7/8/09 Sports Munchies

In Today's episode:

1. We discuss Adam Wainwright's masterful pitching performance and praise Tony LaRussa for letting Colby Rasmus play everyday.

2. We lambast ESPN for predicting the Blues to only finish 7th in the Western Conference next season.

3. We make small talk and salivate about the idea of Roy Halladay wearing Cardinal red.

Hosted by Martin Winkler and Kevin Lorenz

WORLD PREMIERE OF SPORTS MUNCHIES!

Today we premiere our podcast, Sports Munchies presented by fromoutofrightfield.blogspot.com.

Today's Topics:

1. We take a look at both the AL and NL All Star squads and see what the fans got right and what they got wrong. We also foolishly guarantee an NL victory!

2. We predict who gets kicked out of the Cardinal pitching rotation when Kyle Lohse makes his glorious return from the disabled list. We also discuss how Albert Pujols is becoming the national face of Major League Baseball.

3. We take a look at what the Cards must do in their upcoming series against the Brewers and the Cubs.

Hosted by Martin Winkler and Kevin Lorenz.






Please e-mail us at Sports.Munchies@gmail.com with your questions and comments. We may even read some of them on the air!

The PED All Star Game!

As the All Star Game approaches here in tropical St. Louis, fans await the Home Run Derby, the Futures game, and of course the main event (assuming it doesn’t end in a tie and Albert gets to bat).  The one event however that isn’t getting a lot of press right now is the Performance Enhancers All Star game. 

(Before we go any further, I’d like to emphasize that this blog does not attempt to accuse any player of using PEDs nor do I mean to condemn any player currently accused of PED use.  This is for fun people!  All players listed as PED users came from the Mitchell Report, or have since come out in the Press.) 

           

            The rules of the game are simple.  The top alleged PED users will play a team comprised of the best clean players from the PED era as well as the best players in the new “clean” era.  Since this event is all about celebrating stains on America’s Pastime, teams will designate a hitter for their pitchers.  The game will be played on Astroturf, and fans are encouraged to do the wave after consuming ten $12 beers. 

            With that in mind, From out of Right Field proudly announces the lineups for the first ever Performance Enhancers All Star Game!  Fans feel free to boo and release years of anger at the following team’s outright disregard for the code of baseball. 

 

            Batting first and playing second base for Team PED, with a career .289 batting average and 407 illegitimate stolen bases, Chuck Knoblauch! 

Batting second and playing shortstop, the 2004 Home Run Derby champion and age defying Dominican, Miguel Tejada! 

Batting third, this man needs no introduction, 514 stolen bases, 762 career home runs, 7 MVP awards (3 of which belong to Albert Pujols) and owner of Major League Baseball’s largest head both literally and figuratively, Barry Bonds!  

In the cleanup spot, St. Louis’ own fallen hero with 583 questionable home runs, first baseman, Mark McGwire!  Providing protection for the former Home Run king is none other than future pretender to Aaron’s throne, third baseman, Alex Rodriguez.  

               

Rounding out the bottom of the order in no real order, the Dominican mute Sammy Sosa, the now much more fertile Manny Ramirez, and the Godfather of the Steroid Age, Jose Canseco!  

Finally, pitching and electing not to bat, 300 game winner Roger Clemens! 

 

Starting in the field for the hometown Cleaners, playing second base and leading off, with over 3000 legitimate hits, Craig Biggio!  Playing in the outfield and batting in his oddly familiar second spot in the lineup, with 8 Gold Gloves, and 382 clean home runs, St. Louis’ own prodigal son, Jim Edmonds. 

Playing first base, and hitting in the three spot, the now unanimously voted greatest hitter in baseball and possible savior of the all time home run record, Albert Pujols!  

Cleaning up and playing in the outfield, a man who had he cheated and recovered from injuries the quick and lazy way would already have more than 800 home runs, a ten time Gold Glove winner, Ken Griffey Jr!  Catching for the Cleaners is none other than Joe Mauer.  Playing shortstop, is the true Yankee great of the twenty first century, Derek Jeter.  Career .310 hitter Chipper Jones will play Third base, and Cardinal Killer Carlos Beltran will play in the outfield.   Batting but not playing in the field is Miguel Cabrera.  And Pitching for the Cleaners is none other than 355 game winner and 18 time Gold Glove winner, Greg Maddux! 

 

It Costs A Lot of Money to Suck

I write this post just mere minutes after watching Colby Rasmus launch a walk-off home run deep into the right field bleachers for a much needed Cardinal victory.




