Kudos to the Cardinals for swiftly dismissing Scott Spiezio.
By Bernie Miklasz
02/28/2008
Owner Bill DeWitt, GM John Mozeliak and the organization made a strong statement about establishing standards for personal conduct.
Mozeliak, in particular, stood up in a strong way that reaffirmed that there's a new GM in charge, and he won't be weak.
Human beings make mistakes, and are entitled to second chances as long as they're genuine about growing from the experience in a way that makes them a better person. Tony La Russa and his DUI in Florida last spring is an example of what I'm talking about. La Russa was ashamed by what he did, and I'd be absolutely shocked if TLR ever put himself in that irresponsible position again. He learned from his poor judgment.
But Spiezio was given many chances by the Cardinals. He was signed off the street when no one wanted him after the 2005 season. As we found out later, he was given an opportunity to get his act together early in the 2007 season, when rumors of his use of alcohol and substances began to surface. The team backed him again when he went into a rehab facility last season. They supported him again, and with a warm embrace, when he checked out of rehab and returned to the uniform. And they were behind Spiezio again by bringing him back for 2008.
At some point, he had to return that loyalty. He had to prove that he was trustworthy and reliable and honest and clean. And Spiezio failed miserably on all counts. For this knucklehead to essentially conceal the nature and magnitude of the wild spree that allegedly occured on the night of Dec. 30 in Irvine, Calif. was simply unacceptable, and unforgivable.
And this is especially true in the aftermath of Josh Hancock killing himself by driving drunk last April.
===
Spiezio's con was so good it even had him fooled
By Bryan Burwell
02/28/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — It was all unraveling before him, his life, his job and the flimsy lies he had desperately used to hold them all together. So now Scott Spiezio was in the players' parking lot at Roger Dean Stadium on Wednesday afternoon pacing anxiously with a cell phone pressed to his ear. He was animated and agitated and behaving like a cornered man, which is exactly what he was.
"He kept walking back and forth kicking the curb," said a concerned teammate who had no idea what was wrong. What was wrong was that Scott Spiezio had blown it. The Cardinals had given him a second chance after he'd missed part of last season in rehab for substance abuse. They had given him a second chance even after he'd breezed through that rehab like it was a fast food drive-through. They'd given him a second chance, and he spent the past few months telling everyone and anyone who'd listen that he was an inspiring comeback story.
And we all fell for the con. On Tuesday morning, he was on the front page of the Palm Beach Post in a touching story about how he'd turned his life around. But it was a lie and he knew it. There was an arrest warrant in California with his name on it, and now on Wednesday afternoon, it became public, and the details were beyond disturbing. The 35-year-old infielder was accused of going on a drunken binge, climbing behind the wheel of his expensive sports car, weaving dangerously through lanes into oncoming traffic, then crashing to a halt when he ran into a fence in the early morning of Dec. 30.
And then he lied to the Cardinals about it. He told them it was a car accident and nothing more, which is sort of like saying a trip on the Titanic was just a boat ride. And Wednesday Cardinals management did the absolute right thing for their organization and this troubled man. They told him he was done in a Cardinals uniform.
Yet they also sent a message that should resonate into every corner of their clubhouse, their organization and throughout Cardinals Nation. "I think there is a message," said general manager John Mozeliak. "Clearly given what is at stake, we want people to understand that ... we do have expectations about how they live their lives. Not trying to be the moral compass, but we felt it was the right thing to do for this organization."
===
Spiezio had to go — for his sake and the team's
By Jeff Gordon
02/27/2008
...The Cards must move forward without Spiezio. In baseball terms, this is a tough blow.
When healthy, Spiezio could fill in at the corner outfield and infield spots -– and play second base in a pinch. He could hit from both sides of the plate and provide power.
At his best, Spiezio could do the job of two bench players and give La Russa great tactical flexibility. His abrupt departure is just one more sign that 2008 will be a rebuilding year for the former champions.
His demise is just another unhappy development for this team. Juan Encarnacion could not make it back from his eye injury. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder are on the mend from major surgery.
David Eckstein and Troy Percival left as free agents. Scott Rolen demanded a trade and was moved to Toronto for Troy Glaus. Mozeliak sent Jim Edmonds to San Diego in a salary dump. One by one, key veterans from a once-formidable clubhouse have gone by the wayside.
The Cards are starting over. Young infielder Brendan Ryan moves up a peg, since he can play third base in addition to shortstop and second base.
The team’s youthful outfield depth becomes more critical. Extra veterans like Brian Barden and D’Angelo Jimenez suddenly have more hope, too, as La Russa explores all his options.
As for Spiezio, well, you can only hope he finds his way. He faces the distinct possibility that his career is done.
Perhaps this stark realization will scare him straight. Nothing else has.
===
My take:
All of you that know me can only imagine the soapbox I was on late yesterday ...
He is a classic example of squandering god given talent and family connections to be able to PLAY A GAME FOR A LIVING at the Major League level. And what does he do? Takes a second chance that 99.5% of players and wanna be major leaguers never get and gives everyone around him and his fans in STL the middle finger.
AP article I read said, “Spiezio was entering the final season of a two-year, $4.5 million contract. He was released the same way most players are cut, for failure "to exhibit sufficient skill or competitive ability." That means the Cardinals owe him this year's $2.3 million salary plus a $100,000 buyout of a $2.5 million team option for 2009 -- because of that, the likelihood of a grievance by the players' union is small.”
That’s a lot Mr. Red Soul Patch Man, you lied, played us in Cardinal Nation for fools and have cost us 2.4 million dollars for the next year so you can go to a pish posh rehab resort on our dime and “find yourself”. Nicely done skipjack.
By the way, Spiez, that flushing sound you hear is your MLB career.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
2/27: Rolen, TLR, Matheny, Clement
Rolen: 'It had to happen'
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
DUNEDIN, FLA. — Scott Rolen says he misses St. Louis, the fans and "the celebration of the game ... being a St. Louis Cardinal."
But dressed in the deep tones of a Toronto Blue Jays jersey, the one-time Cardinal for life is also visibly relieved.
"I'm happy to be here with the Blue Jays. It's a great environment. It's a fresh start. It's a new challenge with a good group of guys and a good team," offered the Jays' new third baseman. "Never in a million years did I think it would be the situation. I never wanted that situation. I was never looking for a fresh start.
"It came to a point where it had to happen. Because it had to happen, I'm glad to be where I am."
Rolen offered the same theme almost six years ago when the Cardinals rescued him from a ruined relationship with the Philadelphia Phillies. The son of the Midwest had come home. His reward was a World Series ring, a top four MVP finish and four Gold Gloves.
My take:
Whatever you big cry baby... I think we should start a pool for how many weeks/months it'll take before he starts whining about something up there in the frozen north.
===
No worries for La Russa — until they start playing
By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
..."You know how sometimes you watch a game and it's one of those sleepy spring training games?" the manager said. "Well, I'll be absolutely shocked if you see us play any of those. A lot of the positions in these games are being manned by guys who are playing for their lives; they're fighting to see how many at-bats they can get, how many innings will they pitch."
So La Russa walks around with his typical "glass is half-full" optimism, even though most of Cardinal Nation is full of "glass is half-empty" trepidation. We see sore arms everywhere. We see an everyday lineup banking on salvation from a former two-time MVP who hasn't taken a major-league at-bat since 2005 and has Mitchell Report whispers lingering around him.
But no one's started to keep score yet, so La Russa wants us to squint a bit and share his vision. "I'm not blowing smoke," he says. "I'm optimistic, and here's the difference. If I said right now that we're as good a club as there is in baseball that would be nonsense, because we've done nothing to establish that. But here's what I do know: We're going to play hard enough. I just don't know if we're going to play good enough. We'll have to wait to see how that all works out. But I can tell you this: Playing hard enough can be a very attractive thing."
It's February, and no one's started to keep score. Let's check back with him again in June and see if he still feels that way.
===
Matheny leaves, but Cards hope he returns
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny spent his last day in spring training Tuesday, but he’s been told the door is open for his return.
The Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa hope that Matheny, a former Gold Glove winner, will drop by the ballpark during home stands and continue his work with the catchers.
My take:
Matheny went on to say something about the next 10 years were for his kids which is pretty awesome. Wouldn't surprise me to see him wander in and out of Cardinal stuff for a few years before taking on a more official role...
===
Cards Notebook: Clement update
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Righthander Matt Clement is scheduled to throw his last long toss today before returning to the mound this week and restarting his progression toward games.
Clement, coming off shoulder surgery, had his schedule rewritten around a long-toss program to improve his arm strength.
"There’s a big difference," he said. "It’s a matter of now being able to get out there and go with high intensity and stay with it, rather than just going out there and just doing it."
