National League (Baseball)

Albert Pujols Spotted at Ellisville Chipotle, or, Sometimes a Twitter Is Worth a Thousand Burritos

Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in Jupiter, Florida, earlier this week, but the consensus among Cardinals faithful was that new daddy Albert Pujols (often an early ST arrival) was staying as close to home for as long as possible. So this recent sighting at the Ellisville outpost o ... More >>

Six Questions: Stand-Up Comic Ralphie May on Imo's Pizza, Budweiser and Fatherhood

Ralphie May thought life on the road was tough enough. Now his two-year-old daughter, April June, and eight-month-old son, August, are teaching the Last Comic Standing vet just how grueling -- and rewarding -- the journey can be. May comes to St. Louis with a show at 8 p.m. Friday, February 26 at t ... More >>

Hazy logic: Readers question the thinking behind smoking bans and smallpox vaccine

Not Quite "Air Pujols", Extremely Limited Nikes Still Anticipated by Sneakerheads

Photo via Sneakernews.com The soon-to-be coveted Albert Pujols sneaker, which comes out February 10.​Albert Pujols has hometown appeal, but when it comes to the sneaker game, he's no Kanye West or Michael Jordan.When Pujols' Nike signature sneaker hits shelves on February 10, boutique sneak ... More >>

Whitey Herzog Doesn't Want to Talk About the Past, Closes Door on New York Times Reporter

​The New York Times recently visited St. Louis to report on the hand-wringing over Mark McGwire's steroid confession and his new gig as the Cardinals hitting instructor. The Times notes in its coverage yesterday how both fans and former members of the Cardinals "family" have mixed feelings about M ... More >>

Look for Busch Stadium Grass Seed in Hardware Stores Soon

Coming soon! Busch Stadium grass seed.​That's right. Last week Scotts Miracle-Gro became the "Official Lawn Care Company of Major League Baseball".The deal has a special perk for St. Louis baseball fans. As part of the agreement Scotts Miracle-Gro plans to soon offer for sale seed blends of five m ... More >>

Rich Hill Bends Into Town

So apparently the plan from here on out for the Cardinals is the proverbial wall covered in feces. As in, see what sticks and then rosterfy them sumbitches. A comment on the state of Hill's shoulder? ​The Cards reached a deal yesterday with Rich Hill, former Baltimore Oriole and Chicago Cub. ... More >>

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Hits a Grand Slam With Its New(er) Song

On weather.gov, it's a balmy 32 degrees outside. By this link, the Cardinals' pitchers and catchers don't report for spring training for another three weeks. Yet Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin -- which is playing tonight at the Billiken Club with Flaming Death Trap -- conjures warm summer nig ... More >>

The Controversy of Tim Tebow's Super Bowl Ad is Old News in St. Louis

Amen. Here in St. Louis we like to think we clap for the other team when they make a good play. We're gracious and forgiving of our pro athletes (fans here give needle-in-the-butt guys like Mark McGwire minutes-long standing ovations.) We love them, even when they're not talking about sports a ... More >>

Question to Cardinal Nation: Is Mark McGwire the Next Thomas Eagleton?

​With each passing day, the St. Louis Cardinals' decision to hire Mark McGwire as hitting coach is becoming a PR disaster of epic dimensions. Current ballplayers and Hall of Famers alike have turned against him, in many cases, quite bitterly. Ex-Cardinal great and Fox Sports Midwest an ... More >>

Chris Duncan Signs With Washington Nationals, Celebrates at With Washington Monument

Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder and World Series Trophy dry-humpin' hero Chris Duncan has signed with the Washington Nationals, according to the Nats' official website.Bon voyage, Chris!​

Public Relations Fail: Mark McGwire, the Cardinals and a Crowded Hallway

It started out so well for Big Mac. The Cards hired George W. Bush's former press secretary and master of atonement Ari Fleischer to help the team's new hitting coach gently break the news that he was on the juice. After a misty-eyed interview with local/national broadcaster Bob Costas, media critic ... More >>

Rumor Roundup: Cards Looking at Valverde?

