Number 1 - Rick Ankiel. Return of the Cardinals’ Wunderkind. This was not only one of the great stories of the Cardinals’ 2007 season but also one of the great stories in baseball. Until Ankiel’s return, the Cardinals’ lack-luster season kept the team out of the national spotlight. This story, however, refocused baseball’s attention on Cardinal Nation.
Rick’s return to the majors seemed to be scripted for Hollywood - he homered in his first game back. Two days later, on August 11, he went yard twice and made a spectacular catch in right field. On August 31, Rick hit a Grand Slam to bring the Cards back from what seemed to be a thumping by the Cincinnati Reds. A 2 HR 7 RBI game on September 6 was the symbolic end of Rick’s magically comeback and thus the Cards late summer surge. The story of Ankiel’s involvement with HGH was released on the following day and neither Rick or the Cardinals recovered.
Number 2 – The Death of Josh Hancock. A shock to Cardinal Nation. I attended Josh’s last game versus the Chicago Cubs. Hancock’s solid performance was one of the high points of the game for the Cardinals. The following morning my wife and I went down to Busch in hopes of taking the stadium tour (we had not yet learned of Hancock’s death). A sign on the ticket booth read “All tours canceled” and we were confused about why. Shortly after I was approached by a television crew and asked if I would be willing to speak on camera. “Okay… by why?,” I asked. That’s when we found out. The TV crew immediately turned on the camera and I was basically shocked into silence and disbelief (needless to say my comments didn’t make it to the news). The rest was the morning Cardinal Nation was in a haze. We just walked around the stadium exterior for an hour or so in a state of shock, not knowing what to do or say. Other Cardinals (and Cubs) fans were doing the same. Soon fans started arriving at the stadium with memorial gifts for Josh: flowers, letters, Cardinals hats, etc. Most were placed at the Gate 3 entrance.
Number 3 – Tony stays. Former Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty and manager Tony La Russa were, by most people, considered to be a package deal. For a while they both were rumored to be going to the Cincinnati. In reality, however, Walt left and TLR stayed. The 2007 season was Tony’s toughest season yet, with multiple player injuries (including that of Chris Carpenter), dealing with the death of Josh Hancock and all the stories and distractions surrounding that, his own DUI arrest during spring training, and his relationship with Scott Rolen seemed to be working against him. It is a wonder that he decided to stay.
TLR managed the 2007 Cardinals to a third-place division finish. Considering all that he had to deal with, I consider this an excellent job. On Labor Day weekend, he achieved the status of most winning manager in St. Louis Cardinals history. Still Cardinal Nation will never elevate him to the status that his numbers have. Despite the 2006 World Series, TLR will probably never be forgiven for benching Ozzie. Also, I think the simple fact that he calls California home and not St. Louis does not sit well with Cardinals fans.
Number 4 – Tony and Scott, Round 2. The rift that developed between TLR and Scott Rolen during the 2006 postseason never seemed to narrow in 2007. In fact, the relationship between the Hall of Fame manager and Gold Glove third baseman reached the realm of irreconcilable during the 2007 offseason. In my opinion, the Tony/Scott soap opera has been the top Cardinals story since October. The relationship has sparked anxiety in Cardinal Nation concerning the state of the Cardinals in 2008 with talks of a trade and has still yet to be made.
Number 5 – The Starting Rotation. Where do I start, the 2007 starting rotation was in trouble. Carp went down early. Anthony Reyes performances (or lack thereof) were brutal to watch. Kip Wells proved to be a bust, just as he was in Pittsburgh and Texas – so bad that even Dave Duncan could not do anything with him. Mike Maroth, acquired mid-season, was no help. The Cardinals had to resort to Royals’ retread Todd Wellmeyer who only helped to stop the bleeding for a game or two. Mulder = more disappointment in 2007. Bright spots (there are some): Braden Looper Adam Wainwright, and Joel Pineiro. Looper and Wainwright came from the 2006 Cardinals’ bullpen and proved to be the consistent starters in 2007. Pinero was a great addition. Looper was a surprise, his 2007 stats weren’t great, but he got it done… that’s enough for me. Wainwright crystallized as the Cardinals ace in 2007 and will assume the roll in 2008 until (hopefully) Chris Carpenter is able to regain his Cy Young form.
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