Projected Line Up- Spring Training Addition

This year, spring training is an exciting place. There are new players mixing with some fan favorites from years past. This is a season of change, an opportunity for management to turn the ship and go down a different path. Best place to see the change, is right here in the starting lineup. We will try and project the starting line up for the 2011 Cardinals. While there are some positions that are still up for grabs coming out of spring training, we believe the following to be an accurate projection.

1. Carlos Trajano CF
   
2. Dallas Parrish 2B
   
3. Jacque Lee C
   
4. Ricardo Lopez 1B
   
5. Anthony Mayne RF
   
6. David Hyun 3B
   
7. Chris Thomas SS
   
8. Pitchers Spot
9. Francis Nelson LF
   

Projected Rotation:

• Yannick Woodson SP
  
• Max Herrera SP
  
• Andy Belitz SP
  
• Rich Ryan SP
  
• Todd Maxwell SP
  
• Mitch Casanova SU
  
• Quilvio Lima SU
  
• Abdul Foster CL

Continuing with the "season of change" theme, next we look at the additions and subtractions of the past off season.

Additions: Carlos Trajano, Russ Taylor, David Hyun and Jimmie Guzman.

Subtractions: Jonathan Campbell, Howie Lincoln, Donald Perez, Miguel Prieto, Roland Silva, Hideo Takada and Bruce Wells

2011- The Season of Change

Team officials will look back at this year and will hopefully say that this was the season that turned the fortunes of the franchise around.  While this years team won't be feared much on the field, maybe the moves off the field will be more frightening.  There are rumors this off season that the team will be shopping some of it's veteran players in an attempt to bring in new and younger talent.  Some of the names being mentioned are Shawn Knott, Donald Perez, Max Hererra, Tony Melo and Yannick Woodson.  

Some people within the Cardinals club house feel that this is happening too soon.  That the players feel that they might be one or two players short of making the playoffs, being in a weak division.  This reporter feels that now is the time to clean out the cupboard and bring in new players and start the rebuild process now.  

I guess for now we will just have to sit and wait.  One good thing, the Cardinals have a terrific group of fans and they expect a quality product on the field, but if they have to endure another 100+ loss season, it might be time to look for another GM.

Season 9 is over.....Finally.

The end of the season is finally here.  It was a year of hope and high expectations, but turned into a big nightmare.  

It started good, going 10-3 over the first thirteen games.  Then the injuries started to show there ugly head.  For the second season in a row, the teams number one starter went down to a significant injury.  Not having enough arms in the starting rotation was the down fall of the team this year.  

Jaque Lee had another good year at the plate, but was a down year compared to past seasons.

The off season will be one of trying to get back to the postseason after missing it the last three seasons. Some areas of focus will be getting another starter and improve the defense up the middle.

Season 9

Here we are. The beginning of another season in St. Louis is upon us. The grass has been nicely trimmed, the concessions are fully stocked and the restrooms have all been thoroughly cleaned.

This season of Cardinal baseball will be unlike any before. The team is at a cross roads now, that can only come from players getting old and the youth not progressing as expected. GM Bulls7210 has had a difficult off season this year. Some of those things on the to-do-list include: having to let go of some veteran players, trying to formulate some trades for the holes in the line-up and pitching staff and trying to balance the budget.

After having 42 players retire during the off season, first thing to do was signing enough players to fill out the minor league rosters. Bulls did that in surprising fashion. He was able to find 50+ players to come into the organization and fill some of the voids.

Next was trying to decide on which players were going to come back and which ones were going to be shown the door. Those that were allowed to test the FA market include: Del Moreno, Sean Herndon and Midre Dominguez to name a few.

Some of the new players coming to spring training are going to have a familiar ring to them. Bruce Wells makes his third appearance in a Cardinal uniform after signing a 2 year contract. Mark Nance is also a former red bird that was signed in the off season.

There is a lot up in the air during spring training, as all positions are up for grabs. This will definitely be a rebuilding year. How the team fairs this season will determine if management makes a GM change next year.

Season of Woes.

