Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Holliday agrees to deal with Cards
It looks like Matt Holliday has agreed to a seven-year, $119 million deal with the Cards, the largest contract in team history. I'm certainly happy to see have Holliday back, I'm just worried that the organization will be unwilling to top that for Albert. Then again, having a bat like Holliday in the lineup will likely be an incentive for Pujols to stay in St. Louis.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
UCB - Top Five Cardinals Stories of 2009
One more United Cardinal Bloggers project before we cap off the decade, the Top Five Stories of 2009. In my opinion the #1 story of 2009 could be in the works right now. Derrick Goold is reporting in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the Cards could be closing in on a franchise record deal with highly coveted free agent outfielder Matt Holliday.
1. Matt Holliday -- This is the biggest story no matter what, even if the Cards aren't able to bring him back for 2010. Just the acquisition of him during the 2009 season and the impact that he had on the team makes his story number one.
2. Acquistions -- All of the mid-season moves that the Cardinals made was a big story throughout the baseball world. Holliday, of course, was the biggest story but bringing in DeRosa and Lugo also helped to solidify the team.
3. 2009 season results -- Coming into the 2009 season I didn't expect the Cards to win the NL Central. I thought they would be fighting for a Wild Card. Once they proved to be the best club in the Central and acquired Holliday, DeRosa, and Lugo, I really thought there was a good chance that they would win the NL pennant. Which brings be to part 'B' of this story, playoff results. I didn't expect such an early and decisive elimination.
4. "Cy Youngs" -- The performance of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright was a season long story. One of them deserved to take home the Cy Young Award.
5. Albert's MVP season -- The number 5 story belongs to number 5. Albert's performance is always on the top list of Cardinals stories. Albeit Pujols' 2009 was amazing, in some ways it has become the expected results from Cardinal Nation.
Honorable Mention: Skip Schumaker -- Skip's success at the plate and at his new fielding position was a story that I enjoyed following all season.
Make sure to check up on what other UCBers are selected as their top stories of 2009 at the UCB homepage.
1. Matt Holliday -- This is the biggest story no matter what, even if the Cards aren't able to bring him back for 2010. Just the acquisition of him during the 2009 season and the impact that he had on the team makes his story number one.
2. Acquistions -- All of the mid-season moves that the Cardinals made was a big story throughout the baseball world. Holliday, of course, was the biggest story but bringing in DeRosa and Lugo also helped to solidify the team.
3. 2009 season results -- Coming into the 2009 season I didn't expect the Cards to win the NL Central. I thought they would be fighting for a Wild Card. Once they proved to be the best club in the Central and acquired Holliday, DeRosa, and Lugo, I really thought there was a good chance that they would win the NL pennant. Which brings be to part 'B' of this story, playoff results. I didn't expect such an early and decisive elimination.
4. "Cy Youngs" -- The performance of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright was a season long story. One of them deserved to take home the Cy Young Award.
5. Albert's MVP season -- The number 5 story belongs to number 5. Albert's performance is always on the top list of Cardinals stories. Albeit Pujols' 2009 was amazing, in some ways it has become the expected results from Cardinal Nation.
Honorable Mention: Skip Schumaker -- Skip's success at the plate and at his new fielding position was a story that I enjoyed following all season.
Make sure to check up on what other UCBers are selected as their top stories of 2009 at the UCB homepage.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Results are In
Cardinal70 has counted the ballots and the winners of the Third Annual Cardinal Blogger Awards are in. You can read the post here.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Third Annual Cardinal Blogger Awards
The UCB Cardinal Blogger Awards are back and so is Cardinal Nation Globe. It’s been a long time since my last post. I got bogged down in late summer and early fall with work and new house stuff and really didn’t get a chance to listen (my primary way of following the Cards) to a lot of games, just a few innings here and there. Like most of us I got pretty excited for the playoffs, fully expecting to see a rematch of the ’26, ’28, ’42, ’43, and ’64 World Series between the Cards and Yankees. I planned to make a few posts during the playoffs but the Redbirds’ role in the whole matter seemed to vaporize before I could get any original thoughts together. Now, thanks to the United Cardinal Bloggers and some time to put the disappointment of the 2009 playoffs behind me, I’ve finally got some fodder for Cardinal Nation.
