious frustration of Moises Alou, the wrath of angry fans surrounding him at Wrigley Field, and the shame of being escorted away from his seat for his own safety.  He was probably just a supreme wedgie short of the bullying cycle.

Since that unfortunate, infamous moment, Steve Bartman has been the subject of ridicule, the butt of merciless jokes, and Chicago’s most convenient scapegoat.  He’s the punching bag that won’t budge.  He’s the punchline that just keeps giving.  He’s got to have a thicker skin than I do. 

ESPN recently dropped another “30 For 30” documentary titled “Catching Hell“, and it covers the Bartman experience pretty well.  If you can watch it and not have that “awkward-need-to-shift-and-look-elsewhere” feeling, then maybe you should stop double parking, passing your 15 year-old off as a “child” at restaurants, and stop tipping waitstaff like it is 1960.  Grow a spine and develop a conscience.  To know more about the Bartman experience is to see more about the ugly side of humanity.  People can be mean and nasty.  Some people stop maturing around age 8, but their bodies keep getting bigger.  Those same people think it’s okay to scream obscenities at someone else over an incident like the one involving Bartman.  Maybe I would have reacted the same way at the time, but I’m pretty sure I would have cooled down after a bit.  I certainly would have cooled down by the next day, and I definitely would have been back on steady moral ground after watching the replay a few dozen times.  Why?  Because there but for the grace of the baseball gods go I.  It could just as easily have been me, except I wouldn’t have been at a Cubs game, but you know what I mean.  I have my own “Captain Oblivious” moments.  I’m just glad that none of mine have led to national attention and public scorn…..at least not yet anyway.

As with all things in life, let’s try to keep this in perspective.  It’s the lunatic fringe that is still troubling for Bartman.  They are the ones who just won’t let it go and are just ignorant enough to act on their grudges.  Hardcore fans may have a hard time letting go, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t sympathetic.  Deep down those fans know that Bartman played a small yet memorable role.  Just don’t let the blame lay solely at feet of Cubs fans, though.  This same thing could happen to any team’s fanbase.  Cubs fans are not genetically different than the rest of us, or at least I’m pretty sure that they are not.  I’ve met several and even come into close contact with a few.  They appear to breathe oxygen like us, and they even communicate the same way we do.  The males tends to use the advanced point-and-grunt method of communication at baseball games, and I get along just fine with them.  They do the bidding of the females, and that’s how social order is maintained. 

The point I’m trying to make is that it’s a bad idea to paint everybody with the same brush based on a few outliers.  Just because a few people (*cough* lunatics *cough*) are still calling for Bartman’s head doesn’t mean that all Cubs fans are calling for it.  I’d sincerely hope that by now that most everybody has found the proper perspective on this.  It wasn’t Steve Bartman who blew the pennant for the Cubs.  It was the Cubs who blew the opportunity for the Cubs.  Bartman doesn’t owe anybody an apology, but I bet that there are hundreds if not thousands of people who owe Bartman one.  He’ll probably never get most of those, but at least he will get one.  Steve, I’m sorry for calling you a “self-absorbed moron” that night back in 2003.  It could have just as easily been me.

There but for the grace of the baseball gods go I.

gr33nazn

“It’s the Cardinals, sir, they’ve gone from suck to blow.” -Spaceballs

“My Cardinals always work some of the time.” -Will Smith in Bad Boys

#ReplaceAWordInAMovieLineWithCardinals

If you are a Twitter user, then you are probably familiar with silly hashtags like the one I used.  It’s a great excuse for normally rationale people to express themselves in humorous, ridiculous, and sometimes offensive ways by showing off their entirely useless knowledge of movie lines.  Simply pick your favorite movie quote and substitute the word “Cardinals” in place of a noun (or two). 

“Negative ghost rider, the Cardinals are full.”  -Top Gun

Instead of writing an early obituary for the 2011 season like so many others are doing, I’m taking a gallows humor approach to a team that is something like 15 games back with 16 to play [/sarcasm].  For a team that is 1st in the NL in runs scored and 9th in runs allowed, you might expect better than a 10 game deficit in the division and 10 1/2 games back in the wild card race.  In truth, they really are who we thought they were, and there is no shame in that.

