5 Questions for Spring Training

As Spring Training games officially begin today, there are still plenty of questions that need to be answered before the regular season begins. While this team is sure to make a playoff run, here are the five questions that MUST be answered come Opening Day at Cincinnatti.

1. WHO’S ON 3RD?

To answer that question, as of now, I Don’t Know is manning the hot corner (literally and figuratively). With Mark DeRosa departing via free agency and the Cards basically telling Troy Glaus farewell, the Cards’ third base job has become an open audition this spring. Here’s a look at the three potential candidates.

DAVID FREESE (The Favorite)

It’s probably time for Freese to catch a break. After hitting .306 with 26 homers and 91 RBIs for the Memphis Redbirds in 2008, Freese won the third base job outright last year when it was revealed Glaus was going to be sidelined all year with a shoulder injury (WHO KNEW!) But as fate would have it, Freese would be injured in a car accident and would have surgery on his damaged ankle in May. He wouldn’t be back in the Cards’ lineup until September call-ups. To make things worse, Freese was pulled over for driving under the influence this offseason and it was revealed this was not a first-time thing. Freese however has faced the music, admitted his wrongdoing, apologized and has basically done everything he can to deflate the situation (including adding several pounds of muscle through an extensive offseason workout plan). Assuming Freese performs the way he did last Spring Training, the job is surely his…assuming he avoids any off-field incidents.

ALLEN CRAIG (The Rookie)

The reigning Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year performed well last Spring Training and probably could have been added to the 25-man roster for Opening Day, but the team thought it better for Craig to get some more work in down on the farm. And work he did. After having a career year with Double A Springfield in 2008, Craig out performed himself at Triple A Memphis last year, posting career highs in batting average (.322) and home runs (26). While Craig may not be the favorite to win the starting job, he would make a great addition off the bench if Freese were ever to go down with an injury…again.

JOE MATHER (The Long shot)

Could this FINALLY be the year that Joey “Bombs” is on the Opening Day roster? Hopefully. Mather, knowing his spot in left field is being filled by a highly paid player (Matt Holliday…ever heard of him?) he decided to attempt life at third base in the hopes of boosting his chances of making the club. While this is admirable, Mather is probably not the answer at third for a groundball, defensive minded team. For his Minor League career, Mather has appeared at third in 132 games. During that time, he’s compiled a .894 fielding percentage. Mather’s glove is less than stellar, but that doesn’t mean the Cards can’t use his bat coming off the bench. Plus…let’s throw him a bone. He turns 28 in July.


2. WILL THE REAL KYLE LOHSE PLEASE STAND UP?

Lohse’s first two seasons with the Cardinals really are a study in contrasts. Lohse had the best year of his career in 2008, pitching to a career high 15 wins and a career low 3.78 ERA. 2009 started with the same success as Lohse was 3-0 through his first five starts of the season, including a complete game shutout against Houston. Lohse suffered an injury on May 23 when he was hit by a pitch on the elbow of his throwing arm, causing it to go numb. Lohse would land on the disabled list for the first time in his career and would miss the entire month of June. When he returned he wasn’t the same pitcher he was in April. Lohse finished the season with only six wins. Speaking at the Winter Warm-Up, Lohse stated that his arm was feeling much better and he expected to be completely ready to go by Spring Training. If he is healthy (and can stay healthy), Lohse will be quite the 3rd pitcher to complement the one-two punch of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the top of the rotation. If Lohse can perform the way he did n 2008, this roster will solidify the title of the best starting rotation in the National League, if not the entire Major Leagues.

3. IS RYAN FRANKLIN STILL THE CLOSER?

Franklin had a stellar year last year….then the All-Star Break came. Before the break, Franklin was one of the most dominant closers of the year, saving 21 out of 22 games with a 0.78 ERA. The second half of the season was a different story. While Franklin managed to save 17 out of 21 games, his ERA was 3.33 and he walked 17 men, 10 more than he walked in the entire first half. To add to the trouble, batters were hitting .284 against him, including a month of September when they hit .382. Franklin just hit a wall at the end of the season and just couldn’t get his pitches to go where he wanted them to. And for a pitcher who relies on location as much as Franklin does, that can be a serious problem. I have trust in Franklin that he will be able to carry the closer’s role for the first few months of the season, but at some point, Tony LaRussa will have to appoint a younger pitcher to the position who has the ability to blow batters away. In order to succeed in the postseason, a team needs a strikeout-type closer. It’s no coincidence that the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006 with Adam Wainwright closing out games (who, by the way, closed out both the National League Championship Series and the World Series with a strikeout). Franklin relies on groundballs which can find holes in the infield which can lead to base runners which can lead to late inning runs which can lead to late inning losses. This was the exact formula that plagued Franklin in the second half of last season. If he starts falling victim to it again, it may be time to turn the job over to a young fireballer capable of carrying the load, or even start taking a closer by committee approach.


4. CAN BIG MAC TEACH HITTING?

Lost in all of this steroid talk is the fact that Mark McGwire is back to actually do more than answer question after question about performance enhancing drugs. Does anybody actually remember that he’s the hitting coach? I said it before and I will say it again: I love this move by the Cardinals. Steroids aside, McGwire was (and still is) a home run hitter. He has hitting down to a simple science and has already helped Skip Schumaker become a .300 hitter and even helped Chris Duncan find his power stroke before injuries turned him into a Washington National. As of now, McGwire shouldn’t be judge on what he’s done in the past, but on if he can get a group of 25 guys to consistently hit with runners in scoring position. Last year, the Cards ranked either in the middle or near the bottom in terms of hitting in clutch situations. In 2009, the Cardinals hit a mediocre .264 with runners in scoring position the 14th highest average in the Majors. They hit .226 with runners in scoring position and two outs, ranking them number 22. Hitting with the bases loaded was not much better as the Cardinals only hit .247 with the bases juiced; the 7th worst average in the league. Poor hitting in clutch situations plagued this team late in the season and it carried over into their short playoff appearance. In order for this team to be successful, McGwire has to improve this team’s ability to hit with runners on base. Big Mac does have some help though. Matt Holliday enters his first full season as a Cardinal and last year he hit in the clean-up spot in 62 of 64 games. During that time, Holliday hit .333; an 83 point jump to what the Cardinals were able to do in that spot before acquiring Holliday. Oh, and Big Mac has Albert Pujols at his side. Last time I checked, that guy is pretty talented.


