Introducing birthday Thursdays

In honor of my stepdad’s birthday today, I’m rolling out a new, occasionally-recurring feature.

Birthday Thursdays will offer up some Redbirds and former Redbirds with their big days either recently celebrated or coming up soon. It’s like the Today show, only with generally younger and more able-bodied people.

Without further ado, Happy Birthday…

• Bill White – Jan. 28, 1934 – Five-time All-Star Bill White served as 1B/OF for the Cardinals from 1959 to 1965 while collecting five Gold Gloves for his infield play and putting up consistently strong offensive numbers. He won a World Series in 1964 while taking third place in MVP voting. White picked up one more Gold Glove in his three years in Philly, returning in 1969 to retire sporting the Birds on the Bat. Happy 75th, good sir!
• Brad Thompson – Jan. 31, 1982 – The young swinger with a shot at cracking the rotation out of Spring Training turns 27 on Friday. The baby-faced Vegas native made the roster at 23 and has spent parts of the last four seasons as a Big Bird, but he’s been a frequent rider on the St. Louis-Memphis Express. As he’s gotten older, Brad’s control has fallen off – not the right trend for a guy who’ll see a lot of competition from the kids in 2009.
• Ted Power – Jan. 31, 1955 – The journeyman righty, who hung it up in 1993 after 13 years, spent the 1989 campaign with the Cards. Notable for being on the list of Barry Bonds’ home run victims and because he’s my friend Edie’s uncle. By all accounts a really great guy, I wish you a Happy 54th, Uncle Ted!!
• Jackie Robinson – Jan. 31, 1919 – The late Hall of Fame breaker of the color barrier is an honorary mention since he never played for the Cardinals, but his number 42’s up in every park in the nation for good reason. Mr. Robinson deserves a tip of the cap every day possible to duly recognize his place in history. Jackie would be 90 years old.
• Hector Luna – Feb. 1, 1980 – The 2004 Redbird Rule V pick has clung to sparse MLB playing time since departing to Cleveland for Ronnie Belliard in 2006. After being plucked off waivers by Toronto in August 2007, he’s recorded just 43 ABs above AAA. A versatile fielder, a good spring with the bat could still land him a utility role, but Hector ain’t getting any younger. Happy 29th birthday, big guy.
• John Tudor – Feb. 2, 1954 – The crafty lefty and recent featured attraction on the Cards Caravan turns 55 on Groundhog’s Day. John’s 12-year career is highlighted by a ridiculous 1985 campaign in which he accumulated 14 complete games, 10 of them shutouts, over 275 innings. He ended 1985 with a few more career bests – 21 wins, 169 strikeouts, a 0.938 WHIP and a 1.93 ERA.
• Red Schoendienst – Feb. 2, 1923 – The Ole’ Redhead from Germantown, Ill., gets a little older this week, marking 86 years with us. A Hall of Fame playing career has been followed by a lifetime of dedication to the St. Louis Cardinals. Guys with statues outside Busch Stadium have to have your respect, but right alongside Stan the Man, Brock and Gibby, Red is a face of the franchise and an equally amazing living legend. Ten times an All-Star second baseman in his 19-year career, Schoendienst was twice a World Series winner, in 1946 with the Cards and 1957 with the Milwaukee Braves. As a manager, Red led the club from 1965 to 1976 and earned National League pennants in 1967 and 1968, toppling the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series. He’ll don a uniform this spring as a special assistant to Tony LaRussa, making it his 64th straight season as a player, manager or coach.

I’m assuming Red and Tudor are with me in hoping for clouds and an early spring when the groundhog gets to his business on their birthdays next week. From there, less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report.

Have a great weekend…

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Leading off - Jan. 26

Big Mac’s younger brother is determined to make right with the world on his bro’s behalf by exposing the truth about steroids.

Dicking over a famous family member for a quick buck is the route for Jay McGwire to help Mark McGwire find salvation. And who has to sacrifice in turn to save Jay’s soul?

The news comes from Deadspin.com, and few other places have pursued it beyond rehashing the Deadspin material. Already, pieces are questioning Jay’s truthiness, but it’s probably an accurate portrayal.

The deep sadness of Mark’s Congressional not-talking-about-the-past turns another stage sadder with this new chapter. I hope he one day comes clean, but the saving of his baseball soul is a lost cause.

I don’t believe the big guy ever makes the Hall of Fame, but I believe his real salvation will come if Mark’s human failings keep those big-headed fellas Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens out of the Hall as well.

In case you missed it…

Joe Strauss over at the Post-Dispatch delivered a cool off-season feature on Kyle McClellan, talking about the St. Louis-area native’s work as an instructor over the winter.

It used to be that all players had off-season jobs, but for a promising young pitcher like McClellan to still be so actively working in this day and age is pretty refreshing.

He works with his dad, Springfield manager Pop Warner, Cardinals athletic trainer Keith Sanders – and an array of baseball guys young and old – to coach baseball and softball to kids.

The 24-year-old has an interesting Spring Training just around the corner with an outside shot of making the rotation. After a great rookie season, here’s hoping his talent develops like the kids he helps at his other gig.

He could play a big role in 2009.

A few other bits of note:

• Non-roster invitees for Spring Training were recently announced, highlighted of course by Colby Rasmus (he’ll wear No. 28) and big-boneded Brett Wallace (he’ll wear No. 84), but the list also includes Jess Todd, Adam Ottavino, Jon Jay and the litany of contestants to replace Troy Glaus.
• Speaking of which, there have been numerous well-done pieces (here and here and here and here and here) on the Glaus injury and said potential replacements.
• And, here’s a little bit more on Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel’s arbitration business.

