baseball players love when you treat their injuries like a little kid's scraped knee
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 26 February 2015 18:07 (nine years ago) link
getting the bad feeling Garcia takes SP5 out of camp, so we can dick around with Martinez being not starter or a reliever or maybe lets stretch him out at Memphis for a month and then wait oh the seasons over n/m.
― bnw, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 19:28 (nine years ago) link
i have mixed feelings. i really want martinez to be SP5, entire season, and blow everyone out of the water. watching him in middle reliever purgatory for another year would be agonizing.
but on the other hand, martinez has never pitched more than 105 innings in a year. so if what i want happens - martinez gets a real chance and is successful - i'm not sure that the cards would want him pitching 180+ innings. also, if garcia is even in the conversation for SP5 coming out of spring training, that's ultimately a good problem to have. maybe, in the scenario that both garcia and martinez (leaving marco gonzalez out of the equation for now) are performing well, the front office might respond by trading away one of them at the deadline?
i dunno. sadly, i've gotten used to some terrible injury in the starting rotation popping up during spring training, so the problem might solve itself in a manner that disappoints everyone.
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 22:31 (nine years ago) link
i'm sure everyone besides me and bnw will be happy to contemplate this, but i also have the bad feeling that this might be the last chance for the cardinals, at least for the next few years. holliday is 35. peralta is 33. yadi is 32. wainwright is 33. taveras might have been able to carry the weight offensively, but now that he's gone, piscotty and grichuk might be serviceable but they don't excite me. there's some good talent in the low minors but it's going to take a few years, and i'm not sure that the current crew will be able to bridge the gap until then.
don't get me wrong, i think they'll still be good for the next few years. the starting pitching will hopefully continue to be good, with an aging wainwright + wacha, martinez, gonzalez, lynn. but things seem to be trending in a negative direction. hopefully they make this year count!
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 22:41 (nine years ago) link
first lineup of the year. :)
https://mlblogsbucsbits.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/wpid-img_20150305_080621768.jpg?w=227&h=391
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 5 March 2015 13:50 (nine years ago) link
Yay! I try to keep bullish on the long term mainly because of Mo and Dewitt. If Heyward has a solid year he'll probably be part of it. I wish there were some creative way to manage the innings load b/c you are right, envisioning 30 starts from either Martinez or Wacha seems nuts.
― bnw, Thursday, 5 March 2015 15:39 (nine years ago) link
i was hoping it would be on mlb.tv, but i guess not. although maybe it'll still be on radio? i'm itching for some baseball.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 5 March 2015 15:47 (nine years ago) link
y'know, you guys seem so nice - like the rational, reasonable cards fans - and then this shit happens http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/03/04/st-louis-cardinals-adam-wainwright-jason-heyward/24397651/
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 5 March 2015 16:36 (nine years ago) link
http://deadspin.com/moron-usa-today-columnist-thinks-the-cardinals-poop-van-1689616561
lol xp
― mookieproof, Thursday, 5 March 2015 16:36 (nine years ago) link
"Vanilla are our colored sprinkles.''
dammit, i should have waited a few more days to make this thread
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 5 March 2015 16:52 (nine years ago) link
both the column and deadspin reaction fit the boring narrative so nightengale wins a brand new poop van
― bnw, Thursday, 5 March 2015 19:21 (nine years ago) link
true, it's not like drew magary isn't a pile of canned schtick himself - sub-taibbi piles of adjectives, quarter-smart-at-best profane witticisms, facile/transparent attempts to pretend to be above sports cliches while also steering into every possible skid of bullshit machismo - just another side of the same shitsmeared sportswriter coin
btw do you get decent mileage on a poop van? sounds sustainable tbh
― slothroprhymes, Thursday, 5 March 2015 19:48 (nine years ago) link
@pgammoCarlos Martinez FB, CB, great change, worked quickly like Buerhle..."Midseason great " said Marlin exec
― mookieproof, Thursday, 5 March 2015 20:36 (nine years ago) link
can we change the name of the thread to "the cardinal poop van"
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Friday, 6 March 2015 00:53 (nine years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_vZsMLWYAAdYYx.jpg
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 March 2015 13:52 (nine years ago) link
wow, i don't remember seeing those before! What year is that from? '75?