5. WHO IS YOUR 5TH STARTER?

This is, by far, the biggest question going into Spring Training. With the top four slots pretty much taken by Carpenter, Wainwright, Lohse and newcomer Brad Penny, the 5th spot is up for grabs in what looks like a four man race. Will it be Kyle McClellan, Blake Hawksworth, Mitchell Boggs or Jaime Garcia? All four candidates would be a definite upgrade over last year when Todd Wellemeyer successfully made an entire city instinctively shout a curse word every time he took the mound. McClellan should get a good look this year as he was briefly considered last year for the starting job, though his greatest value may be as a mid-reliever or a set-up man coming out of the bullpen. Hawksworth should receive strong considerations after stellar work out of the bullpen, including a multi-inning appearance against the Dodgers that set the tone for the entire month of August when the Cardinals went 20-6. Boggs has shown that he can pitch at the Major League level, but until he learns to keep his pitch count down and get through more than five innings he won’t be your answer as the number five man. Garcia is coming off an injury plagued season, but don’t be surprised to see him receive strong consideration. He’s been a highly touted prospect for a couple years now, plus it would be nice to have a left handed pitcher in the rotation which is something the Cardinals haven’t had since the days of Mark Mulder, which doesn’t really count.

Mark Mulder was the last lefty to be in the Cards' rotation. Unfortunately by the end of his career, he needed that tape and wrap to actually keep his arm attached to his body.

While the answers to these questions remain to be seen, fans have reason to rejoice. Spring Training games start the official countdown to Opening Day. The grass is starting to turn green and the baseballs are being rubbed down. Tickets are being sold and that Cardinal jersey is being cleaned. Baseball is here. And in less than a month, the Redbirds start playing for real.

No One Else Like Him

It’s September 8, 1998. A 12 year old boy is sitting on the floor in front of the television with his father watching a baseball game. It’s a school night, but the father doesn’t mind that his son doesn’t have all of his homework done. History is going to happen tonight. They could feel it. This was the moment they had been waiting for all summer long. Watching game after game, this was the night that records were to be broken. Then at 8:18pm it happens. A swing and a line drive into left field; the ball is hit low, but it is just hanging up in the air. Just hanging and traveling so fast that it could make it. It had to make it. It will make it. It DID make it.

As flashbulbs go off throughout the stadium packed with 43, 688 and fireworks go off nonstop, our hero rounds the bases, nearly forgetting to touch first base on his celebratory trot around the diamond. He’s smiling, pumping his fist and receiving congratulations from the opposing team as he head towards home. As he stomps on home plate, he picks up the batboy, his son, and shakes him in excitement as the rest of his team comes out to greet him.

Back at that 12 year old’s house, it is a similar, though not as boisterous scene. Both father and son are no longer sitting, but rather standing, jumping up and down and hugging each other. Signs of tears are in the father’s eyes, but he doesn’t let them even come close to dripping down his cheeks. The boy is all smiles. His hero has done it. A record that many thought to be untouchable had finally been broken.

By now I’m sure you know what event I’m talking about. On September 8, 1998 at approximately 8:18 pm, Mark McGwire rewrote the history books with one swing as he sent his 62nd home run of the season into left field, just barely clearing the wall. The celebration that ensued was a spectacle unlike anyone had ever seen, one which may never be seen again in the history of baseball.

I was that 12 year old boy. And I remember that night like it was yesterday. My mom was out of the house and my dad and I were in the family room watching the game on the floor together, both of us locked in to the television set, just waiting for the moment to happen. I had my back resting on the couch and my dad was lying on his side, resting on the old brown and white floor pillow that we have. When McGwire sent that ball over the wall, my dad jumped from his position and in mid-air let out a loud, “YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!” I was right behind him jumping for joy. We had both watched McGwire chase history game after game that summer and this was the culmination of that season. We hugged briefly and stood side by side watching the celebration unfold on TV. As we watched McGwire round the bases and leap into the stands, I looked up at my dad. The smile he had on his face at that moment never left his face the rest of the night.

“Why are you smiling so much,” I asked.

“Because,” my dad responded. “That’s Mark McGwire. And I will never see anything like this again.”

Lying in bed that night was fruitless. As I tossed and turned, the image of McGwire’s blast landing 341 feet away (his shortest home run of the season) kept playing in my mind. In my ear’s I continuously heard Joe Buck’s call:

“Down the left field line! Is it enough? GONE!! THERE IT IS!! 62!! TOUCH FIRST MARK! YOU ARE THE NEW SINGLE SEASON HOME RUN KING!.”

It was a call and a moment that neither I, nor my dad, will ever forget.

Fast forward now to January 11, 2010. McGwire is crying again, but they are no longer tears of joy. He’s pouring his heart out to Bob Costas, barely able to form sentences and taking long breathes between questions. He’s admitted to steroid use and admitted that he used them during that magical 1998 season. The image is quite the contrast to the one painted nearly twelve years earlier.

McGwire’s revelation came as a shock to few. His records and his career had already been tainted because of his horrid testimony before Congress back in 2005. Yesterday was simply a continuation, if not a conclusion to that testimony nearly five years ago.




Of course some fans were outraged by all of this and some were supportive. Some felt as though they had been cheated and lied to, while others simply accepted it.

I would be in the supportive group. I’m disappointed by this news, but I also understand why McGwire did what he did and others should be more understanding too.

Like it or not, come the first day of Spring Training, McGwire is this teams hitting coach and he will need the support of not just his players, but all of Cardinal Nation as well. To those wishing McGwire would just stay out of sight, here are a few facts that I would like to point out.

1. MCGWIRE DID NOTHING ILLEGAL

It’s common knowledge by now that steroids were not illegal in baseball during McGwire’s playing days. What he did can be considered morally wrong, but it did not go against the rulebook at the time. McGwire simply took part in a trend that several ballplayers were giving into. We are just now learning the extent as to how deep the steroid ring in baseball really was. McGwire was going with the way the game was played. In order to stay competitive, you have to stay up to par with the competition. Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson was asked if he would take steroids if they were legal in an interview conducted several months ago. Gibson, known for his competitive and hard nosed attitude responded very bluntly, “Absolutely. Anything to give me an edge.” Not that Gibson saying he would take steroids clears McGwire of any wrong doing, but it does give insight into how competitive Major League Baseball is and how far players are willing to go to stay competitive.

2. MARK MCGWIRE LED THE CARDINALS TO A WORLD SERIES

This one sounds odd because the Cardinals won the World Series five years after McGwire retired, but that championship would not have been possible without him. The Cardinals traded for McGwire at the trade deadline in 1997. On the day of the trade, the Cardinals were 51-56 and 7.5 games out of first place and going no where fast. The team was aging (the average age of that team was over the age of 30) and nobody was standing out as a franchise player. While McGwire didn’t address the problem of age, he did answer the call to be the star that the team was lacking. In his first full year, the Cardinals won 83 games (a 10 game improvement) and drew over three million fans for the first time since 1989. The next year, the Cardinals record didn’t improve (in fact it got worse) but more than three million fans entered Busch Stadium again.

With fans entering Busch at record rates to witness McGwire swing for history night after night, the Cardinals had found their star, but he needed a supporting cast for the team to be a true contender. The 1999-2000 offseason became key as General Manager Walt Jocketty made several key moves to give Big Mac the supporting cast he needed. In early November the Cardinals traded for veteran pitcher and 1996 Cy Young award winter Pat Hentgen to help bolster the starting rotation. The ballclub would also acquire catching specialist and all around hard guy Mike Matheny to be their backstop.