Rumor-mongering Monday

Now that we know the line-up will start the season short-handed, it is with a bit more interest I watch the position players left on the market. The news this week with interest to the Redbirds and the rest of the NL Central:

• Poor Cubbies are still praying for Peavy.
• Prince is getting paid.
• The Mets are looking at Andy Pettitte and Ben Sheets.

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2001: A sick season

What an incredible season the 2001 campaign was for Major League Baseball…

Recently watched the MLB TV show Baseball’s Seasons on 2001, and I was absolutely struck by how many big things went down, the greatest of which was a dramatic seven-game Arizona vs. New York World Series less than two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

But that culmination was far from the only storyline:

• Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn took their historic retirement victory laps.
• Ichiro led the Mariners, breaking Spring Training as the first everyday position player from Japan.
• He collected his first All-Star appearance, Silver Slugger and MVP in a Rookie of the Year season.
• Racking up 242 hits, 127 runs scored and 56 stolen bases and 69 RBI, the right fielder with a rocket arm also helped his club set the Major League record for regular season wins.
• Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens showed the power of better living through chemistry.
• With 73 homers, Bonds laid waste to Mark McGwire’s single-season record, topping 50 for the first time in his career at age 36.
• The 38-year-old Clemens chalked up 213 strikeouts in 220-plus innings, “earning” himself a sixth Cy Young award.
• In the other league, in possibly his best year ever, the 37-year-old Big Unit’s nearly 250 innings included 372 Ks versus 71 walks in route to a third-straight Cy Young.
• Josh Beckett, Carlos Zambrano and CC Sabathia took the hill for the first time.
• Eric Davis, Mark McGwire and Paul O’Neill said good bye to the game.
• And Derek Jeter did this.

A number of storylines turned on the St. Louis Cardinals:

• Along with the imagery of American flags everywhere, of George W. Bush wearing an FDNY jacket to throw out the first pitch of Game 1 of World Series in Yankee Stadium, of full ballparks observing moments of silence, Jack Buck’s voice in these historic times brought comfort.
• On Sept. 17, a teary-eyed Buck took the field at Busch Stadium and declared a return to America’s game, offering us permission to be distracted occasionally while we stand up as a nation with these words that still bring chills.
• While lower Manhattan was still blanketed in carnage and little else seemed normal, when baseball returned, there really seemed to be a lift in the national spirit that only this boys’ game could accomplish.
• A 21-year-old rookie by the name of Albert Pujols introduced himself to the world.
• Albert appeared in the All-Star game, collecting Rookie of Year and Silver Slugger honors along with a fourth place finish in MVP voting.
• The 1.013 OPS set a standard that we’ve come to expect, but it’s incredible how big and how immediate an impact he had on the club, knocking out 37 home runs, 130 RBI and 112 runs scored.
• On Sept. 3, another 21-year-old, rookie lefty Bud Smith, twirled a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.
• Yet another 21-year-old, Rick Ankiel, saw the meltdown of his pitching career come to an exclamation point with six starts, 24 innings and five wild pitches.
• In his last full season of life, Darryl Kile took the ball 34 times, as he’d done so many years before, and he put up great numbers as the anchor of the pitching staff.
• Stubby Clapp and Keith McDonald’s brief but inspiring MLB careers came to an end.
• For the first time since 1967 and 1968, the Birds made the playoffs in back-to-back years, taking the National League Wild Card with 93 wins.
• The good guys fell in the NLDS to the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

-30-

A Glaus-y medical report

The developing story out of the Redbird front office is that it was recently discovered Troy Glaus’s bum right shoulder needed surgery.

Basically a clean-up of debris, but this late in the off-season, it means someone else will start the year in his place.

The official press release puts recovery time at 12 weeks.

Early word from St. Louis Post-Dispatch reportage is that a shoulder tear could also be involved. That paints the 12-week estimate as rose-tinted Mo-spinnery.

In other words, a more severe injury could equal a longer Glaus absence and more time for someone else to get ABs at the hot corner.

I’d like to put aside all the silly conspiracy talk that abounds elsewhere about who knew what when. Whether or not “debridement” is just another euphemism for a hernia, got caught doing HGH or bonked head when wasted, drowning sorrows over another teammate’s untimely drinking-related death, really doesn’t interest me.

Never one for sunny-eyed optimism, I’m going to assume Glaus is gone for 2009 and focus my own silly speculation on what to do if the worst-case comes true:

• The kids are alright
• Tony whines his way to a veteran stop-gap
• We do something drastic

The kids are alright

What looked like a long-shot season just got longer, so not only do we sit tight with the guys we got at 3B, we do nothing else to shore up other obvious needs, low-hanging fruit or not.

No more starters. No more lefties in the bullpen. No upgrades at 2B.

