I read today that Joe Mather was issued a new number. He will now wear number 7. This does two things: 1) It officially ends the Adam Kennedy era in St. Louis, as short and horrible that it was, and 2) It all but guarantees Mather a spot on the Opening Day roster. He will start at third tomorrow for the Cards' first Spring Training game, and with a new, big league number, he should see some more time there while Glaus recovers from his surgery. After Glaus is back, Mather will most likely serve as the Cardinals' fourth outfielder.
Speaking of a former fourth outfielder, Skip Schumaker will also be starting for the Cardinals tomorrow. At second base. Word from Jupiter, FL is that he is progressing along nicely, and that this whole Skip-playing-second idea might just work out. It's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to early for me to tell though.
By the way, I heard that of the three guys vying for the starting spot at second, there are only 18 combined starts between those three at second base in the majors. COMBINED. And the guy who is considered to be the favorite (Schu) has had ZERO. Chew on that one for a little bit.
Word on Chris Carpenter is that he is throwing well, but his command is still not there. Hopefully he can get it fine tuned over the next month (WITHOUT INJURY).
If the favorites in each of the position battles work out, I would like to see the Opening Day starting lineup look something like this:
If Duncan Starts:
Schumaker (2B)
Duncan (LF)
Pujols (1B)
Ankiel (CF)
Ludwick (RF)
Molina (C)
Mather (3B)
Carp/Waino (P)
Greene (SS)
If Rasmus starts:
Schumaker (2B)
Mather (3B)
Pujols (1B)
Ankiel (CF) - Because LaRussa isn't going to put Rasmus in center
Ludwick (RF)
Molina (C)
Greene (SS)
Carp/Waino (P)
Rasmus (LF)
Lastly, for the record, I am not sold on Colby Rasmus cracking the big league roster for Opening Day. A lot of people are, but I am still not one of them. Partly because of LaRussa's favoritism toward Chris Duncan, and partly because I just don't think he will have that good of a Spring Training. Hopefully I will be proved wrong, and the Cardinals' starting outfield would look something like this:
LF - Ludwick
RF - Ankiel
CF - Rasmus
I know this would never happen, sadly. This is because of LaRussa's mind that Ankiel and Rasmus have about the same abilities of patrolling center. This is stupid in the fact that Rasmus has been groomed as a center fielder ever since he started making his way up the ranks in the minors. Also, with Ank's arm, who the hell would run on him to try and stretch a hit down the first base line from a double into a triple. Chances are, not many. Also, Ludwick has proven that he can field all three positions, so he could work in left. Wow, I can't wait until LaRussa is out as the Cardinals' manager and Oquendo can take over!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Not Basketball Anymore - Why I hate the NBA
OK, so I know this is not a new topic, and a lot of people are already on my side about this issue, but I just couldn't contain myself when it came to ranting about the NBA.
I have been, for a long time, against the NBA. I didn't follow it when I was a kid, much unlike most of my friend who were Chicago Bulls' fans in the 90's. It might have been the fact that I grew up in Butt-Fucking Egypt until I was eight, or it could be the fact that St. Louis never had a team, although they did try to get the Grizzlies at one time, and it would have happened if Bill Laurie (St. Louis Blues' owner) would have been able to purchase the Grizzlies after the NBA Lockout. Either way, I have not been an NBA fan, and I will never be one, especially after what I witnessed on Sunday.
Before I decided to write this blog post, I told myself that I would sit down and watch an entire NBA game, just to prove my hatred toward the attempt of these guys playing "basketball." I ended up watching the last three quarters of the Phoenix Suns versus the Boston Celtics. I missed the first quarter due to the Illinois/Ohio St. game overlapping into the first quarter. I think I made a good decision there. It was nice to see the Illini get their tenth win in the Big Ten this season and solidify a spot in the Big Dance in March. Anyways, here are a couple of things I decided to keep tallies on during the game (keep in mind this is my haphazard attempt in making note when both teams committed a tally, and I was extremely hungover from Marti Gras on Saturday. So my focus wasn't all there):
Travels
4
Should have been travels
9
Isolation Plays
15
What I considered horrible defense
12
With that being said, I was actually surprised that four travels were called in the three quarters I watched, but there were many more times (nine to be exact, in my officiating mind) where I believed that travels should have been called. The extra step is such bullshit, and I think six of the nine that I marked down were on Steve Nash. Everyone knows that traveling is a thing to be ignored in the NBA, in order to let the players get an extra step and make a spectacular play in order to be on ESPN's Top 10. I don't know about you, but when I see plays in the Top 10 that are from the NBA I get pissed off. That's another issue though. ESPN sucks as well. Fuck ESPN and fuck traveling not being called in the NBA.
Along the lines of traveling is the fact of continuation that the referees allow the players to get after a foul is called. Twice on Sunday I saw a foul get called, and then the fouled player makes at least one more step to get up to the hoop to get the "and 1." I know that a lot of those guys are able to make spectacular plays, but come on. It's getting ridiculous.
Next up is the isolation plays. I don't know how many times I saw only one or two guys making cuts or screens off the ball while everyone else out on the court stood still. This is not basketball! This is stand-there-and-watch-the-guy-with-the-ball-make-a-play-ball. I didn't even count the times that only two guys were moving during an offensive set, and that would have helped pad the "stats" that I made for isolation plays. The plays that I marked down were when the guy bringing the ball up the court never passed the ball, received a screen or even faked a pass. He just kept the ball, made a move to beat his "defender" and score a bucket. Fuckin' 15 times that happened! What. The. Fuck.
Bringing up "defender" helps segway me into my next rant. Defense in the NBA is nonexistent. If there is only one guy making an attempt at some defense on an opponent, the rest of his team seemed to want to just stand there and watch. Double teaming. Hah! I laugh at double teaming a player. A trap? HAHA! You don't see traps in this sport, right? I don't really know what else to say about the defense in the NBA because there is none, so I'll just move on to my next topic.
Whoever came up with this rule of three seconds in the lane for a defensive player? On top of that, who's great idea was it to make this "violation" a techincal foul? This is stupid! Not to mention it happened four times in the game that I watched on Sunday! Supposedly, if a defensive player is in the marked lane for more than three seconds without being within three feet and actively guarding an offensive player, a technical foul is assessed for the three second call. When it happened, it totally killed the play that was going on, and it was really awkward to watch for the flow of the game. Side note, I didn't know that there was only one shot for technical fouls in the NBA. I don't know what to think of that. Either way, 3 second calls on the defense is absurd.
On to another thing that is absurd. How about the restricted are underneath the basket? I think this is one of the dumbest additions to the game. Why should the defense be penalized just because they take a legal guarding position too close to the basket, and the offensive player (who is out of control, mind you) crashes into said defensive player. We then reward the offensive guy for being out of control? This makes no sense. That is, it doesn't make sense unless there are people out there who would like to see the score in NBA games be ridiculously high. Well, it's working. Basketball players are taught from their first years in playing the sport to take legal guarding position and take a freakin' charge! Now, at the highest level of the game, they are supposed to take a legal guarding position and take a charge, BUT only IF they are outside of the restricted area. If they are in the restricted area, the player basically bails the referee out and allows them to make an easy call. It's now a blocking foul, even if you were in a set position for five seconds prior to the offensive player getting there. Oh wait, the defensive player can't be set in the paint for five seconds because that would be a technical foul in the NBA. Wow, this is pissing me off as I type it!
Ok, this one has some visuals to go with it. I am also showing off my infinite skills in MS Paint along with this, but first my rant. As an official, we are taught to put the ball inbounds at the spot where the stoppage of play occured. This means, baseline or one of the sidelines. The NBA, however, decided to do away with inbounding the ball on the baseline. While I can see why they would want to do away with inbounding the ball on the baseline (post play between two seven footers can be dangerous), I think it should still be involved in the inbounding situations. To show what I am talking about, here is my awesome diagram that I came up with:
The left half of the court is what high school and NCAA uses, while the right half of the court is what the NBA uses if there is a stoppage of play (foul, violation or otherwise). Which one looks more straightforward? Exactly. The NBA decided to fuck everything up and put the inbounder at the black square that I have so eloquently drawn on my awesome paint drawing. From an officials' mind, I hate this, and it helps fuel the fire as to why I hate the NBA. But I'm not finished yet!
Totally aside from the actual game, why don't the officials wear striped shirts? Anywhere else you look (NCAA, high school and below high school) you will see officials wearing the traditional black and white striped shirts. It's something that everyone can relate to. However, in the NBA the officials wear some ugly gray shirt with tiny blue pinstripes and a big red number on the back. I can understand the number, as NFL and NCAA football officials have numbers on their backs, but whats with the shirt? If it were me, I would take pride in wearing my stripes on the court. I wouldn't want to work my whole life as an official, trying to get to the upper ranks, just to retire the white and black stripes for that ugly piece of shit. No thanks. When you all see me working D1 games for the NCAA, I will not strive to go any higher than that. Mark it down, I will turn down any offer the NBA will give me!
I'm getting down to the nitty-gritty, but there's still some stuff that I think takes away from the game, and therefore I decided to rant about a few more things as well. How about the fact that the bonus gets reset after every quarter is over? Again, why is the NBA the only form of basketball that does this? In every other level, the fouls carry over from one quarter to the next (in NCAA, the fouls don't carry over, but there are only two halfs, so the fouls don't need to be carried over). I even heard that the bonus is at the fourth foul in the overtime period in the NBA. What the fuck! Who decided that the fourth foul was the foul to start shooting in the OT? There are only two numbers that you need to know when concerning the bonus: 7 and 10. Seven is the single bonus, or the one-and-one, and 10 is the double bonus (shooting two shots no matter what). Where did four fouls come from? Stupid.
Going back to the defensive aspect as to why I hate the NBA. Why is there no full court press unless it is absoutely necessary to have it (and most times it is only to get a quick foul at the end of the game)? This is just laziness on the players in the NBA. If there was any effort exerted on a full court press defense, even the best players in the game would turn it over more than normal. Not to mention, there is only 24 seconds on the shot clock in the NBA (another way to help drive up the score), so making an offense spend 8 seconds in the backcourt would give them less time to run their normal isolation play. This would, in turn, have them at a disadvantage and the defensive team at an advantage. Now, I'm not saying that a full court press should be used ALL the time in the NBA because running a press can be highly taxing on your defensive players, but I would like to see a little more effort coming from those players who decide to always let their opponents get up the court and run a half court set every time during their possession.
Lastly, there are too many pure shooters in the NBA. Now I know I cannot fault the NBA for this, but it is ridiculous to watch games where the losing team shoots for 50% from the field (which is what the Suns did on Sunday). This can be acredited to both the NBA having the best of the best shooters in the world, along with the poor, poor defense that said best shooters in the world put out on the floor. Bottom line, these guys are out there to score buckets, not play defense. When Kobe goes for 81, or King James goes for 55 at MSG, I just say, "Whatever" and move on. We are all dumbed down by how many points these guys can score because they do it for every game. There's really nothing that can be done about this, so it's just going to be something that I don't like. I'd prefer to watch a game where the winning team shoots just above 40% from the field than a team that makes at least half of their shots while still losing by 20.
I think I've shown my reasons for hating the NBA, and I think that there is a lot there that many people will agree with. Therefore, I will stick to watching the NCAA and high school games. There is much more passion on the court from the players that play in the lower leagues, and I like living vicariously through their passion as I cannot perform on the court as they do. That is why I wear the stripes.
I have been, for a long time, against the NBA. I didn't follow it when I was a kid, much unlike most of my friend who were Chicago Bulls' fans in the 90's. It might have been the fact that I grew up in Butt-Fucking Egypt until I was eight, or it could be the fact that St. Louis never had a team, although they did try to get the Grizzlies at one time, and it would have happened if Bill Laurie (St. Louis Blues' owner) would have been able to purchase the Grizzlies after the NBA Lockout. Either way, I have not been an NBA fan, and I will never be one, especially after what I witnessed on Sunday.
Before I decided to write this blog post, I told myself that I would sit down and watch an entire NBA game, just to prove my hatred toward the attempt of these guys playing "basketball." I ended up watching the last three quarters of the Phoenix Suns versus the Boston Celtics. I missed the first quarter due to the Illinois/Ohio St. game overlapping into the first quarter. I think I made a good decision there. It was nice to see the Illini get their tenth win in the Big Ten this season and solidify a spot in the Big Dance in March. Anyways, here are a couple of things I decided to keep tallies on during the game (keep in mind this is my haphazard attempt in making note when both teams committed a tally, and I was extremely hungover from Marti Gras on Saturday. So my focus wasn't all there):
Travels
4
Should have been travels
9
Isolation Plays
15
What I considered horrible defense
12
With that being said, I was actually surprised that four travels were called in the three quarters I watched, but there were many more times (nine to be exact, in my officiating mind) where I believed that travels should have been called. The extra step is such bullshit, and I think six of the nine that I marked down were on Steve Nash. Everyone knows that traveling is a thing to be ignored in the NBA, in order to let the players get an extra step and make a spectacular play in order to be on ESPN's Top 10. I don't know about you, but when I see plays in the Top 10 that are from the NBA I get pissed off. That's another issue though. ESPN sucks as well. Fuck ESPN and fuck traveling not being called in the NBA.
Along the lines of traveling is the fact of continuation that the referees allow the players to get after a foul is called. Twice on Sunday I saw a foul get called, and then the fouled player makes at least one more step to get up to the hoop to get the "and 1." I know that a lot of those guys are able to make spectacular plays, but come on. It's getting ridiculous.
Next up is the isolation plays. I don't know how many times I saw only one or two guys making cuts or screens off the ball while everyone else out on the court stood still. This is not basketball! This is stand-there-and-watch-the-guy-with-the-ball-make-a-play-ball. I didn't even count the times that only two guys were moving during an offensive set, and that would have helped pad the "stats" that I made for isolation plays. The plays that I marked down were when the guy bringing the ball up the court never passed the ball, received a screen or even faked a pass. He just kept the ball, made a move to beat his "defender" and score a bucket. Fuckin' 15 times that happened! What. The. Fuck.
