“ALS” stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.  In baseball circles it’s often better known as ”Lou Gehrig’s Disease”.  In the tiny part of my brain that entertains thoughts about my own mortality, it’s grouped with things like cancer, tragic accidents, and violent crimes.  If there was a way to humanize such things, I would kick them in the groin with steel-toed work boots, and then I’d keep kicking them until my leg fell off.  After that, I’d just start kicking them with my other leg.  At some point, I’d look like that one knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Yes, I’m typically a sarcastic, practically unstoppable force of pessimism on the move from one rant to another.  Things like ALS simply give me something on which to focus all of my energies for a short time.  If there is a better cause than that of trying to improve the human condition, then I’m not currently aware of it.  If we can collectively lift up others without pushing others down, then I’m all for it. 

St. Louis has an ALS Association Regional Chapter.  Did you know that?  That chapter sponsors an Annual St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS®.  This year’s walk will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2011, at Forest Park.  Music will be provided by the Lightnin’ Bottle Band.  They may not be Lada Gaga, but at least they probably won’t show up on stage dressed as eggs.  If you are interested in registering as a team or as an individual, please go to www.walktodefeatals.org, or call The Association’s office at 314.432.7257.  If you already have plans but things change at the last minute, I understand that you can show up from 9:00-10:00 am the day of the Walk and sign up then as well.  The Walk begins promptly at 10:00 am.  There is a 1 and 3-mile route, but participants are not required to walk the entire route to participate.  Actually, you can probably skip, sashay, or even samba the entire distance for either route, and I doubt that you’ll hear too many complaints.  All participants will receive a Walk to Defeat ALS® t-shirt for raising $25 or more. 

The Walk starts and finishes in front of the Visitor/Education Center in Forest Park.  Amazingly, it is one of 180 walks scheduled this year by ALS Association Chapters nationwide to increase awareness for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and raise funds for local patient programs and national research.  The St. Louis Chapter’s additional 2011 walks are in Peoria, IL and Springfield, IL.  This year’s goal is to raise over $300,000 at the St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS®.  If you are really motivated and enjoy walking, you can try to attend more than 1 walk.  Better yet, just send more money. 

Over the last year the number of patients The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter serves increased approximately 13%.  The Association provides patients and families with respite care; equipment loan, family mentor, augmentative communication and assistive technology programs; nutritional supplement, transportation and emergency assistance.  Caregiver recognition, community partnership programs, and a pen pal program for children are also provided.  The Association has provided information and education to over 2,000 in the medical community through healthcare newsletters, in-services, seminars and various mailings.  The ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter provides programs and services, at no cost, to ALS patients and their families in Eastern Missouri as well as Central and Southern Illinois.

Each year, approximately 6,000 Americans will hear the frightening words, “You have ALS,” and approximately 6,000 Americans will die from ALS each year.  ALS is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe.  ALS has no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries.  There is currently no cure for ALS and the cause is undetermined.  ALS is usually fatal within two to five years after diagnosis.  Perhaps no better example of how quickly ALS can rob a person of life has existed than the example of Gehrig himself.  His decline from seemingly indestructible man to his passing took about 2 years from the time of his diagnosis. 

For the record, it was actually on July 4, 1939 that Gehrig gave his famous speech which has come to be known as “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth” speech.  He passed away on June 2, 1941, just 17 days shy of his 38th birthday.  Click on the link below for the clip of Gehrig’s speech. 

Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth

In the video, Gehrig looks like the picture of ideal health.  It’s hard to believe that he was gone less than 2 years later.  If we have the ability as a people to make a change for the greater good, then I believe that we have the responsibility to make that change.  Let’s take a swing a swing at ALS.  Better yet, let’s make it a BIG swing.  I subscribe to theory that you should swing hard just in case you hit something.  A good friend of mine (@cardsfreak5 on Twitter) already has a team started.  If you are interested in joining her team, just click the link here.  She’s actively involved in fundraising for ALS work every year, and she’s also a huge Cardinals fan.  She knows a little something about taking a swing at a challenging opponent, so please help her out.

For additional information about the St. Louis Walk to Defeat ALS® on June 25, 2011, please contact Angela Rickard, Development Associate, at 314.432.7257 or arickard@alsastl.org

One of the (many) positive experiences we had at the Cardinals’ recent Blogger Event (otherwise known as UCB Weekend) was having the opportunity to speak with Cards Director of Public Relations and Civic Affairs, Ron Watermon.  Ron has been gracious enough to include us on the distribution list for the team’s press releases and media advisories – one of which I’m happy to share below.

The St. Louis area has been in the news lately, and not for great reasons – the recent severe weather in the area has left many without homes and facing a tough recovery.

As I’m sure many of you have already seen by now, the Cardinals and their charitable foundation Cardinals Care have pledged a total of $30,000 to tornado relief efforts in the area.

From the release:

ST. LOUIS (April 23, 2011) – The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon that the team and its charitable foundation Cardinals Care will make donations to the American Red Cross to assist them with their efforts to help the families devastated by yesterday’s tornados in the St. Louis area.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends and neighbors tonight,” said Bill DeWitt III, the President of the Cardinals. “We want to do our part to immediately help these families begin the process of rebuilding their lives.”

The team has pledged $30,000 to the American Red Cross, with $20,000 coming directly from the Cardinals and $10,000 from the team’s charitable foundation Cardinals Care.

