Image via Wikipedia

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

Today’s conclusion includes reactions…

Local

Jeff Gordon says Bill DeWitt “sent Albert Pujols packing.” I’m not sure I’d phrase and frame it that way. Yes, DeWitt and John Mozeliak had a plan, and a ceiling they were willing to offer. But Albert packed all on his own.

Greg Leuthen covers both sides of the coin, and now what? for the Cardinals.

Various reactions from Cardinals and local figures.

BJ Rains looks ahead to where the Cardinals might spend all of their newfound payroll space.

Matthew Leach also lays out the tasks remaining for the Cardinals in the wake of being left by Pujols.

David Wilhelm reiterated what many have already said. Paraphrasing: “it sucks, but the Cards are likely better off for it.”

The Alton Telegraph had some hard hitting local reaction. From Facebook, of course.

KSDK has video of Mozeliak’s press conference after returning to St. Louis sans Pujols.

Go read everything Bernie Miklasz has written about the Pujols negotiations. Just do it.

National

There was much rejoicing in Milwaukee.

Astonishment in New York.

Pitchers sleeping better in Cincinnati.

The Red Sox never really tried to find a place for Pujols.

Cards loss of Pujols means Cubs adding Fielder would shift balance of power in division to Chicago? Um…

Lozano called the Yankees about Pujols. Of course he did.

Phillies also glad Pujols is in the American League.

Even Pirates fans are happy!

Gregg Doyel expresses what many Cardinal fans are feeling – it’s not necessarily about loyalty, deserving something, or even necessarily honesty – it’s about the legacy Pujols threw away. Personally, my thinking is very much in line with Doyel’s. Albert had his reasons for choosing Anaheim, the Cardinals had their reasons for not breaking the bank – but in the end, it was Albert’s decision to become “just another great ballplayer” rather than a near-deified legend.

More “all is not lost” from Jerry Crasnick. To be clear, I agree, not mocking the sentiment.

Cliff Corcoran expects the Cardinals to contend in 2012, without Pujols.

Can we please stop the Albert Pujols equals LeBron James nonsense? Please.

Stan McNeal thinks the Cards will come out ahead in the long run, especially without being able to DH Pujols in the later years of the deal.

Long-time Cardinal fan Will Leitch’s reactions, numbered.

How did some AL West execs react?

Blogs

A look back at Pujols by the numbers against his former NL Central foes – and that Houston Astros team that he’s following.

David Schoenfield summed the Cardinal future, and what fans should expect, up quite nicely: “The Cardinals will move on. … Because, in the end, we don’t cheer for stars. We cheer for our team. Trust me, Cardinals fans: You will recover.”

Bloguin’s The Outside Corner assessed Pujols signing impact on both the Angels and the Cards.

Dennis took a more lighthearted approach to figuring out why Pujols would bolt for the West Coast.

A great write-up from Steve Kelley at Review STL. “And when you come back to Busch Stadium for the first time, I hope the fans remember that, too. We gave Craig Biggio a standing ovation, and he was an arch-rival for years. I hope they afford the same to you. And then I hope the Cardinals beat the living $#!+ out of the Angels. We are Cardinal Nation.”

Chicago Now has a great post looking at Pujols’ decision to leave St. Louis and the decision soon facing the Indianapolis Colts over what to do with Peyton Manning. Is the team bound to the same expectations of loyalty as fans expect players to be?

From Viva El Birdos… Both Pujols and the Cardinals made mistakes. Great opinions.

—–

Finally, here, courtesy of @MattSebek, is the full-page “thank you” advertisement in today’s Post-Dispatch from Albert and Dee Dee. It’s a nice gesture, but over-played. Just take your money and go.

—–

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Thanks for following along with The Daily Pujols posts, if you have been.  This marks the end, I guess fittingly.

Image via Wikipedia

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

I gotta be real with y’all – REAL real – I hope Pujols signs somewhere soon. This link-sifting is getting old.

Local

Wondering if Albert Pujols has signed yet? Just refresh the Cardinal Beat blog at STLToday.com every half-hour or so, ok?

Randy Reinhardt says the Cards need to sign Pujols – no matter the cost.

Matthew Leach: Cardinals offer confirmed.

Bernie Miklasz with deep breaths and level-headedness.

More Miklasz, on the back-and-forth, head-and-heart reactions to Pujols contract offers and whether the Cards should or shouldn’t make every effort to keep him.

Fox 2 notes that Stan Musial would like Pujols to stay in St. Louis, as a Cardinal.

National

The Cubs apparently still really like Rodrigo Lopez. Or is it Pujols? Nah, Lopez. But Pujols…

Joe Frisaro mapped out almost the exact strategy that we saw play out today. Out on Pujols, Marlins switch to free-agent pitchers.

THE MARLINS WERE LATE FOR A MEETING!

The “Big 3?” No wonder Pujols distanced himself from that garbage. You all saw what happened to the Heat’s Big 3.

“Fab 4?” *facepalm*

Tom Haudricourt wonders whether Cubs would prefer Pujols or Prince Fielder – answer? Neither is going to sign with Milwaukee.

It would seem as if Pujols and Fielder are too pricey for the Cleveland Indians. Glad we got that out of the way.

Dave Hyde calls the Marlins’ spending spree and pursuit of Pujols “appropriate madness.”

Tyler Kepner discusses what I still think is one of the larger looming factors in Pujols’ decision: “But in Miami, he would be a mercenary, without the bulletproof force field we put around players who spend their whole careers with one team. Only the Cardinals can offer that, no matter how much money the Marlins are willing to pay him.”

Er, the Angels? Say what now?

Yep, the Angels.  The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Let him leave! — Tom Verducci.

Bill Dwyre thinks everyone in the bidding war is NUTS.