Bringing up "defender" helps segway me into my next rant. Defense in the NBA is nonexistent. If there is only one guy making an attempt at some defense on an opponent, the rest of his team seemed to want to just stand there and watch. Double teaming. Hah! I laugh at double teaming a player. A trap? HAHA! You don't see traps in this sport, right? I don't really know what else to say about the defense in the NBA because there is none, so I'll just move on to my next topic.
Whoever came up with this rule of three seconds in the lane for a defensive player? On top of that, who's great idea was it to make this "violation" a techincal foul? This is stupid! Not to mention it happened four times in the game that I watched on Sunday! Supposedly, if a defensive player is in the marked lane for more than three seconds without being within three feet and actively guarding an offensive player, a technical foul is assessed for the three second call. When it happened, it totally killed the play that was going on, and it was really awkward to watch for the flow of the game. Side note, I didn't know that there was only one shot for technical fouls in the NBA. I don't know what to think of that. Either way, 3 second calls on the defense is absurd.
On to another thing that is absurd. How about the restricted are underneath the basket? I think this is one of the dumbest additions to the game. Why should the defense be penalized just because they take a legal guarding position too close to the basket, and the offensive player (who is out of control, mind you) crashes into said defensive player. We then reward the offensive guy for being out of control? This makes no sense. That is, it doesn't make sense unless there are people out there who would like to see the score in NBA games be ridiculously high. Well, it's working. Basketball players are taught from their first years in playing the sport to take legal guarding position and take a freakin' charge! Now, at the highest level of the game, they are supposed to take a legal guarding position and take a charge, BUT only IF they are outside of the restricted area. If they are in the restricted area, the player basically bails the referee out and allows them to make an easy call. It's now a blocking foul, even if you were in a set position for five seconds prior to the offensive player getting there. Oh wait, the defensive player can't be set in the paint for five seconds because that would be a technical foul in the NBA. Wow, this is pissing me off as I type it!
Ok, this one has some visuals to go with it. I am also showing off my infinite skills in MS Paint along with this, but first my rant. As an official, we are taught to put the ball inbounds at the spot where the stoppage of play occured. This means, baseline or one of the sidelines. The NBA, however, decided to do away with inbounding the ball on the baseline. While I can see why they would want to do away with inbounding the ball on the baseline (post play between two seven footers can be dangerous), I think it should still be involved in the inbounding situations. To show what I am talking about, here is my awesome diagram that I came up with:
The left half of the court is what high school and NCAA uses, while the right half of the court is what the NBA uses if there is a stoppage of play (foul, violation or otherwise). Which one looks more straightforward? Exactly. The NBA decided to fuck everything up and put the inbounder at the black square that I have so eloquently drawn on my awesome paint drawing. From an officials' mind, I hate this, and it helps fuel the fire as to why I hate the NBA. But I'm not finished yet!
Totally aside from the actual game, why don't the officials wear striped shirts? Anywhere else you look (NCAA, high school and below high school) you will see officials wearing the traditional black and white striped shirts. It's something that everyone can relate to. However, in the NBA the officials wear some ugly gray shirt with tiny blue pinstripes and a big red number on the back. I can understand the number, as NFL and NCAA football officials have numbers on their backs, but whats with the shirt? If it were me, I would take pride in wearing my stripes on the court. I wouldn't want to work my whole life as an official, trying to get to the upper ranks, just to retire the white and black stripes for that ugly piece of shit. No thanks. When you all see me working D1 games for the NCAA, I will not strive to go any higher than that. Mark it down, I will turn down any offer the NBA will give me!
I'm getting down to the nitty-gritty, but there's still some stuff that I think takes away from the game, and therefore I decided to rant about a few more things as well. How about the fact that the bonus gets reset after every quarter is over? Again, why is the NBA the only form of basketball that does this? In every other level, the fouls carry over from one quarter to the next (in NCAA, the fouls don't carry over, but there are only two halfs, so the fouls don't need to be carried over). I even heard that the bonus is at the fourth foul in the overtime period in the NBA. What the fuck! Who decided that the fourth foul was the foul to start shooting in the OT? There are only two numbers that you need to know when concerning the bonus: 7 and 10. Seven is the single bonus, or the one-and-one, and 10 is the double bonus (shooting two shots no matter what). Where did four fouls come from? Stupid.
Going back to the defensive aspect as to why I hate the NBA. Why is there no full court press unless it is absoutely necessary to have it (and most times it is only to get a quick foul at the end of the game)? This is just laziness on the players in the NBA. If there was any effort exerted on a full court press defense, even the best players in the game would turn it over more than normal. Not to mention, there is only 24 seconds on the shot clock in the NBA (another way to help drive up the score), so making an offense spend 8 seconds in the backcourt would give them less time to run their normal isolation play. This would, in turn, have them at a disadvantage and the defensive team at an advantage. Now, I'm not saying that a full court press should be used ALL the time in the NBA because running a press can be highly taxing on your defensive players, but I would like to see a little more effort coming from those players who decide to always let their opponents get up the court and run a half court set every time during their possession.
Lastly, there are too many pure shooters in the NBA. Now I know I cannot fault the NBA for this, but it is ridiculous to watch games where the losing team shoots for 50% from the field (which is what the Suns did on Sunday). This can be acredited to both the NBA having the best of the best shooters in the world, along with the poor, poor defense that said best shooters in the world put out on the floor. Bottom line, these guys are out there to score buckets, not play defense. When Kobe goes for 81, or King James goes for 55 at MSG, I just say, "Whatever" and move on. We are all dumbed down by how many points these guys can score because they do it for every game. There's really nothing that can be done about this, so it's just going to be something that I don't like. I'd prefer to watch a game where the winning team shoots just above 40% from the field than a team that makes at least half of their shots while still losing by 20.
I think I've shown my reasons for hating the NBA, and I think that there is a lot there that many people will agree with. Therefore, I will stick to watching the NCAA and high school games. There is much more passion on the court from the players that play in the lower leagues, and I like living vicariously through their passion as I cannot perform on the court as they do. That is why I wear the stripes.
Friday, February 20, 2009
My proposal for NFL teams' running games
So I know that it is the third week of February and no one is thinking about football right now (until April 25th ... draft day!), but I wanted to throw out my proposal that I thought of while watching NFL teams play their respective games in the 2008-2009 season.
As everyone knows, most teams are now running a two running back system. Familiar names such as Fred Taylor (who just got released) and Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson and LenDale White, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, Warrick Dunn and Carnell Williams, Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James, just to name a few.
Under the two running back system, teams have to be more respectful of the running game as the styles of running are different between each back. However there are two ways that I have seen this system being run, and I think that both ways work. One way is to have one back run the majority of the yardage until they got into the red zone, and then the other back would come in and finish the job. I think the biggest example of this is the backfield of the Tennessee Titans. Chris Johnson was the explosive, make-things-happen-with-his-feet type of back, and would get the offense down the field until they got into the red zone. Then they would typically hand the ball off to LenDale White, and White would then pound the ball up the gut and get the touchdowns. This had to be proven successful because Tennessee was the last undefeated team in the NFL last season.
The other way that I have interpreted teams using the two running back system is to have one running back be the exclusive starter for a few weeks, and then they would switch it up and have the other back be the exclusive starter. I think this is a lesser used tactic, but I really like it. If both backs have third down potential, and they can both be considered a starter, why not try this tactic? The closest team I have seen use this style is the Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles, in my opinion. The Dolphins started out with Ronnie Brown carrying the ball for the majority of the downs in the first half of the season, but then as Brown wore down, Ricky Williams started to emerge as a go to back in the second half of the season. Brown, of course, was still used in the second half of the season (why wouldn't you want to use one of the best backs in the league) but, to me, it looked as though that Williams was the starter for the last four weeks of the season in the Dolphins' minds. The same goes for the Eagles. They kind of went back and forth between Westbrook and Buckhalter throughout the season. Westbrook started out the season getting the majority of the carries, but as the season wore on, Buckhalter looked more like a starter while Westbrook played second fiddle. Then, as the Eagles made the playoff push, Westbrook emerged again as the go-to running back and retook his position as the starting tailback. That's how I saw it anyways.
This brings me to my point. I would like to take that a step further and introcduce a three running back system. To me, there is only one team that has already flirted with the idea, and that is the New York Football Giants with Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Although Earth, Wind and Fire may seem to fall into what I am talking about, I've always seen Jacobs as the exclusive starter (when he's healthy) and Ward and Bradshaw come in at opportune times to help boost the running game. While this is a successful system (2008 Super Bowl Champions), I would like to see each back get their own time to shine as a starter at different parts of the season. I think this could work.
Each NFL season is 17 weeks (16 games) long. If one back is expected to carry most of the workload, that is one long freakin' season. If you divided that up between three backs, however, each back would have a five or six week "season" as the starter. Now of course, while one back is the "starter" the other two backs could be used much like the Giants use their backs. However, I think that giving each guy his own starting role, teams would have to adjust to the different running styles that each back has. Hell, the offense might have to adjust as well. I think this could be a great idea, and there are only a couple of teams that could pull this off (barring an addition in this upcoming draft or a future trade/signing). The Giants are the most suitable team to implement this idea, however I can also see the Pittsburg Steelers using this tactic and being successful. With Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall (hell, I could even include Najeh Davenport as a fouth RB) the Steelers have three excellent backs that could all be considered a starter. Imagine having to go into a week without knowing who your opponent would be putting in the backfield for the majority of the time. I wouldn't want to be in that position. Imagine the advantage your offense could gain...
Now there are two ways that the three-headed machine could be ran. Each back could have a third of the season where they are the starter consecutively, or each week could be a different back getting the majority of the workload and it gets spread out evenly over the course of the season. I could see either strategy work. The other thing about using three high caliber running backs on one team is that if there is an injury (for example, Mendenhall) the team doesn't get set back because there are two high quality backs that can fill in. With as fast and hard guys are hitting these days, that's not a bad insurance idea for teams to use.
This would be hell on how I try and pick fantasy league running backs...
As everyone knows, most teams are now running a two running back system. Familiar names such as Fred Taylor (who just got released) and Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Johnson and LenDale White, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, Warrick Dunn and Carnell Williams, Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James, just to name a few.
Under the two running back system, teams have to be more respectful of the running game as the styles of running are different between each back. However there are two ways that I have seen this system being run, and I think that both ways work. One way is to have one back run the majority of the yardage until they got into the red zone, and then the other back would come in and finish the job. I think the biggest example of this is the backfield of the Tennessee Titans. Chris Johnson was the explosive, make-things-happen-with-his-feet type of back, and would get the offense down the field until they got into the red zone. Then they would typically hand the ball off to LenDale White, and White would then pound the ball up the gut and get the touchdowns. This had to be proven successful because Tennessee was the last undefeated team in the NFL last season.
The other way that I have interpreted teams using the two running back system is to have one running back be the exclusive starter for a few weeks, and then they would switch it up and have the other back be the exclusive starter. I think this is a lesser used tactic, but I really like it. If both backs have third down potential, and they can both be considered a starter, why not try this tactic? The closest team I have seen use this style is the Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles, in my opinion. The Dolphins started out with Ronnie Brown carrying the ball for the majority of the downs in the first half of the season, but then as Brown wore down, Ricky Williams started to emerge as a go to back in the second half of the season. Brown, of course, was still used in the second half of the season (why wouldn't you want to use one of the best backs in the league) but, to me, it looked as though that Williams was the starter for the last four weeks of the season in the Dolphins' minds. The same goes for the Eagles. They kind of went back and forth between Westbrook and Buckhalter throughout the season. Westbrook started out the season getting the majority of the carries, but as the season wore on, Buckhalter looked more like a starter while Westbrook played second fiddle. Then, as the Eagles made the playoff push, Westbrook emerged again as the go-to running back and retook his position as the starting tailback. That's how I saw it anyways.
This brings me to my point. I would like to take that a step further and introcduce a three running back system. To me, there is only one team that has already flirted with the idea, and that is the New York Football Giants with Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Although Earth, Wind and Fire may seem to fall into what I am talking about, I've always seen Jacobs as the exclusive starter (when he's healthy) and Ward and Bradshaw come in at opportune times to help boost the running game. While this is a successful system (2008 Super Bowl Champions), I would like to see each back get their own time to shine as a starter at different parts of the season. I think this could work.
Each NFL season is 17 weeks (16 games) long. If one back is expected to carry most of the workload, that is one long freakin' season. If you divided that up between three backs, however, each back would have a five or six week "season" as the starter. Now of course, while one back is the "starter" the other two backs could be used much like the Giants use their backs. However, I think that giving each guy his own starting role, teams would have to adjust to the different running styles that each back has. Hell, the offense might have to adjust as well. I think this could be a great idea, and there are only a couple of teams that could pull this off (barring an addition in this upcoming draft or a future trade/signing). The Giants are the most suitable team to implement this idea, however I can also see the Pittsburg Steelers using this tactic and being successful. With Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall (hell, I could even include Najeh Davenport as a fouth RB) the Steelers have three excellent backs that could all be considered a starter. Imagine having to go into a week without knowing who your opponent would be putting in the backfield for the majority of the time. I wouldn't want to be in that position. Imagine the advantage your offense could gain...
Now there are two ways that the three-headed machine could be ran. Each back could have a third of the season where they are the starter consecutively, or each week could be a different back getting the majority of the workload and it gets spread out evenly over the course of the season. I could see either strategy work. The other thing about using three high caliber running backs on one team is that if there is an injury (for example, Mendenhall) the team doesn't get set back because there are two high quality backs that can fill in. With as fast and hard guys are hitting these days, that's not a bad insurance idea for teams to use.
This would be hell on how I try and pick fantasy league running backs...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Ranking the NL Central by position
I saw this on the Milwaukee Brewers' message board, and I thought it would be fun to do myself. By position, I'll give my rankings for each position in the NL Central and maybe why (if I feel like it).