My take:
At this rate, maybe the Ticket Office should look at a Pitcher Rehab Weekend Ticket Package in July. Carp could start the Saturday game and Clement the Sunday one. Brutal.
===
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
DUNEDIN, FLA. — Scott Rolen says he misses St. Louis, the fans and "the celebration of the game ... being a St. Louis Cardinal."
But dressed in the deep tones of a Toronto Blue Jays jersey, the one-time Cardinal for life is also visibly relieved.
"I'm happy to be here with the Blue Jays. It's a great environment. It's a fresh start. It's a new challenge with a good group of guys and a good team," offered the Jays' new third baseman. "Never in a million years did I think it would be the situation. I never wanted that situation. I was never looking for a fresh start.
"It came to a point where it had to happen. Because it had to happen, I'm glad to be where I am."
Rolen offered the same theme almost six years ago when the Cardinals rescued him from a ruined relationship with the Philadelphia Phillies. The son of the Midwest had come home. His reward was a World Series ring, a top four MVP finish and four Gold Gloves.
My take:
Whatever you big cry baby... I think we should start a pool for how many weeks/months it'll take before he starts whining about something up there in the frozen north.
===
No worries for La Russa — until they start playing
By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
..."You know how sometimes you watch a game and it's one of those sleepy spring training games?" the manager said. "Well, I'll be absolutely shocked if you see us play any of those. A lot of the positions in these games are being manned by guys who are playing for their lives; they're fighting to see how many at-bats they can get, how many innings will they pitch."
So La Russa walks around with his typical "glass is half-full" optimism, even though most of Cardinal Nation is full of "glass is half-empty" trepidation. We see sore arms everywhere. We see an everyday lineup banking on salvation from a former two-time MVP who hasn't taken a major-league at-bat since 2005 and has Mitchell Report whispers lingering around him.
But no one's started to keep score yet, so La Russa wants us to squint a bit and share his vision. "I'm not blowing smoke," he says. "I'm optimistic, and here's the difference. If I said right now that we're as good a club as there is in baseball that would be nonsense, because we've done nothing to establish that. But here's what I do know: We're going to play hard enough. I just don't know if we're going to play good enough. We'll have to wait to see how that all works out. But I can tell you this: Playing hard enough can be a very attractive thing."
It's February, and no one's started to keep score. Let's check back with him again in June and see if he still feels that way.
===
Matheny leaves, but Cards hope he returns
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny spent his last day in spring training Tuesday, but he’s been told the door is open for his return.
The Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa hope that Matheny, a former Gold Glove winner, will drop by the ballpark during home stands and continue his work with the catchers.
My take:
Matheny went on to say something about the next 10 years were for his kids which is pretty awesome. Wouldn't surprise me to see him wander in and out of Cardinal stuff for a few years before taking on a more official role...
===
Cards Notebook: Clement update
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/27/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Righthander Matt Clement is scheduled to throw his last long toss today before returning to the mound this week and restarting his progression toward games.
Clement, coming off shoulder surgery, had his schedule rewritten around a long-toss program to improve his arm strength.
"There’s a big difference," he said. "It’s a matter of now being able to get out there and go with high intensity and stay with it, rather than just going out there and just doing it."
My take:
At this rate, maybe the Ticket Office should look at a Pitcher Rehab Weekend Ticket Package in July. Carp could start the Saturday game and Clement the Sunday one. Brutal.
===
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
2/26: TLR, Bonds, Walker, Wainwright
La Russa on McGwire, others in Mitchell Report
By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/26/2008
Q: You have more than your fair share of Mitchell Report guys on this team. Does it bother you that there's a perception that you give safe harbor to steroid guys?
La Russa: "No, and I'll tell you why not. One way I was taught to survive is my No. 1 accountability factor is myself. This is my 30th year doing this at the major league level. There isn't anybody — the commissioner, our owner, the fans, you — there isn't any person, man or woman, who can make me any more accountable than I am now right now because of myself. And I know there isn't anything we've done in all those years that was — with one small exception where we stole signs, a little hiccup — there isn't anything else that has happened on our ballclubs in Oakland or St. Louis that there's a hint of illegality. There isn't anything that we didn't actively and proactively attempt to do it right."
Q: But that's not what most of us think.
La Russa: "You're missing my point. If I'm going to base the way I survive on everything that others think, I have no chance."
Dyer Perspective:
This is a great article and if you have time, go to stltoday.com to read the rest of the story.
===
La Russa wanted to pursue Bonds
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/25/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — The possibility of free agent home run king Barry Bonds hitting behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' batting order remained intriguing enough this winter for manager Tony La Russa to take the idea to general manager John Mozeliak and team owners a second consecutive year, La Russa confirmed Sunday.
And for a second straight winter, the idea died in committee.
"When you look at somebody dangerous to hit behind Albert, Barry was the guy I thought of," La Russa acknowledged before Sunday's workout. "For whatever reason, at the general manager or the ownership level, they didn't agree."
La Russa said he consulted his coaching staff before making the recommendation and received a positive response from some, but not all.
Any intrigue surrounding the possibility evaporated when Mozeliak concurred with the owners that signing Bonds would run counter to the club's stated commitment this season to younger players.
"It became moot as soon as I raised it and they said no," La Russa said.
Mozeliak confirmed discussing the matter as well as underscoring his lack of enthusiasm for the idea.
"Tony and I discussed it. I never got the feeling this was something he wanted to push for. He had some interest in it," Mozeliak said. "To me, to bring in somebody as protection in case something happened is a very different equation."
Dyer Perspective:
What in the hell Tony - did you do a Coder and slip and fall in the shower and bust your head? The last thing we need in St. Louis right now is a clubhouse distracting, big headed, overly-hyped, needle pushing, asteriked Barry Bonds. The man is a Carnivale Sideshow that Cardinal Nation wants absolutely NOTHING to do with. Nice job Mo, you’ve got my unwavering support on this issue.
===
Walker weighs in on steroids era
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/26/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — When the report that called into question the era in which he starred became public, former Cardinal Larry Walker shared a laugh with a few neighbors.
"Gee, I might go into the Hall of Fame now," Walker said he joked. "There's nobody left from when I retired. I'm the only one that year who didn't get busted."
He jests and exaggerates, but he may have a point.
Walker, who retired in 2005, joined the Cardinals' spring training Monday as a guest coach. He'll make a few appearances this week — working with outfielders, throwing batting practice and cracking wise — and then be a regular around workouts later in March. From 1995 to 2002, no hitter had a better average than Walker's .341 for Colorado. He won three batting titles (hitting .350 or better for each) and won the MVP in 1997, the eve of baseball's brawniest summer.
The Mitchell Report identifies the late 1990s and early 2000s as the time steroids and other banned substances took root in the game and became "widespread." The stain of steroid allegations has already affected Hall of Fame voting, so could it have the opposite effect on bubble candidates like Walker, who had seven Gold Gloves to go with a .313 average and 383 homers in a career hampered by injury?
"If I stuck a needle in me, then there was pancake batter in it, not steroids," Walker joked. He then said: "Do I feel good that I did it clean? My feeling on the steroid thing (is) if it wasn't banned, then what's the problem? I think once they started testing, once they banned it from the sport, why don't they go forward from there instead of digging into the past to see what happened?
"I don't know what the politically correct thing to say on this topic is," Walker continued. "That's just my opinion."
Dyer Perspective: Pancake batter?
===
Wainwright seems set for opening day
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/25/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals are reluctant to confirm the obvious, but Adam Wainwright is set to be the club’s opening day starter.
The righthander, and proxy ace of the staff, will make his spring debut Friday against the New York Mets.
Holding to the Cardinals’ current rotation, Wainwright would be on turn to start March 31 at Busch Stadium against the defending National League champions, the Colorado Rockies, in the regular-season opener.
Dyer Perspective:
Thank God Aaron Miles is back. We may need him this year on the mound at this rate...
===
And, Boom Goes The Dynamite
Contributing Editor: El Birdos
Yadier Molina offered this startling revelation when ask to asses starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.
"When he can locate every pitch, he's totally different."
Dyer Perspective:
Nice observation there Yadi and a tip of the cap to Lt. Dan for the new column.
By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/26/2008
Q: You have more than your fair share of Mitchell Report guys on this team. Does it bother you that there's a perception that you give safe harbor to steroid guys?
La Russa: "No, and I'll tell you why not. One way I was taught to survive is my No. 1 accountability factor is myself. This is my 30th year doing this at the major league level. There isn't anybody — the commissioner, our owner, the fans, you — there isn't any person, man or woman, who can make me any more accountable than I am now right now because of myself. And I know there isn't anything we've done in all those years that was — with one small exception where we stole signs, a little hiccup — there isn't anything else that has happened on our ballclubs in Oakland or St. Louis that there's a hint of illegality. There isn't anything that we didn't actively and proactively attempt to do it right."
