SB Nation User Blog: crolfer

Peace Out All!

crolfer — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:29:04 -0000

Peace Out All!

I'm on my way to freaking Austria! Reds should go undefeated in my absence, later all- -crolfer

CARDINALS PREVIEW- 2009

crolfer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:49:51 -0000

Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The arch overlooks the field making for one of the greatest views in sports. Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, a nice view might be about all they have to look forward to this year if the starting rotation continues to be plagued by injuries.

Notes Of Interest on the Team:

HISTORICAL:

The team was established in 1900.

6 Central Division Titles.

17 NL Pennants

10 World Championships, the most recent being their 2006 victory over the Detroit Tigers

2009 NOTES OF INTEREST:

Manager-Tony LaRussa

General Manager- John Mozelia

Notable Prospects- Colby Rasmus, Brett Wallace, Chris Perez.

2008 Record: 86-76

2008 Record vs. Reds: 10-5

Former Reds on the team:

Ryan Franklin, Kyle Lohse, Jason LaRue.

BREAKDOWN BY POSITION:

(Note- projections are based by averaging different projection systems)

Starting Pitching-

2009 Projected Rotation:

1. Chris Carpenter

2. Adam Wainwright

3. Kyle Lohse

4. Todd Wellemeyer

5. Joel Piniero

The strength of the Cardinals rotation depends almost solely on the health and performance of Carpenter. In his most recent outing, Carpenter threw 48 pitches. If Carpenter is not able to stay healthy, the Cardinals have a few options waiting in the wings in 25-year old Mitchell Boggs and 24-year old Kyle McClellan or Anthony Reyes, who was demoted during last season after several struggles. Wainwright and Lohse will also play key parts in the rotation. If the two can emulate the seasons they had last year (combining for a record of 26-9), the Cardinals may be able to get away without needing to use Carpenter as a starter and possibly delegating him to a relief role.

Relief Pitching-

Last year, the Cardinals bullpen led the major leagues in losses as well as blown saves- in case you didn't know... that's not good.

The role of closer has has still not been announced for the Cardinals yet. As of now, there are four major candidates for the role, which may or may not be closer by committee by the time the season starts. The candidates are as follows:

Chris Perez- A 23-year old right-hander who had 7 saves last year with an ERA of 3.46. His strikeout to walk ration is nearly 2:1, and he is the current favorite for the job. His inexperience is the biggest negative the Cardinals have.

Jason Motte- Motte has had even less experience, but allowed only one earned run over 12 outings last year, and has posted numbers comparable to those of Perez.

Josh Kinney or Ryan Franklin- Even if either of these guys gets the job out of Spring Training, I can't see them keeping it throughout the whole year. Franklin closed for a good portion of last year and was only 17-25 in save chances, while Kinney has missed much of the past two seasons and has undergone reconstructive elbow surgery. Ultimately, I think Perez will get the job.

First Base-

Duh... Baseball's best playing here. Albert Pujols hit 37 HR last year, driving in 122 RBI and hitting .357 on his way to winning his 2nd MVP. The "28" year old first baseman is projected to hit 37 HR again this year and hit .330, while driving in 114 runs. The biggest question for Pujols will be health. He struggled with an oblique injury last year at times, and a prolonged injury to Pujols, who made almost $14 million last year, would deal a huge blow to the Cardinals offense and defensive.

Second Base-

As of now, this is probably the biggest question for the Cardinals. The Cardinals seem desperate. They've even gone so far as to try out longtime outfielder Skip Schumaker at the position. As of now the job is pretty open. Between Schumaker, veteran infielder Joe Thurston, and Brendan Ryan, a platoon will probably be set up. The best possibility I can see for the Cards is to use a platoon between the left-handed hitting Schumaker and the right hander Ryan. However, depending on how he continues to perform, Thurston may platoon with Ryan. Ryan is the only one I can really feel safe saying that he'll get some playing time at second.

