East Coast Swing

08/27/2012

Cardinals 4 Pirates 3

Dear Cardinals,

A great thing about East coast road trips is the fact that games

start at six o'clock! I hate waiting for things.

You know, August is the longest month of baseball. I can't believe 

we aren't in September yet.  We already have a play-off spot, and it's weird

that we won't be fighting to sneak in this year.  Still plenty to fight for---we need 

to focus this month on playing our best baseball and hope we earn a better play-off spot.

The two wild-card  teams per league will make this September particularly interesting

because so many teams are still in the battle for those spots.

 

Til Later

P.S. Please, can one of ya'll send a homer into the Allegheny River before we leave Pittsburgh?  Much appreciated.

Let Us Lay the Cardinals Hopes to Rest, Pretty Much

A post for pessimists looking for a silver lining

08/17/2012

Pirates 1 Cardinals 2

08/18/2012

Pirates 4 Cardinals 5

08/19/2012

Pirates 6 Cardinals 3

Final/19

Dear 'birds,

There is nothing to say.  I can't do anything about this.

But I can accept that you all are under-achievers,

find the joy in the small thrills that turn up during games

and ignore the disappointment from suffering the same failure over and over.

I promise to ignore the standings, because they are obviously not going to change, not

with this team being what it is: a team of bad luck, a team of absurdity, a team of missed opportunities. 

I will only watch to appreciate the heart and the effort you 

all have always shown.  I will watch for the love of game.

I will watch for love of the St. Louis Cardinals.  I will watch

because that's what fans do, we stick with our team through world series victories,

late season drives, and those dog days of summer that always leaves things looking 

especially bleak.  I will watch because I remember Albert Pujols' home run that extended the 2005 post 

season, I will watch because I remember those times Jim Edmonds scaled center field walls and snatched home runs, I will watch because I remember a bases loaded 3-2 curve ball, I will watch because I witnessed Jaime Garcia's rookie year, Matt Holliday's bat carrying us to October baseball in 2009, David Freese's 2011 post season, Jon Jay's emergence as a great center fielder, and Yadier Molina becoming a force in the lineup.  I will watch with no expectations, while trying to smother the hope for a post season burning in my chest, because, as Yogi Berra said, "it ain't over til it's over."  

For the optimists: We are not done until we are out, Cardinals, and we are not out.

I'm Back! ( I was off sulking)

06/29/2012

Pirates 14 Cardinals 5

06/30/2012

Pirates 7 Cardinals 3

07/01/2012

Pirates 4 Cardinals 5

Hola Cardenales!

It's me, Kate.  I'm sorry I didn't write for three days. 

I was just sulking.

This team is so confusing.  I hate how you all play with my emotions. Cue Big Worm from Friday:

I thought that this was going to be the home stand that showed everybody that we are a force to be reckon with in the Central.  

I thought we would take over second place and gun for first after the All Star Break next week.

I thought that team I saw in April had came back and was going to stay for the rest of the year.

But I finally understand that this team's Main Objective is inconsistency.

And I know to live by my old motto: Hope for the best, expect the worse. 

Later.

"It's comical, but disgraceful"

05/04/2012

Pirates 6 Cardinals 3

Dear 'birds,

The above is what Mike Shannon said during yesterday afternoon's ball game.  He was describing how
S L O W Pittsburgh's Erik Bedard pitched when the Cardinals loaded the bases in the second inning.

However,  I think it best describes the yesterday's offensive input, observe:

• SEVENTEEN strikeouts
• TWELVE runners left on base
• 5 for 14 with men in scoring position. Honestly, this shakes out to a .357 average and thus it completely boggles my mind why we only scored 3 runs. But I'm sure I'm missing something because in Tuesday's game the offense scored 10 runs and were 3 for 11 with RISP and Wednesday offense scored 12 times and were 5 for 17 with RISP.  I'm thinking home runs do not count as a hit with men is scoring position? Tuesday's game featured 2 home runs, while Wednesday's featured 3.

Anyway a sad showing-- comical and disgraceful.

'Til Later

"Happy Flight!" meter: 4/7 

Pixie dust? Lance Lynn is 1st NL starter to 5 wins.

"Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again.  That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is."-- Bob Feller

05/02/2012

Pirates 3 Cardinals 12

Dear Carlos Beltran,

It's funny how on the day your slump reached the magnitude (3 for 32) that inspired a worried press to interview you before the game about whether you were actually in a slump, you proceeded to go 4 for 5 with two 3- run home runs, finishing the game with a career-best seven RBIs. You told the beat reporters that you aren't hitting because you've lost that hitting feel and that it has nothing to do with batting clean up.  (Although you did mention that you are being pitched differently in the fourth spot than you were in the second.)  I'm just impressed that a reporter at least questioned whether you were in a slump because of your new lineup position.  I mean, your slump started when you went to the clean up spot. I'm glad someone noticed and asked whether that was a problem instead of just saying you were just in a slump that happens to correlate with a new spot in the lineup.  But I digress.

I'm guessing that you have that "feel" back.  I think you got that feel back when you sent the Aj Burnett's sixth pitch of the game over the right field fence with a nice, easy swing.

Yes, I wrote AJ Burnett's SIXTH pitch.  The man threw only six pitches to the first four Cardinals batters and found himself down 4-0.  And there were no outs. What do you even do as a pitcher when that happens?  I guess you shouldn't wave the white flag,accepting that it isn't your night; you should buckle down, weather through it and refuse to give up any more runs.  AJ did a good job of weathering through the start-- his problem came because he still gave up runs.  Twelve runs in 3 innings look very good added to your ERA. No, it doesn't actually.

'Til Later

P.S. Congratulations to Lance Lynn on winning his first 5 games!

The first W

05/01/2012

Pirates 7 Cardinals 10

Dear Cards,

Congratulations for scoring your first runs while Wainwright's on the mound!  It only took a whole month!

Allen Craig-- welcome back.  You're like a shot in the arm.

David Freese-- you strike out a lot, but somehow you always come through at the best times.

Yadi Molina-- I really think you have some invisible shield you put on when on the bases. Two stolen bases last night and you're second on the team in stolen bases. 

Matty-- great game yesterday.  I hope this is the start of your average trending upward. Oh, and can you take your friend Carlos Beltran along, too?  He is starting to tailspin (of course, I think it's because he hits best in the two-hole, but no one else thinks this argument has any weight.)

Adam Wainwright-- congratulations on your first "W" since 2010!

Fernando Salas-- please get your stuff together because it is getting ugly.  Last night you came into a 10-4 game and proceeded to make it a proper ball game instead of keeping it a laugher.  I like laughers (clarification: when the Cardinals are winning).  I do not like two hits and two walks in a one inning relief appearance. Confounding.  It was even more confounding how Matheny left you in after it was obvious you weren't going to get any more than two outs.

'Til Later!

Tossed into the 'ssippi:  Fernando Salas

That Other Team to the East

Here is the continuation of my preview of the 2012 NL Central.  I had actually wrote the bulk of this about three weeks ago. Didn't publish it until now (obviously). What can I say for myself, besides the fact that I'm lazy?


The Pittsburgh Pirates have a rich history. One of the original sixteen baseball franchises, they have won five World Series--more than twenty-two other MLB clubs. Their last postseason series victory was a world championship in 1979.  They made the postseason in 1990, 1991, and 1992,  failing  to advance past the first round each time.

The Pirates, with nineteen sub par seasons, hold the North American record for the most consecutive losing seasons. (Think about how that streak probably started: longest streak in Pirates history, longest streak in baseball, longest streak of a US professional team (which was the same as longest streak in baseball, since the Phillies held it I believe), longest streak of a North American team.... what team holds the world record?)

THE (RECENT) PAST:

I don't think there has been any  recent dust ups or feuds between the Cardinals and Pirates.  In 2009, the Cards played the Pirates so often in early in the season that my sister and I learned their entire roster-- something I bet Pirates fans can't claim.  When the Cardinals and Pirates met again late summer, all the players we knew (and loved, in the case of Freddy Sanchez) had been traded.  Such is the life of a Pirates fan, I guess.  They can't get to attached because the ownership has no clue where to steer the organization.  They make "five year plans," only to discard them in two years for a plan completely different in philosophy.

THIS YEAR:

On July 15 and July 18 last season the Pirates were in first place and fans showed up to beautiful PNC Park to root them on.  The Pirates probably won't reach first place this year, but they can definitely finish ahead of the Cubs and Astros again.  Who knows, maybe they'll have a winning season in the process-- they will need to win 10 more games than last year to accomplish this feat.