Q: But that's not what most of us think.
La Russa: "You're missing my point. If I'm going to base the way I survive on everything that others think, I have no chance."
Dyer Perspective:
This is a great article and if you have time, go to stltoday.com to read the rest of the story.
===
La Russa wanted to pursue Bonds
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/25/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — The possibility of free agent home run king Barry Bonds hitting behind Albert Pujols in the Cardinals' batting order remained intriguing enough this winter for manager Tony La Russa to take the idea to general manager John Mozeliak and team owners a second consecutive year, La Russa confirmed Sunday.
And for a second straight winter, the idea died in committee.
"When you look at somebody dangerous to hit behind Albert, Barry was the guy I thought of," La Russa acknowledged before Sunday's workout. "For whatever reason, at the general manager or the ownership level, they didn't agree."
La Russa said he consulted his coaching staff before making the recommendation and received a positive response from some, but not all.
Any intrigue surrounding the possibility evaporated when Mozeliak concurred with the owners that signing Bonds would run counter to the club's stated commitment this season to younger players.
"It became moot as soon as I raised it and they said no," La Russa said.
Mozeliak confirmed discussing the matter as well as underscoring his lack of enthusiasm for the idea.
"Tony and I discussed it. I never got the feeling this was something he wanted to push for. He had some interest in it," Mozeliak said. "To me, to bring in somebody as protection in case something happened is a very different equation."
Dyer Perspective:
What in the hell Tony - did you do a Coder and slip and fall in the shower and bust your head? The last thing we need in St. Louis right now is a clubhouse distracting, big headed, overly-hyped, needle pushing, asteriked Barry Bonds. The man is a Carnivale Sideshow that Cardinal Nation wants absolutely NOTHING to do with. Nice job Mo, you’ve got my unwavering support on this issue.
===
Walker weighs in on steroids era
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/26/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — When the report that called into question the era in which he starred became public, former Cardinal Larry Walker shared a laugh with a few neighbors.
"Gee, I might go into the Hall of Fame now," Walker said he joked. "There's nobody left from when I retired. I'm the only one that year who didn't get busted."
He jests and exaggerates, but he may have a point.
Walker, who retired in 2005, joined the Cardinals' spring training Monday as a guest coach. He'll make a few appearances this week — working with outfielders, throwing batting practice and cracking wise — and then be a regular around workouts later in March. From 1995 to 2002, no hitter had a better average than Walker's .341 for Colorado. He won three batting titles (hitting .350 or better for each) and won the MVP in 1997, the eve of baseball's brawniest summer.
The Mitchell Report identifies the late 1990s and early 2000s as the time steroids and other banned substances took root in the game and became "widespread." The stain of steroid allegations has already affected Hall of Fame voting, so could it have the opposite effect on bubble candidates like Walker, who had seven Gold Gloves to go with a .313 average and 383 homers in a career hampered by injury?
"If I stuck a needle in me, then there was pancake batter in it, not steroids," Walker joked. He then said: "Do I feel good that I did it clean? My feeling on the steroid thing (is) if it wasn't banned, then what's the problem? I think once they started testing, once they banned it from the sport, why don't they go forward from there instead of digging into the past to see what happened?
"I don't know what the politically correct thing to say on this topic is," Walker continued. "That's just my opinion."
Dyer Perspective: Pancake batter?
===
Wainwright seems set for opening day
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/25/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals are reluctant to confirm the obvious, but Adam Wainwright is set to be the club’s opening day starter.
The righthander, and proxy ace of the staff, will make his spring debut Friday against the New York Mets.
Holding to the Cardinals’ current rotation, Wainwright would be on turn to start March 31 at Busch Stadium against the defending National League champions, the Colorado Rockies, in the regular-season opener.
Dyer Perspective:
Thank God Aaron Miles is back. We may need him this year on the mound at this rate...
===
And, Boom Goes The Dynamite
Contributing Editor: El Birdos
Yadier Molina offered this startling revelation when ask to asses starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.
"When he can locate every pitch, he's totally different."
Dyer Perspective:
Nice observation there Yadi and a tip of the cap to Lt. Dan for the new column.
Friday, February 22, 2008
2/22: Ryan, Kinney, TLR, Izzy, Spring Outlook
Ryan feels a hunger to return
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Brendan Ryan tries to calm himself, but it's little use.
Here, in his third major-league camp, Ryan represents something of a test case within an organization that has pledged to create more opportunities for younger players. He is still 25, coming off a solid rookie year in which he showed well offensively, and offers the versatility a transitioning Cardinals team claims to embrace.
In many ways Ryan is the canary in the clubhouse. When the club re-signed utility player Aaron Miles and free-agent shortstop Cesar Izturis, it created a middle-infield logjam daunting to a player with only 180 major-league at-bats.
"I could be in a much worse position," Ryan says. "But we've got a lot of middle infielders on the roster. If you do the math, I'm in a pretty tough spot."
Unless manager Tony La Russa opts to keep only four outfielders — a possibility he all but dismissed earlier this week — Ryan would become, as he calls it, "odd man out."
Dyer Perspective:
Kennedy will fall flat, Miles will start 2B and Ryan will be a reserve on the bench in the first month of the season.
===
Kinney continues down road to recovery
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — So much has happened since Josh Kinney last threw a pitch with major-league purpose — an entire season, for one — and he still has so far to go before he does again.
Like his elbow, his patience is tested with every bit of rehab.
"I feel good, I feel real good," said Kinney, who is recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery done last spring. "But I have to ease back, because I felt good (last fall) too and had a setback. Intensity isn't a main priority right now. Repetition is."
Kinney is scheduled to upgrade to 45 pitches off the mound today, but he is under strict orders to throw at around 60 percent of full effort. The righthanded reliever does not expect to be ready for opening day, and it's possible he'll begin his season on a rehab assignment. While he continues to expand his workouts on the mound, Kinney said it will be a couple of weeks before he incorporates a breaking ball and could be a month before he's game ready.
===
La Russa stresses better defense
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Hidden behind a starting rotation that wheezed and stammered through last season was a defense that didn't do it any favors.
A staple of the Cardinals' October-bound teams earlier this decade was sterling defensive play, which helped to turn a groundball-happy pitching staff into a successful pitching staff. And then there was 2007.
It put an end to the summers of glove.
"That is why there will be a defensive emphasis in this camp," manager Tony La Russa said this week. "We have to be more consistent. Our defense was several levels below what we've been accustomed to."
Led by the addition of former Gold Glove shortstop Cesar Izturis, the Cardinals hope to perform a defensive revival this season. When there is an opening in the daily schedule, La Russa plugs it with defensive work. That has meant more scheduled time for Izturis to spin double plays with Adam Kennedy, and more short-hop drills for Kennedy and the other second basemen, like they had Thursday.
===
Izzy takes pals on excellent RV adventure
By Derrick Goold
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Boredom is the fuel of so many road trips.
Jason Isringhausen and a few other Cardinals pitchers let the tedium of the early daze of February take them places a few weeks ago. Here they sat around the spring training clubhouse, realizing that there weren’t many teammates around, there wasn’t anything to do on a Saturday night and, dadgum, none of them planned to work out on Sunday anyway. So, Isringhausen organized the obvious.
They were going to go RV’ing.
“There weren’t that many people here, there wasn’t that much to do,” Isringhausen said. “Seemed like a thing to do.”
And where else do you take an RV than … the infield at Daytona.
Isringhausen scored passes for the 30th annual Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway. He had a 37-foot RV delivered from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and in piled a group of pitchers: Isringhausen, Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Todd Wellemeyer and two of his buddies, Adam Wainwright, and bullpen coach Marty Mason. Isringhausen’s dog, Sierra Nevada (yes, you guessed it), also hopped aboard. They packed the standard-issue folding chairs for the kickback atop the RV. They bought some small grills to short-order cookout. They sought flags to fly like the other RVs. And they packed some coolers full of “concessions,” Mason said.
“We acted like your average redneck,” Mason said. “Just go with it.”
Dyer Perspective:
Priceless quote from Mason.
===
Cardinals: Spring Outlook
By Scott Miller
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Things can't be worse this spring for the Cardinals than last, when manager Tony La Russa was socked with a DUI arrest and things went downhill from there. On the other hand, things aren't significantly better, either. The Cards have downgraded at shortstop with Cesar Izturis over David Eckstein. They didn't exactly cover themselves in glory in trading Scott Rolen to Toronto for Troy Glaus. Two of their best starters -- Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder -- won't be ready on opening day and part of this spring will be about evaluating whether phenom Colby Rasmus, 21, is ready for The Show. That's part of why they traded Jim Edmonds to San Diego. Mulder isn't expected back before May and Carpenter is out until at least the All-Star break. Ah well, at least one-time slugger Juan Gonzalez is riding in to the rescue. Let's see whether he's got anything left this spring.