Blogs

According to Cubs Den, Theo Epstein may be just nosing around in pretty much everyone’s business, waiting to see a good, efficient place to strike.

Dave Cameron of FanGraphs takes an interesting analytic approach to questions about Pujols’ age. How did he compare to others in the minors?

Ozzie Guillen said he would not have been paying Pujols’ salary, had he signed with the Marlins. Thanks for the insight, Ozzie.

Marc Normandin reviews ten-year contracts and how Pujols fits into the “club.”

Here at this very site, Dennis took a broader scope view of the negotiations and those badgering Pujols over making a decision about what’s best for HIM.

—–

Have more Pujols links to share?  Post them in the comments below!

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Follow @PitchersHit8th on Twitter and get the Daily Pujols as soon as it’s posted!

Image via Wikipedia

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

Local

Matthew Leach busts a reality check on us – the Cards have other things to tend to in free agency besides Albert Pujols. C’mon, I’m not buying it. You?

The Commish recalls Winter Meetings of yesteryear and looks ahead to what we might expect out of Dallas, from the Cardinals and their division-mates.

Bernie Miklasz is asking for a compromise – less years from Pujols, more money (AAV) from the Cardinals.

Derrick Goold reports that Team Pujols (and Lozano) is on the ground in Dallas.

Joe Strauss has more on the market developing (or not developing) for Pujols, and uncertainty on whether the Cards’ previously offered deal is still on the table.

Goold adds more from John Mozeliak – the GM has spoken with Pujols directly, on the phone.

B.J. Rains was one of many reporters who spoke with Bill DeWitt this morning. DeWitt said: “”You don’t replace an Albert Pujols.”

National

Dave Wischnowsky says the Cubs signing Pujols or Prince Fielder is only worth it if the team wins a World Series with said player on the team. I guess that makes sense? I still feel like the playoffs are too much of a crapshoot to count on winning once you’re there. Wouldn’t it be just as “worth it” for Cubs fans if they just made the playoffs every year? Every other year?

MYSTERY TEAM ALERT!!!!!

Anthony Castrovince writes the most important thing perhaps anyone has written about the Pujols negotiations to date: “Ultimately, Pujols’ loyalty can’t be measured until somebody else steps up with a serious offer…”

Craig Slater of The Regina Leader-Post breaks some news about Pujols: “Albert Pujols won’t be the next head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders…” Well, so much for that mystery team.

As rumors swirl – and one deal is reportedly already done – about the Marlins spending big bucks at this year’s Winter Meetings, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reminisces about the last embers going out on a Marlins fire sale in the same hotel.

Jon Morosi still says Pujols re-ups with the Redbirds, and before Fielder signs anywhere. OOOOOOOOOOH.

Scott Miller and Ken Rosenthal both say it’s time for the Marlins to focus on pitching, not Pujols.

And then there was the cat-and-mouse from Theo Epstein regarding the Cubs’ interest in Pujols: Epstein has full authority which could result in a shorter-term, bigger money deal, yet there are plenty of holes in the Cubs roster to be filled, and Epstein has continued to profess building “the right way” for “the long-term” - which means they’re talking to Dan Lozano about Rodrigo Lopez.

Blogs

Some guy named Kent Sterling (who obviously thinks very highly of himself) also thinks Pujols will stay in St. Louis.

At Fish Stripes, Michael Jong terms a Marlins offer to Pujols “ludicrous in a sort of “I can’t believe the team is going this far” sense.”

The Rangers are “not really in” on Pujols or Fielder.

—–

Have more Pujols links to share?  Post them in the comments below!

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Follow @PitchersHit8th on Twitter and get the Daily Pujols as soon as it’s posted!

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

Local

Joe Strauss reported that the Cards had re-established contact with Pujols’ representatives (namely Dan Lozano), but cautioned that as expected, both sides were tight-lipped and we could be in for a drawn-out negotiation as Pujols seeks the best deal and the Cardinals wait out the market a bit.

Matthew Leach re-opened the ole mailbag at MLB.com and the first question was about the Pujols contract. In fact, the name on that question looks familiar…

Some really smart guy from Washington University in St. Louis says that Pujols will be overpaid because his salary will be based upon Alex Rodriguez‘ and A-Rod is grossly overpaid. Or something like that.

National

The Sporting News has set up a feed page of sorts for all of their Pujols coverage including a “the latest” section and links to prior articles. Might be worth a bookmark? Or, maybe just bookmark the Daily Pujols feed?

Clark Spencer asks his Miami Herald readers if the Marlins should overpay for Albert Pujols? As is the case with most newspaper comment sections, hilarity ensues.

Dan Le Betard of the Miami Herald wrote a really great article about the future of baseball in Miami and what factor Albert Pujols may play in the success or failure of the “new” baseball and business model of the Marlins.

Rehashing the possible suitors at International Business Times, the author writes (bold is mine), “We assume from his play, the way he interacts with teammates and what he has done for the St. Louis community means that he will re-sign, no matter what the value of St. Louis offer is.” We’ll assume he meant as long as it’s around $200 million.

Blogs

A really smart blogger played the “What If” game with Pujols’ contract.

SB Nation New York covered the report of Lozano meeting with Brian Cashman. More of the same expectation, that talk was about other players than Pujols.

SB Nation Tampa Bay’s Steve Slowinski lines up all the reports indicating the Marlins’ offer was lower than initially guessed at, and thinks that the Marlins may not be so serious about a Pujols deal after all.

—–

Have more Pujols links to share?  Post them in the comments below!

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Follow @PitchersHit8th on Twitter and get the Daily Pujols as soon as it’s posted!

Image via Wikipedia

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

Local

Joe Strauss writes at the Post-Dispatch that John Mozeliak envisions a strong 2012 Cardinals team with or without Pujols.

More from Strauss: Mozeliak doesn’t expect to pursue Fielder if Pujols leaves St. Louis.