What are the in-house options? I put them in this order:

• David Freese – Without an addition, the local product’s AAA power numbers in 2008 have to make him the prohibitive favorite. In 131 games, the 25-year-old racked up 26 home runs, 29 doubles and 91 RBI while carrying a .306/.361/.550 line.
• Joe Mather – While he seemed to get into trouble as clubs started to figure out his weaknesses, the former third round pick had respectable power numbers in 132 ABs while up. Before the Glaus injury, an option for the Scott Speizio role, and I’m not talking about that of clubhouse addict.
• Joe Thurston – He’s played outfield and second base but was already looking more like a utility guy if he was going to make the roster. He’ll surely get at-bats.
• Brett Wallace – The big-boneded one with the bigger bat has all the opportunity in the world to make a huge Walrus splash and force the Cardinals hand, but his ascendance isn’t likely before September.
• Allen Craig – Held back in AA despite an enormous year to allow for Freese’s playing time and pushed aside to allow for Wallace’s Springfield arrival late in 2008, the 23-year-old Craig’s yet again the odd man out, but his opportunities at AAA improved greatly with Glaus going down.

This also means an improved shot for Colby Rasmus to land on the 25-man out of Spring Training. If he’s not up before then, at the trading deadline, Colby makes his big league debut to replace one of the Duncan/Ludwick/Ankiel troupe dealt to the Yankees for the now-expendable Philip Hughes.

This option could make Mather and Thurston’s utility auditions a more permanent possibility, and it could mean Skip’s sashay at second gains traction.

As bad as the 2009 record might turn out this way, it’d certainly make for an interesting campaign.

Tony whines his way to a veteran stop-gap

Tony LaRussa, while showing a willingness to give a few kids some rope last year and with a notable history of star players getting a look early in their careers in Oakland, is most often going to default to veterans.

Morgan Ensberg, Ruben Gotay and Ty Wigginton are among a dwindling number of free agent third basemen who could come in under a digestible-enough contract to allow for other moves.

All have significant, recent Major League experience, and Gotay and Wigginton have played multiple positions. They’d serve as adequate utility men upon Glaus’s unlikely (in my doomsday scenario) return or the arrival of any of the aforementioned kids.

Besides taking away another $1 million or so, the budget isn’t derailed. No trade chips are harmed in the making of this production. Mo doesn’t have to redraw whatever remains of his off-season plan.

The fall-off from Glaus to one of these guys would be dramatic but wouldn’t necessarily make success this season significantly less likely pending these other moves.

We do something drastic

These two options require a bit of imagination:

• Sign Joe Crede – The oft-injured 2008 All-Star remains available and looks like a value signing, but the health of his back remains a big question mark. The former White Sox slugging third bagger plans to work out for a number of teams soon.
• Trade one of the outfield triumvirate, plus Adam Kennedy and cash for Dan Uggla – The word today out of Marlins’ camp is that no matter what happens in arbitration for the mediocre-fielding but solid-swinging second baseman, they’re holding onto Uggla. That’s a sure sign he could be had.

Crede offers similar keep-the-off-season-plan-intact benefits as the cheaper veterans but just in the sense that the trade chips aren’t lost.

If he’s added, don’t expect another lefty reliever, and don’t expect another cheap, depth starter.

In the minor leagues, Uggla played more games at third base (228) than he did at second base (219). Neither position makes him look especially nimble, but if there’s any chance of a young gun replacing him mid-year, Uggla temporarily at third, then shifted to second base would look pretty amazing.

Uggla’s addition would scrap any further moves until the trade deadline. While not much more expensive than what is owed Kennedy, bringing this 28-year-old All-Star into the fold will not come cheap, and his upcoming arbitration hearing is his first.

Use that imagination I mentioned, and think about the line-up Tony could run out there on Opening Day…

1. Rasmus, CF
2. Duncan, LF
3. Pujols, 1B
4. Ankiel, RF
5. Uggla, 3B
6. Greene, SS
7. Molina, C
8. Carpenter, P
9. Thurston, 2B

And if my doomsday scenario is destroyed by a miracle recovery and a rapid rise by the big boneded one, come September…

1. Rasmus, CF
2. Wallace LF
3. Pujols, 1B
4. Ankiel, RF
5. Glaus, 3B
6. Uggla, 2B
7. Molina, C
8. Carpenter, P
9. Greene, SS

Now wasn’t that more fun than twirling around conspiracy theories?

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Ludwick and Ankiel’s numbers in; money still there for pitching help

With Inauguration Day now behind us, arbitration hearings and just 25 cold and wanting days remain between here and that glorious February morning when life starts getting back to normal.

Pitchers and catchers report on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and I’m already feeling a bit more romantic.

On the arbitration front, the short time remaining means signings are coming in a flurry.

I noted Todd Wellemeyer and Chris Duncan’s one-year deals yesterday. Add now to that swinger Brad Thompson, whose one-year, $650,000 deal was announced today.

Also, today, it was reported that Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel have each exchanged figures with the club. Unless they settle before their hearings, for 2009:

• Ludwick will either make $2.8 million or $4.25 million.
• Ankiel will either make $2.35 million or $3.3 million.

Which, outside of my distracting case of cabin fever, brings me to my only major point today…

If we do nothing else, payroll has just $2.4 million wiggle room left to wiggle before Opening Day. That lands us near the $90 million mark. By my count, that means more than one significant addition could yet be ahead.

While the free agent list is shrinking, several big names are left on it and facing a buyers’ market would look really nice on a roster heavy on outfielders and short in every way on pitching.

Even with a healthy Chris Carpenter, the depth of this rotation is frightening.

Even with rock-steady results from a no-name bullpen, there simply aren’t enough arms for me to have any faith.

Mo’s recent quotes have leaned toward a later addition like Kyle Lohse, but with the economy down, it could be left to the guys we got for three or four months.