Dyer Perspective:
Damn. You spell it out like that and I'm starting to think my friend Adam Zapple might be writing for CBS Sportsline under a Scott Miller pen name! It's Spring Training so hope of course springs eternal -- I do think we'll be better than most give us credit for and it'll be an interesting season for sure.
===
CBS Sportsline
The Sports Xchange
TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE
2B Adam Kennedy is coming off the worst year of his career at .219. He finished the season on the disabled list after knee surgery. Presumably healthy, Kennedy should be more comfortable in his second season back in the National League, although, if Kennedy struggles early, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa isn't likely to go too long with him with Aaron Miles in reserve.
TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT
RHP Braden Looper won 12 games in his first year as a starter but must improve his nighttime record of 5-11 with a 6.75 ERA. A 4.94 overall ERA doesn't suggest he would win 12 games again.
AUTHORITY FIGURES
Tony La Russa has 2,375 wins (2,070 losses), ranking him third all-time in managerial victories. He is very much a hands-on manager, although he will let pitching coach Dave Duncan make many of the decisions in that category. La Russa is comfortable with his six-man coaching staff, which has been together for five years.
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Brendan Ryan tries to calm himself, but it's little use.
Here, in his third major-league camp, Ryan represents something of a test case within an organization that has pledged to create more opportunities for younger players. He is still 25, coming off a solid rookie year in which he showed well offensively, and offers the versatility a transitioning Cardinals team claims to embrace.
In many ways Ryan is the canary in the clubhouse. When the club re-signed utility player Aaron Miles and free-agent shortstop Cesar Izturis, it created a middle-infield logjam daunting to a player with only 180 major-league at-bats.
"I could be in a much worse position," Ryan says. "But we've got a lot of middle infielders on the roster. If you do the math, I'm in a pretty tough spot."
Unless manager Tony La Russa opts to keep only four outfielders — a possibility he all but dismissed earlier this week — Ryan would become, as he calls it, "odd man out."
Dyer Perspective:
Kennedy will fall flat, Miles will start 2B and Ryan will be a reserve on the bench in the first month of the season.
===
Kinney continues down road to recovery
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — So much has happened since Josh Kinney last threw a pitch with major-league purpose — an entire season, for one — and he still has so far to go before he does again.
Like his elbow, his patience is tested with every bit of rehab.
"I feel good, I feel real good," said Kinney, who is recovering from elbow ligament replacement surgery done last spring. "But I have to ease back, because I felt good (last fall) too and had a setback. Intensity isn't a main priority right now. Repetition is."
Kinney is scheduled to upgrade to 45 pitches off the mound today, but he is under strict orders to throw at around 60 percent of full effort. The righthanded reliever does not expect to be ready for opening day, and it's possible he'll begin his season on a rehab assignment. While he continues to expand his workouts on the mound, Kinney said it will be a couple of weeks before he incorporates a breaking ball and could be a month before he's game ready.
===
La Russa stresses better defense
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Hidden behind a starting rotation that wheezed and stammered through last season was a defense that didn't do it any favors.
A staple of the Cardinals' October-bound teams earlier this decade was sterling defensive play, which helped to turn a groundball-happy pitching staff into a successful pitching staff. And then there was 2007.
It put an end to the summers of glove.
"That is why there will be a defensive emphasis in this camp," manager Tony La Russa said this week. "We have to be more consistent. Our defense was several levels below what we've been accustomed to."
Led by the addition of former Gold Glove shortstop Cesar Izturis, the Cardinals hope to perform a defensive revival this season. When there is an opening in the daily schedule, La Russa plugs it with defensive work. That has meant more scheduled time for Izturis to spin double plays with Adam Kennedy, and more short-hop drills for Kennedy and the other second basemen, like they had Thursday.
===
Izzy takes pals on excellent RV adventure
By Derrick Goold
02/22/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Boredom is the fuel of so many road trips.
Jason Isringhausen and a few other Cardinals pitchers let the tedium of the early daze of February take them places a few weeks ago. Here they sat around the spring training clubhouse, realizing that there weren’t many teammates around, there wasn’t anything to do on a Saturday night and, dadgum, none of them planned to work out on Sunday anyway. So, Isringhausen organized the obvious.
They were going to go RV’ing.
“There weren’t that many people here, there wasn’t that much to do,” Isringhausen said. “Seemed like a thing to do.”
And where else do you take an RV than … the infield at Daytona.
Isringhausen scored passes for the 30th annual Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway. He had a 37-foot RV delivered from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and in piled a group of pitchers: Isringhausen, Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Todd Wellemeyer and two of his buddies, Adam Wainwright, and bullpen coach Marty Mason. Isringhausen’s dog, Sierra Nevada (yes, you guessed it), also hopped aboard. They packed the standard-issue folding chairs for the kickback atop the RV. They bought some small grills to short-order cookout. They sought flags to fly like the other RVs. And they packed some coolers full of “concessions,” Mason said.
“We acted like your average redneck,” Mason said. “Just go with it.”
Dyer Perspective:
Priceless quote from Mason.
===
Cardinals: Spring Outlook
By Scott Miller
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Things can't be worse this spring for the Cardinals than last, when manager Tony La Russa was socked with a DUI arrest and things went downhill from there. On the other hand, things aren't significantly better, either. The Cards have downgraded at shortstop with Cesar Izturis over David Eckstein. They didn't exactly cover themselves in glory in trading Scott Rolen to Toronto for Troy Glaus. Two of their best starters -- Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder -- won't be ready on opening day and part of this spring will be about evaluating whether phenom Colby Rasmus, 21, is ready for The Show. That's part of why they traded Jim Edmonds to San Diego. Mulder isn't expected back before May and Carpenter is out until at least the All-Star break. Ah well, at least one-time slugger Juan Gonzalez is riding in to the rescue. Let's see whether he's got anything left this spring.
Dyer Perspective:
Damn. You spell it out like that and I'm starting to think my friend Adam Zapple might be writing for CBS Sportsline under a Scott Miller pen name! It's Spring Training so hope of course springs eternal -- I do think we'll be better than most give us credit for and it'll be an interesting season for sure.
===
CBS Sportsline
The Sports Xchange
TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE
2B Adam Kennedy is coming off the worst year of his career at .219. He finished the season on the disabled list after knee surgery. Presumably healthy, Kennedy should be more comfortable in his second season back in the National League, although, if Kennedy struggles early, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa isn't likely to go too long with him with Aaron Miles in reserve.
TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT
RHP Braden Looper won 12 games in his first year as a starter but must improve his nighttime record of 5-11 with a 6.75 ERA. A 4.94 overall ERA doesn't suggest he would win 12 games again.
AUTHORITY FIGURES
Tony La Russa has 2,375 wins (2,070 losses), ranking him third all-time in managerial victories. He is very much a hands-on manager, although he will let pitching coach Dave Duncan make many of the decisions in that category. La Russa is comfortable with his six-man coaching staff, which has been together for five years.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
2/21: New Pitcher?, Pujo, Politte, Bonds, Red
Cards may seek another arm
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals' signing of free-agent righthander Matt Clement to an incentive-laden, one-year contract last month was intended to address an innings shortage that torpedoed last season's starting rotation.
Now, with Clement's availability for opening day increasingly in question, the club may reconsider whether it needs to import another arm.
Insisting that the organization retain enough flexibility to pursue another pitcher if necessary, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has spoken with representatives for 2006 World Series hero Jeff Weaver and 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.
Dyer Perspective:
Wheras Weaver is a complete dumb ass for leaving to begin with, I wouldn't mind seeing him again in Cardinal red. Perhaps he's learned his lesson?
===
Pujols could get more rest this spring, and in season
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals manager Tony La Russa left open the possibility of instituting some "Pujols Rules" to preserve and protect slugger Albert Pujols' vexing right elbow.
La Russa said Pujols will participate in a limited scope of throwing drills and that "he'll probably have less at-bats in spring when camps ends than in previous years."
Pujols repeatedly has said the sprained ligament in his elbow is not a problem, now. La Russa has said Pujols is "one tweak away" from trouble.
Dyer Perspective:
Hmmm, what did I just say about him getting to 300 HR this year?
===
Politte pitches
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Cliff Politte, a candidate for the Cardinals' bullpen, returned to the mound Wednesday after a weeklong delay.
The righthander's progress had been slowed so the Cardinals could check the strength of his surgically repaired shoulder.
Politte, a Vianney High grad who was with the Cardinals in 1998, threw 40 pitches.
