It was a move so low-key that no one has even noticed it...  Shawn Hill was released by the Nationals two days ago.  He had only pitched in 2 games for the Nats in ST, starting 2 games and throwing up a scoreless frame each time.  2008 was supposed to be a breakout year for him but instead he posted an atrocious 5.83 ERA over 12 starts.  His 2007, although shortened by injury, was fairly decent.

Hill has seemed like an underachiever who can't seem to stay healthy.; sort of like a lowercase Mark Prior.  I'd like to get him out of Washington and see what he could do on a better team.  He's attracting no interest so far as a FA so he could certainly be had on a minor league deal.  Of course, the FOs and the fan base interest in SPs has seemingly waned what with Piniero's strong ST so far, but over 162 games, having a talented guy like Hill as 6th starter depth couldn't hurt.

The Nats released John Patterson last year in ST and he is seemingly out of Baseball.  Is Hill done too?  Or should he get another shot?

Which FA LOOGY would you most like to see inked during Spring Training.  It appears that Beimel is about ready to sign with someone.

I nearly forgot that Dennys Reyes was still a FA.  I hadn't seen his name being tossed about at all.  I always kind of liked this guy, and he was tougher on lefties and had a lower WHIP than either Beimel or Ohman.

I have to make my thing 75 words so here I knock out a dozen or so words in one sentence.

While we are waiting for the big FA bargains of 2009 to develop and for the FO to deal an outfielder and/or Kennedy,  I thought I'd probe your minds and see how you are feeling about the future of the 2B position for the Cardinals.

Lets give MO some credit for not jumping the gun on Free Agents like the Giants did and give all that money to Edgar Renteria and Jeremy Affeldt.  I know all of this inactivity over the last month is frustrating but there will be plenty of FA bargains in March.  I can't ever remember seeing this many good, unsigned FAs this late into the offseason.   At the very least, I'm sure someone like Jon Garland or Braden Looper will be forced to take a "Loshe-type deal."

At least Jocketty is no longer the GM, if he was still here, our starting OFs would probably be Corey Patterson, Willy Taveras, and Michael Bourn.  Just a guess.

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The only thing constant in this world is change. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of baseball. The core of the Cardinals team that had been so successful for seven years in this decade pulled things together for one last effort in 2006 to win that World Series. Resting on their laurels, the Cardinals entered 2007 still built around the declining Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds and were swiftly eclipsed by the rising Cubs and Brewers.

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