Five days later the team made a large trade with the Colorado Rockies that brought in Dave Veres and Darryl Kile. Veres would save 29 games for the Cardinals in 2000 and Kile would quickly become the ace of the pitching staff winning 20 games for the club.

The biggest acquisition came just days before the start of Spring Training when Jocketty traded Kent Bottenfield to the Anaheim Angles for centerfielder Jim Edmonds. Edmonds’ impact was immediate as he hit a career high 42 home runs and recorded 108 RBIs in his first season in a Redbird uniform as well as winning a Gold Glove.

2000 saw the supporting cast that McGwire had been waiting for and had needed. Though he went down with injury, Big Mac still managed to hit 32 home runs, but his biggest impact came in his relationship with Edmonds. Both were from California and both formed an immediate friendship. McGwire wooed Edmonds into signing a long term deal with the Cardinals, telling him how great of a place St. Louis is to play baseball for. Edmonds listened to McGwire’s wisdom and signed a long term deal.

No Mark McGwire = No Jim Edmonds.




2001 saw the rise of Albert Pujols. Pujols quickly became a fan favorite and under the tutelage of McGwire and Edmonds, became a team leader and the future face of the franchise.

McGwire retired after that 2001 season, but his effect was still being felt throughout Busch Stadium. The Cardinals were once again in contention in 2002 and this year brought another franchise player to St. Louis: Scott Rolen. Rolen was a local talent and after listening to both Edmonds and Pujols (as well as several others by this point) about how great of a baseball city St. Louis was, Rolen almost immediately signed a long term deal with the team.

No Mark McGwire = No Jim Edmonds = No Scott Rolen



In 2003, the Cardinals struggled almost the entire season. But the victory came in the offseason, when the team signed Albert Pujols to a long term deal worth $100 million over seven years with a team option for an 8th year. Back then it was the most lucrative deal in club history. How could the Cardinals afford to pay one player so much money? From 1998 to 2002, the Cardinals drew over three million fans, the longest such streak in team history. With so many fans coming through the turnstiles at a record rate, there was bound to be some extra cash to dedicate to the team payroll. It’s no coincidence that the team started drawing three million fans annually when McGwire first came to town.

No Mark McGwire = No Jim Edmonds = No Scott Rolen = No long term deal for Pujols

Together, the trio of Edmonds, Rolen and Pujols (affectionately called the MV3) created the greatest heart of any batting order during the 2000s. They lead the team to 105 wins and a National League Pennant in 2004, 100 wins in 2005 and of course, the 2006 World Series Championship.




No Mark McGwire = No Jim Edmonds = No Scott Rolen = No long term deal for Pujols = No World Championship for St. Louis.




It took a while, but McGwire’s influence on the ballclub was turning the Cardinals from a team on the brink of disaster into a National League powerhouse in the span of an eight years.

3. MCGWIRE (AND SAMMY SOSA) SAVED AND UNITED BASEBALL

In 1998, several fans were still hurt and left with a sour taste in their mouths after the 1994-1995 baseball strike. Fans were jaded and were letting their teams know it by no longer showing up to the ballpark on gameday. Somebody needed to let the fans know they could come back and give them something exciting to watch, something to look forward to. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did just that with their historical home run race.

Every night, fans couldn’t help but turn on Sportscenter and watch the highlights to see if McGwire or Sosa or both homered that night. It was a spectacle and it was a traveling one at that. Everywhere McGwire went, the fans went. Everywhere Sosa went, the fans followed. Not only had the fans come back, but they were all united with a common goal: To see history in the making.









McGwire would get a standing ovation on the road whenever he would go deep (including at Wrigley Field) and the same went for Sosa (including at Busch Stadium). Fans were packing some ballparks in record numbers as the historic home run chase renewed interest in the game for older fans and helped introduce the game to younger fans as well. The 1998 season saved baseball. And the game has been growing ever since.

4. WHAT HAPPENED IN 1998 HAPPENED, NOTHING CAN CHANGE THAT

Some baseball writer’s will tell you that the statistics created during the Steroid Era were lies. But pictures and videotape will tell you otherwise. McGwire still hit the longest home run in Busch Stadium II history. He still hit 70 home runs in 1998 and 65 in 1999. While those numbers may be skewed because of steroids or human growth hormone, they still happened.

But more importantly is the memories and the moments that those events created. The fans jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs happened. The flashbulbs lighting up the stadium in every corner happened. The curtain calls on all the road trips happened. The hugs, the tears, the joy all happened.


But most of all, that moment at 8:18pm on September 8, 1998 in the family room of my home with my dad happened. Those yells happened. Those tears happened. My dad’s smile happened and the vision of that baseball disappearing over the wall happened. No sportswriter can tell me that that moment wasn’t real.

McGwire did more than hit home runs. He gave all of St. Louis and the country memories that will last a lifetime. He gave us smiles, joy, bewilderment and a handful of those “Oh my God” moments whenever we saw a ball land where we didn’t think it was possible. Did steroids play a role in that? Yes. But hitting a baseball is still the hardest thing to do in sports and it still requires a load of talent to be good at it.

McGwire admitted the darkest secret he’s ever kept to an entire nation. He did what was right and sometimes that is the hardest thing to do. In my mind, that makes him more of a hero and more of a man than a 535 foot home run ever could.

When baseball returns to St. Louis on April 12 this year, I plan on being in attendance. And when McGwire is introduced as the Cardinals hitting coach in the traditional motorcade that lines the warning track around the field, I will stand and I will cheer him on the same way I did when I was twelve and I hope everyone does the same. Because there’s a new generation of Cardinal fans out there and they need to be taught how to cheer and need to know how to forgive a person who’s done wrong. That’s what makes St. Louis so great.

We need to do it for that young fan who doesn’t know who Mark McGwire is and what he accomplished (steroids or not). When I see him, I’m going to jump out of my seat, scream and clap as loud as I can. And some tears may even enter my eyes, but I will be smiling the entire time.

My little brother will be with me. He was one year old in 1998.

“Why are you smiling so much,” he’ll ask.

“Because,” I’ll respond. “That’s Mark McGwire. And I will never see anyone like him again.”

McGwire's 62nd HR from David Levine on Vimeo.

Monday Doubleheader

Two stories.  One Post.

1.     TIGERS SHOW HEART IN CLOSE CALL

 

When the clock finally struck triple zero on Saturday night at Faurot Field in Columbia, 65,401 fans were allowed to breath again.  Everyone had seen this story before.  On September 1, 2001, Coach Gary Pinkel made his home Tiger debut with a thud, losing to Bowling Green 20-13.  The next year when the Tigers visited Bowling Green the outcome remained the same.  Bowling Green 51 - Missouri 28.  Saturday appeared to be heading towards a similar outcome, as the Falcons lead the Tigers 20-6 halfway through the third quarter.