Pitcher (One ace from each team)
1. Carlos Zambrano (Cubs)
2. Adam Wainwright (Cardinals)
3. Roy Oswalt (Astros)
4. Edinson Volquez (Reds)
5. Yovanni Gallardo (Brewers)
6. Paul Malholm (Pirates)
It's tough to rank a Cubs pitcher first, but, lets face it, they have the best rotation in the NL Central. By far. Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden could both be considered aces on any of the other five teams in the Central. Sickening. To put Big Z in front of the other two Cubs' pitchers is for the sole fact that I hate it when he is pitching against the Cardinals, but I would love it if he pitched for the Cardinals. It's a lot of the feeling that Cubs fans get for Pujols.
Waino gets the slight edge over Oswalt for the second spot in my book mainly due to age. Oswalt isn't getting any younger, and I believe this is the beginning of the end for him. Wainwright, on the other hand, is young and has tremendous stuff to be considered at the top of this list. Why not Chris Carpenter, you ask? Yes, he may be considered an ace, but until he proves it again on the field, Adam Wainwright is the Cardinals' ace.
Volquez might be a sleeper pick within the Reds' starting rotation over Adam Harang, and I made this pick again due to age. Volquez is 26, while Harang is 31. Not to mention the fact that Volquez went 17-6 last year and Harang went 6-17! Volquez is the Reds' ace now and for the future. He quite easily could be an elite pitcher in the majors in the next few years.
Gallardo and Malholm round out the bottom of the list because: 1) The Brewers' lost both Sheets and CC and 2) Malholm pitches for the Pirates...
Catcher
1. Geovanny Soto (Cubs)
2. Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
3. Ryan Doumit (Pirates)
4. J.R. Towles (Astros)
5. Ramon Hernandez (Reds)
6. Jason Kendall (Brewers)
There is definitely a difference between the top three and the bottom three catchers in the NL Central. The easy top pick is last year's starting All-Star catcher for the National League. I was lucky enough to grab on to Soto in two of the thee Fantasy Baseball Leagues that I was in, and I was highly rewarded. Easily one of the best catchers in the National League.
The sole reason Yadi is in the number two spot is because he's a Cardinal. Yeah, I'll admit it. I really like Doumit: he's young, plays pretty good defense and hits the hell out of the ball. Again, in my Fantasy Leagues, I had Doumit on two of my three teams, and I was happy. Hopefully Yadi has a good 2009 and proves me right in placing him above Doumit.
The last three is a crapshoot. Kendall is obviously last due to his age and poor, poor offense. I put Towles over Hernandez simply for the fact that Towles will have his first year in the Majors this year, and I think that he might surprise some people.
First Base
1. Albert Pujols (Cardinals)
2. Prince Fielder (Brewers)
3. Lance Berkman (Astros)
4. Derek Lee (Cubs)
5. Joey Votto (Reds)
6. Adam LaRoche (Pirates)
I didn't realize how deep the NL Central was in first baseman! There are some really good players here, top to bottom. Pujols is definitely the best of the six, and the choice between Fielder and Berkman was really tough, so a coin flip settled it. Fielder won on tails because he has a fat ass. D-Lee is in fourth because I haven't seen him have a strong season in the last couple of years. Votto is going to be someone to watch for the future. He barely edged out LaRoche for the last spot, and I chose Votto mainly due to the fact that I think that Votto is going to be much better this year than LaRoche will be.
Second Base
1. Brandon Phillps (Reds)
2. Rickie Weeks (Brewers)
3. Freddy Sanchez (Pirates)
4. Kazuo Matsui (Astros)
5. Aaron Miles/Mike Fontenot (Cubs)
6. Brendan Ryan/Skip Shumaker/Brian Barden/Joe Thurston (Cardinals)
What a crapshoot here. Phillips is obvously the best in the NL Central, followed by a big shitpile of guys who think they can play baseball. Weeks and Sanchez get the second and third spots because they are going to be for sure starters for their ball clubs. Matsui got fourth since he can't hit worth a damn, and his defense isn't the greatest either. I'm not even touching the clusterfuck that is at the bottom of the list concering the Cubs and Cardinals' second basemen.
Third Base
1. Aramis Ramirez (Cubs)
2. Troy Glaus (Cardinals)
3. Edwin Encarnacion (Reds)
4. Bill Hall (Brewers)
5. Geoff Blum (Astros)
6. Andy LaRoche (Pirates)
Well, to start off, two of the six players above are injured as of right now (Glaus and Hall), but they will be back for the majority of the season, so they are still considered. At the top of the list is ARam and rightfully so. Looking at the rest of the list, he is number one by far. Glaus is the definite number two mostly due to his year last year, and the fact that he is a little more seasoned than the others. Encarnacion edges out Bill Hall due to Hall's poor offensive effort last year compared to his thunderous 2007 season. Blum falls behind Blum just because he had a very good year at the plate, but I am expecting Hall to return to form this year and he will be better than Blum. Andy LaRoche, Adam's little brother, rounds out the list because he is young and hasn't really seen much time in the majors.
Shortstop
1. J.J. Hardy (Brewers)
2. Ryan Theriot (Cubs)
3. Khalil Greene (Cardinals)
4. Miguel Tejada (Astros)
5. Alex Gonzalez (Reds)
6. Jack Wilson (Pirates)
Not much here either for the NL Central. I guess the middle infield is the weakest area for the whole division. Hardy is probably the best, even though he didn't have a great season last year. His potential to be an offensive threat is more valuable than any of the others can put up that are on the list. The Riot edges out Greene for second because of Greene's horrible year last year, and because I really like his name. Tejada is fourth because he just plead guilty to some shit that I don't really care about anymore. Gonzalez edges out Wilson for the fifth spot because he should be returning fully from his injury, and he has the chance to produce more at the plate.
Left Field
1. Carlos Lee (Astros)
2. Ryan Braun (Brewers)
3. Alfonso Soriano (Cubs)
4. Nyjer Morgan (Pirates)
5. Chris Duncan/Joe Mather (Cardinals)
6. Norris Hopper (Reds)
The top three are good, the bottom three aren't so much. Carlos Lee takes the first spot due to the Crawford Boxes, in my opinion. Playing 81 games at Minute Maid will help his stats, and he has less field to manage out there. Braun beats out Soriano due to the fact that I think we will never see Soriano used to his full potential until he is put in the second or seventh spot in the batting order. Morgan edges out whoever plays in the Cardinals left field because it just isn't fair for someone to lose out to a platoon ... unless you're Norris Hopper. Last year, Hopper hit just .200 for average and only played in 50 games. Anyone the Cardinals put out there should hopefully do better than that.
Center Field
1. Nate McLouth (Pirates)
2. Rick Ankiel (Cardinals)
3. Mike Cameron/Tony Gwynn Jr. (Brewers)
4. Michael Bourne/Darin Erstad (Astros)
5. Kosuke Fukudome/Reed Johnson (Cubs)
6. Willie Tavaras (Reds)
There looks like to be a lot of platooning in the center field position in the NL Central. I couldn't name a for sure starter for the Brewers, Cubs or Astros. Makes it hard to rank. The top two positions are easy. McLouth is the for sure number one guy in center in the Central, and Ankiel is for sure number two (if he can stay healthy). Following those two, I really don't know. I took Cameron and Gwynn Jr. at the third spot mainly because Cameron might be the offensive force we saw from him in 2007, and Gwynn Jr. is fun to watch. FUKuDOme and his crew took the fifth spot mainly because I hate the guy and I think the Cubs paid way too much to watch their center fielder miss at the plate. Although the Cubs could be happy that they aren't stuck with Willie Tavaras in center, like the Reds do. Ouch.
Right Field
1. Jay Bruce (Reds)
2. Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals)
3. Milton Bradley (Cubs)
4. Corey Hart (Brewers)
5. Hunter Pence (Astros)
6. Brandon Boss/Eric Hinske (Pirates)
Bruce and Ludwick was a tough one, but I went with Bruce due to his hype. Ludwick had a career year last year, and I don't think he can repeat to that extent. Bruce has the capabilities to produce like that for the rest of his career, and it's early in his career yet. Bradley took the third spot simply because he is better than who is left. Hart beats out Pence solely for the reason that I think Hunter Pence is a pussy-sounding name. Whoever is fielding right for the Pirates is last, cause they suck (the Pirates do, I mean).
For fun, I decided to see how each team did in my ranking system:
Astros - 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4, 1, 4, 5
Brewers - 5, 6, 2, 2, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4
Cardinals - 2, 2, 1, 6, 2, 3, 5, 2, 2
Cubs - 1, 1, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 3
Pirates - 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 6, 4, 1, 6
Reds - 4, 5, 5, 1, 3, 5, 5, 6, 1
I totaled all of these up to see how the standings would look if they were based on my player rankings (low score is first, high score is last):
1. Cubs - 25
2. Cardinals - 25
3. Brewers - 29
4. Astros - 33
5. Reds - 35
6. Pirates - 41
I'm giving the edge to the Cubs over the Cardinals because I am probably baised in some of my rankings. Either way it looks pretty much like i think the Division should run down this year.
Pitcher (One ace from each team)
1. Carlos Zambrano (Cubs)
2. Adam Wainwright (Cardinals)
3. Roy Oswalt (Astros)
4. Edinson Volquez (Reds)
5. Yovanni Gallardo (Brewers)
6. Paul Malholm (Pirates)
It's tough to rank a Cubs pitcher first, but, lets face it, they have the best rotation in the NL Central. By far. Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden could both be considered aces on any of the other five teams in the Central. Sickening. To put Big Z in front of the other two Cubs' pitchers is for the sole fact that I hate it when he is pitching against the Cardinals, but I would love it if he pitched for the Cardinals. It's a lot of the feeling that Cubs fans get for Pujols.
Waino gets the slight edge over Oswalt for the second spot in my book mainly due to age. Oswalt isn't getting any younger, and I believe this is the beginning of the end for him. Wainwright, on the other hand, is young and has tremendous stuff to be considered at the top of this list. Why not Chris Carpenter, you ask? Yes, he may be considered an ace, but until he proves it again on the field, Adam Wainwright is the Cardinals' ace.
Volquez might be a sleeper pick within the Reds' starting rotation over Adam Harang, and I made this pick again due to age. Volquez is 26, while Harang is 31. Not to mention the fact that Volquez went 17-6 last year and Harang went 6-17! Volquez is the Reds' ace now and for the future. He quite easily could be an elite pitcher in the majors in the next few years.
Gallardo and Malholm round out the bottom of the list because: 1) The Brewers' lost both Sheets and CC and 2) Malholm pitches for the Pirates...
Catcher
1. Geovanny Soto (Cubs)
2. Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
3. Ryan Doumit (Pirates)
4. J.R. Towles (Astros)
5. Ramon Hernandez (Reds)
6. Jason Kendall (Brewers)
There is definitely a difference between the top three and the bottom three catchers in the NL Central. The easy top pick is last year's starting All-Star catcher for the National League. I was lucky enough to grab on to Soto in two of the thee Fantasy Baseball Leagues that I was in, and I was highly rewarded. Easily one of the best catchers in the National League.
The sole reason Yadi is in the number two spot is because he's a Cardinal. Yeah, I'll admit it. I really like Doumit: he's young, plays pretty good defense and hits the hell out of the ball. Again, in my Fantasy Leagues, I had Doumit on two of my three teams, and I was happy. Hopefully Yadi has a good 2009 and proves me right in placing him above Doumit.
The last three is a crapshoot. Kendall is obviously last due to his age and poor, poor offense. I put Towles over Hernandez simply for the fact that Towles will have his first year in the Majors this year, and I think that he might surprise some people.
First Base
1. Albert Pujols (Cardinals)
2. Prince Fielder (Brewers)
3. Lance Berkman (Astros)
4. Derek Lee (Cubs)
5. Joey Votto (Reds)
6. Adam LaRoche (Pirates)
I didn't realize how deep the NL Central was in first baseman! There are some really good players here, top to bottom. Pujols is definitely the best of the six, and the choice between Fielder and Berkman was really tough, so a coin flip settled it. Fielder won on tails because he has a fat ass. D-Lee is in fourth because I haven't seen him have a strong season in the last couple of years. Votto is going to be someone to watch for the future. He barely edged out LaRoche for the last spot, and I chose Votto mainly due to the fact that I think that Votto is going to be much better this year than LaRoche will be.
Second Base
1. Brandon Phillps (Reds)
2. Rickie Weeks (Brewers)
3. Freddy Sanchez (Pirates)
4. Kazuo Matsui (Astros)
5. Aaron Miles/Mike Fontenot (Cubs)
6. Brendan Ryan/Skip Shumaker/Brian Barden/Joe Thurston (Cardinals)
What a crapshoot here. Phillips is obvously the best in the NL Central, followed by a big shitpile of guys who think they can play baseball. Weeks and Sanchez get the second and third spots because they are going to be for sure starters for their ball clubs. Matsui got fourth since he can't hit worth a damn, and his defense isn't the greatest either. I'm not even touching the clusterfuck that is at the bottom of the list concering the Cubs and Cardinals' second basemen.
Third Base
1. Aramis Ramirez (Cubs)
2. Troy Glaus (Cardinals)
3. Edwin Encarnacion (Reds)
4. Bill Hall (Brewers)
5. Geoff Blum (Astros)
6. Andy LaRoche (Pirates)
Well, to start off, two of the six players above are injured as of right now (Glaus and Hall), but they will be back for the majority of the season, so they are still considered. At the top of the list is ARam and rightfully so. Looking at the rest of the list, he is number one by far. Glaus is the definite number two mostly due to his year last year, and the fact that he is a little more seasoned than the others. Encarnacion edges out Bill Hall due to Hall's poor offensive effort last year compared to his thunderous 2007 season. Blum falls behind Blum just because he had a very good year at the plate, but I am expecting Hall to return to form this year and he will be better than Blum. Andy LaRoche, Adam's little brother, rounds out the list because he is young and hasn't really seen much time in the majors.