National

Jon Heyman writes that Jose Reyes is a much more likely target for the Marlins to land than Albert Pujols. Heyman also continues to report that he doesn’t expect the Cardinals to increase their Pujols bid much, if at all.

Forbes.com’s Nathan Vardi writes about Jeffrey Loria’s process of getting a stadium built in Miami and how it may help him to sign big free agents, perhaps Pujols?

Josh Alper writes at NBCDFW.com that silence from the Rangers after announcing they wouldn’t pursue Prince Fielder or Pujols could be viewed as a bad sign.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says that the Yankees’ Brian Cashman hasn’t called Pujols, and “has no plans to do so anytime soon.”

Preston Barclay predicts, in Georgetown University’s The Hoya, that Pujols will return to the Cardinals.

At USA Today’s Daily Pitch, Gabe Lacques wonders if the Marlins can pull off a free agency coup similar to their cross-town basketball counterparts, led by signing Pujols.

Dylan Hernandez writes that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti doesn’t expect to pursue Pujols (or Fielder for that matter).

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reckons the Pujols or Fielder debate this way: “If you’re a general manager with money to burn, does it really matter? Just pick one.”

Stan McNeal of the Sporting News reaffirms that the Cards and Pujols plan to negotiate in private. No surprise there.

Blogs

At Beyond the Box Score, Jeff Zimmerman makes the case that signing Pujols would be counter-productive for the Cubs – that his most productive and valuable years under this new contract would be wasted with a rebuilding Cubs team.

—–

Have more Pujols links to share?  Post them in the comments below!

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Follow @PitchersHit8th on Twitter and get the Daily Pujols as soon as it’s posted!

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

On the morning of January 19th, I started collecting links – as many as I can find with minimal effort – that discuss the Albert Pujols contract discussions. Why? Who knows, yet here they are. Oh, and to serve you all, our three loyal readers! The Daily Pujols certainly won’t be a comprehensive list, but between local, national, and blog coverage, maybe you’ll find something here you otherwise wouldn’t. Without further delay, here is today’s Daily Pujols…

Local

Matthew Leach puts into black and white print (well, on a screen at least) what many Cardinal fans hoped and prayed they’d never see: “Pujols is now able to talk terms with any and every team in baseball…”

Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch talked to Cards Chairman Bill DeWitt, and strangely enough, Pujols’ free agency came up…

National

Tony Paul of The Detroit News lists Pujols as the top available free agent (duh) and predicts that he stays in St. Louis for eight years, $200 million. Sold.

SI.com’s Cliff Corcoran runs down the entire NL Central in a Hot Stove Preview. (It includes Pujols.)

Matt Mosley Of FoxSportsSouthwest.com quotes Texas GM Jon Daniels as saying, regarding Pujols: “It’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

A review of free-agent infielders at USA Today also contains a prediction that Pujols remains a Cardinal.

Lots of folks at CBSSports.com think Pujols returns to the Cards. One thinks Yankees (but he’s trolling) and another thinks Marlins.

Ken Rosenthal says that signing Pujols or Fielder could make sense for the Dodgers, regardless of who owns the team going forward. (I tend to agree.)

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said on the Dan Patrick Show that the Yanks aren’t likely to pursue Pujols and will go after pitching instead. As I recall, they weren’t going to go after Mark Teixeira either, right?

Brian McTaggart wrote about Pujols and Fielder at MLB.com – the chart at the right caught my eye. Look at those ridiculous WAR numbers. Pretty.

Jon Heyman says that the Cards’ offer to AP will remain the same, and there is little wiggle room. But maybe there’s wiggle room, with their coffers full from winning the World Series. Which is it, Jon?

Blogs

Camden Depot has a truly fascinating look at depreciation of a Pujols contract versus a Prince Fielder contract at various numbers of years and various amounts of money. It’s worth a read.

OMG! Albert and Deidre Pujols were at the airport in St. Louis! (Deadspin link, language)

Ryan Campbell lays out a scenario at Fangraphs in which the Cards could reasonably improve without signing Pujols. It would still cost a lot of money.

—–

Have more Pujols links to share?  Post them in the comments below!

Want to read the previous Dailies?  You can find them all here.

Follow @PitchersHit8th on Twitter and get the Daily Pujols as soon as it’s posted!

World Series Game Seven’s are best watched from the edge of a seat.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I learned that last night as the Cardinals slowly, systematically – thankfully – secured their eleventh World Championship in franchise history.

What a game. What a series. What a season.

The Texas Rangers were the perfect, formidable foe for this season’s Fall Classic. Strong offense, good pitching, a manager invested in his players and his organization, almost to a fault. Sound familiar?

After Game Six’s epic, classic finish the discussion, as tends to happen, turned to momentum and how the Rangers would respond. The answer? By putting the Cardinals behind early, yet again. They were not going to allow the prior disappointment affect their pursuit of a celebration – their pursuit of being immortalized among the great teams in Major League Baseball history. Sound familiar?

Like a thief in the night, David Freese once again pulled momentum and a lead from the Texas team and faithful – more than one person watching wrote on Twitter that they expected Freese to come through there – as if it were written somewhere, say, the stars? (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

And so the score was 2-2 until Freese’s contemporary, the guy who had just as unexpectedly as Freese helped propel the Cardinals into such a position, into this opportunity of a lifetime, stepped to the plate. And like Freese on Thursday night in Game Six, it only took one good swing for Allen Craig to make Cardinals fans believe that this improbable dream, this improbable season could end so positively.

It seemed fitting that for such a backward season, one that was turned upside down for the Cardinals in mid-season, then right-side up on the last day of the regular season – the Cards would once again make something of nothing in the fifth inning. Not long removed from the manager’s disembowelment of the movie Moneyball and its focus on on-base percentage, the Cards would score two runs in the fifth inning without getting a hit. Fitting.