Of course, if the Cards could hit, Colby’s homer wouldn’t be necessary and Adam Wainwright would have been rewarded for his great pitching performance. So many men left on base yet again, but this time it stings as the Cards were getting men on base against potential All-Star, Matt Cain. Nine men were left on base. The back breaker coming when Chris Duncan struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded to end the Redbird threat.

Runs are clearly coming at a premium this year and are in high demand. But how much exactly are Cardinal fans who come to Busch Stadium to watch a game paying per Cardinal run? More than they should be.

In 43 home games this year, the Cards have scored 173 runs, which averages out to four runs per game. The average ticket to a game at Busch Stadium is $29.43.

Before I get into the hardcore math, I would like to take the time to state that one of the reasons I went to the World’s Finest School of Journalism at THE University of Missouri was because I hate math. Hate may not even be a strong enough word. I DESPISE math, almost as much as I despise Keith Hernandez (view YouTube video). So, doing this article says a lot about how much I love sports. I’m willing to do math problems to talk about sports. You’re welcome.





Back to the topic at hand. $29.43 divided by four runs per game averages out to $7.50. That’s right. Cardinal fans are paying $7.50 per run. To put this into perspective, a beer at Busch costs $7.75. If the Cardinal offense were much worse, they would owe me an ice cold Bud Light when I come to the ballpark.

So how does this compare to the rest of the teams in the National League Central? Let’s take a look.






These numbers left me with two questions:

1. Can I afford for the Cardinal offense to continue to stink?

2. Who the hell is paying $47.75 to go watch the Cubs in that dilapidated stadium?

The second question was easy to answer: THESE GUYS!


And no, I can’t afford to pay $7.50 per run. I can barely afford $2.50 per gallon of gas. I’m an unemployed college graduate with a journalism degree. Even if I do get a job, I still don’t think I can afford the outrageous price for a run. This is why I need the Cardinal offense to get going. When they’re hitting, runs are so much cheaper.

Let’s go back five years to the awesome season of 2004 and what was, what I consider, the most consistent and best offense the Cards have put on the field in at least the last 20 years. The average ticket price back then was $23.76 and the Cards were averaging 5.11 runs per home game. This comes out to $4.64 per run, which is a very affordable price. If we take that 5.11 runs per home game and insert the 2009 average ticket price into the equation, the price is still much better: $5.94 per run.

Even if the Cards could average just a half run more per home game, the price goes down almost a dollar to $6.54, which is still pricy, but hey, at least that would mean they were hitting at home again.

There is some good news for Cardinal fans however. And that news is that Cardinal fans are not Yankee fans. The Yankees far and away have the most expensive ticket, which averages $72.97 for a home game in the new wiffle ball field that is the new Yankee Stadium. These tickets are so expensive that no matter how good the Yankees are, runs are still very expensive. New York is averaging 5.68 runs per game, which is great. But it costs $12.62 per run! At least Cardinal runs are affordable when the offense is good!


*Thanks to baseballreference.com and baseballprospectus.com for providing me with ticket price information.

Draft Recap...Trades Coming?

Hello hockey fans, Blues fans, and FORF fans looking to view Marty Winkler’s latest Cards analysis. After an intense forty-eight hours and another day for recovery the news surrounding the draft is starting to slow.  However before we get down to business, I would like to invite a round of applause from all you FORF fans.  Yes, we are congratulating yours truly.  If anyone questioned my credibility, I’m sure those questions were answered when I successfully picked the top four picks in last Friday’s NHL Draft.  I’ll pause to let the cheers from my parents in the back row die down a bit. 

                         

  Now to the matter at hand.  Following the draft and the recent buyout of Jay McKee’s contract. I believe there is big news on the horizon for Blues fans. 

The 2009 draft choices have left me slightly baffled.  The Blues need an elite goal scorer, and soon.  Keith Tkachuk is on limited time before he retires, as is Paul Kariya, and neither are goal scorers anymore.  Brad Boyes is streaky at best and needs a quality setup guy to be effective.  After a 40-goal binge in 2008, it seems he will grow into a 25-35-goal scorer.  David Perron, Andy McDonald and T.J. Oshie are all solid players but not one of them will probably hit the fifty-goal mark.  Finally Patrik Berglund will probably take a couple of years before he becomes the goal scorer the Blues believe he will be.  So the Blues face a problem, too many setup guys, not enough scorers.  Dany Heately is available for trade, but he comes with a price tag and baggage.  The two Marians, Hossa and Gaborik are available via free agency; it’ll take more than a student loan to Harvard Law to sign one of them.  But finally, there’s Phil Kessel.  Rumor has it that the Blues had actually traded for Kessel in 2009, but the paperwork hadn’t made it to the NHL before the deadline.

