Diasappointment
I’ve been watching, to some degree, baseball on television for about 38 years to my best recollection. From the weekly Saturday games early on in my life to the blossoming early home satellite dishes in the backyard to the small dish and now on my computer. I’ve watched a lot, and i’m not exaggerating when i say that, of baseball in my lifetime.
I have some fond memories of listening to the commentators through the years. The distinguished sounding voices right alongside the less than royal sounding color men. Somehow, most of the duets seemed to not be bothersome to each other no matter coming from less than adjacent backgrounds for the most part. It was very entertaining listening to the two voices working in unison with each other and seeing mostly the comfortable relationships they had with each other.
One of the things i noticed the most were the professionalism they had doing the games. It seemed they prepared greatly for their jobs. Each had knowledge of the rosters for both their team and the visiting team, no matter who it was.
Through the years however, i’ve watched as that has slowly seemed to fade as a duty of the announcers. Not all of them mind you. Most of the older, more veteran announcers still have that desire to know where a player came from. What his travels were to the present point of the telecast. Now it seems most newer announcers rely more and more on production staffs to provide them with that information. And in my opinion, that is a shame.
Yes, i’m getting on in age and i, as most, pine for the “good old days”.
Namesake
Most Cardinals fans older than thirty probably know what the name of my blog site means. There is also probably a good percentage under thirty that do as well. I don’t think there has been near enough clamoring on this issue. That’s quite sad to me.
Willie McGee deserves to have his number retired by the Cardinals organization and it should have been done years ago. He was every bit as important to the Cards success as Ozzie Smith and even more so than most that were on the teams during his two stints wearing the birds on the bat.
No one, including Ozzie, was more of a fan favorite than Willie was. It was a sad day when he was traded away to the A’s and it never really felt like the Cardinals were a whole team until he came back to finish out his career. I’m not the only one that considers him my favorite Redbird of all time, i can assure you.
While he’ll never be a member of the Baseball hall of fame, he more than deserves to be a member of the St. Louis Cardinals hall of fame. His number MUST be flying with players like Gibson, Slaughter, Musial and Smith.
It’s an honor that is well past due. Until i see the number 51 among the 1, 9, 45 and others…the Cardinal family will not be whole.
Excited
It’s 10:24 on Wednesday the 24th of March. In approximately three and a half hours i’ll be watching spring training baseball. Neither of the teams register highly on my interest radar, but that matters not. IT’S BASEBALL TIME!!!
I will get at least a small look at possible waiver pick ups for my fantasy team and of course, IT’S BASEBALL!!! Yes, i know..there is baseball played year round somewhere, but nothing compares to MLB. All of you that want to tout the classic can go right ahead. Be politically correct and say how much you think supporting your countries team is important. Admittedly, i’ll watch some of the Classic, but it still doesn’t excite me as much as seeing the logos of MLB teams on jerseys. Even if that jersey is name free and the number 83 is prominent on the back.
I’m EXCITED!!!
My First Fantasy League Team
Well i’ve decided to play in a fantasy league for the first time. In years past i have always found a reason not to play. Not enough time, too lazy, too much going on, i go out of town too often or what happens if there is nuclear war…
Not this year though. I’ve put forth a commitment to play and i intend on winning. My draft is today and i’m a bit nervous to tell the truth. I can see the pitfalls in playing, like not getting the players i covet the most. I’m sure i’m no different than most others that play in which i’m a bit higher on players of my favorite team(s). But let’s face it, i’m not the only one hoping to start my team off by choosing Albert Pujols with my first pick. That will take a miracle for me since i pick eigth the first round.
So i’ll have to replace that enormous loss with someone i deem close to being able to provide me enough points. There are lots of very capable players out there to give me what i need. The problem is, my human emotions will come through and skewer my choices. There are lots of players that i will never pick for one of two reasons. One is that they play on teams that i absolutely despise. The other is that i despise them on a personal level. One such player that gets a double whammy in this category is Milton Bradley. And of course there is no way i’m picking anyone from the Cubs.
Another problem i will have is over rating players on my own teams. I know there are better hitting with more refined defensive skills than Rick Ankiel, but i’m not having any luck being subjective in my managerial duties.
It should be interesting, at least for me, today.
I Need Some Salve
I don’t have a rash or anything, just a huge itch to see some baseball. Even if it’s only Spring Training. The next few days will be torture. The kind that you know it’s very near but you are chomping at the bit.
Sure, there are lots of stories still out there that could occupy my time. Like how many of the big to fairly big name free agents still in limbo going. How are teams pitching staffs shaping up since catchers and pitchers reported. How are the big and/or worrisome injuries healing thus far for those that have them. And of course the ever present steroids issues, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and et al.
