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Billy Bob Thornton. Bob Knight. Nelly. Bill Clinton.

Recently another big name has been added to the above list. Apparently, Roy Oswalt is a Cardinals fan.

The Astros’ ace has stated on numerous occasions that he’d favor a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals, and because Oswalt has a full no-trade clause, he holds all the cards.

So now it’s up to St. Louis to make a move. With a farm system that has been depleted by several trades over the past few years, the Cardinals cannot afford to make a mistake here.

Cardinals fans won’t soon forget how Oswalt dominated them in Game Six of the 2005 NLCS, eliminating St. Louis from the playoffs. Come October, no team would want to face a Cardinals rotation anchored by three aces in Oswalt, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright, all perennial Cy Young candidates. The road the the National League pennant would run through St. Louis. So who should and shouldn’t the Cardinals move to get the Astros’ ace?

On Their Way Out: Players the Cardinals Shouldn’t Hesitate To Offer

Brendan Ryan: It’s no secret that Brendan Ryan has struggled. Trading him could be a great move for the Cardinals. He’s been batting below the Mendoza line for most of the season, and his usually stellar defense has been less than great. So, if the Astros see potential in him, let them figure it out. Ryan is already 28, so moving him would be an added bonus to acquiring Oswalt.

Fernando Salas: In the first few assignments of his career, Salas has been very good. The Cardinals could relay this into a possible trade, although he wouldn’t be the centerpiece of a trade. Tony LaRussa has brought slowly worked him into higher and higher pressure, but he has continued to be effective, giving up just one earned run on a home run over 8.2 innings pitched. The Cardinals already have two young fireballers in their bullpen, so Salas is expandable.

Robert Stock, Brian Anderson, or Matt Pagnozzi: I list these three here together because they all fall into basically the same category. Three catchers, who find their path to the majors blocked by Cardinals mainstay Yadier Molina. They’re all considered top prospects in the Cardinals organization, but there’s not spot for them now, so they’re better used as trade chips.

Daryl Jones: A year ago, I didn’t want to see Daryl Jones included in a trade for a big name player. This year, things have changed. In 2008, when Jones batted .316, stole 24 bases, and hit 13 home runs, he looked like a five-tool player who could see starting time in the Cardinals outfield in the coming years. Since then, he has struggled against AAA pitching, and his batting average has dropped the past two seasons. He did bat .209 at Rookie ball in 2005, so he could just be adjusting. The Astros would jump at the chance to get him, and he wouldn’t be to big of a piece for the Cardinals to give up.

Blake Hawksworth: Hawksworth has progressed well this season, and no longer has prospect status. He’s filled in well for the Cardinals as a fifth starter this year, but has an ERA of nearly 5.00. If Oswalt joins the fold, Hawksworth would have to be moved to an already crowded bullpen. It would be better for the Cardinals to simply include him in a trade. He was the Cardinals top prospect in 2004, so the Astros may still see improvement left in him.

Adron Chambers: Adron Chambers is not the future of Cardinals Nation. However, he could be another team’s future. His speed makes him valuable, although his defense is suspect. He’s played most of his games in center field, where he has a .964 fielding percentage. He’s only 23, so he has time to improve, but would likely be the third player in a three-player deal.

Deryk Hooker: If the Astros are looking for pitching help, as rumored, Hooker could be included in a deal. He currently leads all Cardinals prospects with 94 strikeouts, and put up a 2.83 ERA with a .220 average against for Quad Cities. This has been a breakout year for Hooker, who just turned 21 this June.

Daniel Descalso: Descalso is an interesting case. He appears to be a slightly better hitting Brendan Ryan, expect that Descalso plays second base. His numbers in the minors have been good. With Triple-A Memphis, he’s posted a solid .357 on-base percentage, and has driven in 52 runs, putting him on pace for a career high. If the Cardinals don’t move him, the 23-year old is their future at second base.

Packing Their Bags: One of These Players Could Be Moved, But Not More

Allen Craig: As the best hitting prospect the Cardinals have, Craig is a prime candidate to be moved in a deal for Oswalt. However, Craig’s primary position is first base, and he’s not going to play there any time soon. It’s possible that he gets time in the outfield, but right now he’s got a big league bat, but not enough time to show it off. He could have that opportunity with Houston, who is rumored to be moving first baseman Lance Berkman. Craig could come back to bite the Cardinals, but, if it means acquiring Oswalt, it’s worth it.

Lance Lynn: He could be the centerpiece in a move for Oswalt. The Astros are said to be looking for pitching, and there may be no better option than Lynn, who was named St. Louis’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009. He currently has 90 strikeouts for Triple-A Memphis to lead the team.