 

Both sides deny this rumor, but regardless the rumor suggests interest between both parties in dealing.  But I won’t waste your time with rumors, lets check out the facts.

            Jarmo Kekalainen is known around hockey as a guy who will often go off the board on draft day to get a player he wants. Jarmo has said time and time again that he refuses to draft for team needs and instead will always take the best available player at the time.  This is where I become confused.  

                                                      

  I believe when the Blues selected David Rundblad as the 17^th overall pick, there were two players available not only better, but also better suited for the Blues.  Let’s start with 5^th ranked North American skater and my personal pick, Jordan Schroeder.  Most mock drafts including my own, had him taken by the 12^th pick.  He did however fall to 22^nd overall.  At 5’8 size may have played a role, so I’ll let that one slide. But Jacob Josefson?  He’s a Swedish dynamo that could play with Patrik Berglund or Brad Boyes and make them both 30-40-goal scorers, while scoring 30 himself.  He’s the third best European skater in the draft.  I know the rule of thumb is, “build your team from the net out,” but frankly the Blues have already done so.  This team is stacked on the blue line for years to come with Eric Johnson (1^st overall in 2006), Alex Pietrangelo (4^th overall 2008), and Ian Cole (18^th overall 2007).  Not to mention the already established youngsters Carlo Colaiacovo (17^th overall 2001) and Roman Polak (a Jarmo steal at 180^th overall in 2004).  Fill in vets Barret Jackman, Eric Brewer, and Mike Weaver and the team already struggles to trim the list down to the seven D needed for a game.  Then there’s Jonas Junland, Cade Fairchild, and David Warsofsky, all players who will have solid NHL careers.            

            So why draft three more defensemen when the team lacks an elite lamp lighter?  Here’s where the excitement comes in.  I believe the trade winds are blowing in St. Louis.  Buying out the final year of Jay McKee’s four million dollar deal opens up salary cap room for the Blues.  Trading from the wealth of team defense may free up even more room.  I won’t stake my reputation on it just yet, but I will however gloat in my next column if Bruins star forward Phil Kessel wears the Blue Note soon.  

Struggling Pitcher? Cards Can Cure What Ails Ya!

The acquisition of Mark DeRosa should give Cardinal fans hope, but in his Redbird debut, DeRosa fell victim to the same hitless plague that has infected the bats of everyone on the roster (with the obvious exception of Albert Pujols). Francisco Liriano is the latest struggling pitcher that has turned into Cy Young while facing St. Louis this year. Going into the game, Liriano had compiled a 3-8 win-loss record with a whopping 5.88 ERA. Throwing statistics aside, Liriano found a way to make the baseball disappear as it crossed the plate as he pitched seven innings of one run ball using only 97 pitches to get there.

The Cardinal offense isn’t exactly the hardest to tame, but what’s amazing is the after-effect that mastering the Cards seems to have on struggling pitchers. After a pitcher does his best Nolan Ryan impression against St. Louis, he continues to pitch like a hall of famer afterwards. In a way, the Cardinal offense jump starts the opponents struggling pitchers. Here are a few examples.

JORGE DE LA ROSA










Before pitching against St. Louis, De la Rosa hadn’t won a single game and had compiled an 0-6 record. Leading up to the game, De la Rosa hadn’t made it passed the fifth inning in his previous three starts. But against the Cards, he managed to go six and two-thirds in an 11-4 Colorado Rockies victory. Since mastering the Redbird’s lineup, De la Rosa is 3-1 and has gotten passed the fifth inning in three of his four starts.


AARON COOK
After De la Rosa’s performance, Aaron Cook knocked the Cards bats out the very next day, pitching eight innings and only giving up one run in a 10-1 Colorado beat down. Before that, Cook was having a sub par season accumulating a 3-3 record with an ERA close to 5.00. Since then, Cook has won four straight decisions and his season ERA is 3.77. If this isn’t finding your groove then I don’t know what is.


Of course, this could just be because the Rockies have decided they only want to lose once every ten games. But let’s look at a team that the Cards recently paid a visit who is still struggling: The Cleveland Indians.

