St. Louis searching for way to fill the holes

Going into this season, I once again find myself cautiously optimistic. There are so many holes to be filled in the Cardinals lineup, that I don't know where to start? This off season has been another, almost predictable, disappointment for Cardinals fans. Since the departure of former general manager Walt Jocketty, and the arrival of the new general manager, John Mozeliak, the front office has been hesitant to pull the trigger on any major deal.

The addition of Khalil Greene at shortstop is questionable, at best. While it will be nice to once again have an everyday guy playing the position, the numbers that Greene put up last season leave a lot of room for doubt. If he can revert back to the player he was 2 years ago, then we can all exhale with relief. If not... it's going to be a long season for the fans, and Greene.

Troy Glaus had off season shoulder surgery, and very quietly, Joe Mather has been taking his reps in the infield. Mather, a 6'4", 215 lb. specimen, has the kind of power with his bat that has earned him the nickname, "Joey Bombs" amongst his teammates. Mather, an outfielder in the Cardinals organization until now, was actually drafted as a shortstop, and has played the hot corner on occasion in the minors. So, Joe Mather may be a pleasant surprise this year, filling in until Glaus is ready to re-enter the lineup.

The release of 2nd baseman Adam Kennedy a few weeks ago might be the biggest surprise up to this point. With no real replacement waiting in the wings, Tony Larussa is in the process of trying to convert Skip Schumaker, last years impressive and dependable outfielder, into a reliable and capable 2nd baseman. Other names mentioned to fill the role have included Brendan Ryan, Tyler Greene, and Brian Barden. Ryan is a good utility man, but doesn't have the "pop" that I think most fans would like to see at the position. Barden has all of 23 games of experience under his belt in the majors, and all of those were played as a shortstop. Greene, on the other hand, has absolutely no experience, and to throw him into the lineup as a starter is highly unlikely. Cardinal fans might have to get used to the "position-by-platoon" concept for yet another season.

Unfortunatley, 2nd base may not be the only position to be platooned. Jason Isringhausen, the long time Cardinals closer, was not offered a contract renewal this off season. Injuries had plagued the St. Louis closer for the past 4 seasons, and the organization felt it was time to part ways, with no viable "plan B" in place. Hopes were high on acquiring Brian Fuentes, the highly sought after closer from the Rockies, but Fuentes had his eyes on Anaheim, his home town. The Angels had already lost their 9th inning man, the outstanding Francisco Rodriguez, to free agency. Once Fuentes made his desires to play in southern California known, he basically wrote his own ticket. The day that Fuentes signed with the Angels, Cardinal fans watched the last hope at getting an experienced closer ride off into the western sunset. We'll just have to wait and see how the Cardinals skipper decides to handle this one. I can tell you this... I'm not excited.

The last big question is Chris Carpenter. Carpenter has had a full year to rehab and rest his twice surgically repaired elbow. What he'll have in the tank, and how effective his "stuff" will be, is going to be the question of the day each time he takes the mound. The former Cy Young award winner has the ability to be a dominant force, but only if he's healthy. All we can do, is hold our breath, and hope for the best. All indications up to this point show that Carpenter is back and throwing nasty stuff to hitters in Florida.

With so many questions going into the season, I am not betting the farm on a World Series title in '09. Being a die hard Cardinals fan, I always go into every year with an optimistic hope that they can find a way to do something spectacular. this year is no exception, but I'm also smart enough to know that that the reality is, my Redbirds are going to need the stars and the moon to align at just the right time, and in just the right order for this to be a "dream season". I'm pulling for Albert to win the MVP, among many other awards that he'll no doubt receive at seasons' end. I'm hoping that Comeback Player of the Year will go to Chris Carpenter, and that Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel each can pick right up where they left off last year.

While I always wish for a World Series title, if nothing else, I hope that the Cardinals can find a way to win their division and make the playoffs. Another division banner would look good hanging in Bush Stadium. With that being said, we may not win the World Series, and we may not even win our division, but as long as we finish ahead of the Cubs in the final standings... that's another good season as far as I'm concerned!

Rebirth of Slick

Can a 49 year old come back and pitch in the Majors? Oil Can Boyd thinks he can, even after an 18 year layoff. He was recently pitching in fantasy baseball camp and says his arm is well rested and healed. He noted that Satchel Page began his MLB career in his 40's and Satch doubles as his hero and inspiration.

Don't you think that baseball could use a "feel good" story right now? That would be great but I don't think this is going to be leaving me feeling all that good. Here is a news flash, according to my memory Satch was pitching in the Negro leagues before the MLB. Oil Cans arm may be fresh but I would put Satch in a different realm of greatness. I would even say that going into the MLB was probably at least an even match to the competition he was facing before getting his shot. Striking out schlubs like me in fantasy camp is not quite the same. He claims he is throwing in the low 90's and still has his off-speed pitches. I may be a little bit of a cynic but a little part of me would like to see him get a shot. With my luck he will be named as the Cubs' fifth starter next week and take over the Viagra void that Palmeiro left behind.
Don't Call It a Comback, He's Been Here for Years

Let's Clear Up Some Misconceptions...Shall We?

Can I even get excited about the upcoming season without the same stories about PED's and lying to congressional committees? Without getting too sucked in I would like to know why Congress really cares and how it's so strange that politicians invite people into the den of sin and expect them to play by different rules than they play every day. I know that congress threatened to clean up baseball if the MLB didn't, but are we really winning anything here? They know it was rampant, they now have testing that has brought results and punishments in place. Maybe if our fine outstanding politicians can learn to pay their taxes they will be granted the right to put someone under a binding oath and expect them to incriminate themselves.