…

Fans are encouraged to assist with the relief efforts and can learn more about helping the American Red Cross at www.redcrossstl.org or calling 314.516.2800.

Please visit the Red Cross site linked above and contribute to those most in need right now.

Activate the PH8 signal!

Many of you know, some of you don’t, that SABR is not just a bunch of folks sitting around coming up with new-fangled statistics meant to irritate Murray Chass. On the contrary, one of the most valuable facets of SABR is the historical research being done.

To that end, I received an e-mail yesterday from SABR member Bill Nowlin, who is in need of some assistance with a research project on a St. Louis baseball club of yesteryear.

Bill writes:

The St. Louis Public Library microtext department at the main downtown branch is apparently closed for renovations.

I volunteered to write up the game of June 3, 1875 for a book project the 19th Century Committee had in the works – the St. Louis Reds hosting the Boston Red Stockings. The game took place in St. Louis. I’ve been able to find three different accounts in Boston newspapers (I live in Boston), but so far cannot find any in newspapers in or near St. Louis.

I was able to access the St. Louis Dispatch online, but they don’t mention a thing on either June 4 or the day of the game itself.

I have to believe that some newspaper in the area provided coverage. There were, indeed, two teams from St. Louis in the National Association in 1875.

Probably there are other places which have microtext available – Independence, Columbia, other branches in St. Louis?

I would very much appreciate any assistance SABR members could provide.

Please contact me offline, if you have questions as to what I’m looking for.

Thank you.

Bill Nowlin

Know a way to find this information or someone who can? Leave a note in the comments or shoot an e-mail through the contact form.

Thanks!

…now go make me a sammich!  Seriously, I’m waiting for you to pull a rabbit (or at least a LHP) out of your hat.  I’ve just spent the last 24 hours making confetti from recycled paper for the forthcoming parade to be held next fall.  Such is the level of expectation associated with your decision to grace us with your untainted greatness for another year.  Please don’t thank me.  I had plenty of help from Marty Mason.  After all, he’s got plenty of time on his hands now. 

Wait.  Please allow me to backtrack for a moment and congratulate you for a spectacular 2010 season highlighted by a 86-76 record.  That’s quite an impressive win total for a team of nobodies.  Only a future HOF manager could possibly guide a team with a lousy run differential of +95 to such a finish.  What else could one expect of a team built around multiple All-Stars?  After all, aren’t top 3 candidates for ROY, MVP, and the CY Young award just a bit overrated anyway?  With so little power in the heart of the lineup, it must be difficult to manufacture runs.  In that light, it makes complete sense to play guys like Winn, Miles, Lopez, and Feliz as much as possible.  Their collective athleticism and respective bat speeds paid off from day one for each of them.  After all, covering less ground in the field than Prince Fielder‘s shadow seems like a huge advantage to me. 

Of course, you can’t be held accountable for everything, especially the injuries and the #ultimatefails.  You had no idea that Brad Penny would win one less game (3) than Kyle Lohse (4) in half as many starts (9).  It’s not your fault that David Freese needed rehab after rehab.  Fair enough.  Instead, I choose to give you credit for a lot of things that you did especially well.  To that end, here are 10 reasons why I don’t blame you for the 2010 season:

1. Baserunning gaffes.  You deserve credit for the awesome decisions to hit-and-run with Colby on 1st base.  He’s not really a basestealer yet, and you should know your personnel better, but I give you credit for setting him up to fail.  That’s big of you.
2. Great job handling the Colby situation.  Nearly any other manager in baseball would allow incredible raw talent like Colby to develop by playing every day.  Instead, you have decided that he needs to learn by watching less talented players in CF from the bench on occasion.  Kudos to you.
3. That one time you decided to bat Allen Craig lead-off was awesome.  He’s perfect for that spot, especially since the book on him is that he’s an RBI-producing guy with gap power.  It’s not your fault he was so much more productive hitting deeper in the lineup. 
4. Good job battering Brendan Ryan‘s confidence.  He’s only a Gold Glove quality defender at SS.  There are tons of those guys just sitting around. 
5. Wonderful work with Yadi.  He really shouldn’t have many days off or anything.  It’s a horrible idea to give reps to your backup catcher, and Yadi’s knees don’t need a break at all. 
6. Love the job you did with the bullpen this year.  More than any other year, you were great at identifying immediately when relievers did not have their “good stuff” and were ready with the quick hook.  Nobody ever noticed MacDougal or Reyes being left in too long. 
7. Awesome work managing the pace of the game.  Never once saw the tempo disrupted by your innane tactics or matchups.  Not once.
8. Definitely enjoyed those instances when you ran out of bench players.  Always great to see an “athletic” pitcher run the bases or pinch hit.  It’s not like those guys are paid to do anything else of value to the team. 
9. Always warms my heart to see the fiery side of you.  The way you make lukewarm attempts to influence the home plate umpire from the dugout is awe-inspiring.  No reason to actually get kicked out of the game like other managers do.  You’re far too valuable. 
10. Fully appreciate your unwavering support for veteran players.  Especially enjoy watching a bench full of “punch-and-judy” switch hitters.  After all, we wouldn’t want any of our AAA guys to accrue significant major league service time.  Memphis needs to be as competitive as possible. 