If they had gone out and traded Shelby Miller or Carlos Martinez for a quick, short-term fix, it’s likely that know-it-alls like me would have written very not nice things about John Mozeliak and a penchant for kicking cute and fluffy Build-a-Bears.  Instead, the Cardinals avoided the temptation in favor of building for the long haul, and I’m confident that the team will be better for it.  It’s just that there for now there is a brief urge to curl up into the fetal position and watch replays of the 2006 NLCS over and over and over again [keywords: Beltran, Waino, curve ball, frozen, nasty].   

Much better. 

Of course, the Cardinals aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, so there are some diehard fans out there who are probably calling me a chump for giving up.

“What? Over? Did you say “over”? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed the Cardinals?” -Bluto in Animal House

In truth, Bluto was right….pretty much.  A lot can still happen, and the Brewers can still go all “epic fail” on everybody, and the Cardinals could still up their collective game a bit.  The problem is that the Cardinals need outside help in addition to a figurative kick in the rear.  The Brewers need to fall down a bit, and some self-sabotage wouldn’t hurt.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Zack Greinke needs to play some 3-on-3 hoops.  Lots of hoops.  If anybody is interested in playing basketball with Zack, please bring a basketball and a splint.
2. Prince Fielder needs to hit the salad buffet just a little harder.  He can catch Broxton, if he works hard enough.  Dedication man, dedication!
3. Someone just needs to challenge Nyjer Morgan to be …..well, Nyjer Morgan. 
4. Corey Hart just needs to get lost in his cave and be unable to find his way to the stadium a few times, so he can earn a suspension (or three). 
5. Maybe Ryan Braun will be staying with Corey when he gets lost…..2 Brewers, 1 stone.

“Cardinals?  We don’t need no stinkin’ Cardinals!” -Blazing Saddles

“May the Cardinals be with you.” -Han Solo in Star Wars (1977 – before it was referred to commonly as “Episode 4 – A New Pile of Crap” after 3 prequels were released with a bunch of crappy actors ruining my fond childhood memories…not that I’m bitter)

TIDBIT:  Okay, yes I am still bitter.

MORE BITS OF TID:  I’m already seeing a lot of “TLR Supporters vs TLR Haters” comments on Twitter and Facebook.  If that’s your stance, then I believe that your argument is invalid.  Just because someone doesn’t want LaRussa back next year doesn’t make them a “hater”.  There are many reasons why non-haters don’t want TLR back at the helm.  Allowing Mitchell Boggs to bat in the 4th inning of an 8-0 game with the bases loaded and 2 outs is just one of them.  A single likely scores 2 runs, and a well-placed double probably clears the bases for 3 runs.  However, waving the white flag is just cowardly.  If you are going to do that, you might as well bring in Skip Schumaker to pitch or something…..oh, nevermind.

FINAL BIT OF TID:  If you didn’t enjoy the 93 mph “derpball” pitch from Skip, then the Communists have officially won.  When a position player can just walk up to the mound and throw 93 mph with good movement, I think about the degree of specialization in baseball.  Why can’t players who are position players and pitchers in high school and college continue to do both when they reach the pros?  After all, there are plenty of times that a pitcher is pressed into spot duty as a fielder anyway. 

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter, because it’s okay to be bitter about prequels!

Team PH8 Mugshot (Derrick, Brad, Ryan, & Ronnie)

“If there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.” ~Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) in National Treasure.

There is seemingly no shortage of “something wrong” in this world, so it’s just a matter of choosing your particular pet peeve and taking action.  As you might imagine, my list of pet peeves is longer than the unedited version of a 5 year-old’s Christmas list.  I hate cancer, famine, poverty, illiteracy, O’Doul’s t-shirts, birth defects, tragic accidents, and anything bad that happens to children.  I despise racism, lack of humor, undercooked food, mullets, hot weather, and blatant ignorance by choice.  Somewhere between “cancer” and “famine”, I should have placed “heart disease and related deaths”. 

I’ve got a serious thing for preventable illness and death, especially in America.  In my personal utopia, I’m the King High Emperor of Bacon, and there are no yachts, mansions, or private jets.  However, there would be a lot more money spent on wellness programs.  I mean it.  That’s why I didn’t hesitate to say “yes” when approached about the possibility of PH8 sponsoring a team in a golf tournament several months ago.  With 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the American Heart Association from the Just Beat It CUP tournament, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pitch in AND help put 4 weekend hackers on the links for a round of 18.