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 March 2015 13:54 (nine years ago) link
'76 -- i think it was a bicentennial thing? pirates did it too, obviously, not sure who (if anyone) else
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 March 2015 14:01 (nine years ago) link
yikes.
i was thinking that analyses of stolen bases that focus just on successful attempts and exclude caught stealing are really misleading. the cardinals were near the bottom of the league in successful stolen attempts, so i was hoping that by looking at CS's and SB% they might come out a little better.
nope (sorted by SB%):
http://i.imgur.com/xGS4xvq.jpg
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Thursday, 12 March 2015 19:03 (nine years ago) link
what is the break-even point on SB% where you're doing more harm than good by attempting to steal bases? 66% if I remember? If Matheny's steal sign would have been disabled last year entirely, it would have improved the team.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Thursday, 12 March 2015 19:06 (nine years ago) link
whooops, that was sorted by net stolen bases. here's the SB% sorted one:
http://i.imgur.com/pJJ28SE.jpg
(either way they come out looking bad)
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Thursday, 12 March 2015 19:08 (nine years ago) link
shit. i just happened to tune in to the game against the marlins, just in time to watch tommy pham dive for a ball and get injured (for the millionth time). feel bad for him.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Friday, 13 March 2015 17:43 (nine years ago) link
the 'extremely fragile' tag is often unjustly applied, i think, but tommy pham is extremely fragile. he dived, sure, but there didn't appear to be anything that twisted or hit the ground awkwardly.
:(
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Friday, 13 March 2015 17:45 (nine years ago) link
ugh, these uniforms
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAUQPI7WwAEIxqc.jpg
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 17 March 2015 17:36 (nine years ago) link
i read yesterday that Patrick's color was actually blue, too late to email Manfred.
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 17 March 2015 17:38 (nine years ago) link
nice overview of many notable names from the farm (and others that I've never heard of): http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-st-louis-cardinals/
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 18 March 2015 20:46 (nine years ago) link
so there's no announcement from matheny or anything, but...carlos martinez isn't going to make the rotation, is he. sigh. prediction: garcia will start the season as 5th starter, with martinez in the bullpen as the setup lefty guy (a role they're lacking right now) and marco in AAA. eventually garcia will get injured (or someone else will). martinez won't be stretched out as a SP, so gonzalez will get the nod for SP. in spring training 2016 rumors will fly that maybe THIS year martinez gets a shot at the starting rotation. goddammit.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 25 March 2015 21:05 (nine years ago) link
Well maybe it'll payoff when he's got less miles on his arm down the road. In happier news - Wacha spring 1.76 ERA 16k 1bb
― bnw, Wednesday, 25 March 2015 21:11 (nine years ago) link
Former Cardinals player punched at St. Louis County gas station after racial slur
Former Cardinals outfielder Curt Ford said Thursday he may move away from the St. Louis area in disgust after being punched in an allegedly unprovoked, race-related attack at a gas station."I'm going to let the authorities handle this situation, but I've had enough of St. Louis," Ford said in a phone interview Thursday. "You hear about this kind of stuff happening, and I always knew it existed because of my previous experience working here in St. Louis, but you try to keep away from it and there is just no way you can do that unless you stay inside like a hermit.
