Redbird Rants » Duncan

Cardinals Riding The Wave of Mediocrity

Nick Zell — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:12:32 +0000

Here we are, nearly a week before the trade deadline and I think it’s more apparent than ever the Cardinals need to get something done.

I am not saying we go out and sign Heath Bell’s big deal, but can’t we get someone, ANYONE?!

The team goes on big losing streaks and mini win stints. We are currently at the .520 clip being nudged out by the Brewers and *gulp* the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luckily we kick off the series in Pittsburgh tomorrow and HOPEFULLY we can start to finally pick up the pace.

Tony La Russa apparently said the other day, “Performance dictates playing time.” Well that’s terrific, in theory.
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Is Tony La Russa The Right Fit? The Carousel of Cardinals Call Ups

Nick Zell — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:48:47 +0000

Since Tony La Russa took the job vacated by Joe Torre as the St. Louis Cardinals manager in 1996, it has been rather apparent he enjoys depth and moving the players through the organization at a steady pace. Obviously many are brought on from the myriad of injuries that may exist during the season, but Tony likes to make sure the entire organization stays moving it seems.

For people to complain the team is lacking depth is a joke….offensively that is. The bullpen and defense is a whole other story in and of itself right now. The last few seasons there was no doubt in my mind going into the season that the Cardinals lineup was the best in the Central. This season was my strongest feeling of that sentiment.
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Is There A Doctor In The Clubhouse?

Ray DeRousse — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:03:36 +0000

Rick Wright and George Paletta pose in front of the Cardinals medical facility

When the Cardinals signed pitcher Brad Penny to a one year, $8 million dollar contract on December 8, 2009, fans embraced the power pitcher as the final piece to solidify an uneasy rotation. And Penny started the year off impressively, averaging five strikeouts a game and keeping an ERA near 3.00. Then, after hitting a grand slam on May 21st, Penny came out of the game with an “aggravation” of the oblique muscle in his back, an injury that was pre-existing but ignored by team doctors. Team physicians Rick Wright M.D. and Michael Milne M.D. said the injury was not serious, and that Penny should rest the muscle and return in two to four weeks.

Penny never pitched again that year.

Sadly, the handling of Penny’s injury seems to be a symptom of an ongoing problem within the organization. Cardinals players are routinely misdiagnosed, prescribed the wrong course of action, and rehabilitated incorrectly. I imagine entering the training and medical facilities at Busch feels a bit like a Jew entering Auschwitz, with crazy medical experiments taking place in dimly-lit rooms, the patients chained to hissing steam pipes while squatting in bloody puddles. Leeches might still be used in the basement for cases of swelling, and snapping electrodes are applied liberally for muscle strains of any kind.

While such visions might be (slightly) exaggerated for effect, the truth is that the medical staff of the St. Louis Cardinals has a shocking record of incompetence. Let’s look at some examples from the last decade. … [visit site to read more]