What's with the constant miss-handling of injuries down at Busch Stadium?

   I must say objectively that the Cardinals front office is good at many things. They don't have the highest payroll, yet they compete and win year after year. I like their choices in mixing veteran, winning-type players with good young talent, their sound free agent decisions (for the most part), and the handling of their coaching staff. I do think however there is one glaring, re-occurring problem, and it is the handling of injuries. They repeatedly screw up on two points, one being the injuries themselves and the second being how the injuries are relayed to the media and the fans. This didn't just begin to happen this year, it has been a chronic problem since the early 2000's. The list is long of players that were rushed back from the DL or not even put on the DL at all. Mark Mulder's situation was a train-wreck, as was J.D. Drew's, and Chris Carpenter's past and present injuries were extremely miss-handled.

  Just last week Lance Berkman tore a small piece of his calf on a triple, and stayed in the game after you could blatantly see that he pulled up between 2nd and 3rd base. He reached on a single in his next AB, and was pulled from the game. Instead of placing him on the DL, they rested him for about 6 days and in his first start back he re-aggravated the calf and is now on the DL. I just don't understand. Not only are the Cards blazing in the NL Central, but Matt Carpenter was raking in place of Berkman, another reason not to rush him back. Skip Schumacher took is place on the roster after a DL stint to heal a strained oblique, and he even said in a pregame interview that he still "felt" it. In the very first ball hit to him he miss-judged it and crashed into the wall, forcing Matheny to pull him from the game in the first (The result was an in the park home run, Lance Lynn's only run allowed in the game). Skip was shuffled back into the lineup to take the place of Jon Jay, who hit the wall a day earlier. I haven't heard if Skip re injured himself, but I did hear he only played one nine inning game in AAA before he met the big club in Pittsburgh. The entire situation could cause major complications in the Cardinals outfield for weeks to come. That is evidence of a club handling injuries poorly.

   At the beginning of Spring Training we got word that SP Chris Carpenter was going on a strict innings and start limit during the spring schedule. For any Cardinal fan or analyst that pays attention to how the Cardinals handle injuries, that was an easy red flag. The cool-aid drinkers got a glass full, as the front office made such comments as "We'll he is going on 37 years old" and "He threw over 270 innings last year including the playoffs, we are just being cautious." Cautious.....? Of what, numbness in his shoulder that is caused by neck and back problems? That is exactly what it was. He was hurt coming in. You won't hear that anywhere, I didn't have that quoted to me by anyone with the organization or anyone that would know. It is not hard to figure out if you watch the pattern that has developed over the last 10 seasons or so. Then after he announced he was hurt, they rested him, he tried throwing again, and was still hurt. Now he is back in St. Louis waiting on developing a throwing program. My honest opinion is that Carpenter (who I appreciate and respect as an honest, extremely hard working player and fierce competitor) will never pitch again. I wouldn't be surprised if he rehabs and does pitch, but to what level of capacity? I also think the Wainwright situation was rushed to a degree, considering it is obvious he is still not right, Do the radar guns not work in Jupiter? His velocity is way down, and he needs more time to build up his arm strength. Now that he has started the season in the big leagues, there isn't a move the Cards came make other than to let him keep going. Again, poorly handled. I cannot figure out if the disconnect is in the training staff, the front office, or management. I also understand to a degree that the organization can't just be straight to the fans and media about everything. They are running a business. I have to believe that these habitual injury miss-handling's can be avoided with a little patience, and a little bit of blunt honesty. Remember Mo', we are the best fans in baseball, we deserve it! Thanks for reading-Joe

Cardinals vs. Cubs: A different kind of rivalry.

    When all of us baseball fans think of rivalries, the usual suspects come to mind. Yankees vs Red Sox, Dodgers vs. Giants, and of course, the Cardinals vs. the Cubs. The rivalry probably started over 60 years ago, when KMOX echoed Cardinals games (the Western-most team in baseball for a long time) all the way to Kentucky, Iowa, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle on a clear night, and WGN Radio powered Cubs games into Wisconsin, Indiana, and even parts of Michigan. Territories were established, and the rivalry only heightened with the Cards continued success and the Cubs continued mediocrity. Then there was the fabled "Broglio for Brock" trade, and we all knew how that panned out. Move up into modern times, and there was the Sosa vs McGwire home run race, which probably did more at any time to change the rivalry into a friendly one. The rivalry again heated up in the early 2000's, when La Russa hater Dusty Baker took the helm and the Cubs made some key acquisitions, along with the rise of super young stud pitchers Wood, Prior, and Zambrano. The rivalry was a key part of the LaRussa book "Three Nights in August", which fueled the LaRussa/Baker spat even more. The intensity of the rivalry began to recede, and Cards fans watched happily as Steve Bartman (along with at least 3 errors) ran the Cubs out of the playoffs, and Cubs players began to attack each other, even in the dugout on national television.