If they repeat the improbable and stick around through June, a move before the deadline would signal a firm, if cautious, commitment to the here and now – even if it’s not when the anxious and impatient among us would have liked.

-30-

Leading off - Jan. 19

A few beautiful stories from the Cardinals Caravan on Sunday in Peoria

After a quick Public Service Announcement on the value of playing multiple sports as a means to the end of financing a college education by emcee Al Hrabosky, Josh Kinney shares his story of selecting a school.

Josh got enough offers that he had a choice in schools scattered across the country, and ultimately, they were all about equal in his mind.

He chose Quincy University (Quincy, Ill.) based on its proximity to good deer hunting.

Danny Cox, who made the first reference to such outdoors activities, including hunting and fishing in the list of sports he played in high school, seemed to like Kinney’s thinking.

After all this manly-man talk, Chris Perez took his turn to talk about other sports he played in high school.

Among them, volleyball, the indoor variety…

This admission drew snickers from many, outright laughter and mocking from Cox, who tops 6’ 4” and weighs well over 300 pounds.

Cox stood and motioned like he was feathering his hair back over his ears, batting his eyelashes and playing to the crowd. Perez, who now wears shoulder-length surfer dude hair befitting an off-season chilling at the beach, didn’t seem to appreciate the jibes.

Quick hits from the event:

• Nick Stavinoha is completely without personality.
• Hrabosky hates the Cubs and made some intelligent remarks about the Small Bears’ questionable off-season moves subtracting Mark DeRosa while adding Milton Bradley.
• Tom Lawless still rocks that 1987 World Series home run and likely replays it in his head at least once every day of his life.

In case you missed it

It seems that Prince Albert is continuing to play the PR game.

Coming out of the Winter Warm Up, the Associated Press reports No. 5 is feeling fine after October elbow surgery to fix a compressed nerve. The other tidbit worth noting is Pujols’ feelings on his contract.

We can rest assured that he’ll get expensive eventually, but Alberto apparently isn’t itching for an extension just yet. His $100-million-guaranteed deal takes us through 2010 with a 2011 option year.

Here’s hoping it’s not just Pujols playing nice…

Rumor-mongering Monday

After a week that saw Derek Lowe land with the Atlanta Braves and a number of minor deals come together, here’s a recap of the happenings impacting the Cardinals and NL Central rivals.

• Todd Wellemeyer and Chris Duncan have reportedly agreed to terms on one-year deals to avoid arbitration. Todd’s deal is for $4.05 million and Dunc’s is for less than $1 million.
• With Michael Young now apparently intimidated into playing third base in 2009 by Nolan Ryan, the Rangers are looking to deal Hank Blalock.
• Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady are as expected being made available by the restocked Yankees, and the Pirates and Reds have expressed interest.
• Pirates and Pedro Martinez have also been mentioned together.

That’s it for today. Been away for a while, but it’s good to be back after the long weekend.

Enjoy the inauguration tomorrow…

-30-

Seeing baseball players in January

Yes, the bulk of the Midwest hasn't offered even double-digit temperatures for the last couple weeks, but on Sunday, I will be seeing baseball players.

The Cardinals Caravan hits Peoria, near my hometown, and since I'm back for the weekend, I'll get to see a few Birds. Perez and Kinney, Tudor and Cox, with the Mad Hungarian serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes...

Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint^® BlackBerry

How many Hall of Famers have you seen?

My friend threw out the question last night, and I liked it so well that I post it here to see your list of names.

The premise is simple. How many Hall of Famers have you seen play the game?

Players only count if you saw them play in person. Just because a player was on the roster of a team you saw, that doesn’t count. For example, if you watched the 1982 Cardinals live but Bruce Sutter didn’t pitch that day, you can’t include Sutter.

Managers count. Seeing a player in the minors or college counts, too.

My list:

• Rickey Henderson
• Dennis Eckersley
• Ozzie Smith
• Mike Schmidt
• Steve Carlton*
• Ryne Sandberg
• Goose Gossage*
• Tony Gwynn
• Cal Ripken, Jr.

Carlton and Gossage I can't say for certain because I was pretty young. They were both bullpen guys when I saw them, and I don't have the ticket stubs to look up box scores for those games.

That leaves my count at seven for sure.

I would imagine the list will grow at least five or six more names from the active or recently-retired guys.

Robbie Alomar, Barry Larkin and the Crime Dog Fred McGriff are up next year for the first time, and that’d bump me north to an even 10. My friend that started this has a dozen today.

Who’s on yours?

-30-

Testing a familiar centerfielder’s Hall-worthiness by way of Rice, Puckett

As a few fellow Internet speculationists have pieced together in the 24 hours since it was announced, Jim Rice’s July 26 date with the Baseball Hall of Fame might have implications for another Jim.

The career of former Chicago Cub* Jim Edmonds isn’t officially over, but a closer inspection of his numbers and accolades to date, and you have to think with Rice in, Jimbo’s knocking on Cooperstown’s door.

But already a sure thing?

That’s the only conclusion I could draw from MLB TV’s recent Prime 9 program on the best nine centerfielders of all time.

Edmonds was one of two active centerfielders on the list, joined by the surefire-first-balloter Ken Griffey, Jr. Interestingly, both aging icons remain free agents.

The names on the Prime 9 list, in order:

1. Willie Mays (inducted 1979)
2. Ty Cobb (inducted 1936)
3. Mickey Mantle (inducted 1974)
4. Tris Speaker (inducted 1937)
5. Joe DiMaggio (inducted 1955)
6. Griffey
7. Duke Snider (inducted 1980)
8. Edmonds
9. Kirby Puckett (inducted 2001)

Better than Rice?