"I'm going to let the authorities handle this situation, but I've had enough of St. Louis," Ford said in a phone interview Thursday. "You hear about this kind of stuff happening, and I always knew it existed because of my previous experience working here in St. Louis, but you try to keep away from it and there is just no way you can do that unless you stay inside like a hermit.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Thursday, 26 March 2015 20:46 (nine years ago) link
bourjos doubled today! now 4-for-33
― mookieproof, Friday, 27 March 2015 18:57 (nine years ago) link
martinez = fifth starter
gonzales to memphis
― mookieproof, Monday, 30 March 2015 20:51 (nine years ago) link
on the other hand, pete kozma has made the team
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:11 (nine years ago) link
he's out of options.
we are all, sadly, out of options
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:38 (nine years ago) link
at least this should the final year for kozma. i'm much more comfortable with his role on the team now, with peralta and wong comfortably in front of him. as long as you just focus on his decent defense and assume that every single one of his plate appearances will end up as a weak groundball to 2B, he's not as much of a let down.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 31 March 2015 14:40 (nine years ago) link
carlos villanueva: swinger
Villanueva has never made more than 16 starts or logged fewer than 33 appearances. With the exception of one season he spent fully in the bullpen, he has also always made at least five starts. That puts him in some extremely rarified air.When it comes to moving back-and-forth from bullpen to rotation, nobody swings like Carlos Villanueva.Setting the parameters for what constitutes a swingman is a bit arbitrary, but Ben's initial framework seems solid - 16 or fewer starts and at least 33 appearances. That means we're talking about guys who made at least twice as many appearances in relief as starting. We'll also need some kind of floor to separate guys who were really just relievers who only made a couple of token starts. I'll set the minimum at five starts - the fewest Villanueva has made.Under those conditions, Carlos Villanueva has qualified as a "swingman" in seven different seasons. No other pitcher since 1920 has met those conditions in more than five. (If you bump the minimum number of starts down to three, Villanueva is still the king, though a couple others come closer with six seasons.)
When it comes to moving back-and-forth from bullpen to rotation, nobody swings like Carlos Villanueva.
Setting the parameters for what constitutes a swingman is a bit arbitrary, but Ben's initial framework seems solid - 16 or fewer starts and at least 33 appearances. That means we're talking about guys who made at least twice as many appearances in relief as starting. We'll also need some kind of floor to separate guys who were really just relievers who only made a couple of token starts. I'll set the minimum at five starts - the fewest Villanueva has made.
Under those conditions, Carlos Villanueva has qualified as a "swingman" in seven different seasons. No other pitcher since 1920 has met those conditions in more than five. (If you bump the minimum number of starts down to three, Villanueva is still the king, though a couple others come closer with six seasons.)
https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uTI1KzogLSeYJn6OQYbbKPkG0b0=/0x1419:3264x3595/730x487/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45626576/usa-today-7849024.0.jpg
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 14:19 (nine years ago) link
Lindbergh w/ Wrath of Khan ref
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-mlb-nl-central-preview-cardinals-pirates-cubs-brewers-reds/
― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 17:30 (nine years ago) link
the rotation is set:
wainwrightlynnlackeywachamartinez
surprised to see wacha down at #4, considering that he has a good chance of outpitching wainwright this year (that may be overly optimistic, but not by much), but maybe it has to do with managing his IP count?
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:26 (nine years ago) link
did the cards have to pay lackey real money or did he honor that injury clause & is only making the league minimum?
― pimento is a cheese, some call it the caviar of the south (slothroprhymes), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:28 (nine years ago) link
league minimum. there's been discussion of paying him more, but only if it's part of an extension deal, and lackey seems to be holding out for free agency.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:30 (nine years ago) link
well at least that means he'll try & pitch well if he still wants to play! regardless of where that might be.
it's dark times indeed where i sort of miss john lackey on the sox :/
― pimento is a cheese, some call it the caviar of the south (slothroprhymes), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:33 (nine years ago) link
i feel bad but i kind of dislike lackey just because of the FACE he makes as he waits for the catcher to give him a sign. it's just this really stupid, open-mouthed bleeeeehhhhh. lance lynn's dopey face is just as bad if not worse, but i guess i've had more time to get used to it.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:37 (nine years ago) link
my evaluations of starting pitchers uses a complex blend of advanced stats and facial analysis.