By that time, the buzz was rising in Busch Stadium III. The body language was looking weary and beaten in the Texas dugout. The strike zone seemed to be shrinking. Before long, the Cardinals found themselves in the same position as the Rangers were on Thursday night. Six outs. Then five. And so on, until only one out remained between Jason Motte, Yadier Molina, and the rest of their teammates finding a cool spot on the ground to celebrate.

“Come on, baby!”

Jeff Passan says that Motte said “Come get some!” as Yadi approached the mound. My amateur lip-reading skills saw “Come on, baby!” Nevermind, it was awesome.

So it was that the Cards’ thick-bearded closer had set the opponent down in a deciding Game Seven, in St. Louis, in front of the home faithful. Sound familiar?

I mentioned yesterday before the game that we as Cardinal fans have been, and continue to be, spoiled. Thank you, Cardinals. Thank you Bill DeWitt. Thank you John Mozeliak. Thank you Tony La Russa.

Thank you Chris Carpenter – if only your ovation last night could’ve gone on longer. What a masterful performance.

Thank you David Freese – you’re living not only your boyhood dream, but that same dream for many of us.

Thank you Allen Craig – I sincerely hope you are rewarded with six hundred at-bats next season.

Thank you Yadier Molina – just, you know, for everything.

Thank you Jason Motte – for being the best not-closer in baseball for the last two months.

Thank you Lance Berkman – for finding the fountain of youth and sprinkling just a little on the rest of this team. See you next season.

Thank you Texas Rangers – for providing all of us with such a great spectacle of sport, and doing it with class. See you next season, same time and place?

Thank you Cardinal fans, everyone who reads this site, follows us on Twitter, and all the amazing well-wishes and congratulations I’ve received (even though I didn’t do anything) since last night’s final out.

Thank you Dennis and Josh – this site is infinitely better for your work on it. I know you will enjoy this as much as I am.

The St. Louis Cardinals are the World Champions for 2011. Happy flight.

“What are you doing here?”

Tony La Russa to Lance Lynn, Game 5

It’s been a punch line since Monday night, but viewed in a different light, that line – that question – is really a microcosm of how the Cardinals’ 2011 season has turned out, no?

They weren’t supposed to be here.

Ten-and-a-half games back of the Brewers on September 5th. Eight-and-a-half back of the NL Wild Card-leading Braves. Yours truly had all but written the Cards off in the middle of August, albeit leaving that “never give up hope” door open on my way out…

I didn’t intend for this to come off as an obituary for the 2011 Cardinals.  Not yet.  Lots of baseball to be played, and stranger things have happened.  I’m still watching every game, and I hope you will too.

My goodness, I’m glad I didn’t cancel my MLB.tv subscription the next day. We all know how September turned out. It, among other wins and wonderful evenings along the way, have allowed me to write this post.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

Well, of course just getting into the playoffs was a taxing ordeal for a team that battled through injuries and various kerfuffles (both self-inflicted and otherwise) – surely they would be no match for the Phillies in the Divisional Series. After all, the Phillies had been pretty much awarded a bye into the World Series by most writers, fans, and otherwise (and I’m not being critical, I mean, why not?).

Yet in five games, the Cards dispatched of the Philadelphia contingent. All the while long, the loose Redbirds seemed to be finally having fun. Enjoying their magical run, finally evolving into the team that many in Saint Louis had hoped for and expected in April.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

So onward it was, this time to face the divisional rival Brewers. Again, conventional wisdom had already pegged the Cards’ story as exceptional to this point – surely this Cinderella run would end. After all, the Brewers had laid waste to the Cardinals and the rest of the NL Central in such convincing fashion during the regular season that their path to the World Series contained only a tiny yellow warning sign warning of the speed-bump-ish Cardinals.

Six games later, Cinderella still had a firm grasp on her slipper.  Onward again, this time to face another team of destiny.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

Trading wins with the Texas Rangers has been exasperating for fans of both teams. The Cardinals surely had the series locked up after demoralizing the Rangers in their own park in Game Three. Following an offensive outage and embarrassing game management in Game Five, the Cardinals were left for dead.

By the ninth inning of last night’s Game Six, it was all over but for the shouting. Joe Strauss reported today that La Russa had phoned the bullpen to remind pitchers that they had post-game obligations to a program for the fans in the event of a loss. Rangers family and friends gathered outside the visitor’s clubhouse in anticipation. Photos of the Texas clubhouse from after last night’s game indicate there was plastic sheeting hung already.

Then David Freese happened.  And Lance Berkman happened.  And Freese again.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

Bill Ivie wrote a fantastic post at I70 Baseball today that summed up my thoughts on Freese’s Game Six exploits perfectly.

It brought back memories of me in my own backyard, Wiffle bat in hand (the official yellow one, is there any other?!), my lineup card made out (featuring Tom Herr, Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith, Tom Brunansky, et al – a veritable All-Star team of 1980′s and 1990′s Cardinals) and mashing home runs over the neighbor’s chain link fence at the other end of the yard.

David Freese wasn’t supposed to be here either, remember? He quit baseball. Had lost the love, the desire. But it crept back in, and he found himself bouncing around the minor leagues with the Padres. I read a story Freese told about receiving the news he had been traded to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds from a friend, believing that he was the victim of a prank. Then the phone rang again and it was San Diego’s front office with the notification…you’re going to the Cardinals.

A few years and too many injury heartbreaks to count later, here Freese is, on baseball’s largest stage – and he owned it.

They weren’t supposed to be here.

So now we wait, anticipating the first – and ultimately, last – pitch of Game Seven of the 2011 World Series. And the Cardinals are still playing.

It’s easy to continue the same refrain that I adopted from the moment the Cardinals clinched a playoff spot in Houston exactly one month ago. They’re playing with house money – how could you get upset with the ultimate result of this season, regardless of how it pans out?