While some of that is fun and of course other of it is both heart breaking and tiresome, the game is what i crave. I wanna see those players with no names stitched on their jersey with the number 83 on it. They may not be stars, but they are far better than i ever was and some of them may just surprise a manager or two.
I need baseball!!!
Ebbs & Tides
As a human being i fall into that group of people that sports play an important part of my life. I like seeing an amazing catch over the middle on a football field and the receiver break tackles to run for a touchdown. I like seeing a fast break worked to perfection with 3 or more passes with a stunning dunk. I like seeing a hard run race with the winner determined in the last half of the last lap. And i like many other occasions in many more sports.
But there is nothing more gratifying to watch than a perfect relay throw from an outfielder with a play at the plate. The center fielder from the wall to a strong armed second baseman throwing a bullet to the catcher as he drops a knee to block the plate of a barreling down runner. This is something i live for every year. Along with just about anything else one might think of on the diamond.
Today i learned there was one more thing that i love even more than that. My mom calling me just minutes ago telling me that her doctor visit went well with him telling her she is in the very early stages of Parkinsons. You may be wondering why that would make me so happy. And i ask back, “how couldn’t it?” It could have been much, much worse. Something neurologically more problematic. It could even have been a more progressed stage of Parkinsons. With a small pill every day she should be able to combat it from that very thing. Of all the news i could’ve heard, this is the news i wanted to hear.
We all grow old if we are blessed and we all grow old with the luxury of having our parents around if we are amazingly blessed. I’m one of those that is in the latter group. So knowing that there is a better chance of having her around longer, my time watching that perfect relay will be even more loved by me. My mom never cared about baseball, but every year she and my dad would scrape together enough money for me to play each summer.
One day i won’t have my mom to help me have that extra love, but i’ll always have the extra love that she gave me so that i can appreciate baseball.
The Bench
Front line players are key to a teams success. While you can win with a starting nine that is mixed with stars and role players, some will get hurt while others may have a down year. Some people look at starters as the alpha and the omega, but if you don’t have a strong and versatile bench you are going no where.
Nothing is more evident of that than the Cardinal’s 2006 season. Bench players were vital to the team from April all the way through October.
Gone is Arron Miles. The closest thing to a “secret weapon” the Cards have had since the original, Jose Oquendo. Not to mention that he jumped over to the rival Cubs. I got a little ill when i read that he signed there. Even more so than when Jim Edmonds was traded to them. Clearly things like this happen, but Miles was every bit as important to the Cards as Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols. Now we are left to try and replace those at bats and the versatility that he gave Tony LaRussa and the staff.
Is there a player on the roster or in the minors that has those skills? Brendan Ryan certainly has the glove(s) to play all over the field, but can he hit enough to be that guy? Or will Tyler Greene become Miles’ replacement. Hard to say. Drafted and used almost exclusively as a shortstop, he will need to learn on the fly to play second, third and probably the outfield in a pinch. I wonder if he has a knuckleball…
It will be both fun and interesting to see the bench take shape out of the deep outfield and infield players. The competition should be torrid with some have more success than others. One thing is for certain. Whoever comprises the bench will need many gloves and be ready at the drop of a hat to play. Whether as a defensive replacement in the late innings or four straight games one each at a different position.
Starting Rotation
The hopes of Cardinals everywhere are somewhat dependent on the starting five. To be more exact, the right arm of one Chris Carpenter.That’s a lot of pressure to put on one appendage of one person that basically has been MIA for two years, but so is the situation.
Of course he won’t go out and pitch every game. No one is making it out to be that, but just look at last years rotation. It was, to say the least, a patchwork in progress. Kyle Lohse came in at the last minute. Todd Wellemeyer was coming into his first year as a full time starter. Joel Pineiro was in and out of the rotation. Braden Looper was up and down with his efforts in only his second season as a starter. And Adam Wainwright was the anchor. Both Wainwright and Wellemeyer missed considerable time with injuries. Then there was the experiment that Mark Mulder became.
This year hopes to be better. A healthy Carpenter will go a long way in making the Cards a force in the Central as well as a more viable playoff contender. A full season from both Wainwright and Wellemeyer makes this rotation a force going into any weekend series in any other city knowing that we have the pitching strength to sweep. A season from Lohse that merely matches last years makes it a deep rotation. And if Pineiro can just be what he needs to be…a .500 pitcher that takes the mound into the sixth each time, then this could be the best rotation in the twenty first century the Cards have had. If Pineiro falters, then Kyle McClellan and or Mitchell Boggs is waiting to step up their pursuit of the rotation. Now of course, Boggs has had a bit of a set back, but from what i’ve read it is not a major one. I can see Boggs in the place of Pineiro…can you?
mlblogsnotjuiced
Recent Comments