With a team slogan of “swing hard in case you hit it”, I felt confident that team PH8 had a pretty good shot at a good showing in the tournament.  My faith didn’t waiver one bit, even when they assured me that they were the best at the hole with the purple unicorn bridge, rainbow dolphin windmill, and the clown’s mouth.  It turns out that they were just really excited to have a golf cart and a sponsor for a miniature golf course, and I have to admit that they did look quite snazzy in their PH8 t-shirts.

Look! It's a real golf course!

Lucky for them, they also were pretty good at the “real golf”, or the one that doesn’t involve a Wii remote.  Just don’t ask about how I happen to know any of them.  Let’s just say that Ryan is a member of the local law enforcement community and leave it at that, alright?  ( No, I was certainly not bootlegging, and I had no idea that it was illegal to put that many people in a trunk at once! )

Staged picture was staged...

We have no proof that this picture was staged, but I have my suspicions.  First, there is no golf ball in the picture.  Second, Ryan appears to be looking straight down the fairway which implies that his drive has gone in that direction.  Third, Ryan is still holding his golf club and does not appear prepared to launch it in the direction of the nearest tree.  Finally, Ryan does not appear to be mumbling to himself at this point.  That’s the final nail in the coffin.  This picture is surely a fake.

I expected to see a lot more of this….

The whiff?

and a bit of this….

That's great, but who are the "Chefs"?

Fortunately for everybody involved, it turns out that Derrick, Brad, Ryan, and Ronnie are better golfers than we were led to believe.  They somehow managed a respectable 68 on a real golf course, and their score was good for 2nd (with more than 2 teams playing).  Huzzah for team PH8!!!  Thanks for teeing it up and smacking some balls to raise some money to prevent heart disease guys!

Real scorecard and such

46 home games with a total attendance of 1,698,759.  If you divide B by A, carry one on the small toe of the left foot to the middle toe of the right foot……that’s about 36,929 per game.  At that pace, the Cardinals should be right at the 3 million attendance mark by the end of the season.  That’s a far cry from the 3,301,218 attendance mark from 2010.  It’s convenient to blame the attendance downturn on a collection of negative catalysts – bad weather, global warming, yet another Transformers movie sequel, the US economy, Charlie Sheen, the Kardashians, and that last slice of pizza in the box.  It’s too easy.  Are there any other possible factors that we’re simply overlooking?

Maybe.

• Like it or not, there are some fans who attend games to see their favorite players.  When those players aren’t playing, it’s possible that some of those fans stay away from the park.  Losing Adam Wainwright to injury meant more than just losing a Cy Young-quality pitcher every 5th start.  It also meant going without one of the franchise’s most marketable players. 
• Although the media frenzy surrounding Albert Pujols and his contract situation has diminished greatly, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t leave a lasting impression.  The fact that Albert hasn’t had a typical Pujolsian year also hasn’t helped much, either.  Judging by the fan reaction to the negotiations, I think it likely that some fans are disappointed in Albert, the Cardinals, or both.  There is an easy fix for this, but it may not come cheap.  With that possibility comes even more potential public relations pitfalls for both parties.
• What about the quality of baseball being played?  More specifically, what about the perception that the quality of baseball in the division isn’t all that great?  After hearing all winter about how weak the NL Central would be, maybe some people who were on the fence about seeing  a game decided that there were better things to do with their money.  Too bad.  If that’s the case, then they are missing out.
• Rumors of skyrocketing prices associated with dynamic pricing are greatly exaggerated.  Actually, I haven’t seen any evidence of this.  To the contrary, I’ve seen an awful lot of great deals.  The Cardinals are making every effort to draw fans to Busch, and some of the deals are about as close to giving away good seats as you’ll find.  Maybe the deals are just so good that people are keeping the information about them to themselves.  Hoarders.
• The ticket price is often a fraction of the cost of attending a game.  Cardinal Nation is large and spans something like 200+ nations, multiple solar systems, 14 galaxies, and at least 7 dimensions (or membranes according to M-theory).  Actually, most fans who attend games come from something like 8 different states, and they aren’t all staying with in-laws.  This makes attendance slightly sensitive to hotel prices and travel costs, and downtown St. Louis isn’t exactly stuffed full of Motel 8′s. 