Third Base-

Troy Glaus will still probably be out until mid-April after undergoing shoulder surgery, Joe Mather seems to be the man for the job. Third Base prospects David Freese and Brett Wallace have both been reassigned to their respective minor league camps leaving the job open for Mather- at least until Glaus returns. Mather is 25 and has played in only 54 games- all last year. In 133 AB, he hit .241 with 8 HR and 18 RBI. Mather has the ability to play several positions, and this distinction as a utility player could help to keep him on the roster after Glaus' return.

Shortstop-

Khalil Greene looks to be the front runner for shortstop right now. Last year, Greene appeared in 105 games for the Padres posting a .260 average and hitting only 10 HR- a significant drop from his 2007 total of 27 long balls. Other possibilities include prospect Tyler Greene and 2007 acquisition Brian Barden.

Catcher-

Yadier Molina is still the clear front runner here. Molina's offensive production has been increasing the last couple of years and he managed to hit .304 last year in 124 games. Last year Molina won the NL Gold Glove and is generally renowned for his strong arm and good glove. As of now, his backup looks to be former Red Jason LaRue. LaRue has played in both Kansas City and St. Louis since parting ways with the Reds after 2006 and appeared in 61 games for the Cardinals last year.

Outfield-

The outfield is pretty well set for the Cardinals. All-Star Ryan Ludwick will play right, Failed pitcher turned outfield strongarm Rick Ankiel will take center and Dave Duncan's son Chris will play left. The odd man out in this situation seems to be the Cardinals top prospect Colby Rasmus. Rasmus will probably be the team's 4th outfielder and in the case that Ludwick can't match his sudden increase in power and talent from last year, we could see him playing right field or see Ankiel moved to right and Rasmus put in center before too long. Scott Schumaker who may be played at second base can also play outfield for the team.

Team Strengths-

Starting Pitching

Outfield

Weaknesses-

Infield (Minus Pujols)

Bullpen

My projections for 2009-

I can't see the Cardinals beating out the Cubs or the Brewers with the troubles we should see from the bullpen and the holes we see in the infield. The Cardinals, Astros, and who knows... maybe the Reds should battle for third place throughout the season.

Texas Vs Ohio St Open Thread

crolfer — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:19:29 -0000

You know you wanna. Can Ohio St beat the Longhorns? Honestly I don't think the Longhorns have played a defense like the Buckeyes before and if they get some pressure and some good licks on McCoy... get him nice and rattled I think Ohio St could win. Ultimately I think It's all up to the promising Ohio St Defense. Also heard some rumours that Boeckman and Pryor would be in some formations together... you guys hear anything more in depth about it?

Just thought I'd share the good news with everyone...

crolfer — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:04:52 -0000

Hey guys, first off have an awesome thanksgiving! I just wanted to share one last thing that I now have to be thankful for... I just got accepted to go to Mizzou! While I'd like to get away from Missouri, I am pretty happy to get the chance to go to a place that feels like home... and thank God for dorms... I will be seeing as little of my mom and sister as I can... haha. Anyway, just wanted to let some people who have had a surprising impact on my life and a huge impact on my fanhood know about this next chapter in my life.

While I know I'll be studying entomology in grad school (maybe in Ohio?) I will probably study something with agriculture or biology for undergrad. Agricultural photojournalism looks enticing!

Talk to everyone later!

Mackanin Gets Job With Phillies

crolfer — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:13:01 -0000

Pete Mackanin seems to be moving pretty quickly up the ladder. After posting a 49-31 record with the Reds as the interim manager, he was brought to New York as a pro scout for the Yankees... Same job he originally had with the Reds if I'm not mistaken. Now he's joined the World Series Champion Phillies... as their Bench Coach! Story can be found here.

The guy has kept moving up... Expos, Pirates, Reds, Yanks, Phils... Congrats Pete!

Back From New Orleans

crolfer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:46:59 -0000

Hey all, We got back today at about 8:00 PM Central Time... left about 5:00 AM, but went the wrong way for two hours.

Let's start with the trip down:

Left early Sunday morning and made it to Nawlins in about 14 hours. Interesting story on the way down there... Saw a family of three in the back of a pickup drinking beer... This includes a kid who was probably 12.

