http://www.sportsnipe.com St. Louis Cardinals, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933279/brewers-score-big-to-take-series-from-st-louis-wbay.html msnbc.comBrewers Score Big to Take Series from St. LouisWBAYThe final game of the series for the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals was a rubber game. Up 4-1 in the fourth, Ryan Braun connected for his 20th ...Milwaukee Brewers vs St Louis Cardinals 9/8/10: JD's Free Pick MLB BaseballSports Chat PlaceCardinals-Brewers PreviewCBSSports.comVS St. Louis CardinalsAccuScoreSt. Louis Post-Dispatch -MiamiHerald.com -USA Todayall 1,052 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933278/while-rasmus-complains-cardinals-wilt-msnbccom.html ABC NewsWhile Rasmus complains, Cardinals wiltmsnbc.comIn the heat of a divisional playoff race, the St. Louis Cardinals have surprisingly wilted, forced to watch the surprising Cincinnati Reds ...Colby Rasmus Not Long for St. Louis Cardinals? (and Other Notes)Bleacher ReportCardinals' Albert Pujols sounds off on Colby Rasmus-Tony La Russa riftUSA TodayBusch league: Pujols calls out Cardinals CF RasmusThe Associated PressSt. Louis Post-Dispatch -CBSSports.com -Kansas City Star (blog)all 280 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933277/prospect-miller-has-seen-plenty-progress.html Prospect Miller has seen plenty of progress St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933276/cards-canamp39t-rally-after-garciaamp39s-rare-off-night.html Cards can't rally after Garcia's rare off night St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933275/brewers-rout-cards-garcia-81.html Pujols' first-inning home run a singular highlight St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2933274/cards-keep-losing-to-teams.html Albert Pujols' 36th home run with two out in the first inning Wednesday night was the extent of the Cardinals' highlights, other than rookie Matt Pagnozzi's first major-league hit in his first major-l St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932294/cardinals-pitcher-miller-has-forearm-strain-miamiheraldcom.html Cardinals pitcher Miller has forearm strainMiamiHerald.comBy Sports Network St. Louis Cardinals reliever Trever Miller was diagnosed Wednesday with soreness and stiffness in his left elbow. ...Miller: Forearm StrainThe Cardinal Nation (subscription)Miller has forearm strain; more surgery for FreeseSt. Louis Post-Dispatchall 31 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932293/game-137-open-thread-cardinals-at-brewers-8th-september-2010.html Jeff Roberson - AP View full size photo » No haiku today Maybe that will change our luck Wait, screw luck! Just win.  St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932292/pagnozzi-making-first-career-start-for-cards.html Pagnozzi making first career start for Cards St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932291/la-russaamp39s-lineup-leans-right-vs-capuano.html La Russa's lineup leans right vs. Capuano St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932290/anniversary-mcgwire-passing-maris.html Anniversary of McGwire passing Maris St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932289/cards-chat-qampa-joe-strauss.html Baseball writer fields queries from Cards fans AND the "Village Idiot." St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932288/three-cardinals-relievers-unavailable.html Miller, Hawksworth, Boggs won't be used tonight. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932287/cardspadres-game-time-moved.html Cardinals game with Padres on Sept. 18 goes national St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932286/miller-has-forearm-strain-more-surgery-for-freese.html Miller has forearm strain; Freese has surgery on other ankle St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932285/pujols-36th-homer-gives-cards-lead-in-1st.html Pujols homers, is 16 for 28 against Brewers' Capuano. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932284/brewers-take-lead-31-in-third.html Brewers rally for three runs with two out in third. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2932283/brauns-homer-in-4th-makes-71-brewers.html Garcia shelled for seven runs in four innings. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931084/want-to-go-social-media-night.html You've heard a lot of talk about the Social Media Night the Cardinals are having.  I've mentioned it here a time or two and the article that Matt Sebek wrote about it got a lot of attention in the internet version of Cardinal Nation.Now, you have the chance to attend this event for free!From the Cardinals, not only will GM John Mozeliak make an appearance, but also team president Bill DeWitt III.  Then you have the top-notch reporters such as Derrick Goold and Matthew Leach.  Couple that with a chance to see Ryan Ludwick's return to St. Louis and, well, why wouldn't you want to go?So, the free part.  I've got four tickets to this event that I can have left at the will-call window.  Leave a comment here or e-mail me before Monday and I'll select from the pool of applicants.  (Though usually when I do this, it's a small pool.  Your odds are pretty good.)I know that a large contingent of the UCB will be there, so if you've wanted to meet some of your favorite bloggers (or even me), here's your best chance!  Let me hear from you! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931083/reggie-bush-scandal-by-far-first-or-last-in-sports-associated-content.html Reggie Bush Scandal: By Far Not the First Or Last in SportsAssociated ContentMark McGwire to Coach St. Louis Cardinals in 2010 It's an interesting move by the St. Louis Cardinals to bring Mark McGwire back as a coach, but he may have ...and more » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931082/98010-road-to-minor-league-domination.html 9/8/010 Road to Minor League Domination Boom. No toaster zone. It's hot in here. Tri-City at Batavia - 6:05 pm Quad Cities at Kane County - 6:30 pm Springfield at NW Arkansas - 7:00 pm Oklahoma City at Memphis - 7:05 pm St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931081/what-you-do-when-should-know-better.html More photos » Dilip Vishwanat - Getty Images Browse more photos » Tired.  I am tired.  No, that's not quite right. Tired suggests a simple condition of being low on energy, something simple rest should be able to cure. Tired isn't quite right.  Exhausted.  I am exhausted.  No, that's not quite right either. Exhausted can be one of two things, and neither of them are quite what I mean. Exhausted can be just a more acute form of tired, or it can be a complete loss of resources due to overuse. Again, not quite right.  Fatigued.  Hmm...fatigue. You know, I think that might just be the one. Fatigue. Yup, that's it!  I am fatigued by this team. Beaten down by watching them lose game after game in maddening fashion, against teams who should be extremely beatable. When you lose to the Milwaukee Brewers 9-7 you can accept it. You certainly don't like it, and you're probably upset with your pitching, but you have to admit that's the way the Brewers are built to beat you. They have a lineup full of power, full of damage, and there are going to be those days when they just knock you around and outscore you. It happens. It's the same as getting shut down by the pitching of the Giants or Padres.  But when you lose to the Milwaukee Brewers and Chris Narveson, of all people, by the score of 4-2, it's an entirely different sort of frustrating. As much as I like Chris Narveson, who I always thought should have gotten a shot to fill in at the back of the Cards' rotation when he was still here, he is exactly the sort of pitcher you have to be able to take advantage of. When your worst starting pitcher goes out against a lineup like the Brewers' and gives you a decent chance to win the game, and you look out at the opposing pitcher and see Chris Narveson, that's a game you have to win.  