​The latest scuttlebutt on the hot stove wire has the Cardinals apparently interested in the services of Jose Valverde. The former Arizona and Houston closer is reportedly being pursued by a trio of clubs, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, with the Detroit Tigers seemingly the most likely de ... More >>

Mark McGwire Now Ready to "Talk About the Past", Issues Statement on Using Steroids

​Mark McGwire admitted today that he used steroids throughout much of his career with the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. The statement came a week after Cardinals manager Tony La Russa stated publicly that McGwire needed to discuss steroid allegations prior to stepping in as the team's ... More >>

The Holliday Deal

So the Cardinals got their man after all. ​I have to admit, I wasn't all that optimistic the Cards would be able to get a deal done with Matt Holliday, up until just the past couple weeks or so. The money, the years, the Boras Factor, all of it just seemed to me to be fighting against the Leg ... More >>

St. Louis' 2009 Newsmakers: Mayor Slay Buries the Lede

mayorslay.comThe mayor doesn't suggest you cast a vote for him. ​Now that 2010 is afoot, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay wants your take on the biggest news-makers of 2009, a la Time magazine's "Person of the Year". In his weekly poll released today, Slay asks you to pick from his pre-fab list of las ... More >>

The Most Momentous Moments of the Aughts: The Cardinals

So on this last day of the decade, I had myself a thought. "Aaron," I thought, "You should really try to do some sort of decade-long wrap for St. Louis sports." ​"You know what, Aaron? That's an excellent idea!" I paused for a moment, considering the notion further. "Now why didn't I think of ... More >>

St. Louis: Ten Dumbest Crimes of 2009

Even leaving aside the public servants (Jeff Smith, Steve Brown, T.D. El-Amin) who got caught red-handed this year, 2009 offered a bumper crop of truly stupid crimes.    ​10. Savvy Hillbillies Employ Dogs Eight men from 'round the town of Doniphan allegedly thought they could outsmart ma ... More >>

2009 in Review: May

​​It was the month of Kristen! My colleague Kristen Hinman won three prestigious journalism awards for her stellar feature about Missouri hog farmer Russ Kremer, "The Pope of Pork": a James Beard Foundation award, an Associaton of Alternative Newsweeklies award and an Association of Food Journal ... More >>

2009 in Review: April

​​In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama fell in love with Pi's pizza during a campaign visit to St. Louis. In April of this year, President Obama invited Pi's Chris Sommers and team to the White House to cook that pizza. Surely, that couldn't annoy anyone, right? Except for the owners of Chicago pi ... More >>

Ass Clown of the Week Is Back! Cast Your Vote for Biggest Local Bozo!

​Yes, 'tis that time of the week once more. Time for you, the readers of Daily RFT, to vote for the most despicable/idiotic local newsmaker of the past seven days. And the nominees...Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson: The University of Missouri lady basketball players accused of beating the crap ... More >>

What the Hell are the Astros Thinking?

I really, really don't get it. The Houston Astros just keep making these bizarre decisions, and I've finally given up trying to figure it all out. The Lance Berkman Fan Club isn't happy about this post, but they feel it needs to be said. ​The most recent onslaught of craziness came just last ... More >>

News of the Day: Rick Ankiel Northside Bound?

angryasianman.com​So, according to Derrick Goold's retweet, the Cubs appear to be interested in signing Rick Ankiel just as soon as they can figure out how to unload Milton Bradley. You know who I feel bad for? Will Leitch. Seriously. This is going to kill him. 