See, it’s not all negativity and #fail.  I really am able to see through your arrogance and stubborness to find the positives.  You aren’t coming back for 2011 simply to torment me for another year.  Instead, you are coming back to teach me about patience and the finer points of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.  32 years as a big league manager with a .535 winning percentage and 2 WS rings - I’d say that makes you a genius.  You’re practically light years ahead of Terry Francona’s .527 winning percentage and 2 WS titles, although you’re slightly behind Joe Torre’s .538 and 4 WS titles.  Now the Cardinals can focus on really important matters – like signing Miles for long relief.

Maybe the last long walk for Suppan from the Cardinals bullpen...

I’ve never warmly embraced the end of MLB’s regular season, even when the Cardinals were headed to the playoffs.  There’s just something about the end of the regular season that signals a change in the air.  It’s the unofficial beginning of “true” fall for those of us who live in denial of what the modern Gregorian calendar indicates every September.  Silly little autumnal equinox.  The only thing that you’re really good for is standing an egg on end. I taunt you.  This same trick can be accomplished on the vernal equinox as well, so you aren’t even unique. Get over yourself. Ha.  I’m done taunting.  [/childish, geekish taunting]            

In a rather futile attempt to push back fall just one more day and delay the inevitable, I decided to make the trip to my baseball paradise just one more time.  Busch Stadium called to me from far away, and I could not resist.  In an insomnia-induced stupor, I found myself searching for an unreasonably inexpensive ticket several days before the final home game.  With a bit of luck, I was able to find score something in the ”Diamond Box” area (Section 140A) where people actually come around and take food/drink orders.  Fear not, there are also plenty of people who yell “Ice cold beer!” in your ears as well.  Personally, I find that bellowing whale call highly disturbing during the peak of summer, and it’s even more annoying when the mercury barely hits 55 degrees.             

The man who covers more ground than Pedro Sandoval's shadow

For those of you unfamiliar with the last regular season home game, I’ll take a moment to familiarize you with a few small items of interest.  The final regular season home game is typically “Fan Appreciation Day”.  Every fan with a paid admission receives a voucher which may be redeemed for a ticket to a Monday-Thursday home game some time during the following season.  As an added bonus this year, fans in attendance had an opportunity prior to the game to honor stadium legend Ernie Hays.  After 40 years as the one and only organist for the St. Louis Cardinals, Ernie is calling it quits after the 2010 season.  While many of you may not be able to recognize Ernie on the street, I sincerely hope that you recognize his work.  Sure, you’re probably familiar with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “William Tell Overture”, but it’s really his signature work “Here Comes the King” that we all know and love.  After all, that’s the world-famous Budweiser advertising jingle that many of us can hum without even thinking about it.  As expected, Ernie spoke briefly before the game and was rewarded with the standing ovation that Stl. Cardinals fans afford all Stl. Cardinals legends.  Would you accept any less?  FYI – The replacement for Ernie Hays is named Dwayne Hilton.  Ernie is leaving us fans in extremely capable hands, but there’s nothing quite like the original.             

Skipperdoodle? Really? #chickcomment

Another great part of the final regular season home game is the singing of the National Anthem.  For most home games, the National Anthem is sung by a choir or performed by an ensemble from a local performance group.  For this special occasion, you have the opportunity to be a part of 40,000 strong singing in unison.  While it’s unlikely that more than a handful of people in that entire crowd could perform such a difficult song solo without pulling a “Carl Lewis”, it’s astonishing just how powerful those voices sound when combined into one.  Oh by the way, they sing it a cappella.  There are words on a screen to help everybody keep time.  Zero musical cues.  No metronome.  The whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts. You will not convince me otherwise.  Earlier in the week, I tried to convinced a good friend to attend this game without telling her all about the experience.  After much urging, tweeting, emailing, and some sky writing (no, there wasn’t actually any sky writing), she relented.  Anyway, I hope that she’s glad that she went.            

If I could save time in a bottle....

To begin the bottom of the 5th inning, Octavio Dotel walked Albert Pujols.  Something told me that this was the moment.  About 4-5 thousand people started standing and clapping.  Collective prescience?  Maybe so.  This moment represented the last we would see of Pujols in live game action in 2010.  Before any official announcement was made, I could see Albert turn to the dugout.  Allen Craig appeared suddenly to pinch run for Albert.  The standing ovation which had slowly started behind the Cardinals’ dugout slowly spread around the entire stadium and easily lasted a full minute.  After disappearing into the dugout for only a few seconds, Albert re-appeared to briefly wave and acknowledge the crowd.  The gesture was both appropriate and seemingly geniune.  Just another intangible example of “Albert being Albert”.  His curtain call lasted only seconds and did nothing to detract from the game.  It caused minimal disruption, and I believe that’s exactly how it should be.            

A couple of innings later, Skip Schumaker moved to left field to take Matt Holliday‘s place. This allowed the Busch Stadium crowd to shower Holliday with the same adulation shown to Mr. Pujols. Maybe Holliday had experienced something like this prior to today, but maybe he hadn’t. Not all baseball fans cheer effort regardless of outcome and overlook style in favor of substance.             

Joey Bombs is the only man I've heard of to have "Imagine" for his walk-up music

There is one final item worth noting as a point of pride to end a relatively disappointing season for Cardinal Nation.  The announced paid admission for the last game of the season was 42,405.  Not too shabby for a team that was eliminated from the playoffs long before the final out.  We’re now at 178 days and counting until March 31, 2011. 