   I was always a Cubs hater to say the least, getting great joy in watching them spiral downward as a result of bad contracts, poor management, and general malaise on the field. Any chance I got to smear a Cubs fan, I did gladly. It began to change for me when I got the pleasure of taking a nice trip to Wrigley for a Cubs/Cards weekend series in late July, 2010. I spent time before and after the game walking around enjoying the scenery and merits of Wrigleyville, and being in baseball heaven urinating in trough, drinking lots of Old Style (on draught of course), riding a train to and from the game, and soaking up a generally amazing baseball atmosphere. The Cubs were in the cellar or close to it, and of course as I proudly wore my 80's vintage powder blue Cards jersey, watched the Cards drop the Friday and Saturday games. Wrigley exploded after each final pitch like they had just won a World Series. I was expecting horrible, ego-bruising verbal abuse after the game, but I was surprised. The same fans I sat next to and chatted aimlessly with for two days didn't do any more than give me a general laugh. Many cocktails were exchanged, along with 20 years of baseball stories between fans a 4 hour distance apart on I-55, who had to automatically hate each other because of who's jersey they wore. It gave me a different outlook to say the least. Nothing, and I mean nothing, irritates me more than a fair-weather fan, which in all fairness, are not Cubs fans. They cheer for their team regardless of record, standings, and/or performance. I respect that tons. That's a fan. I am contemplating a trip back to Wrigley to soak up some of the best baseball atmosphere, period, enjoy a giant Wrigley hot dog, sip on some Old Styler draught, and proudly wear the "Birds on the Bat" as  stroll through Wrigleyville. So to my friends and followers who think I am losing it, I am still Cards to the bone, and Busch is the one true "Baseball Heaven". Just remember, unless he or she deserves otherwise (some do), be nice to a Cubs fan. Thanks for reading-Joe

Cards will regret Furcal deal, why?

   At first, I was excited to see the Redbirds grab up Rafael Furcal. His defense bailed out the Cardinals down the stretch in 2011, and he had some huge hits in some very big games. Maybe it was the typical World Series hangover that made me not dive deeper in to the Furcal signing. The Cards do have a bit of a history with some bad post-championship deals, (Adam Kennedy comes to mind first) but overall have began to cleanse themselves of a bad stretch of deals over the last 7 seasons or so. Just when we think a lot of bigger paying deals go off of the books (Lohse, Westbrook, next), the Cards will again be stuck with a bad contract. At 34 years old, Furcal has began to show decline (especially on offense), and the fact that he just can't stay healthy makes him a bad choice for a deal worth that kind of money. I could have understood a 1 yr/4-5 mill deal or a 2 yr/8 mill deal (on the high side), but 2 yrs/14 mill? Come on Mo', really? A 34 year old shortstop who has had only 797 plate appearances in the last two seasons combined, a .332 OBP over the same two seasons, and a .266 BA? And you signed him with the intention of making him your everyday, lead-off shortstop? It seems like maybe a hasty decision was made, and some close to the organization have stated that the shortstop market was very shallow (BTW, I am not condoning 18 mill a year on Reyes either), which expedited the Furcal signing.
  
   Well, here we are, opening day is in two days for the Cards, and Furcal has just came off of a putrid .192/.222/.260 spring. It is the consensus that Tyler Greene will get his shot somewhere on the infield, and Furcal is slated to start in Miami and bat eighth. Ironically, Daniel Descalso (.283/.411/.433) had a great spring at the plate, and we know the value of his defense anywhere on the infield. What about him? He makes quite a bit less than Furcal, is reliable, and is a gamer without a doubt. But wait, Furcal has a 2 yr/14 mill deal. You can see already where this is heading without the merits of a crystal ball. If we are lucky they will find a way to platoon Descalso, and we will be stuck with an over-the-hill, mediocre, once talented veteran who will get playing time solely based on what he makes. While visions of Tino Martinez and Adam Kennedy dance in my head, I will prepare for opening day, and hope Furcal can turn it around our Descalso can hit his way into an everyday job. I will bank on the latter. Thanks for reading-Joe.

Player Projections: Why you should dig deeper!

