Non-Fantastic Stuff About the Cardinals

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

OK, I'll be at tonite's game and need to brush up on the enemy. Do your part and contribute a few facts relevant to this series, list-style.

I will start, please contribute/continue:

1. Tonite: RHP Jeff Weaver (2-3, 5.54) vs. John "Vacationland" Maine (3-3, 2.68)
Weaver was picked up from the Angels last month and is coming off his best outing: 7.1 IP, 3 H. 1 ER vs. Cincy

2. Carlos Delgado owns Weaver (career: .438 -- 17-35, 4 2B 2 HR)

3. Insect/infielder David Eckstein is day to day

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Thanks JD!

This was my contribution in the general KTE thread -

] I'm hoping that the Cardinals look as crappy this week as they did when we saw them play the Phillies and the Brewers in St. Louis three weeks ago. They were in the midst of their second 8-game losing streak of the season, and to say that they looked flat is an understatement. We were at the game where the Phillies massacred them. The Cards had been behind by a substantial margin, cutting the Phillies lead to 8-7, but they brought in someone frm the bullpen - Looper! Philadelphia went on to win that game 16-8.

[MFS62]

When you look at the career statistics for reserve outfielder So Taguchi, you might start to think that the level of play in the Japanese league is comparable to that in the NL.
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/T/So-Taguchi.shtml

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

We closed the exhibition season by beating them: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060401&content_id=1379828&vkey=spt2006gamer&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

But we inexplicably lost two of three in May:

Game One: Reyes does it all.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20060516&content_id=1456832&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=away

Game Two: Trrax start gets wasted.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20060517&content_id=1458391&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=away

Game Three: Lima's second start and second failure.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20060518&content_id=1459926&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=away

[Guest Edgy DC]

Albert Pujols went 0-7 in the first two games and sat the third, in which is substitute Scott F. Spezio got himself two run-scoring hits.

[Frayed Knot]

CFer Edmonds is aging and slowing.
Still dangerous on occasion, but not the player he was a few years back.

[seawolf17]

Willie McGee is the ugliest man in major league history.

I know he has nothing to do with the 2006 Cardijnals, but it was the first thing I thought of.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mickey Rivers called him ET McGee.

Jack Wilson has potential, though.

That looks like Shea, with Kingman at first. It also looks like Neil Allen has got Smith leaning the wrong way.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Mossi v. McGee: This One's Gonna Get Ugly

[MFS62]

I think we had a thread on all-time baseball uglies on the old site.

Willie may have been funny looking, but my vote still goes to ex-Met Danny Napoleon. Someone (Bob Gibson?) once said of him "He'd be ugly even if he was White".

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Initially it looked like it might be just a nepotism promotion, but LFer Chris (son of long-time LaRussa pitching coach Dave) Duncan has been bopping the ball to the tune of .345/.401/.661 with 14 HRs and 23 XBHs in just 168 ABs in this, his first go-'round in the major leagues.

[MFS62]

="Frayed Knot"]Initially it looked like it might be just a nepotism promotion, but LFer Chris (son of long-time LaRussa pitching coach Dave) Duncan has been bopping the ball to the tune of .345/.401/.661 with 14 HRs and 23 XBHs in just 168 ABs in this, his first go-'round in the major leagues.

Holy Mike Jacobs Batman!
I knew he hit homers in each of the games in the recent Cubs series, but I didn't realize he was hitting that well against real pitching staffs, too.

Later

[Guest OlerudOwned]

The Cards have a 2 game lead over the Cincinatti Redlegs coming into this series, although neither team seems to really want to pull away.

With Eckstein (oblique) and Edmonds (knocked noggin') out, this projects to be LaRussa's Lineup:

1. SS- Aaron Miles: Miles was StL's starting 2nd Baseman for much of this season. Eventually, they realized he wasn't that good, as he doesn't get on base particularlly well (.330 OBP), doesn't hit for power (.348 SLG), and doesn't run well (2 for 3 stealing). He's holding SS until Little Man comes back.