Hat tip to LoveAlwaysGives for the great photos.

It’s time.  Several years in the making, a few days in the spotlight.  You earned it, St Louis Cardinals and Cardinal fans.

Enjoy.

Former Cardinal and Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter was a guest on a special UCB Radio Hour with Mike of Stan Musial’s Stance this morning.

Mike talked with the former Cardinal closer about his career, his take on baseball today, and about the Bank of America MLB promotion that is going on in advance of the 2009 MLB All-Star Game in St Louis.

Take a listen via the BlogTalkRadio player at the United Cardinal Bloggers website or via iTunes by clicking on the large UCB logo at the top right here.

Thanks to Bruce Sutter for spending some time with the UCB!

[Ed. note - below is one of a series of one question interviews completed before we left for vacation. Please keep in mind as you read that we are still cutting our chops asking "hard hitting questions" so I hope you all find these interesting. Today's interviewee is Aaron Hooks of Cardinals Diaspora, where Cards news and humor mesh together. Today's subject is a little more serious, but Hooks knocked it out of the park.  Thanks Aaron!]

PH8: Mark McGwire is a polarizing figure in St Louis. A statue has been cast, Mac has a standing invitation to be an instructor with the Cards in Spring Training, there is still a highway named after him in downtown St Louis. What will it take for McGwire’s legacy to finally be settled one way or another in St Louis, for good (setting the statue outside Busch III) or bad (trying to completely erase his attachment to the club)?

Aaron Hooks: Could Mark McGwire actually be playing this whole situation smart? Years ago during his embarrassing “I’m not here to talk about the past” debacle Congress squeezed in between sessions of screwing pages and the economy to even ask that question would have been ridiculous.

Now?

Maybe not so much. Every couple of months since 2005 another big name player comes under intense scrutiny for using steroids and is forced to go through the process: apologize, act contrite, do some PSA’s, wash, rinse and repeat.

As time marches on we’re starting to realize in St. Louis that Mark McGwire may have been at the forefront of the public backlash from steroids, but wasn’t necessarily the most egregious offender.

Did he use steroids? Probably.

Was he alone? Not even close.

Hindsight is 20/20 and St. Louis, like the rest of the country, is beginning to realize that no one who made a name for themselves in the 90’s is free from suspicion.

So what can Mr. McGwire do to enhance his legacy? Talk. Only once. And do it honestly. I mean guts on the floor, tears on the cheek, wife’s hand in tow- all of it.

McGwire is a pretty honorable guy. He turned down nearly 30 million dollars guaranteed to play 3 more years after 1999. He refused to lie in front of Congress, because he knew the witch hunt would be on as soon as he did. He’s been committed to not being a distraction to the Cardinals, even though players are begging him to instruct. The great memories from 1998 may never be restored to a brilliant luster… but like the rest of us- Big Mac made some mistakes. He’s let some time pass. He’s ready to be welcomed back with open arms.

We, as fans, haven’t really gotten the real deal from these guys that abused in the 1990’s. Alex Rodriguez, for all his shortcomings, was as truthful as he could have been, I suppose. But Mr. McGwire doesn’t have anything to lose at this point. If he’s contrite, honest and open St. Louis WILL fete him out as one of the great Cardinals of all time… which he happens to be.

Read the stylings of Aaron Hooks regularly at Cardinals Diaspora.

[Ed. note - As part of our vacation reading, I asked my Twitter buddy Jake Wagman, political reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch, to do a Q&A with us.  Happily, Jake obliged.  Extensively.  We couldn't have asked for better responses.  Jake gave us some great insight into the political workings that go along with a new stadium and a certain uncompleted development.  Oh yeah, and catching too. Jake writes regularly on the Political Fix blog at STLToday.com and counts Best (Newspaper) Reporter among his accolades. Thanks Jake!]

PH8: What is your impression of the 2009 Cardinals? They have gotten off to an impressive start, can they keep it up?

Jake Wagman: To begin with, let me say that – as a political reporter at the Post-Dispatch – there are guys on our sports staff (Bernie, Commish, Goold, Strauss) who have cracker jack boxes that have forgotten more than I will ever know about baseball. Also, I’ve come to appreciate MLB.com’s Matthew Leach, who mixes the irreverent with the essential.

That said, I love to talk baseball, so here we go.

What’s not to like about the 2009 Cardinals?

As I write this, the Cards are tied for the best record in baseball. They’ve taken two of three from the Braves, two of three from Cubs, and swept the New York Mets.

I’ll forgo the obvious (El Hombre) and offer some subcutaneous keys to the team’s success: A groundball starting staff that has bought into Dave Duncan’s pitch-to-contact philosophy. A bullpen comfortable with its role. A rejuvenated middle-infield. (I couldn’t imagine this team with Adam Kennedy, who is currently the best paid .232 hitting second baseman in AAA.)

The real difference though is organizational depth. The Cards have found a nice balance between Moneyball, trade prospects at the hint of a bigger payday, and Steinbrenner-ball, continue to sign aging veterans to huge contracts despite the lack of success. (See Pavano, Carl, or Clemens, Rocket.)