Here is my ballot for the 2009 Cardinal Blogger Awards. Be sure to check out other posts at the UCB homepage.
1. Cardinal Player of the Year
* Matt Holliday
* Albert Pujols
* Brendan Ryan
There's no need to dethrone the king. Albert Pujols is obviously the Cardinal Player of the Year, I don’t think there’s any question about this one. Sure he didn’t end all that well but the guy hit .327, knocked 47 homers (I expected him to hit 55 or so), and batted in 135 runs. That’s typical Albert. The number that really stands out to me the most is his 374 total bases – his highest total since 2004.
2. Cardinal Pitcher of the Year
* Chris Carpenter
* Ryan Franklin
* Adam Wainwright
To me the choice is between Carp and Wainwright. Although Adam has proved to be a big game pitcher, I’d probably pick Carpenter ahead of him in a one-game situation. This award, however, covers the whole season, so I’m gonna pick Wainwright mostly because of the innings and total wins – 233 IP, 19 wins. He should have won the Cy Young.
3. Game of the Year
* July 24 at Phillies
* September 6 at Brewers
* September 26 at Rockies
September 26 at the Rockies. It felt like I was watching a playoff game. All the tension and excitement of October was there.
4. Surprise Player of the Year
* Ryan Franklin
* Brendan Ryan
* Skip Schumaker
Brendan Ryan was a surprise. I never expected him to hit what he did (.292) over a full season. But to me Schumaker was a much bigger surprise in 2009. Skip became a quality second baseman and still hit .300.
5. Disappointing Player of the Year
* Rick Ankiel
* Khalil Greene
* Kyle Lohse
Greene was a disappointment but some of his problems were somewhat out of his hands and, to be honest, I didn’t expect too much out of him anyway. Lohse is the biggest disappointment to me. I expected a minimum of 12 wins and 28-30 starts instead we got 6 and 22 respectively.
6. Cardinal Rookie of the Year
* Mitchell Boggs
* Blake Hawksworth
* Colby Rasmus
Rasmus. He’s not a second coming of Jim Edmonds or anything but he’s an exciting player to watch and he’s only going to get better. I wouldn’t say that his rookie season was that much better than the other two nominees. I just tend to pick the everyday guys.
7. Off-Season Acquisition of the Year
* Khalil Greene
* Trever Miller
* Dennys Reyes
Miller is my winner for this award – a surprise on the mound in the Mound City. He had a career year in his 11th season in the majors. He followed up two 4+ ERA seasons with a 70-game 2.06 ERA season in St. Louis.
8. Midseason Acquisition of the Year
* Mark DeRosa
* Matt Holliday
* John Smoltz
All these guys were great pick-ups but Holliday was the Midseason Acquisition of the Year. Everything started working for Holliday once he put on the birds-on-the-bat. I’d love to see him in Cardinal Red again in 2010.
9. Most Anticipated Cardinal
* Allen Craig
* Daryl Jones
* Shelby Miller
Shelby Miller is the player that I get the most excitement thinking about. He’s the youngest of the three nominees, a BIG Texas righthander. Once he finds control and a changeup he could be a force in St. Louis.
10. Best Individual Blog
C70 at the Bat, it’s the first Cardinal blog that I read everyday. Daniel offers top-notch info and perspective on a timely basis and sets the standard for the UCB.
11. Best Team Blog
Viva El Birdos. If you’re wanting to gauge the climate of Cardinal Nation there’s really no better blog to visit than VEB - tons of info and opinion pieces. Its posts offer great fan perspective which, after all, is what blogging is all about.
12. Best Media Blog
* Bird Land
* Cardinal Beat
* Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Bird Land is my pick. Derrick Goold is a top-notch pro and his blog is the first that I visit when I’m looking for official information.
13. Best UCB Project
* Progressive Game Blog
* Roundtables
* Top 7 Prospects
* Write-in: Cardinal Memories
I’m probably going to be the minority on this one but the Cardinal Memories project was my favorite. I really enjoyed reading the accounts of my fellow UCBers. These kinds of stories define the identity of Cardinal Nation.
14. Most Optimistic Cardinal Blog
Future Redbirds makes me optimistic. Future Redbirds is an excellent and informative blog about the future of the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s easy to find some things to look forward to there.