2. LF- Chris Duncan: His dad may be the pitching coach, but this 25 year old rookie is making his own case for staying in the majors. A midseason call-up, Duncan has forced himself into the lineup by hitting the crap out of the ball. He's OPSing 1.062 in 168 ABs and is hot right now, with 14 hits in 6 games and a homer in his last 3, giving him 14 on the year.

3. 1B- Albert Pujols: Do I haaave to? .326/.429/.674. 36 HR, 98 RBI. 69 BB to 37 K. A 64.5 VORP, 2nd in the majors. All this after missing 2+ weeks of the season. Fabulous muscles.

4. 3B- Scott Rolen: Young Scotty Rolen aspires to one day be as great as his hero, David Wright. After being rendered ineffective last season due to injury, Rolen appears to be back among the 3B elite. He's getting on base (.393) and hitting for good power (.554) in typical Rolen fashion.

5. RF- Juan Encarnacion: An offseason pickup for the Redbirds after spending the last 4 years in Flordia-L.A.-Florida, Encarnacion has work out pretty well. He's hitting for power very well, on pase for a career high in HR and slugging a nice .461. He is a very free swinger though, walking only 19 times to his 69 Ks, and his OBP has suffered (.312). He had 30 steal speed as a rookie, but that seems to have vanished.

6. CF- Preston Wilson: I'm not really sure if Edmonds is ready to start again. If he isn't, or a lefty is pitching, we'll see Wilson. The basics on Preston: Good power, lots of Ks, few walks, no knees. The basics of Edmonds: The same Jim Edmonds you've always known, but older and not as good.

7. 2B- Ronnie Belliard: Picked up near the deadline from Cleveland because Aaron Miles sucks. He's having the same kind of season he usually has, OBPing .337 with O.K. power and not much speed. He has stumbled a bit since joining the Cardinals.

8. C- Yadier Molina: Blah blah calls a great game, blah blah defense, blah blah intangibles. Yadier Molina can't hit. He can't. He sucks. .604 OPS.

[Guest Edgy DC]

"He'd be ugly even if he was White".

I never quite get this.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Willie McGee's problem was that his ears were upside down.

Look at him closely: On the left side of his head is an upside-down right ear. And on the right side is an upside-down left ear.



The other thing of note about Willie McGee is that he was Prince's boss at the five and dime.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: "He'd be ugly even if he was White". I never quite get this.

I think I do. From what I remember, Gibson had the reputation as an "Angry Black Man" during the times when much of the country was still coping with integration. He was very sensitive to racial stereotypes. I think this comment was his attempt at a canard (is that a correct usage?), saying that White folks could be as ugly as Black folks were "supposed to be".

I could be way off on that, but its the way I interpreted it.

Later

[metirish]

Traschel will go against Mulder Wednesday and Dave Williams against Jason Marquis Thursday,at least that's what Mets.com has listed.

Last I checked Timo Perez was getting some playing time with the Cards so this series will mark his return to Shea.....

[Lundy]

Okay, this was my assignment, and here's what I've got:

KTE - St. Louis Cardinals

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Lundy - that was NICE! Well done!

[MFS62]

Lundy, is it posted on a personal web site? The security software on the computer I'm using doesn't permit me to view it.
Can you please re-post (copy and paste) it as a new thread here on the CPF site without using a link?

Thanks,
Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Holy crap! Start a new thread!

I'll retitle this: Other stuff about the Cardinals.

[Zvon]

You should combine some of the informative info here with Lundys KTE video as a header to the KTE thread.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a little statistical or descriptive info helps make a KTE shine alot brighter.

This was also good work, all who contributed here.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Eh, this was shit work. I was impatient to find out out about the series and also to make the John Maine "Vacationland" joke.

I suck.

[Guest cooby]

Lundy, that is terrific. East St Louis Shuffle is a nice touch

[Zvon]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Eh, this was shit work.

Was not.

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I suck.

Thats debatable.

[Lundy]

MFS62, the KTE is a video posted on Youtube. I'll try and post it elsewhere.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Oh, so now I'm non fantastic, am I?

Humph.

sc=100

[MFS62]

Lundy wrote: MFS62, the KTE is a video posted on Youtube. I'll try and post it elsewhere.

Saw it when I got home.
Great job, as I said in the new thread. But that deserved saying it again.

Later