Cards Keeping the 'Stache, Starting a Gotay

Wow. What a horrible pun. That's really the sort of title someone should lose their job over. ​The Cardinals put the finishing touches on their new dynasty yetsterday by resigning backup catcher Jason LaRue and bringing in utility infielder Ruben Gotay on a minor league deal. With these final ... More >>

Jason LaRue and His Amazing Mullet Will Stay in St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals back-up catcher Jason LaRue has signed a one-year deal with the team, which means the winner of St. Louis' Best Mustache in 2008 and the owner of a mullet any K-SHE listener would be proud to sport will be back in St. Louis in 2010.Image ViaJason LaRue​Reports Matthew Leach of ... More >>

Cha-Ching! Feds Ask Public to Play "Who's That Bank Robber?"

Congratulations, St. Louis! No fewer than 59 bank robberies have gone down in the area so far this year. That tops last year's total of 45 ... but pales in comparison to the 77 heists that local bandits pulled off in 2002 -- a banner year.Bandittrackerstlouis.com, a website rolled out this morning b ... More >>

Yankees 1, Phillies 1, Derek Braunecker Millions

​As the World Series heads back to Philadelphia tied at one game apiece, both the Yankees and the Phillies have reason to be optimistic. The Phillies have to feel great about where they stand, as they succeeded in wresting home field advantage away from the Yankees and now have three games in thei ... More >>

Albert Pujols Says Comments Were Indeed Lost in Translation -- Again!

Last week here at Daily RFT we took a look at a recent interview St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols gave to a Dominican radio station and, more precisely, explained that Pujols' comments were inaccurately spun by the U.S. press, nationally and locally.Wikimedia Commons | shgmom56El Hombre, mi ... More >>

This October Already Wettest on Record and Guess What? It's Raining Again!

Katie White Snow via Flickr​Last Friday, October 23, was an exciting day for St. Louis weatherwatchers: 1.91 inches of rain landed at Lambert Airport, giving October, 2009, the final boost to become the wettest October in recorded St. Louis weather history, soundly beating 1919 by .3 inches. (It w ... More >>

Albert Pujols' Comments Lost in Translation -- Again?!

Wikimedia Commons​Near the end of 2006, a tempest boiled over in the local sports teapot when Albert Pujols, in an interview with reporters in his native Dominican Republic, opined that maybe he, and not Ryan Howard, was entitled to that season's Most Valuable Player award, by virtue of the fact t ... More >>

Getting Behind the Angels

​With the Cardinals out of the playoffs, I've had to decide what team I'm going to root for the rest of the playoffs. Sure, I could just watch the games impartially and enjoy the sport itself, but where's the fun in that? No, I'm one of those people who are always going to set up a team to root fo ... More >>

Cardinals' playoff run cut short, Rock Hill's infamous traffic cop will retire his radar gun; and Up in the Air is good to fly

Will a Change at KMOX Return it to No. 1?

kmox.com​All day KMOX (1120 AM) has been teasing a "major change" in the works at the station. But will that change be enough for the "Mighty Mox" to regain the title? Just last week the talk-radio station was ousted as the No. 1 station in St. Louis after a reign of at least four decade ... More >>

Ryan Franklin vs. Matt Holliday: Playing the Blame Game

​So the question must eventually be asked, you know. I don't want to have to ask it, and I'm sure you probably don't want to have to try and answer, but the question will not just go away. So here goes. Who was really at fault for the Cardinals ninth-inning, two-out implosion Thursday night? ... More >>

Dance St. Louis Wins Award for Sports-Themed Advertisements

The results are in and Dance St. Louis has taken home the 2009 Mid-America Emmy Award for best commercial campaign.​The performing arts company won the honor for its advertisements juxtaposing dancers with St. Louis professional athletes the likes of Rick Ankiel, Erik Johnson and Chris Draft. Chec ... More >>

NLDS Game One Recap: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 3

Okay, so it wasn't quite the start the Cardinals were hoping for. Okay, so maybe that isn't quite strong enough. ​Going into last night's game, the Cardinals should have been confident. Hell, even I was confident, and I am never, ever, ever confident when it comes to October baseball. Th ... More >>

Back In the Saddle (Hopefully, Anyway)