No doubt, Cardinals fans have experienced an embarrassment of riches in performance, playoffs, and World Series appearances in almost every generation. Mine is no different – multiple playoff appearances, extended success, six (!) World Series berths, and they’ve won it all twice. It rouses feelings of anger and jealousy in fans of other teams, and we don’t always deal with either well – we’re spoiled. Admit it. Spoiled. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let those expectations falter because someone else thinks I should.

Forget all the nonsense you usually hear or read about “must-win” games. Game Seven is the definition of must-win. The Redbirds have faced it three other times already this season. They have won all three, with Chris Carpenter leading the way in two. He’ll take the mound again tonight, only this time

must-win means you’re going home either way – just with varying levels of satisfaction.

So here we sit, Game Seven looming. I’m no longer satisfied with house money. After the euphoria of Freese’s walk-off home run in Game Six wore off, as I sat in awe of last night’s game today pondering, wondering what would happen tonight – I got greedy. House money is for those expecting to hand it back. The Cardinals aren’t prepared to do that, and no longer am I.

Thank goodness no one told this Cardinals team that they weren’t supposed to be here.

Too many things are still floating through my head after last night’s magic and thankfully, I have that little distraction called work to get me right up to Game 7.

No matter how many times this story started writing itself during the back and forth of possibly the greatest World Series finish, a Hollywood ending was predicted by none other than my wonderful wife. She never lost her faith even though getting down to the last strike twice should have spelled doom.

Instead, we will all remember this one for the rest of our lives.

Much like a great movie, the Cardinals overcame every obstacle and now are nine innings from #11in11. Two themes keep playing in my head no matter how many times I attempt to move on to tonight’s winner-take-all.

In 2004 the AL Champs celebrated a title at Busch II which was painful to watch from Iraq. Instead of focusing on a comeback, my mind drifted to seeing Texas partying under the Arch. You want to hate the Rangers, or at least I do, but admit it — this series could go on for a month!

Two worthy competitors with respect for each other gutting it out sounds a lot like a movie script, and that leads to the second half of my thought process. Every other city/team gets love at the cinema, but the flicks with even a small baseball theme fly right over the Gateway to the West.

Unless it only takes a little two-month stretch of history to make it happen!

Before it is reader participation time, I do grant that this is out there somewhere. TLR and Co. will surely trade any amount of press from an August series with the Cubs for a storybook finish in 2011.

It is time to write the ending, but I will need all the help I can get. Movies are another love of mine, and this time our three loyal readers get to pick the script. The cinema list that includes baseball expands well past my knowledge base, and that is where I need your help.

Kevin Costner always wanted to be a ‘ball player, and his film choices are a small reminder of how powerful sports can influence life. Of all the clips that float around my head, one scene in particular always brings me back to St. Louis every time.

Billy Chapel: The game doesn’t stink, Mr. Wheeler. It’s a great game

That is LaRussa in a nutshell for me, hands down. He deserves all the credit in my opinion for getting the Birds on the Bat in this position, and his drive makes the players even better. It is a great game and now we all get to enjoy one more.

Either in the comments, on the PH8 Facebook page, or via Twitter give us your favorite baseball movie/scene and which Cardinal it reminds you of.

Bringing this to a close, it has been one of my greatest thrills to have even a small part in all this fun. We here at PH8 could not have written a better script and surely didn’t fathom this way back in April when we all met. Let me just say to Nick and Dennis — been an amazing ride, enjoy tonight my friends!

Two main points caught my attention right after Game 2 while the ending took more time to evaluate. The 2011 World Series is far from over, thanks in part to the huge play of Jaime Garcia and Allen Craig. Both of the young Cardinals introduced themselves to the rest of baseball on the largest stage possible, and now it is up to Craig and the rest of the St. Louis bats to get Garcia another start.

Taking at least one of the next two games becomes even more vital with nearly all of the momentum squarely in the corner of the American League Champs. Getting to the bullpen early bodes well for the Birds on the Bat, something surely on the mind of their new RF.

Most of the headlines today centered around the finish but overlooking Craig any longer may cause Texas another very long winter. With the next three at the Rangers’ HR Derby park, the Cards add another potent bat to the stacked lineup. Craig slots very nicely into the second spot, allowing the lefties to slide down for the trio of southpaws.

Not to be outdone, a certain lefty had his A+ game on display in mowing down the potent Texas order. What Garcia also did was show the rest of the staff that the big, bad Rangers do have some weaknesses after all.

St. Louis can’t help what happened in blowing Garcia’s best effort this postseason. Tony LaRussa gets the big bucks by giving the fans get one more chance to honk, with a huge mental contest on tap Saturday. As loud as Busch got the first two games, the saying goes things are bigger in Texas. With a real chance to have Carp and Garcia back-to-back again with Championship number 11 on the line is more than anyone could have asked for the beginning of October.

Here’s hoping the only cheering Rangers’ fans get to witness this weekend comes out of the visiting dugout.

Image by WebbShots via Flickr

How fitting that in the “Year of the Pitcher” we would be tasked with casting a ballot for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance’s Walter Johnson Award, choosing the top pitcher of the season for the National League.

Thankfully, this award is also based upon the regular season, which keeps us within the “Year of the Pitcher” and not the “Postseason of the Five-and-Dive”.

My ballot:

1. Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

Admit it, this was your pick before the season started.  I know Halladay was mine.  Yet when I sat down to make out this ballot, I knew that Kershaw had a fabulous season for the Dodgers and might challenge Doc.

I was wrong.  Kershaw’s pitching Triple Crown season was a great one.  Halladay’s season was better.

Halladay pitched as many innings with one fewer start, had a sick 6.29 K/BB ratio, and out-performed Kershaw in pretty much every metric that makes an attempt to measure pitching independent of fielding and other factors.