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:38 (nine years ago) link
lol, yea he does look pretty hickish and redassed, which seems like it matches his persona
i mean personally he's a huge douche. see "lackey, john, marital relations, 2011." also see, "chicken and beer," and sadly i don't mean the excellent ludacris album
― pimento is a cheese, some call it the caviar of the south (slothroprhymes), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:44 (nine years ago) link
but maaaaaan he was pretty all right in 2013 and even 14
shoot, i knew about chicken & beer but not about the divorce thing. yikes.
this year i kinda want to take screen shots of every pitcher doing their stupid face as they look at the catcher between pitches and make one really long video montage
― who is dankey kang (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:51 (nine years ago) link
would watch
― pimento is a cheese, some call it the caviar of the south (slothroprhymes), Wednesday, 1 April 2015 19:52 (nine years ago) link
i can understand a pitcher being unhappy when someone behind him makes an error, but lackey's body language is like asshole performance art
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 1 April 2015 20:36 (nine years ago) link
Jenifer Langosch @LangoschMLB#stlcards OF Tommy Pham headed to see Texas physician re: his left quad strain. Three weeks after sustaining injury, he's not feeling right.
:( feel so bad for this guy.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 April 2015 14:38 (nine years ago) link
i know it's just spring training, but the cardinals came in dead last in runs scored (by a wide margin, too), and were near the very bottom in HRs, SLG, OPS, pretty much every offensive stat that wasn't weakly grounding out to 2B. they did lead the NL in SBs, but i'm trying to track down how many times they were caught stealing, because that must have set some sort of record.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 April 2015 19:54 (nine years ago) link
ah, found it. they led MLB in caught stealing, and ended up with a 67.5% SB%
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 April 2015 19:58 (nine years ago) link
http://mlb.mlb.com/assets/images/3/0/0/81074300/cuts/Waino2_t0hmahpz_v01uw182.jpg
― Van Horn Street, Friday, 3 April 2015 16:08 (nine years ago) link
http://cdn.patch.com/users/22068930/2014/06/T800x600/60ecf348a94290afd09ad1915df8e6a4.jpg
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 7 October 2015 18:02 (eight years ago) link
cardinals need to end their 4 year long world series drought so their poor fanbase can find solace
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Wednesday, 7 October 2015 18:03 (eight years ago) link
i think you are going to sleep ten years in your cabin and discover theyve been raptured
― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 7 October 2015 18:04 (eight years ago) link
how about some good news
Impending free-agent Jason Heyward on possibly coming back to #STLCards: "This is definitely an ideal situation."
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) October 14, 2015
― 1998 ball boy (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 14 October 2015 03:38 (eight years ago) link
33 years ago today i became a willie mcgee fan 4 lyfe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnEZ8NFI-E
plus two homers, nbd
― mookieproof, Thursday, 15 October 2015 16:37 (eight years ago) link
can't wait until Grich hits 25 homers next year and we all reminisce about the time MM pinch hit Greg Garcia for him... in a playoff elimination game.
― bnw, Thursday, 15 October 2015 16:41 (eight years ago) link
he started grichuk so he could get that great defense in CF from his broken arm, and then pinch hit with garcia. i've been suppressing all memories of the NLDS but that one does stick out. did anyone conduct the customary post-elimination "wtf were you thinking?" interview with Matheny this year?
― 1998 ball boy (Karl Malone), Thursday, 15 October 2015 17:06 (eight years ago) link
St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals 18m18 minutes agoYadier Molina with have surgery on his thumb today. Will be without baseball activity for 8-12 weeks. Should be ready for Spring Training.
― 1998 ball boy (Karl Malone), Thursday, 15 October 2015 17:39 (eight years ago) link
still couldn't bat him 8th without a thumb b/c *feelings*
― bnw, Thursday, 15 October 2015 18:17 (eight years ago) link
i do remember Cosell intoning "wil-LIE muh-GEE."
― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 15 October 2015 18:19 (eight years ago) link
alex reyes, 50-game suspension for w33d
― mookieproof, Monday, 9 November 2015 22:33 (eight years ago) link
mlb got no chill. bank some innings for him.