Certainly Edmonds was a much better fielder, and they’re comparable hitters. Although Rice played before the juice ran rampant, Edmonds was smack dab in the middle of the era, his best power years coinciding with the most injection-inflated across the game.

Better than Puckett?

OK, it’s a stretch, but I can maybe see it if I stare long enough.

	Edmonds, CF (16 seasons)	Puckett, CF (12 seasons)	Rice, OF, DH (16 seasons)
AVG/OBP/SLG	.284/.377/.528	.318/.360/.477	.298/.352/.502
Runs per 162 games (total)	102 (1,207)	97 (1,071)	97 (1,249)
RBI per 162 games (total)	99 (1,176)	99 (1,085)	113 (1,451)
HR per 162 games (total)	32 (382)	19 (207)	30 (382)
Hits per 162 games (total)	158 (1,881)	209 (2,304)	190 (2,452)
World Series rings	1	2	0
MVP Top 10s	2	7	6 (won in '78)
All-star appearances	4	10	8
Silver Sluggers	1	6	2
Gold Gloves	8	6	0

Rice made it in on his last try before being sent to the Veterans’ Committee.

Kirby’s Glaucoma-shortened career was enough to get the Hall call on the first ballot.

Prime 9’s ranking says Edmonds would be a first-ballot guy, too, but I can’t help but think he’ll fall somewhere in between.

If he doesn’t play another game, eventually, Jimmy gets in the Hall of Fame.

But in the same conversation with Mays, Mantle, DiMaggio, Speaker and Cobb?

* I loved Jimmy Ballgame’s days with the Cardinals, but after last season’s loving embrace of the Small Bears, I’ll label him a Scrub until his true feelings are reasserted with the cap he chooses to wear in Cooperstown.

- 30 -

Leading off - Jan. 12

Two different routes to Cooperstown

Congratulations to Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice for their election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

For Rickey, he got there quickly just like he got many a ballgame started for 10 teams over a 25-year career that included swiping an incredible 1,406 bags. I saw the Man of Steal play exactly once, in that last year for the Dodgers in 2003.

He also brought the pop for a little guy netting nearly 300 HR, mostly from the lead-off spot.

Set your DVRs, Tivo, VCRs… Whatever you do, don’t miss this man’s induction speech.

It was Rickey’s first year of eligibility.

Jim Rice was a bit before my time, and he makes his way to Cooperstown after a long wait with many close calls.

Rice’s 16-year career left the eight-time all-star and foundational member of all those great Red Sox clubs in the 1970s just two points shy of a .300 average to go with 382 HR and 1451 RBI.

This was his last shot to get in by way of the writers.

A funny Cardinals-related note on Rice. A self-identified trucker calling into MLB Home Plate on XM wondered out loud this evening if Rice’s election helps Albert Pujols’ chances… Uh… Hmm…

Different. Planets.

In case you missed it

Like life, cheating finds a way.

For the second straight season, an epidemic of ADHD diagnoses is infesting Major League clubhouses.

The entirely non-communicable disease is catching on as the illness du jour because such a finding by a “doctor” earns you the right to not observe the stimulant portion of the performance-enhancing drug ban.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder now afflicts 8% of Major League ball players. Estimates of the disease amongst children are in the 3% to 5% range.

Sure, it’s a kid’s game. But come on…

Ritalin and similar drugs used to treat ADHD are no doubt being used as replacements for “greenies,” the little green amphetamine pills that for years helped baseball players keep up their rock star lifestyles and still wake up to focus for the first pitch for all 162.

Rumor-mongering Monday

Unfortunately for increasingly impatient Redbirds’ fans, it’s another week without a lot of action. A few rumors of note:

• Too late for Takashi – former Dodgers’ closer Saito signs with Boston.
• Milwaukee hands it to Hoffman – Trevor gets $6 million plus incentives.
• They still like Mike – Cameron no longer looks Yankee-bound.
• But may part with Prince – Fielder could be had by Red Sox with the right package.
• Cubs persistent on Peavy – After Marquis is moved and Bradley is brought in, Hendry thinks Jake might jive.

And finally a pipe dream to put a bow on this piece…

Texas Rangers’ shortstop Michael Young refuses to play third base and is demanding a trade instead of being forced to the hot corner.

Would second be a better fit?

He did spend the majority of the first three years of his career there.

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Son of former Cardinal Tolan shot by cop

So I'm watching NBC Nightly News from earlier tonight on my DVR, and I see a flash of a grainy black and white baseball picture...and it's the Cardinals.

I wasn't paying all that much attention so I back it up. Pretty bizarre...

Turns out this kid in the Houston area, Robbie Tolan, a minor league outfielder with the Nationals' Hagerstown Suns as recently as 2007 and for the Bay Area Toros of the Continental League in 2008, finds himself in the hospital with a cop's bullet in his belly.

Robbie and his cousin - both black and unarmed - were driving an SUV a cop errantly believed was stolen through the predominantly white suburb of Bellaire, and after a confrontation in the driveway of the family home with the kid's mom, the cop shot him, according to the story.

With a white cop in a white suburb chasing black kids in a "stolen" SUV, racial profiling obviously comes to mind, and the community outcry has been growing all week. The cop is a 10-year veteran with an excellent record, but that's about all the police department is saying.

