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Don't get your hopes up
Fans aren’t the only ones starving for baseball to begin. Sportswriters apparently are getting antsy, too.
Albert Pujols, The Mang himself, said that he’d like to have Manny Ramirez as a teammate, seemingly setting off the breathless and brainless speculation that the St. Louis Cardinals somehow are in on Ramirez.
(A) rumor circulated (Wednesday) that the Cardinals might be interested in Ramirez.
Sure, who wouldn’t want Manny Ramirez on their team? He still is one of the best hitters in the game, and he would fit perfectly batting cleanup behind The Mang. But outfield is about the one place that the Cardinals do not need any help. With Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and super-prospect Colby Rasmus penciled in to start (and various combinations of Skip “Jared” Schumaker, Chris Duncan and Joe Mather to back up), Manny to the Cardinals makes no baseball sense.
Joel Koch at Bleacher Report makes a well-reasoned case to sign Ramirez, but if it were that easy to trade Ankiel or Ludwick to clear a spot for him, it would have been done long ago. The simple fact is that the market for acquiring outfielders is very soft right now, a buyer’s market, if you will. A team isn’t likely to give up its own young talent in a trade when they can easily pick from one of the many remaining free-agent outfielders, such as Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu. Or Ramirez.
And that’s beside the aforementioned point that trading an outfielder for an outfielder makes little sense for the Cardinals, whose most pressing need is a young, cost-controlled starting pitcher who can immediately join the rotation. Jonathan Venters, the player for whom Koch recommends trading Ankiel, may indeed be a fine prospect. But with all of nine Double-A innings to his credit, he’s not going to be helping any Major League team in the near future.
Yes, Manny Ramirez would make a fine addition to any team, both in the lineup and as a gate attraction. But this isn’t a fantasy league we’re dealing with. There are personnel and financial concerns to be, um… concerned with. The rumor and speculation that the Cardinals are going after him is just that.
Yes. Yes, they do.
At least someone found a use for Lake DeWitt. Hat tip to Home Run Derby.
The All-Birthday Team
Today’s my birthday, and because I have pretty much nothing Cardinals-related to blog about, I thought I’d engage in a little vanity blogging with my All-Birthday Team, made up of dudes who have the same birthday as I.
C: Dick Lowe. Appeared in only one game in his “career” and made this list only because he was the only catcher with whom I share a birthday. In his one game with the 1884 Detroit Wolverines, Lowe managed to commit seven errors (with four passed balls) behind the plate. He did record an assist, though. So he’s got that going for him. Which is nice.
1B: Bill White. The longtime Cardinals first baseman put up a career slash line of .286/.351/.455, which may not sound all that great for a first baseman until you look at his career OPS+ of 116 during the pitcher-friendly 1960s. According to Baseball Library, White pounded a record-tying 14 hits in consecutive doubleheaders in 1961.
2B: Junior Spivey. Remember him? I had to pick him over a potentially better candidate because he shares my exact birthdate. Happy 34th, Ernest Lee.
3B: Larvell “Sugar Bear” Blanks. This guy gets the nod solely on the basis of his impossibly awesome name. Blanks is probably one of many from the era that epitomize the non-descript, light-hitting 1970s utililty infielder.
SS: Lyn Lary. A steady if unspectacular shortstop who played 12 seasons in the bigs and was a teammate of Babe Ruth’s during the Bambino’s last six seasons in pinstripes. Save for his final season, Lary always walked more times than he struck out and had a career walk rate of 13.3 percent, which was quite a bit above league average.
OF: Jermaine Dye. A good slugging outfielder.
OF: Magglio Ordonez. Ditto.
OF: Jackie Gallagher. The ultimate cup of coffee. Gallgher appeared in one game for the 1923 Cleveland Indians and got a hit in his lone at-bat. Surely that deserves enshrinement on my All-Birthday Team. That, and Shinjo was the next available option.
DH: Lyle Overbay. A solid first baseman. Sort of a low-rent Mark Grace.
P: “Spittin’ Bill” Doak. Got the first-team nod over the likes of “Salida Tom” Hughes and Bob Muncrief basically because of his 16 seasons of league-average pitching, the bulk of which was for the Cardinals during the Teens and early 1920s.