As if the weather and economy weren’t bad enough, it is conceivable that one or more of the ideas that I posited above is a factor as well.  We might be talking about a family of 4 here and a group of 7 college friends stuffed in an Accord there, but it all adds up.  There is only one way to prop up the attendance numbers – get out to more games.  You’d rather be at a baseball game than at work, so take a sick day and catch an afternoon game.  If you live close to downtown, please consider skipping that next dinner with the in-laws in favor of heading down to Busch.  If you are planning on attending a game then try to fill up your car with co-workers, friends, and total strangers who you can convince to go with you.  Sit in the cheap seats and don’t forget to tip the vendors.  Thank me later.

TIDBIT:  I realize that it’s a sacrifice to sit at a really nice baseball stadium while eating $17 nachos and watching the Cardinals play, but please do it for the children. 

MORE BITS OF TID:  The Cardinals are 14-14 in one run games this season with a total of 122 runs scored and 122 runs against in those 28 games. 

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for more bad reasons to take in a game!

So, what is the good news?  You may have to dig a little for it, but I’ll give you 10 reasons why Cardinal fans should be optimistic during the next 6 weeks.

1. On paper, the Cardinals start off with a relatively tough schedule, but they tend to play to the level of their competition.  They are 2-0 against the Phillies this year, and they face 3 straight RHP (Brandon Morrow, Carlos Villanueva, & Ricky Romero) in their series against the Blue Jays.
2. The team’s front office is going to get a good taste of life without Pujols.  I can’t help but wonder if attendance will be impacted enough that they will get a glimpse of the real world implications of not having AP5 wearing the Birds on the Bat next season.
3. With Albert out, TLR may get really creative with the lineup in order to make it difficult for opponents to pitch around Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman.  He has plenty of options against RHP, but it will be really interesting to see what he does against LHP.  The good news?  Jon Jay is actually hitting for a higher average (.333) against LHP than he is against RHP (.308).
4. Nick Punto, Allen Craig, and David Freese should all return relatively soon.  While they can’t replace Albert, they can help replace his lost production throughout the lineup.
5. The Cardinals play in a “weak” division, right?  Okay, this is probably a fallacy perpetuated by people who don’t actually watch many NL Central games.  Only 2 divisions in baseball have 3 teams above .500.  One is the AL East, and the other is the NL Central.  The NL Central is by no means the AL East, but it isn’t the weakest division in baseball, either.  Still, they are currently at the top, and they might be able to stay in the mix until AP returns.
6. Statistically speaking, the Cardinals are replacing a guy who is about a 2.4 WAR player up to this point, so it’s not like replacing the 2008 or 2003 version of the guy.  They haven’t relied on him the way they have in the past, and that’s a good thing in my opinion.
7. The door is finally open to see what Mark Hamilton can do at 1B when given some starts, and it might be good to see what Hamilton can do when he isn’t looking over his shoulder after ever pinch hit appearance.  Minor league players getting major league experience is rarely a bad thing.
8. The Cardinals are rumored to have a little money to spend and have a few assets to trade.  If they need to pull the trigger on a trade for more pitching, then they can do so, and not all pitching acquisitions would require much more than the ability to take on salary.
9. The timing could be much worse.  An early August return is plenty of time to get back in rhythm.  Consider 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton.  He missed almost all of September, 2010, and he ended up hitting .190 in the postseason after hitting .359 in the regular season.
10. You never know what will happen.  Other teams suffer through injuries as well.  You never know who will slump and who will suddenly go on a hitting streak.  Heck, Skip Schumaker might even hit a walkoff homer….

TIDBIT: I’m not even considering the “4″ part of the 4-6 week estimate.  Even if Albert is a quick healer and returns in less than 6 weeks, I can’t imagine that his swing will be back to normal right away because of the amount of stress his one arm follow-through puts on his forearm.  Of course, I’m not a doctor, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express a few times.

MORE BITS OF TID: Some may say that this is a great time to get a contract done.  I disagree.  I think that it would be poor form for the Cardinals to approach Pujols now, and I certainly wouldn’t expect Lozano/Pujols to approach the Cardinals.  Maybe the injury impacts what other teams think, but all concerns could be laid to rest by a week or two of Pujolsian mashing upon his return.

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for more medical analysis!