 

But these Tigers aren’t the 2001 or the 2002 Tigers.

 

After a hot start to his career against Illinois, it took Blaine Gabbert two and a half quarters to find his rhythm and start moving his offense downfield.  In the end he threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, both coming after his team went down by 14 points.  Not the impressive numbers from the Arch Rivalry Game, but enough to get the job done. 

 

While Gabbert’s performance may appear underwhelming, he accomplished something that the Tigers hadn’t done since 2005:  Be down in the fourth quarter and come back to win the game.

 

After a rough start, Gabbert lead his Tigers to 21 unanswered points

The last time the Tigers accomplished a late, come-from-behind win was the 2005 Homecoming game against Iowa State.  In that game, Missouri went three quarters without recording a single offensive touchdown.  Down by ten points with a little over nine minutes left to play, the Tigers came back with a field goal and a touchdown pass with just twenty seconds left on the clock.  The Tigers went on to win the game in overtime by the score of 27-24.  This was Chase Daniel’s first real appearance wearing a Mizzou uniform and is credited as the game that saved Pinkel’s job.  Daniel came in to replace a hurt (and struggling) Brad Smith.  This would be the only time Daniel lead the Tigers to a late victory.  Since he didn’t get the start, Daniel also has the dubious record of never starting a game for Mizzou and leading his team to victory after trailing for three quarters.

 

While Gabbert’s late leadership was impressive, the story of this game was Derrick Washington and the play of the defense.  Washington ran for 124 yards on 23 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown.  While Gabbert figured out the Bowling Green defense, Washington kept the Tigers hopes alive by moving the ball and setting up Mizzou’s two second quarter field goals.

Washington realized the Tigers were playing Bowling Green before anyone else on the team, and played as though his opponent was Bowling Green

After a questionable first quarter, the Tiger defense played with more heart than it did in any game last year.  When the Mizzou offense fumbled within their own red zone twice, the defense held Bowling Green to just two field goals to keep the game within striking distance.  They also made the key stop at the end of the game to lock up the Mizzou victory. 

 

It was a telling win.  While this team showed it may not be as talented as team’s in recent memory, it certainly has the heart to have a great season.

 

Of course, this close call could have been avoided all together.  Pinkel may have learned his lesson to never schedule Bowling Green again.  Dating back to his days as the head coach of the Toledo Rockets, Pinkel is 6-7 against Bowling Green, including four straight losses to the Falcons from 1991-1994.  This team just has something against Pinkel, but it was nice to see him somewhat make up for his debut loss from eight years ago.

 

Maybe the smarter thing to do is just not schedule any teams at home that have a shade of orange as one of their primary colors.  Since Pinkel took over the job, Mizzou is 0-3 at home when playing teams with orange in their uniform.  These teams being Bowling Green and Oklahoma State.  Since Oklahoma State has to play the Tigers in Columbia once every four years per Big XII scheduling, Pinkel should not play against the color orange any more than he has to.

 

It was not a great game to witness, but in the end the Tigers got the job done.  Gabbert showed he can play through adversity and not lose his cool and the defense proved they are capable of keeping their team in the game when they are not running at full speed.  This was a wake up call to the young players to never overlook an opponent, no matter how beatable they appear.  Lesson learned.  Victory intact. 

 

FOOT NOTE:  The official attendance of 65,401 was the largest opening day crowd at Faurot Field since 1978. 

 This picture was taken immediately after my pre-game breakfast meeting with Coach Pinkel.  I offered him such pointers as, "Score more points than Bowling Green" and "Don't lose."  He used both of my game strategies. Both were successful

 

2.     CARDS COOLING OFF, BUT NOW’S THE TIME

 

It was an absolutely horrible three game set against the Braves this passed weekend.  The statistics don’t need to be repeated.  In essence, the offense sputtered (I’m sensing a theme for this season), Kyle Lohse doesn’t have the same stuff he did last year, and Chris Carpenter proved he’s human.  With the exception of Lohse, I’m not too concerned with the other two problems.  The Cards bats went silent for a series.  After two weeks of smacking the cover off the ball, they were bound to experience a setback.  Even after struggling this weekend, the offense is still averaging over 4.50 runs per game in the month of September.

 

What does concern me is the pitching of Ryan Franklin.  While the five days off this month helped him boost his velocity in his latest outing, he demonstrated the same lack of control that has plagued him this month.  So far, Franklin has walked five batters while pitching in 3.1 innings.  Last month, Franklin walked just six in eleven innings.  Since the All-Star Break, Franklin has actually walked more batters (12) than he has struck out (11).

We've been seeing too much of Franklin holding his head down.  Time for him to get back on track, or for LaRussa to hand off the ninth to someone else

His control problems also feed another issue:  The number of base runners Franklin allows in an inning.  Franklin is averaging over one base runner per inning.  While this seems insignificant, one base runner could mean the tying run is on base or at the plate.  In his last save against the Pirates, he let his one base runner, acting as the tying run, reach third base until he recorded the third and final out in the ninth.  His save before that against Milwaukee, Franklin entered the game ahead by three runs.  Two hits, one walk and three hard outs later, the Cardinals won by one run. 

 

I’m not sounding the alarm yet, but these increasingly below par numbers are becoming more worrisome.  This team needs the ability to win close games in the postseason, and still needs to win close games in the regular season to finally close out the division.  If Franklin continues to struggle this way, there is no way you can allow him to close out games in the postseason (look at Billy Wagner in 2006 and his struggles to see how frustrating this possibility could be).  The good news is you have a veteran closer in John Smoltz who could fulfill the role the rest of the way (assuming he’s healthy and hopefully won’t be needed as a starter in the playoffs).

 

While this three game skid is alarming, it’s not completely bad.  It is better to slump in September than to slump in October.  The Cardinals are also a step ahead of their 2006 World Champion pace.  On this date three years ago, the Cardinals’ magic number stood at 12.  Today it stands at 11.  Going back further, in 2002, the Cardinals again stood at 24 games over .500 and still had a magic number of 7.  Slumps around this time are normal, especially when a team has a large division lead.  The key is getting your head back in the game and realizing you haven’t accomplished anything yet.  Tony LaRussa is good at reminding his players of this as he frequently chews out players that celebrate too early (see John Mabry during the 2004 season).

 

For now this team is right where it needs to be.  Carpenter will be fine and this offense won’t stay down for long.  If anything, it’s relieving to see the team struggle as it shrinks egos and makes players more cautious as they get closer to postseason play.  If Franklin can figure himself out, or is simply replaced before it gets out of hand, this team is right back to where we thought they were last Thursday.

 

But if they continue to struggle for the next week or so, get back to me.  Then we can start talking about panicking.

