Ozzie Smith hit only 28 home runs during his 19-year career, but he was still a first-ballot Hall of Famer because of his flawless defense at shortstop and his pesky instincts on offense.
Smith’s ability to save runs with his glove and score runs with his legs won a lot of baseball games for the St. Louis Cardinals before steroids took over the game. Winning baseball was about defense and pitching then, an attitude that made Smith into a superstar.
He said he sees baseball returning to those simpler times during this year’s All-Star break. Times when a career .262 hitter was [...]

Adam Wainwright grew up rooting for the Atlanta Braves. The kid from Brunswick, Ga., cheered on the boys in Fulton County Stadium before Atlanta became a power in the National League. Then, he watched Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz dominate on the mound – mesmerized and inspired to do the same.
When the Braves drafted him in 2000, it felt like a dream. He went to Spring Training with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz and watched from up close, taking notes and working hard so one day he could live up to the legacy of pitching greatness.
He learned that pitching [...]

Matt Holliday roped a double to left to drive in the winning run in the second inning Thursday against the Florida Marlins. Holliday’s double was the big hit in the Cards three-run second that gave them a 4-2 lead. St. Louis would win the game by that score and take over first place in the division.
It was his first extra-base hit with men in scoring position since April 7, according to MLB.com. If he can turn it on, the Cards may be ready to take off. Albert Pujols said earlier this month that the Cards hadn’t scratched the surface of [...]

David Freese hit his first home run of the season and second of his career to get the Cardinals off to a booming start. The three-run blast hit the right field foul pole and St. Louis never looked back. When it was all over, the scoreboard read 10-4 in favor of the home team and Freese had collected six RBI — the first St. Louis rookie to accomplish such a feat.
Freese boosted his average to .328 and continued his solid start. While he had been playing well, he said it was nice to get the first one out of the [...]

I was recently given the chance to talk with Scott Humphries of Tomahawk Talk about the Cardinals and Braves to preview this series. Scott covers the Atlanta Braves for USA Sports Media Group and now runs the Tomahawk Talk site for Rant Sports. The site is new, but he is an experienced writer and it should be a top Braves blog by mid-summer. Be sure to check it out to stay updated on Jayson Heyward’s rookie season and Chipper Jones’ and Bobby Cox’s retirement plans. Now, to my interview with him.
Tomahawk Talk: The Cardinals had a good year in 2009 [...]

The Cardinals used a late-game surge to top the Braves in the series opener in St. Louis by a score of 4-3. St. Louis trailed 3-0 after five innings before scoring four runs from the sixth to the eighth inning. Yadier Molina was the hero with an RBI double in the eighth to give the Cardinals their first and only lead of the game. Ryan Franklin headed to the mound and got the final three outs to complete the strong finish.
Albert Pujols, who got the comeback started with an RBI groundout in the sixth, had three hits for St. Louis. [...]

Here’s a real tongue twister:
Brian Barton to Braves for Blaine Boyer to boster bullpen.
That’s right.  In somewhat of a surprise move today, the Cardinals traded outfielder Brian Barton to Atlanta for right-handed reliever Blaine Boyer.
During their most recent road trip, the Cards found themselves long on innings, but short on arms.  The club shuffled pitchers on and off the 25 man roster to help eat some of those innings in games where the starters didn’t throw their share.  The final game of the Chicago series was the perfect time for a rain out, and thanks to today’s off day, the [...]