Robbie is in severe pain but expected to recover.

Now, with the Cardinals connection. Robbie's dad, Bobby Tolan, played in the majors from 1965 to 1979 mostly with the Cards, Reds and Padres.

That time included a spot on one of the best-ever Cards clubs, the 1967 World Champs.

In 1967, the elder Tolan recorded 265 at-bats playing in all the outfield spots. Tolan was younger than his son is today when he was traded to the Reds after the 1968 season for Vada Pinson.

Watch the story for yourself. (pardon the Herpes medicine commercial at the beginning... not my idea.)

-30-

Our only Ring in 2009?

Back in 2004, when the destiny-bound Boston Red Sox broke their historic futility streak, skipper Tony LaRussa made sure his 105-win Cardinals club got A ring.

The NL Championship jewelry was nice, but he wanted it to be a motivator to get THE ring.

With the magical 2006 postseason run following a middling regular season, the Cardinals accomplished the improbable. They got THE ring.

Fast forward a couple 365s, and this off-season has brought us yet another Ring. If nothing else changes, the recently signed free agent lefty reliever named Royce Ring may be the only one we get this year.

For starting off throwing around the term aggressive, it’s hardly been an off-season worth the hype from Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak.

He’s proven yet again that the Cards are really awesome at coming in second for free agents. Recent history shows that can be a really good thing (see: A.J. Burnett, Jason Schmidt, et al.). President Dollar Bill Dewitt is probably playing a big part in this trend, too.

But with oh-so-close pursuits of the Brian Fuentes and Matt Holidays of the world starting to stack up again this year – and with fewer fallback options of equal caliber – an underwhelming off-season could turn into an underwhelming regular season.

To this point, LaRussa hasn’t done much ARFing, but it’s hard to believe the animal lover won’t show some teeth soon as affordable upgrades get more affordable, and the front office’s true intentions for 2009 become clear.

There’s still time on the clock, and plenty of talent is still available, but No. 10’s one-way ticket to Cincinnati could be Mo’s last acquisition if it keeps up.

Since I launched this blog halfway through the off-season, I don’t want to rehash all the little moves so far, but I’ll hit the highlights.

Going, going, gone…

While not all of these guys have signed elsewhere, chances are good the Opening Day roster will not include their familiar faces. Roughly organized in order of importance.

Braden Looper

• Why he won’t be back – His on-one-start-off-one-start pattern from 2007 held him back again in 2008, but now a proven innings eater, Looper will command a longer-term commitment at a higher price than DeWitt is willing to pay. Replaceable at a lower cost in the shape of a converted Kyle McClellan, returning Mitchell Boggs or reemerging Blake Hawksworth.
• Biggest reason he’ll be missed – Team-leading 199 innings on a very mediocre staff was bettered by his ability to hit the bat with the ball and get quick outs.

Russ Springer

• Why he won’t be back – After a career year in which he was the mid-game rally stopper, Springer wouldn’t come as cheap as 2008, and when you’re competing with retirement and fatherhood instead of a higher bid…you have to wonder if his heart would be in it for one more turn.
• Biggest reason he’ll be missed – Hardly any surefire alternatives for a middle relief strikeout specialist are left on the squad. We can only hope we have the old late-2006 Josh Kinney back to fill the void.

Aaron Miles

• Why he won’t be back – Signed with the Small Bears for a couple hundred thousand more than what we offered, making some dickish comments on the way out. After a career year, he was getting expensive for a utility guy but worth it to LaRussa, who essentially saved the guy’s career after the trade from Colorado brought him in.
• Biggest reason he’ll be missed – As just OK as he was everywhere, there’s something to be said for versatility, and LaRussa has to have a guy like that on every one of his clubs. Hearing talk already that Joe Mather and Skip Schumaker could see time in unfamiliar places to help fill in.

Cesar Izturis

• Why he won’t be back – Signed an overpriced two-year, $5 million deal to "bring stability" to the SS position out in B-More, proving former Cubs President Andy MacPhail still doesn’t know how to run a baseball team.
• Biggest reason he’ll be missed – Who’s going to hit ninth now? No seriously, his defense returned to closer to its former Gold Glove form. Hopefully, Khalil Greene’s will do the same this year, and we won’t miss Mr. IzTu at all.

Mark Mulder

• Why he won’t be back – Busy trying hippy-California-surfer-dude alternative treatments to free his shitty shoulder after traditional medicine left him feeling like he still sucked at baseball two years and two major operations later.
• Why he’ll be missed – No more awful leftover Walt Jocketty contracts for Mo to easily point to when looking for examples of payroll inflexibility.

Also departing and worth at least a mention, 2B Felipe Lopez who would have been nice to keep around on a one-year shot, RHP Mark Worrell for his surprise three-run home run, RHP Kelvin Jimenez as another such AAAA guy who never earned LaRussa’s full trust, and LHP Ron Villone who gave us a solid 2008 before he was forced to start facing righties.

Welcome back

Just after the season came to a close, Jason LaRue was quick to sign a one-year deal for 2009.

One of the LaRussa guys, Jason gives the club an insurance policy that the game-calling and run-controlling elements Yadi has in spades won’t totally disappear when he needs a day off. And as LaRue proved when the youngest of the Catching Molinas was out with a concussion, he can hold his own for longer stretches, too.

Also, awesome facial hair, something Yadier does not have in spades.