Shortstop
1. J.J. Hardy (Brewers)
2. Ryan Theriot (Cubs)
3. Khalil Greene (Cardinals)
4. Miguel Tejada (Astros)
5. Alex Gonzalez (Reds)
6. Jack Wilson (Pirates)
Not much here either for the NL Central. I guess the middle infield is the weakest area for the whole division. Hardy is probably the best, even though he didn't have a great season last year. His potential to be an offensive threat is more valuable than any of the others can put up that are on the list. The Riot edges out Greene for second because of Greene's horrible year last year, and because I really like his name. Tejada is fourth because he just plead guilty to some shit that I don't really care about anymore. Gonzalez edges out Wilson for the fifth spot because he should be returning fully from his injury, and he has the chance to produce more at the plate.
Left Field
1. Carlos Lee (Astros)
2. Ryan Braun (Brewers)
3. Alfonso Soriano (Cubs)
4. Nyjer Morgan (Pirates)
5. Chris Duncan/Joe Mather (Cardinals)
6. Norris Hopper (Reds)
The top three are good, the bottom three aren't so much. Carlos Lee takes the first spot due to the Crawford Boxes, in my opinion. Playing 81 games at Minute Maid will help his stats, and he has less field to manage out there. Braun beats out Soriano due to the fact that I think we will never see Soriano used to his full potential until he is put in the second or seventh spot in the batting order. Morgan edges out whoever plays in the Cardinals left field because it just isn't fair for someone to lose out to a platoon ... unless you're Norris Hopper. Last year, Hopper hit just .200 for average and only played in 50 games. Anyone the Cardinals put out there should hopefully do better than that.
Center Field
1. Nate McLouth (Pirates)
2. Rick Ankiel (Cardinals)
3. Mike Cameron/Tony Gwynn Jr. (Brewers)
4. Michael Bourne/Darin Erstad (Astros)
5. Kosuke Fukudome/Reed Johnson (Cubs)
6. Willie Tavaras (Reds)
There looks like to be a lot of platooning in the center field position in the NL Central. I couldn't name a for sure starter for the Brewers, Cubs or Astros. Makes it hard to rank. The top two positions are easy. McLouth is the for sure number one guy in center in the Central, and Ankiel is for sure number two (if he can stay healthy). Following those two, I really don't know. I took Cameron and Gwynn Jr. at the third spot mainly because Cameron might be the offensive force we saw from him in 2007, and Gwynn Jr. is fun to watch. FUKuDOme and his crew took the fifth spot mainly because I hate the guy and I think the Cubs paid way too much to watch their center fielder miss at the plate. Although the Cubs could be happy that they aren't stuck with Willie Tavaras in center, like the Reds do. Ouch.
Right Field
1. Jay Bruce (Reds)
2. Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals)
3. Milton Bradley (Cubs)
4. Corey Hart (Brewers)
5. Hunter Pence (Astros)
6. Brandon Boss/Eric Hinske (Pirates)
Bruce and Ludwick was a tough one, but I went with Bruce due to his hype. Ludwick had a career year last year, and I don't think he can repeat to that extent. Bruce has the capabilities to produce like that for the rest of his career, and it's early in his career yet. Bradley took the third spot simply because he is better than who is left. Hart beats out Pence solely for the reason that I think Hunter Pence is a pussy-sounding name. Whoever is fielding right for the Pirates is last, cause they suck (the Pirates do, I mean).
For fun, I decided to see how each team did in my ranking system:
Astros - 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4, 1, 4, 5
Brewers - 5, 6, 2, 2, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4
Cardinals - 2, 2, 1, 6, 2, 3, 5, 2, 2
Cubs - 1, 1, 4, 5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 3
Pirates - 6, 3, 6, 3, 6, 6, 4, 1, 6
Reds - 4, 5, 5, 1, 3, 5, 5, 6, 1
I totaled all of these up to see how the standings would look if they were based on my player rankings (low score is first, high score is last):
1. Cubs - 25
2. Cardinals - 25
3. Brewers - 29
4. Astros - 33
5. Reds - 35
6. Pirates - 41
I'm giving the edge to the Cubs over the Cardinals because I am probably baised in some of my rankings. Either way it looks pretty much like i think the Division should run down this year.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Rushing the court... one of Mankind's lowest forms of Celebration
So I've realized what really irks me when it comes to college sports. Why is it when there is even the slightest bit of an upset, fans feel the need to rush the damn court/field? I really came to terms to this while watching this year's college basketball season. Most notably, the Clemson/Duke game last week and the Missouri/Kansas game this week.
In my first example Duke and Clemson were then ranked #3 and #10 in the country, respectively. Clemson and Duke were tied 13-13 with about twelve minutes to go in the first half, and then Clemson just took over. For the rest of the game Clemson never lost the lead, and lead by as many as 22 points in the second half. With the final score being 74-47, Clemson held the Blue Devils so season lows in field goal percentage and points in a game. How come the fans still felt the need to rush the court after a game was essentially over after eight minutes into the game? Especially in a game where your team is ranked top 10 in the whole freaking country! I'm sorry, but if you are at home and you are one of the top teams in the country, you should expect to beat any team that comes into your house. I don't care how good they are (by the way, Duke isn't that good this year). Also, when your team is up by that much and players are just standing around on the court waiting for the game to be over, it looks stupid as hell when the dumbass fans rush the court. Besides, what do you do as a fan after the "rushing" is over with? I could see this running through my mind:
(As the game ends) "Holy crap, we won! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" (Rushes court)
(2 minutes into rushing) "Damn, I can't see shit! Too many people are down here..."
(5 minutes in) "Welp, I'm done jumping up and down. What do I do now?"
(5 1/2 minutes in) "WHERE THE FUCK IS MY PHONE? FUCK I THINK I LOST IT JUMPING UP AND DOWN. FUCK"
With my luck, I could see myself losing something to that effect while rushing the court or field. So I will not do it.
On to my next game that I witnessed idiocy at its finest. Just this week there was the Kansas/Missouri matchup. As I understand that this is a great matchup, I still don't see it being worthy of a crashing the court event. Yes, Mizzou did make a great comback, however I cannot comprehend why the fans insisted on rushing the court. Case and point is that it took long enough for the game to end, the players to come off of the bench in celebration AND the players to make their way to the student sections to join them in celebration (which I am fine with, by the way). Only after that, the student body decides to make the court the home of celebration. This one isn't as bad as the former, but what pissed me off was when the players made their way to the student sections, and the students still decided to make their way out of their seats and onto the court. No to mention, look how stupid the fans look as they are trying to make their way off of the court. Looks like a herd of cattle, huh? I thought so.
I attended the University of Illinois, home of one of the best basketball teams in recent Big Ten history (2005 National Runners-Up) as well as home of one of the worst football teams in recent Big Ten histroy, and I have never seen an Illinois crowd rush any court or field after the end of any game, no matter the circumstances. Case and point: In 2004, I was about to witness my first football Big Ten win (halfway through my sophomore year, mind you). Approaching the end of the game, the security thought that the fans were going to rush the field in celebration of a win, nevermind the game importance or how the team won. Instead the fans cheered loudly and went their respective ways (me to the World's Greatest Beer Garden). Another instance, and this one concerns the KU/Mizzou game: Wisconsin's football team (then ranked #5 in the country) came into Memorial Stadium with a 14 game winning streak. The football Illini pulled off the upset to break the Badgers' winning streak as well as go 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in 17 years. Did the fans rush the field after the game? No. Could they have? Sure. However, instead of the fans blindly running down onto the field, the players made an effort to come to the fans and celebrate in the stands with them. Take note, Tiger fans (the ones in black and gold).
Point number 3: this one contradicts the actions of Tiger fans (the Clemson ones) after their game against Duke. In 2005, the Illini were set to host Wake Forest for the ACC/Big Ten challenge. As the Big Ten always seems to get their asses beat in this "challenge," this proved to be the game of the year (at that time) for the Illini. WF came into Assembly Hall as the #1 team in the country, Illinois being the #3 team. As the game went on, it was easy to see who was going to be the victor in this game. As the Illini proved victorious, there was no rushing of the court. There was much rushing out of the door and rushing to the nearest bar to celebrate said victory, as I did. This game was decided early, and the fans knew it. There is no reason to rush a court when a victory is cemented early on in the game.
As I do not like fans rushing the court, I do see when there are times that it should happen. It should not happen very often, though. In fact, there is only one instance that I have seen live where rushing the court was warrented. This was a February 12th, 2003 game between Louisville and St. Louis University. Louisville was then ranked #2 in the country with SLU being near the bottom of the C-USA Conference. With about three minutes to go, my friends and I were about to leave the game because it looked as though Louisville was going to win by about ten (if I remember correctly). Three old ladies behind us said to us, and I'll never forget this line, "Now boys, it's not over 'till it's over." Hearing this from these old ladies convinced us to stay and watch a stunning upset, one of the best upsets I have ever seen with my own two eyes. Rightfully so, the fans stormed the court and celebrated with the players over the victory.
With all this being said, I know that rushing the court/field will continue to happen. The only thing I can do is bitch about it and write about it. Best part is, no one will hear me or read this, so I just wasted my time...
In my first example Duke and Clemson were then ranked #3 and #10 in the country, respectively. Clemson and Duke were tied 13-13 with about twelve minutes to go in the first half, and then Clemson just took over. For the rest of the game Clemson never lost the lead, and lead by as many as 22 points in the second half. With the final score being 74-47, Clemson held the Blue Devils so season lows in field goal percentage and points in a game. How come the fans still felt the need to rush the court after a game was essentially over after eight minutes into the game? Especially in a game where your team is ranked top 10 in the whole freaking country! I'm sorry, but if you are at home and you are one of the top teams in the country, you should expect to beat any team that comes into your house. I don't care how good they are (by the way, Duke isn't that good this year). Also, when your team is up by that much and players are just standing around on the court waiting for the game to be over, it looks stupid as hell when the dumbass fans rush the court. Besides, what do you do as a fan after the "rushing" is over with? I could see this running through my mind:
(As the game ends) "Holy crap, we won! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" (Rushes court)
(2 minutes into rushing) "Damn, I can't see shit! Too many people are down here..."
(5 minutes in) "Welp, I'm done jumping up and down. What do I do now?"
(5 1/2 minutes in) "WHERE THE FUCK IS MY PHONE? FUCK I THINK I LOST IT JUMPING UP AND DOWN. FUCK"
With my luck, I could see myself losing something to that effect while rushing the court or field. So I will not do it.
On to my next game that I witnessed idiocy at its finest. Just this week there was the Kansas/Missouri matchup. As I understand that this is a great matchup, I still don't see it being worthy of a crashing the court event. Yes, Mizzou did make a great comback, however I cannot comprehend why the fans insisted on rushing the court. Case and point is that it took long enough for the game to end, the players to come off of the bench in celebration AND the players to make their way to the student sections to join them in celebration (which I am fine with, by the way). Only after that, the student body decides to make the court the home of celebration. This one isn't as bad as the former, but what pissed me off was when the players made their way to the student sections, and the students still decided to make their way out of their seats and onto the court. No to mention, look how stupid the fans look as they are trying to make their way off of the court. Looks like a herd of cattle, huh? I thought so.
I attended the University of Illinois, home of one of the best basketball teams in recent Big Ten history (2005 National Runners-Up) as well as home of one of the worst football teams in recent Big Ten histroy, and I have never seen an Illinois crowd rush any court or field after the end of any game, no matter the circumstances. Case and point: In 2004, I was about to witness my first football Big Ten win (halfway through my sophomore year, mind you). Approaching the end of the game, the security thought that the fans were going to rush the field in celebration of a win, nevermind the game importance or how the team won. Instead the fans cheered loudly and went their respective ways (me to the World's Greatest Beer Garden). Another instance, and this one concerns the KU/Mizzou game: Wisconsin's football team (then ranked #5 in the country) came into Memorial Stadium with a 14 game winning streak. The football Illini pulled off the upset to break the Badgers' winning streak as well as go 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in 17 years. Did the fans rush the field after the game? No. Could they have? Sure. However, instead of the fans blindly running down onto the field, the players made an effort to come to the fans and celebrate in the stands with them. Take note, Tiger fans (the ones in black and gold).
Point number 3: this one contradicts the actions of Tiger fans (the Clemson ones) after their game against Duke. In 2005, the Illini were set to host Wake Forest for the ACC/Big Ten challenge. As the Big Ten always seems to get their asses beat in this "challenge," this proved to be the game of the year (at that time) for the Illini. WF came into Assembly Hall as the #1 team in the country, Illinois being the #3 team. As the game went on, it was easy to see who was going to be the victor in this game. As the Illini proved victorious, there was no rushing of the court. There was much rushing out of the door and rushing to the nearest bar to celebrate said victory, as I did. This game was decided early, and the fans knew it. There is no reason to rush a court when a victory is cemented early on in the game.
As I do not like fans rushing the court, I do see when there are times that it should happen. It should not happen very often, though. In fact, there is only one instance that I have seen live where rushing the court was warrented. This was a February 12th, 2003 game between Louisville and St. Louis University. Louisville was then ranked #2 in the country with SLU being near the bottom of the C-USA Conference. With about three minutes to go, my friends and I were about to leave the game because it looked as though Louisville was going to win by about ten (if I remember correctly). Three old ladies behind us said to us, and I'll never forget this line, "Now boys, it's not over 'till it's over." Hearing this from these old ladies convinced us to stay and watch a stunning upset, one of the best upsets I have ever seen with my own two eyes. Rightfully so, the fans stormed the court and celebrated with the players over the victory.
With all this being said, I know that rushing the court/field will continue to happen. The only thing I can do is bitch about it and write about it. Best part is, no one will hear me or read this, so I just wasted my time...
My 2009 Cardinals Preview (Previously posted on FB)
Prequel: This is my first attempt at a blog, so things are going to be quite bland. When I get the hang of it I am hoping to create some more interesting blogs. I've got some good ideas for some future topics, but for now...
My 2009 Cardinals’ Preview
With a little more than a week left until pitchers and catchers report, I decided to do my own little preseason analysis on this year’s St. Louis Cardinals. I am excited to see that there are going to be some battles in this year’s spring training (3B while Glaus is recovering, second base, left handed reliever, closer), as well as seeing how some of the young guns that the Cards have groomed will turn out. I will assess every position, starting rotation and bullpen. Then I will project how I think the Cards might do this year (being as realistic as possible).
