are you thinking what i’m thinking

I don’t think Rick Ankiel can legally wear long-sleeved shirts in Missouri any longer except when carrying a concealed weapon permit.

Really? Are you sure you can’t pitch? Even when the bullpen needs a rest, just for kicks ‘n’ grins? What if we just pretend that home plate is third base and you’re just standing on that damn hill at Minute Maid Park? Seriously, throwing out the speediest guy in the majors as he tries to advance to third on a sac fly? And then, as if he was off having some cerveza while Willy Taveras was nailed, Omar Quintanilla thinks it would be a good idea to stretch a double into a triple. Wrong-O. I think those plays deserve a name; The Catch is already taken. The only word that comes to mind when I watch replays is: dumbasses.

I think we can add “Run on Rick Ankiel, even if you hit it to the warning track” to the list of Things That Are Ill-Advised When Playing the St. Louis Cardinals, somewhere around “Run on Yadi, ever” and “Upset Albert prior to plate appearance”.

love and war in the time of izzy

Let me preface this by saying I think the world of Izzy. If I ever have a girl, I want to name her Isabella so I can call her Izzy. I don’t think we would have won the World Series without him, even though I know good and well he cost us games that season and was DL’ed for the duration of the postseason. I have no doubts that by gutting it out for as long as he did he bought those kids in the bullpen enough time to grow into what we saw in the postseason. Nails, lights-out, shutdown, pick whatever descriptor you want. There wasn’t a challenge that those kids didn’t meet and succeed against.

He could have taken himself out of the season much earlier, but he put his longevity and career on the line for the team; my friends, that is no ordinary sacrifice [bunt]. If I knew what kind of cookie he liked (and that he accepted baked goods from complete strangers), I would gladly bake a batch and lower them into the bullpen on some fine evening.

But we can’t let this keep happening. It’s one month into the season and he’s got three blown saves. He’s got ERA on the wrong side of 7. The cutter isn’t working. He’s talking like he did during 2006. Worst of all, he’s pitching like he did in 2006, the year of the hip from hell and the surgery that had potential to end his career. I know he publicly expressed a desire to keep pitching for a couple years, but I don’t think his health is going to permit that. Nobody thought we had a chance to be competitive this season, but we are competitive. We may play in the NL Central, the redheaded stepchild of divisions, but we don’t have games to give away like free samples at Costco on government check weekend. If we give away one, people will find a way to get more.

I think it’s prudent to be looking at other options right now. The veteran-lovers might suggest Franklin or Springer, but I’m going to go with Dave Duncan here. That Kyle McClellan kid has been rather eye-catching. High pressure, low pressure, whatever the barometer, he’s been dependable. There for a while he had been striking out the first batter he faced. First pitch strikes are for sissies; first batter strikeouts are for badasses. He posts some sweet numbers: 1.69 ERA over 16 innings in 13 games, 1 HR allowed, 7:1 K/BB rate, but most importantly to me he gets the job done. It’s hard to remember, but not every club has the luxury of Mo Rivera or K-Rod, so sometimes the path of least damage is the best. Also, he reminds me of a young rook back in 2006 who was a starter until he just made the club out of spring training as a reliever…

I love Izzy. I wish he could have had his Bruce Sutter vs. Gorman Thomas moment, the one that I’m sure he grew up dreaming of from Brighton, IL. But I’m afraid his time may have passed and it could cost the team.

the money song

It’s time to pass the hat! And there’s nothing you can do about that…

Seriously folks, you better take up a collection to keep me away from the stadium if you want us to continue winning this season. I snuck off to the game today on a friend’s extra ticket (being a bum has its upsides!) and we wound up losing in ten, even with The Pitcher Formerly Known as Eric Gagne, AL Cy Young winner on the mound for the Brewers. I am now 0-2 on the season for field trips while the Cardinals are at 11-5 and on top of the NL Central. Sorry guys, but unless motivated otherwise (financially) I’ll keep going back like a bug to a light.

I didn’t get a shot of it (left the house in too much of a hurry to grab the camera), but I noticed the grounds crew had messed with the infield cutouts since the last time I was there. They are better now - less boxy and more curvy, but still a little wonky and unbalanced for my liking.

While enjoying the view (beautiful day for baseball, folks!) and not focusing on the class I had to attend later, I was chatting with my friend. She was talking about how she didn’t think this team was the same as last year. As in this club had less energy and wasn’t in it this year. Seeing as it was middle school day at the stadium, I held myself back from choice words and kept it to “I disagree.”

I think the outfield is a big piece of evidence in the argument that this team is different; sure, there are some of the same guys patrolling the grass, but in different capacities and frequencies. Ankiel was around for some of last year, but he was platooned in the corners for a good part of the time. Now he’s the leader in center. Ludwick gave days off and pinch hits and Skip was moving around in AAA. Duncan was more of an everyday player than he is presently; Barton was in the bus leagues for Cleveland. Although four of the same bodies are involved, it’s an entirely different dynamic that seems to be working. I have to say, I love having the kids around. Not only do I get less mad when a mistake is made because of inexperience instead of age, I get the feeling that the team will improve as everybody learns together. And that is my pep talk for the day.

can you picture that?

Who would have thunk it? Certainly not ESPN, which was too busy having a Phillies-Mets love fest tonight. The team that was predicted to be well-under .500 is tied with Arizona for the best record in MLB. (That’s 7-2 for you folks keeping score at home.) As of right now, the Tigers — who were supposed to beat up on every other team this season — just got their first win of the year… on their eighth attempt.

I’m not predicting these guys to keep it up all year, but I think there is something to be said for the limits that a team places on themselves; in effect, the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Last year Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies were going to be the guys to beat in the NL East, and wouldn’t you know it, they were. This year the team seems to believe in themselves - at least after Kyle Lohse showed up - and they’re playing like it.

So far, they’re confident in their ability and I would contend their ability is improved because of that confidence. Sometimes we talk about the psychological advantage of a corked bat, PEDs, lucky socks, or a batting helmet covered in gunk as an amulet. So far, no solid evidence actually indicates that the objects/substances in and of themselves quantifiably improve performance, but since the person believes they are gaining an advantage, they are. Essentially, it’s a placebo effect. But as long as it works, who the hell cares?

In other news, the Mets got Rickrolled. It’s a damn shame this didn’t happen all year long. Take that! It’s payback for stuffing the All-Star ballot for the Mets! Love, the rest of America.

stop! or my mom will shoot

Nobody move. Nobody shave any body surfaces (unless you do so daily) or get a haircut or do anything else that might disturb the delicate balance of the world in which we live. You know, the one in which the Cardinals, who have a makeshift rotation and a load of inexperienced kids from the farm, are 5-1 on the year. If you have been wearing the same underwear all week, well then you’re just going to need to keep wearing it a while longer. For the team. Not for career or personal advancement, obviously.

Now I know full well that we didn’t just steamroll the Mets or the Mets or any other team predicted to be outstanding this season, but you don’t just get five free wins from major league squads. I’ve never predicted this season to be good!, but I have noted that last year the talking heads said the Nationals would be terrible. As in 100 loss potential terrible. Before that, it was the Marlins. And after that point my memory fails me, but not only did those teams fail to meet that expectation, they gave the playoffs a good, somewhat healthy run.

I’m posting this link right now and I’ll save a copy of it just in case I ever need to refer back to it, which I’m sure I will because I always love to look back and reread season predictions after all is done.

In any case, don’t forget to watch ESPN tonight and listen to Joe Morgan fumble around for a not-so-graceful way to change his outlook on our Birds.