15. Funniest Cardinal Blog
Cardinals Diaspora. Sure, it’s outrageous sometimes but always good for a laugh.
16. Rookie Blog of the Year
* The McBrayer-Baseball Blog
* St. Louis Sports Scene
The McBrayer-Baseball Blog. Great job Joe! Keep it up!
Here is my ballot for the 2009 Cardinal Blogger Awards. Be sure to check out other posts at the UCB homepage.
1. Cardinal Player of the Year
* Matt Holliday
* Albert Pujols
* Brendan Ryan
There's no need to dethrone the king. Albert Pujols is obviously the Cardinal Player of the Year, I don’t think there’s any question about this one. Sure he didn’t end all that well but the guy hit .327, knocked 47 homers (I expected him to hit 55 or so), and batted in 135 runs. That’s typical Albert. The number that really stands out to me the most is his 374 total bases – his highest total since 2004.
2. Cardinal Pitcher of the Year
* Chris Carpenter
* Ryan Franklin
* Adam Wainwright
To me the choice is between Carp and Wainwright. Although Adam has proved to be a big game pitcher, I’d probably pick Carpenter ahead of him in a one-game situation. This award, however, covers the whole season, so I’m gonna pick Wainwright mostly because of the innings and total wins – 233 IP, 19 wins. He should have won the Cy Young.
3. Game of the Year
* July 24 at Phillies
* September 6 at Brewers
* September 26 at Rockies
September 26 at the Rockies. It felt like I was watching a playoff game. All the tension and excitement of October was there.
4. Surprise Player of the Year
* Ryan Franklin
* Brendan Ryan
* Skip Schumaker
Brendan Ryan was a surprise. I never expected him to hit what he did (.292) over a full season. But to me Schumaker was a much bigger surprise in 2009. Skip became a quality second baseman and still hit .300.
5. Disappointing Player of the Year
* Rick Ankiel
* Khalil Greene
* Kyle Lohse
Greene was a disappointment but some of his problems were somewhat out of his hands and, to be honest, I didn’t expect too much out of him anyway. Lohse is the biggest disappointment to me. I expected a minimum of 12 wins and 28-30 starts instead we got 6 and 22 respectively.
6. Cardinal Rookie of the Year
* Mitchell Boggs
* Blake Hawksworth
* Colby Rasmus
Rasmus. He’s not a second coming of Jim Edmonds or anything but he’s an exciting player to watch and he’s only going to get better. I wouldn’t say that his rookie season was that much better than the other two nominees. I just tend to pick the everyday guys.
7. Off-Season Acquisition of the Year
* Khalil Greene
* Trever Miller
* Dennys Reyes
Miller is my winner for this award – a surprise on the mound in the Mound City. He had a career year in his 11th season in the majors. He followed up two 4+ ERA seasons with a 70-game 2.06 ERA season in St. Louis.
8. Midseason Acquisition of the Year
* Mark DeRosa
* Matt Holliday
* John Smoltz
All these guys were great pick-ups but Holliday was the Midseason Acquisition of the Year. Everything started working for Holliday once he put on the birds-on-the-bat. I’d love to see him in Cardinal Red again in 2010.
9. Most Anticipated Cardinal
* Allen Craig
* Daryl Jones
* Shelby Miller
Shelby Miller is the player that I get the most excitement thinking about. He’s the youngest of the three nominees, a BIG Texas righthander. Once he finds control and a changeup he could be a force in St. Louis.
10. Best Individual Blog
C70 at the Bat, it’s the first Cardinal blog that I read everyday. Daniel offers top-notch info and perspective on a timely basis and sets the standard for the UCB.
11. Best Team Blog
Viva El Birdos. If you’re wanting to gauge the climate of Cardinal Nation there’s really no better blog to visit than VEB - tons of info and opinion pieces. Its posts offer great fan perspective which, after all, is what blogging is all about.
12. Best Media Blog
* Bird Land
* Cardinal Beat
* Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Bird Land is my pick. Derrick Goold is a top-notch pro and his blog is the first that I visit when I’m looking for official information.
13. Best UCB Project
* Progressive Game Blog
* Roundtables
* Top 7 Prospects
* Write-in: Cardinal Memories
I’m probably going to be the minority on this one but the Cardinal Memories project was my favorite. I really enjoyed reading the accounts of my fellow UCBers. These kinds of stories define the identity of Cardinal Nation.