Don't cry Tony.  Your team is still in first place by 9.5 games

Friday Wrap-Up

As the calendar flips from August to September, baseball season begins to wind down and both the college and NFL football season starts to get under way. It’s also the time that I start realizing that college really is over and that I’m kind of an adult now. With all of that being said (and that last part having absolutely NOTHING to do with anything in this article) here are the three things we learned this week and the three things to look for in the days ahead.

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. THE CARDINALS CAN DEFINITELY WIN AT HOME

Traditionally, the formula for a team to make it to the playoffs is to dominate on their home field and to play .500 ball on the road. The Cardinals had done okay at home, but they definitely have made up for it on the road with a 36-30 record. Before this last nine game home stand, St. Louis was 36-24. To put that in perspective, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the best home record in the National League with a record of 40-25. After going 7-2 on the home stand, the Cards over took the Dodgers for the best home record by a full game. The Cards now stand at 43-26 at home with twelve games left to play at Busch. With the Cardinals able to dominate teams at home and take advantage of a full house every night, home field advantage in the playoffs becomes that much more important and the road to the World Series becomes that much easier.


2. THE OFFENSE IS CAPABLE OF PICKING UP THE PITCHING STAFF

Both Carpenter and Pineiro had off-nights this past week as they left their team trailing after one inning. For the majority of the season, if the Cardinals are trailing after just one inning, the game is usually over. Before this week, the Cards were 6-25 when their opponent took an early lead. But two nights in a row the Cardinals erased an early 3-0 deficit for Pineiro and an early 1-0 deficit for Carpenter. After about a two week stretch where the offense barely hit .230, it was nice to see the pitchers get a lift and not have to be perfect for nine innings. If both the pitching and offense can get rolling together come the playoffs, this team is looking unstoppable against anybody.



3. THE SCOTT LINEHAN FOOTBALL DRAFTS WERE JUST AWFUL

This fact was probably already known by many fans, but the trading of Tye Hill to the Falcons for a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft essentially just confirmed it. This was just a poor pick as Hill was drafted way too high. People forget that Hill’s pick in the draft by the Rams was actually acquired via a trade with the Broncos. The Rams traded their 11th overall pick to the Broncos for the 15th overall and the 68th overall. The Rams drafted Tye Hill with the 15th pick and defensive tackle Claude Wroten. The Broncos drafted quarterback Jay Cutler with the 11th pick (you may have heard of this guy). Cutler has gone on to have a productive and very promising career. Wroten missed four games in 2007 and the whole season in 2008 after he failed to comply with the NFL’s substance abuse policy three different times. He now plays with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS

If the Cardinals sweep the Pirates this weekend, Pittsburgh will officially be eliminated from the playoffs and will clinch another losing season. While this may not seem significant, three more losses will break a Major League record. With their 82nd loss this season, the Pirates will break the Philadelphia Phillies record for consecutive losing seasons with 17. The Pirates have not had a winning season (or a trip to the playoffs) since 1992. The Phillies had 16 consecutive losing seasons from 1933-1948. Not only will this be a Major League Baseball record, but no team in any of the four major sports has ever had 17 consecutive losing seasons.

It’s amazing how such a historic franchise has become a minor league team to the rest of baseball. Does anyone realize how many great players have come up through the Pirates system? Here’s a look at a lineup the Pirates could have potentially fielded this year if they hadn’t traded away all of their players.

1B: Adam LaRoche
2B: Freddy Sanchez (2006 batting champion)
3B: Aramis Ramirez
SS: Jack Wilson (still leads the league in flashy plays)
LF: Jason Bay (3-time All-Star, 2004 Rookie of the Year)
CF: Xavier Nady
RF: Brian Giles
C: Jason Kendall (2,062 career hits, .290 career batting average)
SP: Ian Snell
CLOSER: Mike Gonzalez

That’s not the best lineup in the National League, but it’s definitely competitive and not an easy one for any starting pitcher to face.

2. WHO ARE THE MISSOURI TIGERS?

After two record setting seasons, the Tigers will take the field at the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday in the annual Arch Rivalry Game against the Illinois Fighting Illini. No team in the Big XII this year has more question marks this season than the Tigers. After losing superstars Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, William Moore, Ziggy Hood and Jeff Wolfert (who was the most accurate place kicker in the history of NCAA football), it’s hard to grade where the Tigers will be. The team will definitely look to improve on defense from last year, when they ranked 116th out of 118 teams. The biggest question of all is can Blaine Gabbert orchestrate the spread offense? He has one year under his belt and had the privilege of watching Chase Daniel (the master of the spread offense) run the spread almost to perfection. Illinois will prove to be a good team to read the Tigers as the Illini are ranked 27th nationally and the Tigers are ranked 47th. This season will also solidify Pinkel as either a one-hit wonder with recruiting classes or a recruiting genius. If this team ends up going to a bowl game, Pinkel will have officially changed the face of the Tiger program.

My prediction: 8-4 with a trip to the Sun Bowl (Sorry. I’m a Homer when it comes to the Tigers and sometimes I’m blindly optimistic).

3. WAINWRIGHT TRIES TO SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM THE PACK

Cy Young or not, Adam Wainwright will end up having one of the best seasons by a Cardinal pitcher since Chris Carpenter in 2005. Right now, Wainwright and San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum are neck and neck for the NL Cy Young. Last night, Lincecum lost to the Phillies in a pitcher’s duel, 2-1. However, he still struck out eleven batters. While Wainwright can’t possibly pass Lincecum in total strikeouts, he can extend his Major League lead with his 17th win tonight against the Pirates. Depending on how well and how deep Wainwright goes into the game, Wainwright can overtake Lincecum for the 2nd lowest ERA in the National League and only trail the Cardinals other ace, Chris Carpenter.

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute opinion.

Cardinals on the Brink of History

Chris Carpenter recorded his 15th win last night by defeating the Brewers

With the Cardinals win last night, their magic number shrunk to 20. Barring a New York Mets-like collapse, it is almost a certainty that this team will be playing in the eight team playoff bracket in October. While there is still a month’s worth of games to play, there is a buzz about the city again, a buzz that hasn’t been heard since October of 2006. I use the word “since” very loosely as the Cards’ two year playoff drought is tied for the second shortest in Major League Baseball. The longest playoff drought belongs to the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos, who last saw playoff baseball in 1981 when the then Expos lost in the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cardinals in the playoffs has been commonplace this decade. If the Cardinals clinch a playoff spot, it will be the franchise’s seventh trip to the postseason this decade and the club’s 27th appearance overall. Assuming that the Dodgers maintain their lead in the NL West, the Cardinals will keep pace with the Dodgers and stay one playoff appearance behind them with the third most playoff appearances in Major League Baseball history. Below is the complete list of playoff appearances for all 30 teams (not including projected appearances for 2009).

