RICK ANKIEL: ONE OF THE BEST STORIES IN BASEBALL

2 straight sweeps = 6 losses in a row. Yet for some reason (don't ask me how) the Cardinals are only 1 game out of first place. We've been lucky, and I have a feeling that luck is about to run out. Tony La Russa, it's time to stop the bleeding. Big surprise: I'm bitter. Yadier Molina's game tying home run in the top of the 9'th gave me hope. Danny Espinosa crushed that hope with one swing of the bat.
I don't want to talk about how bad my boys are doing right now. I don't think Cardinal fans need a reminder of how horrible we have been playing. A glance at the box scores of the past 6 games is depressing enough. It was only a week ago that we took 2 of 3 in Houston, but it feels like a lot longer than that.
I'm done ranting. Instead, I'm going to talk about one my all-time favorites. He was a Cardinal forever, but now he dons a Nationals jersey. We saw him play only half an inning in the series opener before he hurt himself. I for one was bummed because I was looking forward to seeing him play...

Who am I talking about? You guessed it: of course it's none other than Rick Ankiel. His story is one of, if not THE best in all of Major League Baseball. I'm surprised no one has made a movie about him yet. In case you're not familiar with Ricky, or you can't quite recall how incredible his journey has been, here's a quick walk down memory lane. Enjoy the ride.
Rick Ankiel was drafted as a pitcher by the Cardinals out of a small high school in South Florida (less than 30 minutes from my house in case you were wondering). Before even stepping on the mound as a professional baseball player, word was spreading that he was the next Sandy Koufax. That's an awful lot for an 18 year-old to live up to.

Ankiel met the challenge head-on. He was named the Minor League Player of the Year for all of baseball in 1999. He was on the fast-track to the Majors, and he didn't disappoint when he made it to the show in '99. He was merely 20 years old in 2000, his first full year with the Big League club. He made a fashion statement with those high pants and old-school long striped socks. He was impressive throughout the season; that is, until the Birds reached the playoffs.
He started Game 1 of the NLDS against the Braves and had a memorable meltdown in the 3rd inning. He then started Game 2 of the NLCS and couldn't get out of the 1'st after letting loose another 5 pitches to the backstop.
Rick went back to the minors to try and get his stuff under control. Unfortunately, things got worse instead. He briefly re-appeared in the Majors, and after being sent down again he decided that he was done being a professional pitcher.


Most guys, after experiencing what he had, would have hung it up and walked away from the game. Remember, he received a $2.5 million signing bonus when he was 18. Ankiel had always been a solid hitter though. He went all the way back to Single A and made up his mind to try and make it back as an outfielder.
Did he make it? Oh, did he ever. Rick was back at Busch in August of 2007 as an outfielder for Tony La Russa. He hit a 3-run bomb in his first game back, and to this day it is one of the only times I have ever seen Tony show emotion during a game. The skipper has said that it was one of his proudest moments as a manager, seeing Ankiel's career come full-circle again. Tony, those dark glasses don't hide anything you big softie. Look who got a curtain call in his first game back.

He manned center field for us for the next 2 seasons. I think most can recall those 2 crazy outfield assists against the Rockies. Cardinal fans held their collective breaths when he collided with the wall in '09. He gave us a thumbs up as he was carted off the field though: what a trooper. He signed with the Royals in the offseason and ended 2010 in a postseason run as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He even sent a shot into McCovey Cove last year to win a playoff game against the eventual Champion Giants.
Now Ricky plays for the Washington Nationals. His hitting has declined since he was a Redbird: He was barely batting .200 going into the series against the Cardinals. No matter how and when he finishes his  career though, Rick's is a story of strength and perserverance in the face of adversity.
As an example of his character, when the Nationals came to town earlier this season, Rick took out a 1/2 page ad in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, thanking Cardinal fans for their support over the years. Now how many pro baseball players would do something like that? It's been a pleasure cheering for you Rick, and I will continue to do so!

RYAN FRANKLIN NEEDS TO GO

Ryan Franklin started the 2011 season as the Cardinals closer. In fact, he assumed that role in May of 2008 and has manned the post ever since. It's pretty obvious to me that his glory days are over now though. Take Opening Day of this year for instance and you will see Exhibit A (Blown Save #1). Returning home from the first road trip of the season, Franklin was actually booed by the Busch Stadium crowd. I think we all remember his response to the media after that one. Ryan, take it from Jimmy Dugan: "There's no crying in baseball!"