― bnw, Monday, 9 November 2015 22:54 (eight years ago) link
lance lynn had tommy john today, out for 2016
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:26 (eight years ago) link
oof
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:30 (eight years ago) link
#SIGNDAVIDPRICE
so that the cubs don't get him, also
i dont think he likes DA LORD enough
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:36 (eight years ago) link
i was mostly joking (i'd rather they spend the money to get heyward) and the cardinals aren't too prone to panic signings. without lynn, the rotation would be something like:
wainwrightcarlos martinezjaime garciamichael wachacooney/lyons for the first part of the year, then hopefully a bounceback marco gonzalez or even noted bob marley fan alex reyes later in the year
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:42 (eight years ago) link
he's from tennessee; he'll get by xp
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:42 (eight years ago) link
(but if they did end up getting price i have to admit i'd be pretty pumped, especially if they didn't sign him through his age-43 year or something)
speaking of bob marley fan alex reyes, apparently the remainder of the Arizona Fall League (10 games) counts towards his suspension, so at least it'll only be a 40 game suspension. still, awful timing, because the lynn thing would have made his path to the big leagues that much easier.
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:44 (eight years ago) link
tbh i think reyes' suspension is almost a good thing. suspending someone from afl games is a joke; he'd have pitched like five more innings anyway. it keeps his innings total down for next year -- he's never thrown more than 109 in a season. so he skips the first six weeks, gets warmed up until after the super-two deadline, and is in good shape to help st. louis later in the season.
also it seems to have brought to light the difference in the way minor leaguers are treated for this stuff vs. big leaguers, which is probably good
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:54 (eight years ago) link
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, November 10, 2015 4:42 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
damn no love for the lackeyman
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 21:59 (eight years ago) link
i don't mind the ol' saltster but he's a free agent
if they could get him for 2 years he might be worth overpaying a little, but he'll likely get 3 years at 14 or 15 per year and that's a little too salty
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 22:04 (eight years ago) link
rapture
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ca0pfqaUMAAYd_s.jpg
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 11 February 2016 11:28 (eight years ago) link
lol'd more at RS Nation tbh
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 11 February 2016 11:29 (eight years ago) link
https://twitter.com/vivaelbirdos/status/697783749333934081
Several international sources believe the Cardinals are preparing to exceed their upcoming international bonus pool, joining the Padres, Braves and Nationals as teams going over on July 2.
― bnw, Thursday, 11 February 2016 15:05 (eight years ago) link
excellent
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 11 February 2016 15:06 (eight years ago) link
one of the prospects at spring training in florida is named Daniel Poncedeleon
― bnw, Thursday, 25 February 2016 22:35 (eight years ago) link
That guy is in camp purely because of his name.
Want to start the new thread? I'd do it but I'm awful at coming up with punny thread titles
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 25 February 2016 22:40 (eight years ago) link
does anyone here actually like the cardinals tho
― How Butch, I mean (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Friday, 26 February 2016 04:29 (eight years ago) link
Doesn't everyone love the cardinals??
― Karl Malone, Friday, 26 February 2016 13:21 (eight years ago) link
just The Way!
― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Friday, 26 February 2016 13:48 (eight years ago) link
very tempted to start Hacking Ass: the 2016 St. Louis Cardinals Thread
― Immediate Follower (NA), Friday, 26 February 2016 17:01 (eight years ago) link
commit
― How Butch, I mean (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 27 February 2016 16:34 (eight years ago) link
that would be understandable in pretty much any year from 1908-2015, but given the likelihood of a total beatdown in 2016, the etymology of the thread title might begin to make me freak out around late summer
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 27 February 2016 16:41 (eight years ago) link
no way a Cubbie fan starts the thread unless we can name yours :[
― bnw, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 15:24 (eight years ago) link
Haters gonna hatehttps://media.giphy.com/media/3o85xFLWq8XpFW84Rq/giphy.gif
― bnw, Tuesday, 1 March 2016 15:54 (eight years ago) link