Subject: St. Louis Cardinals

• Tigers at Cardinals: Anatomy of a Beatdown

  Sunday night, the Cardinals played the Cleveland Indians on ESPN and were dominated. Not just beaten, but absolutely humiliated by the sinister wizardry of one Clifford Lee. Last night, that same Cardinal squad blew Justin Verlander right off the field, with five runs in a mere four innings. I think it's fair to ask the question: just what was so different? 

  June 17, 2009

• Game Notes 22nd June- Mets 6, Cards 4: Colonel Pumpkin, I Presume?

  -This stuff of pinch-hitting for Colby Rasmus late in the game really needs to stop. Not because he's the Cardinals' best outfielder, or even because he needs to see left-handed pitching in order to learn how to hit it. No, it needs to stop because if Colby gets pinch-hit for, it means that we have to see Swingin' Dick Ankiel hit in the late innings, and that's a losing proposition no matter how you look at it. 

  June 22, 2009

• Wagner Mateo Signs With Cardinals

  It appears to be very near official now; the Cardinals have signed Dominican-born outfielder Wagner Mateo to a contract worth in the area of $3.1 million. Of course, the signing has to wait for the July 2nd international signing date to become official, but it looks as if this is all but a done deal. 

  June 26, 2009

• Mark DeRosa Joins the Cardinals

  When I heard last night that the Cardinals had acquired Mark DeRosa for Chris Perez and a player to be named later, I went through what I like to call a three part response. Part one: "Hey, we got DeRosa! Sweet! Good job getting a deal done, Mo. Glad to see them upgrade the team." Part two: "Chris Perez? Man, that sucks. Damn. I really like Perez. Seems like an awful lot to give up for a three month rental of Mark DeRosa. Well, still cool they got him, but I hate losing Perez." Pa

  June 28, 2009

• Clayton Mortensen Called Up (?)

  It appears that Clayton Mortensen has been called up by the Cardinals. A poster by the name of cardsfan1 first reported it over at Future Redbirds, and this particular poster has been known to be very reliable. If this report is true, I have to admit being both excited and downright confused by this move. Excited because I'm extremely curious to see how Mortensen's stuff plays against the big boys; Mort has been a bit of a pet prospect of mine for quite some time, as I included him in the v

  June 29, 2009

• Philly Inquirer: Most Recent Newspaper to Compare St. Louis to a War Zone

  Although it can be difficult -- but is never a bad thing -- to hear what others think of your community, I point you to a piece published last week in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Travel writer Alan Solomon recently spent several days tromping around St. Louis for the Philly newspaper and, yes, he does compares parts of the city to a war zone -- writing that "vast stretches of the city's north side, especially, look like what was left after a successful World War II bombing run on (choose your fav

  June 30, 2009

• Colby Decides to Go For a Walk

  It's funny the sorts of things a 10-1 pasting of a hated division rival can cover up. I'm sure no one really remembers yesterday's ugliness now; the Cardinals are an offensive machine again. More importantly, the fact Colby Rasmus hadn't taken a walk since the Bush administration is probably largely lost to the sands of time now. Bronson Arroyo has a certain way about him of making everything seem alright, as long as you're an opposing hitter. 

  July 6, 2009

• Ten Memorable Moments at Sportsman's Park/Busch Stadium I and The Hapless History of the St. Louis Browns as Told Through Five Moments at Sportsman's Park

  July 8, 2009

• Ten Memorable Moments and Five to Forget at Busch Stadium II

  July 8, 2009

• Inside Baseball: A tour of St Louis landmarks from the famous to the infamous (and everything in between)

  July 8, 2009

• Map Locations At A Glance: Miscellaneous

  July 8, 2009

• Map Locations At A Glance: Cemeteries

  July 8, 2009

• Map Locations At A Glance: Baseball Homes Of The Stars

  July 8, 2009

• Map Locations At A Glance: Restaurants

  July 8, 2009

• Map Locations At A Glance: Stadiums

  July 8, 2009

• Extreme Makeover: All-Star Edition: St. Louis is cleaning house for the midsummer classic, but is it, well, lipstick on a pig?

  July 8, 2009

• Game Notes: Cardinals 5, Brew Crew 0, 7th July

  -- I think that may have been the Cards' best win of the year so far. Facing the staff ace of their chief rival for the division, playing the first game of a truly pivotal three-game series, and they come up big, even sans Albert heroics. Too often, this team only performs when Albert Pujols puts them on his shoulders; outstanding to see the guys batting on either side of him in the lineup make their contributions count. 

