Redbird Rants Recap: 12/30/11 – 1/7/12

Welcome to the first edition of Redbird Rants Recap. Each Sunday, I’ll compile a linked listing of my favorite pieces from the staff, in case you missed them during the week. This initial column goes back a little further than one week in order to include a couple of writers.

The post I enjoyed writing from the previous week was about Allen Craig. I wonder whether Craig can <a title="Will make the next step in his major league career. He’ll need some help from others on the team and from manager Mike Matheny, but if provided with enough at-bats, I suggest Craig has the ability to completely break out.

Here are the posts from the rest of the staff:

Alex Brown – <a title="What to expect from What to expect from Adam Wainwright

Alex provided us with a very detailed estimation of what we can expect from Adam Wainwright in 2012. Alex suggests it could take some time for Wainwright to get back to his dominant days, but maintains 2012 should be a successful season.

Jason Evans – <a title="Should the Cardinals bring back Should the Cardinals bring back Edwin Jackson?

Jason believes that the Cardinals should make a play for Jackson. He suggests because of Jackson’s age, that he is best suited to be a part of the rotation versus Kyle Lohse or Jake Westbrook.

Chris Ferguson – John Mozeliak is he Batman or Harvey Dent?

This is actually a two-part series that Chris provided us this week. In part one of Chris’ tongue in cheek posts, he explains why Mozeliak can be likened to Batman. He is “…shrewd, calculating, resourceful, and persistent”. In part 2 of the series, Chris then says that Mozeliak is also like Harvey Dent, because of Dent’s use of a coin to make decisions.

Marilyn Green – The Rites of Spring

Marilyn reminds us that the incredibly long offseason is quickly coming to an end. She mentions that while the Cardinals have undergone some personnel changes during the break, the best addition for 2012, should be Wainwright. She, like Alex, tempers her expectations for Wainwright. But, she rightly suggests, “…even 80% an Adam Wainwright at say 80% of his former self is nothing to sneeze at”.

Justin McClary – 2006 World Champions – Where are they now?

This is also a two-piece series. In the first, Justin explores where the starting rotation from the 2006 World Champions are now. He tells us that of the bunch, only Chris Carpenter went on to attain further success in the bigs. In part two, we again see that success in 2006 was reached by players who didn’t have much later on, except of course then closer, Adam Wainwright.

Dennis McHawes – Jack Buck, “That’s a Winner”

Dennis reminds us that the passing of famed Cardinals’ announcer, Jack Buck, is now ten years past. Dennis provides a bunch of links to some of Buck’s more memorable calls for the Cardinals and some from World Series moments.

Daniel Solzman – What Dave Duncan means to the St. Louis Cardinals

The announcement of Dave Duncan’s decision to take a leave of absence was earlier this week brought fond memories of the coach’s tenure. Daniel takes a look at what made Duncan invaluable to the team during his time in St. Louis. Daniel, remarks of Duncan’s ability to turn around the careers of several players during his coaching stint, and describes Kyle Lohse metamorphosis as the most recent example.

Thanks to all of our readers and for their comments this week. Your comments provide us with the means to enhance our dialogue and helps guide us to deliver content you want to read and pass along to others. Please check out the Current Staff page to view each author’s profile and twitter handle. Please give each author a follow.

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