"We don't know yet how we're going to use him," pitching coach Dave Duncan said of the White Sox former setup reliever.
"We need to use him here to find out. He looked strong, and that's encouraging."
===
A 43-year-old home run king is waiting for phone to ring
By Dan O'Neill
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
Baseball's career home run leader is unemployed. He will work. You probably have to give him more than food, but he will work.
As Major League Baseball spreads its spring wings, Barry Bonds is on the outside looking in, unsigned but undaunted. His agent, Jeff Borris, told the San Jose Mercury News that Bonds is in game shape right now.
"The only thing he hasn't done is face live pitching," Borris said. "He's doing all the baseball drills he normally does as he works to get in shape for spring training. His legs are as solid as ever."
On the other hand, figuratively speaking, Bonds' career might be without legs. For one thing, he's facing a possible trial for his federal indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
Dyer Perspective:
Wonder if Mr. Big Head understands no one really does respect or like him yet?
===
Tip of the cap
How have I gone a couple of posts without a nod to the Redbird legend Red Schoendienst? While we’re getting coated in a sheet of ice up here in STL, Red is down south enjoying his 65th spring training. For those of you keeping score at home, that means his first Spring Training came in the middle of WWII in the Spring of 1943. Wow, nice job Red!
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals' signing of free-agent righthander Matt Clement to an incentive-laden, one-year contract last month was intended to address an innings shortage that torpedoed last season's starting rotation.
Now, with Clement's availability for opening day increasingly in question, the club may reconsider whether it needs to import another arm.
Insisting that the organization retain enough flexibility to pursue another pitcher if necessary, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has spoken with representatives for 2006 World Series hero Jeff Weaver and 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.
Dyer Perspective:
Wheras Weaver is a complete dumb ass for leaving to begin with, I wouldn't mind seeing him again in Cardinal red. Perhaps he's learned his lesson?
===
Pujols could get more rest this spring, and in season
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals manager Tony La Russa left open the possibility of instituting some "Pujols Rules" to preserve and protect slugger Albert Pujols' vexing right elbow.
La Russa said Pujols will participate in a limited scope of throwing drills and that "he'll probably have less at-bats in spring when camps ends than in previous years."
Pujols repeatedly has said the sprained ligament in his elbow is not a problem, now. La Russa has said Pujols is "one tweak away" from trouble.
Dyer Perspective:
Hmmm, what did I just say about him getting to 300 HR this year?
===
Politte pitches
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Cliff Politte, a candidate for the Cardinals' bullpen, returned to the mound Wednesday after a weeklong delay.
The righthander's progress had been slowed so the Cardinals could check the strength of his surgically repaired shoulder.
Politte, a Vianney High grad who was with the Cardinals in 1998, threw 40 pitches.
"We don't know yet how we're going to use him," pitching coach Dave Duncan said of the White Sox former setup reliever.
"We need to use him here to find out. He looked strong, and that's encouraging."
===
A 43-year-old home run king is waiting for phone to ring
By Dan O'Neill
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/21/2008
Baseball's career home run leader is unemployed. He will work. You probably have to give him more than food, but he will work.
As Major League Baseball spreads its spring wings, Barry Bonds is on the outside looking in, unsigned but undaunted. His agent, Jeff Borris, told the San Jose Mercury News that Bonds is in game shape right now.
"The only thing he hasn't done is face live pitching," Borris said. "He's doing all the baseball drills he normally does as he works to get in shape for spring training. His legs are as solid as ever."
On the other hand, figuratively speaking, Bonds' career might be without legs. For one thing, he's facing a possible trial for his federal indictment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
Dyer Perspective:
Wonder if Mr. Big Head understands no one really does respect or like him yet?
===
Tip of the cap
How have I gone a couple of posts without a nod to the Redbird legend Red Schoendienst? While we’re getting coated in a sheet of ice up here in STL, Red is down south enjoying his 65th spring training. For those of you keeping score at home, that means his first Spring Training came in the middle of WWII in the Spring of 1943. Wow, nice job Red!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
2/20: Gonzalez, Clement, Glaus, Izturis
Gonzalez comes out swinging in comeback attempt
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/20/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Former MVP Juan Gonzalez came out swinging in his attempt to return to the majors, a comeback driven by an unfinished career and a chance to add to what he believes is an unquestioned legacy.
A distinct buzz followed Gonzalez and his batting-practice rockets Tuesday as he joined the Cardinals for their first official full-squad workout of spring training.
After his first day of what could be his last chance at a big-league return, Gonzalez said he's fit and eager to improve on the wealth of numbers he produced as an RBI juggernaut in the 1990s. Numbers, he insisted, he produced cleanly.
"Because you have goals in your mind, you're trying to come back to finish your goals," Gonzalez said. "I'm close to 500 home runs and 400 doubles. It's the goals. When you have goals in your mind, you try inside your heart to try again and see what happens."
The Cardinals signed the 38-year-old outfielder to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. There is a spot open on the team for a righthanded power-hitting outfielder, and the Cardinals became intrigued by first-hand accounts this winter of Gonzalez's health and what coach Jose Oquendo called "a renewed desire."
Dyer Perspective:
Wonder if Walker's walker is still around in a broom closet at the stadium?
===
Fans want action, but Cards take patient approach
By Jeff Gordon
02/19/2008
STLtoday.com users are exorcised by Matt Clement's setback at the start of spring training.
Some fans immediately predicted that Clement would miss half the season or more. Many are railing against the Cards medical staff, again.
With mending aces Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter also missing the start of the season, Cardinal Nation seemed ready to declare a state of emergency.
General manager John Mozeliak hasn’t eased their angst. Rather than rush out to buy one of the remaining free agent pitchers, he is willing to track the progress of his rehabilitating hurlers for a few more weeks while sizing up potential internal replacements.
Why is he so patient? Any pitcher Mozeliak adds now could become superfluous by late summer, if Clement (shoulder), Mulder (shoulder) and Carpenter (elbow) all return. And the Cards pitching sets up wonderfully for 2009, when Mozeliak can count on Carpenter, pick up team options on Mulder and Clement (if they are well) and see which of his top prospects graduate.
Dyer Perspective:
Isn't this vintage Cardinal management at it's finest? Why barter and have to pay for a viable option now if you have all of those "rehab hopefuls" in the stable? Frustrating indeed when the current owners have made so much money with this franchise.
===
Juan here ... healthy … hitting
By Derrick Goold
02/19/2008 3:20 pm
JUPITER, Fla. — Not since a throng of reporters and cameras lined up to watch Detroit Tiger pitchers take fielding practice a year ago had there been such an odd event for a mass of media to attend.
Yet, there we were, tape rolling, shutters clicking, pens scratching as Juan Gonzalez … bunted.
The humor wasn’t lost on manager Tony La Russa, who approached the media with the promise of a “neat note.”
“The first offensive act from a two-time MVP for the Cardinals will be laying down a sacrifice bunt,” La Russa said. “How about that?”
Gonzalez, previously believed to be retired, began his bid for a spot on the Cardinals’ roster with some soft-handed bunts down the first- and third-base lines. He also raked. Matched with Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus and Scott Spiezio in a hitting group, three of that foursome showed why they will never put those bunting drills to use. Consider the credentials (1,112 combined homers) that foursome brought into the cage against batting-practice pitcher Mike Matheny.
* Gonzalez … 434 HR
* Pujols … 282 HR
* Glaus … 277 HR (meaning two Cardinals are on the verge of 300 this season)
* Spiezio … 119 HR
Dyer Perspective:
Are we even gonna see Pujo hit #300 before he goes on the DL with this elbow thing? Doubtful in my opinion.
===
Glaus, Izturis make first appearance
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/19/2008
The new look left side of the Cardinals' infield arrived Monday, with third baseman Troy Glaus proclaiming health and shortstop Cesar Izturis embracing a starting opportunity.
They even had the same take on their first day in an unfamiliar place.
“Still like the first day of school,” Glaus said, a sentiment echoed later by Izturis after he unpacked a Pittsburgh Pirates bag.
On the eve of the Cardinals’ first official full-squad workout, Glaus reported in time to join Albert Pujols and others on the field for morning batting practice. Izturis checked in later in the day. Scott Spiezio, newcomer Brian Barton and several others also reported Monday, leaving outfielder Juan Gonzalez, the former MVP, as the only player not to come by the clubhouse by Monday night.
Izturis played winter ball to get back in the rhythm of being a regular again after playing a combined 164 games the past two seasons. This winter, Izturis hit .333 with a .348 on-base percentage in 63 games with a team in his native Venezuela.
“New year. New team,” Izturis said. “I think in this game you have to have comfort. Knowing that I have a chance to play every day and be the shortstop, it’s the first time I have comfort.”