I am fatigued by waiting for this season to be over. I've never been one of those people who starts looking forward to football season just because things aren't going well with the baseball team, but I find myself doing just that this year. I long to follow a team who doesn't hurt me so badly night after night.  And yet, I can't stop watching. I still check the score faithfully on the phone when I'm out and about, still find myself switching on the ballgame every night at 7:15, no matter how little I want to. It's a deathwatch for a loved one, and unending wait for the end that seems as if it will never come. They're not getting better, but the wait just goes on and on. You find yourself in quiet moments hoping for a call to say it's over so you can finally exhale. The thought shocks you, and you do your best to banish it away, but you can't unwish it. I am fatigued from being tethered to this team I have no hope for and yet can't just walk away from.  I wonder at times if fandom isn't closer to habit, or maybe even addiction, than we like to admit. Sure, we can stop any time we like, but isn't it odd how we all come back anyway? I had dinner at a friend's house last night, an impromptu get-together of grilled burgers and tater tots, and we sat and watched Arrested Development on DVD while we ate. There was no mention of the ballgame, no thought of turning it on. It was, to be honest, kind of nice not to worry about it. But as soon as I left I got in my car, picked up the phone to get the boxscore, and flipped the dial over to AM, just in time to hear Kyle Lohse walk the pitcher leading off an inning. "Well this is bullshit," I thought to myself, and switched the dial over to KDHX. I made it almost seven minutes before I went back to the game.  Maybe it isn't addiction. Maybe that's just how love works.  I don't have any analysis to offer you today, no big point to make. The best I can give you is that image of a man driving in his car, pretending not to care what happens to his team, and lasting less than ten minutes before he has to go back and find out.  The Baron's Playlist for the 8th of September, 2010  "Hey Boy" - Magic Kids "Juveniles" - The Walkmen "Paralyzed" - Starlight Mints "Classic Cars" - Bright Eyes "What Ever Happened to Corey Haim?" - The Thrills St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931080/bernie-ump-davidson-disgrace-to-game.html   St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931079/umpire-chief-says-its-ok-to-eject-fans-if-they-are-profane.html Bruce Froemming. special assistant to the VP of Umpiring for MLB, said today that umpires have the latitude to eject fans if they are profane. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931078/fan-used-profanity-molina-says-umpiring-exec.html Froemming explains Tuesday ejection St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2931077/pagnozzi-to-make-first-start-as-cards-catcher.html Molina gets night off. Greene (playing 2B) and Rasmus at top of Cards' lineup. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930424/umps-gone-wild-fan-ejected-from-cards-game.html Brewers fan says umpire Bob Davidson ejected him at the urging of Cards catcher Yadier Molina. "I guess Molina couldn't take it anymore.? the fan said. "You'd think these guys would have tougher ski St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930423/bird-land-garcia-poised-for-rookie-year-upset.html Lefty Jaime Garcia is positioned to do what no Cardinal pitcher has done since the year he was born. And the hidden reason for the Cardinals' struggles? It isn't losing to losing teams. It's losing to St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930422/cards-preview-garcia-vs-capuano.html   St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930421/bernie-bytes-keep-running-lohse-out-there.html Lohse is bad, but the larger issue is his continued presence in the rotation. At what point do we stop blaming a bad pitcher and put the responsibility on the manager and the pitching coach? St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930420/cardinals-major-league-notebook-090810.html St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2930072/another-step-back.html It's really true.  Momentum is just as good as the next day's pitcher.Not saying that you can really blame this one too much on Kyle Lohse.  Five innings isn't great, but the bullpen did fine, with Mitchell Boggs throwing a scoreless frame and Blake Hawksworth keeping them off the board for the last two.  Even four runs isn't a bad mark, compared to what Lohse has been putting out there.If he could just finish off innings.  The game story notes that he's given up 12 runs in his last two starts, and all of them have come with two outs in an inning.  You'd think you'd be more focused, trying to get the ground ball or pop out that will get you out of a frame, but for whatever the reason, that's not happening.  We've noticed it some with other pitchers on the staff as well, though not to this extent.No, this one can be put on the offense.  Chris Narveson has some talent, let's not undersell him, but the Cards have been able to beat him pretty regularly and put up some runs against him.  To only score two runs in a game like that, well, that pretty much sums up this year's squad.Kudos to Colby Rasmus for his two hits, including an RBI and we'll tag Felipe Lopez as the goat for another hitless game at the top of the lineup.  Getting a leadoff man that can regularly get on base should be a priority for John Mozeliak in the offseason.Cards called up Tyler Greene yesterday, putting him straight into the starting lineup (which did risk the ire of the Brendan Defenders, something that is dangerous to do).  We'll see how much time Greene gets down the stretch.  I think Lopez is probably on the outs and Greene may get to see some time at second and third, depending on the day.Jaime Garcia goes tonight, looking for his fourteenth win and trying to keep his Rookie of the Year candidacy afloat.  The Baseball Bloggers Alliance will be doing their award voting come October and I'm really interested to see how Garcia does in that group, which will be possibly less swayed by preseason hype for players like Jason Heyward.Closing notes.  Be sure to check out Erika's post over at i70baseball today.  She got to be a press photographer for a Omaha Royals series and she details her experiences in a wonderful fashion.  Really need to look at that one if you are a fan of the game.  Also, UCB Radio Hour is on again this evening, 9:30 Central.  Bill from i70baseball and Angela from Cardinal Diamond Diaries will be hosting, so be sure to tune in! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926892/cardinals-beat-reds-42-kmoxcom.html Belleville News DemocratCardinals beat Reds 4-2KMOX.comST. LOUIS (AP) â?? The St. Louis Cardinals handled the Cincinnati Reds again. Small consolation for a team that's seven games back in the NL Central because ...Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis bullpen dominates the Reds in 4-2 winbettor.com (blog)Reds rookie dominates CardsAmerican ChronicleHolliday Homer Backs Carpenter`s Solid Outing; Cards Top RedsLSBLansdale Reporter -Belleville News Democrat -KFFL (blog)all 23 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926891/cardinals-beat-reds-42-take-2-3-associated-press.html Globe and MailCardinals beat Reds 4-2, take 2 of 3The Associated PressLOUIS ? Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead, three-run homer to back Chris Carpenter's latest dominant effort against Cincinnati, helping the St. Louis Cardinals ...St. Louis Has Big-Name Talent, but Also a Big Division DeficitNew York TimesMLB Update: St. Louis Cardinals Defeat NL Central Leader Cincinnati Reds 4-2Sports Newscaster (blog)Reds-Cardinals PreviewCBSSports.comWorld Correspondents (blog) -Atlanta Journal Constitution -ESPN (blog)all 984 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926890/colby-rasmus-long-for-st-louis-cardinals-other-notes-bleacher-report.html CBC.caColby Rasmus Not Long for St. Louis Cardinals? (and Other Notes)Bleacher ReportColby Rasmus may have a one-way ticket out of St. Louis this off-season, if the reports are true he's unhappy with the Cardinals. Rasmus has denied asking ...Bernie Bytes: Lessons of Colby & TonySt. Louis Post-DispatchCardinals' Albert Pujols sounds off on Colby Rasmus-Tony La Russa riftUSA TodayPowerless Rankings: The shufflin' Seahawks editionSeattle TimesThe Associated Press -KMOV.com (blog) -CBSSports.comall 277 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926889/vs-st-louis-cardinals-accuscore.html Sportsnet.caVS St. Louis CardinalsAccuScoreSIDE VALUE (2010 SEASON) - St. Louis Cardinals Road Games: 39-30, 57% -115 Milwaukee Brewers Home Games: 35-35, 50% -148 SIDE VALUE (PAST 30 DAYS) - St. ...Cards, Lohse fall to BrewersSt. Louis Post-DispatchHoffman gets 600th save, Brewers beat Cards 4-2Greenwich TimeSt. Louis Cardinals (71-63) at Milwaukee Brewers (63-73), 2:10 pmMiamiHerald.comWisconsin State Journal -KMOX.com -TSNall 591 news articles » St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926888/baseball-roundup.html NL St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926887/wednesdays-cardsbrewers-pitching-matchup.html JAIME GARCIA St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2926886/garcia-has-credentials-for-rookie-award.html MILWAUKEE ? Jaime Garcia, who has more victories than any other rookie pitcher in the National League and the fifth lowest earned-run average (2.35) for pitchers of any level of experience in the le St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920661/looking-to-future.html There may not have been any games on the field last night, but there were some late-night anxious moments anyway.Last night was the deadline for signing picks from the most recent draft.  Without a contract in place by midnight, those players would go back to school and re-enter the draft pool at some future date.  The Cards were able to land a couple of their big fish, but one of the biggest, as expected, got away.Right after the midnight Eastern deadline, the Cardinals announced that they had signed Zack Cox to a major league deal.  I don't remember the Cards handing out a deal like that in the past, meaning that Cox starts out on the 40-man roster and begins burning options I assume immediately. I'm not completely sure, but it would seem like the first option would get used this year when they send him to the minors, meaning that he'd have to be in St. Louis for good by the start of 2013.  Being that he's a college player and fairly polished, along with being a hitter and not a pitcher, that might be a reasonable expectation, the thought being that if he isn't there by then, he's not going to be there.The Cardinals were also able to sign first-round supplemental pick Seth Blair and second round pick Jordan Swagerty, to go along with Tyrell Jenkins, a first-round supplemental who had already signed.  The organization feels like they got at least three if not four first-round-caliber players, so the draft was a strong success in their eyes.However, it could have been even more wonderful had they been able to sign Austin Wilson.  From reading about this guy and hearing what the team said when he had his day on the field earlier in the summer, he really sounded like an elite talent that could work his way up the minors quickly.  Odds are the Cards won't have another chance at him, but it sounds like they did all they could, Wilson just really wanted to go to college.  Hard to blame a kid for that.Yesterday being an off-day also afforded Albert Pujols the opportunity to have his annual golf tournament.  All funds, of course, are for the Pujols Family Foundation and all the work they do in the Dominican and the US.  I thought it was neat that AP is expanding what he's doing down in the Dominican to bringing baseball to that part of the island.  Imagine if the next great Cardinal star is down there, learning the game from equipment given to him by Pujols!Lots of celebrities played in the golf tournament--Shaquille O'Neal, Ozzie Smith, Bo Jackson, Bobby Knight--but one guy that probably didn't get quite the following was Adam Wainwright.  The Post-Dispatch ran a story this morning basically lining out the rationale behind the now-common phrase in Cardinal Nation: Waino is bueno.  It was interesting to hear Wainwright basically admit that contract stuff was getting in his head, which is why he signed early so he could pitch without distractions.  So many players say that doesn't play a role, so it's good to hear someone admit that it could.Wainwright is a special talent and, from all appearances, a fairly good personality as well.  Another season like this one and he'll be right there at the top of all the lists for great pitchers in the game.Waino doesn't go until tomorrow, so tonight we see Jaime Garcia face off against the Brewers and Dave Bush.  I'm a bit surprised that the Cardinals didn't try to rest Garcia, given the fact that there are two off days this week.  Wainwright could have pitched today on full rest, with Westbrook going tomorrow, then Carpenter, Garcia and Wainwright this weekend.  Garcia has been struggling recently, posting an ERA close to 7 in August.  He's done very well against Milwaukee this year, though, putting up a 1.42 ERA in three starts with 16 strikeouts in 19 innings.Bush has only thrown six innings against the Redbirds this year, giving up three runs but striking out seven.  With Cincinnati out in Arizona, the Cardinals need to get to Bush early and put the pressure on them to win to keep the NL Central lead.  We'll see if they are able to do that! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920660/pujols-in-city.html I think that, if I were the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I would petition Major League Baseball to make sure that the Cardinals never came to Pittsburgh in August.  It'd be bad enough to face Albert Pujols in his own park in the month that he's always hitting, but to have him come to PNC Park is just asking for a beating.I couldn't help but laugh after his first at-bat.  You hate to see a pitcher leave with an injury that early, but especially when the first two batters have reached.  A lot of times, that can kill momentum as the new pitcher warms up as much as he likes, plus has his own new rhythm.So Pujols waits through the delay....and then sends the first pitch over the wall.  No taking one to get timing, no waiting to see what the guy has, just first pitch boom.  He didn't even expect to swing, but his instincts and reactions are such that he just did it automatically, with the results we've come to expect.After his 3-5 night, he's at .319, four points behind Joey Votto (and a point behind Martin Prado) in the batting race.  He's got a lead in the other two categories, so with him facing Paul Maholm, Votto going against Jonathan Sanchez and Prado getting Jorge De La Rosa (in Colorado), that order could shift around tonight.  Be interesting to see if AP could get on top of all the Triple Crown categories, at least for a day or so.It was another night where finding a Goat was a tough thing, but with Felipe Lopez being the only starter without a hit, I put him in there, even though he did draw two walks.  I was pretty surprised to see him hitting in the fifth slot, though.It was very good to see quality results from Kyle Lohse last night.  