Honorable mentions: Hughes, Muncrief, Pete Runnels, Hank “Bow Wow” Arft, George Wright
Posted in History lessons
2 Comments
Shaking off the cobwebs
Back when I was blogging at The 26th Man, I was working nights. While I got very little sleep, I did have time to blog while The 26th Girl was at school and The 26th Boy was napping.
These days, I have standard dayside hours, which give me ample time to sleep as well as see my family again but which leave little time for blogging. Sleep + family > blogging, I suppose.
Not that you care about the vagaries of my personal life. Now it’s time to rehash stuff that’s several days old.
I totally dig the MLB Network. Right now, Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS is on in the background. In fact, the 2006 postseason is on the entire weekend. If you don’t have this channel, you’re seriously missing out.
Weird Cardinal injuries continue. It was revealed recently that Troy Glaus has a bum shoulder and subsequently underwent arthroscopic surgery, which could keep him out of perhaps the first month of the season. Fortunately, third base is a position of relative strength in the Cardinals organization. The leading candidates to replace Glaus are David Freese and Joe Mather, with 2008 draftee Brett Wallace the dark horse. My preference would be to give Freese a shot, although I wouldn’t be upset if Tony La Russa went with Mather, a third basemen turned outfielder.
Non-roster invitees, uh, invited. The past few years have seen such luminaries as Richard Rundles, Prentice Redman, Danilo Sanchez and Tagg Bozied invited to spring training. This year, however, we have actual non-minor-league-free-agent prospects getting invitations to spring training: Jess Todd, the Cardinals’ 2008 Minor League Pitcher of the Year; catching prospect Brian Anderson; the aforementioned Freese; and super-duper prospects Colby Rasmus and Brett Wallace. Things are looking up, farm-wise. If only we can get rid of the manager. 
That’s about all I can think of for now. The World Series is on.
Posted in Notes
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Final count of the collision between us and the Damned
The final votes are in for construction of the Lineup of the Damned. I received more visits and comments on this post than on any other blog I’ve done, and I’ve been blogging for a few years now. I guess my groveling to DanUp for a link paid off.
Anyway, I received many varied responses, enough for a 25-man Roster of the Damned. But only a handful of players got as many as two nominations. Those that did I tended to leave in the “starting lineup,” unless an overriding factor, such as my own dislike of a player, led me to choose someone else. My blog and all.
So without further delay, I bring you…
The Lineup of the Damned
C: Gary Carter. He was one of the few to get two votes. One poster nominated Barry Lyons, to whom I gave serious consideration, given his destruction of John Tudor’s career with the Cardinals. But Carter’s douchiness trumps.
1B: Hee Seop Choi. Big Choi’s collision with Scott Rolen turned Rolen’s fragile shoulder into dust. With Cardinals fans, this is unforgiveable. Bill Buckner also was nominated for, among other reasons, always throwing his bat. I recall making fun of Buckner as a little kid very that very thing.
2B: Wally Backman. The only other vote for a full-time second baseman was for Tony Womack, and he gets the benefit of the doubt one gives to Old Friends. That, and Backman knows how to make friends and impress people.
3B: Alex Rodriguez. No explanation necessary.
SS: Alex Cintron. Another player Cardinals fans can’t forgive. Lest you forget, Cintron’s the one whose collision with Rolen during the 2002 NLDS knocked Rolen out of the rest of the playoffs.
OF: Kenny Lofton. Of course.
OF: Jeffrey Leonard. Ol’ Penitentiary Face got two votes. Plus, he goes by “Jeffrey,” and only douchebags and giraffes go by Jeffrey.
OF: Juan Encarnacion. While others (Carlos Beltran, Darryl Strawberry) got two votes and the fact that I have no specific problem with Instant Breakfast, he gets the nod solely on the basis of the comment nominating him:
While I cannot wish a foul ball to hit anyone at all, if it were any Cardinal, He would be my choice.
Delightfully misanthropic.
DH: Barry Bonds. Duh.
P: Jason Marquis. Another obvious choice for Cardinals fans. He sucks so bad that even Tony La Russa would give the hated Anthony Reyes postseason innings before Marquis.
P: Kenny Rogers. Two words: He’s a cheater.
P: Jose Lima. Not a lot of love for Lima Time and all his ridiculous showboating. His wife has an enormous rack, though.