This year, the Pirates are all about changing their image and finishing the season strong  They added two starting pitchers who have had success in the major leagues. Erik Bedard is a left-hander with a career 3.70 ERA, which is pretty decent considering he pitched in the American League.  Right hander A.J. Burnett helped the Yankees win their 27th championship in 2009 before completely frustrating Yankee fans and ownership in 2010 and 2011.  Pittsburgh's most exciting player is center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

The Pirates are 2 games under .500 right now, good enough for 4th place in the division. Their offense wasn't  too hot in early April, but their pitching has been pretty good. 

For our stopper...

04/22/2012

Cardinals 5 Pirates 1

Dear Kyle Lohse,

You rock my world.  I knew we will win if our offense wasn't stymied Sunday.  I knew we could win with just a few runs.  You are definitely our stopper--if there is a losing streak, you'll pitch well enough to stop it.

This year you've pitched well enough to win all 4 of your starts, but a 3-0 record with a no decision is obviously outstanding.

You are a very good pitcher when healthy. I hope all continues going well with you. 

Happy Flight last night from Pittsburgh to Chicago!

'Til Later

"Happy Flight!" meter: 3/5

P.S. Drop just a bit of your pixie dust on Adam Wainwright's elbow.

Please tell me how...

04/21/2012

Cardinals 0 Pirates 2

Cards--

How do you have the bases loaded in the first inning with NO OUTS and not score a run?

How!?

I hate how easily it seems this offense is shut down at times.

'Til Later

P.S. Please win later today. Please. It will really make my day.

Outfield Wall: 2- Cardinals' Center Fielders: 0

04/20/2012

Cardinals 4 Pirates 1

Cardinals Center Fielders Declare War on Walls (Walls win)

Dearest Skip and Jon,

It has come to my attention that you haven't been informed that center fields around the league are enclosed by a wall.  When people run into walls, they tend to get hurt. That is to say that the wall always wins.  Yes, even a padded wall. 

So.. you say that padding they put on the walls is really lousy? (Hey! At least its padding and not ivy covering a brick wall!) Well, it's not made to guard against fielders running into it at full speed.  There's this sort of fancy device called a Warning Track-- you know all that dirt that surrounds the field?  Next time you feel dirt and not grass under your cleats-- SLOW DOWN!  Why?  Because the wall is near and it always win.

Jon, your mistake two nights ago was not being a guy called Jim "Jimmy Baseball" Edmonds.  Wow. That sounds harsh.  Let me explain, Jimmy did not run into walls, he climbed them.  I don't know if you know this, but the padding on the walls of Busch Stadium was selected to aid Jimmy-- to make it so he can stab his spikes into it and reach over the wall to steal a home run.  Now, granted that ball landed a bit beyond anyone's reach, but next time you're tracking a ball to the wall-- pull an Edmonds!  Beware that the wall is coming, and prepare to climb it if needed! Okay?  Good.  Now, I hope your sprained shoulder starts feeling better.  The wall is a fierce competitor, isn't?

Skip, your mistake came in letting people call you-- at 32 years old, mind you-- Skip.  Wow. That was unnecessary.  Sorry, Jared, your mistake came in totally disregarding the fact that you were running toward  an immovable piece of padded concrete.  I mean, seriously?  The first inning of the game and our replacement center fielder (for the center fielder who lost his battle with the wall the day before) collides with a wall, leading to the first batter scoring on an inside- the- park home run. (Should we make your RBI total -1?)  I must say, Skip, I was impressed that on your first play of the 2012 season-- your first play since being activated from the disabled list-- you promptly ran into a wall.  

I was dumbly amazed to see this back-to-back wall-attack.  Is it a sign that the Cardinals 2012 campaign is doomed?  Nah. I hope not. (But with Berkman constantly injured and now on the DL (hopefully for the only time this year), Allen Craig nowhere to be seen, and Carp on the mend-- well, we'll preach resilience again this season, it seems).  Some history... Rick Ankiel  was the first A.E. (After Edmonds) center fielder to collide with the wall.  He was carted off on a stretcher while wearing a neck brace. Sigh. 

Anyway, good win. Lance Lynn looked amazing. This game was a 2-1 nail bitter until the ninth inning when the offense decided to use the devices in their hands properly.

'Til Later!

Tossed into the 'ssippi: Outfield walls, those pesky things!