   I always enjoy reading different media outlets and analysts' player projections. It is always interesting when one guy somewhere tries to re-invent the wheel with some way-out-there reason why some awful player will have a huge season or vice-versa. Injuries play a huge role in projecting players, and honestly, make it increasingly difficult. I think it makes a large difference when older players coming off of injuries or bad seasons lose weight to save wear and tear on their critical muscles and joints. I thought Lance Berkman losing 20 lbs. made a huge difference last season, and I think Miguel Cabrera dropping some weight will help him at the plate as well (I don't think anything will help him play 3rd base). Watching players play to me is the biggest help in guessing or estimating how their season will shake out. Anyone can look at a player's slash line and say "he'll do this, or that", but watching how a player achieves his statistics will earn you a deeper understanding. I will sight some examples. Last season there were rumblings that the Cardinals were going to deal Colby Rasmus almost a month before they did. A popular and very intelligent baseball analyst told a local radio host when confronted with the rumor that the team would be stupid for trading a top 5 NL outfielder at such a young age. I laughed and wondered, top 5? Based on what? The guy was hitting around .230 with 5 homeruns in mid-June and looked just awful in the outfield. And that is being generous. His attitude was worse than his play. The hype, the projections, and the saber metric stats from his decent 2010 were slammed in the Cardinals face on every baseball show in the country every day after. What did he do in Toronto? The same thing, exactly. One example from a local team that projected numbers and talent doesn't relate to physically watching him play.

  Here on Morale Breaker, my assistant and I have put together some very in depth projections on pitchers and hitters for 2012 to assist fantasy baseball participants. I tried to look at not only the common stats and some valuable metrics, but also some realistic insight based on actually watching them play and listening to other analysts and writers' opinions. I was astounded watching ESPN and them having Adam Wainwright in the "bust" category. Huh? I was surprised. I know he came off of Tommy John surgery, but he wasn't rushed back, and is a player with durable history and who stays in shape. So what do we have so far with Wainwright? Will his scoreless innings streak is at 14 innings this spring with no complications. He will have a great season. The Sporting News placed David Freese in the "bust" category as well. With a history of foot injuries I can see a little caution by the so-called experts, but bust? Yeah, right. I don't want to put David in the Hall just yet, but this guy rakes at every level. His postseason was more than special, but actually it was record setting. He is healthy this spring, and for the first time isn't restricted in workouts or playing time. I even was conservative, but I think .300/30 HR/90 RBI is obtainable. I placed him in the top 5 of 3B's in our fantasy draft cheat sheet (Which you can download off of http://www.moralebreaker.com/) for that reason. The bottom line is nobody has all of the answers when it comes to predicting or projecting player performance. Look at the big picture, including the one on your TV that is showing a baseball game. Watch it, and you just might be surprised what you pick up about a player that isn't in his slash line or WAR metric. Anything that gives you an edge over your Johnny Bozo opponent who just watches baseball highlights on ESPN, is a plus. Happy drafting! Thanks for reading-Joe

There is no crying is baseball, thank goodness!

    I have a very "manly" point of view on an athletes displaying emotion in public. I am so very tired of watching millionaire athletes balling their eyes out at every retirement, trade, or elimination from whatever playoff. I watched several players show emotion after they got eliminated from the NCAA tournament, which I can understand to a degree. Two weeks ago I saw an NCAA basketball player from a local college ball like a baby on senior night (which ironically or not got them more air time on our local ESPN affiliate than they got all year), and then watched him blubber like a seal after they were dismissed from the NCAA tournament. Enough already. Then I think about baseball, and I remember, when was the last time I saw a baseball player cry in public? I don't remember one distinctly in recent years (honestly, I am sure there is one somewhere). Why, because there is no crying in baseball! Movie line or not, I just think it rings true that baseball players just don't show the emotion that others do. I do remember Jim Joyce crying after hosing Andres Gallaraga out of a perfect game, but he wasn't a player, and he wrongly cost a man a once in a lifetime accomplishment. If I take a look back, I remember Ozzie retiring, Edmonds getting traded, Tony and Albert winning World Series', Tony retiring (all at a local level), numerous Hall of Fame inductions, and I just don't remember baseball players crying.

   If I take a look at some other sports, recently of course, I think of Manning's speech leaving Indy, T.O.'s circus in Dallas, then, going back in hockey, I think of Shanahan getting traded to Hartford from the Blues, and I remember Gretsky's classic trade out of Edmonton speech. I want to clarify, honestly, that there are circumstances where showing emotion is OK, and I will sight some examples. But as I look back, most of these aren't actually active players. Luckily I was on hand to witness the night the St. Louis Blues hung Doug Wickenhiser's number in the rafters at the then Kiel Center, and remembering how emotional Bernie Federko was, (everyone was for that matter). I remember vividly Jack Buck's amazing speech at Busch II the day baseball resumed after September 11, and how broken up he was, and I think that and Wick's night were very special and understanding. I know that this is hard for some of the kool-aid drinkers to swallow, but does it occur that athletes might cry to garner attention? Maybe some YouTube hits? A spot to lead off on SportsCenter? Of course they do. I even know that some local media types scoff when fans call out a player for dis-ingenious show of emotion, like every time a player cries it is absolutely legit. Save the tears for Lifetime network, and if crying in baseball or whatever floats your boat, my wonderful Grandmother would love your company watching Lifetime while the rest of us watch baseball (editors note: her cooking is addicting). Tom Hanks had it right, and the only time I remember crying is about 8 of the last 10 drafts as a Rams fan (football note). Thanks for reading-Joe

Is Oswalt really the answer?