Last year our beloved Cardinals made an impressive run deep into the season for the Wild Card spot with a team littered with injuries and no-names. I mean, who outside of St. Louis knew of Ryan Ludwick before last season? No one. It was only until September rolled around and this team just ran out of gas. I was pleasantly surprised with last year’s team because I was under the assumption at the beginning of last season that 2008 was going to be a rebuilding year. This got me really excited for the 2009 baseball season as there is only one way to go for this team and that is up. With 86 wins last season (which is three more wins than what they had in the 2006 World Championship season by the way) the Cardinals were good enough to finish fourth in the National League Central Division. This division turned out to be one of the toughest in the MLB with the Cubs and Brewers both advancing to the postseason. It should also be noted that the Redbirds only finished a half game behind Houston for third place in the division (Houston only played 161 games due to a makeup date with the Cubs being irrelevant in the standings). If you would have asked me last year when I thought the Cardinals were going to contend in the division again, I definitely wouldn’t have told you that they would be in the hunt for the Wild Card until September. I thought that 2010 would be the first time the Cardinals would be back as a powerhouse in the Central. However, last year proved me wrong, and I am very excited for this year’s season.
This year’s offseason has been kind of a quiet one for the Redbird Nation, but true fans of the Cards know that this is not an irregularity. There have been many offseasons where the Cardinals front office decides to stay away from big name signings/trades. There are some notables worth mentioning from this year’s offseason (mind you, this year’s offseason is not over yet). The shortstop issue was addressed as a trade was made with the Padres to acquire Khalil Greene in exchange for relief pitcher Mark Worrell and a player to be named. More on Greene later. The left handed relief corps was also addressed in the signing of Trever Miller. Also, more on relief pitching later. Key losses in this year’s offseason include: Aaron Miles (to the Cubs… why do they continue to sign former Cardinals??), Cesar Izturis (good riddance), Felipe Lopez, and Russ Springer. There are also a number of Cardinals still on the free agent list. Some of those include: Randy Flores, Izzy, Tyler Johnson, Braden Looper and Mark Mulder (haha, who the Hell wants him now?) and Ron Villone. Of the remaining free agents (all pitchers by the way) I would only like to see Looper brought back. For a team with as many injuries that they had in 2008, a guy who pitched an inning short of 200 innings would be good to have in the fifth starter’s spot. However, I will not include him in my assessment of the starters later on. Now, on to the position evaluations.
Catcher:
The Redbirds are in possession of one of the best defensive catchers in the big leagues. Name that Molina! He was finally awarded his much deserved Gold Glove in 2008 (about two years too late according to me). Just two weeks ago, the Cardinals and Molina came to an agreement of a four year deal and a club option in the fifth year. So, Cardinals’ fans, Molina is here to stay as the Cardinals catcher, and this Cardinals’ fan couldn’t be happier. I don’t even have to tell you about his defensive skills (I still get chills every time he zips a ball down the first base line to try and pick off a dumbass runner that got too big of a lead after the pitch was thrown), but his offensive skills are something that need to be looked at. In 2008, Yadi enjoyed his first season of hitting over .300, barely. I did enjoy that fact along with that Yadi also had the most hits in one season last year as well (135). The only thing that I am worried about is, can he do it again? I am optimistic, however Yadi’s previous seasons are all suspect in the hitting area. The only thing that makes me think that he is evolving as a hitter is that he has one of the greatest hitters in the game to learn from and add to his own hitting game. I think that Yadi has shown that he is learning from Pujols in that he rarely strikes out. By rarely, I mean almost never (only 29 K’s last season!) However, I do believe that this year is going to be the deal breaker for me in deciding if Molina is improving in his hitting game. Also, in order to help stay on the healthy train, Molina has lost 10-15 pounds in this year’s offseason which is also a good sign. Maybe he might become the base stealing threat we always thought he would be! (Sarcasm to the max there)
The Cardinals also came to terms with backup catcher Jason LaRue. LaRue enjoyed his first season with the Cardinals last year, and while he might not be Gary Mother F*ckin’ Bennett, he still proved decent enough for a backup. LaRue is a veteran, and I have no complaints about him. What more is there to say about a backup though?
First Base:
Who’s on first? Just the reigning NL MVP. El Hombre. Phat Albert. Sir Albert. The Machine. Call him what you will, but Albert Pujols will continue to be just who he is supposed to be in 2009: Albert Pujols. Is there really anything more I need to elaborate on? Everyone knows his passion for the game, and he will be a staple in the Cardinals lineup in the 2009 season.
Second Base:
I will move from one of the most solidified positions at first to a revolving door concerning Cardinals’ players at second base. The second base position has always been viewed by the Cardinals as a stop-gap position. Since Fernando Vina, who was our last multi-year starter at second, the Cards have used several different middle infielders in the past seven years. However, in the 2006 offseason the Cardinals signed a former Cardinals’ top prospect that was used to bring in Jim Edmonds in the 2000 trade. Adam Kennedy signed a three year deal, and it looked like he would be the second baseman for the Cardinals for the next few years. This didn’t turn out as the Cardinals had hoped. He only played in 87 games in the 2007 season and 115 games in the 2008 season. Having been sidelined by injuries in both years, Kennedy clearly isn’t working out here in St. Louis. There was much talk about trading Kennedy in this offseason, but no move was made. There was even talk of Kennedy demanding a trade to get out of St. Louis. None of this happened, so just a few days ago, the Cardinals released Kennedy, agreeing to pay him the rest of his salary. They just wanted him to get the fuck out of St. Louis (something that is rumored to be spearheaded by LaRussa). This leaves a hole in the second baseman position. There are a few candidates in the Cards orginization that will be vying for the spot in Spring Training, barring that the Cardinals don't make a move between now and Opening Day for a free agent (Orlando Hudson maybe?)
Skip Schumaker - Skip hasn't played the middle infield since he was a shortstop in college, and it is rumored that he moved to the outfield for a reason. Either way, it has been documented that Skip is gearing up this year's Spring Training to see some time at second. This is interesting in that Skip is a left-handed batter, and he will be the only lefty at second for Tony. With Tony's love for platooning, this might be an advantage for Skip's playing time at second.
Brendan Ryan – With the departure of Aaron Miles (and now Kennedy) and the feeling I am getting that the Cardinals’ front office isn’t going to sign another middle infielder, the chances of Ryan making the team are pretty good. Ryan has been a part of the Cardinals’ big league organization since 2007. Although he hasn’t been an everyday player for the Cardinals, Ryan has been important in the spot starting role. Not known for his offensive production, Ryan will have to show some improvement or he will never make it into the starting role and he will see a lot of time coming off of the bench.
Brian Barden – Barden is a middle infielder who was traded to St. Louis in 2002. He is a good contact hitter with not much power, but he can get the job done. Without many other options for backup infielders, Barden might find his way on to the big league club by default. A good thing about Barden is his fielding: he has spectacular fielding abilities. If he can refine his hitting so that it is acceptable for a major league middle infielder, good things are in the future for this kid. I would like to see him get a serious look this year in Spring Training at second.
Third Base:
So I thought that third base would be something easy to talk about this year with the return of Troy Glaus. The trade that was basically a swap for third basemen (Rolen for Glaus) between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays proved to be a steal for the Cards last year. While Glaus came into St. Louis as the starter last year, many were skeptical as to how productive he would be with the bum foot that came along with him. However, he proved to be an asset in both the field and in the lineup. For most of the 2008 season, Glaus boasted the best fielding percentage in the National League at third base, and finished second in votes for the Gold Glove award for third base. Defense was not something that Glaus was known for, so that was a nice little surprise. Glaus also turned into a doubles machine last year, hitting 33 doubles, the most that he has had in a season since 2001 when he played for the Angels. This had me excited to know that the hot corner position was accounted for in the 2009 season. Then, out of nowhere, a report came out about two weeks ago stating that Glaus had surgery on his shoulder, and that he would be sidelined for at least 12 weeks. This was pretty much out of the blue, and now we have an open spot at third base for spring training, and the beginning part of the regular season. Here are the candidates that will be vying for a starting spot while Troy Glaus is on the mend (not to mention, a third baseman for the future after Glaus’s contract is up after this year):
David Freese – If you recognize this name, it is because he just came into the Cardinals organization before last season began. He was the player that was received by the Cardinals from the Padres in the Jim Edmonds deal. Who would have thought that the Edmonds deal would actually be a good one in regards to getting this guy? Freese would most likely have been the starting third baseman for the Cardinals’ AAA club, but now he is the leading candidate for the spot on the major league club. Last year, Freese enjoyed a good season at Memphis, hitting 26 home runs and hitting for an average of .304 and slugging .550. However, he did strike out quite a bit (111 times). It is also noted that Freese’s range at third base is limited (however Glaus’s was limited as well) while he does have an above average arm. There is a downside to this prospect, and that is that he is already 26 years old, and he hasn’t spent any time at the majors to this point. Time will tell if he is the future Cardinals’ third baseman.
Brett Wallace – Wallace was drafted by the Cards in the first round in 2008 at the 13th pick. Considered to be one of the Cardinals’ top prospects, Wallace is a force to be reckoned with in the lineup. Just in his first year of minor league ball, Wallace hit for a .367 average and a .456 slugging percentage. At 24 years old, he is a natural first baseman (I think we already have that covered) so his range at third base will be limited, but he has above average arm strength for the position. I believe that his bat could be a really nice asset to the Cardinals lineup (maybe not this year, but in a couple years). He moved up quickly in the minor leagues, and if everything works out in Spring Training, Wallace might have a spot in the Cardinals lineup.
Joe Mather – Mather enjoyed some time in the big leagues last year, and he was actually hitting quite well. He served mostly as an outfielder until he broke his hand in early Septemeber (just one of the many injuries the Cardinals endured last season) and cut his season short. This spring, Mather will be looked at for the third base position, as well as a backup outfielder for the big league club. When he was signed, he was noted to be a shortstop, so infield work is not out of question here. He showed that he had some life to his bat, hitting eight homers in just 133 at bats. Although I don’t think he is likely to break this year’s roster as the starting third baseman, I do think that Mather will be on the roster as a backup.
Shortstop:
Boy, I miss Eckstein circa 2006! Since the World Series MVP season by Eckstein, nothing has been the same for the Cardinals at the shortstop position. With Eckstein booting more than 20 errors in the 2007 season to a plethora of guys seeing time in the 6-spot in the 2008 season, I can only hope that 2009 is a better year for the Cardinals. In this year’s offseason, the Redbirds made a move to acquire a shortstop from the San Diego Padres. Khalil Greene was obtained by trading away Mark Worrell and a player to be named. Worrell, a relief pitcher who saw some time in the Bigs last year, is a good pitching prospect that you’ll probably hear of in the near future in someone’s bullpen. Anyway, Khalil Greene was supposed to be the cornerstone for the Padres’ shortstop hole. For a while, he was just that. In his first four full seasons with the Padres, Greene hit for at least 15 home runs each season (with 27 homers in the 2007 season). With the Padres looking to clear some space in their payroll and the Cardinals in the market for a shortstop, Greene has found a new home. Although he’s never been the best average hitter, Greene makes up for that with his occasional pop in the bat and his great defense. There are some things that scare me about Greene though. First up is his abysmal 2008 season. He didn’t hit his first home run until May, and he broke his hand cutting short a season where he hit ten home runs, a .213 average and a crappy .260 on base percentage. Wow. Let’s only hope that these stats can be improved. If not, we are in for a long year at the shortstop position.
Outfield:
In the Cardinals’ outfield, there are four guys who pretty much are going to be there regardless: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan and Skip Schumaker. Since LaRussa usually likes to keep five outfielders on his roster, there will be one open spot in spring training that guys will be competing for. There are two guys that I see that will be competing for the one open spot: Brian Barton and Joe Mather.
Left Field:
Of the three outfield positions, left field seems to be the most open (besides closer) as to who will be in this spot for Opening Day. Chances are, LaRussa will do his normal thing and platoon about six or seven outfielders over the course of the season, so I’m just going to pick the three guys who I think might be a part of that platooning:
Chris Duncan – I really don’t know how I feel about Duncan. He seems like he’s always got a great potential to be a run producer, but never actually follows through with it. From reading the forums on the Cardinals’ website, I can tell that a lot of fans believe that Duncan is the result of LaRussa favoring him due to Dave Duncan being his father and the Cardinals’ pitching coach. I haven’t thought of the issue being that bad as to say that nepotism is taking place, but I would like to see Duncan produce more regularly in the 2009 season. If he could stay healthy this year, I think that he could return back to how he was producing at the end of the 2006 season (22 home runs in only 280 at bats – all after the All Star Break). Time will tell though.
Brian Barton – Barton is a Rule 5 draft pick that the Cards picked up from Cleveland last year. As a Rule 5 draft pick, Barton had to be placed on the 40-man roster, or Cleveland would be able to claim him back. Luckily, Barton had a terrific spring last year, and he earned himself a spot on the roster. Barton is a speedster (although LaRussa hardly ever seems to steal) and he had himself a respectful year at the plate (.268 average). However, as the season went on, Barton found himself riding the pine more and more. This wasn’t necessarily due to Barton’s lack of production; it was more of other players producing more (Mather, Ludwick, Schu and Ankiel). With only three spots in the outfield, Barton was the odd man out. This spring Barton will have a chance to make the big league roster again, and maybe even a starting job.
Joe Mather – I’ve already commented on Mather earlier for the third baseman’s spot, but Mather will definitely be in the hunt for a spot in the Cardinals’ outfield as well. He could have an edge over Barton due to the fact that Mather has a little more pop to his bat. From what I saw from Mather last year, I am very excited to see him in the 2009 campaign.
Center Field:
I’m going to throw two guys in this spot, even though I think that both of them will be on the roster come Opening Day. Rick Ankiel will most likely be the starter while Skip Schumaker will be a backup. Schu will probably play all three outfield positions, much like what he did last year.