I'm not sure that he'd have put up a line like that against many teams, but if confidence is something he's needing, facing the Pirates can only help.  He gave up a few fly balls that were a little worrisome in the first couple of innings before allowing his two-run homer in the sixth, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.  He should be facing Washington next time out, so that will likely be another situation where he could gain a little momentum.I was actually afraid I'd seen this game before for a while.  I remember a game against Pittsburgh I believe last year, when Ian Snell allowed four runs before getting an out, then held the line the rest of the way and Pittsburgh came back to win.  I was glad to see the offense didn't completely shut down after getting that early lead, especially since it wasn't Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright on the mound.  Lohse probably needed that extra cushion.The injury news off the field is piling up as well, both good and bad.  The good is that Jason Motte is just about ready to go out on a short rehab assignment.  With the minors ending here in a week or so, it can't be a long one, but likely Motte doesn't need much.  Having him back in the pen will be a good thing, though the relievers haven't struggled much lately.The bad (at least in theory) is that Dennys Reyes isn't doing well and that Colby Rasmus is still days away from returning.  Reyes has been so iffy this season anyway when coming into LOOGY situations that not having him available hasn't been the disaster that it might have been last year.  Maybe some rest will have him be more effective for October, if the Cardinals make it.Rasmus is a different story.  More and more the "JD Drew" rumblings are coming to the surface.  Not that anyone doubts that he's hurt at all, don't misunderstand.  But it seems like it's tough for Rasmus to play a full season and, with Ryan Ludwick gone, the Cards really need his healthy bat in the lineup.  You'd hate to see him get into the doghouse like Drew did, but it seems like a strong possibility.Cardinals get to send Adam Wainwright to the hill tonight, which is usually a wonderful thing to watch.  Pirates put out Paul Maholm, who has been a problem for St. Louis in the past.  This year, not so much, as in the one game he started against the Cardinals, he gave up six runs (four earned) in three and a third.  If it's another night like that for Maholm, Pujols might get to #400 and the Cards might be able to cut another game off that NL Central deficit.  Here's hoping! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920659/this-we-cant-have-nice-things.html On the face of it, it wasn't a terrible loss.  Most discussion of the next 10 games had the Cardinals going 8-2 if they wanted to make a run, so they haven't ruined that.  Cincinnati lost and so did Philadelphia, so they stayed right where they were in regards to the postseason.And yet.....It was a very bad loss.  If the Cardinals are going to make a serious run at October and making up these deficits, they can't lose with Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright on the hill, especially to inferior opponents.  They just can't do it.  They have to win those games and then see what they can do with Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook or Kyle Lohse on the mound.With Matt Holliday staking Wainwright to that 2-0 lead in the first, I thought that things were well in hand.  However--and this is my fault, because I should have known this--I wasn't thinking that they wouldn't score again until one of their patented fall-just-short rallies in the ninth.Even if I had, though, I'd have thought things were OK, because giving Wainwright a lead is just about as sure of a thing as there is in baseball.  Granted, I wasn't aware of his over 5 ERA at PNC and I didn't remember that ugly game last year where he lost his quality start streak in Pittsburgh by giving up something like five runs in four innings.  But it's Wainwright, the Cy Young candidate.  Surely he can hold things together.With rookies Jose Tabata and Neil Walker doing the majority of the damage off of Wainwright (combined 4-6 with two runs and all four RBI), you wonder if not having a good enough book on them came back to haunt the Wagonmaker.  With the preparation that these guys do with Dave Duncan and all the charts and graphs, having a couple of talented guys that you've not seen (or seen much) and that don't have a big body of work in the majors might have led to some of the results last night.Even with that, though, this game turned on two coaching decisions.  The first was letting Tabata steal in the seventh.  I was going back and forth putting the kids to bed during the inning last night and, until reading the recaps, was completely impressed Tabata had scored from first on that ball, not realizing that he'd been on second at the time.  Matthew Leach covered that decision on his blog last night, and I agree with him: they should have held Tabata on.  I understand the logic, but you have to trust that either Wainwright will pitch Walker in a way that he won't ground the ball there or that the fielders will be able to get to it. Because the way it worked out, you got the worst of both worlds--Tabata went to second and Walker got the hit anyway.  That run proved huge, but you knew at the time that even a one-run lead would be a problem, while two might be insurmountable.And will all of that, the Cards still had a chance to at least tie up the game in the ninth.  Of course, no matter what the opponent's lead is, they always seem to have that opportunity.  An RBI single by Jon Jay put two on with one out and Albert Pujols at the plate.  (Side note, Brendan Ryan gets the goat for going 0-4 in the leadoff role.  The ninth would have been a great place for him to at least draw a walk or something.)  Pujols got his third hit of the night off the glove of Ronny Cedano.  Randy Winn turns the corner and....gets held up by Jose Oquendo.Now, I can again understand where Oquendo was coming from.  You hate to make an out at the plate in that situation.  However, I'd have sent Winn like there was no tomorrow, for a couple of reasons:1) Cedano still hadn't gotten to the ball when Winn reached third.  Winn would have been at least a quarter of the way down the line, with full momentum, while Cedano would have had to plant and throw a strike, then have Doumit put the tag on Winn.  It seems to me that the Cards had the advantage there.  Make the other team make the play.2) Look at the resulting situation.  Bases loaded, one out.  However, as we know, Holliday has struggled at times in that situation, including recently.  All it takes is one ground ball and the game is over.  If Holliday gets out without getting the run in (as he did with a first-pitch weak popup), then your fifth place hitter is Felipe Lopez.  Which, being that you just need a base hit in that situation, isn't terrible, but it's not like Lopez has been lighting it up anyway.  There's a strong chance that you aren't going to get anything out of that situation, a chance that sadly came to fruition.Too bad not everyone is like Pujols.  If it'd been him coming from second, he'd have ignored the sign and gone anyway.  Then again, if everyone was like Pujols, it'd have been a 25-0 game and it wouldn't have mattered.If St. Louis wins that game, they are 1.5 out of the division title and tied with Philadelphia and San Francisco for the wild card.  Instead, they still have that larger deficit to climb over and one less game in which to do it in.  Games like this are why the odds of them having a nice playoff berth are getting longer and longer.On the positive side, Pujols's three hits puts him just a point (well, actually, .692 of a point) behind Joey Votto (who didn't play last night) in the batting race, which means he's thatclose to leading all the Triple Crown categories.  