Jon Jay: In two stints with the Cardinals, Jay has exceeded all expectations, with a slash line of .378/.441/.607, and he has gained more and more playing time as the season progressed. However, he’ll have to come back to earth eventually, and the Cardinals could be wise to sell high here. I would miss the enthusiasm Jay brings to the team, and would hate to see him come up big for the Astros against St. Louis, but I think the Cardinals would be willing to move him, if it means the pennant.

Eduardo Sanchez: Eduardo Sanchez is listed as the Cardinals sixth best prospect by Baseball America, and for good reason. Out of the minor league bullpen, Sanchez posted a .920 WHIP in 2009, among the best in the organization. He has faltered this year in split time between Springfield and Memphis, but if the Astros want him, the Cardinals could move him with little thought.

Mitchell Boggs: As a major league ready arm, Boggs may fit the bill for Houston. He can develop into either a fourth or fifth starter, or even a closer. With a fastball in the high-90’s, and a devastating slider, Boggs has put hitters away out of the St. Louis pen, posting a 1.168 WHIP while striking out 6.6 batters per nine innings. At the age of 26, he could develop into a strong closer in the Houston bullpen.

Deal Breakers: Players Who Aren’t Going Anywhere

David Freese, Colby Rasmus, and Jaime Garcia: These three are the future of Cardinals Nation. Rasmus has been called, along with Andrew McCutchen, the future of center field in the National League. Garcia, who made the club out of spring training, has looked like a Rookie of the Year favorite, posting a 9-4 record with a 2.21 ERA. He  looks like a future front of the line starter for St. Louis. Freese was of to a hot start before injury derailed him. It’s very likely that he’ll be moved in the foreseeable future, because the Cardinals don’t have a suitable replacement for him at third.

Shelby Miller: He’s the reason a trade hasn’t gotten done yet. It appears the Astros want Miller, last year’s first round draft pick, but the Cardinals are unwilling to part with him, and for good reason. Miller is only 19, but has the top rated fastball in the organization. Baseball America lists him as the Cardinals’ top prospect, and he looks like he will replace Chris Carpenter within the next four years. Even if it prevent the deal from getting done, you do not trade Miller.

So can the Cardinals get Oswalt? If the Astros are willing to look past Shelby Miller, I think a deal can get done by the July 31 deadline. There may yet be another wrench thrown into the equation. If the Cardinals manage to surprise everyone by signing twelfth-round pick Austin Wilson, a top 15-pick talent that the Cardinals have been recruiting vigorously, trading Jay, Craig, or Jones would become a no-brainer.

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On the weekend that we induct the greatest icons in the history of baseball into the hallowed halls of Cooperstown, there is a lot of talk about the guys who didn’t get in.

You’ve probably read many stories about how Jim Rice does not belong in the Hall of Fame, or how Bert Blyleven should be a sure bet.

And each year, about 30 players are hand selected for a ballot to be voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. One or two will make the cut-off mark of 75%.

At the bottom of the rankings fall the players who will not be on the ballot next year. And at the very bottom of that list fall the no-shows. Those who were deemed, by every voter in the Association, to be a B-list player.

Usually, they get it right.

Last year, Todd Zeile, Ray Lankford, Mike Jackson, and Shane Reynolds were the players to garner this dubious distinction. However, sometimes good, even great players can’t manage to get a single vote. Who are the best?

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What’s wrong with baseball today?

In 2010, our best hitter, Albert Pujols, is a hardworking, wholesome Christian. The best pitcher? Some say it’s the soft-speaking Rockie who lives with his parents, Ubaldo Jimenez. Others say it’s the humble, consistent Philly, Roy Halladay.

Rewind the clock ten years, back to 2000.

The best hitter? A juiced-up, muscle-bound, record-breaking freak who punished teammates or reporters who got too close. The best pitcher? A jheri-curled 12-year old trapped in a 28-year old’s body, putting up one of the greatest pitching seasons ever.

The colorful hues of our national pastime are quickly fading into the background of America’s football obsession.

Some people might ask if this is really a problem, or just a change in the dynamic of baseball.

For the last three seasons, attendance in Major League Baseball has been down. Many have blamed the economy, but economics are not the only factor lowering interest in baseball.

Poor teams, such as the Royals and Padres, have been unable to draw crowds, even with newly renovated parks.

Back in the 1980’s, crowds would turn out in droves to see competitive Royals and Blue Jays teams, who had characters like George Brett and George Bell. That decade, Kansas City was fifth in overall attendance. Toronto placed seventh, despite only making the playoffs twice.

When you’ve got players who charge the field over an overturned home run or MVPs who tell the media that fans can “kiss their purple butt,” people are going to come out to the stadium to see your team.

