BIG PUMA KEEPS THE PUNISHMENT COMING

When the Astros decided to trade Lance Berkman to the New York Yankees last July for 2 minor leaguers, Lance okayed it. He could have declined the deal and stayed put in Houston, exercising his 10 and 5 rights (10 years in the league and at least 5 with the Astros). He also had a no trade clause, which he waived in order to make the deal happen.
Berkman made his Major League debut with Houston in 1999 and had been a 'Stro ever since. One had to wonder what was going through his mind when he agreed to go to New York. The Astros had tried to trade him to the White Sox earlier in the year, but he had declined the deal. When the Yankees came crawling, it seems that he couldn't resist the opportunity to wear the pinstripes.

Lance played the second half of the 2010 season in New York. He was used mainly as a DH and struggled in the role, with injuries taking a toll on his body and affecting his performance. After the Yankees failed to beat the Texas Rangers and advance to the World Series they released him.
This left Big Puma free to entertain offers for the 2011 season. The first place that he looked was back in Houston. He wanted to go home. Except the feeling wasn't mutual. The Astros GM told him that there was no room for him on the club anymore. They had younger, faster outfielders and a rising star in Brett Wallace at first base.

I for one am extremely thankful that the Astros didn't want their Puma back. Their loss is the Cardinals gain. Lance worked hard and got himself healthy in the offseason. He signed a 1-yr, $8 million deal with St Louis and hasn't looked back since. He is 35 years old and doing a pretty decent job out in right field. Sure John Jay may be a little bit quicker out there, but whose bat would you rather have in the lineup on an everyday basis?
Berkman proved that he has plenty left in the tank, and he couldnt wait to return to Minute Maid Park and make the Astros regret their decision. He has succeeded in doing just that. In 5 games so far this year against his former team, Lance has 4 home runs and 10 RBI's. He broke up opposing starter Bud Norris' no-hit bid last night by sending a shot over the right field wall.
I don't understand why the Astros would pass on re-signing a fan favorite and former face of the franchise. The only thing I can think of is that they thought his career was over. Berkman continues to shove down their throat that he is far from being finished though. It's cool, the Cardinals got Houston's sloppy seconds, except there's nothing sloppy about Berkman's .329 batting average, good enough for 3'rd best in the National League. The Cardinals and Astros have the rubber match tonight. Keep the punishment coming Big Puma.

WHO HAS THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL? COME AGAIN? HOW DID THEY PULL THAT OFF?

The St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in all of baseball. They have also had 1/2 of their starters on the DL at different points throughout these first few months: Nick Punto missed all of spring training with a hernia. Shortly thereafter the club announced that staff ace Adam Wainwright would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2011. Ouch,

They started the season at home, and just like many had predicted, the Cardinals had a hard time figuring out how to get a "W". Matt Holliday blasted a homer on opening day and was diagnosed with appendicitis later that night. Closer Ryan Franklin couldn't save a game to save his life.

In Arizona, we lost 2 relief pitchers in the same game: lefty Brian Tallet broke his glove hand, and rhp Bryan Augenstein strained his groin. Skip Schumaker and Allen Craig hit the dirt too. David Freese and Gerald Laird were both hit by pitches and both broke bones in the process. Schumaker came back up before he was ready because Punto got hurt yet again.

Starting pitching surprise Kyle McClellan started the year 6-2 and ended up (where else?) on the DL with a strained hip. Then Matt Holliday messed up his quad, and Allen Craig ran into the wall last night in Houston and had to be helped off the field.

With all of the aforementioned injuries the Cardinals have suffered in the first 2 months of the season, you would think that 2011 would be a wash. Yet the question remains: how in the hell do the St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in baseball?? The answer my friends lies on the farm...

The Cardinals Triple A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, have to be hurting. Half of their roster is now with the big league team. Guys like Daniel Descalso, Tyler Greene, Mark Hamilton, Pete Kozma, Eduardo Sanchez, Fernando Salas, Matt Carpenter, Lance Lynn and Tony Cruz have all been given a chance to shine.
Sure, some have seized the opportunity while others haven't made much of a splash, but all have had Major League debuts to remember.
How many times has Daniel Descalso knocked in the go-ahead or game winning RBI? How many games has Fernando Salas entered with the bases juiced and shut the door on the opposition?