If Votto plays today, he'll face Madison Bumgarner, who we saw last week stifling Cardinal hitters, while AP gets Daniel McCutchen.  Of course, both of them are hoping that Omar Infante will take a few days off or going into a big slump, because if he triggers the plate appearance threshold, he's 20+ points ahead of both of them in the batting race.  Infante went 1-4 last night leading off for the Braves, dropping him to .349.  You'd hate to see a guy with (right now) 140 less AB than Pujols and 100 less than Votto deny either of them the Triple Crown on that kind of technicality, but it may well happen.You have to wonder by now if Fernando Salas ever bothers unpacking, whether he's here or in Memphis.  I mean, it'd be a hassle to get home, get things unpacked, and then get sent right back out.  He's flown around 7,000 miles with his callups, but he never lets it bother him on the mound, at least.  Salas got his most recent callup when Dennys Reyes was placed on the disabled list yesterday.  Reyes's stint was backdated to August 16, so that means that he can come off the DL right before rosters expand.  Which means that Salas might get one more trip to Memphis (and a return flight to St. Louis) before it's all said and done.In other news, the Post-Dispatch panel (and, while I love that they added VEB founder Larry Borowsky to the mix, they really could use a blogger or two in there, couldn't they?) discussed whether they believe Tony La Russa will return for the 2011 season.  I have maintained during the year that he and Dave Duncan seem to be checking off their bucket list, so the possibility that he won't return seems pretty strong to me.  If this team misses the playoffs, he may decide that, with this much talent (an MVP, a Cy Young and a ROY candidate), there may need to be a shakeup for it to really step up.  While I have no doubt that TLR is still very competitive, it is his 31st summer as a manager, not to mention those few seasons as a player.  It's got to get wearing at times.  I really won't be surprised either way, whether he stays or goes.Also, Ozzie Smith was at the Cards' minor league affiliate Quad Cities and spoke to the crowd for a while.  He mentioned that he's getting the bug again and might like to get back into baseball.  I'm not sure exactly how that'd work.  I mean, Ozzie Smith coaching fielding?  He could do some, but so much of what he did was instinct and reactions.  I know he worked hard at it, but you know it is, sometimes the great ones have trouble really translating what they could do to what they can teach.  Still, if Ozzie's going to be working somewhere, it better be with the Cardinals.  (Which opens up the whole TLR thing again, but let's not go there.)Tonight, Jake Westbrook goes for the Cards against Daniel McCutchen.  Westbrook, not surprisingly, hasn't faced Pittsburgh this year.  Hopefully he can give another performance in line with what he's done since coming to St. Louis, 2-3 runs in 6-7 innings.  McCutchen is having a terrible year (6.65 ERA) but was (of course) tolerable against the Cardinals in his only appearance against them this season, allowing four runs (three earned) in just under six innings.  'Course, he walked 6, so maybe patience is the key tonight.The Reds play this afternoon, so St. Louis and Albert will already know what they need to do. (Pujols may be the Triple Crown leader if Votto doesn't have a big day.)  After the game, check out Bill and Justin from i70baseball as they host the UCB Radio Hour at 9:30 Central.  Tonight, they have a number of guests scheduled, including author Rob Rains, so be sure to check it out! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920658/dear-cards-you-win.html Dear Cardinals,This is to inform you that, due to your maddeningly inconsistent play, your inability to beat bad teams regularly, and your amazing ability to tease with late inning rallies that fall short or winning streaks that are then followed by losing streaks, that I'm stepping back from this pennant race.  More power to you, but I don't think I can go up and down like this for another month.Look at this week, for example.  After falling to three and a half behind those Reds, you go out and dominate the first game against a team that, frankly, you should dominate against.  All well and good, especially when the Reds lost anyway.  The upward climb was going well with a three game winning streak.Then the car reached the top and started downward.  A frustrating loss with Adam Wainwright on the hill with a 2-0 lead was mitigated somewhat by the Reds also falling and Albert Pujols being one batting point away from a Triple Crown.  It wasn't much, but it was something.  A team that is serious about contending, though, doesn't lose a series to Pittsburgh, especially when they are trying to make up ground on a leader.  Yet that's exactly what happened with last night's performance.  The Pirates started a guy that had an ERA close to the mark of the beast, which might have been appropriate since he then went out and bedeviled the team last night.  A guy that had walked six last time he faced St. Louis wound up pitching six three-hit, scoreless innings, with only two walks in there.Finding a Hero in last night's game is tough.  Felipe Lopez did get a home run that broke up the shutout, but much-maligned Aaron Miles came in as a pinch hitter and went two for two, driving in the last run in the ninth.  Which is indicative of the bigger problem; you know you are struggling when Miles is the best part of a game.Even the consolation prize of a possible Triple Crown took a hit, with Albert Pujols having a rare 0-4 game.  Coupled with Joey Votto going off against the Giants, AP is now back seven points in the batting race, slipping to third behind Carlos Gonzalez.How can a team that is this talented, who was supposed to be comfortably ahead in the division right now, have a series where their star says, "We didn't play to win the series and they did"?  How is it even possible that you don't roll into Pittsburgh, take at least two of three if not sweep and then look to Washington?Derrick Goold has done the math on how hard it will be for the Cards to overcome 3.5 games this late in the season.  However, even thinking about a sustained tear for this team seems implausible at best.  At the end of April, they stood 15-8 and three games up in the division.  Since then, 53-48, never getting too high, seeming to pull out of tailspins.  To think that this team is suddenly going to play .600 ball over the next month seems, well, inconceivable.  And yes, I do know what that word means.So I'm done.  I'm not done being a fan or watching games, nothing like that.  I enjoy the baseball and will miss it significantly when it's gone in the coming days.  I'll still cheer and hope they win, but I am going to do my best to not worry about the pennant races, not get caught up in wins or losses.  Just try to enjoy the game, as the Cardinal Diamond Diaries ladies have suggested.Besides, I can already see how this season is going to pan out.  About late September, this team will finally put on a run.  Cincinnati will falter somewhat, so it will come down to the last day with a chance for the Cardinals to tie for the division and force a playoff.  They'll have the tying run on base in the ninth....and fall short.  It seems to be the way of things this year.I hope that with Chris Carpenter on the mound, who shut down Washington earlier in the year, going against Jordan Zimmerman, a talented young pitcher but one who is still adjusting from coming back from surgery, that the team will play to win tonight.  Cincinnati doesn't play, so we can pick up the half-game....which is something I won't be worrying about tonight.  