I certainly wouldn’t begrudge you a Kershaw vote here, but mine is Halladay.

2. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

As previously mentioned, Kershaw had an incredible, breakout season pitching for the Dodgers.  He was dominant, posting 9.7 K/9 while tying for the league lead in wins and leading the league in strikeouts and ERA.  In any other season, or any other league, he’s likely the winner.

Oh yeah, and a 0.98 WHIP for a starter over the course of a season is gross.  Just gross.

3. Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

When Josh and I spoke with Eric Seidman from Brotherly Glove before the NLDS against the Phillies, Eric made a comment something to the effect of “how Cliff Lee continues to get outs and be successful with just decent stuff and pounding the zone” – I’m paraphrasing of course, but the gist of the discussion was how Lee manages to be so excellent year-in-and-year-out without really electric stuff and throwing as many strikes as he does (Lee led the National League in pitches hitting the strike zone, at 55.3%).  Cardinal fans are familiar with this, as the Redbirds took advantage of all those strikes in the NLDS, battering Lee around for a bunch of hits.

Yet come the end of the season, Lee had again lapped most of the field with his performance, collecting 17 wins (his most since 2008) and a 2.60 FIP – good for third in the NL behind Halladay and Kershaw.

4. Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks

Everyone’s out-of-nowhere darling pick tied Kershaw for the league lead in wins.  But of all the candidates on my ballot, Kennedy depended the most on his defense to win games.  The lowest K/9 rate, the highest BB/9 rate, and a seemingly unsustainable success rate in getting flyball outs (Kennedy had a 38.6% groundball rate, but only 7.7% of the flyballs went over the fence) all left Kennedy’s season behind the previous three pitchers, in my opinion.

All of that said, hard to take away a 21-4 season from a staff ace that helped lead his team to the playoffs when many predicted them to be second division.

5. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants

Here’s my dark horse pick.  Stick with me for a minute…

In the vein of Felix Hernandez last season, Bumgarner’s counting stats weren’t that great – he finished 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA.  Dig a little deeper though and you find the 2.67 FIP, the 5.5 WAR (fourth among NL starting pitchers), and a walk rate lower than Kershaw’s.

I hate to go here, because I know these awards are meant to reward what actually happened on the field – but I can’t get over Bumgarner’s .322 BABIP against.  Unlucky?  Consider Kershaw’s .269, Kennedy’s .270, or even teammate Matt Cain‘s .260 and it’s easy to see an alternate ending to this season for Bumgarner’s win-loss record, and perhaps his Giants team.

This was a really tough ballot to assemble, and there are another handful of very deserving pitchers left off – I’ll be curious to see how the rest of the Alliance bloggers vote.

What’s your ballot?  Post it in the comments below…

This post was sponsored (but certainly not influenced) by the JUGS Sports Pitching Machine.

Image via Wikipedia

Been collecting links (and a few other goodies) all day in the interest of sharing with you loyal three readers…

Patrick Rishe writes at Forbes.com that he believes the Cards’ deep run into the playoffs and World Series appearance further cements the chances that Albert Pujols will re-sign with St. Louis.

At the Mariners blog Lookout Landing, Jeff Sullivan recounts the Cards’ improbable comeback to win the NL Wild Card and addresses the age-old “pitching wins championships” adage.

St. Louis’ very own Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recapped the Cardinals walking the walk, while letting the Brewers do all of the talking.

A Cubs blogger thinks that Carlos Marmol should receive a playoff share from the Cards.

Jason Keidel at CBSNewYork.com pens a nice complimentary piece on Tony La Russa, but not before going out of his way to more or less discount the Cardinals as a lucky, out-of-their-element also-ran.  Name four starters other than Pujols, Jason?  Lance Berkman, you know, used to be a Yankee?  Chris Carpenter, the guy who dominated Philly?  Matt Holliday?  And what about this guy who just won the NLCS MVP – David Freese?  Wishing that there was a Championship Series MVP in New York this season, Jason?

ESPN.com’s SweetSpot blog-meister David Schoenfield put together summaries of how each roster was assembled – both Cardinals and Rangers.

Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports measures the two clubs up against each other and thinks that the Rangers have an advantage, comparing position-by-position.

The Sporting News’ Stan McNeal thinks both clubs are well-suited to adapt to the other’s league’s rules regarding the designated hitter.  (For once, the Cardinals are in a pretty good place with the DH. Hi Allen Craig!)

For those of you on the Twitter – Aaron Gleeman assembled a couple of “Who to follow” posts at Hardball Talk today – Cardinals and Rangers.  (NOTE: Possible shameless plug here, but if you’re already reading, you’re already following. Right?)

Now for the goodies…

Maybe you’ve already seen the treasure trove of Cardinal related songs at InsideSTL.com and already know that the Cardinals are coming (tra-la, tra-la).  But what is also coming are new songs, one after the other, and these dudes are getting serious.

We’ve got steady increases in production value and the lyrics keep getting tighter.

First contestant, Birds on my Bat:

Then the followup from Tretter, This Bud’s For You:

Finally, St. Louis-based rapper Vega unleashed Go Cards (Rally Song):

So now I put it to you, loyal readers – which song are you buying?

I’ll admit that my interest in the Rangers this year was primarily due to the fact that I had CJ Wilson, Matt Harrison, Colby Lewis, Alexi Ogando, David Murphy, and Mitch Moreland each on a fantasy baseball team at one time or another.  Following them more closely than ever, I could help but have a singular thought for most of the season.  The Rangers are constructed a lot like the Brewers, only they are better than the Brewers in many ways.  The Brewers have solid starting pitching, great back-end relief  pitching, poor defense, and an offense that can bash with the best of them.  The Rangers have slightly better starting pitching, great back-end relief pitching, sub-par defense, and an offense that can bash as well.  If the Brewers can be beaten, then the Rangers can be beaten as well.

