The Cardinals’ newest starting pitcher Matt Clement might not be ready for the start of the 2008 season. Clement’s shoulder surgery and subsequent rehab have kept him off a major league mound since June of ‘06. Reports from camp in Jupiter say he’s behind schedule, and needs to build back his arm strength.  Pitching coach Dave Duncan is now altering Clement’s schedule, which will now include long toss sessions between bullpen throwing days.  It’s likely that Matt won’t start the season in the Cards’ rotation.
“In all honesty, I will be surprised if he’s ready for opening day,” Duncan said.  ”And [...]

I’m a die hard Cardinal fan, and have been for as long as I can remember. When I was five years old, living in Germany, my earliest memory was a Christmas gift from my grandparents stateside: a St. Louis Cardinals 1982 World Series Champion t-shirt. For the past two years, however, I’ve been a die hard Cardinal fan living in South Florida. I moved from St. Louis to Miami in February of ‘06. Although I’m a Cardinal fan first, I’m still a baseball fan second. Naturally, I have an interest in the Florida Marlins.
I think [...]

As we all know, the Cardinals finished under .500 in 2007, with a record of 78-84.  It was the team’s first losing season since 1999, when they went 75-86.  Most Cardinal fans aren’t expecting a World Championship in ‘08, and many aren’t holding out for a division title either.  I’d guess most of us would be happy to be in the hunt come September, and finish with at least 81 wins to avoid back-to-back losing seasons.
Springtime always brings new optimism and a clean slate.  Every team is even.  Every team is a legitimate contender.  Then Baseball Prospectus releases their team [...]

It was just as beautiful a day today in South Florida as it was yesterday.  Day two of Spring Training went as expected.  It was the first full scheduled workout for pitchers and catchers.  As I’ve said before, there are a lot of new faces this spring, many of whom are getting their first taste of a big league camp.  Tony La Russa took note of the many young players.

“Shouldn’t be any sleepy spring training games,” he said.  ”Guys will be out there playing for their major-league lives.”

I know how much Tony prefers the veteran guys, and emphasizes the value [...]

It’s here.  No more waiting.  Today is the official day for pitchers and catchers to report.  Any that weren’t already at the Spring Training complex in Jupiter, Fl are there now.  There are also several position players in camp, even though they’re not required to be there until next week.

Tony La Russa seems excited to get back to work.  He was in good spirits as he arrived to camp today.  Tony loves competition this time of year, and it looks like there will be plenty this spring, as several players are trying to win a roster spot with the [...]

These guys didn’t take steroids.

First and foremost, Cardinals’ outfielder Rick Ankiel was kind enough to take part in a live chat with fans earlier today courtesy of mlb.com.  Although I was unable to participate, I did manage to pull some of the highlights:

He will not pitch again
He prefers hitting home runs over than giving them up
He and Chris Duncan plan to hit a combined 60 homers this year
The return to the big leagues as an outfielder is his greatest achievement thus far
He has a strong and respectful relationship with Tony La Russa
He loves playing in St. Louis and feels a strong connection to the [...]

The talk of the town lately has been the health of Cardinal slugger Albert Pujols. Everyone knows Albert’s been dealing with elbow soreness in his throwing arm for some time now.  He played through pain for much of the 2007 season.  Eventually, he could require Tommy John surgery, which would cause him to miss nearly a year of baseball.  For now, Pujols and the club have elected not to green light the surgery, although there have been reports that he may decide to undergo the procedure if the pain persists.

“I was in pain,” Pujols said.  ”I’m telling myself that [...]

Pitchers and catchers will report to Jupiter, Fl for Spring Training in just over three days now.  There are already a few members of the ball club in camp, including Chris Carpenter, Rick Ankiel, and Chris Duncan. The anticipation has been building all winter.  As we wait just a few more days, I’ll direct you to a couple of good articles about our beloved Birds.
Three different journalists wrote about the Cardinals roster turnover this weekend.  First, Tony La Russa believes the team is going to contend this season and shrugs off the “transition” label.  Read all about it from Mathew [...]

Continuing the theme from Wednesday’s post, I thought it might be fun to try to construct a team of all-stars from only the National League Central.  The Central has a lot of talented ball players, but lacks a team with a 100 win potential.
At first, I thought this would be an easy task.  Picking eight position players and five starting pitchers from our lowly division couldn’t possibly be tough.  I was surprised.  A few positions were no-brainers, first base for instance.  Others, like the outfield, were a lot more difficult.

Here’s what I came up with:

 C  Yadier Molina  -  Cardinals
1B Albert Pujols [...]