Really. Promise. Maybe. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920657/exasperatingcardinals.html ExasperatedDefinition: to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely Synonyms: aggravate, agitate, anger, annoy, embitter, enrage, gallSee: St. Louis Cardinals, 2010It's like it's become a baseball version of Phineas and Ferb.  "Hey, Ferb, I know how we are going to play frustrating baseball today!"  (Side note: That's actually on right, and I'm going to watch it with my daughter once I'm finished rambling.)  There are nights that the offense doesn't show up.  Then the offense shows up, but the pitching goes to pot.  If they both work, that probably means the bullpen doesn't function.It's never a blowout and it's never easy.  I'd guess that fully 65% or more of the Cardinal games this year have had the chance of being tied in the ninth by one team or another.  You can't point a finger just at one thing.  It's possibly the most frustrating season the Cards have had in a long time, causing many fans to just hit their top level of exasperation.Last night was no exception.  First off, incredible kudos to Albert Pujols on reaching such an amazing milestone.  400 home runs earlier (in age) than anyone but Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez?  That's some strong company.  When there's been talk of AP breaking the all-time home run record, I've been a bit skeptical.  Sure, he puts up a lot of homers, but he's not a guy that tends to go out and have seasons of 50 or more. He's such a great all-around hitter that I figured he'd put up a high total, but not really challenge.  I don't think of him as a home-run hitter, just a great hitter that hits some home runs.When you get to 400 this early in a career, though, you have to start thinking about it.  Albert still has a lot of prime years left and, barring injury, he could break the club home run record (assuming he resigns with St. Louis) in 2012 if not before, reaching the 500 milestone in 2013.  It wouldn't take a Bonds-like suspicious surge to put him within reach of the mark.  It might even be appropriate, since Hank Aaron was a solid home run hitter who didn't put up huge seasons but consistent ones, just like AP.Besides that, there were a few positives.  Randy Winn had an exceptional game and really should have been discussed as the major contributor toward a win.  I honestly thought he had rapped into a double play in the ninth with the bases loaded, but he was able to hit the ball out of the shortstop's reach to plate the two runs that should have assured the win.  Four hits, including one in the twelfth which, coupled with a stolen base, put him at second with no outs, but he didn't sadly didn't move off of that spot.Brendan Ryan did fairly well also after being inserted in the fourth.  Only one hit, but some spectacular defense.  That play in the 12th saved the game for a while, but really was incredible.  If that wasn't the top play on Web Gems last night, there's no justice in this world.On the pitching side, Fernando Salas had another excellent game.  He ran into a bit of trouble with a couple of walks in his second inning, but was able to get out of that jam.  I think Salas has proven his worth and probably won't see Memphis again, whether this year or next.Other than that, though, there were a lot of disappointments.  While he didn't get a lot of help from his defense, Chris Carpenter usually pitches better than that.  You can't really think that he had a lack of focus or a let down because Washington was a last place team--we've seen him be too much of a competitor for that.  Maybe he wasn't comfortable for one reason or another or maybe it was just a flat game, but it came at possibly the worst time.Felipe Lopez....well, if the one game he made two errors at third was enough to make the team trade for Pedro Feliz, this game was probably enough to keep him off of shortstop for a long while.  I can semi-understand Tony La Russa's reasoning of not wanting to put Brendan Ryan into a tailspin again, but I think that might be underestimating Ryan a bit.  Knowing that Carpenter has requested Ryan in the past to play behind him, that could have been part of Carp's discomfort.However, it's pretty much all moot if Ryan Franklin can hold a lead.  I know it was his second inning of work, but looking at the lineup the Nationals sent up in the ninth, he should have been able to close the door.  Besides, he hadn't pitched since Saturday, so he shouldn't have been that tired after one inning.  (Interestingly, Franklin hadn't--and still hasn't--pitched in a save situation since locking down his 21st on August 13.  Which means there hasn't been any situations since then, which seems to me to be a long streak, if it means anything.)In a game that hard-fought, you just can't afford to give that lead back up, but Franklin did.  Adding just another layer to the exasperating season.  And that doesn't even take into account the fact that they slipped another half-game behind the Reds, but I'm not talking about the pennant race anymore, am I?By the way, I heard TLR's reasoning for not sending up Bryan Anderson in the 12th, instead using Adam Wainwright, but I'm not completely convinced.  I understand that he thought Doug Slaten would dominate Anderson since he's tough on lefties, but I think you still have to take your shot there.  Your pitching staff is getting depleted, your star is out there on one leg, you take your chance.  If you have to, put Anderson behind the plate, Yadier Molina at first and take Pujols out, because of the injury and they weren't going to ever pitch to him in any situation save bases loaded in that game anyway.  If Matt Holliday hadn't been hit on the hand, this wouldn't have been an issue, but it was way too reminiscent of the April 20-inning game vs. the Mets. We'll see if tonight's game is any less frustrating.  Jaime Garcia hasn't faced Washington this year, which is good for him, most likely.  He's coming off the shutout, so he can't do better than he did last time out, but if he can do somewhere in the neighborhood, hopefully the offense that was around last night will back him up.  Scott Olsen goes for the Nats.  A lefty with a 5+ ERA.....yeah, this is going to end well.If you'd like to see if this season was preordained or just remarkably frustrating, Out of the Park Baseball, a computer simulation game that has been around a while, is going to be half price this weekend.  OOTP is an incredible game and well-worth the $20 that you'd spend on it.  Download it and see what would have happened if David Freese had been healthy all year, if Brad Penny hadn't strained his side, if Ryan Ludwick never got traded.  You'll have a blast, I promise.More than watching the real team can be at times, at least! St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920656/sunnier-weekend.html It's been a while since we could look back on a four-game stretch and feel positive feelings about the Cardinal club.  Which means it is not surprising that off-field issues tended to cloud things up.  Quickly, a recap:Friday (3-2 win vs. Cincinnati)Hero: Mitchell Boggs.  I don't point out the middle relievers that often, unless they spectacularly flame out.  But Boggs came into a crucial one-run game with a runner on third and got the strikeout.  Got to give him some credit for that.Goat: Colby Rasmus.  0-3 with a strikeout.Notes: Jaime Garcia is staying in the Rookie of the Year race, even if Adam Wainwright and Albert Pujols are slipping out of the Cy Young and MVP talk.  Two runs in almost seven innings against the division leaders in a game that was a must-win?  Sharp.  Plus he went 2 for 2 at the plate and contributed to the scoring.Saturday (6-1 loss vs. Cincinnati)Hero: Matt Holliday.  