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I’ve got an ever-growing number of items floating around the ole desk here that I need to get resolved, so as such, here’s one big catch-all post to take care of them…
Trade Deadline
- Not ecstatic to see Colby Rasmus leave, but I think it was another situation where the relationship (however you want to interpret the usage of that word) had deteriorated beyond repair. Someone had to go, and one wasn’t a likely candidate to be shipped out.
- I do think the 2011 Cardinals improved themselves with their deadline activity.
- Love the Rafael Furcal deal as a low risk, high potential reward swap. There wasn’t much available on the market, but it’s certainly reasonable to believe Furcal will be an upgrade for the Cards’ middle infield.
- Glad Heath Bell didn’t come to St. Louis. Too expensive, don’t need him.
All-Star Giveaway Winners
You may remember we had a contest of sorts around the All-Star Game (hey, I said this stuff has been on my desk too long) asking folks to tell us their favorite Cardinal All-Star moments. Without further ado, the winners:
GRAND PRIZE (MLB.com gift card): Jason – “Mine would have to be the 2002 All Star game. It was a few weeks after Darryl Kile passed away. Matt Morris was the only Cardinals representative that year, but he didn’t play. During the player introductions Matt flashed the camera his palms which read “DK 57″ in honor of his fallen friend and teammate. I was still having trouble dealing with DK’s death at the time and it made me feel a little better to see Morris remember his buddy on a stage that is usually reserved for individual accomplishments. It is unfortunate that to most people the 2002 game is known more for the infamous All Star game that ended in a tie. The reason I love this moment is because it isn’t about an amazing catch or no-doubt home run. It was one friend honoring the memory of another and something anyone could relate to, baseball fan or not.”
RUNNER UP (Assorted All-Star Game swag): Alan - “I would say my favorite Cardinal All-star moment would have to be when Mark McGwire absolutely went off in the 1999 Home Run Derby. Seeing him launch ball after ball over the Monster and hearing Chris Berman rattle off every Boston suburb as each homer landed was one of the most awesome feelings I have ever gotten to experience in my life.”
I will be contacting the two winners to get them their prizes. Congrats guys and thanks again to Holiday Inn for providing the prizes.
Want to know what watching a Batavia Muckdogs game is like?
The folks over at Stadium Journey recently visited Dwyer Stadium to take in a Muckdogs game – check out their review here.
Scott Engel talks to Cardinal players
Over at thexlog.com Scott Engel had a chance to speak with some of the Cardinals players and coaches while they were recently in New York. Some of the responses and comments were entertaining…
My favorites?
Albert Pujols constantly referring to the media somewhat dismissively as “you guys”, Mark McGwire says “Freese has ice in his veins” (oh hilarious, Mark) and refers to Jon Jay as a “role player” when discussing his “low maintenance swing” (in other words, Big Mac doesn’t want anything to do with that hitch). And does David Freese sound like Spicoli to anyone else?
The Lost WARGraphs
So before Colby Rasmus was traded last Wednesday, I was all fired up about making a WARGraphs Wednesday post comparing Rasmus and Andy Van Slyke – he of the B.O.B. Syndrome (Bitter Old Ballplayer). Van Slyke was continuing to run his mouth about Rasmus, and the graphs show it might just be jealousy.
Then Colby was traded, so I quick and switched gears toward a Rasmus versus Corey Patterson post, since some folks were deluding themselves into believing Patterson was a lynch pin in the deal (to be clear, he’s not).
Anyway, I figure by now it would just seem like sour grapes to post either of them as their own full-fledged WARGraphs Wednesday post, but I wanted to share the links. So there.
Shameless Self-Promotion
Finally, I was a guest on The Pulse Network’s Sports Buzz show a couple weeks ago talking about the Cardinals and the trade deadline. I probably sound foolish in hindsight, knowing what the team actually DID do at the deadline, but nonetheless, if you can still stand the sound of my voice after listening to Podcast Ep. 6.0, you can go watch the clip from Sports Buzz.
As always, thanks for reading, listening and watching. Now I can clear off my desk.