At the 25 game mark, the season has started very slowly. There have not been a lot of good things to write about. This year started out on the road, which saw the team win 4 out of 7 games. Things seemed to be heading in the right direction as the team got ready to open the home stand. The team promptly dropped 7 of the first 8 games, including a three game sweep by the Vancouver Tuques. The team was able to salvage the final game of the home stand beating Cincinnati 4-3.

The team was anxious to get back on the road; at least until they found out they would have to go to the defending World Series winners. Losing two out of three wasn’t the way management wanted to finish that mini 3 game road trip.

Coming back home for a short 4 game set with Philadelphia saw another series of loses due to the bullpen throwing kerosene all over the field. The bully was supposed to be the one area of the pitching staff that would hold consistent. The team went 2-2 against the Fish.

After another sweep at the hands of Louisville, the team’s record stands at 9-17; and are 7 games out of first place in the NL West.

Next up for the team is another long road trip over the next 25 games. After a much deserved off day; the team leaves for Syracuse for three games. Then the city of St. Louis welcomes Scranton for 3 games and New Orleans for 4 games at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals pack the suit cases again for a 13 game trip; as they tour the nation’s capitol, on to Nashville, hitting Toledo and then looking to finish strong in City of Brotherly Love.

Jacque Lee Interview

I’m here with perennial all star catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Jacque Lee. He was kind enough to take some time from his busy schedule and answer a few questions about his career and about his life off the field.

Q. What has been your greatest achievement in your career?

A. Well I would have to say that winning the World Series in season two would have to be right at the top, with the all star appearances a close second. It really is a team effort, I know I wouldn’t be there (at the allstar game) if it wasn’t for them.

Q. You have been very consistent every year, and it seems you are passed over for MVP. How special was it this past year to finally win the MVP?

A. I don’t think it really has hit me yet. I know maybe when I retire and I can reflect back on my career, it will finally hit me and all make sense. I was really focused this off season, knowing that it is the final year in my contract and I felt strongly to come back this season and show the team I’m completely healthy after the injury kept me out of the final 11 games last season.

Q. Speaking of the injury last year, do you feel responsible for the team collapsing down the stretch when you had a 4 game lead at the time?

A. I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t get hurt when I did. I feel a little responsible, but there were a lot of guys that stepped right in when I got hurt. Like I said before, this is a team game and I have a lot of faith in my teammates to step up if anyone of us gets hurt.

Q. With the season just under way, what is your out look on the season and can the team get back to the playoffs?

A. I think we will be very competitive in the NL West. This division has to be the toughest in the NL. Anyone of the four teams can win it. It will definitely come down to the last games of the season again. If we can avoid any huge injuries and play the way I know we can. We should be right in the middle of things come playoff time.

Q. What is life like for Jacque Lee off the field?

A. I usually stay very active during the off season, trying to stay in shape. I think that has been the biggest difference in not getting hurt. During the season, I try to spend as much time as I can with my family and try to be like a normal family. You know, eating around the dinner table, having game nights, that sort of thing. When my career is finally over, I will absolutely love being there for my kids and being able to take vacations during the summer like normal families.

Q. Since you brought up the “retirement” thing, do you feel you should be in the Hall of Fame?

A. I don’t focus on that right now. If the nomination committee feels I should be a member, I will be truly honored. If not, I don’t feel as if my career wasn’t a success. I know that I went out there every single day and gave it my all. If I can do that, then I’ll just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Hardball Dynasty's

Ralph Lowe

Cardinals’ management has announced that Ralph Lowe will be throwing out the first pitch this year in St. Louis. This announcement comes as a shock considering that Lowe hasn’t officially retired from baseball. The Cardinals’ GM, bulls7210, had this to say. “Ralph has always been a fan favorite here. Since we are recognizing the 2002 World Series champions on opening day, it is only natural that Ralph throws the first pitch.” There have been rumors at the owners annual winter meetings that Lowe may make a return to St. Louis. When asked about the rumors, bulls7210 just said, “No comment”.

Our next report will feature an in depth interview with perennial all star catcher, Jacque Lee.