Rick Ankiel –Rick Ankiel is the man. Name another starting pitcher that gave up pitching and came back as a power hitting outfielder. I got one, Babe Ruth. Have you heard of him? I don’t think there is another baseball player that has gone through more to get where he is today. Regarded as one of the best young pitchers in 2000, Ankiel had a meltdown and had to retire from pitching. He then started all over in the minor leagues, and made his way back to the Cardinals’ major league club. I can still remember watching Ankiel’s first start in the outfield during the 2007 season, and I was in awe when he hit his first home run as a position player that night as well. In 2008, Ankiel enjoyed his first full season as a center fielder. In last year’s season, Ankiel hit 25 home runs, drove in 71 runs and hit for a .264 average. The only problem last year was Ankiel’s health. He had to end his season early last year due to a hernia. Ankiel is focused on staying healthy this year as this is one thing that he has been criticized for. There is one thing that he isn’t criticized for, and that is his arm in the outfield. Teams should take note this year when trying to run on Ankiel. Anyone who doesn’t remember should look at the game against the Rockies last year when Ankiel gunned down two base runners at third – both throws made from the outfield wall. There is only one hang-up about Ankiel’s 2009 season: he isn’t signed yet. Ankiel eligible for arbitration this year, and an agreement hasn’t been reached yet. Good news though is that there are rumors that the two sides are getting closer in the deal to make Ankiel's arbitration a thing of the past.
Skip Schumaker - On Opening Day in 2008 Skip Schumaker was the starting left fielder and leadoff hitter for the Cardinals. As Schu probably isn’t going to be starting all the time in any one outfield position, he will see plenty of time in all three as the season progresses. In 2008, Schu hit .302 for an average, and he proved to be a qualified defensive outfielder throughout the season. He also spent much of the season in the starting lineup due to the many injuries the Cardinals suffered in the outfield corps. I believe that Skip is going to be a great asset to the club in 2009, and he will be used by LaRussa often in many different roles. These roles will inclued both infield and outfield, and I think that Skip will see time in both places.
Right Field:
Ryan Ludwick no longer the oft-injured journeyman he once was. At least I hope the former isn’t any longer. Ludwick secured himself a spot in the Cardinals’ outfield after a torrid 2008 season. He earned himself his first All Star bid, and won the award of Silver Slugger for his efforts in last year’s season. Ludwick finished with 37 home runs, 113 RBIs and a .299 batting average. One can only hope that Ludwick can repeat his 2008 season and provide some protection in the lineup for Albert. However he has the same problem as Ankiel, he isn’t signed as of yet. Hopefully that changes in the near future.
Wild Card Outfielder:
There’s been a lot of talk about this guy in the Cardinals organization for the past couple of years. Colby Rasmus was supposed to be the guy to take over when Edmonds retired. However, Edmonds didn’t want to be platooned here in St. Louis and that was essentially the reason he was traded last year. In stepped Ankiel to take Edmonds’s place in center. Rasmus is a 5-tool baseball player, and he has done nothing but hit in his time in the minors. If he does well in Spring Training this year, there is a chance that he might make the starting lineup in center field. If this happens, Ankiel will most likely move to left, and there will be a battle for the fourth and fifth outfielder’s spot on the roster between Schu, Duncan, Mather and Barton. More than likely Schu and Duncan (if he is healthy) will get the last two outfielder slots. However, I hope that Rasmus gets another year down in AAA Memphis to ensure that he is ready for the Bigs. I think the Cardinals’ management did the right thing with Ankiel in 2007, and I hope that the management does the same thing with Rasmus in 2009.
Potential Lineup:
Without a true leadoff hitter, the Cardinals are going to have trouble there. After that (depending on some battles in Spring Training) the lineup could look something like this:
1 – Skip Schumaker/Brian Barden (2B Platoon)
2 – Chris Duncan (LF)
3 – Albert Pujols (1B)
4 – Ryan Ludwick (RF)
5 – Yadier Molina (C)
6 – Freese /Glaus (3B)
7 – Rick Ankiel (CF)
8 – Pitcher’ Spot
9 – Khalil Greene (SS)
Now I know that LaRussa changes his lineup daily, so this is not going to be right by any means. I’m just throwing an idea out there.
Potential Bench/Platoon Players:
OF – Chris Duncan (I wish he would just go away)
C – Jason LaRue
OF/1B/3B – Joe Mather
2B/SS – Brendan Ryan
Starting Rotation:
What I wouldn’t give to ensure that Chris Carpenter will be healthy for the 2009 season. I think that so much of this season rests on this guy’s shoulders it is ridiculous. Without having Carp all of 2008, the Cards missed out on a guy starting every fifth day that gives you a legitimate chance to win, no matter who he is facing. Reports on Carp have been good so far this off season, but I am not counting my eggs until they are hatched. When I see Carp pitch this year and look good, I will then be happier. Until then, get well soon, Carp!
The Cardinals were lucky enough to have an interim ace while Carp was sidelined all this time. Adam Wainwright proved to be the pitcher he has been groomed to be last year. Posting an 11-3 record while only starting in 20 in the 2008 season, Wainwright did everything right last year except stay healthy. What was described as a “freak” injury, Wainwright was sidelined for more than two months. Who knows how the Cards might have finished out if he had been healthy for all of last season…
If there is one thing to take away from last year, it is that Kyle Lohse is a very good pitcher. He won 15 games for the Cardinals last season, and that was good enough for the Cards to resign him for four more years. He has proven that he can go late into games, therefore saving the bullpen and helping his team out in future games. I hope that the long-term deal won’t discourage Lohse to not produce as he did last year on a one year deal. However, if Lohse produces along with Wainwright and Carpenter healthy, the Cardinals have a pretty good 1-3 starting rotation for the 2009 season.
However, the 4-5 starters are a little more suspect. The fourth pitcher’s spot is secured by Joel Piñeiro. Piñeiro had an average year on the mound last year, posting a 5.15 ERA and a record of only 7-7. He did miss about a month of playing time over the course of the season, going on the 15-day disabled list twice for minor injuries. Hopefully two things happen for Piñeiro this season: he lowers his ERA to at least 4.5, and he stays healthy. If both of these things happen, I think he’ll be suitable as a fourth starter. Not my first pick though (I wish a move would have been made this offseason to bring in another pitcher to make Piñeiro the fifth starter).
The fifth starter is also returning from last year. Todd Wellemeyer will round out the pitching staff on the starting side. Wellemeyer was acquired from the Royals in the middle of the 2007 season, and he started 11 games in 2007 for the Cardinals when he had never started before in his major league career. In 2008, Wellemeyer was a starter on the back end of the Cards’ rotation for the entire year. He posted a 13-9 record with a 3.71 ERA. He also put in 191.1 innings of work which surprised me. I hope that Wellemeyer can repeat what he did last season and I will be happy as far as our fifth starter is concerned.
Spot Starter/Carpenter’s Replacement:
Since Chris Carpenter isn’t a sure thing to be inserted into the starting rotation, a name that will be thrown around to get a starting role is Brad Thompson. Since the 2005 season, Thompson has been a part of the Cardinals’ pitching corps, whether it is in a long relief role, a spot starter or a regular rotation starter. He has also bounced back and forth from the minors and the majors in his four year career with the Cardinals. However, with a combination of the Cardinals not signing another pitcher in this year’s offseason and the possibility of Carpenter not being ready to go for the beginning of the season, Thompson might see significant time in the starting role in the 2009 season. Either way, Thompson should see his name on the Cardinals’ roster this season, either as a starter or in the bullpen as a long reliever.
Bullpen:
I’ll try and decipher the Cardinals’ bullpen; however this is going to be a tough task…
Closer:
Here is something that needs to improve GREATLY if the Cardinals have any intentions of competing in the 2009 season. In 2008 the Cards’ bullpen suffered the most blown saves of any team in the MLB with 31. This was due to the lack of a closer in the lineup with Jason Isringhausen going down with injuries, and never coming back to full health last year. LaRussa used several different pitchers in the closer’s role, including: Ryan Franklin, Chris Perez, Randy Flores and six other pitchers who all recorded at least one save in the 2008 season. This year, the closer’s role is up for grabs, although LaRussa and Co. have made several statements that they do not want a rookie closing for the club at the beginning of the season. That rules out Chris Perez and Jason Motte (a converted catcher) for right now. I would like to see Perez given the role and see how he does, but I’m not the manager. Hopefully he will obtain the role as closer sometime this season. There have been hints that Carpenter might be available for the closer’s role if he cannot start. If anyone remembers in 2006 when Adam Wainwright served as the closer at the end of the season to replace Izzy when he got injured, I can see how people might like this idea. I do not. Carpenter either needs to be in the starting rotation or rehabilitate until he can pitch well. There were also rumors that Wainwright could return to the closer’s role. Absolutely not. Wainwright needs to be in the starter’s role as well because he can go deep into games, and he is a great pitcher that will win the Cardinals more games by starting every fifth day. That leaves a couple other names that will be competing for the closer’s role in Spring Training. Ryan Franklin looks to be the front runner right now, but I hope this changes. In 2008, Franklin did have 17 saves for the Cards, but he also blew eight games. A 17-8 ratio is not good from a closer’s perspective, in my opinion. Not to mention, some of those saves were nail-biters if I remember correctly. Another guy that is going to be considered is Josh Kinney. Kinney might have been forgotten by Cards fans last year because he underwent season ending surgery last year and only got to pitch seven innings in the 2008 season. However, in 2006 Kinney was great coming out of the bullpen for the Cards, striking out 22 batters in only 25 innings with a 3.24 ERA. He has great stuff, and could be the right answer for the Cardinals as the closer for the beginning of the 2009 season. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this battle for the closer’s role; however whoever wins this position battle in Spring Training is not guaranteed the position for the year that is for sure. There is also the option of doing a closer by committee for the 2009 season. LaRussa executed this at the end of the 2008 season, and it proved successful to a degree. Spring Training will tell us what LaRussa’s decision will be.
Left Handed Reliever:
Like I said earlier, the Cardinals’ did make a signing to address the issue of left handed relief. Trever Miller was signed in December, and he is going to be used as a situational pitcher that LaRussa likes to use in matchups against opposing batters. This was another poor spot in last year’s bullpen as Randy Flores and Ron Villone just couldn’t get the job done at times last year. Hopefully with the addition of Miller, the Cardinals will now have a go to guy in the bullpen who throws from the left side. The drawback to Miller is that he needs to be healthy in order to be effective. He is coming off an injury that might show up this year if all is not well. The second lefty that LaRussa likes to carry will most likely be a battle between Jaime Garcia, Royce Ring, Charlie Manning and Ian Ostlund. Of those four, the only one that pitched for the Cards last season is Garcia, and it was only for 16 innings. Ring is the likely frontrunner for the position as he is the only veteran in the group. Ring was signed as a free agent this year after having pitched for the Braves in the 2008 season, posting an abysmal 8.46 ERA in only 22 innings. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, so he’s got that against him as well. Charlie Manning was acquired off of waivers from the Washington Nationals in October of 2008, and he was brought in to compete for the left handed reliever’s role. Last year for Washington, Manning pitched 42 innings and struck out 37 batters. That was his first year of work in the majors as well. I would like to see how Manning does in Spring Training this year because I think that he could make the major league roster if he pitches well. Garcia and Ostlund are two younger guys that might make the roster if they have an amazing Spring Training, and they just can’t be left off the roster. Dave Duncan has been quoted by saying that Ostlund might surprise a lot of people in Spring Training. Other than that, I see both of those guys starting the season in AAA. They both might make appearances for the Cardinals this year, if one of the two lefties doesn’t work out or if someone goes down with an injury.
Right Handed Reliever:
This one is messy. There are really only two guys who are shoe-ins for the bullpen as righties: Ryan Franklin and Kyle McClellan. The great (sarcasm there) thing about both of them is that they might be used for other roles in the club rather than relief pitching. Franklin could end up the closer, and McClellan could be groomed as a starter and therefore starting the season in AAA Memphis. Dave Duncan has stated that McClellan will get at least three starts in Spring Training to see how he handles the role as a starter. Other than those two, who knows? I see both Chris Perez and Jason Motte having a legitimate shot at breaking the opening day roster, but both of them need some refinement on their pitches in order to be truly effective. Perez must get control of his slider in order to be where Duncan and LaRussa want him to be, and Motte needs to develop a better off speed pitch to counteract his blazing fastball. After that, I have no clue what the relief pitching is going to look like from the right side. It’s ugly, that’s all I know, but how bad can it get after witnessing the bullpen from last year? I don’t think it can get any worse… I hope.
Potential Starters:
SP – Chris Carpenter (R)
SP – Adam Wainwright (R)
SP – Kyle Lohse (R)
SP – Joel Piñeiro (R)
SP – Todd Wellemeyer (R)
Potential Relievers:
RHP – Brad Thompson (Starter if Carp isn’t healthy)
LHP – Trever Miller
LHP – Ian Ostlund
RHP – Kyle McClellan
RHP – Ryan Franklin
RHP – Chris Perez
RHP – Jason Motte
RHP – Josh Kinney
Closer – Someone from above… I have no clue
With all of this interpretation that I have written, I still don’t know a lot about how the Cardinals will fare in this year’s season. I would like to think optimistically, but I would like to be realistic about it. Therefore, I am going to say that this year’s Cardinals club will, most likely, finish in third place in the Central Division, behind the Cubs and the Astros. However, I think that this will be another great year for teams in the Central, as I can see this Cardinals club finishing the season with almost 90 wins. If the lineup can produce as they did last year, I think that the bullpen can only improve from what is was last year. Also, the addition of Chris Carpenter to the starting rotation is always good to hear. Hopefully it comes true. All in all, I am very excited to see the 2009 Cardinals in action, and I cannot wait for the first pitch of the season to be thrown! Go Cardinals!
My 2009 Cardinals’ Preview
With a little more than a week left until pitchers and catchers report, I decided to do my own little preseason analysis on this year’s St. Louis Cardinals. I am excited to see that there are going to be some battles in this year’s spring training (3B while Glaus is recovering, second base, left handed reliever, closer), as well as seeing how some of the young guns that the Cards have groomed will turn out. I will assess every position, starting rotation and bullpen. Then I will project how I think the Cards might do this year (being as realistic as possible).
Last year our beloved Cardinals made an impressive run deep into the season for the Wild Card spot with a team littered with injuries and no-names. I mean, who outside of St. Louis knew of Ryan Ludwick before last season? No one. It was only until September rolled around and this team just ran out of gas. I was pleasantly surprised with last year’s team because I was under the assumption at the beginning of last season that 2008 was going to be a rebuilding year. This got me really excited for the 2009 baseball season as there is only one way to go for this team and that is up. With 86 wins last season (which is three more wins than what they had in the 2006 World Championship season by the way) the Cardinals were good enough to finish fourth in the National League Central Division. This division turned out to be one of the toughest in the MLB with the Cubs and Brewers both advancing to the postseason. It should also be noted that the Redbirds only finished a half game behind Houston for third place in the division (Houston only played 161 games due to a makeup date with the Cubs being irrelevant in the standings). If you would have asked me last year when I thought the Cardinals were going to contend in the division again, I definitely wouldn’t have told you that they would be in the hunt for the Wild Card until September. I thought that 2010 would be the first time the Cardinals would be back as a powerhouse in the Central. However, last year proved me wrong, and I am very excited for this year’s season.
This year’s offseason has been kind of a quiet one for the Redbird Nation, but true fans of the Cards know that this is not an irregularity. There have been many offseasons where the Cardinals front office decides to stay away from big name signings/trades. There are some notables worth mentioning from this year’s offseason (mind you, this year’s offseason is not over yet). The shortstop issue was addressed as a trade was made with the Padres to acquire Khalil Greene in exchange for relief pitcher Mark Worrell and a player to be named. More on Greene later. The left handed relief corps was also addressed in the signing of Trever Miller. Also, more on relief pitching later. Key losses in this year’s offseason include: Aaron Miles (to the Cubs… why do they continue to sign former Cardinals??), Cesar Izturis (good riddance), Felipe Lopez, and Russ Springer. There are also a number of Cardinals still on the free agent list. Some of those include: Randy Flores, Izzy, Tyler Johnson, Braden Looper and Mark Mulder (haha, who the Hell wants him now?) and Ron Villone. Of the remaining free agents (all pitchers by the way) I would only like to see Looper brought back. For a team with as many injuries that they had in 2008, a guy who pitched an inning short of 200 innings would be good to have in the fifth starter’s spot. However, I will not include him in my assessment of the starters later on. Now, on to the position evaluations.
Catcher:
The Redbirds are in possession of one of the best defensive catchers in the big leagues. Name that Molina! He was finally awarded his much deserved Gold Glove in 2008 (about two years too late according to me). Just two weeks ago, the Cardinals and Molina came to an agreement of a four year deal and a club option in the fifth year. So, Cardinals’ fans, Molina is here to stay as the Cardinals catcher, and this Cardinals’ fan couldn’t be happier. I don’t even have to tell you about his defensive skills (I still get chills every time he zips a ball down the first base line to try and pick off a dumbass runner that got too big of a lead after the pitch was thrown), but his offensive skills are something that need to be looked at. In 2008, Yadi enjoyed his first season of hitting over .300, barely. I did enjoy that fact along with that Yadi also had the most hits in one season last year as well (135). The only thing that I am worried about is, can he do it again? I am optimistic, however Yadi’s previous seasons are all suspect in the hitting area. The only thing that makes me think that he is evolving as a hitter is that he has one of the greatest hitters in the game to learn from and add to his own hitting game. I think that Yadi has shown that he is learning from Pujols in that he rarely strikes out. By rarely, I mean almost never (only 29 K’s last season!) However, I do believe that this year is going to be the deal breaker for me in deciding if Molina is improving in his hitting game. Also, in order to help stay on the healthy train, Molina has lost 10-15 pounds in this year’s offseason which is also a good sign. Maybe he might become the base stealing threat we always thought he would be! (Sarcasm to the max there)
The Cardinals also came to terms with backup catcher Jason LaRue. LaRue enjoyed his first season with the Cardinals last year, and while he might not be Gary Mother F*ckin’ Bennett, he still proved decent enough for a backup. LaRue is a veteran, and I have no complaints about him. What more is there to say about a backup though?
First Base:
Who’s on first? Just the reigning NL MVP. El Hombre. Phat Albert. Sir Albert. The Machine. Call him what you will, but Albert Pujols will continue to be just who he is supposed to be in 2009: Albert Pujols. Is there really anything more I need to elaborate on? Everyone knows his passion for the game, and he will be a staple in the Cardinals lineup in the 2009 season.
Second Base:
I will move from one of the most solidified positions at first to a revolving door concerning Cardinals’ players at second base. The second base position has always been viewed by the Cardinals as a stop-gap position. Since Fernando Vina, who was our last multi-year starter at second, the Cards have used several different middle infielders in the past seven years. However, in the 2006 offseason the Cardinals signed a former Cardinals’ top prospect that was used to bring in Jim Edmonds in the 2000 trade. Adam Kennedy signed a three year deal, and it looked like he would be the second baseman for the Cardinals for the next few years. This didn’t turn out as the Cardinals had hoped. He only played in 87 games in the 2007 season and 115 games in the 2008 season. Having been sidelined by injuries in both years, Kennedy clearly isn’t working out here in St. Louis. There was much talk about trading Kennedy in this offseason, but no move was made. There was even talk of Kennedy demanding a trade to get out of St. Louis. None of this happened, so just a few days ago, the Cardinals released Kennedy, agreeing to pay him the rest of his salary. They just wanted him to get the fuck out of St. Louis (something that is rumored to be spearheaded by LaRussa). This leaves a hole in the second baseman position. There are a few candidates in the Cards orginization that will be vying for the spot in Spring Training, barring that the Cardinals don't make a move between now and Opening Day for a free agent (Orlando Hudson maybe?)
Skip Schumaker - Skip hasn't played the middle infield since he was a shortstop in college, and it is rumored that he moved to the outfield for a reason. Either way, it has been documented that Skip is gearing up this year's Spring Training to see some time at second. This is interesting in that Skip is a left-handed batter, and he will be the only lefty at second for Tony. With Tony's love for platooning, this might be an advantage for Skip's playing time at second.
Brendan Ryan – With the departure of Aaron Miles (and now Kennedy) and the feeling I am getting that the Cardinals’ front office isn’t going to sign another middle infielder, the chances of Ryan making the team are pretty good. Ryan has been a part of the Cardinals’ big league organization since 2007. Although he hasn’t been an everyday player for the Cardinals, Ryan has been important in the spot starting role. Not known for his offensive production, Ryan will have to show some improvement or he will never make it into the starting role and he will see a lot of time coming off of the bench.
Brian Barden – Barden is a middle infielder who was traded to St. Louis in 2002. He is a good contact hitter with not much power, but he can get the job done. Without many other options for backup infielders, Barden might find his way on to the big league club by default. A good thing about Barden is his fielding: he has spectacular fielding abilities. If he can refine his hitting so that it is acceptable for a major league middle infielder, good things are in the future for this kid. I would like to see him get a serious look this year in Spring Training at second.
Third Base:
So I thought that third base would be something easy to talk about this year with the return of Troy Glaus. The trade that was basically a swap for third basemen (Rolen for Glaus) between the Cardinals and the Blue Jays proved to be a steal for the Cards last year. While Glaus came into St. Louis as the starter last year, many were skeptical as to how productive he would be with the bum foot that came along with him. However, he proved to be an asset in both the field and in the lineup. For most of the 2008 season, Glaus boasted the best fielding percentage in the National League at third base, and finished second in votes for the Gold Glove award for third base. Defense was not something that Glaus was known for, so that was a nice little surprise. Glaus also turned into a doubles machine last year, hitting 33 doubles, the most that he has had in a season since 2001 when he played for the Angels. This had me excited to know that the hot corner position was accounted for in the 2009 season. Then, out of nowhere, a report came out about two weeks ago stating that Glaus had surgery on his shoulder, and that he would be sidelined for at least 12 weeks. This was pretty much out of the blue, and now we have an open spot at third base for spring training, and the beginning part of the regular season. Here are the candidates that will be vying for a starting spot while Troy Glaus is on the mend (not to mention, a third baseman for the future after Glaus’s contract is up after this year):
David Freese – If you recognize this name, it is because he just came into the Cardinals organization before last season began. He was the player that was received by the Cardinals from the Padres in the Jim Edmonds deal. Who would have thought that the Edmonds deal would actually be a good one in regards to getting this guy? Freese would most likely have been the starting third baseman for the Cardinals’ AAA club, but now he is the leading candidate for the spot on the major league club. Last year, Freese enjoyed a good season at Memphis, hitting 26 home runs and hitting for an average of .304 and slugging .550. However, he did strike out quite a bit (111 times). It is also noted that Freese’s range at third base is limited (however Glaus’s was limited as well) while he does have an above average arm. There is a downside to this prospect, and that is that he is already 26 years old, and he hasn’t spent any time at the majors to this point. Time will tell if he is the future Cardinals’ third baseman.
Brett Wallace – Wallace was drafted by the Cards in the first round in 2008 at the 13th pick. Considered to be one of the Cardinals’ top prospects, Wallace is a force to be reckoned with in the lineup. Just in his first year of minor league ball, Wallace hit for a .367 average and a .456 slugging percentage. At 24 years old, he is a natural first baseman (I think we already have that covered) so his range at third base will be limited, but he has above average arm strength for the position. I believe that his bat could be a really nice asset to the Cardinals lineup (maybe not this year, but in a couple years). He moved up quickly in the minor leagues, and if everything works out in Spring Training, Wallace might have a spot in the Cardinals lineup.
Joe Mather – Mather enjoyed some time in the big leagues last year, and he was actually hitting quite well. He served mostly as an outfielder until he broke his hand in early Septemeber (just one of the many injuries the Cardinals endured last season) and cut his season short. This spring, Mather will be looked at for the third base position, as well as a backup outfielder for the big league club. When he was signed, he was noted to be a shortstop, so infield work is not out of question here. He showed that he had some life to his bat, hitting eight homers in just 133 at bats. Although I don’t think he is likely to break this year’s roster as the starting third baseman, I do think that Mather will be on the roster as a backup.
Shortstop:
Boy, I miss Eckstein circa 2006! Since the World Series MVP season by Eckstein, nothing has been the same for the Cardinals at the shortstop position. With Eckstein booting more than 20 errors in the 2007 season to a plethora of guys seeing time in the 6-spot in the 2008 season, I can only hope that 2009 is a better year for the Cardinals. In this year’s offseason, the Redbirds made a move to acquire a shortstop from the San Diego Padres. Khalil Greene was obtained by trading away Mark Worrell and a player to be named. Worrell, a relief pitcher who saw some time in the Bigs last year, is a good pitching prospect that you’ll probably hear of in the near future in someone’s bullpen. Anyway, Khalil Greene was supposed to be the cornerstone for the Padres’ shortstop hole. For a while, he was just that. In his first four full seasons with the Padres, Greene hit for at least 15 home runs each season (with 27 homers in the 2007 season). With the Padres looking to clear some space in their payroll and the Cardinals in the market for a shortstop, Greene has found a new home. Although he’s never been the best average hitter, Greene makes up for that with his occasional pop in the bat and his great defense. There are some things that scare me about Greene though. First up is his abysmal 2008 season. He didn’t hit his first home run until May, and he broke his hand cutting short a season where he hit ten home runs, a .213 average and a crappy .260 on base percentage. Wow. Let’s only hope that these stats can be improved. If not, we are in for a long year at the shortstop position.
Outfield:
In the Cardinals’ outfield, there are four guys who pretty much are going to be there regardless: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan and Skip Schumaker. Since LaRussa usually likes to keep five outfielders on his roster, there will be one open spot in spring training that guys will be competing for. There are two guys that I see that will be competing for the one open spot: Brian Barton and Joe Mather.
Left Field:
Of the three outfield positions, left field seems to be the most open (besides closer) as to who will be in this spot for Opening Day. Chances are, LaRussa will do his normal thing and platoon about six or seven outfielders over the course of the season, so I’m just going to pick the three guys who I think might be a part of that platooning:
Chris Duncan – I really don’t know how I feel about Duncan. He seems like he’s always got a great potential to be a run producer, but never actually follows through with it. From reading the forums on the Cardinals’ website, I can tell that a lot of fans believe that Duncan is the result of LaRussa favoring him due to Dave Duncan being his father and the Cardinals’ pitching coach. I haven’t thought of the issue being that bad as to say that nepotism is taking place, but I would like to see Duncan produce more regularly in the 2009 season. If he could stay healthy this year, I think that he could return back to how he was producing at the end of the 2006 season (22 home runs in only 280 at bats – all after the All Star Break). Time will tell though.
Brian Barton – Barton is a Rule 5 draft pick that the Cards picked up from Cleveland last year. As a Rule 5 draft pick, Barton had to be placed on the 40-man roster, or Cleveland would be able to claim him back. Luckily, Barton had a terrific spring last year, and he earned himself a spot on the roster. Barton is a speedster (although LaRussa hardly ever seems to steal) and he had himself a respectful year at the plate (.268 average). However, as the season went on, Barton found himself riding the pine more and more. This wasn’t necessarily due to Barton’s lack of production; it was more of other players producing more (Mather, Ludwick, Schu and Ankiel). With only three spots in the outfield, Barton was the odd man out. This spring Barton will have a chance to make the big league roster again, and maybe even a starting job.
Joe Mather – I’ve already commented on Mather earlier for the third baseman’s spot, but Mather will definitely be in the hunt for a spot in the Cardinals’ outfield as well. He could have an edge over Barton due to the fact that Mather has a little more pop to his bat. From what I saw from Mather last year, I am very excited to see him in the 2009 campaign.