  July 8, 2009

• Fifth Time's A Charm

  July 8, 2009

• Stan the Man and the Tribute that Wasn't

  I attended the All-Star Game last night, and I went as both a journalist and a fan. The journalist side of me wanted to see good baseball, interesting stories, and a professional production from the St. Louis Cardinals. The fan side of me wanted to see the National League finally fucking win something, Albert Pujols do something incredible, and the greatest living Cardinal of them all paid tribute to as he so richly deserves. I'll be honest with you. Neither of my sides was satisfied by wha

  July 15, 2009

• FoodWire: Mezcal at Monarch, Papa John Downtown

  A couple of food events to share:First, and I apologize for the short notice, but we just got the e-mail about this yesterday, Monarch (7401 Manchester Road; Web site) is hosting Don Cooper, founder of Del Maguey Mezcal, at 7 p.m. tonight. There will be mezcal tastings, live music and more. Call 314-644-3995 for more info.Tomorrow, Papa John himself will be in St. Louis. Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter will be holding a pizza party from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Kiener Plaza. He's also

  July 16, 2009

• The Cardinals Second Half Preview

  First, and most importantly, you'll have to forgive the lack of a clever title. I thought and thought, then thought some more, and really just didn't like any of the options I came up with. Some were too obscure, some not obscure enough, some didn't make much sense, still others lacked any tie to the subject at hand. Thus, in the interest of clarity, I give you this dull and lifeless title. Nonetheless, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive. Second, does it bother anyone else that

  July 17, 2009

• Foul Territory: Unreal goes outside the lines during All-Star Week

  July 22, 2009

• Game Notes: Astros 11, Cardinals 6, 21/07/09 - Who Said it Couldn't Get Any Worse?

  -- Okay, first off, I have to say just how pissed off I am at Todd Wellemeyer. I know what you're thinking. That I'm going to go on some big long rant about how terrible he's been, complete with a variety of odd acronyms that don't make any sense to you. That I'm going to tell you that by several objective measures, he's been one of the five worst starters in all of baseball this year. However, I think that's ground which has been pretty well covered, so I'm just going to leave it alone.&nb

  July 22, 2009

• Circling the Drain

  Does anybody want to tell me when this whole thing just went to hell? Remember when the Cardinals were a first-class organization, one that made smart moves, fielded competitive teams, and had everyone pulling in the same direction? Well, guess what, folks, the party, as they say, is over. Last one out turn out the lights. 

  July 23, 2009

• Top 7 Old School Sports Posters

   Sports excitement in late July is limited to baseball, and here in St. Louis, that's not a problem, because we're all obsessed with baseball and the Cardinals and Apple Pie and Standing Ovations for the Other Team's Good Play.But, since baseball is the only major sport in full-swing now, there's plenty of creative room for other sports content, like this column over at Inside STL: "Top 7 Old School Sports Posters." The classic "No Bull" poster featuring Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, the Brian

  July 24, 2009

• Game Notes: Cardinals 10, Dodgers 0 - A Vintage Ass Kicking

  -- Chad Billingsley is really, really good. It isn't often you see a pitcher with that kind of ability, that combination of velocity, movement, and location. Personally, I think Billingsley needs to learn to use both sides of the plate more effectively, as he essentially stays in the same area all game long, especially to right-handed hitters. Working to the third base side of the plate more often would add another dimension to what is already a pretty impressive repertoire. You might be as

  July 29, 2009

• All-Star Banner is Perfect for Fixer-Upper Fans...and it's only $250

  Click for larger version.​(Cue Unreal's best Billy Mays carnival barker voice)Expecting company soon? Own a fixer-upper home that needs a facelift?! Just don't have the time or budget for those costly repairs?! Lucky for you, Unreal is here to help!For the low, low one-time buy-now price of just $250, you can own an official MLB All-Star banner. This 2 1/2 foot by 7 foot piece of custom screen-printed fabric once graced the streets of downtown St. Louis and impressed baseball fans from across

  July 30, 2009

• Cardinals: We'll Take that 2004 World Series Trophy Now, Thanks

  We'll take that now, kthnx.​Now that the venerable New York Times has published a report -- out today -- that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive for 'roids in 2003, the entire roster of the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals, its management and fans are politely asking for the 2004 World Series trophy back. At least, that's what they should be saying.Reporteth the Times:Baseball first tested for steroids in 2003, and the results from that season were supposed to remain anonymous. But for reas

  July 30, 2009

• Morticians, Drunk Uncles, Phony Gas Workers and Phillies Fans: Can You Say "Ass Clown of the Week"?

  ​Friday. You know what that means. Time to take a long, hard look at the people whose dubious achievements captured headlines in -- and near -- our fair city of St. Louis over the past seven days. And the nominees are...1. Dale Phillips -- The 27-year-old from Joplin, Missouri, accused of challenging his 11-year-old nephew to a drinking game. Uncle Dale won when the nephew died, allegedly from alcohol poisoning.2. Fake Laclede Gas Man -- Police say this unknown villain has been posing as gas w

  July 31, 2009

• Russ Springer: An Opportunity Missed?