1. New York Yankees (47)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (27)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (26)
4. San Francisco Giants (24)
5. Atlanta Braves (23)
5. Oakland Athletics (23)
7. Boston Red Sox (19)
8. Chicago Cubs (18)
9. Cincinnati Reds (12)
9. Detroit Tigers (12)
9. Minnesota Twins (12)
9. Pittsburgh Pirates (12)
13. Baltimore Orioles (11)
13. Philadelphia Phillies (11)
15. Cleveland Indians (10)
16. Chicago White Sox (9)
16. Houston Astros (9)
18. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (8)
19. Kansas City Royals (7)
19. New York Mets (7)
21. San Diego Padres (5)
21. Toronto Blue Jays (5)
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (4)
23. Seattle Mariners (4)
25. Milwaukee Brewers (3)
25. Texas Rangers (3)
27. Colorado Rockies (2)
27. Florida Marlins (2)
29. Tampa Bay Rays (1)
29. Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (1)

A playoff appearance in 2009 would add to a franchise record. In no other decade has a Cardinal team been to the playoffs more than in the years 2000 thru 2009. This year would be the Cards’ seventh trip to the playoffs in 10 years. Before this decade, the previous Cardinal record was four, which had been achieved twice: Once in the 1880s (when the Cardinals were known as the St. Louis Browns in the old American Association League) and again in the 1940s. This is just one franchise record that this team is chasing. Here now are some possible records that the 2009 Cardinals can tie or break.

1. FIRST TEAM TO CLOSE OUT A DECADE IN THE PLAYOFFS

It’s weird, but no Cardinal team has ever closed out a decade with a trip to the playoffs. The closest any Cardinal team came was in 1949, when St. Louis finished one game behind the Brooklyn Dodgers with a record of 96-58. The 1949 squad was close to making the postseason, leading the National League by 1.5 games with five left to play. However, the team stumbled down the stretch, losing four out of those five games, allowing the Dodgers to take over first place. The worst Cardinal team to close out a decade was the 1909 squad, who finished seventh in the National League with a record of 54-98.

The 1949 Cardinals finished one game behind the Dodgers and missed the World Series. Stan Musial is the last person on the left.

2. ANOTHER 100 WIN SEASON

This team has a lot of games left to play, but at 79-55, the Cardinals have a legitimate shot at being the 9th team in franchise history to reach the 100 win mark. The Cardinals previously reached the mark in 2005 and are currently the last team in Major League History to reach 100 wins (a title that will most likely be stripped by the 2009 New York Yankees). If the Cardinals reach 100 wins, it will be the second decade in Cardinal history to sport three teams with 100-plus wins. In the 1940s (arguably the Cardinals’ most successful decade), St. Louis had 100 win teams in 1942 (club record 106 wins), 1943 (105 wins) and 1944 (105 wins). In order for this team to reach the century mark, they will need to win 21 of their remaining 28 games, which is a winning percentage of .750. While this isn’t entirely out of the question, it could be difficult. History is also not on the Cardinals side. Since 2000, the Cardinals are 144-110 in games played in September and October; a winning percentage of .567. If the Cards are able to maintain a .567 winning percentage over their last 28 games, it will put them at 95 wins on the season.

The 1942 Worl Champion Cardinals set a franchise record with 106 regular season victories

3. THREE 20-GAME WINNERS

This one is a long-shot as the Cardinals will need several things to fall in place. However, if this one does happen, it most likely means the Cards have won 100 regular season games. Adam Wainwright (16 wins), Chris Carpenter (15 wins) and Joel Pineiro (14 wins) all have a shot at becoming 20 game winners. In order for this to happen, both Carpenter and Pineiro will most likely have to receive the winning decision in the rest of their starts (both most likely have five to seven more starts this season). Wainwright, obviously, has a little more leeway. If all three make it to 20 wins, it would be the first time since 1973 that a pitching staff would have three 20 game winners, when the Oakland Athletics pitching trio of Catfish Hunter (21 wins), Ken Holtzman (21 wins) and Vida Blue (20 wins) accomplished the feat. Overall, only 24 teams in baseball history have had three 20-game winners.

Jim "Catfish" Hunter was a part of the 1973 Athletics trio to win 20 games, the last team in Major League history to have three 20 game winners

If the Cardinals reach this milestone, they won’t be the first St. Louis Major League team to have a 20-game trio. Hall of Famer Eddie Plank (21-11), Dave Davenport (22-18) and Doc Erandall (21-15) accomplished the feat for the 1915 St. Louis Terriers of the now defunct Federal League. For Plank, it was the last of his eight 20 win seasons.

Eddie Plank won 21 games for the St. Louis Terriers. It was the last time in his Hall of Fame career he would win 20 games

The 1915 St. Louis Terriers are the only St. Louis team in history to sport three 20 game winners.

4. 50 HOME RUNS FOR PUJOLS

Not a team record, but 50 home runs would be quite a sight for St. Louis fans. If Albert reaches the mark he will only be the second Cardinal in history to join the 50 Home Run Club. The lone Cardinal Representative is, of course, Mark McGwire who hit 58 home runs in 1997 with the Athletics and the Cardinals. McGwire hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999.

Mark McGwire: The only Cardinal to ever have 50 or more home runs in a single season.

While these occurrences (with the exception of the first) are pure “what if” situations, I think St. Louis will be alright if they remain “what ifs”, because the leaves are changing colors, the temperature is dropping and football is about to begin. But the only thing people are thinking about is closing out the decade with another red October.

Sports Munchies 9-2-09

1. The latest Cardinals news.

2. Chase Daniel

3. Grab Bag

Sports Munchies 8-19-09

In this episode we discuss

1. The St. Louis Cardinals Sign John Smoltz

2. The St. Louis Rams start Camp

3. Scott Boras is the devil, and the return of the Chris Duncan Watch

Wainwright + Carpenter = Keys to Success

With the Cardinals beginning to pull away in the Central Division race, the front office is frantically looking to plug the team’s final two holes, a right handed reliever and a legitimate 5th starter for the rotation. Luckily, Todd Wellemeyer went onto the disabled list recently, making it impossible for Tony LaRussa to even attempt putting him back into the rotation….for now. I hope Wellemeyer finds his stuff again, I really do. But this has just been an off year for him and it’s time to shut him down and let him forget about baseball for a little while until he gets his head on straight.

For once I will not be writing about the problems that the Cardinals have, but rather what has been going right. There have been two people all year that the team and its fans have been able to count on all year to show up. Two guys that have stepped up to be imperative leaders on this squad.

No. It’s not Albert Pujols or new found Cardinal Matt Holliday.

I’m speaking of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.



This one, two punch in the Cards’ rotation has been amazing. Wainwright is currently tied for the National League lead in wins with 13, while Carpenter is in second with 12. Carpenter currently has the second best ERA in the Majors with a mark of 2.27. Wainwright is not too far behind with a 2.73 ERA. Wainwright is fourth in the Majors with 165 innings pitched this season, while Carpenter has been the most efficient pitcher, averaging 13.56 pitches per inning which just barely edges out teammate Joel Pineiro (13.69).