It took 4 blown saves in 5 chances before La Russa finally demoted him. I'd like to be able to tell you that moving to middle relief solved the problem and everything is great. Unfortunately, that statement is far from the truth. Does everyone remember last month when Mitchell Boggs was optioned to Triple A Memphis to work on his stuff? I recall reading Matthew Leach's Cardinals inbox where the question was raised "Why stick with Franklin over Boggs?" Matt answered the question by informing readers that we can't send Franklin down: the only way to get rid of him is to make it permanent (release him).

Well ladies and gentlemen, I think that time has come. I think Ryan knows it too. It has to suck to be kept away from games that are on the line. The only times he pitches now are when we need someone to eat innings while we are getting blown out. We're less than a month away from the All Star Break, which means that the season is almost halfway over. If we want to contend with the surging Brewers and those pests in Cincinnatti then we need pitchers who can come on in relief and slam the door on the opposition.

Ryan Franklin is no longer that guy for us. I understand that he has a long and proven track record with the Cardinals. He has been there for us over the past couple of years, and we really didn't have to worry about him. The fact of the matter is: "That was then and this is now". Franklin is 38 years old. If this were 22 year old Eduardo Sanchez or 26 year old Fernando Salas, the club could simply send him to the minors and figure out what was going wrong.

As stated before, we can't do that here. A lot has been said over the years about Tony La Russa and that he is almost loyal to a fault. I can't say enough good things about the Cardinals skipper of the past 16 years, but I think that he needs to open his eyes. It's time to cut the cord.

With that being said, Franklin was one of many problems for the Redbirds last night. The Nationals and Livan Hernandez kicked our butts. Being shutout 10-0 while only mustering 3 hits is pathetic. I'll give credit where credit is due: Livan pitched a hell of a game. I had the pleasure of meeting him during Spring Training this past March, as you can see from the picture below. Let's be realistic though: Hernandez isn't Roy Halladay. We should have played a lot better than we did.

5 straight losses isn't good. On the plus side, Matt Holliday comes off the DL tonight. Hopefully the Cards can win tonight and avoid 2 straight sweeps...



CAN YOU SAY CHOKE

Tuesday night, Jaime Garcia didn't have his best stuff. In the beginning of the game, he didn't need it. Pujols and Berkman each hit a bomb, and the Cardinals had some unlikely sources come through in a 3 run 5'th inning. The Birds were up 6-1 going into the bottom of the 5'th when Ryan Theriot forgot how to use his glove.

Brendan Ryan was our shortstop in 2010. Brendan is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game today, but he couldn't hit worth a crap (at least when he was wearing a Cardinals uniform). So we sent him packing to rainy Seattle and the Mariners, and traded Blake Hawksworth to the Dodgers for Theriot. Theriot came in, and from Day 1 of Spring Training you could see that the guy knows how to get on base. He's batting lead-off for us, just finished a 20-game hitting streak, and is hitting .296 on the year.

On the field it's another story. Theriot's fielding skills are pretty pathetic. We're not even at the halfway point of the 2011 season and he has already made 13 errors. Watching him Tuesday night made me want to cover my eyes or hide my head under the blanket. That seems to happen a lot lately...There were 3 balls hit to him in a row, and he couldn't make a play on any of them. At one point he booted the ball and was crawling on his hands and knees with it in front him, but he still couldn't pick it up.

Nobody is perfect, and Theriot is trying his best. It just seems that having a sound defensive shortstop who is also a solid hitter is impossible, at least in St Louis anymore. I am by no means saying that the loss on Tuesday was all Ryan Theriot's fault. Although his defensive miscues were difficult to watch, he contributed at the plate with 2 hits and 2 walks. No, for last night's disaster I blame the Cardinals bullpen...

Miguel Batista was a Washinton National in 2010. He started the bottom of the 7'th inning in relief of Jaime, with a 4 run lead. All he needed was 9 more outs. Instead, Batista, Miller, and Motte combined to give up 6 runs, and all of a sudden we were down by 2.

The bullpen has been shaky all year. It makes me wish that our starters could throw complete games every time out, so that we never have to hand the ball over to the guys in the pen. I know that being a relief pitcher in the Major Leagues has to be hard. Sometimes you only get one shot to get a guy out. But here's a news flash: it's your job, so do it!

Yes, once again I am bitter. The best news from yesterday came out of Wrigley Field, where the Cubs came from behind and beat the Brewers 5-4 with Starlin Castro's walk-off single. This is even more frustrating, because St. Louis should have picked up a game on Milwaukee, but thanks to Theriot and the bullpen, we are still tied in 1'st place. Can't wait to see what the Cardinals have in store for us tonight...(sarcasm, like always)