Anyway, we took 31 youth and 8 adults. In my group we had about 15 people including only 3 guys (including me). We worked in the Lower Ninth Ward on a small black baptist church called Greater New Jerusalem Baptist Church. We grouted tiles and after covering up the floor with paper, the real work began. After setting up a rickety old scaffolding, two other people and myself scraped and mudded the ceiling and sprayed it with a mud hopper. We worked a good 7 hours per day for 5 days. The walls were also scraped and mudded and a mosaic was framed with stained plywood.

We took one night to go down to the French Quarter and had some great fun. We ate at a Cajun restaurant called Mulate's (I had Blackened Catfish and we all got to try alligator which tastes like chicken), and then got Beignets and walked along the river. New Orleans certainly has some... Interesting shops... And no guys, sorry but I felt that getting smashed and STD'd on a church mission trip might have been a BIT inappropriate... :D

Here are some pics:

Holding a Lizard During a break:

UP ON THE SCAFFOLDING:

I never realized how great private bathrooms and showers are... I'm happy to answer any and all questions!

See You All in A Week

crolfer — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:39:14 -0000

Well, come tomorrow (Sunday) at 5:00 AM Central time, I'll be on my way to New Orleans for a church mission trip. This will be my third mission trip and second one to N'Aleans. About 40 youth and parents will be working on houses. 2 years ago we did house gutting in New Orleans... Had to wear the Haz-Mat suits and respirators... so this shouldn't be as bad.

Anyway, once I'm back I'll fill you all in on the experience, hopefully it'll be a pretty fulfilling one. See ya in a week!

-crolfer

Mets hire Wayner as Special Assistant to GM

crolfer — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:20:29 -0000

Mets hire Wayner as Special Assistant to GM

And a Record Continues...

crolfer — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:57:23 -0000

So, Tuesday I got to go to my 5th ever MLB game, my 2nd in Cincinnati, and my first at GABP. Of all five games I have been to, the away team is undefeated.

First off, I have to admit that GABP is a great venue to watch a game in. The between inning events were entertaining... although what was up with the mascot race?

Sadly, I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't for the extremely loud moronic Deadbird fan sitting behind me who apparently "grew up" in St. Louis. Talk about a heckler. Screaming and making fun of the Reds players eventually took its toll as I stood up and began to applaud when Pujols went down, and I eventually mimicked him in the 9th by yelling a huge "YES!! THATA WAY BAKO!!!!1" as he took a ball four feet off the plate.

Now, for the game. The giveaway was great with the bronze statue and the curtain call for Griffey was pretty cool too. Now, for Homer Bailey...

I noticed several things that seemed to be pretty wrong with Bailey.

- Velocity: He was bringing it up at 89 to 91 for the most part and topped out at 93... once.

- Location: Guy couldn't hit his spots at all. Even early in the game his location was off.

Also... the offense needs to step up. Other than Votto's home run and EdE's three hits, the bats were virtually silent against a guy that threw balls and strikes aevenly throughout a good portion of the game.

I have now decided that if I go to every Reds away game, we'll win all of them and be a pretty great team...

Some Offday Thoughts

crolfer — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:51:55 -0000

I've been pretty busy lately... So busy in fact that, although all three Reds games against the Cardinals were televised... (That makes 4 Reds games available on TV total so far for me this year), I was able to catch about a total of 2 innings. Anyways, one of the things that I've been busy with is umpiring, and it really opened my eyes up to a whole new part of the sport. Because this is my first year of umping, I've been doing the 10-12 or so age groups and have really noticed a few things... Some parents are total dicks.

I know a lot of people on here are parents... mostly relatively new at that, so I just want to weigh in and say that until high school... sports should be about learning and having fun, not about winning... A lot of those kids were only there cuz there parents forced them to play. Teach mechanics, not competition. And for God's sake... Don't let them throw a curve before they're around 15 or 16, and even then might be a bit early...

I also have to admit that umping (especially behind the plate) is a lot harder than it looks...

Oh yeah... GO REDS!!!!