But nowadays, teams like Kansas City and Toronto have fallen on hard times. Only three teams had larger drops in attendance since last year.

For the Royals, whose best players are a socially anxious Cy Young winner and a quiet slugger who’s one of only five players to ever hit at least 20 HR and 50 doubles in a season by age 24, it hasn’t been for lack of talent.

Attendance around baseball is down across the board. Almost two-thirds of teams experienced attendance drops. Can you name some current characters similar to the likes of Bonds or Martinez or Canseco or Wendell? Ozzie Guillen? Milton Bradley? An aging Manny Ramirez? Sure, but there’s not nearly the comical menagerie of clowns that we saw from the 1980’s and 90’s and even into the early part of last decade.

At the end of the season, we may have to say goodbye to a few of baseball’s great characters in fiery managers Lou Piniella and Bobby Cox. Even free agent Pedro Martinez could have thrown his last pitch in the major leagues. Once Manny Ramirez is gone, well have little reason to laugh at a baseball game.

So is baseball becoming less entertaining?

Some might say so. Baseball has been called “boring” and “dull” by those who prefer the quick pace and loud-mouthed players of football or basketball. And it’s my biggest fear that if baseball doesn’t get some personality back into the game, ther interest of the casual fan will fizzle out.

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For those who remember the old Lou Piniella, Tuesday’s new conference was a sure sign that the one-time volatile skipper had mellowed.

Today, Lou Piniella, after 46 years on the baseball field as a player and manager, quietly decided to retire at the conclusion of this season.

“Why make this announcement now,” Piniella asked in a prepared statement. “[GM] Jim Hendry asked me in recent weeks regarding my future with the team and I told him I had made the decision to retire at the end of the season. Since my decision has now been made, I don’t want to mislead anyone about my intentions when asked in the future.”

“But more importantly, announcing my decision now is what’s best for this organization in the long run. It gives Jim Hendry ample time to find the next manager and he doesn’t need to do so in secrecy. The Cubs are one of the greatest organizations in baseball. I care very deeply for this organization and want nothing more than for it to experience present and long-term success. I’m proud of our accomplishments during my time here and this will be a perfect way for me to end my career.”

The Cubs, who he managed to consecutive playoff appearances for the second time in their history, have largely been a disappointment this season. They currently sit at 42-52 going into Tuesday’s game, 10.5 games behind first-place St. Louis.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear: our work is far from over,” Piniella said. “I want to keep the momentum going more than anything else and win as many games as we can to get back in this pennant race. I’m going to give every effort I have to help this team win and that will remain my sole focus through the rest of the season.”

When asked what his reasons for retirement were, the skipper cited a wish to spend more time with his family, but didn’t deny the possibility of an advisory position for the Cubs.

“I couldn’t be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to manage this ball club,” Piniella said. “I’ve had four wonderful years here that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I’ve grown to love the city and the fans but at my age, it will be time to enter a new phase in my life. It will enable me to spend more valuable time with my family—my wife, my kids and my grandchildren. God has blessed me to have been able to work this many years in the game that I love.”

Piniella, who won a World Series in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds, was one of baseball’s famous fire starters through much of the 90’s and into this decade. He is currently tenth all-time in ejections. He later went on to manage the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays before coming to Chicago in 2007.

It was during his time in Seattle that the Mariners tied the all-time regular season record for wins, with 116, and made seven of the franchise’s eleven playoff appearances.

He currently has a career record of 1,823-1,689, and is fourteenth on the career wins list.

Possible candidates to replace Piniella for next season include former Chicago Cubs star Ryne Sandberg, who currently manages the Triple-A Iowa team. Sandberg has been more than eager to accept the position, if offered.

“That’s where I spent my entire career,” Sandberg said. “This has been my dream minor league job. So at the major league level that would be a dream come true for me. But I’m also open to getting to the major leagues wherever that opening or phone call would come from.”

Sandberg also said that Piniella had “a heck of a managerial career, that’s for sure. I hope he goes out on a good note. I hope the team can do well for him from here on out.”

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For a Padres team that has surprised many this year, some of the best news they’ve gotten all year came on Monday, in the form of a three-year extension for manager Buddy Black. This move shows the Padres that the front office believes that what they’re doing this year is sustainable, and also shows the rest of baseball the Padres are unlikely to be dealing away any stars come July 31.

Many will tell you that Black’s extension was well deserved. It’s true, he has done an excellent job of handling a bullpen and starting rotation that have been the best in baseball.

But could it be too soon?

