MVN: Most Valuable Network

In a move that was no surprise, Jason Isringhausen filed for free agency Saturday.  He plans to test the market to see what offers are out there after a year that saw him lose his closer job with the Cardinals.  He "lost" the magic that had made him the franchise saves leader for St. Louis,  and was relegated to spot appearances the final months of the season.  His days wearing the birds on the bat are most certainly over and while I love Izzy, trust me, this is not a bad thing.

Rumors abound that we might go out and sign a free agent closer, a move that I disagree with.   Chris Perez has emerged as the leading candidate within the organization to be the next closer, and not far behind him is Jason Motte. I got a chance to see both of these guys in Memphis quite a bit last season and I feel that for the savings in salary, that both would be more viable options to be our closer.  I mean, do you really want to blow your money on a closer, when you have multiple emerging candidates?  Not me.  Personally, with the uncertainty of Chris Carpenter, I would much rather see the Cardinals go out and snag a top notch starter with that money.  And trust me Cardinal Nation, we will be fine with Perez and/or Motte.

With September right around the corner and the Cardinals trying to claw their way into the Wild Card, next week's roster expansions couldn't come at a better time. The Cardinals have several young prospects that could help us big in September. Many of them have already had stints with the parent club this summer, while others might be getting their first taste of big league life. The following list of players are MY picks as to who I would call-up if I were the general manager. Some of these guys won't be called up, but any of these guys very well could be. And I have had the added benefit of watching these guys play every day here in Memphis, so I have an added advantage over the average writer. If the Cardinals are able to make it to October baseball, here are just a few of the names that... Read more

As I sit perched in the press box at Autozone Park, I could easily write about Adam Wainwright and his difficult and brief rehab outing for the Memphis Redbirds.  But it doesn't matter.  Adam Wainwright will be fine.  The guy is a stud and my time would be better spent discussing just how Wainwright will fit into the mix when he does return to St. Louis. If you are a Cardinals fan, I am sure you have realized just how terrible our bullpen is.  We lead baseball in blown saves, and if my stats are correct, this year's bullpen is the 4th worst in the history of baseball in blown saves.  We have 30 blown saves and it is only August 8th.  If we won just half of those games, we would be in the driver's seat in the National League.  Instead, we find ourselves as the underdogs in the... Read more

Ok guys, let's play jeopardy.  The answer is 11.  What is the question? No, it isn't Anthony Reyes' pitch count after one batter.  And it isn't the number of World Series Championships we SHOULD have if the 1985 "incidient" had been called correctly.  It is the number of pitches that Chris Carpenter used to strike out the side in the first inning Friday night here in Memphis. Carpenter last made an appearance for St. Louis on Opening Night in April of 2007.  I was at that game and little did I know it would be the last game Carpenter would pitch for 15 months and counting.   Carpenter has been the "stud" of the pitching staff over the past several years and in my opinion, he is the best pitcher to pitch for the Cardinals since Bob Gibson.  So you can understand how important a successful return for Chris to the... Read more

Game # 75 Fri. June 20, 2008 Cardinals 5 Red Sox 4 Ahh, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox, my two favorite teams. I have always been a huge Cardinals fan, but have also always rooted for the Red Sox. In 2004, while I hated to lose the World Series, I was happy that if we weren't going to win, that Boston did. There is so much class and tradition in Boston, and Fenway Park is a beautiful setting for baseball. Friday, the Cardinals went from getting swept by one of the worst teams in baseball (the Kansas City Royals) to beating one of the best teams in baseball (the Boston Red Sox). I guess that is one thing about baseball, anyone can beat anyone on any given day. Friday, the banged up Redbirds rolled into "Beantown", still without Pujols in the lineup. The Cards offense was... Read more

The Cardinals have definitely faced their fair share of adversity when it comes to their starting pitchers this season.  But considering all the injuries, the starting rotation has done remarkably well in my opinion.  Two guys that have yet to even be on the pitching staff this season are Mark Mulder and Matt Clement, both of whom are in minor league rehab assignments in an effort to join the rotation at some point in the near future. Mark Mulder, after multiple poor outings for Memphis, altered his delivery and had some newfound confidence coming into his rehab outing last night with the Memphis Redbirds.  But new delivery or not, he had the same unsuccessful results as in his last stint with Memphis.  He allowed 6 runs in the first inning alone, and ended up allowing lasting 3 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs on 10 hits and seeing his AAA... Read more