I keep reading the latest stories and ridiculous statements that other "bloggers" are making and I want to clear up some talking points that have been run into the ground.

First off, I highly doubt you would get fired from your desk job if you were taking a PED that would increase your productivity by leaps, have you miss less days at work and bring in success and millions of dollars to your company. So don't keep spewing trash on how the MLB is protecting these idiots and no other corportation in the "real world" would. Talk to me when they come and take away the coffee machine. Do you ever wonder why many companies provide it for free?

Pete Rose ACCEPTED a lifetime ban from baseball. Sure he thought it would probably be reversed in a couple of years, but he took the deal to stop them from further investigating him. He gambled on baseball games at the least, they would have found many more things if they continued the investigation. He knew that and that's why he agreed to the ban. So let him lay in the bed that he made. He took his deal and it doesn't matter which is worse in the battle of steroids vs. gambling. My personal opinion is to let him in the hall after he has passed away, that way he can't directly profit from it.

Mark McGwire is retired and doesn't owe you the truth. I respect him more for not blowing smoke up my ass and instead saying that he would rather focus on stopping future players from making the same mistake. He answered the questions in a way to keep him from having to give further testimony and others should have learned from him instead of proclaiming false innocence. There are plenty of stories showing the down side of steroids out there, Big Mac's record breaking home run season isn't what you want to use to scare players away. His use of other performance enhancers were very well documented and so are his countless lingering injuries.

And finally, I don't care if Phelps smoked pot. I know he's not a baseball player but enough is enough. If you think pot can provide a performance boost, look no further than me in my college days. I was barely able to lift the pizza from the box to my mouth on most days. LET IT GO. If swimming thinks they don't need him, think again. I've seen more ping-pong on ESPN than swimming. I don't think I would feel comfortable benching my only commodity for the next three months. He won 8 gold medals for our country, he made a mistake and had the balls to admit it without having to be dragged to Congress. He could have just have easily said that the bong was a new training tool for breath control and I would have never thought anything different.

Really? REALLY???

Snippet of my imaginary interview: (Actual A-Rod answers)

January 9, 2009

Ghost of Jack Buck (GJB): "So, Alex, let's go back. It's 2001. It has been 3 years since Mark McGwire broke the single season home run record. Barry (Bonds) breaks that record a year later, and ever since then, the media has been all over the steroid issue. Allegations swirling in the media that steroid use is rampant in Major League Baseball. A new testing program is being discussed by the players and owners. And it is during this time that you tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED's)?"

A-Rod: "I was young, I was stupid, I was naive."

GJB: "Really?"

A-Rod: "I did take a banned substance. For that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful."

GJB: "Really?"

A-Rod: "I had just signed this enormous contract I felt like I needed something, a push, without over-investigating what I was taking, to get me to the next level."

GJB: "Really? So, you sign the largest contract in MLB history. 10 years, $252 million dollars, $25.2 million a year... and you decide you need steroids?"

A-Rod: "Overall, I felt a tremendous pressure to play, and play really well"

GJB: "Really? Really?? OK, so what substances did you start using?"

A-Rod: "To be quite honest, I don't know exactly what substance I was guilty of using"

GJB: "REALLY??? REALLY??? You were making $25 million dollars a year... OVER $155,000 a game... and you don't know what substance you were injecting into your body??? REALLY???

Forgive me for saying this out loud, but that in itself, the fact that you were injecting a banned substance into your body, and you have no idea what it was... all the while you are making an obscene amount of money for playing a game! Well, Sir, that is just about the dumbest thing I have heard in all my life!!! REALLY???"

State of the Game: We've Been Cheating Ourselves

As more than a casual baseball fan, I feel that the recent A-Fraud accusations are leaving a bad taste that go back even further than 2003. Allow me to play devils advocate here and say that there is no drug that you can take that will allow you to hit the ball, or really even hit the ball further. Nothing can replace pure athletic talent, hand-eye coordination and good old fashioned hard work. As it has been stated by every reporter, baseball is all about stats and numbers. Maybe we are buying way too much into that. Baseball is a beautiful sport all into itself and maybe we are tainting the game by letting the numbers get into the way. I love the numbers as much as the next guy, but maybe, just maybe I am letting them cloud my vision a bit. If a guy bats a buck-and-a-half and goes to the World Series and wins, he won the World Series. If a guy hits 73 home runs and doesn't even make the playoffs, does he really win anything?
Let's face it, the numbers have been tainted by more than just steroids. The stolen base doesn't hold the same value as it did in the late 70's early 80's. That doesn't mean I value Lou Brock or Ricky Henderson any less. Hank Aaron's homerun record will always be special because he was doing something more important than breaking records, he was breaking barriers. To be honest, the 56 game hitting streak by Joe D. and Ripkens 2632 game streak are the only current stats that I can truly appreciate, and it's because they were streaks (not a common stat). The game has changed and I am fine with that, the game is not the same as it was even from when I was a kid and I can accept that. Players will always be looking for an edge and I can understand that. The only way for baseball and it's fans to truly win is to acknowledge the game for the beauty that it is and not for the stats that people put up. Stop comparing the modern games stats with the stats of the last era and you will truly appreciate what the game brings.

Update: A-Rod has admitted the steroid use over a three year period. Based on his apology it will probably end the conversation in a couple of weeks like it did for Giambi and Pettitte. I bet that Clemens wished he would have gone a different route at this point. In 2003, 104 players tested positive during baseball's survey testing, which wasn't subject to discipline. That averages out to over 3 people per team. To say that the games stats had been compromised would be an understatement. More importantly, just think of the players who would not have even made the big leagues without that little edge.
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