SB Nation User Blog: Mr Redbird

Cardinals game in St. Louis

Mr Redbird — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:32:50 -0000

Greetings gentle denizens of VEB

As you may or may not know, I have never been to a Cardinals game in Busch. I've never even been to St. Louis for that matter. I know that needs to change, but in the past odd years I've either been too young, too poor, or a combination. Now that I'm making at least a (very) little bit of money (saving like crazy, though) I've begun to look into a possible weekend trip to the STL later this summer. Right now the dates I'm looking at are 7/18-7/20 and 8/1-8/3, series against the Padres and Phillies, respectively. Right now, roundtrip (nonstop) airfare from Atlanta to St. Louis for those dates is running at $188 for American Airlines, Delta, and AirTran. So what does this have to do with anything, you might be asking? Here's why I'm making this a fanpost...

Does anybody want to go to a game either of those weekends? Most of my friends here either don't make the money to make a trip like that, don't like baseball, or a combination of the two (lots of combinations in this fanpost, no?). I'd rather not go alone, although I'd do it just to get to a game in St. Louis. I'm also searching for some advice on hotels and accomodations (not to steal the thunder from yer dog first's post a few days ago), so if you live in the area and know a great (cheap) hotel to stay or know someone (or yourself) who would like to put up a complete 24-year-old stranger from the internet for a couple of days, I'd like to hear from you.

Either respond to this fanpost or shoot me an e-mail at the following address:

jdhogan1605 -AT- yahoo -DOT- com

If you e-mail me, make sure you give me your VEB user name in it so I know whom I'm talking to.

I'll even buy you a brat and/or a beer at the game, if you'd like. Thanks everybody, and of course, GO CARDS!

Sincerely,

Mr Redbird

Phillies/Cardinals Game Thread Game 70

Mr Redbird — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:51:14 -0000

There wasn't one up so I thought I'd take some of the bandwidth pressure off the main thread for today.

PHI Pitcher: Adam Eaton (2-3, 4.62)

STL Pitcher: Kyle Lohse (7-2, 3.92)

Let's go Cardinals!! Beat those Phillies!!

Um, trying to get to 75 words...let's not give up 20 runs tonight, I hope Lohse has a revenge game today, and let's have multiple HRs from Ankiel, Ludwick, Glaus, Molina, hell even Kennedy!

Why are you a Cardinals fan?

Mr Redbird — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:24:04 -0000

Hello, everyone!

Every day I come to this blog for the excellent insight and the camaraderie that I've found with the many users who also frequent it. It is my favorite blog on the web, and a multiple-times-per-day stop for me. The material found in the main posts is always relevent and well-thought out, and many of the fanposts offer a new and/or different outlook on certain things concerning the Redbirds or baseball in general. However, I though it would be nice to take a break from the endless number crunching and the implausible and/or tireless trade proposals (aren't the Giants looking for a left-handed 1B?) and focus on something different, namely the following question:

Why are you a Cardinals fan?

I know that for many of you, the answer will be simple. Many of you have lived in or around St. Louis for most, if not all, of your life. Or perhaps you have had Cardinal red in your family for several generations and have been living and breathing Cardinal baseball since your pacifier days. My story is different, and I'm interested in learning about everyone's journey into the fandom of this great team.

Why am I a Cardinals fan?

My family is entirely located south of the Mason-Dixon line, and most of it is in the state of Tennessee. My dad's side spills over into Georgia for the most part, but my mom's side is almost entirely in the Memphis area. Another thing about my family is that we're all college football enthusiasts. For the majority of my family, everything else is just details (as the t-shirt says). My family moved to Huntsville when I was 5 years old, in 1989, and has lived there since. Like every American kid, I played baseball through little league (and beyond, but many kids stop there) and for a while was enamored in the game. I collected and traded baseball cards, got in on pickup games at the local park, and tried to watch as much baseball on TV as I could (man I wish I was 7 years old again!). Of course, this coincided with the Braves' revival in the 1990s, and I was surrounded by Braves fever. My dad is not a big baseball fan, but he was born in Atlanta and spent a considerable amount of time there, so he was really into the Braves as well. I never really liked the Braves that much, but since it was the thing to do, I went along with it. My mom (being from Memphis) was brought up on the Cardinals, but is not very big on baseball either. However, the real reason I'm so into the Cardinals now is my mom's brother-in-law, my uncle.