14. Most Optimistic Cardinal Blog
Future Redbirds makes me optimistic. Future Redbirds is an excellent and informative blog about the future of the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s easy to find some things to look forward to there.
15. Funniest Cardinal Blog
Cardinals Diaspora. Sure, it’s outrageous sometimes but always good for a laugh.
16. Rookie Blog of the Year
* The McBrayer-Baseball Blog
* St. Louis Sports Scene
The McBrayer-Baseball Blog. Great job Joe! Keep it up!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Cardinal Memories
This month the United Cardinal Bloggers (UCB) are discussing their St. Louis Cardinal memories.
Most of my most vivid Cardinal memories happened relatively recently. Since I didn't grow up near St. Louis and don't live there now. Most of my memories take place between the years of 2004 and 2008 when I lived in eastern Kansas and took frequent trips to Busch Stadium.
1. The 2006 World Series Victory Parade: Definitely a good memory. My wife and I left our home at like 4:00 in the morning and were in downtown St. Louis by 10am. We lined up just outside the bowling/Cardinals Hall of Fame and were in a prime spot to see the players and trophy make their final turn before going into the Stadium. It was a Mardi Gras-like atmosphere: beads and VERY lax open container laws.
2. The Storm of July 19, 2006: You've probably seen the video clips like this on YouTube, but I was there. I still think about it every time the sky gets dark before a storm. The starting lineups had been given, the national anthem had been sung, and all of a sudden these dark black clouds come out of nowhere. I was sitting in the bleachers that evening so we took cover in a nearby stairwell. I remember hearing and seeing the portable vendor cards being blown over and seeing the grounds crew in the middle of all that LAYING on the tarp to keep it on the field. The ride back to my hotel near the airport was also an event. The Metrolink trains were shut down and they had to bus us all back. I didn't get back to my room until 2:30am.
3. The Death of Josh Hancock: Not a good memory but nonetheless vivid. I attended the last game Josh Hancock pitched in. The next morning my wife and I were down at the stadium preparing to take the tour. The ticket windows had a sign saying that all tours were canceled for the day. We were confused and a little upset. We walked around the stadium to see a news crew set up and decided to walk by and see what was going on. A reporter and a camera man came up to me and asked about my reaction to the death of Hancock. That was how I found out. I was completed stunned. I thought about how we had just seen him the night before. By the time we left, fans were already creating a memorial at the gates by the Musial statue.
Most of my most vivid Cardinal memories happened relatively recently. Since I didn't grow up near St. Louis and don't live there now. Most of my memories take place between the years of 2004 and 2008 when I lived in eastern Kansas and took frequent trips to Busch Stadium.
1. The 2006 World Series Victory Parade: Definitely a good memory. My wife and I left our home at like 4:00 in the morning and were in downtown St. Louis by 10am. We lined up just outside the bowling/Cardinals Hall of Fame and were in a prime spot to see the players and trophy make their final turn before going into the Stadium. It was a Mardi Gras-like atmosphere: beads and VERY lax open container laws.
2. The Storm of July 19, 2006: You've probably seen the video clips like this on YouTube, but I was there. I still think about it every time the sky gets dark before a storm. The starting lineups had been given, the national anthem had been sung, and all of a sudden these dark black clouds come out of nowhere. I was sitting in the bleachers that evening so we took cover in a nearby stairwell. I remember hearing and seeing the portable vendor cards being blown over and seeing the grounds crew in the middle of all that LAYING on the tarp to keep it on the field. The ride back to my hotel near the airport was also an event. The Metrolink trains were shut down and they had to bus us all back. I didn't get back to my room until 2:30am.
3. The Death of Josh Hancock: Not a good memory but nonetheless vivid. I attended the last game Josh Hancock pitched in. The next morning my wife and I were down at the stadium preparing to take the tour. The ticket windows had a sign saying that all tours were canceled for the day. We were confused and a little upset. We walked around the stadium to see a news crew set up and decided to walk by and see what was going on. A reporter and a camera man came up to me and asked about my reaction to the death of Hancock. That was how I found out. I was completed stunned. I thought about how we had just seen him the night before. By the time we left, fans were already creating a memorial at the gates by the Musial statue.
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