Dyer Perspective:
Can these 2 guys "powerhouse" the left side of the infield this year? Think about it, L to R it will be Glaus, Izturis and Kennedy. Combined those three have what, one game experience in a Cardinal uniform. Ouch.
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/20/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Former MVP Juan Gonzalez came out swinging in his attempt to return to the majors, a comeback driven by an unfinished career and a chance to add to what he believes is an unquestioned legacy.
A distinct buzz followed Gonzalez and his batting-practice rockets Tuesday as he joined the Cardinals for their first official full-squad workout of spring training.
After his first day of what could be his last chance at a big-league return, Gonzalez said he's fit and eager to improve on the wealth of numbers he produced as an RBI juggernaut in the 1990s. Numbers, he insisted, he produced cleanly.
"Because you have goals in your mind, you're trying to come back to finish your goals," Gonzalez said. "I'm close to 500 home runs and 400 doubles. It's the goals. When you have goals in your mind, you try inside your heart to try again and see what happens."
The Cardinals signed the 38-year-old outfielder to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. There is a spot open on the team for a righthanded power-hitting outfielder, and the Cardinals became intrigued by first-hand accounts this winter of Gonzalez's health and what coach Jose Oquendo called "a renewed desire."
Dyer Perspective:
Wonder if Walker's walker is still around in a broom closet at the stadium?
===
Fans want action, but Cards take patient approach
By Jeff Gordon
02/19/2008
STLtoday.com users are exorcised by Matt Clement's setback at the start of spring training.
Some fans immediately predicted that Clement would miss half the season or more. Many are railing against the Cards medical staff, again.
With mending aces Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter also missing the start of the season, Cardinal Nation seemed ready to declare a state of emergency.
General manager John Mozeliak hasn’t eased their angst. Rather than rush out to buy one of the remaining free agent pitchers, he is willing to track the progress of his rehabilitating hurlers for a few more weeks while sizing up potential internal replacements.
Why is he so patient? Any pitcher Mozeliak adds now could become superfluous by late summer, if Clement (shoulder), Mulder (shoulder) and Carpenter (elbow) all return. And the Cards pitching sets up wonderfully for 2009, when Mozeliak can count on Carpenter, pick up team options on Mulder and Clement (if they are well) and see which of his top prospects graduate.
Dyer Perspective:
Isn't this vintage Cardinal management at it's finest? Why barter and have to pay for a viable option now if you have all of those "rehab hopefuls" in the stable? Frustrating indeed when the current owners have made so much money with this franchise.
===
Juan here ... healthy … hitting
By Derrick Goold
02/19/2008 3:20 pm
JUPITER, Fla. — Not since a throng of reporters and cameras lined up to watch Detroit Tiger pitchers take fielding practice a year ago had there been such an odd event for a mass of media to attend.
Yet, there we were, tape rolling, shutters clicking, pens scratching as Juan Gonzalez … bunted.
The humor wasn’t lost on manager Tony La Russa, who approached the media with the promise of a “neat note.”
“The first offensive act from a two-time MVP for the Cardinals will be laying down a sacrifice bunt,” La Russa said. “How about that?”
Gonzalez, previously believed to be retired, began his bid for a spot on the Cardinals’ roster with some soft-handed bunts down the first- and third-base lines. He also raked. Matched with Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus and Scott Spiezio in a hitting group, three of that foursome showed why they will never put those bunting drills to use. Consider the credentials (1,112 combined homers) that foursome brought into the cage against batting-practice pitcher Mike Matheny.
* Gonzalez … 434 HR
* Pujols … 282 HR
* Glaus … 277 HR (meaning two Cardinals are on the verge of 300 this season)
* Spiezio … 119 HR
Dyer Perspective:
Are we even gonna see Pujo hit #300 before he goes on the DL with this elbow thing? Doubtful in my opinion.
===
Glaus, Izturis make first appearance
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/19/2008
The new look left side of the Cardinals' infield arrived Monday, with third baseman Troy Glaus proclaiming health and shortstop Cesar Izturis embracing a starting opportunity.
They even had the same take on their first day in an unfamiliar place.
“Still like the first day of school,” Glaus said, a sentiment echoed later by Izturis after he unpacked a Pittsburgh Pirates bag.
On the eve of the Cardinals’ first official full-squad workout, Glaus reported in time to join Albert Pujols and others on the field for morning batting practice. Izturis checked in later in the day. Scott Spiezio, newcomer Brian Barton and several others also reported Monday, leaving outfielder Juan Gonzalez, the former MVP, as the only player not to come by the clubhouse by Monday night.
Izturis played winter ball to get back in the rhythm of being a regular again after playing a combined 164 games the past two seasons. This winter, Izturis hit .333 with a .348 on-base percentage in 63 games with a team in his native Venezuela.
“New year. New team,” Izturis said. “I think in this game you have to have comfort. Knowing that I have a chance to play every day and be the shortstop, it’s the first time I have comfort.”
Dyer Perspective:
Can these 2 guys "powerhouse" the left side of the infield this year? Think about it, L to R it will be Glaus, Izturis and Kennedy. Combined those three have what, one game experience in a Cardinal uniform. Ouch.
Monday, February 18, 2008
2/18: Clement, Perez, Kennedy, Pujols
Clement in pursuit of old form
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — When the doctor began to explain how the wreckage in Matt Clement's right shoulder resembled the frayed and floppy remnants of a blown tire, the patient told him to stop.
It was ugly. Got it.
Cut to the part where it's better, already.
"After I knew it was as bad as it was, I didn't care to know," said Clement, the Cardinals' new righthanded starter. "I didn't want to know the specifics, because I didn't want to sit here and dwell on it during my rehab. I just wanted to concentrate on what I could do."
Twenty months after he last appeared in a major-league game, Clement and his surgically rebuilt shoulder remain a work in progress. The Cardinals signed him to a potentially lucrative contract with the expectation that he will regain not only his health but his All-Star form. The club wants him to begin the season in the starting rotation even as it stresses, in the words of general manager John Mozeliak, "patience."
Sunday offered a reminder.
Clement threw a standard bullpen session, and afterward pitching coach Dave Duncan and team trainers decided to alter Clement's schedule to increase his arm strength. Duncan doubts Clement will be ready when the regular season starts, as hoped.
"In all honesty, I will be surprised if he's ready for opening day," Duncan said. "And I'm not too sure even if he is ready, we wouldn't likely have him compete somewhere else just to get him in the swing of things. … He's behind. How far? Don't know yet."
===
Cardinals are easing Perez into the picture
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Chris Perez, who is being cultivated as the Cardinals' closer of the future, has the big arm and biting breaking ball that could wedge him into conversations about the present.
The righthander with the 98 mph fastball was one of the first pitchers to throw to hitters this spring training, as he and three other prospects did Sunday. Manager Tony La Russa said Perez has caught his attention and agreed that the pitcher will get a chance to make the big-league roster, akin to top outfield prospect Colby Rasmus.
"He's getting enough attention to where at some point he should pitch in the big leagues, a bit like Colby," La Russa said. "That may take him awhile for the command and all that stuff to come around. If it comes around quickly, he certainly has the physical ability. So we're just going to watch him."
Perez, 22, throws a fastball that routinely zips in the high 90s. Though he showed good command of a curveball Sunday, his better-looking breaking ball is a hard slider that he throws in the high 80s.
===
Kennedy on a mission to prove last season was a fluke
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Adam Kennedy has heard everything manager Tony La Russa has said about the slim margin for error the second baseman has this spring, but he didn't need the manager to remind him.
The distaste for his disastrous 2007 still lingers.
"Trust me, you don't forget," Kennedy said after participating in his first workout of spring training Sunday. "I tried to fix what I thought was wrong, or just do things differently (this offseason). It's a time where something needs to change, and I did. We'll see whether it translates to some success."
Kennedy is coming off knee surgery and a season that soured quickly. He hit .219, was erratic in the field and lost his starting job. Cleared for full activity in October after his season-ending surgery, Kennedy changed his fitness program and rebuilt his swing, he said.
He comes into camp as the starter -- with no slack.
"I would characterize that there's an expectation that he's going to be the solid winning player that he's been his whole career, and that last year was a hiccup," La Russa said. "He goes in with an edge to be the dominant guy at second base."
At Kennedy's heels are Aaron Miles and Brendan Ryan, both of whom could take the job if Kennedy falters. La Russa said Kennedy's first and "hopefully only" misstep was skipping the Winter Warm-up. Kennedy called La Russa after that comment to explain a scheduling conflict but not to argue the point.
Kennedy shares La Russa's disappointment in his play.