We would go to visit my family in Memphis about five times a year, and whenever I was around my uncle, we would talk about baseball and he'd tell me all about the Cardinals. Although St. Louis baseball was quite forgettable in the early '90s, I still loved hearing about Stan Musial, Lou Brock, and Ozzie Smith. The more I heard about it, the more I soaked it up. This was a team brimming with tradition that had passionate fans, and I was buying into it. Even as the Braves were winning their 4,081 straight division titles, I was still proud to be rooting for the Cardinals. The 1996 season (La Russa's first with the franchise) was very exciting for me. We were up three games to one on the Braves, and I was loving my team beating everyone else's team. Of course, the end result of that series was tragic, but I was sold. Ever since then I have been immersing myself more and more into this ballclub, and it is one of the first things you learn about me when you get to know me. I will talk Cardinals baseball to strangers or friends, just bring it up with me.

On Friday, April 29, 2005, my fanhood reached a new peak. My girlfriend's dad was a time-share season ticket holder for the Braves, and he got us tickets to that game. It was the first time former A's pitchers Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder faced off against each other, but it was also the first Cardinals game I'd ever attended live. It was exciting from start to finish, and ended in a W for the good guys. It was the happiest day of my life as a Cardinals fan to that point. We got there early, and were right above the 3rd base dugout, so when David Eckstein, Larry Walker, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, etc. were stretching and warming up, I was taking a million pictures, an I couldn't stop smiling.

Of course, that moment has since been topped by a certain World Series victory, but all in all that sums up my journey as a Cardinals fan. My next big step is to make a game in St. Louis. As much in awe and excitement as I was for that first game in Atlanta, I imagine it will be even greater for my first game at Busch. I can't wait!

Go Cards!

stlcardinals.com headlines subtle shot at TLR?

Mr Redbird — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:43:06 -0000

I just ventured over to stlcardnials.com and saw the following headlines. It seem like either the person who wrote them is a VEB regular, or can see through the TLR bs:

"Cards' Izturis given long leash" - Not "He’s playing very well defensively. So, the errors — I don’t have any problems with. If you’re going to evaluate people on the number of errors in spring training, over time you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. There’s some guys who can’t play, but not him. Hitting, I think he’s getting better." (from Goold)

"Cards' Thompson starts strong as usual" - It's like they're saying how many times does Brad Thompson have to prove himself before we stop giving people like Jason Marquis, Kip Wells, and probably Anthony Reyes and Todd Wellemeyer, maybe even Mark Mulder the nod over him. I am by no means a major proponent for Brad Thompson, but he's been steady and reliable everytime he's toed the rubber.

Am I reading too much into these, or do you guys agree?

Harsh Article about the Cards

Mr Redbird — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:11:25 -0000

I know the WWL isn't very popular in these parts, but I was perusing around their website today and found this nice little article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?page=mlbdk2k8stlpreview

Call me overly optimistic, but I disagree with the sentiments in this article. Specifically, the section labeled "Fearless Prediction". The following lines stuck out to me:

"This could easily be the worst team in the National League. (...) This is an old team full of bad contracts and health risks that's poised to miss the playoffs by a country mile. Expect La Russa and Pujols to land with another franchise soon so that the rebuilding can commence in earnest. St. Louis fans should hunker down over a slab of ribs from C & K and start wondering if the Rams will be any good this fall."

The guy who wrote this article is Will Harris (someone I've never heard of) and the article is supposed to be a fantasy overview of the team. I don't think we'll be a playoff team or even a playoff contender by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think we'll finish better than last in the NL. Is his statement on Pujols finding another team soon based on any statements from the front office or a suggestion on how to proceed into the future? That's possibly the last thing I want to see. Anyway, I thought it was interesting, and would love to hear what the community has to say regarding it.

Crystal Ball Gazing

Mr Redbird — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:36:27 -0000

Unless you've been living under a rock over the past several months, you should understand that the Cardinals are beginning a rebuilding period. The moves of Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen for younger, cheaper players prove this. The off-season so far has got me thinking about the future of the organization, and I want to pose a poll question: When will be the next season our boys in Red are still playing in October?

Is the Central going to be so weak next year that we could win 85 games and get in? Or do you see the rest of the clubs around us getting stronger and stronger, while we're treading water or even backsliding? You can go on a hunch, you can give some good numbers and figures to back your answer up, just gimme an idea. I'll put as many years as I can in the poll question.

A fun exercise

Mr Redbird — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:33:43 -0000

I'll admit it, I love predictions. I love it when predictions go right, but I especially love it when predictions go way wrong (Tigers in 3??). So I thought of a fun little prediction excercise, and I don't want people to get carried away. What do you think the lineup will look like on opening day, and why?

As in, you can't have the 2007 AL All-Stars and say we traded for all of them, I'd like to see at least a little reasoning behind it.

Take into consideration potential trades and free agent signings, but also take into consideration injuries that have happened or may happen. Here's how I see it:

Aaron Miles SS
Rick Ankiel CF
Albert Pujols 1B
Chris Duncan LF
Ryan Ludwick RF
Scott Rolen 3B
Yadier Molina C
Adam Kennedy 2B
Adam Wainwright P

First, I think that regardless of whether he's managing or not, TLR's batting-the-pitcher-8th experiment will be over for the new season. Actually, I think he will be managing next year.

