Top 5 Cardinals Stories of 2012

The United Cardinals Bloggers December project is the top 5 Cardinals stories of 2012.  I would imagine the top stories are different for everyone.  My top 5 probably reflect my unique fandom as much as anything but after careful consideration (and a nice cup of cocoa while it’s snowing outside) here are my choices of top 5 Cardinals stories of 2012.

5.  Lance Lynn 18 game winner—-I have to admit that I really didn’t expect this.  Maybe it was the experience of Kyle McClellan starting when Wainwright went down in 2011, but having Lance Lynn take over in the rotation for the injured Chris Carpenter was a godsend.  I don’t know why I was surprised; Lynn was a better pitcher after all than McClellan, but once bitten, well, you know.  Not that Lynn didn’t have his bumps in the road.  His second half was decidedly worse than his first, but even that could have been much worse than it was.  Lynn has good stuff, he just needs to learn how to use it properly and moderate his emotions a little.  Hopefully he has learned from his experience.

4.  Chris Carpenter injury—I don’t know why I didn’t see this one coming either. Considering his age, his injury history, and all the innings he racked up in 2011, it’s no wonder.  The guy is like superhuman.  He’s not supposed to crack.  Oh well, he did come back eventually, and even though he wasn’t exactly the same warhorse, the fact that he pitched at all after his surgery is a testament to his android like superhumaneyness…..ok I made that word up, but you get the point.  I just want to know if that rib is still in his bathroom. I’m picturing replica Carpenter rib necklaces being all the rage at Winter Warm Up.  And if he comes back in 2013 even close to his former self, I’ll buy a dozen.

3.  Adam Wainwright returns—Speaking of comebacks from injury,  the return of Wainwright certainly made my year.  He had his ups and downs, more downs than I would like but hey, it’s Tommy John surgery, not an appendectomy.  Aside from that poor start in the NLDS, he did really well down the stretch, and I hope it portends for an even better year in 2013.  Waino deserves it, what a great guy.  Hear that Bill DeWitt?  Pay the man, please.  I want one of my top 5 stories of 2013 to be an Adam Wainwright extension.  To all you Fearers of Big Pitching Contracts—-stick it in your ear.  It’s not your money. And yes I like to make up words.  So what.

2.  Cardinals in the Postseason.—We were all hoping for a 12th World Series Championship, but you can’t have everything you want.    It was a fun ride.  That Wild Card game was a hoot.  Infield fly rule controversy and beer bottles on the field, who could want more than that?  You can never say the Cardinals don’t make it interesting.  NLDS Game 5 comeback, classic Cardinals.  One more team that hates the Cardinals for ruining their parade, they are really racking up.  There for a while, it looked like the I Hate the Cardinals Fan Club was going to become a phenomena.  Losing the NLCS probably mollified the ravenous hordes.  I am so proud of this team.

1.  Yadier Molina signs 5 year $75 M extension.—The jury is still out on this one of course, we will have to see how it all plays out, but really, did the Cardinals have a choice? Considering the monster year that Molina had, and the sorry lack of decent catchers on the market, who doesn’t think that some team with more money than sense wouldn’t have paid him the Gross National Product of 5 small countries?  In fact, he’s a Cardinal through and through, I always thought he was more valuable than Pujols.  Yadi is the heart and soul of the Cardinals, has been for a while now.  And he’s ours.  And you can’t have him, fans of other teams, ha, ha, ha. (You Reds fans may hate him, but you’d give your first born to have him on your team, so don’t lie.)  Give me Yadi or give me death……alright, that’s enough.

So, thems my top five, made up words and bad grammar notwithstanding.  There are others that could have made this list…..but they didn’t.  I’m done.  Finished.  Sayonara.  Yadios.