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!

DESIGNATED HITTER = LOAD OF CRAP

Tony La Russa made a move in the bottom of the eighth last night that raised quite a few eyebrows, including mine. Jake Westbrook, a pitcher, was sent up to pinch hit, while the Big Puma Lance Berkman sat on the bench. Apparently Tony was saving Lance for later, but of course he never got into the game.
It's not so much that Westbrook came in to pinch hit that bothers me, it's how he looked at the plate that made me want to hide my head under the covers. The word embarassing doesn't do his swing justice, unfortunately.
This is the case with most pitchers in baseball. They focus on pitching, which is their main duty, and that's understandable. With that being said though, most pitchers that come up to the plate look like a fish out of water. They swing like the bat is too heavy, and I think they would have a better shot at making contact if they were to close their eyes. It's uncomfortable to watch.
Now let's examine the game for a minute. In Little League everyone plays everywhere. Sure, the coach puts the kid who picks dandelions and chases butterflies out in right field and hopes that no one can hit the ball that far, but no player has it written in stone yet that he's a catcher, shortshop, pitcher, etc.
In college, most starting pitchers will throw every 5th or 6th game. In games when they aren't scheduled to pitch, more than likely they are playing in the field, which means they have to know how to hit. The announcers always say that pitchers aren't athletes. Actually they are: major league athletes who make millions of dollars. Just because most are lanky and awkward looking doesn't mean they have to avoid the batting cages!
What happens between college and the majors? It seems like most pitchers completely forget how to swing the bat. I know that they use a DH in the minors sometimes, but come on. There's batting practice before every game, would it kill you to take advantage of it once in a while?
The fact that the American League uses a designated hitter and the National League makes pitchers bat for themselves is absolute crap in my opinion. It seems like every time a National League pitcher comes to the plate (usually hitting in the 9th spot, I wonder why...) it is a guaranteed easy out. This happens a lot when runners are on base, say in the early innings, with 2 outs. You know you aren't going to be pinch hit for so early in the game, but because you hold the bat like you're afraid of it, the team squanders a scoring chance when you strike out on 3 ugly swings.
American League games should always be high-scoring affairs, simply because they have a hitting specialist on their team who doesn't have to play the field. Big Papi is a perfect example. Do you remember Vlad Guerrero trying to play right field in the World Series last year? The Rangers needed his bat in the lineup, so they put him in the outfield with the other nose pickers and he messed up, badly, and more than once.
To sum up my ramblings, I think that if the pitcher has to hit, then he should spend more time in the cages or with the hitting instructor, so that he isn't going to be an automatic out every time that he steps into the box. I also think that both leagues should have the same rules: both have a DH, or make American League pitchers swing the bat too. That would be even more entertaining to watch...Bud Selig has done some amazing things for the game during his tenure as Commissioner, like interleague play and the Wild Card, but this is something that should be examined soon. I don't know if I can handle another at-bat like Westbrook's last night. Garcia is pitching tonight though, and he at least looks like he knows what he's doing when he comes to the plate.