Josh Kinney, after a long absence for Tommy John and a scary broken elbow that understandably pushed recovery back a bit, finally returned to the rubber and put up some zeroes to cap 2008.

Let’s hope there are many more appearances just like those in 2009. With the likely departure of Russ Springer, Josh will be greatly needed.

Welcome aboard

Former San Diego Shortstop Khalil Greene and former Tampa Bay lefty reliever Trever Miller headline the short list of additions so far this off-season.

Greene, who recently committed to wear No. 4 on his back, has huge potential, and he cost just the odd sidearm/underhand-slinging Mark Worrell and a player to be named later.

With a career slugging percentage around .440 before a big drop last year and a solid history of providing moderate pop before hitting 27 out in 2007, chances are he’s got something better than his 2008 numbers showed still in him.

In addition, Khalil’s batting average for balls put in play (BAPIP) was a measly .255 in 2008, so he was pretty unlucky. When bad luck comes with a bad approach at the plate in the biggest ballpark in the league, it can all spiral out of control pretty quickly.

A fresh start in a fresh city… I predict a .265/.280/.425 (BA/OBP/SLG) line with 18 HR, 75 RBI. And with the help of Jose Oquendo, a really solid defensive return to form a la Cesar Izturis in 2008.

Significant upgrade over Izturis at a ridiculously affordable price if he makes good on his promise… Khalil made just $4.5 million in 2008 and is due $6.5 million in 2009, part of which San Diego will cover under the trade terms.

I love getting a legit bat at SS again, and Khalil could provide a nice boost to the six- or seven-hole. Still wondering who will hit second, but with his free-swinging ways, it hopefully won’t be Khalil.

Still dizzy from a World Series appearance with the Rays, Trever Miller got what was reported as an early two-year offer from Mo and the Cards. After a strange delay and reworking of his contract (presumably based on the not-so-reassuring results of his physical), Miller signed a low-dollar, incentive-laden one-year deal.

His reputation for stranding runners and consistently getting the biggest lefty bats in the league out make him a huge asset in a LaDunc bullpen.

Some lesser-known newcomers that could play bigger roles for the first time in their careers include the aforementioned Ring, Charlie Manning (LHP), a waiver wire pick from the Nationals; and Ian Ostlund (LHP), another low-dollar signing with a Spring Training invitation.

The fact that they all these guys take the mound from the left side shouldn’t be a surprise. The gaping hole left by Tyler Johnson’s disappearing act and Randy Flores sudden inability to throw strikes made serious upgrades necessary. Tip of the cap to Ron Villone for taking on more burden than he signed up for, but his numbers really showed it.

Hopefully, Miller is healthy enough to be the go-to guy on the left side, and someone in this nice little competition can elevate their game and prove Mo smarter than everyone on the Internet. I certainly hope I never have to long for Arthur Rhodes.

One other signing of note, Joe Thurston (INF) will be in competition with Brendan Ryan, Tyler Greene, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Brian Barden, for the coveted scrappy white utility guy role once held by famed scrappy white utility guys Bo Hart, Stubby Clapp and Joe “Little Mac” McEwing.

Raising expectations

As a number of Redbirds look to make significantly more in 2009 than 2008, expectations continue to climb for these young veterans.

Arbitration-eligible Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Chris Duncan, Todd Wellemeyer and Brad Thompson will return to more money. Just how much for 2009 will be decided by an independent arbiter if an agreeable extension can’t be reached before then.

Certainly interesting cases for each of the first three:

• Rick the Stick’s comparables through this point in their career are former pitcher Babe Ruth and...who else??? After a combined 43 dingers between Memphis and St. Louis in 2007, he jacked 25 and collected 71 RBI while he OPS-ed at an .843 clip over 413 ABs in 2008. He was also severely limited during a third of those at-bats by an “abdominal strain” that turned out to be a sports hernia.
• Ludwick’s already long career includes just one full big league season, which started in 2008 as a LaRussa platoon and ended as a LaRussa removal by pinch hitter that left him single away from a .300/30/100 line.
• And Young Dunc’ was expected to complete his breakout last year when leftovers from an “abdominal strain” (also see Ankiel, Rick) and serious back problems kept him out for most of the year.

The performance of these three outfielders dances a beautiful dance with the other big unknowns of starting pitching and the bullpen entering 2009.

If all three guys play well, one of them easily nets us a back-of-the-rotation starter to put Joel Pineiro out of his misery.

If any of them falter, CF phenom Colby Rasmus could squeeze his way onto the Opening Day roster and also force a move sooner than later. That kind of deal could bring platoon-only Skip Schumaker into the mix of trade options.

Wellemeyer, the Kentucky Colonel, is a perfect example of when being cheap pays off. Who would have imagined this addition from the Cubs and Royals bullpen scrap heap would result in a No. 3 starter at any point in the future.

And that’s what he ended up being for much of last year, behind Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse.

So much of 2009 success depends on the health of the right arm of Chris Carpenter, but the middle of the rotation is sound with guys like Wellemeyer.

Todd took the ball 32 times and came up just short of Looper for the innings-pitched race. With a sub-4.00 ERA and limited base on balls, if he can just keep guys in the yard a little more often in 2009, I have no complaints about this guy in the middle to back end of the rotation.

Expect him to get a decent raise come arbitration time.

“The rest is still unwritten”

What? A guy can’t rock the Natasha Bedingfield?

With 34 days remaining until pitchers and catchers report – and keeping in mind that Kyle Lohse was signed last year on March 14, in the middle of Spring Training – it’s clear the last lines of this story can’t yet be inked.