The Cards organizational depth has become clear with the third-base situation. The platoon of Thurston/Barden has made everyone forget about the injury to Troy Glaus. Of course, Thurston/Barden were actually free agent signings, so a lot has to do with the Cardinals place – going back to Walt Jocketty – as the premiere bargain-hunters in baseball. (Paging Jeff Weaver, Game 5.)

As far as how they can keep it up: Keep Albert healthy. Repeat as necessary. Hope to get hot in October.

PH8: Yadier Molina is the best defensive catcher in the Major Leagues right now, true or false? Is he better than Mike Matheny’s hey-day with the Cards?

Jake Wagman: If it’s not true, I don’t know who’s better.

I liken Yadi to Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. Matheny, as Obi-Wan, was a great catching master, but Yadi has an almost preternatural feel for the game. He handles the basic tasks – blocking balls, managing pitchers – with aplomb, but seems to posses a sixth sense about the more mystical aspects of the position. His insouciance behind the plate and childlike grin suggest a Jedi, Zen-like posture – he doesn’t think about picking off the runner at first, he is the pick-off .

Now, lets only hope he doesn’t go to the Dark Side – Cubs, Yanks, BoSox – because big market teams would certainly covet a plus-offensive catcher with a light saber arm.

If nothing else, Yadi is among that rare crop of players – like an Ozzie, or Jimmy Ballgame – who can change the game with his defense. (To wit, his foot block of the plate earlier this month that prevented Karlos Beltran from scoring.)  [Ed. note - Jake pleaded with me to allow that spelling of Karlos Beltran.  You figure out why.]

Oh, and did I mention that’s he batting above .330?

PH8: Your beat with the St Louis Post-Dispatch is city politics, and your blog Political Fix. What sort of political influence (or lack thereof) do the Cardinals have on the City of St Louis in a down economy and as one of the few really big attractions downtown?

Jake Wagman: The Cardinals have a great deal of influence, but not political “clout” in the traditional sense. Neither DeWitt father or son is what you would call a powerbroker – Mr. DeWitt takes residence in Cincinnati, while DeWitt III has an even, almost professorial, temperament. You won’t find them donating to local or state political campaigns much more than somebody who, say, owns a restaurant or small business in the city.

That said, the Cardinals enjoy great success at City Hall. They have a lobbyist, sure, but many aldermen – in addition to being baseball fans themselves – consider it good for the city when the Cardinals are successful on and off the field.

It’s also a great point of civic pride in a city that has taken some hits lately: Look no further than the Belgian brewery down the street.

Even so, Mayor Francis Slay – who includes Cardinal season tickets on his campaign expenses – has said he has driven a hard bargain on Ballpark Village, refusing to allow taxpayers to back the bonds to pay for the project.

Also worth noting that is that, in Jefferson City, the Cardinals typically encounter much more political resistance.

Why?

Like many things at the Capitol, often efforts to help the Cardinals – whether it’s on the stadium or Ballpark Village – are caught in the traditional urban/rural divide.

Slay even went to the mat against Robin Carnahan – a fellow Democrat now running for U.S. Senate – for a 2004 television ad that ran in outstate Missouri criticizing a thwarted public financing plan for the stadium.

The Cardinals also seem to have a new potential ally in Gov. Jay Nixon. Nixon – who was raised in Jefferson County – has both rural and St. Louis roots. He has been to Busch Stadium for official events at least twice in his first 100 days in office.

While it sometimes can be a political liability for a politician to go to bat for a pro sports team, Nixon seems to feel comfortable supporting the Cardinals.

PH8: Many opinions have been tossed around in St Louis about financing of Busch Stadium III. Many think that the owners took the city for a ride, getting everything they wanted. Others think that the owners ponied up far more than other MLB clubs that got a brand new ballpark. We at PH8 believe the answer is somewhere in between. What’s the truth?

Jake Wagman: Reasonable people can certainly disagree on this issue. The team’s current ownership has done very well since acquiring the team in the mid 1990s.

But while many sports owners have had taxpayers foot most or all of the bill for a new stadium, that certainly was not the case with Busch III.

The state helped out with $36 million in tax credits and paid $12 million to move a highway ramp. St. Louis County offered a friendly loan of $45 million. The city agreed to suspend its 5 percent ticket tax.

The rest of the $365 million was paid by ownership.

At a recent meeting of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, DeWitt III, the team president, offered that taxpayers have already turned a profit with the increased revenue generated by the stadium.

It’s also important to realize why the Cardinals built the new stadium. In addition to the usual search for luxury boxes and other revenue drivers, the team had about $20 million in ventilation/HVAC improvements that had to be done to the old stadium.

That’s a lot of money – enough for, say, a front of the rotation starting pitcher — for improvements that won’t generate a single dime in new revenue.

Now, again, lots of folks will question why millionaire ball club owners need any public money at all. Maybe so, but they’re not the only millionaires getting a hand-out: Many, if not most, of the major projects downtown have received tax subsidies.

PH8: How much did the Cardinals’ 2006 World Championship affect the city’s willingness to push the Ballpark Village initiatives through?

Jake Wagman: It was a nice backdrop, but it probably had no actual impact. Like I said, DeWitt III – who was and still is the team’s point-man on BPV negotiations – is fairly even-keeled.

Likewise, the folks at City Hall weren’t going to push something based on the team’s field success, as glorious as it was. Plus, it happened so fast – according to USA Today, the Tigers were supposed to win the series in a three-game sweep – I’m not sure city or team officials had time to calculate the public sentiment.