Last season was "a real aberration, a one-time deal," Kennedy said. "Pretty much you look at it as this is a big step this spring to get back on my feet."
===
Pujols is feeling fine
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/17/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Albert Pujols' problematic right elbow feels fine now, and the Cardinals' irreplaceable slugger believes he can curb any soreness in his injured limb this spring, this season — and beyond.
Ligament willing, of course.
"I'm not going to be concerned about it until it does bother me," Pujols said Saturday, his first day of joining in team workouts at spring training. "I'm going to do what I have to do to get ready. If it does get to a point where I (need) treatment, I'll do treatment. Do I need to be concerned? No.
"If it blows out, it's going to blow out," he added. "You can't control that."
But the Cardinals and Pujols will try.
Last fall, the team and Pujols considered surgery to repair the sprained ligament that the first baseman has played with since 2003. But Pujols, in consultation with team doctors, decided to try a nonsurgical approach. Rest was prescribed, as was a plan to keep from unnecessarily straining the elbow.
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, Fla. — When the doctor began to explain how the wreckage in Matt Clement's right shoulder resembled the frayed and floppy remnants of a blown tire, the patient told him to stop.
It was ugly. Got it.
Cut to the part where it's better, already.
"After I knew it was as bad as it was, I didn't care to know," said Clement, the Cardinals' new righthanded starter. "I didn't want to know the specifics, because I didn't want to sit here and dwell on it during my rehab. I just wanted to concentrate on what I could do."
Twenty months after he last appeared in a major-league game, Clement and his surgically rebuilt shoulder remain a work in progress. The Cardinals signed him to a potentially lucrative contract with the expectation that he will regain not only his health but his All-Star form. The club wants him to begin the season in the starting rotation even as it stresses, in the words of general manager John Mozeliak, "patience."
Sunday offered a reminder.
Clement threw a standard bullpen session, and afterward pitching coach Dave Duncan and team trainers decided to alter Clement's schedule to increase his arm strength. Duncan doubts Clement will be ready when the regular season starts, as hoped.
"In all honesty, I will be surprised if he's ready for opening day," Duncan said. "And I'm not too sure even if he is ready, we wouldn't likely have him compete somewhere else just to get him in the swing of things. … He's behind. How far? Don't know yet."
===
Cardinals are easing Perez into the picture
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Chris Perez, who is being cultivated as the Cardinals' closer of the future, has the big arm and biting breaking ball that could wedge him into conversations about the present.
The righthander with the 98 mph fastball was one of the first pitchers to throw to hitters this spring training, as he and three other prospects did Sunday. Manager Tony La Russa said Perez has caught his attention and agreed that the pitcher will get a chance to make the big-league roster, akin to top outfield prospect Colby Rasmus.
"He's getting enough attention to where at some point he should pitch in the big leagues, a bit like Colby," La Russa said. "That may take him awhile for the command and all that stuff to come around. If it comes around quickly, he certainly has the physical ability. So we're just going to watch him."
Perez, 22, throws a fastball that routinely zips in the high 90s. Though he showed good command of a curveball Sunday, his better-looking breaking ball is a hard slider that he throws in the high 80s.
===
Kennedy on a mission to prove last season was a fluke
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/18/2008
JUPITER, Fla. -- Adam Kennedy has heard everything manager Tony La Russa has said about the slim margin for error the second baseman has this spring, but he didn't need the manager to remind him.
The distaste for his disastrous 2007 still lingers.
"Trust me, you don't forget," Kennedy said after participating in his first workout of spring training Sunday. "I tried to fix what I thought was wrong, or just do things differently (this offseason). It's a time where something needs to change, and I did. We'll see whether it translates to some success."
Kennedy is coming off knee surgery and a season that soured quickly. He hit .219, was erratic in the field and lost his starting job. Cleared for full activity in October after his season-ending surgery, Kennedy changed his fitness program and rebuilt his swing, he said.
He comes into camp as the starter -- with no slack.
"I would characterize that there's an expectation that he's going to be the solid winning player that he's been his whole career, and that last year was a hiccup," La Russa said. "He goes in with an edge to be the dominant guy at second base."
At Kennedy's heels are Aaron Miles and Brendan Ryan, both of whom could take the job if Kennedy falters. La Russa said Kennedy's first and "hopefully only" misstep was skipping the Winter Warm-up. Kennedy called La Russa after that comment to explain a scheduling conflict but not to argue the point.
Kennedy shares La Russa's disappointment in his play.
Last season was "a real aberration, a one-time deal," Kennedy said. "Pretty much you look at it as this is a big step this spring to get back on my feet."
===
Pujols is feeling fine
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/17/2008
JUPITER, FLA. — Albert Pujols' problematic right elbow feels fine now, and the Cardinals' irreplaceable slugger believes he can curb any soreness in his injured limb this spring, this season — and beyond.
Ligament willing, of course.
"I'm not going to be concerned about it until it does bother me," Pujols said Saturday, his first day of joining in team workouts at spring training. "I'm going to do what I have to do to get ready. If it does get to a point where I (need) treatment, I'll do treatment. Do I need to be concerned? No.
"If it blows out, it's going to blow out," he added. "You can't control that."
But the Cardinals and Pujols will try.
Last fall, the team and Pujols considered surgery to repair the sprained ligament that the first baseman has played with since 2003. But Pujols, in consultation with team doctors, decided to try a nonsurgical approach. Rest was prescribed, as was a plan to keep from unnecessarily straining the elbow.
Friday, February 15, 2008
February 15th: Spring Training
Swingin’ into Spring
By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post Dispatch
2.15.08
JUPITER, FLA. — It's the signature sound of spring's start that John Mozeliak doesn't want to miss today.
For more than a dozen years, as long as he's been coming to spring training and long before he became general manager, Mozeliak attends the first throws of spring. The pitchers line up — half on a foul line, the other half several paces into the outfield — and, all at once, they ... fire.
Dozens of baseballs hit dozens of gloves in a crackle of leather that sounds like a string of firecrackers popping.
Mozeliak said the sound is the same every season.
So are the Cardinals' expectations.
"We expect to be competitive," Mozeliak said on the eve of the Cardinals first workouts, his first spring training as the club's general manager. "The message is here, even though there have been a lot of changes, expectations are still very high."
===
La Russa said this team is being "underestimated."
"If I was (a pundit), I would look at the track record that is not there in many cases," La Russa said. "I have no problem if somebody looks at our club and says we're not a first-division team. (But) if we work hard, we have some talent, and it can come quicker than some people think."
The manager, back for a 13th season with the Cardinals, was downright playful in his first day at Roger Dean Stadium. He went up to Rick Ankiel and said it was good to see him, and then called him Anthony Reyes. He announced ace Chris Carpenter, though still recovering from elbow surgery, would be the closer on opening day.
La Russa wasn't out to get Carpenter back as soon as possible; he was just out to get closer Jason Isringhausen, who gave coach Marty Mason the concert tickets La Russa coveted.
Ah, the riffs of spring.
But change is in the air.
"When I say 'getting younger,' it's not only age specific, it's about adding a new energy," Mozeliak said. "We had the opportunity this offseason to make some changes, to make some changes to the culture. When I looked around last year, a lot of the people had been together for a long time. We wanted to inject a new look, some fresh faces."
===
The infusion of youth means a change in approach.
La Russa had already announced a strict "Scott Spiezio Rule" for spring. Players who are late for a workout, like the veteran so nearly was often last year, do not participate. Asked how inexperienced players might further alter camp, La Russa said there will be more base-level instructing.
A veteran like departed shortstop David Eckstein might only need 10 minutes of groundballs, he said. The kids will get 20.
La Russa said he's "fired up" for this season after a 2007 season that he called "relentlessly difficult." While he has great fondness for the 2007 team, he does not share that feeling for 2007. "It was body blow after body blow after body blow after body blow," he said. He insists it could have been worse than the 78-84 record, if not for a rescue party that consisted of the same kind of players the club is turning to this spring.
"The young guys came in," he said, "and saved our year."
===
Camp Cards
By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post Dispatch
02/14/2008
On a far less joking note, La Russa said he didn’t watch all of the hearings in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday but while running errands during his last day at home he did hear plenty of the testimony from Roger Clemens and others. Asked if he felt hearings like Wednesday’s and the hearings three years ago were necessary, La Russa said:
“I thought it was pretty compelling. It wasn’t pretty. It was just compelling. I think the message that Congress is sending is the one that fans want to hear: No tolerance. Zero tolerance. Baseball get your act together. It’s like a triangle there — it’s the owners, it’s Major League Baseball and it’s the players’ association. If all three of them pull together then we straighten it out. If one of the three is reluctant to get involved and be as stringent as we have to get them we’re going to have issues.”