Mo has his work cut out for him, and the way he’s been sputtering in recent interviews, he’s starting to feel the heat from the fan base.

If the worry is the economy is too tight for fans to buy tickets, and what had become a given 3,000,000 annual attendance at Busch is no longer a sure thing, he can only make that a self-fulfilling prophecy by doing nothing.

Would an Andy Pettitte or Randy Wolf really be a big draw or win us any more game than a Kyle McClellan?

Would a Takashi Saito really be any better than young guns Chris Perez or Jason Motte? God strike me down if Izzy is seen as an improvement.

Anyone else anywhere willing to pay Tino Martinez…I mean Adam Kennedy…anything to play baseball for them?

And if so, do we have the financial freedom to upgrade to the O-Dog, Orlando Hudson, at second base?

“…reaching…for something in the distance…”

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Now batting...

Welcome to Birds, Bat, Baseball, my blog about baseball and most often, specifically about the St. Louis Cardinals.

There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Like many, my blog is of the zero access, zero privilege variety. But what this site will not lack…is insight.

First, my bona fides.

I make my living with words, but until this point in my life, none have been able to be about baseball. Print journalism got me started, and one too many city council meetings got me looking for a real job. Eventually, I landed one, and now, with a 10^th high school class reunion on the horizon, I have decided I better have something more interesting to talk about than work. A blog? Yeah, that's interesting in my world.

I thank my current employer – no shitting you, an insurance company (R.I.P.F.J.M) – for being cool enough to not unduly restrict my Internet access. It is during these on-the-clock hours I’m able to feed my addiction.

As for my Cardinals credentials, I [insert cliché to replace ‘want to marry’ here] this franchise. My first game was in 1987 when I was 6. It was a night game, Cards v. Phillies, and with rain coming soon, we were forced to leave before the game was over. It was tied 2-2 when Dad and his buddy led me and the other guy's daughter out of the stadium. I was still awake to hear on the radio on the ride home that the Phils had taken a 4-2 lead in extras, which held up for the win.

I was too young to remember the 1982 World Series, to remember without the benefit of video Sutter sealing title No. 9. I was raised on Whitey Ball, the Wizard of Oz, E.T. McGee, Vince and the Astroturf and wide open spaces of Old Busch that made all that fun possible. Jack Clark’s bat gave me some early thrills. Jack Buck’s voice still gives me chills.

I started paying enough attention to really learn the intricacies of small ball, the double switch and what constituted a good running count, just in time for a strike to steal the game’s thunder and Junior Griffey’s chance at history. I was brought back to baseball just before Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy helped steal back the nation’s heart – while darkening the game's soul.

In the last 10 years, I’ve rarely miss a Cards game on TV, and that’s meant some pretty expensive cable bills as I journeyed from state to state. Even in Missouri, I was too close to Royals country to see the Birds cheap. MLB.tv and KMOX got me through, though. From the cold basement of the house I shared with three strangers, I got to watch a 30-second-delayed version of the Game 6 NLCS home run Jimmy Edmonds set into the night sky on the small screen, constantly interrupted by buffering. My phone rang first so I knew something good was coming, just wasn't sure how high I'd jump when I saw it with my own eyes.

During that same time, I never missed a summer getting to St. Louis or catching the Cards when they were in the neighborhood on the road. From Chavez Ravine to the Valley of the Sun, Wrigley Field to Kauffman Stadium. Even with all those places, I can safely say my Top 5 favorite vacations all happened in St. Louis, Mo.

The pinnacle of my fandom so far was playing witness in the newly christened Busch Stadium III to the 2006 World Series clincher. I drove hundreds of miles without a ticket. I spent more money that night than rent that month to get in the gates and properly toast the good guys’ victory. But there’s nothing in my life outside of my family and friends that I cherish more than the memories of that game. Stay tuned, and I’ll share them with you here soon.

You can be sure with this blog that I won’t let you miss anything vital. But this will not be the best place to check if you just want to read about last night’s game. There are far better sites for that.

I’ll look for the odd angles, the bad hops and the wrong-handed pitchers (apologies to Jim Abbott, no special offense intended). I’ll talk about the people talking about the game, the people writing about the game and of course the people playing it, managing it and those paying them millions of dollars to do it. I’ll write things here you won’t be able to read anywhere else and hopefully piss a few people off and make a few people laugh in the process.

To fully embrace the philosophy here, you will have to get your head around the fact that I may occasionally reference a few statistics “invented” after 1950 that your grandfather – and half the on-air talent at Baseball Tonight – could consider a form of voodoo. And I’ll use my share of salty language.

This isn’t a blog for your grandfather. Or for John Kruk for that matter, although I was a big fan of the big man in his silly-base-running, Randy Johnson-dodging, trading-his-jersey-number-for-a-case-of-beer days.

But it won’t be a blog for baseball’s total stat nerds, either. The simple things in the game still get me excited, and like the funny man in the Miller High Life commercials, I, too, need to smell me a hot dog or somethun’.

I hope this little corner of the Internet serves as an adequate personal shrine to the game and the team I love. True, I'd love for this to become a place where others also come to pay their respects. But if it’s just for me and my immediate Redbird family, that’s cool, too.

To everyone who visits here, I thank you for reading my words and appreciate any you have to share with me.

If it’s baseball you want to talk about, everyone is welcome. Yes, even you Scrubs fans...

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