For some reason, I've lately just had the feeling that we're going to try to retain most of the roster from last season. Maybe it's the Pineiro deal. Maybe it's the (supposedly) impending Eckstein deal (I for one think we'll let him walk). I just don't see us getting any huge free agents or making any big trades, honestly. And I also feel that we'll try the SS merry-go-round (a la the 2B merry-go-round from 2006) with BR getting the short end of the stick in favor of Miles more often than not. Lastly, I have this feeling (I wonder why) that Jimmy E. is gonna start the season on the DL next year.

So there, that's my idea. What's yours?

Article from MLB Trade Rumors on Walt

Mr Redbird — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 05:54:48 -0000

LB - I know that you've deleted every diary about Walt because it was redundant, but I found this very interesting article over at MLB Trade Rumors written by Brian Gunn (of Baseball Analysts and Hardball Times). I posted it as a diary for fear that it would get lost at the bottom of the 300+ comment beast that is the main page thread on Jocketty.

Hey everyone -

I know that the Walt Jocketty situation has been delved into quite a bit this evening, but in the last hour or so a pretty good synopsis of Walt's career in St. Louis and his qualities was posted on MLBTradeRumors.com. It was written by Brian Gunn. Here's the link:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/10/brian-gunn-on-w.html

A few interesting quotes:

"[I]n 2005 the Cards led the majors in ERA with a starting rotation that cost, altogether, $17 million - or less than what Roger Clemens alone made that year."

I think this speaks volumes to his ability to manage talent. However, things like this tend to be hit-or-miss, and it hit in 2005. It missed in 2007.

"Jocketty was responsible for Albert Pujols, merely the best player in the league, if not all of baseball."

I'm not sure you can say he was "responsible" for Albert Pujols, considering we picked him in the 13th round. That one just kind of fell into Walt's lap.

"Supposedly Luhnow lived in fear of being seen around Busch Stadium, especially with reporters, for fear it would get back to Jocketty."

I have not heard this before, but if this is true then that's just sad for Luhnow. As professionals, you're not supposed to avoid one of your co-workers like he were the bully in 3rd grade.

I just thought the majority of you would find this unbiased review pretty interesting. I know I did.

Sincerely,
Mr Redbird

STL/ATL

Mr Redbird — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:18:00 -0000

Completely off topic, fyi:

I am looking at tickets for the game between St. Louis and Atlanta at Turner Field on Saturday, July 21, and am having a dilemma. As a broke, jobless 23-year-old, should I:

Spend $14 per person (2x = $28) for like 15th row outfield seats
or
Spend $47 per person (2x = $94) for mid-level terrace seats along the first base side (maybe 30 rows up)

Obviously there are pros and cons for each. For Option #1, the price is excellent, but the view may be tough. But, being in LF, I might get a Pujols homerun ball :P For Option #2, it's a little pricey (right on the border of what I'd pay) but the view of the game will be much better and I may catch a Pujols foul ball.

Also, this is like the one game a year I get to go see the Cardinals play live, because I live a good ways away from St. Louis, but 2 hours away from Atlanta, so factor that as well.

Which would you do if you were in my circumstances? Thanks for the advice, sorry if this diary just wastes space, lb feel free to delete if you feel that way.

Second half

Mr Redbird — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:10:57 -0000

After doing some thinking and some video game playing, I thought of some things TLR should (or at least I would do these) do to try and get the most out of his everyday lineup.

First, I think that he should settle on a starting lineup, and trot them out there every day, or 90+% of the time. I think we need to establish a rhythm as a ballclub, and putting all the super-subs in in various positions doesn't help that. I know, I know, the injuries haven't helped anything, but with Eckstein coming back and possibly Jimmy, I think we could get some lineup consistency.

Second, I would move Scotty Ro into the number 2 hole. He isn't hitting for power, but he's getting on a decent amount. Putting Rolen in the 2 hole would get him better pitches to see as well, and maybe he could regain his power stroke. I also think Duncan should be in the cleanup spot against righties, and Juan E should be in there against lefties. But don't leave Dunc out entirely against lefties, maybe bat him 5 or 6. Something like this:

vs. RHP

Eckstein SS
Rolen 3B
Pujols 1B
Duncan LF
Encarnacion RF
Edmonds CF
Molina C
Kennedy 2B
Pitcher

vs. LHP

Eckstein SS
Rolen 3B
Pujols 1B
Encarnacion RF
Duncan LF
Molina C
Edmonds CF
Miles 2B
Pitcher

What do you guys think?