Rangers Starting Pitching:  The starting 4 for the Rangers may not be quite as intimidating as Philly’s “Big 4″, but they could pose just as big of a challenge.  Consider that 3 of the 4 starters are lefties, and the Cardinals went 20-20 against left-handed starters during the regular season.  Playing .500 ball against the likes of CJ Wilson, Derek Holland, and Matt Harrison would not necessarily be a bad thing, but the Birds would still have to beat Colby Lewis to win the race to 4.  Lewis has likely been the best of the 4 starters during the playoffs, so getting to Lewis won’t be easy.  If there is a reason for optimism, it is that the starters have not been quite as good in the postseason as they were in the regular season.

• CJ Wilson (16-9, 2.94 ERA, 1.187 WHIP) -  0-2 with a 8.04 ERA (1.85 WHIP) in the playoffs
• Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40 ERA, 1.213 WHIP) -  1-1 with a 3.86 ERA (1.11 WHIP) in the playoffs
• Derek Holland (16-5, 3.95 ERA, 1.354 WHIP) -  1-0 with a 5.27 ERA (1.76 WHIP) in the playoffs
• Matt Harrison (14-9, 3.39 ERA, 1.276 WHIP) -  1-0 with a 4.22 ERA (1.41 WHIP) in the playoffs

If the Cardinals continue to favor the long ball, they could certainly run into trouble with both Wilson and Harrison, because neither is prone to giving up the home run ball.  The long ball may be the key to beating Lewis, though.  He surrendered 35 home runs during the regular season, and he gave up 3 more in just 11 2/3 innings in the ALDS and ALCS combined.

Cardinals Starting Pitching:  If there is an area of great concern for Cardinal fans, it should definitely be the starting pitching.  Based on the number of innings the starters threw in the NLCS, the starters need to step it up a notch (or 3) to get past the dreaded 5th inning.

• NLCS Game 1 – Jaime Garcia made it through just 4 innings and gave up 6 runs in the process (82 pitches)
• NLCS Game 2 – Edwin Jackson goes 4 1/3 innings while giving up 2 runs (82 pitches)
• NLCS Game 3 – Chris Carpenter surrenders 3 runs in 5 innings (89 pitches)
• NLCS Game 4 – Kyle Lohse is lifted after 4 1/3 innings and 3 runs (81 pitches)
• NLCS Game 5 – Garcia almost makes it 5 innings (4 2/3) and yields only a single run (68 pitches)
• NLCS Game 6 – Edwin Jackson gets through 2 innings, gives up 4 runs, and is lifted after 48 pitches

During the 2011 regular season, Cardinal starters made it through the 6th inning 107 times.  The Cardinals were 65-42 in those games.

Rangers Hitting:  It’s no secret that the Rangers can put runs on the board, and they were 3rd in runs scored during the regular season with 855.  They were also 1st in batting average as a team (.283), 5th in OBP (.340), and 2nd in slugging percentage (.460).  The bad news for the Cardinals is that they haven’t cooled off much in the playoffs, despite facing some outstanding pitchers.  During this postseason, the Rangers are collectively batting .259 with an OBP of .330 and a slugging percentage of .434.  The potential good news for the Cardinals is that the Rangers will be without the use of a designated hitter when they play at Busch.

Cardinals Hitting:  If there is a National League team that somewhat resembles an American League team, it is indeed the Cardinals.  The Cardinals finished the regular season 5th in runs scored (762), 5th in batting average (.273), 3rd in OBP (.341), and 6th in slugging percentage (.425).  If a game becomes a slugfest, the Cardinals are not completely lacking in weapons.  Against the Ranger lefties, Tony LaRussa has the option of going with Ryan Theriot (.350 avg in the playoffs) at 2B, and he will have the luxury of keeping both Lance Berkman and Allen Craig in the lineup when the series shifts to Texas.  If the Cardinals are facing a left-hander in Texas, then TLR can keep Schumaker, Descalso, and Punto on the bench which gives him a lot of flexibility to mix-and-match in later innings.  Each member of that trio can be substituted into the game without losing defensive ability at a key position, and that may be an area in which the Cardinals have an advantage.

Rangers Bullpen:  The Rangers resemble the team the Cardinals just played in several ways, and the bullpen is definitely an area of great similarity.  Just like the Cardinals needed to avoid deficits late in the game that brought Takashi Saito, Francisco Rodriguez, and John Axford, so must they avoid the same scenario against the Rangers.  The back end of that Ranger bullpen contains Scott Feldman, Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams, and Neftali Feliz.  With the ability of Feldman and Ogando to go multiple innings, it’s no stretch to say that the Rangers can turn some games into 6 inning affairs.  If I hadn’t seen what the Cardinals bullpen has accomplished recently, I would give the Rangers a big bullpen advantage with the aforementioned foursome and guys like Darren Oliver for key matchup situations.  However, it would be a mistake to ignore what the Cardinal relievers have been doing.

Cardinals Bullpen:  All that the Cardinal bullpen has been doing recently is shutting people down.  As a group, they pitched more innings against the Brewers than the starters did, and they did so at a very high level.  Sadly, that fact has me questioning how much is left in the tank at this point.  Jason Motte, Fernando Salas, and Octavio Dotel have looked really sharp all throughout the playoffs, and it seems that TLR has a lot of faith in all 3.  Arthur Rhodes has been brilliant in spots, but he’s only pitched a total of 1 2/3 innings in 5 appearances.  Mitchell Boggs and Marc Rzepczynski are the big question marks primarily due to the amount of exposure recently.  Normally, I wouldn’t be worried about 3 1/3 innings for Rzepczynski and 5 innings for Boggs, but Boggs has made a lot of appearances this year, and Rzepczysnki leads the team in appearances this postseason with 8 relief stints.