I'm not giving all of the credit to the minor leaguers. I do have to say though that there was one game last week where our lineup resembled what should have been the Triple A team's, save for Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. Guess what? We won that game. And several before that. And hopefully a lot more after that.
Chris Carpenter is 1-5. Kyle Lohse is 7-2. If you said that you saw that one coming I wouldn't believe you. The Cardinals took a chance on Lance Berkman, who most said was way past his prime. Look how well that's paid off. Albert Pujols was choking early on, but is coming into his own with 5 home runs in the last 4 games. It's just weird seeing the starting defense out there with Carpenter, Greene, and Descalso sharing the infield with the King. Who the heck are those guys again? With their rag-tag group of misfits, St Louis has the best record in all of baseball. Cardinal fans wouldn't have it any other way.

LEBRON WHO?? THE REALLY BIG 3: PUJOLS, HOLLIDAY & BERKMAN

When Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James decided to "Take his talents to South Beach" there was a big fuss about the projected Big 3 that the Miami Heat would have in their starting lineup: Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Lebron himself.
I'm over it.
 Let's talk about the REALLY BIG 3: Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman. When these guys are healthy, I would hate to be the National League opposing pitcher up against our 3,4, and 5 hitters. Throw Colby Rasmus, Yadier Molina, and clutch-man of late Ryan Theriot in the mix, and the fact of the matter is that we should be unbeatable.
Before Holliday came to town, opposing managers had the option to intentionally walk Albert, or simply pitch around him, putting him on base. They would have rather faced the cleanup hitter, whoever that was. I guess you could say that they still have that option...except now Matt Holliday waits in the on-deck circle, and Berkman lingers in the dugout beyond. Pick your poison Bruce Bochy, Dusty Baker & company: Pujols, Holliday or Berkman? I guess you could pitch around all 3 of them and load the bases if you really wanted to...

Cubs first year manager Mike Quade had his pitchers go right after Albert this weekend, and he learned the hard way (twice in fact) that he made the wrong decision. I read an interview with him after Saturday's game and he said that he would never make that mistake again...Fast forward to Sunday as Pujols circled the bases yet again...want to take back that statement Mike?

As of June 7 it seems that St Louis's REALLY BIG 3 are headed to Arizona in July for the 2011 All-Star Game as projected starters for the National League. So far Holliday has torn it up at the plate, and torn up his appendix and quad in the process. Berkman has cooled off a bit as of late, but the Cardinals begin a series with the Astros tonight. We all know what happened the last time Lance went home. With the way his season has been going thus far, he's on track to be the NL Comeback Player of the Year. Not bad for a guy who had a dismal second half of the season with the Yankees last year, and everyone said that his career was over then.

From the Cubs series over the weekend, I think we've all seen what Albert is capable of doing on his own. I just think it's always easier to get by with a little help from your friends. We have Holliday locked up in a 7 year contract. If Berkman's season keeps going the way that it's going, he might want to stick around as well: all the more reason for Albert to sign with the Cardinals again. If he needs an incentive, he's got it in the 2 guys behind him, protecting him in the lineup.

We've all seen what the Miami Heat are on their way to accomplishing this year. Here's to hoping that the St Louis Cardinals can do the same. When Big Puma decided to "Take his talents to Busch Stadium" Cardinal fans should have realized what we were in for. Hang on for the ride!

BASEBALL CARDS AND AUTOGRAPHS...EMBRACING YOUR INNER 9 YEAR OLD

It's an off day in Cardinal nation, so I decided to discuss some of my favorite things. I'm not Oprah though, so I'm not giving away new cars...



Did your dad ever tell you about how he had thousands of baseball cards when he was younger? Mantle, Gehrig, Aaron. Boxes upon boxes, all stacked and separated. You name it, he had it. And then his mom cleaned out his closet and threw them all away. When I was younger, my dad loved to tell me about how his little brother took his Stan Musial rookie card and lost it in a dramatic game of Flip Cards. I'm sure the story was exaggerated over the years though, sorry Uncle Shannon.
My dad was a smoker. He would buy his cigarettes at the courtesy counter of the local grocery store, Dierbergs, with my older brother and I in tow. Every trip to Dierbergs meant a new pack of baseball cards for Ryan and I. We were barely in the car on the way home before we ripped open the packs to see which cards were inside. Bonds, Griffey, McGwire, Sosa, Ripken. You name it, WE had it! I think Ryan enjoyed the gum more than the cards though.
At some point he stopped buying packs for us. Maybe we thought we grew out of it. The thousands of baseball cards were boxed away until one fateful hot summer day (maybe I was 11) when two of my cousins and I had the brilliant idea to separate all of the cards into teams. Our interest in this task waned, and it took all summer to finish...
Fast forward to 2007. I moved out of my mom's house, and in packing I discovered the long-forgotten boxes of baseball cards.
My mom's best friend's son used to mail cards to players houses asking them for autographs. I figured it wasn't a bad idea, so I bought Harvey Meiselman's address book and a couple hundred stamps and went to work.
I send out a couple of them every few months. As of June 2011 I have 256 autographed cards that I have received back through the mail. Sure I've sent out a lot more than that. Some guys write personal messages back, while others demand money for signing. You win some, you lose some.
Some of the better ones in my collection are Barry Larkin, John Olerud, Carlton Fisk,  Mark Whiten, Robin Ventura, Jay Bell, Mo Vaughn, Bert Blyleven, Fred McGriff, Bobby Bonilla, Gary Carter, Shawon Dunston, Don Zimmer, Mark Grace, Fernando Valenzuela, Brett Butler, Matt Williams, Raphael Belliard, Javy Lopez, Luis Gonzalez, Roger McDowell, Lonnie Smith, Josh Johnson, Bob Forsch, Chris Coughlan, and Carl Pavano. Not bad for some 44 cent stamps, a couple of envelopes, and a little bit of time on rainy afternoons. I will go into my autographed baseball collection from Spring Training another time...
I don't plan on selling the cards. It's a collection. Some people collect stamps, coins, or bottle caps. I collect baseball cards. I can pass them down to my kids one day.

Feel free to call me a nerd, or a dork. Trust me, I've been called much worse. Everyone has hobbies. Some people love to tinker with their cars, some like to paint or do arts and crafts, and still others enjoy doing absolutely nothing. I like cars, but don't know enough about them to even attempt to mess with what's under the hood. I can't draw worth a crap - even my stick people look weird. Baseball is something I know a lot about. It's a hobby, a past time, and I love every minute of it. I try to watch every Cardinals game that Direct TV's extra innings package permits. Even if I had all of the money in the world, I wouldn't spend my summer nights any other way. (Except maybe I'd buy my own team and watch from the owner's box instead of my couch).

I would think that most people out there have baseball cards stashed away somewhere: in the closet, the attic or the garage. I encourage you to get them out and flip through them - you'll be amazed at what you might find. I'm not telling you to mail them out for autographs, although I have to say that it makes going to the mailbox a lot more exciting - in between your cable and electric bills you might find an autographed rookie card. If you were planning to throw those boxes out though, I would be more than happy to take them off your hands...

PHAT ALBERT...HE'S BAAAACK

EL Hombre. The Machine. Winnie the Pujols?? Whatever you want to call him, if this weekend's Cards-Cubs series indicates anything, it's that #5 is back. That is, the old #5 St. Louis fans have grown accustomed to watching over the past 10 years. Albert went 3 for 4 in Saturday's game, knocking in 4 RBI's and scoring 3 of the team's 5 total runs. 2 of those 3 hits were home runs, and the last one came of the walk-off variety, in the bottom of the 12th inning no less.
Albert's batting average sits at .275 now. Granted that's nothing to jump up and down about, but it's better than going 5 for 35 and the .143 average he was sporting going into Ariziona in April. It was the first couple weeks of the reason, and Tony La Russa and company were quick to defend their star slugger: there was nothing wrong and he would be hitting like he always did soon.

How about later. Here we are on June 5 and he still hasn't broken .300. Optomists will say that in his 10 Major League seasons, Albert has never finished with a batting average under .312. Pessimists will say that there's a first time for everything.
Here's the problem, at least in my opinion. I want Albert to be the clutch hitter he always has been, and I want him and Berkman and Holliday to carry the Redbirds into the postseason and beyond. If Pujols returns to form as the Albert of Old and brings that batting average up, I am willing to bet that his price tag is going to go up with it.
No one really knows what he wants moneywise except him. There is a lot of media specualtion about a 10 year, $300 million contract that will give him about $30 million a year. Key word: speculation. The last time that he was interviewed in Spring Training on the topic, he told the reporters, "You guys are way off on your numbers". If he went to the Cubs next year and made ridiculous amounts of money, he wouldn't have a chance of winning another Word Series championship. So the question is, does he want to win, or does he want to make more money than he can ever hope to spend in his lifetime?
Everyone in Cardinal nation wants to see him in red next year (Cardinal red, not Cincinnatti) including Tony La Russa. It has been said over and over again that St. Louis has the best fans in baseball. Whether we have a winning club or guys who can't win, fans will fill Busch Stadium every year and hope for the best. If Albert succeeds in free agency and #5 is on the back of another team's jersey next year, Cardinal fans will be unhappy, bummed, even heartbroken. But they won't stop going to the games.
I'm glad to see Albert digging his way out of this slump, and I hope that he finishes the year with a .350 average and another World Series ring. Maybe if he wins another one with the Birds on the Bat he will realize that he is and always has been where he belongs...

CARDINALS VS. CUBS: THE BEST "REAL" RIVALRY IN BASEBALL

Cardinals vs. Cubs. This is one of the biggest and best rivalries in the game of baseball today. Fans from Chicago (just a meer 4-6 hour drive away from downtown St Louis, depending on how hard you press on the gas pedal) pour into Busch Stadium in their Cubbie blue every year to take in a weekend series. Later in the season, St Louisans clad in Cardinal red will fill the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to cheer for the Birds on the Bat.
As a big baseball fan, and an even bigger Cardinals fan (in case you hadn't already noticed) I must say that Cardinals-Cubs games are some of the best I have ever witnessed. The atmosphere is intense, and every pitch or play gets loud cheers from the home fans, and sometimes even louder boos and heckles from those rooting for the other side.
Personally, I have never seen this rivalry turn ugly. Sure, you might give the Cubs fans sitting in front of you a little bit of friendly grief for an error or strikeout, but I have yet to see a fistfight break out in the stands. The key word here is friendly. I would have to bet that the rivalry is more from the fans perspective than the players. Sure, the atmosphere gets the Cubs and Cardinals players pumped up, and each would like to win the game, but I'm not quite sure of they have as deep a fire in their hearts about who they are up against as those sitting in the stands do.
The Cubs aren't much to look at this year. (Are they ever? :) Gone are the Cubbies of old, with Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Shawon Dunston up against Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee. Now it's Pujols and company taking on a bunch of guys who should really still be in the minors, if not for the unfortunate injuries to Mike Quade's starting squad.

I would consider the Cardinals vs. the Cubs a rivalry, and a fun one at that. As for the Cardinals vs. the Reds? That is nothing but pure hatred in my opinion. Do the Cardinals hate the Cubs? Probably not. Do the Cardinals hate the Reds, with "Big Mouth" Brandon Phillips and the infamous Johnny "Kung-Fu" Cueto"? Most definitely. I wouldn't call Cardinals Reds games fun for either side. I could see a fight breaking out at the hot dog stand between fans.
Bob Costas interviewed Tony La Russa the other day, and told him that some say the Cardinals are the most hated team in baseball. La Russa's response was that he didn't believe it, and said that the source was unreliable and you shoudl discredit where the words were coming from. The person who said it was none other than Reds Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, if that tells you anything. The teams rip each other in the media, and can't wait to have the last word on the field. At the end of their last meeting, closer Francisco Cordero beaned Albert Pujols with a pitch. After the game, Cordero was yelling at the Cardinals bench, and pitching coach Dave Duncan was hollering right back. Luckily neither team charged the field again, but the games between these two clubs are intense to say the least.
When does a rivalry go too far? It's long been said that anyone wearing a visiting a team's jersey should watch their back at Dodger Stadium. On Opening Day this year, this unfortunately came true as Giants fan Brian Stow was brutally beaten and left unconscious in the parking garage after the game. Do the Giants and Dodgers players hate each other? Once again, probably not, but some Dodger fans obviously had a problem with Mr. Stow's clothing choice that fateful day. This is disgraceful and I wish Mr. Stow to have a full recovery, and the assailants to be arrested and to have to pay for their actions.

Everyone goes to a ball game for different reasons. Some go for the beer, some go for the brats, some go simply because all of their friends are going. People like me go because they love the game of baseball. I hope that the true rivalry never dies out, and everyone that is at Busch today, no matter what team colors you are wearing, know that I am 1,200 miles away and extremely jealous watching on TV. Just please don't wear this jersey...

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.