PH8: Will Cordish eventually wind up being the developer of record on the site, or do you expect this to continue to drag out over a couple more years?

Jake Wagman: DeWitt III says that Ballpark Village is already 80 percent leased out. 80 percent! That’s a lot, especially in the current economy. Plus, the team coveted the land held by the Bowling Hall of Fame – which they eventually purchased when the ten-pin shrine was moved to Texas late last year. (Had the Bowling Hall not moved, the Cardinals had an option to pursue acquisition by eminent domain.)

Had the team moved so aggressively to acquire the Bowling Hall land if they weren’t serious about Ballpark Village?

It also seems unlikely Cordish will back out of the project. Cordish, like the Cardinals, is a family-owned business. They have money, and pride, at stake in Ballpark Village.

PH8: How much power does the city have over forcing development on the site? The property is owned by the team, correct? Could they legally sit on it for eternity?

Jake Wagman: The Cardinals were cited last year by the city Building Division for allowing standing water – a health hazard – to accumulate on the site. They were ordered to pave the area and fill the hole, which they did.

Other than that, City Hall does not have much power to compel the team to do anything more with the land.

The team owns the ground, which was the site of the previous Busch Stadium. Legally, yes, they could sit on it in perpetuity, however, that would likely generate some serious ill will.

Meanwhile, the vacant land will actually come in handy for them this summer – it will be used to put up hospitality tents for the league and corporate sponsors during the All-Star Game.

PH8: Will residential units at the Ballpark Village site ever become a reality? The original plan, as we understand, was to be retail and residential. Then it developed into a commercial headquarters, retail and residential, because the developer couldn’t secure enough commitments. Is the best case for all parties (City of St Louis included) somewhere in between?

Jake Wagman: This is an area the city and Cordish/Cardinals have gone back and forth on a great deal. Initially, the mayor’s office pushed heavily for the residential component – they wanted a “neighborhood” down there – and got their way.

However, in subsequent negotiations, the Cards have convinced public officials that market conditions aren’t feasible to have the project include condos, at least in the first phase. Most folks have regarded that as a reasonable concession, given the state of the national housing market.

The first phase of Ballpark Village will likely be a mix of retail and office. The team already has one office tenant interested, the prominent brokerage firm of Stifel Nicolaus.

If I had to guess what a Ballpark Village would look like in, say, 2012, I would say some office, some national retailers – like an ESPN Zone – and plenty of Cardinal-related storefronts. The team, for instance, has expressed a desire to move KTRS radio – which they own half of – into Ballpark Village. I think the Cardinals also want a free-standing museum to call their own.

PH8: What impact has the depressed economy, both nation-wide and within the city, truly had on the development of Ballpark Village? The stadium has seemingly been a boon for the city, yet the undeveloped Busch II site remains.

Jake Wagman: The national economy has had a tremendous impact on Ballpark Village. If you go back to 2007, the city had a very exciting announcement – the Clayton-based firm Centene, which administers Medicaid benefits and other entitlements, announced they would move their headquarters to Ballpark Village.

Now, Centene might not be the most glamorous of tenants, but it was a huge coup for the city – lots of jobs and a new corporate headquarters downtown. However, after months of negotiations, the deal fell apart, and Centene decided to stay in Clayton.

Meanwhile, the credit crisis hit Wall Street, putting Ballpark Village back to square-one.

To do a project like the Cardinals want to do in Ballpark Village, you would need to borrow upwards of $300 million. In this economy, any creditor who would give that type of money for a retail project – if there is one – would charge an enormous premium (i.e., high interest rate), making it cost prohibitive.

The Cardinals will likely go back to the bond market sometime in the next 10 months, and hope that the national economy has stabilized enough to open up some lines of credit.

What’s interesting is that, despite the national economic woes, the Cardinals still expect 3 million to pass through the turnstiles at Busch this year. I guess some things – like Cards/Cubs games – are still somewhat recession proof.

PH8: Do the Cardinals and their ownership group have a friend in Mayor Francis Slay? Mayor Slay has been critical, on record, of the delays in the development of Ballpark Village. How strong is Mayor Slay’s opinion in this matter, and can he force anything to happen? Is this reflective of the city’s relationship with the Mayor’s office?

Jake Wagman: Mayor Slay would likely tell you this: He’s supportive of the Cardinals, but he’s supportive first of the city and its taxpayers.

Slay himself has said that he has refused to put up city money to help the project along. Ballpark Village is eligible for tax incentives, but only once the project begins to generate revenue itself. (It’s called TIF – the project won’t have to pay full taxes on improvements made to the property, but won’t get, like, a check from the city itself.)

All of that said, the mayor cannot force anything to happen at Ballpark Village, just as he couldn’t force any other property owner to improve their land.

The All-Star Game should be an interesting time for the city. It will showcase the city, giving the team and the mayor plenty of time together in the spotlight.

Who knows – maybe that will provide some momentum to finally kick-start Ballpark Village. Though, personally, I’d be happy if the National League could finally turn in a victory.

Jake Wagman can be usually be found chasing down a story around St Louis City Hall.  If you don’t want to look for him there, just check out his articles in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, on STLToday.com, or at the Politial Fix blog.  You can also follow Jake on Twitter @JakeWagman.