  Russ Springer was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays just the other day, and I can't help but wonder if the Cardinals didn't miss an opportunity by not putting in a claim of their own. Springer, you'll remember, spent both the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Cardinals, pitching remarkably well both years, particularly '08. In fact, for most of last season, he was probably the Cards' most dependable reliever, though Tony La Russa was extremely cautious (and wisely so, in my opinion), a

  August 9, 2009

• Looking Ahead: Lohse Looks to Rebound

  As outstanding as it was to finally see the Cardinals able to seal the deal against the Pirates and finish off the sweep, it's far too early to relax. Even after dropping two of three to the Rockies, the Cubs are still surging, and the Cards are going to need to keep winning games if they want to stay ahead. Tonight, the Cardinals open a three game series against Cincinnati, and in the very first game, we get one of the most intriguing subplots for the rest of the season. Kyle Lohse, after

  August 10, 2009

• Shelby Miller a Cardinal

  Our long regional nightmare is over. Shelby Miller, the Cards' first round draft pick in this year's draft, has now been signed, sealed, and delivered, to the tune of $2.875 million. Good for him, and good for the Cardinals. They badly needed to get this deal done, in order to begin restocking a farm system now barren after it was raided so violently in recent months. The deal was first reported by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, via Twitter. 

  August 17, 2009

• Game Notes: Cardinals 3, Trolley Dodgers 2 17/08/09 - The Best Day Ever

  A couple of years ago, back when Charlie Haeger was floating around between Triple A and the majors with the White Sox, I was really hoping the Cardinals might check into acquiring him. At the time, it didn't look as if Chicago had a whole lot of use for him, and I thought he would make a great pickup for the Cards. This was in 2007, I believe, when our own starting rotation was coming apart at the seams and Mike Maroth was taking the mound with disturbing regularity. Plus, Haeger just sounds li

  August 18, 2009

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

  August 19, 2009

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

  August 19, 2009

• 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 out his numbers against the Cards, and I could almost see him being a below-average pitcher. It's maddening. Memo to any team who thinks they might see the Cardinals in the playoffs: pick up Brian Mo

  August 27, 2009

• 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 resigned Trever Miller, LOOGY extraordinaire, to a new deal. The terms of the Franklin deal appear to be what was already reported, and I've already said my piece on the situation, but I have to admi

  September 2, 2009

• 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 Brewers got him from the Cubs' minor league system. Of course, nowadays, my disdain for the Brew Crew runs almost as deep as for the Cubbies, but it isn't quite there just yet. ​-- Tell you the trut

  September 4, 2009

• 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. Seems like a nice story, right? Piñeiro reinvents himself as a pitcher, becoming one of the top sinker-ballers in the league, then signs a nice deal to stay with the team -- and coaching staff --

  September 16, 2009

• 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 former Silver Slugger award winner. Both players in the worst trade the Cardinals have ever made, Rick Wise for Steve Carlton, were very good hitters. So there is plenty of history in the annals of C

  October 1, 2009

• 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 energy, kind of just icky, you know? I didn't think too much of it at the time; just the cost of doing business when you've got too many hours worth of work to get into the day.So anyway, I spent the

  October 7, 2009

• 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 alone, the Cardinals had one team destined for a championship get swept by the Red Sox, and another that hobbled into October win it all, with trophy-humping results.

  October 7, 2009

• 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. The 'Birds were facing a team they had beaten like a rented drum all season long, with their ace on the mound squaring off against a very nice, but also very beatable journeyman hurler in Randy Wolf.&nb

  October 8, 2009

• 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. Check out all the advertisements here, or continue on to see why Blues defenseman Erik Johnson might want to invest in an acting lesson or two.

  October 9, 2009

• 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? Was it Matt Holliday, the man who shall now be known forevermore as Ol' Three Ball Holly, or Ryan Franklin, the Cardinals' budget-conscious, Dave Duncan reclamation project version of Brad Lidge? 

  October 10, 2009

• 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 decades. The most popular station in St. Louis now goes to 106.5 "The Arch" (WARH-FM) -- a station of pre-formatted pop/rock classics. (Proving that St. Louisans are indeed getting dumber by the d

  October 13, 2009

• 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

  October 14, 2009

• 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 that Pujols' St. Louis Cardinals reached the postseason that year and Howard's Philadelphia Phillies didn't.The thing was, when the story washed up on American shores, the English-language media spun i

  October 19, 2009

• 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 was also the wettest October 23 since 1874 when scientists started keeping track of such things.)Maybe it's a case of the pathetic fallacy, what with the Cardinals' rapid post-season collapse and all.A

  October 26, 2009

• 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, misunderstood All-Star​In a nutshell, somewhere in the translation from Spanish to English, Pujols inexplicably cold-shouldered the Cardinals' widely anticipated off-season efforts to ink a contract e

  October 29, 2009