P: Brandon Backe. For someone who sucks so bad, he sure is cocky. Maybe his name should be Brandon Sucky. BURN!
P: Carlos Villanueva. Taunted the Cardinals bench during a game last season, which made Albert Pujols angry. It’s usually not a good idea to make Albert angry.
Manager: Dusty Baker. I hear Baker got Adam Dunn traded from Cincinnati because Dunn “clogged up the bases” with all those walks.
Umpire: Don Denkinger. Personally, I’ve forgiven the man. But I don’t judge those who haven’t.
Announcer: Matt Vasgersian. Apparently, he’s not a fan of St. Louis.
Stadium: Minute Maid Park. That building is offensive on so many levels.
BONUS: If you can tell me the source of the post title, you win 10 Internet points.
Posted in Lineup of the Damned
3 Comments
Bullpen grumblings
In the latest round of the Cardinals’ flinging of left-handed spaghetti against the wall, Royce Ring has joined the club as the third lefty reliever on the 40-man roster.
In 22.1 innings with the Braves in 2008, Ring finished with an unsightly 8.46 ERA. Much of that damage, though, was done by right-handed hitters, who pummeled him to a tune of .419/.471/.674 against, albeit with a ridiculously high .415 BABIP in 52 plate appearances. While he walks way too many batters (a career 5.54 BB/9IP), he could be a serviceable reliever if used strictly in a LOOGY role.
Meanwhile, Tony La Russa continues to frustrate by telling fans over and over that he needs his beloved Proven Veteran Closer:
The optimum thing is not to ask Chris or Jason to close in ’09. Let them grow into the role when they’re ready to take it.
What part of 147 strikeouts in 109 minor-league innings or a career minor-league BAA of .161 suggests Chris Perez isn’t ready? What about his impressive 41.2 innings as a rookie with the big club last year? And this kid was drafted in 2006 with the idea that he’d take over for Jason Isringhausen. I think Perez has shown that he’s plenty ready. The only thing keeping him out of the ninth inning is his manager.
Posted in Roster construction, Uneducated analysis
Tagged Chris Perez, Royce Ring, Tony La Russa
4 Comments
Building the Lineup of the Damned
I recently came across an article at The Hardball Times, one that had one of the best post titles ever.
In it, the author posits that most baseball fans have at least one player whom they irrationally despise:
Detesting any player for what he does on the field is irrational. We all know this, but as fans we all feel this way toward one or two individuals whose crime against humanity was nothing more than successfully earning his paycheck while wearing the wrong set of laundry.
Indeed. The author, being a Cubs fan, despises Steve Garvey for what he did to the Cubs in the 1984 NLCS. My pick is Kenny Lofton, whose clownish douchebaggery during Game 1 of the 2002 NLCS lit the fires of my eternal hatred. Allow me to explain:
The 2002 season was a tough one emotionally for Cardinals fans. In the span of one June week, the team lost not only its beloved longtime radio broadcaster in Jack Buck, but also its best pitcher and unofficial team captain in Darryl Kile. So the already hyped-up nature of the postseason was intensified exponentially. At least for me, anyway.
So when Lofton proceeds to channel Jeffrey Leonard by taking a long, sloooooooow trot around the bases after taking Matt Morris deep in the third inning of Game 1, I was incensed. Baseball’s unofficial (and unwritten) code of conduct clearly states that you don’t show up the pitcher (and the pitcher’s team) by hot-dogging after a home run. Lofton’s One Flap Down 2.0 routine certainly qualified. And as such, he should have expected a little something-something (as the kids say) in return during his next at-bat.
Sure enough, when Lofton came to bat again in the fifth, reliever Mike Crudale stuck a high, hard one underneath Lofton’s chin. And when Lofton (over)reacted with all the indignation of the provberbial scorned woman by taking a few steps toward the mound, jawing at Crudale, I became completely unglued. I swore eternal condemnation upon Lofton, pox on his house included. And what began as friendly e-mail trash talk with my Bay-Area-living, Giants-rooting relatives turned nasty. At least for me, anyway.
That seething hatred was further entrenched by the fact that Lofton had the game-winning hit in Game 5 that sent the Giants to the World Series (which they ended up losing, thankfully). And that he continued to kill the Cardinals as a member of other teams, including the loathsome Cubs.