In what was a great weekend series for the Cardinals, we learned a few things.  It is much easier to win and far less stressful on the bullpen when the Cardinals can produce either A) ten-plus runs or B) get a three-hit complete game shutout from a starting pitcher.

Kyle Lohse is clearly on a mission to prove the doubters about his new contract wrong, he was just flat dealing on Sunday afternoon.

Adam Wainwright was less impressive on Saturday, with PH8 in attendance.  It was eerily reminiscent of his Opening Day start, where Adam appeared to labor through innings, allowing several baserunners and throwing many pitches, but always finding a way out.  If I didn’t have the benefit of the right-center scoreboard on Saturday, I’d have told you the Cards were in trouble watching Waino struggle.  102 pitches through five innings is not exactly the efficient Wainwright we’re used to.  The offense more than made up for Waino’s short outing though, posting a five-spot in the bottom of the fifth to even make Wainwright the winner.  Albert Pujols’ grand slam bomb into Big Mac Land pretty much put the game out of reach.

Moving to the Casino Queen Party Porch after the seventh inning, and really getting the lay of the land on where that ball wound up, it seems that the shot may have cleared the cast iron fence surrounding the outfield, had the grandstand not gotten in the way.  Impressive shot, to say the least.  Unfortunately, I never caught the estimated distance.  Anyone help me out?

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We posted a couple of photos from the ole iPhone on TwitPic during Saturday’s game.  One of Pujols and Ryan Ludwick receiving their Silver Slugger Awards from former Cards first baseman Jack Clark and Cards GM John Mozeliak.  The other is Dennys Reyes warming up on the mound.  As I posted with the photo on Twitter, Dennys Reyes is a truck.  Sorry if the photos aren’t very clear.  Hopefully iPhone 3.0 adds photo zoom capability.  Seats were good, but phone is limited.

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Congrats and good luck to the St Louis Blues, who are heading back to the playoffs following a three-season absence.  Goalie Chris Mason has been absolutely standing on his head to lead this team into the sixth slot in the Western Conference playoffs.  It seems this young team has finally found its identity, and saved Coach Andy Murray‘s job in the process.  Now let’s see how they can continue to develop in the coming years as more youth like Alex Pietrangelo make their way to the Scottrade Center.

Speaking of the Blues, if you’re a hockey fan and you haven’t seen these HUGE hits that rookie TJ Oshie made (both on Rick Nash coincidentally), you must click on those links now.

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Back to the Cardinals, what about Lohse, eh?  There was a lengthy discussion here in the off-season, as part of the UCB Roundtable, about Lohse’s extension and whether it was a good move or bad move.  So far?  Great move.

Lohse proved my assessment of his approach wrong yesterday.  I’ve opined that Lohse has been good at managing leads, getting some runs from his offense early and then coasting in and depending on his defense (not that that’s a bad thing).  Yesterday afternoon, he was plain good.  He reminded me a bit of an opposite-Chris Carpenter.  Where Carp is the ground-ball guy, Lohse got 15 of his 27 outs on flyballs yesterday.  Not a lot of strikeouts (four), eight groundouts.

As long as he’s keeping those fly balls in the park, this guy appears to fit the Dave Duncan pitch-to-contact mode perfectly.  Here’s hoping he continues to buy-in and perform accordingly.

Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I’m trying to start up a daily morning post that will allow me to put up short tidbits (in addition to Twitter, Facebook, the UCB site, etc) on my thoughts from the previous night’s game, news and notes, etc.

I’m trying to keep things fresh for the loyal readers (all three of you) here.

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First off, I obviously think this decision by our esteemed manager is bogus:

http://yourenotagolfer.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/04/opening_day_lineup.html

Pitchers Hit Eighth Ninth?

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The NCAA Women’s Final Four is in St Louis this weekend (and into Tuesday).  They’re playing at Scottrade, which provides a bit more intimacy than the monstrous layout and spectacle up at Ford Field for the Men’s tourney.  UConn versus Louisville in the Women’s final (which is more than I can say for the much ballyhooed, over-hyped Big East on the Men’s side) on Tuesday night.  Check out the floor that they’re playing on (hat tip to Basketball Court Designs).  What do you think?  My first reaction was that it looks cluttered and overdone, but the more I see it on SportsCenter, I’m coming around to it…

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So tomorrow is Opening Day.  Matthew Leach made reference tonight on the UCB Radio Hour that the folks at MLB.com treat the first day of the season as a capital “O”, capital “D” – Opening Day – sort of event.  I like that thinking and am adopting it here at PH8.  Let’s hope they can get the game in.

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Speaking of Opening Day, you may have seen the guest post here from Josh at Redbirds Row from last night.  Well, I made a similar Opening Day retrospective post of sorts over at Josh’s site.  Check it out here.  Try not to get choked up reading it.

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Tonight was the actual start of live, meaningful, counts-in-the-standings baseball.  The Atlanta Braves survived a late scare to beat back the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies on the strength of long balls launched via Brett Myers’ service.  Derek Lowe, on the other hand, was dealing.  I know he got a big payday and was likely never considered, but I still can’t help but think what prognisticators would be saying about the Cards this season if they had Lowe in the rotation as well.  If they were willing to spend $10mm per on Brian Fuentes, why not at least take a long look at a guy like Lowe?

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Anyone think Jordan Schafer might get a surprise visit from the “random testers” after his bomb tonight?  No doubt his history is likely to follow him, despite his talent.