   As Cards fans we have become adept in dealing with injuries, especially pitching ones. We have also become quite adept at dealing with Cardinals poor way of explaining them, dealing with them, and planning for them. After Chris Carpenter's ailing neck became public Thursday, I can say I wasn't super surprised. The Cards had announced that he would be scaled back big time this spring, just getting a few innings here and there and not going full-bore until the third week, because he threw over 270 innings including the post season last year. Or, he camp into camp telling the Cards he had a bothersome neck. I suggest the latter might be case. Many of us were screaming for Roy Oswalt, most still are, as an insurance policy. I think he is a fit, for sure. Roy looked great after he came back from a back injury late last year, including touching 94 mph with his fastball. But really, if we sign him, we just have another Carpenter. A great pitcher with still-good stuff late in his career, one elbow, shoulder, or back "pop" away from retirement. I say this, SHELBY MILLER. End of story. He is getting a lot of work as a starter this spring, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is their contingency plan if Carp can't go to start the season. King Felix, David Price, and Clayton Kershaw all got their shot at a very young age, it has proven valuable to their franchise. If I was Mo' and Matheny, I wouldn't hesitate, and it sure would put some butts in the seats at Busch! Thanks for reading-Joe

How valuable are managers....really?

   This isn't necessarily a rant or opinion, like most of our blogs are. I have always wondered how valuable a manager/coach is in the game of baseball. I will go back for 20 years or so and talk about some examples of each theory. There are a lot of examples of teams where it was obvious a manager had value, and others where you know damn well that they would have won a World Series regardless. I think that the late 90's Yankees teams could have had anyone with a remote baseball mind coach that team to multiple championships based on their lineup. That is not a personal shot at Torre, but he always won with a huge payroll and great talent, and when he failed to make the playoffs in the mid-late 2000's, he didn't make it long in the Bronx. The BoSox of 2007 were insanely talented, I think they would have had a shot regardless, and it sounds like some of the antics that went on in the Boston clubhouse show that maybe Tito Francona wasn't at the wheel for quite a while (let alone the historic collapse). The Yankees of 2009 won it big in Girardi's first season there, and his game-management qualities or lack there of are torched by the New York media daily.

   I do think that in case of the the three aforementioned managers that there is something to be said for maintaining a sane clubhouse with a team of high payroll, high talent, and large ego-ed mega-stars all on the same team. I don't want to turn this into a Cardinals/TLR love fest, even though I am a homer. I think the Cardinals of 2011 did what they did partly because Tony managed the best post season of his career. It was blatantly obvious in the World Series especially (barring the phone/bullpen fiasco) that the Cardinals were far and above a better managed team. The Whitey-ball era in the 80's, while inconsistent year-to-year, were very well-managed and disciplined clubs. I thought Bruce Bochy did a great job in 2010 with the Giants, who were offensively challenged (Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, and Wilson had a hand in it as well). The Phillies are a high payroll and hugely talented club, and no doubt that Charlie Manuel is a great game manager, but they have overall disappointed only winning one World Series with all of that talent. Bobby Cox to me is very overrated, because he should have won more than one World Series in his run with the amazing talent on each side of the field with the Braves all of those years.

   Then I look at a guy like Jim Leyland, who has won a couple of World Series' with some teams that were talented, but didn't have the highest payroll or 5 giant billboard seeking mega-stars on the same club. I pair him with Tony in that respect, although Tony had some of those monster teams in the late 80's with Oakland and in the early/mid 2000's with the Birds' (as did Leyland for a short time in Pittsburgh). I always had trouble believing that Dusty Baker was a great manager, considering how loaded the Cubs teams were (despite the curse B.S.). When a Dusty Baker team would choke in the playoffs, they always looked horrible doing it, which meant a lot of errors an general malaise in their play. I can go on for an hour citing examples of each argument, but I don't think it is conclusive, other than good managers are good regardless of payroll, talent, and even winning. What about a first year manager? It hits home with Matheny, but I think with his support and the fact that Carpenter and Molina can coach the pitching staff alone, he will suffice. Just ask D Backs' fans, Kirk Gibson was great out there last year. I would really like some feed back from you as readers and/or fans. Please e-mail me @ jstafford@moralebreaker .com or post a comment or status on our Facebook page. Thanks for reading-Joe.