Center Field:
I’m going to throw two guys in this spot, even though I think that both of them will be on the roster come Opening Day. Rick Ankiel will most likely be the starter while Skip Schumaker will be a backup. Schu will probably play all three outfield positions, much like what he did last year.
Rick Ankiel –Rick Ankiel is the man. Name another starting pitcher that gave up pitching and came back as a power hitting outfielder. I got one, Babe Ruth. Have you heard of him? I don’t think there is another baseball player that has gone through more to get where he is today. Regarded as one of the best young pitchers in 2000, Ankiel had a meltdown and had to retire from pitching. He then started all over in the minor leagues, and made his way back to the Cardinals’ major league club. I can still remember watching Ankiel’s first start in the outfield during the 2007 season, and I was in awe when he hit his first home run as a position player that night as well. In 2008, Ankiel enjoyed his first full season as a center fielder. In last year’s season, Ankiel hit 25 home runs, drove in 71 runs and hit for a .264 average. The only problem last year was Ankiel’s health. He had to end his season early last year due to a hernia. Ankiel is focused on staying healthy this year as this is one thing that he has been criticized for. There is one thing that he isn’t criticized for, and that is his arm in the outfield. Teams should take note this year when trying to run on Ankiel. Anyone who doesn’t remember should look at the game against the Rockies last year when Ankiel gunned down two base runners at third – both throws made from the outfield wall. There is only one hang-up about Ankiel’s 2009 season: he isn’t signed yet. Ankiel eligible for arbitration this year, and an agreement hasn’t been reached yet. Good news though is that there are rumors that the two sides are getting closer in the deal to make Ankiel's arbitration a thing of the past.
Skip Schumaker - On Opening Day in 2008 Skip Schumaker was the starting left fielder and leadoff hitter for the Cardinals. As Schu probably isn’t going to be starting all the time in any one outfield position, he will see plenty of time in all three as the season progresses. In 2008, Schu hit .302 for an average, and he proved to be a qualified defensive outfielder throughout the season. He also spent much of the season in the starting lineup due to the many injuries the Cardinals suffered in the outfield corps. I believe that Skip is going to be a great asset to the club in 2009, and he will be used by LaRussa often in many different roles. These roles will inclued both infield and outfield, and I think that Skip will see time in both places.
Right Field:
Ryan Ludwick no longer the oft-injured journeyman he once was. At least I hope the former isn’t any longer. Ludwick secured himself a spot in the Cardinals’ outfield after a torrid 2008 season. He earned himself his first All Star bid, and won the award of Silver Slugger for his efforts in last year’s season. Ludwick finished with 37 home runs, 113 RBIs and a .299 batting average. One can only hope that Ludwick can repeat his 2008 season and provide some protection in the lineup for Albert. However he has the same problem as Ankiel, he isn’t signed as of yet. Hopefully that changes in the near future.
Wild Card Outfielder:
There’s been a lot of talk about this guy in the Cardinals organization for the past couple of years. Colby Rasmus was supposed to be the guy to take over when Edmonds retired. However, Edmonds didn’t want to be platooned here in St. Louis and that was essentially the reason he was traded last year. In stepped Ankiel to take Edmonds’s place in center. Rasmus is a 5-tool baseball player, and he has done nothing but hit in his time in the minors. If he does well in Spring Training this year, there is a chance that he might make the starting lineup in center field. If this happens, Ankiel will most likely move to left, and there will be a battle for the fourth and fifth outfielder’s spot on the roster between Schu, Duncan, Mather and Barton. More than likely Schu and Duncan (if he is healthy) will get the last two outfielder slots. However, I hope that Rasmus gets another year down in AAA Memphis to ensure that he is ready for the Bigs. I think the Cardinals’ management did the right thing with Ankiel in 2007, and I hope that the management does the same thing with Rasmus in 2009.
Potential Lineup:
Without a true leadoff hitter, the Cardinals are going to have trouble there. After that (depending on some battles in Spring Training) the lineup could look something like this:
1 – Skip Schumaker/Brian Barden (2B Platoon)
2 – Chris Duncan (LF)
3 – Albert Pujols (1B)
4 – Ryan Ludwick (RF)
5 – Yadier Molina (C)
6 – Freese /Glaus (3B)
7 – Rick Ankiel (CF)
8 – Pitcher’ Spot
9 – Khalil Greene (SS)
Now I know that LaRussa changes his lineup daily, so this is not going to be right by any means. I’m just throwing an idea out there.
Potential Bench/Platoon Players:
OF – Chris Duncan (I wish he would just go away)
C – Jason LaRue
OF/1B/3B – Joe Mather
2B/SS – Brendan Ryan
Starting Rotation:
What I wouldn’t give to ensure that Chris Carpenter will be healthy for the 2009 season. I think that so much of this season rests on this guy’s shoulders it is ridiculous. Without having Carp all of 2008, the Cards missed out on a guy starting every fifth day that gives you a legitimate chance to win, no matter who he is facing. Reports on Carp have been good so far this off season, but I am not counting my eggs until they are hatched. When I see Carp pitch this year and look good, I will then be happier. Until then, get well soon, Carp!
The Cardinals were lucky enough to have an interim ace while Carp was sidelined all this time. Adam Wainwright proved to be the pitcher he has been groomed to be last year. Posting an 11-3 record while only starting in 20 in the 2008 season, Wainwright did everything right last year except stay healthy. What was described as a “freak” injury, Wainwright was sidelined for more than two months. Who knows how the Cards might have finished out if he had been healthy for all of last season…
If there is one thing to take away from last year, it is that Kyle Lohse is a very good pitcher. He won 15 games for the Cardinals last season, and that was good enough for the Cards to resign him for four more years. He has proven that he can go late into games, therefore saving the bullpen and helping his team out in future games. I hope that the long-term deal won’t discourage Lohse to not produce as he did last year on a one year deal. However, if Lohse produces along with Wainwright and Carpenter healthy, the Cardinals have a pretty good 1-3 starting rotation for the 2009 season.
However, the 4-5 starters are a little more suspect. The fourth pitcher’s spot is secured by Joel Piñeiro. Piñeiro had an average year on the mound last year, posting a 5.15 ERA and a record of only 7-7. He did miss about a month of playing time over the course of the season, going on the 15-day disabled list twice for minor injuries. Hopefully two things happen for Piñeiro this season: he lowers his ERA to at least 4.5, and he stays healthy. If both of these things happen, I think he’ll be suitable as a fourth starter. Not my first pick though (I wish a move would have been made this offseason to bring in another pitcher to make Piñeiro the fifth starter).
The fifth starter is also returning from last year. Todd Wellemeyer will round out the pitching staff on the starting side. Wellemeyer was acquired from the Royals in the middle of the 2007 season, and he started 11 games in 2007 for the Cardinals when he had never started before in his major league career. In 2008, Wellemeyer was a starter on the back end of the Cards’ rotation for the entire year. He posted a 13-9 record with a 3.71 ERA. He also put in 191.1 innings of work which surprised me. I hope that Wellemeyer can repeat what he did last season and I will be happy as far as our fifth starter is concerned.
Spot Starter/Carpenter’s Replacement:
Since Chris Carpenter isn’t a sure thing to be inserted into the starting rotation, a name that will be thrown around to get a starting role is Brad Thompson. Since the 2005 season, Thompson has been a part of the Cardinals’ pitching corps, whether it is in a long relief role, a spot starter or a regular rotation starter. He has also bounced back and forth from the minors and the majors in his four year career with the Cardinals. However, with a combination of the Cardinals not signing another pitcher in this year’s offseason and the possibility of Carpenter not being ready to go for the beginning of the season, Thompson might see significant time in the starting role in the 2009 season. Either way, Thompson should see his name on the Cardinals’ roster this season, either as a starter or in the bullpen as a long reliever.
Bullpen:
I’ll try and decipher the Cardinals’ bullpen; however this is going to be a tough task…
Closer:
Here is something that needs to improve GREATLY if the Cardinals have any intentions of competing in the 2009 season. In 2008 the Cards’ bullpen suffered the most blown saves of any team in the MLB with 31. This was due to the lack of a closer in the lineup with Jason Isringhausen going down with injuries, and never coming back to full health last year. LaRussa used several different pitchers in the closer’s role, including: Ryan Franklin, Chris Perez, Randy Flores and six other pitchers who all recorded at least one save in the 2008 season. This year, the closer’s role is up for grabs, although LaRussa and Co. have made several statements that they do not want a rookie closing for the club at the beginning of the season. That rules out Chris Perez and Jason Motte (a converted catcher) for right now. I would like to see Perez given the role and see how he does, but I’m not the manager. Hopefully he will obtain the role as closer sometime this season. There have been hints that Carpenter might be available for the closer’s role if he cannot start. If anyone remembers in 2006 when Adam Wainwright served as the closer at the end of the season to replace Izzy when he got injured, I can see how people might like this idea. I do not. Carpenter either needs to be in the starting rotation or rehabilitate until he can pitch well. There were also rumors that Wainwright could return to the closer’s role. Absolutely not. Wainwright needs to be in the starter’s role as well because he can go deep into games, and he is a great pitcher that will win the Cardinals more games by starting every fifth day. That leaves a couple other names that will be competing for the closer’s role in Spring Training. Ryan Franklin looks to be the front runner right now, but I hope this changes. In 2008, Franklin did have 17 saves for the Cards, but he also blew eight games. A 17-8 ratio is not good from a closer’s perspective, in my opinion. Not to mention, some of those saves were nail-biters if I remember correctly. Another guy that is going to be considered is Josh Kinney. Kinney might have been forgotten by Cards fans last year because he underwent season ending surgery last year and only got to pitch seven innings in the 2008 season. However, in 2006 Kinney was great coming out of the bullpen for the Cards, striking out 22 batters in only 25 innings with a 3.24 ERA. He has great stuff, and could be the right answer for the Cardinals as the closer for the beginning of the 2009 season. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this battle for the closer’s role; however whoever wins this position battle in Spring Training is not guaranteed the position for the year that is for sure. There is also the option of doing a closer by committee for the 2009 season. LaRussa executed this at the end of the 2008 season, and it proved successful to a degree. Spring Training will tell us what LaRussa’s decision will be.
Left Handed Reliever:
Like I said earlier, the Cardinals’ did make a signing to address the issue of left handed relief. Trever Miller was signed in December, and he is going to be used as a situational pitcher that LaRussa likes to use in matchups against opposing batters. This was another poor spot in last year’s bullpen as Randy Flores and Ron Villone just couldn’t get the job done at times last year. Hopefully with the addition of Miller, the Cardinals will now have a go to guy in the bullpen who throws from the left side. The drawback to Miller is that he needs to be healthy in order to be effective. He is coming off an injury that might show up this year if all is not well. The second lefty that LaRussa likes to carry will most likely be a battle between Jaime Garcia, Royce Ring, Charlie Manning and Ian Ostlund. Of those four, the only one that pitched for the Cards last season is Garcia, and it was only for 16 innings. Ring is the likely frontrunner for the position as he is the only veteran in the group. Ring was signed as a free agent this year after having pitched for the Braves in the 2008 season, posting an abysmal 8.46 ERA in only 22 innings. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, so he’s got that against him as well. Charlie Manning was acquired off of waivers from the Washington Nationals in October of 2008, and he was brought in to compete for the left handed reliever’s role. Last year for Washington, Manning pitched 42 innings and struck out 37 batters. That was his first year of work in the majors as well. I would like to see how Manning does in Spring Training this year because I think that he could make the major league roster if he pitches well. Garcia and Ostlund are two younger guys that might make the roster if they have an amazing Spring Training, and they just can’t be left off the roster. Dave Duncan has been quoted by saying that Ostlund might surprise a lot of people in Spring Training. Other than that, I see both of those guys starting the season in AAA. They both might make appearances for the Cardinals this year, if one of the two lefties doesn’t work out or if someone goes down with an injury.
Right Handed Reliever:
This one is messy. There are really only two guys who are shoe-ins for the bullpen as righties: Ryan Franklin and Kyle McClellan. The great (sarcasm there) thing about both of them is that they might be used for other roles in the club rather than relief pitching. Franklin could end up the closer, and McClellan could be groomed as a starter and therefore starting the season in AAA Memphis. Dave Duncan has stated that McClellan will get at least three starts in Spring Training to see how he handles the role as a starter. Other than those two, who knows? I see both Chris Perez and Jason Motte having a legitimate shot at breaking the opening day roster, but both of them need some refinement on their pitches in order to be truly effective. Perez must get control of his slider in order to be where Duncan and LaRussa want him to be, and Motte needs to develop a better off speed pitch to counteract his blazing fastball. After that, I have no clue what the relief pitching is going to look like from the right side. It’s ugly, that’s all I know, but how bad can it get after witnessing the bullpen from last year? I don’t think it can get any worse… I hope.
Potential Starters:
SP – Chris Carpenter (R)
SP – Adam Wainwright (R)
SP – Kyle Lohse (R)
SP – Joel Piñeiro (R)
SP – Todd Wellemeyer (R)
Potential Relievers:
RHP – Brad Thompson (Starter if Carp isn’t healthy)
LHP – Trever Miller
LHP – Ian Ostlund
RHP – Kyle McClellan
RHP – Ryan Franklin
RHP – Chris Perez
RHP – Jason Motte
RHP – Josh Kinney
Closer – Someone from above… I have no clue
With all of this interpretation that I have written, I still don’t know a lot about how the Cardinals will fare in this year’s season. I would like to think optimistically, but I would like to be realistic about it. Therefore, I am going to say that this year’s Cardinals club will, most likely, finish in third place in the Central Division, behind the Cubs and the Astros. However, I think that this will be another great year for teams in the Central, as I can see this Cardinals club finishing the season with almost 90 wins. If the lineup can produce as they did last year, I think that the bullpen can only improve from what is was last year. Also, the addition of Chris Carpenter to the starting rotation is always good to hear. Hopefully it comes true. All in all, I am very excited to see the 2009 Cardinals in action, and I cannot wait for the first pitch of the season to be thrown! Go Cardinals!
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