===
Brendan Ryan joined the major-league side of the clubhouse for the first time this spring training, and he said he’s here early “because I don’t want to give them any reason to move me back to the other side of the room.” Ryan arrived Thursday and stepped into the clubhouse initially looking for the No. 75 jersey hanging somewhere.
Having logged major-league time last year, he’s graduated to No. 13.
And he’s moved into the high-rent district in the clubhouse, a couple lockers down from Albert Pujols and near the likes of Troy Glaus and Aaron Miles. He said he felt it was important to arrive early and start working out with the other early ‘Birds “to show how much I want to be on this team.”
===
Mike Matheny and Cal Eldred are among the spring training instructors who came by the facility Thursday. La Russa said a selling point for Jason La Rue when the Cardinals approached the backup catcher was having Matheny around during spring training. La Rue told La Russa that “he never played a game against the Cardinals with Matheny catching that he didn’t study Mike Matheny.”
“Big advantage for us,” La Russa said.
===
Molina is set to pursue his golden dream
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
2.14.08
JUPITER, FLA. — Coming off surgery that ended his season early, catcher Yadier Molina decided the best way to protect the health of his knee was to improve his overall fitness.
Molina arrived at spring training Wednesday, a day before Cardinals pitchers and catchers report. And, in the words of his pitching coach, he "looked great, doesn't he?" The 25-year-old catcher not only sports fresh ink on a four-year contract but also a slimmer, lighter build.
All the better for his knees, he said.
"I'm 25, and I need to be thinking about not only this season but in two more years, three more years, how is that knee going to be?" Molina said. "I need to keep it in good shape and that means I need to keep myself in good shape. I really feel good right now, and I think I can maintain this."
Molina said he lost 10 to 15 pounds this winter, and has altered his nutrition to help keep the weight off. The Puerto Rican winter league did not play this time, giving Molina the chance to rest and recover after surgery in September to repair cartilage damage in his right knee. Rehab didn't slow his workouts this winter; they just guided them.
Molina believes that by increasing his fitness, he'll preserve his knee. That will keep him agile, keep him on the field and keep him playing toward one of his chief ambitions.
He wants a Gold Glove.
"It's my goal, one of my goals," he said. "I won't stop, I'll keep working hard, because I want to get my first Gold Glove. ... It means you're one of the best at your position. That is important to me."
...
Albert Pujols has cautioned Molina to "take it easy" in pursuing a Gold Glove, telling his teammate and friend that one will come his way. Molina has the best arm in the league — single-handedly shutting down opponents' running games — and has been deft behind the plate. Molina said having former Cardinal catcher Mike Matheny in camp as a coach this spring is a good start toward his goal.
Matheny has four Gold Gloves.
"I won't stop working hard for one," Molina said. "I'm going to get it. One of these days, I'm going to get it."
===
By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post Dispatch
2.15.08
JUPITER, FLA. — It's the signature sound of spring's start that John Mozeliak doesn't want to miss today.
For more than a dozen years, as long as he's been coming to spring training and long before he became general manager, Mozeliak attends the first throws of spring. The pitchers line up — half on a foul line, the other half several paces into the outfield — and, all at once, they ... fire.
Dozens of baseballs hit dozens of gloves in a crackle of leather that sounds like a string of firecrackers popping.
Mozeliak said the sound is the same every season.
So are the Cardinals' expectations.
"We expect to be competitive," Mozeliak said on the eve of the Cardinals first workouts, his first spring training as the club's general manager. "The message is here, even though there have been a lot of changes, expectations are still very high."
===
La Russa said this team is being "underestimated."
"If I was (a pundit), I would look at the track record that is not there in many cases," La Russa said. "I have no problem if somebody looks at our club and says we're not a first-division team. (But) if we work hard, we have some talent, and it can come quicker than some people think."
The manager, back for a 13th season with the Cardinals, was downright playful in his first day at Roger Dean Stadium. He went up to Rick Ankiel and said it was good to see him, and then called him Anthony Reyes. He announced ace Chris Carpenter, though still recovering from elbow surgery, would be the closer on opening day.
La Russa wasn't out to get Carpenter back as soon as possible; he was just out to get closer Jason Isringhausen, who gave coach Marty Mason the concert tickets La Russa coveted.
Ah, the riffs of spring.
But change is in the air.
"When I say 'getting younger,' it's not only age specific, it's about adding a new energy," Mozeliak said. "We had the opportunity this offseason to make some changes, to make some changes to the culture. When I looked around last year, a lot of the people had been together for a long time. We wanted to inject a new look, some fresh faces."
===
The infusion of youth means a change in approach.
La Russa had already announced a strict "Scott Spiezio Rule" for spring. Players who are late for a workout, like the veteran so nearly was often last year, do not participate. Asked how inexperienced players might further alter camp, La Russa said there will be more base-level instructing.
A veteran like departed shortstop David Eckstein might only need 10 minutes of groundballs, he said. The kids will get 20.
La Russa said he's "fired up" for this season after a 2007 season that he called "relentlessly difficult." While he has great fondness for the 2007 team, he does not share that feeling for 2007. "It was body blow after body blow after body blow after body blow," he said. He insists it could have been worse than the 78-84 record, if not for a rescue party that consisted of the same kind of players the club is turning to this spring.
"The young guys came in," he said, "and saved our year."
===
Camp Cards
By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post Dispatch
02/14/2008
On a far less joking note, La Russa said he didn’t watch all of the hearings in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday but while running errands during his last day at home he did hear plenty of the testimony from Roger Clemens and others. Asked if he felt hearings like Wednesday’s and the hearings three years ago were necessary, La Russa said:
“I thought it was pretty compelling. It wasn’t pretty. It was just compelling. I think the message that Congress is sending is the one that fans want to hear: No tolerance. Zero tolerance. Baseball get your act together. It’s like a triangle there — it’s the owners, it’s Major League Baseball and it’s the players’ association. If all three of them pull together then we straighten it out. If one of the three is reluctant to get involved and be as stringent as we have to get them we’re going to have issues.”
===
Brendan Ryan joined the major-league side of the clubhouse for the first time this spring training, and he said he’s here early “because I don’t want to give them any reason to move me back to the other side of the room.” Ryan arrived Thursday and stepped into the clubhouse initially looking for the No. 75 jersey hanging somewhere.
Having logged major-league time last year, he’s graduated to No. 13.
And he’s moved into the high-rent district in the clubhouse, a couple lockers down from Albert Pujols and near the likes of Troy Glaus and Aaron Miles. He said he felt it was important to arrive early and start working out with the other early ‘Birds “to show how much I want to be on this team.”
===
Mike Matheny and Cal Eldred are among the spring training instructors who came by the facility Thursday. La Russa said a selling point for Jason La Rue when the Cardinals approached the backup catcher was having Matheny around during spring training. La Rue told La Russa that “he never played a game against the Cardinals with Matheny catching that he didn’t study Mike Matheny.”
“Big advantage for us,” La Russa said.
===
Molina is set to pursue his golden dream
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
2.14.08
JUPITER, FLA. — Coming off surgery that ended his season early, catcher Yadier Molina decided the best way to protect the health of his knee was to improve his overall fitness.
Molina arrived at spring training Wednesday, a day before Cardinals pitchers and catchers report. And, in the words of his pitching coach, he "looked great, doesn't he?" The 25-year-old catcher not only sports fresh ink on a four-year contract but also a slimmer, lighter build.
All the better for his knees, he said.
"I'm 25, and I need to be thinking about not only this season but in two more years, three more years, how is that knee going to be?" Molina said. "I need to keep it in good shape and that means I need to keep myself in good shape. I really feel good right now, and I think I can maintain this."
Molina said he lost 10 to 15 pounds this winter, and has altered his nutrition to help keep the weight off. The Puerto Rican winter league did not play this time, giving Molina the chance to rest and recover after surgery in September to repair cartilage damage in his right knee. Rehab didn't slow his workouts this winter; they just guided them.
Molina believes that by increasing his fitness, he'll preserve his knee. That will keep him agile, keep him on the field and keep him playing toward one of his chief ambitions.
He wants a Gold Glove.
"It's my goal, one of my goals," he said. "I won't stop, I'll keep working hard, because I want to get my first Gold Glove. ... It means you're one of the best at your position. That is important to me."
...
Albert Pujols has cautioned Molina to "take it easy" in pursuing a Gold Glove, telling his teammate and friend that one will come his way. Molina has the best arm in the league — single-handedly shutting down opponents' running games — and has been deft behind the plate. Molina said having former Cardinal catcher Mike Matheny in camp as a coach this spring is a good start toward his goal.
Matheny has four Gold Gloves.
"I won't stop working hard for one," Molina said. "I'm going to get it. One of these days, I'm going to get it."
===
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