Two for four with the lone RBI.Goat: Aaron Miles.  Not only does he go 0-4 with two strikeouts in the leadoff position, but his error in the first inning possibly turned the whole ball game.  He gets the double play, Wainwright is out of the inning unscathed.  Instead, runners on second and third with one out.Notes: That's not absolving Wainwright from all blame.  The Cy Young guy we've come to expect should have been able to limit the Reds to at most one run in the first, but instead the Reds got three.  Couple that with the home run he gave up to the opposing pitcher and the home mystique apparently is gone. I do like his pledge, though, that he won't lose again.  I'd love to see that come to fruition.Sunday (4-2 win vs. Cincinnati)Hero: Matt Holliday.  A huge three-run home run in a situation where he's struggled this year.Goat: Skip Schumaker.  An 0-hit day in the leadoff role.Notes: Chris Carpenter was on fire as well with 11 K, just slipping in the fifth and allowing the two runs.  The bullpen was solid as well, with Ryan Franklin getting his second save in three days.Monday (8-6 win at Milwaukee)Hero: Yadier Molina.  Slam it!Goat: Kyle McClellan.  While he didn't blow the game or, indeed, even get credited with any earned runs, McClellan didn't pitch very well, allowing his inherited runners to score and getting bailed out by a play at the plate.Notes: It's hard to know if you should be positive after this game, since the Cards finally beat a sub-.500 team, or worried because the bullpen almost blew it.  Jake Westbrook threw yet another good game and, yet again, wasn't able to get the victory.With everyone else losing, the Cards were able to cut into both the divisional and wild-card deficits, but it remains to be seen if there's anything here worth getting excited about.  It may be that the offseason discussion talk is a bit premature, but I'd be surprised.Then we get into the story of the weekend, in which we find our young centerfielder and our old manager either in a massive feud, working through their problems, or right as rain, depending on whom you talk to.  Colby Rasmus did (according to Tony La Russa) or didn't (according to Rasmus) ask for a trade last year and earlier this year.  Tony La Russa did (apparently) threaten to demote Rasmus to Memphis after he showed up late to a Cubs game earlier in the year.Here's the most promising thing out of the whole scenario, something that I think most people are overlooking: Albert Pujols loves being a Cardinal."It's a privilege to play in this organization, just behind the Yankees with 10 World Series (titles) and be able to be in the postseason almost every year.  I have nothing negative to say about this organization."Personally, I think the odds of resigning Pujols may not be as long as everyone is starting to think, when he has such a passionate defense, showing that he realizes that it's a quality place to play.Back to the topic, though.  TLR is saying that it's not a situation where it is either him or Rasmus, that their relationship is fine.  Perhaps, but if AP is fired up about it, and he said a "veteran guy" came to him concerned as well, all is not necessarily right in the Cardinal clubhouse.  Rasmus has some fences to mend.It may be somewhat of a moot point if TLR does retire at the end of the season.  If not, though, expect to hear a lot of trade talk about Rasmus, but very little of it coming from Cardinal sources.  Rasmus isn't going anywhere, unless a team just overwhelms John Mozeliak.Cards and Brewers at it again tonight.  Kyle Lohse heads back to the mound, which inspires exactly no one with confidence.  The only hope is that the Brewers' rotation has been terrible as well, and former Cardinal farmhand Chris Narveson, though having a good K/BB ratio and a middling BAA, does have a 5.33 ERA.  The Cardinals have scored some runs against him the three times they've seen him and they'll need to do so again tonight. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920655/5-things-ive-learned-at-school.html I know this is very un-Cardinal-related, but I thought I'd share a few pointers I've learned during my first week of school. Heck, I'm sure the locker room is like this. Just pretend it's Colby Rasmus writing home to his mom after his first week in St. Louis. What I've learned in my first week back in college, living in a all-male dorm. 1. Guys are green. The "if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down" is a rule most live by in the house. Unfortunately, that last phrase gets neglected sometimes. Which makes me wonder: how do you forget to do that? Did you have a pressing business meeting and forget your TPS report in your car? No, you are a lazy college student with a propensity to leave the scene of the crime without cleaning up the evidence. 2. Don't expect to get studying done in your room, especially if you have a TV. A.) Unless you can study to T.I. and 'Lil Wayne spitting beats on money and girls with booties the size of a yoga ball (pretty big), or Andy Sandberg attempting to explain to us that he is indeed not on land, you're pretty much screwed. B.) With ESPN always an option right in front of you, especially with the Little League World Series on, you're double screwed. Eventually you end up as a rapping kid-watcher who doesn't know how to operate a solid investment strategy. Trust me, you do. 3. No matter how much you attempt to keep your room organized, you won't. As an obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive person, I need to have things stay the way they are, where I put them. Then you get some papers from every single organization on campus. Then you get free cups with coupons that expire in a week and little highlighters that you aren't quite sure if you'll use but are too afraid that you might be able to find a use for them that you don't know where to put. Then you have clothes that you are too lazy to put in a hamper. All of a sudden, it looks like a F-5 tornado hit your room, complete with DOROTHY's little metal balls used to calculate it's pattern. Sadly, my room is one of the cleaner ones. 4. You are free to walk around in your boxers as much as you'd like. No girls means you can live like a caveman. Unfortunately, there's those people that take this PRIVILEGE too much like a right and begin to exploit it to it's boundaries. It's almost as if when you put a group of guys together, we try to revert as closely to being cavemen as we possibly can without finding weapons and fighting for space on the couch. Eh, sometimes that happens too. *raises hand* Guilty. 5. Drama is a fictitious apparition brought about by intertwining men and women together. Out here, in the outback of all-male living, drama does not exist. It's almost as if there could be, but we simply are too lazy to let it become drama. In this secluded part of society, men are men. If you wronged me, I tell you. If I wronged you, you tell me. Crisis averted, and we all can go back to solving bigger problems in life, like finding out the culprit in number one. 6. It's fun. If you haven't lived in all-gender housing at one point in your life, I hope you can experience it sometime. I'm sure I'll get sick of it by next week, but, until then, I have to go figure out where that smell is coming from. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920654/dave-duncan-mad.html The schism between Dave Duncan and everybody else is getting bigger, and it could lead to his departure at the end of the season.I realize that the posting schedule here has been a little erratic here lately, and I apologize for not having fresh, relevant content for you to read each morning as you "work" or, like me, "study." Truth is, school and life comes first, even in the midst of one of the strongest Cardinals ballclubs in the past decade, and I'm still trying to get as much in order as a college kid can.I did want to comment on the new drama that's erupted on a, for the most part, drama-less team. The schism that's appearing between Dave Duncan and the Cardinals seems like it's widening, and there seem to be many to blame but none at fault for the divide. Joe Strauss writes for the P-D:[Dave Duncan] is angry ? publicly so at a St. Louis media he believes stoked last month's trade of his outfielder son Chris to the Boston Red Sox and, until now, privately at a franchise that has created a minor-league pitching philosophy independent of his and bullpen coach Marty Mason's input.The latter half of that statement is, what I believe, will be the undoing of Dave Duncan, much more so than the exile of his son. Duncan's disapproval is great enough that Strauss writes that many believe it is a "precursor to him leaving after this season, " which "only gained steam last week when Duncan asked general manager John Mozeliak for a one-day leave of absence upon the team's return from a 5-2 West Coast trip to address "personal business."In short, Dave Duncan is unhappy about two things - the way his son was treated by the organization and its fanbase, and the way he's being usurped by the FO in pitcher development. Sadly, I don't really see this finding a happy ending, as Duncan has been quick to call the media's bluff but never has criticized his own organization quite as much as he has recently.I do believe that Chris Duncan always did carry the burden of being a coach's son, but the nonsense of him being "unfairly treated" is overblown. Tony La Russa mentions Duncan's '06 stretch as something to give Chris credibility, but for the past year and a half, Duncan has had almost zero value. That's not an exaggeration, his Runs Above Replacement (RAR) in '08 was 0.7 and this year was -3.3. In the same way that Jason Isringhausen was escorted out, in the same way Jim Edmonds was escorted out, Chris Duncan was treated just like all the others. There was a variety of reasons why Chris was traded, including the fact that he would be due for arbitration next year, and trading him now brought the bounty of Julio Lugo for a year and a half, with his entire $13.5 million remaining salary paid for by Boston. Lugo alone has played at a 4.4 RAR level in just his time in St. Louis. Best of all, his acquisition gives us a ton of leverage next year.The trade was a really, really good one, especially now since Chris was released by Boston a week ago and could be had for free. Chris, in fact, was given the benefit of a doubt for almost two years. It's apparent he was injured, and more should have been done by all parties to address it. It was a wonder that he was even able to start playing again after his surgery, but his refusal to acknowledge that there was something wrong - doing so would probably have won him even more credibility - and the club's refusal to force it down on him, left everyone involved as a reason his lack of performance wasn't justified.I'm sure I'm generalizing the situation a lot from the complexities that factor into it, but the constant complaining that Chris Duncan was undone by the organization and its fans is annoying and untrue. If Duncan was hurt, he should have said so. If he wasn't hurting, then his performance truly was terrible and should have been replaced, like he was. All in all, it's a hairy situation, and I hope we don't lose Dave Duncan, one of the greatest pitching coaches of all-time, because of it. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920653/twitter-tuesday-reactions-on-dave-duncan.html It's time for another installment of Twitter Tuesdays, this time covering the speculation and reactions surrounding Dave Duncan and his future with the Cardinals.Get to da choppa!@bencollins01 The Joel Pineiro Cy Young campaign starts here: http://alturl.com/57bj and if Dave Duncan is leaving the Cards, #Mets please sign him upI'm kind of confused by this fan's allegiances.@bencollins01 and then maybe Dave Duncan can turn Oliver Perez into an actual $12M pitcherI'm sorry to say that Oliver Perez is very much the anti-Dave Duncan - 0.69 career GB/FB, stubborn, home run prone, etc. Heck, while we're at it, let's turn Tim Redding into the next Woody Williams too.@throatwarbler For the record - I would like to see Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan return for 2010. #stlcards Best tandem since Herzog/RoarkeLet's not kid ourselves. TLR/DD have been better. Controversial, but true. I smell a research topic.@injuryexpert RT @BaseballStone: The two top free agents are tony La Russa and dave duncan. Duncan is still smarting about the way his son was traded.Matt Holliday begs to differ.@JohnLGoodman Wonder what Dave Duncan thinks of the Joba Rules?????But I wanna know what he tinks of Wainwight Wules... :(@briansalgado Are Cubs the next stop? RT @BaseballStone: 2 top FAs, tony La Russa & dave duncan. Duncan still smarting about way his son was tradedWhat? Your precious Lou Pinella not good enough for you?@PRINCE_OF_NY The growing possibility that Dave Duncan might leave the Cardinals. (The Mets should open the checkbook.)Ah, the checkbook. Fitting thing for a Prince of New York to say. How did that turn out with Rick Peterson? Ok, just checking. Say, who named you the prince anyway?@aboutfiftymillionotherpostswantinghimtocometoNewYork ...Seriously, some fans will jump on any bandwagon they can and throw money at their problems like it's candy. No, Dave Duncan will not go to New York. It's a good possibility that Duncan could leave at the end of the season, but I have a suspicion that winning will play a factor in the end.Summary: what Dave Duncan giveth, he can taketh away. Or something like that. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920652/my-apologies.html I explain why it's my fault why we got eliminated.I admit it. I take full credit for what happened in the past week. Heck, I take credit for what's happened over the past month. Since I stopped blogging the Cards went 13-16 (.448)... well... technically 13-19 if you include the charade of a playoff run we attempted in LA. When Rockin' the Red was kickin', the BlogBirds went a healthy 78-56 (.582) and were the team to beat. I pretty much left off while the Dave Duncan drama-party was still in fashion, and, although that storyline has seemed to pass faster than Tony Romo passing on Britney Spears before Jessica Simpson, it still feels very awkward to witness how the season ended.There's not a greater word to describe the ending, I feel, other than awkward. You can awkwardly meet an ex-girlfriend in the grocery store line. You can awkwardly pee in your pants on a school bus. You can awkwardly get hit in the crotch while trying to catch a fly ball to send the series back to St. Louis. You can awkwardly leave post-season play in three-straight, after being the heavy favorite and selling a good deal of the farm to assume so much.I wish I had a great motivational speech to stir about optimism within our hearts and make us feel good again, but, alas, it's still a little awkward and I don't know if I'm ready to go down that road just yet. St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/2920651/vote-on-matt-holliday.html We all are well-versed on the Matt Holliday saga by now. MLBTR reports that Boston offered Matt a 5-year/$82.5 million deal before signing John Lackey; all signals point to the $16 million mark as the market going-price for the left fielder. You play GM. Knowing what you know, knowing that Holliday could walk away from your offer, which is non-negotiable after it leaves your hands, I ask you this...How long should the Cardinals sign Matt Holliday at $16m per?(answers) St. Louis Cardinals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates