NL Central

Joe Kelly Starts Off Strong; Cards Fall to Indians Anyway

The Cardinals have still never won a series against the Cleveland Indians. Ever. Seems weird, doesn't it? To say there's a team that another team has literally never beaten, at least in a series sense? That, in all the history of the game of baseball, the Cardinals have never gone up against th ... More >>

Joe Kelly to Make his Major League Debut

The Cardinals will be taking on the Cleveland Indians this afternoon at Busch Stadium, trying to win the rubber match of the series after Kyle Lohse put the team on his back last night, pitching the first leg of a combined shutout. Adding to the overall intrigue of watching the Cards try to win ... More >>

New Yorkers All Pissy Over P-D's No-Hitter Asterisk; St. Louisans Bask in Attention

Johan Santana pitched a no-hitter for the New York Mets last Friday, the first in the franchise's history. Perhaps you heard the rumblings of rejoicing and self-satisfaction rolling out of New York over the weekend? It's OK if you didn't -- the losing team was the Cardinals, after all, and, as the ... More >>

A Brief Cardinals Draft-Day Primer

The Major League Baseball first-year player draft is just a few hours away, taking place in New York City and beginning at six pm central. The Houston Astros have the first overall pick, and are expected to take Mark Appel, a right-handed pitcher out of Stanford, with their selection. Appel isn't a ... More >>

Forget the Rally Squirrel -- Wrigley the Goat is the Most Powerful Spirit Animal in Baseball

Yes, the rally squirrel was endearing. Yes, it was a tiny, furry beacon of hope that sustained us through three-quarters of playoff season. Yes, it raised money for charity. But does it have the power to break a twelve-game losing streak? Never mind that the Cardinals seldom find themselves in that ... More >>

The Dream is Over: Roy Oswalt Signs With the Rangers

So much for the early-season cavalry, folks. On the same day which would later see Jake Westbrook take the mound and get clubbed for five runs, the Texas Rangers signed Cardinals' fans' (and, ahem, certain sports columnists'), favorite target for signing speculation, inking Roy Oswalt to a one ... More >>

The Time for Roy is Now

John Mozeliak should be on the phone right now to Roy Oswalt. And I'll tell you why. The St. Louis Cardinals scored nine runs last night. It was a beautiful offensive performance, just the kind of beating a team of this talent level should regularly put on pitchers the caliber of one Joe Blanto ... More >>

Sip the Summer Away: Ten great outdoor-drinking destinations

Tyler Greene Get the Cards Off the Schneid

The Cardinals were very, very close to losing a fifth consecutive game last night. It would have been their longest losing streak of the season, and continued a rather brutal May that has seen the Cards undo a fair amount of the good work they did in April. On the first day of May, the Cardinal ... More >>

The Ten Best Places to Eat Out With Grandpa in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

The People vs. Public Transportation

Editor: Tef Poe is an artist from St. Louis City. Through powerful imagery and complicated honesty, he has earned a reputation as one of the best rappers telling the story of St. Louis, which is about much more than one place. Poe has been featured in music publications such as XXL and Urb Magazine. ... More >>

Ballpark Village Returns! Bet You Didn't See That One Coming

Stop me if you've heard this one before. The St. Louis Cardinals today released plans for the development of Ballpark Village. The open lot adjacent to Busch Stadium will become a mixed-use retail, business, entertainment and residential district with an estimated final budget of $700 million.But no ... More >>

Postcard From the Future: Proof That The Rest of Baseball Season Will Be Really Exciting

A view from Chicago, ca. 2030: Based on current standings, with the Cubs dead last in the NL Central -- and the Cards in first -- this is going to be a really exciting summer. Also, there will be an explosion of urban plant growth during the next 18 years and Katniss Everdeen-style bows and arrow ... More >>

Should We Be Worried About Cardinals' 0-4 Slump?

The Cardinals are mired in their first real slump of the season. That's not to say the Cards haven't faced any adversity before now, of course; there have been a couple of really tough losses already in 2012, and they have seemed to come in bunches, little clusters of misery amidst what has bee ... More >>

The Return of the Filthy Sanchez

The Cardinals made a roster move today, attempting to shore up a recently shaky bullpen by recalling Eduardo Sanchez, aka Dirty Sanchez, aka Filthy Sanchez, aka Fast Eddie, aka Fritz von Filthington, aka The Southern Dandy (note: none of these are real nicknames, but they all should be), from Triple ... More >>

Win Two Tickets to Tomorrow's Cards v. Cubs Game

Don't say Gut Check never gave you anything -- at least, the winner of these baseball tickets can't say that, anyway. We have a set of tickets to tomorrow's (May 15) Cardinals day game at 12:45 p.m. against the Cubs. The seats are in section 137, row 21, seats fourteen and fifteen in the first base ... More >>

Folk: Meet the 2012 RFT Music Award Nominees

The 2012 Riverfront Times Music Showcase is a month away. And if that is our own St. Louis Music holiday, then consider this the season: Over the next month, we'll be making our cases for all 125 bands and artists nominated for an RFT Music Award this year. Each weekday between now and the showcase ... More >>

Walt Jocketty's Two Worst Trades, And Why Cardinals Fans Should Still Feel Worse

You may or may not have heard yet, but Josh Hamilton had himself quite a game last night. The Texas Rangers outfielder became just the 16th player in major league history to hit four home runs in a single game as part of a 5-for-5 night that saw him collect 8 RBI and 18 total bases. Bizarrely e ... More >>

Beltran Goes All Berkman; Cards Win in the Desert

Ladies and gentlemen, I have discovered the secret to the Cardinals' success. Actually, I shouldn't say success in general. Rather, I have discovered the secret to the St. Louis Cardinals beating the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road in Arizona. In order to win in Chase Field, the secret for the ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending April 29, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. It's a pity Jean Carnahan decided not to call her ... More >>

St. Louis Ranks Among Most Fashionable Cities in U.S.

Yeah, we were pretty shocked, too. Who would've thought that Cardinals t-shirts and Blues caps were the height of modern fashion? (Then again, Jon Hamm has been photographed wearing a Blues cap. Ah, Jon, you give us class!) But there it is, in another one of those scientific polls we love so much, t ... More >>

Allen Craig to Return Tonight

The Cardinals have been one of the best offensive teams in all of baseball so far this season, ranking behind only three American League teams (who obviously have the benefit of the designated hitter), as far as OPS. In runs scored, the Atlanta Braves currently have an edge on the Cards for the top ... More >>

Kathleen Madigan: Missourians Don't Feel "Crazy State Pride"

Kathleen Madigan -- native St. Louisan, former Houlihan's server and now one of the most successful comics in the country  --  recently reflected on her home state in an interview with Boston Magazine: Ninety percent of us in the Midwest don't come from someplace "cool" that we feel attac ... More >>

The Ten Best Dessert Spots in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

"Sign Man" Marty Prather Reserves His Best Work For Chicago Cubs

Marty Prather, 53 For the Cardinals' home opener series against the Cubs last weekend, "Sign Man," also known as Marty Prather, came prepared. Well, Prather always comes prepared -- the Springfield resident has upward of 40 hand-painted signs jammed in beside his seat along the first-base line -- b ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending April 8, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. Friends, it's finally here: that book that provides ... More >>

Look Who Snuck Onto the Cardinals World Series Rings

The 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals received their rings on Saturday, and oh my are they ostentatious. Made of 14 karat gold, each ring features 103 round diamonds and 50 custom cut rubies for a total ring weight of 73 grams. There's also a stowaway.

Cardinals Home Opener Start Time Pushed Back to 3:45 p.m.

The rain has pushed back the start of the Cards' home opener to 3:45 p.m., so if you're one of the many office drones who was planning to watch via world wide interweb you've suddenly developed a glut of time. But fear not.

Lance Lynn Impresses in his First Start for the Cards: Let the Lynnsanity Begin

I haven't seen anyone else make the 'Lynnsanity' joke just yet, so I'm officially taking credit for it myself. I'm also copyrighting it; if Jeremy Lin can copyright Linsanity, then Lance Lynn should be able to copyright his version. Or, he could, if a certain clever, enterprising sports columnist ha ... More >>

The Five Best Sushi Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

The St. Louis Cardinals' Managerial Mount Rushmore

The Cards Open the Season in Style

The Cardinals opened the 2012 season last night, playing -- and winning -- the first official game in the Miami Marlins' brand new ballpark. It was a night of firsts, really. It was the first win for manager Mike Matheny. The first hit for Carlos Beltran in a Cardinal uniform. The first time a ... More >>

Team-by-Team Preseason Predictions: The Cardinals Are Good, But Not Good Enough

Yesterday I gave my predictions for individual award in the upcoming season. Today we turn our attention to larger matters. Team matters. This season actually promises an entirely new level of intrigue, due to the presence of an extra wild card team from each league. Whether you like the new de ... More >>

St. Louis City: Fat, Drunk, VD-Ridden and Unhappy, but Still Loveable

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson  Foundation released its County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, and it paints a very unflattering portrait of St. Louis City residents. For the third year running, STL proper is the least healthy place to l ... More >>

Ryan Madson Injured: The Reds Lose Their Closer for the Season

​Ryan Madson, the biggest offseason free agent acquisition for the Cincinnati Reds, has a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and will miss the entirety of the 2012 season as he recovers from having Tommy John surgery. Madson has spent the last nine seasons -- the whole of his career, in fa ... More >>

Sports Illustrated Picks Reds to Win NL Central; And Guess Who's on the Cover?

​Sports Illustrated is out with its annual baseball preview. And surprise, surprise the cover fronts Albert Pujols and fold outs with comparisons ranking him among baseball greats DiMaggio, Williams and Aaron. SI also picks Pujol's new team, the Los Angeles Angels, to win the World Series.As for t ... More >>

Eat Me in St. Louis: Ten Splurge Restaurants for March Madness Visitors

Hello, fans of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Kansas and Ohio, and welcome to St. Louis for the -- deep breath -- 2012 NCAA Division One Men's Basketball Championship Midwest Regionals! You've come all the way to St. Louis to watch your beloved team fight for a berth in the Final Four. Why n ... More >>

Talking St. Louis, Baseball, Country Blues and Crooning With Bhi Bhiman

Bhi Bhiman is an unlikely young hero for whatever remains of the folk-side of the singer-songwriter scene. The 29-year-old, second-generation Sri Lankan American grew up in Ballwin, Missouri. His new record, Bhiman,, is an album that twists and turns and sometimes sails through Americana conceits, i ... More >>

Kyle McClellan Back On the Block?

​For most of the offseason it's been a poorly-kept secret the Cardinals are trying to move Kyle McClellan. They signed him back in January to a $2.5 million contract for the 2012 season, and pretty much from the moment the ink dried on the deal K-Mac's name has been floating around as potential tr ... More >>

Jackpot! With Epic Pizza & Subs, ex-casino honcho Todd George goes from counting dough to baking it

Doug Melvin is a Whiny (Brewer)

​Doug Melvin is the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers are a baseball team in the National League Central. The Milwaukee Brewers have had a rather heated rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals the last couple of years. The Milwaukee Brewers played the Cardinals in ... More >>

The Cubs' Imaginary Championship: Still Tough to Believe

​I was watching MLB Network the other day, watching the Angels and Diamondbacks play, I believe, and a commercial came on. You may have seen it, or you may not have. Or you may have seen it and thought you were just having some kind of horrible hallucination, perhaps caused by a stroke or somethin ... More >>

Yadier Molina Sticking Around for Awhile

​The Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina agreed yesterday on a contract extension for 5 years, one reported to be worth $75 million, with an option for a sixth year worth another $15 million. Add in the $7 million Molina is due to make this season, and this becomes the second-largest contract ever ... More >>

The Cardinals' Online Museum Goes on the Road

​It's a marriage made in...Arkansas? The St. Louis Cardinals' Hall of Fame Museum went into storage back in 2008, in anticipation of it moving to Ballpark Village. As we all know, that didn't quite work out, so in January of 2012, the museum moved to its new home: online at this shiny new website. ... More >>

Five Fringe Players to Watch in Spring Training

​Spring Training is finally underway, promising an end to winter and a return of sunny days and the smell of stadium hot dogs. The St. Louis Cardinals enter the 2012 iteration of spring training looking to defend an unlikely championship, the result of a magical late-season run and one of the ... More >>

Albert Pujols Plans to Report to Camp Early

(c) Topps Inc​The presumptive Anaheim Angels first baseman told ESPNDeportes.com that he intends to report to spring training a week earlier than position players are scheduled, because "For the last 12 years I've lived in the city of St. Louis, where it's cold ... I'm going to try to get there (T ... More >>

Pujols 5 Is Changing Its Name, but Sadly Not to Any of These Suggestions

(c) 2012 ToppsAnd take your restaurant with you, mang!​Pujols 5 Westport Grill (342 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights; 314-439-0595) is no more. With Albert Anaheim-bound, the owners of the restaurant bearing his name and number announced today that, effective immediately, it will be known as t ... More >>

Cards Launch Imaginary Museum; Reality Still Less Encouraging

​Way back when in the magical days of the early 2000s, when Busch Stadium III was still just a twinkle in the eye of Bill DeWitt, the Cardinals proposed a new development next to the proposed stadium. It was to be called Ballpark Village, and it was going to be glorious. The highlight of the ... More >>

Roy Oswalt: The Dream That Just Won't Die

​​Oswalt wearing the uniform of his last team, the Phillies. I always thought those two were just a terrible fit for each other. ​I've been very skeptical of the Cardinals and Roy Oswalt as a match for quite some time now. It's not that I don't think Oswalt would be a really nice add for the R ... More >>

Point and Clique: The 2012 RFT St. Louis Web Awards