CLIFF LEE
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner got off to a fairly rocky start this season, losing three of his first four decisions and compiling a 5.25 ERA. But as the Cards have proven this season, statistics mean absolutely nothing when you can’t hit. Lee pitched a complete game shutout against St. Louis and only gave up three hits the entire game. Since then, Lee has gone at least seven innings in his two starts since and has given up a total of five runs combined. His season ERA now stands at an impressive 2.92.

DAVID HUFF

OK, you could argue that Cliff Lee is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, so he was bound to come around. But what about unproven rookie David Huff? I know what you’re thinking: “An unproven rookie pitcher with an ERA over six beat the Cardinals? I don’t believe it!” Well, it definitely wasn’t the first time it’s happened this year and, with the way things are going, it definitely won’t be the last. Before going seven and a third against St. Louis in a 7-3 win, Huff’s ERA was 8.71. In fact, in that game alone, the Cards helped Huff lower his ERA by OVER A WHOLE RUN! Since that game, Huff has started three games, during which his ERA has been 2.00.

So will this trend affect Francisco Liriano as well? We’ll have to wait and see. And what can the Cardinals themselves do about this? I suggest that they start charging pitchers to pitch against this team so the opposition can get their groove back. Why not make a little money off of your struggles? You’re helping people get their careers back on track, it’s only fair that you share in some of the profit. Besides, Bill DeWitt could use the extra cash to build a new softball field.

NHL Draft Day '09

            Ladies and gents, the day is finally here!  It’s been a long wait, but fear not, the anticipation will be well worth it.  The NHL draft is upon us at last, and with the 2009 draft comes not just one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory, but also one of the most variable in terms of selection predictions.  Simply put the talent pool is so deep that close to any player could be selected at any position in the first round. 

This is most evident at the top where for the first time since 2003 there is no true consensus first pick.  Naturally the favorite to go number 1 is the remarkably skilled John Tavares whose highlight reel goals dazzled even the casual ESPN hockey fan during the World Junior Championship last Winter.   

However a strong argument can be made for Victor Hedman, Sweden’s own version of Ivan Drago on skates.  At 6’6 and 220lbs this 18 year old man-boy has already inspired comparisons to Chris Pronger, and would be a great choice for a team looking to rebuild its team from the net out (Islander fans your prayers have been answered).  If Hedman goes first overall, look for teams to try to deal with Tampa for the second pick and a shot at Tavares. 

Long shots for the number one pick include Evander Kane, and Matt Duchene, two dynamic centers guaranteed to round out the top four and make a General Manager giddy with excitement. 

Normally the Blues’ front office would be salivating for either Duchene or Kane, or both, but Blues fans instead watched the team make a playoff run and drop into the lower half of the first round.  Fortunately for Jarmo, and CO, the talent flows like wine.  The Blues find themselves at a crossroads for JD’s rebuilding agenda.  With the 17^th pick anyone from Jordan Schroeder, (an exciting American forward from Minnesota) to Jacob Josefson (an explosive two-way playmaker from Sweden whom Patrik Berglund could benfit from) could be in play.  But with the 17^th pick and a previously successful season (ahead of schedule mind you) comes the temptation to deal for the quick fix.  Over the short offseason, multiple sources and bloggers have mentioned Dan Heatley, Chris Pronger, and even Phil Kessel as players the Blues may take a run at.  Andy Strickland of www.Hockeybuzz.com wrote recently that the Blues are looking to make a splash on draft day.  With a wealth of prospects, could some blockbuster deals be on the horizon?  As the best and only hockey expert employed by From Out of…Right Field, I can confidently say a big deal involving T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, David Perron, or Alex Pietrangelo is a huge mistake at this stage in the rebuilding process.  Everyone knows you don’t open a fine bottle of wine in the first two years.  You let it age into something you can truly savor.  Mark my words, those four players are perennial all stars within three years from now, and probably sooner.

            As for my predictions, John Tavares will go number one, and the Blues will select Jacob Josefson with the 17^th pick, or will possibly trade up for a shot at Jordan Schroeder.  Since it’s my blog, I don’t have to decide for sure. 

            Finally.  I know most of you have torn the last page off of your draft day countdown calendars and have already settled in with your twelve pack of Labatt Blue on ice waiting for Six p.m.  But for the rest of you I have developed a checklist of 6 questions to answer before you can enjoy the draft. 

1.     Do I have Versus?

2.     What channel is Versus? 

3.     Have I seen John Tavares’ brilliance? (see above video)

4.     Why would the Blues want Chris Pronger again?

5.     How do I actually pronounce Jarmo Kekalainen?  Do I know who he is?

6.     Why do they boo Gary Bettman so much?

The answers are available online…Enjoy the draft people!