For the past couple of weeks, I've been feeling really kind of rough. Not sick, necessarily, but just not all that well. Every few days, I would feel a little better, but then the next day it would be right back down. I had a hell of a time mustering the wherewithall to complete much of anything. No ... More >>

The Cardinals Will Lose to the Dodgers in Five

Leitch​The St. Louis Cardinals are not going to make it past the first round of the playoffs, according to a sports blog hero and admitted Cardinal fan.Will Leitch, founder of Deadspin and now blogger emeritus for the blog that ESPN loves to hate, gave that prediction today. However, this decade a ... More >>

Rockies vs. Cardinals 9/27/09: The Photographer Who Caught the Catch That Probably Wasn't

​In just a moment we're going to hear from Craig Welling, a Denver blogger who snapped a photograph that was the source of much argument and consternation around the Interwebs last week.First, some background. On Tuesday RFT sports blogger Aaron Schafer dipped into a brewing controversy surro ... More >>

Rockies vs. Cardinals 9/27/09: The Photographer Who Caught the Catch That Probably Wasn't

​In just a moment we're going to hear from Craig Welling, a Denver blogger who snapped a photograph that was the source of much argument and consternation around the Interwebs last week.First, some background. On Tuesday RFT sports blogger Aaron Schafer dipped into a brewing controversy surr ... More >>

Game Notes: Cardinals 13, Redlegs 0, 1/10/09 -- Carpenter Does it Himself

The Cardinals have had many, many great hitting pitchers in their long and illustrious history. Bob Gibson hit 24 home runs in his career and posted a .751 OPS in 1970. Mark Mulder was a designated hitter during his college career at Michigan State, as was Dan Haren at Pepperdine. Jason Marquis is a ... More >>

An Extension for El Piñata?

Sure, he hasn't actually pitched like a piñata this year, but it's just too good a nickname to stop now. ​Apparently, Joel Piñeiro really wants to stick around with the Cardinals a while longer. He has reportedly told his agent to get a deal done that will keep him here if at all possible.&n ... More >>

Game Notes: Brewers 4, Cardinals 3 03/09/09 -- Opportunity, Missed.

-- I really, really hate Casey McGehee. I don't know how else to say it, so there it is. No real personal beef with the guy, mind you, but when you pick up nine RBIs in a single series against the Cardinals, you're just going to have to deal with me not liking you. It's really only fitting the Brewe ... More >>

Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller Both Get New Contracts

baseball-almanac.comFace of a future LOOGY: Trever Miller early in his career with the Tigers.​The Cardinals certainly are being proactive this season, aren't they? Not only did the Cards give Ryan Franklin the new contract the two sides had apparently been discussing for some time, they also ... More >>

John Smoltz Invades St. Louis Tonight: Your Guide to the Start of the Century

​Well, okay, so maybe my title is overselling things a little bit. Maybe Smoltzy making his first start in the home white unis with the Birds on the Bat isn't the biggest story this team will produce this century. Still, it's a pretty momentous occasion, when a future Hall of Famer like John Smolt ... More >>

Game Notes: Astros 4, Cardinals 3 08/27/09 -- An Ugly Loss

failblog.org​-- I hate Brian Moehler. A lot. It never fails to irritate me when the Cardinals get shut down by some journeyman pitcher, and it happens every single time they see Moehler. Somehow, he has still never lost to the Birds, despite being an incredibly mediocre pitcher overall. Hell, take ... More >>

Why No-Trade Clauses are a Bad Idea: Billy Wagner

fortsanders.netBad Idea. ​I know I've mentioned before - numerous times, most likely - how much I hate no-trade clauses in baseball contracts. In particular, the no-trade clause in Kyle Lohse's contract has proven to be a source of major irritation to me, not because I don't think Lohse is a usefu ... More >>

May the UrbanFORCE be with you, and hey, still looking for Cardinals home addresses?

Swish!: Matthew Krentz's local hoops drama Streetballers lands in theaters at last