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Finally, Monday is an important sporting day for more than Opening Day.  The Big Ten is repping strong with Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans reaching the finals in Detroit.  As an Illini fan and alum, I’m generally inclined to root against and even despise Sparty.  For some reason, I find myself rooting for them this year.  Perhaps it’s that I’ve finally had enough of the Big Ten bashing and am riding the wave with our last remaining team, perhaps it’s that I still have my green State t-shirt from the t-shirt exchange that took place before the 2005 Final Four (organized by the Orange Krush and Izzone), but I think it also has to do with the amount of respect I’ve developed for Izzo over the years.  The Spartans have reached the Final Four five of the last eleven seasons.  Each player that has remained at MSU for four years has played in at least one Final Four.  Those are staggering numbers.  Izzo will go down as one of the greats.  Go Green!  Go White!

Ok, I realize I am way late to the game on this one, but I was away from my computer for the better part of yesterday and it’s just too good not to have saved here for posterity.

I’d give credit to other sites that have posted it, but there are already too many to list here.  I could also give credit to the number of friends and family that forwarded these to me via e-mail.

Here’s hoping that this becomes a trend at Ballpark Village and we will one day see banners and the like hanging off of balconies and in windows portraying the same message.

Photo by JoeSportsFan.com

Photo by JoeSportsFan.com

Go Cards!

[Update: @MattSebek has informed me these photos originated from JoeSportsFan.com]

So, it occurred to me that I own this place and can pretty much write about whatever I like (with all due respect and apologies to my loyal readers – all three of you).

With that said, I have to make a shout-out to my favorite ‘underdog,’ my favorite ‘freak show,’ my favorite college football team of the 2008 season (since my beloved Fighting Illini dropped a huge turd this season).

As I’m sure I don’t have to tell most of you, the Big XII South is a total cluster this season, with Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma all beating up on each other and winding up in a three-way tie for first place and the right to face Missouri (blech) in the Big XII Championship Game.

So basically, in a world where Texas beats Oklahoma (earliest in the season), Texas Tech beats Texas (next in the season, logically), and Oklahoma beats (politely speaking) Texas Tech (last, see how this works?) – Oklahoma comes out on top – one is left to wonder… why?

Long story short, they had to go to the fifth tiebreaker in Big XII process to determine which team in the South goes to the title game.  Methinks they’d have been better off skipping five and six, going straight to seven.

So Oklahoma is due to play Missouri (blech), and in a way, Texas still is in better shape than some other teams hoping to sneak into the BCS Championship Game.  Now they can sit at home watching the game in Dallas, rooting for Missouri, and sneaking into the game via the backdoor.

At any rate, back to Texas Tech.  The Oklahoma game basically eliminated them from consideration for any title game – arguments about non-conference schedules and the like (and by ‘the like’ I mean the bogus reasoning that since Oklahoma has put up 60+ points in recent weeks means they are the best team – did no one notice that Oklahoma State put up 41?  Ask the Rams whether you can win solely on scoring points and never stopping the other team.  The old Rams.  You know what I’m talking about…) aside.

So again – the Red Raiders.  When asked his thoughts on how the conference should determine who represented the Big XII South in the Championship Game, Mike Leach offered the following:

“I think they should break that three-way tie based on graduation rate. I think the Big 12 conference should have an executive session [immediately],” Leach said. “When they do that, they will find that no one’s more deserving than the Red Raiders.”

Indeed, the Red Raiders boast a 79% graduation rate, first in the Big XII.  Texas came in eleventh of twelve at 50%.  Oklahoma finished dead last in their conference, with a graduation rate of 46%.  The national average is 67%.

While obviously the NCAA would never go for this standard of evaluation, it’s at most optimistic about the state of college athletics, and at worst a hilarious mockery of the BCS and the Big XII.  Kudos Mike Leach.  Put in a position where you knew you couldn’t win, at least you could still come out with the upper hand over your opponents – in an arena that a lot of people care a lot more about.

Then I read this article about Graham Harrell.

Good sweet Mary.  Read this and tell me Harrell doesn’t have a pair:

Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell played with two shattered fingers on his non-throwing hand Saturday in the Red Raiders’ victory over Baylor

…

The source said Harrell underwent four hours of surgery Sunday on the pinkie and ring fingers on his left hand, with 17 pins and two plates inserted in his hand to heal nine separate breaks.

…

The source said Harrell was x-rayed at halftime, and the Tech medical staff told him he was done for the day. Harrell responded, “Tape my hand up. I’m going out.” Harrell finished the game with black tape around the two fingers.

So let me get this straight.  Harrell smushed up his fingers (non-throwing hand notwithstanding) into a mangled mess, trainers told him he was done-zo, Harrell says “put some electrical tape on it, and I’m good” (I’m paraphrasing there) – and he brings his team back to win?  I am speechless.  Can we just give this kid the Heisman Trophy now?

Graham Harrell to reporters after the game?

“I’M A MAN!  I’M 23!  COME AFTER ME!  I HAVE BUSTED UP FINGERS!”

At least they’re not the Mets.

…or the Rams.

…or Scott Linehan.

…or Lane Kiffin.

Er, you get the point.

Congrats Redbirds, for finishing this season on a high note.  A couple of breaks and a few less injuries and we’d still be looking forward to home-team baseball.

Another hit for Yadi!