Game # 74   Thur. June 19, 2008 Royals 4    Cardinals 1 Well, I am about to type a sentence I never thought I would.  The Kansas City Royals swept the St. Louis Cardinals in a three game series this week.  And they deserved to.  They just flat out beat us (unlike 1985 when we were robbed of a World Title by Don Deckinger).  Their pitching was incredible and the Pujols-less version of the Caridnals' offense was next to dead, going only 2 for 29 in Thursday's finale.  Here is my analysis of the game: Performance of the Game:  Brad Thompson What Went Wrong: 1.  The Offense - Simply put, without Albert Pujols in the lineup, the Cardinals are a different team.  And it isn't just because of his individual contributions, but rather how the entire team is pitched to differently when he is absent from the lineup.  Mix in the... Read more

Game # 73   Wed. June 18, 2008 Royals  3   Cardinals 2 The Royals took the series, winning for the second day in a row against the Cardinals in St. Louis.  You couldn't have asked for a better effort from Braden Looper, who went 7 innings and allowed only 1 run.  And you also can't be too disappointed in the Cardinals' 11 hits (11 for 34, .324BA).  The Royals went deep twice in the 8th inning off of Kyle McClellan.  It was one of those games that you hate to lose, especially for the starting pitcher, but you have to tip your hat to Kansas City.  Here is my analysis of the game: Performance of the Game:  Braden Looper What Went Wrong: 1.  Kyle McClellan - He hadn't been in the game five minutes before giving up two home runs, two home runs that cost the Cardinals the game. What Went... Read more

Game # 72   Tue. June 17, 2008 Royals 2    Cardinals 1 Joel Pineiro extended his winless streak to 6 games, but through no fault of his own.  He was phenomenal, allowing only 1 run in 7 innings of work.  It was an old fashioned pitcher's duel.  It was a 1-1 deadlock until the Royals went yard off Ron Villone in the 8th inning.  Here is my analysis of the game: Performance of the Game:  Joel Pineiro What Went Wrong: 1.  Not enough offense - The Cardinals were 5 for 30 (.167BA).  It is just a different team without Pujols in the lineup.  His presence forces the opposing team to approach the entire lineup differently.  And without him, the Cardinals just aren't as strong. What Went Right: 1.  Izzy - Izzy pitched a perfect inning, which is a great step in the right direction for him. 2.  Joel Pineiro - Anytime... Read more

Game # 64 Sat. June 7, 2008 Cardinals 8 Astros 4 A good day for me is defined by a Cardinals win and a Cubs loss. Well not only was today a good day, but I got the pleasure of seeing Carlos Zambrano get schooled by the Dodgers, then lose his temper as usual. I love it... Now, on to the Cardinals. Friday the Cardinals were shut down by Houston. But who can blame them? They had been rained out on Wednesday, played two games on Thursday, then their flight to Houston was so late that the team didn't check into their hotel until after 3 AM Friday morning. So today, Tony decided to let the team skip batting practice to give them all the rest he could. And how did they respond? Well, we evened the series with Houston by defeating them 8-4. The Cardinals' offense exploded for 7... Read more

The St. Louis Cardinals picked up 51 players in Thursday's amateur draft, 27 pitchers and 24 position players. Here is a little info on the top 5 picks: 1. Brett Wallace 1B/3B Arizona State (13th overall pick) - Known as one of the top hitters in this year's draft, the Cardinals jumped at the chance to snag this PAC-10 Triple Crown winner, who is projected to be a .300 hitter with 25+ home runs one day as a major leaguer. He takes good at bats and provides some left handed power. 2. Michael Lynn Pitcher Ole Miss (39th overall pick) - Being an SEC fan (Alabama...Roll Tide) I am especially stoked to see us pick up Ole Miss' ace Michael Lynn. I have had to hear how good Ole Miss was all season, oftentimes at Alabama's expense. I have to confess I don't know much about Lynn, but I have... Read more