Odds and Ends

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 fans there

Update (02/13):  Find the full transcript of the Ankiel chat here.

In my opinion, the highlight of the session was the plug by Ankiel for his new website, rickankielonline.  I previewed the site earlier today and really liked what I saw.  I highly recommend checking it out, and be sure to view all the pictures.  Great stuff.

Next, Derrick Goold has been blogging from Cardinals camp for the last few days.  Today, he reports the progress of pitchers Matt Clement and Mark Mulder.  Here’s the link to his blog.

This got me thinking.  Since I’m off work later this weekend, I’m thinking of making the short drive up to camp in Jupiter for my first visit of the spring.  By then, most of the players will have arrived, although the first scheduled full squad workout isn’t planned until Monday.  Of course I’ll post all my thoughts, along with pictures from the complex, so be sure to check back.

Finally, the folks at Fungoes have an interesting analysis of the different outfield combinations.  I was a little surprised with their results.  Check it out here.