Pitching has been key this year, especially since the offense did not wake up until the trade acquisition of Matt Holliday. Carpenter and Wainwright both stepped up to the challenge, keeping their team in the game when their team could barely muster three or four runs. It will not surprise me if both Carpenter and Wainwright finish one and two in the National League Cy Young Award Vote.

The pitching one, two punch is not an uncommon thing amongst postseason contenders. In fact, a pitching duo has historically led to a championship. So get out your Batman and Robin costumes, here are the greatest postseason pitching duos of the last fifteen years.

4. DAVID CONE, DAVID WELLS (New York Yankees)


YEAR: 1998


We start with, quite possibly the best team to ever play Major League Baseball. The 1998 Yankees won 114 regular season games, 125 including the playoffs. You could argue that if your offense is as prolific as the Yankees’ was in ’98, you don’t need a 1, 2 pitching punch. Not necessarily the case. The 2001 Mariners won 116 games in the regular season but didn’t make it to the World Series.

In the 1998 season, David Cone recorded a 20-7 record while Wells went 18-4. Wells pitched a perfect game on May 18, 1998, an accomplishment that Cone would repeat a year later. Wells pitched in Game 1 of the World Series against the San Diego Padres and lead the Yankees to a 9-6 victory. Cone took the mound in Game 3 and while he didn’t receive a decision, he did hold the Padres to three runs through seven innings, giving the Yankees time to amount a comeback to win the game and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

3. GREG MADDUX, TOM GLAVINE (Atlanta Braves)


YEAR: 1995

The first thing that should come to mind when thinking about the Braves during the 1990s should be their incredible pitching staff. Or Bobby’s Cox’s ever expanding gut. Either one is acceptable.

The Braves were stacked in 1995 with pitching. With Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine (both 300 game winners) leading the charge, it’s no wonder why they won it all in 1995. Maddux pitched Game 1 and Game 5, winning the first game. He threw a complete game in Game 1, giving up two unearned runs.

Glavine won Games 2 and 6 compiling fourteen innings pitched with an ERA of 1.61 on his way to being named World Series MVP.

2. PEDRO MARTINEZ, CURT SCHILLING (Boston Red Sox)


YEAR: 2004

While the 2004 postseason is best known for a stained sock instead of an awesome back and fourth seven game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros that saw walk-off home runs in back-to-back nights and a legendary diving catch to save the game by Jim Edmonds and a go-ahead home run off of Roger Clemens by Scott Rolen (don’t worry, I’m not bitter that dirty laundry is more legendary than pure awesomeness), it’s often forgotten that Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling gave the Red Sox the duel aces they had been looking for.


In 2004, Schilling won over 20 games while Martinez tallied 16. In the two World Series games they pitched in, the Cardinals were only able to muster a total of two runs. Martinez pitched seven shutout innings in his Game 3 start.






Yeah, that catch isn't nearly as cool as a blood stained sock.

1. RANDY JOHNSON, CURT SCHILLING (Arizona Diamondbacks)


YEAR: 2001

The best 1, 2 punch any team could ask for. Randy Johnson was in his prime as was Curt Schilling. This duo was near unstoppable, and Curt Schilling didn’t need to paint a red spot on his sock in order to pitch well. And Johnson, what can you say about him in 2001? You knew he was going to be on his game when he managed to hit a bird in mid-air during spring training (see YouTube video). Guess the bird wasn’t guessing fastball.



During the regular season, Schilling won 22 games with an ERA under 3.00. Johnson won 21 games, but bettered Schilling with a 2.49 ERA and struck out 372 on his way to a Cy Young Award. Schilling was second in the Cy Young Vote.

In the World Series, the two combined to go 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched. Johnson even came into Game 7 in relief of Schilling the night after winning Game 6 against the Yankees. Oh, and both pitchers were named Co-MVPs of the 2001 World Series.


So will the trend continue for the Cardinals? Only time will tell. Personally, I think Wainwright and Carpenter have the best chance of becoming the next great postseason duo. They have something none of the teams above had. Something dangerous and something consistent and something unstoppable.

Yes, this time I am talking about Albert Pujols.

SPORTS MUNCHIES 7/30/2009

In this episode we:
1. Break down the new look Cardinals.
2. Discuss and give our predictions for the 2009-2010 Mizzou Tigers Football season
3. More Cardinals talk complete with some Fake Intern Darren bashing

Hosted by Marty Winkler and Kevin Lorenz

MY ALL-STAR ADVENTURE PART IV

The All-Star Game has been a mid-summer tradition since 1933, when a sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune thought it would be great to get the days best Major League Baseball players to get together for a showcasing of the stars for the World’s Fair in Chicago, which is the first (and to my knowledge) only positive thing that the city of Chicago has ever produced for society. The game was played at the first Comiskey Park with the American League defeating the National League 4-2. After that summer, a tradition was born.

Voting has changed here and there, but the game is still referred to as “The Fan’s Game” because of the massive amount of weight put on fan voting. This is great as the players that the majority of people want to see usually make the call. This also creates a negative effect as players having great seasons, but are not as well known, are sometimes overlooked (see stats for Ian Kinsler for 2009 as opposed to Dustin “I can’t hit the high fastball” Pedroia who was voted in). Either way, the game is the greatest spectacle and the greatest collection of baseball stars any fan will ever see in their entire life.

The game traditionally has periods where one league dominates the other. From 1962 till 1983, the National League went 19-1 in that 20 year span. However, recent fortunes have been reversed as the National League hasn’t won the game since 1996 in Philadelphia. Because the game traditionally flip-flops through the decades, the overall records are fairly close with the National League barely clinging to a two game lead in the overall standings.

2009 in St. Louis was supposed to change all that. But a miracle catch at the wall made it clear that a National League victory may not be in the cards.

PART IV: LOOK MOM! I CRAPPED ALL-STAR TICKETS!!

All-Star Game day started as any other day. I woke up at the early hour of 10:30am (someone find me a job so I have a reason to get up in the morning), went for my usual three mile run and spent the rest of the day at the pool. I had essentially given up on a set of game tickets finding their way to me, but in my heart I still had a feeling something was going to happen (that feeling ended up being heartburn, but in my gut I KNEW I was going to get to go).

As the day grew shorter, my hopes started to fade away, to the point that I made plans with friends to go watch the game at a venue of their choosing. I wouldn’t say I was heartbroken, just disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to fully experience what I had waited my entire life for.
After an early family dinner, I went to the bathroom to clear my head along with various other body parts. (For those of you expecting a string of poop jokes here, shame on you. I’m really anal about stuff like that. Jokes like that are just absolute crap and they are below me. I turn a brown eye to fart jokes. No ifs, ands or butts about it.)

About two minutes into my work, my little brother comes running up the stairs completely out of breath. In between sucking in air, he managed to belt out, “MARTY…(huff, huff,)…DO…(huff)…YOU….WANT TO…(huff, huff, huff)….GO TO THE ALL…(huff, huff)….STAR GAME?!?!

