Leftovers

The break is over.  Back to baseball.  Before we get to the upcoming series against the Padres, I thought I’d throw out some random thoughts that I didn’t get posted earlier in the week.

First, how about that home run derby?  Josh Hamilton put on a show, and it was fun to watch.  If you weren’t rooting for the guy by the end of the night, then you don’t have a heart.  It’s a shame he couldn’t take home the trophy.

The All-Star parade was really cool, but the on-field pre-game festivities stole the show.  It was an amazing celebration of baseball’s best, in perhaps the most famous cathedral in sports, in it’s last year.  Great stuff.  I know that when St. Louis hosts the event next year, they won’t have all that hoopla, but I hope they do something to make Cardinal fans proud.

The actual game was entertaining.  I really thought the National League had a chance to win this one.  At least our guys did well.  Albert Pujols was 2 for 3, and Ludwick drew a walk and made a nice diving catch.  We’ll get ’em next year!

There’s been some buzz about the pair of aces missing from the Cards.  According to Derrick Goold, both Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are making strides in their rehabs, and could rejoin the staff in August.  Here’s the full story.

The outlook for the other disabled starter doesn’t look as bright.  Mark Mulder is meeting with doctors this week to try to figure out how to plan his next move.  Back in January, before Spring Training even began, I wrote about the fans’ expectations for the lefty.  I posed the question, “How many starts will Mark Mulder make for the Cardinals in 2008?”  72 people responded to the poll.  Here’s the breakdown:

•  More than 25:  0 votes
• 20-25:  8 votes
• 15-20:  17 votes
• 10-15:  17 votes
• Less than 10:  30 votes

Mulder has made one start, that lasted just 16 pitches.  Who could have predicted that?  It’s a risk that didn’t pan out.  Time to cut ties.  Here’s the archived post.

Baseball and beer are my two favorite things, and by now, you’ve heard that Anheuser Busch is being bought by the Belgian brew maker InBev.  I’m still not sure how I feel about this.  Aside from ordering a good beer at a bar or restaurant occasionally, I usually go out of my way to drink AB products.  My loyalty is to the point where I feel guilty drinking something else, and I wouldn’t dare buy anything from the competitors, Miller and Coors.  All this beer talk is making me thirsty.  What are your thoughts?

Finally, the shameless plugs.  If you’re a regular visitor, you’ve surely noticed the ad in the sidebar for the Mizzou event.  On July 26, the Roaring Reunion will be held at the Busch Stadium Redbird Club.  They have a slew of auction items, and the proceeds will support scholarships for St. Louis area high school seniors planning to attend the University of Missouri.  For more information, click here.

A while back, I was sent a copy of the St. Louis Cardinals Baby DVD, from Team Baby Entertainment.  Now I don’t have kids, and that’s a good thing, because I’m not sure how often you’re supposed to feed and walk them or whatever.  But I’m a big time Cardinals fan, and this video is narrated by Ozzie Smith, so of course I had to check it out.  Here’s what they say about it:

Providing a fun-filled, colorful and visually stimulating experience to the St. Louis Cardinals and its sports pagentry, St. Louis Cardinals Baby DVD gives parents, grandparents, family and friends a uniquely entertaining way to share their love, loyalty and passion for their favorite team and the Fredbird with the children in their lives.

Ozzie and Fredbird?  I’m sold.  They’re a hell of a lot better than Barney or Dora, or whoever your kid is learning to count from.  Raise your kid right.  Buy this video.

That’s it for now.  Game one of the San Diego series is later tonight.  Hopefully the Cards can start the second half strong.