The Benches:  The Rangers have had 12 different players take swings for them during the postseason.  By comparison, the Cardinals have had 14 different position players go to the plate, and that doesn’t include 22 at-bats by pitchers.  Defensively, the Rangers have relied heavily on their starting 8, so guys like Endy Chavez and Yorvit Torrealba haven’t seen much playing time.  If a game stays close (or tied), I can’t help but think that the Cardinals have a slight advantage due to the number of reps the bench players have received.

Managers:  When it comes to pushing buttons, nobody pushes more buttons than Tony LaRussa.  If a game comes down to double switches, safety squeezes, and pitchers being used as pinch runners, TLR has the experience advantage.  That doesn’t mean that he gives his team a managerial advantage, though.  Ron Washington can do work on the other side of the field.  Call this category a “push”, because it just wouldn’t do to slight either one of these guys.

Keys to the Series:  Maybe there is a lot of truth to the old saying that “pitching wins championships”.  Perhaps that should be amended to “relief pitching wins championships” after this postseason.  Based on what I’ve seen during the playoffs, I believe that the Rangers have an advantage in the starting pitching department, but that advantage isn’t huge.  The real difference-maker for the Rangers is a high scoring offense that will likely score its share of runs.  If that offense can score in bunches, then the Cardinals may not be long for the series.  The counter to the perceived starting pitching advantage is that the Cardinals don’t need 7 great starts – they just need 4 really good ones.  If the Cardinal starters can make it 6 innings and keep it close, I think that the advantage shifts to the Cardinals.

Key Players:  For the Rangers, it’s all about their starting pitching.  As the Tigers and Rays can both attest, it is really difficult to pitch around Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, and Michael Young, because Mike Napoli, Ian Kinsler, and David Murphy will produce.  For the Cardinals, they need some quality starts and enough production throughout the lineup to keep the pressure on the Rangers.  That means that Lance Berkman (.237 avg), Allen Craig (.222), Jon Jay (.216), and Rafael Furcal (.204) need to bring their “hittin’ bats” to the World Series to help David Freese, Matt Holliday, and Albert Pujols, and Yadier Molina keep the Cardinals in contention for that 11th World Series title.

Pick:  Cardinals in 7 games.  The Rangers are a slightly better version of the Brewers with more left-handed pitchers, and the Cardinals beat the Brewers in 6 games despite having terrible starting pitching.  The pitching will improve, and the Cardinals will get just enough timely defense to take the series.

TIDBIT:  The Cardinals are averaging just 3.27 pitches per plate appearance in the playoffs.  The Rangers are averaging 3.71 P/PA.  Watch this statistic for the Cardinals as they face big time strikeout pitchers like Wilson, Harrison, and Lewis.  The Cardinals have been fairly aggressive early in the count, and it has paid off, especially for guys like Pujols and Freese.  See if they continue the trend or not.

Follow gr33nazn on Twitter for more serious tidbits about teh baseball!

Evidently being the favorite just doesn’t suit the 2011 edition, so it is back to square one as far as these Cardinals are concerned. And as much as it pains me to write this, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

St. Louis gets to go out with a bang, fitting since the opposite can be said for most of the past two months. In this best-of-three series, none of the Milwaukee starters posed a problem for the top NL offense the first time around.

Of course it isn’t all positive, given the Cards have needed at least four innings from the bullpen the last two outings. It won’t be classified as an elimination game tonight, but the Brewers have already passed their biggest mental hurdle. Jaime Garcia, on the other hand, takes the hill aiming to show how Game 1 nearly worked out as Tony LaRussa planned.

With a typical Busch start, Garcia can let his offense do the rest and put the series in the capable hands of Edwin Jackson. Milwaukee’s two stars did most of the damage in the opener, something that must be minimized to give Albert Pujols another run at a World Series.

As Pip from Fungoes tells us, the fifth inning struggles for St. Louis continue putting the pressure on the next game’s starter. Instead of dragging up the NLCS stats, the rotation should look at the work done to get here. Anchored by Chris Carpenter, the three best hurlers are again lined up when the Cards need them.

Garcia must throw like he did against the Phils for the games to matter at Miller Park. Matt Holliday and David Freese are hot at the right time, and the roster needs an energy boost after Game 4. TLR has brought teams this far before, one huge benefit over the opposing skipper.

All eyes are on Busch tonight, and I leave the three loyal viewers with this: what will the scene be like after the pivotal Game 5? Will everyone be Honkin‘ or will the visitors be taking their Monster party strait to the airport?

Image via Wikipedia

Late last night/early this morning, we posted our 1982/2011 Cards and Brewers roster mash-ups.

The idea behind this undertaking is to find the best players, hitters, and pitchers from the 1982 and 2011 Milwaukee Brewers teams and make a roster with them – same for the 1982 and 2011 Cardinals.

Now it’s time for the pitchers…

What, then, to make of these groups?

First glance gives the starting pitching advantage to the Redbirds on the strength of Andujar and Carpenter – particularly when you’re only using three or four starters in a seven game series.

Bullpen nod is probably to the Brewers with Greinke, Fingers, and Axford able to provide a formidable shut-down Crew.

An injury-shortened 2011 pushes Greinke to the bullpen, but boy what a weapon there.

You’ll also note that I’m carrying fifteen position players/batters and only ten pitchers for each squad.  Well, that’s because there are guys like Sutter, Bair, Fingers, and Slaton around.  Relievers who can throw multiple innings, maybe even a three-inning save here and there.

The Cards have no left-handed starting pitchers, the Brewers with no left-handers in the bullpen.  Both have pretty good long men in LaPoint and Greinke.

What say you, Cardinal and Brewer fans?  Agree or disagree with these staffs?  Let me know in the comments below!