“Umm…duh, I want to go to the All-Star Game,” I responded. “Can you please go get me some toilet paper? I only have one square. Not a single extra square to spare.”

“WELL MOM’S BUYING TICKETS,” he belted out.

“Yeah, sure she is Dan.”

“NO! SERIOUSLY! SHE’S BUYING TICKETS RIGHT…NOW!”

“Yeah. OK, Dan.”

“NO! WHY DON’T YOU BELIEVE ME? WE’RE GOING TO THE ALL-STAR GAME!”

“You’re crapping me Dan!”

“NO! I’M SERIOUS! MOM’S BUYING TICKETS!”

By this point you get the picture. Turns out my brother wasn’t full of it (and by this point, neither was I). I quickly hopped in the shower, put on my Albert Pujols jersey and my St. Louis Cardinals All-Star cap and we headed down to Busch Stadium with less than two hours until the scheduled first pitch.

We parked in my favorite lot and walked quickly towards the stadium. My jaw dropped when I saw the massive amount of people still trying to get into the stadium. Apparently President Barack Obama was throwing out the first pitch of the game and that required extremely heavy security, which meant walking through medal detectors just in case Al Qaeda showed up to see some baseball.

After getting our tickets from the will call window, my brother and I took our place in the long line on the opposite side of the street from the stadium where I began talking with two guys in front of me. My mom went off elsewhere to see if there was a shorter line anywhere around the stadium. She found one, called me, and we moved and got into the stadium within five minutes. The guys I was talking to decided to follow us to the shorter line as well. To those two guys, you’re welcome.

The time was 6:45pm. Busch was buzzing with anticipation as the night’s festivities were scheduled to start in approximately 20 minutes. We headed for our seats, which ended up being on the first base side, loge section. Not bad seats considering we didn’t get the tickets until about two hours until game time.

Waiting for us on our seats were commemorative seat cushions with the All-Star logo on it. Something told me that even if there was a walk-off victory that night, not many people would be throwing their seat cushions in celebration. I considered it for a brief moment though.

The opening ceremonies began roughly on time. As each player was introduced, the anticipation grew more and more thick. When it came time for Albert Pujols to be introduced, the crowd erupted into a three minute frenzy. Pujols seemed to be overcome with emotion and was all smiles the rest of the night. The same went for first time All-Star, Yadier Molina.

With the teams introduced and the honorees of MLB’s Go Beyond campaign receiving their recognition, it was time for Stan “The Man” Musial to make his grand entrance to Busch. Unfortunately, the appearance of the President took away from what was supposed to be a grand welcoming and thank you to Musial. On behalf of St. Louis, Stan, we love you and know you deserved better. It’s a shame that we can’t do it all over again and won’t get the chance to make up for a lost opportunity.

After Musial’s grand ride down the right field foul line towards the infield, it was time for Obama to make his appearance wearing a White Sox jacket in Cardinal Country and 1980 acid-wash jeans. He is so trendy!

After Pujols plucked the first pitch out of the dirt, it was time for baseball!

The American League (as usual) got off to a quick start, scoring twice in the opening frame off of 2008 NL Cy Young Award Winner, Tim Linceceum. However, this set the stage for a Cardinal to be the hero.

In the bottom of the third, with two men on, Yadier Molina singled up the middle that lead to two runs to tie the game. Prince Fielder, your 2009 Home Run Derby Champion, doubled down the left field line to give the National League a 3-2 lead in what was his only appearance of the game. Sorry Prince, but this was Albert’s night.


The lead was short lived as two innings later, the American League tied the game on a string of base hits. They eventually took the lead when Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles hit a sacrifice fly off of Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres. It’s so comforting to know that players on the Padres and Orioles, who live at the bottom of their divisions, ended up deciding who gets home field advantage in the World Series. This isn’t wrong at all.

Brad Hawpe of the Colorado Rockies tried to make the most of his All-Star appearance as he hit a long drive into deep left-center field. Somehow, Carl Crawford was able to bring the ball back on to the field and rob Hawpe of what should have been the game tying home run. It looked like the National League was done for again. But they got one more shot when St. Louis native and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, Ryan Howard came to the plate with two men in scoring position and two out. But Howard decided to strike out on a ball in the dirt that would have hit him had he not swung, essentially ending all hopes for the National League.

Before leaving, Dan wanted to head to the Cardinal Team Store for a little souvenir. The place was a zoo and the inept cashiers were not helping the situation. As I waited in line to buy my over-priced Cardinal sandals, the young woman running the cash register was having a little trouble trying to run a debit card (she ended up charging a lady twice for an official jersey. How you end up doing this I have no idea. There was something missing in that cashier’s head. A brain perhaps?) She didn’t bother to tell anyone in line that she was having trouble until we had been waiting for roughly twenty minutes. After this, I give her the silent finger and find a new line, at which point she has finally solved her situation and begins taking other customers. I leisurely walk in front of everyone and demand that I be allowed to pay for my sandals immediately. I normally don’t do this, but ignorance just pisses me off to no end.

My aunt and uncle (the same aunt and uncle from Part II) ended up taking us home. As we arrived at their car they had White Castle waiting for us (like I said, they ALWAYS have their own food. They brought biscuits once for crying out loud!). We ate the sliders and traded stories from the night and then made the long journey home. As we shut the doors to their car and headed on our way, we immediately regretted the decision to eat White Castle.

Overall, All-Star Week 2009 was an experience I will never ever be able to forget. And how could I? For five days, the eyes of the baseball world were on St. Louis, the proclaimed best baseball city in the world. For a week, an entire city banded together for one common goal: Put on a great show for an entire nation. I believe we all did just that. Bud Selig himself stated in an interview that, “St. Louis is making a strong case to be the permanent host of the Mid-Summer Classic.” Thanks for the recognition Bud. Try not to wait another 40 plus years before you bring the All-Star Game back to the Gateway City.

Now, two weeks later, the lights of the All-Star Game are beginning to fade. The banners are gone. The media trucks have driven away and the logo painted on the field has almost been washed away. But being able to experience all of it first hand has helped me realize what makes the All-Star Game so special. For one night, your team’s place in the standing doesn’t matter. Trying to make that one trade to put your team over the top is insignificant. It’s a celebration of the game we grew up loving and playing and for one night, you’re allowed to go back to being a kid with Major League dreams again. It makes you just want to smell your glove, clothes your eyes and just listen to the sound of the ball hitting hard leather or here the sound of timber cracking. It’s baseball as we want to see it: A game instead of a business. You’re allowed to be 23 and go up to your favorite superstar and ask him to autograph your baseball.

If the All-Star Game taught me anything, it’s that I’m still a kid at heart. I still have the urge to go to batting practice with my brother and start shouting to players to throw me a baseball. I still want to bring my glove to a game, even though I’m in the upper deck. I still want to believe I can still make it to the Majors and play for my favorite team.

And to think, I would have never learned any of this without a trip to the bathroom.

THE END