While reading the Hardball Times article dredged up painful memories of Kenny Lofton and angried up the blood, it also got me thinking: Would it be possible to build a Lineup of the Damned, filled top-to-bottom with players whom we love to hate?
Therefore, I put it to you, the Internets: Who is your least favorite player(s), and why? Leave a comment, and I will pencil your player’s name into the Lineup of the Damned. Only one caveat applies: The offense must have occurred on a baseball field. If you’re one of Albert Belle’s former girlfriends, you can’t use the fact that he stalked you and put a GPS tracker in your car.
Feel free to pass this along to your favorite baseball fans; we might even be able to build a 25-Man Roster of the Damned.
C: ???
1B: ???
2B: ???
3B: ???
SS: ???
OF: Kenny Lofton
OF: Alfonso Soriano (Sarah-bug)
OF: ???
DH: ???
P: ???
Closing the book on Fuentes
As reported, um… several days ago (timeliness is my specialty), Brian Fuentes, erstwhile top offseason priority for the Cardinals, has signed with his beloved hometown Angels.
This, of course, is excellent news if you’re Chris Perez or a fan of efficient payroll allocation. Fuentes, who ultimately signed for two years and $17.5 million (with a $9M club option for a third year), was rumored to have initially been seeking a deal in the three-year, $30M range. Ten million dollars per year for a pitcher who has averaged 65 innings during his past four seasons (when he has been de facto closer for the Rockies) is not an efficient allocation of payroll, and the Cardinals were wise not to meet those demands.
And at a shade less than $9M per, it still is a waste of payroll space. Especially when you have a player on the roster in Chris Perez, who will be paid the league minimum and whose minor-league track record suggests he can perform at least at Fuentes’ level, if not better (and who is nine years younger). It’s a calculated risk to be sure, but when $8.5M is on the table (the difference between their 2009 salaries), it’s a no-brainer to cast your lot with Perez.
Which brings us to the “proven closer” concept. The way that player salaries are spiraling ever upward, it makes little economic sense to pay retail for a “proven closer.” Especially not when you have players on your roster who were drafted specifically to become a closer and who make the league minimum.
Obviously, I’m just a mere blogger (and a lousy one at that), but is it really that difficult for a team to develop its own closer? Every team should be able to develop at least one or two flamethrowing kids to be used in the ninth inning. Use them at closer for the league minimum for three years, maybe buy out their arbitration years if you can, and when they stand at the precipice of free agency, thank them for their effort and cast them aside. Then bring in the next kid and start all over again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
See how easy that was? Using your own, cost-controlled kids in such manner frees up precious payroll for areas that are more of an immediate need. Such as adding to a sketchy rotation. I, for one, am not counting on Chris Carpenter for any meaningful contribution in 2009. Using the $9M or $10M the team wanted to throw at Fuentes could now be better spent on a guy like Ben Sheets. Sure, it’s another calculated risk given his myriad injuries, but spending $9M or $10M on a guy who could give you 180-plus above-average innings is a risk I would easily take.
Especially when it’s not my money.
Posted in Irrational rants
Tagged Ben Sheets, Brian Fuentes, Chris Perez, The "proven closer" myth
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All baseball, all the time
The dawning of a new year allows people to reflect on and then close the book on the previous year, as well as the opportunity to look ahead at the year to come.
For 2009, the new year also brings baseball fans comfort, 24 hours a day, during the long, cold winter months before the season starts: The MLB Network.
On Jan. 1, Major League Baseball finally did something right by beginning broadcast of a channel devoted to the sport we all love. It’s baseball, all day, every day, all year. Per Larry “Bud” Selig:
MLB Network will provide you with in-depth coverage, live games, unique programming, and unprecedented access to Major League Baseball. With more than 150,000 hours of archival footage from MLB Productions, MLB Network will show you the greatest moments in baseball history.
This channel alone will justify the cost of DirecTV now. Already, I’ve seen the breakdown of Jackie Robinson’s famous steal of home during Game 1 of the 1955 World Series and a remembrance of Roberto Clemente on the 36th anniversary of his death in a plane crash. And now, they are broadcasting Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series with Bob Costas interviewing Larsen and the beloved Yogi Berra in the network’s Studio 42, named for none other than Jackie Robinson. It’s high-quality smack for baseball junkies.
The new year is looking pretty good so far.