Don’t get me wrong, Black seems like a nice enough guy, and certainly capable of handling a major- league managing position. But half of a season does not have much of a bearing on the next three years.

Look at a couple of the Cinderella stories of recent baseball memory.

Everyone remembers the 1969 Miracle Mets, who improved by 27 games and shocked the world and the Baltimore Orioles by winning the World Series, right? Not so many people remember the 1972 version, who finished a distant third in the NL East.

The 1991 Twins, who improved their record by 21 games, won the World Series. Three years later, Minnesota was sitting 14 games out of first when a strike ended the season.

The point is that nothing is for sure when it comes to  Cinderella teams, especially low budget ones such as San Diego. Their biggest star and offensive lynchpin, Adrian Gonzalez, is only under contract through 2011. If Gonzalez leaves, Black will be stuck with a sputtering offense.

In fact, this season may not be all it’s cracked up to be for San Diego. Their dream season could come falling back to earth in a matter of weeks.

Mat Latos, the staff ace, has an unsustainable .246 BABIP, well below the norm.

Jon Garland, the only Padres starter with much big-league experience, and thus a large enough sample size, is expected to hit a serious wall, and soon, as evidenced by his an xFIP of 4.34 and a lucky BABIP of .276, which should regress. His ZiPS projected ERA is 3.61, so don’t expect him to continue his lucky streak much longer.

Clayton Richard and Wade LeBlanc have stranded 80.6 percent and 83.2 percent of base runners so far, so their ERA is bound to rise as well. In fact, LeBlanc’s home-away splits are horrible. Once he gets away from cavernous PetCo Park, his ERA will continue its recent rise.

For a team so reliant on its starting rotation, any sign of failure means the wins will stop coming.

Even the bullpen, which has been one of the best ever, may experience some slight regression. The Padres currently have four relievers who have thrown over 40 innings this year. No other team has three. An overworked bullpen can lead to some not so friendly postseason outings.

Just ask Ryan Franklin.

I can see why the Padres think extending Black was the right idea, but I wouldn’t be too confident in a man who has never won 90 games in a season. This move could be a huge success in the Bobby Cox mold, but it could also be a huge flop for San Diego. To me, it seems like the Padres have just tied Bud Black to the mast of a ship that is bound to sink.

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After nearly wasting Jeff Suppan’s first effective outing of the year, the St. Louis Cardinals needed a late rally and an admirable performance from rookie Allen Craig on his 26th birthday to move back into first place in the National League’s Central division.

After leaving seven men on through the first seven frames and trailing by four, the Cardinals finally struck in the eighth, when Craig, who was filling in for star first baseman Albert Pujols, doubled home both Brendan Ryan and Jon Jay. Two batters later, Randy Winn’s two-out single brought home Craig to make the score 4-3.

With two out and one on in the ninth, Albert Pujols stepped up as a pinch-hitter. After running the count full, Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton got the three-time MVP to ground out to short.

After Cardinals’ fireman Ryan Franklin locked down Los Angeles in the top of the ninth, the Cardinals rallied for the win in the bottom of the inning.

It started with Yadier Molina’s pinch-hit single, which came on a sixth-pitch slider out of the zone from Broxton. Then shortstop Brendan Ryan, not known for his offense, sacrificed Molina over to second. Felipe Lopez, who got the start at third base, flew out to right, bringing the Cardinals down to their final out.

Jon Jay, who has impressed St. Louis with his hitting abilities, showed good plate discipline by running the count full and then coaxing out a free pass.

Allen Craig then singled to center, tying the game at 4-4 and bringing sweet swinging left fielder Matt Holliday to the plate. At this point, Holliday had left four men on base. It was his single to deep right that scored Molina from second and won the game for the Cardinals, giving them their first four-game sweep of Los Angeles since taking consecutive doubleheaders July 7-8, 1987.

Ryan Franklin received the win, and combined with Cincinnati’s loss at the hands of Colorado, the Cardinals moved back into the top spot in the NL Central standings. Broxton threw 44 pitches in his first loss of the season.

Suppan pitches six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and walking one to receive his first quality start of the year, but not did not factor in the decision.

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For Major League Baseball’s General Managers, the trading deadline can be one of the most stressful times of the year. St. Louis’s John Mozeliak can breathe a little easier, knowing that he’ll have a job for the next three years.

The Cardinals should breathe easier too, knowing that they’ve retained one of the key pieces in keeping Albert Pujols in a Cardinals uniform, and one of the top front office brains in all of baseball.

Mozeliak broke into baseball with the Colorado Rockies, holding a variety of posts during their inaugural 1993 season. He joined the Cardinals in 1995, and became general manager in 2007, replacing the previous GM Walt Jocketty.

Since then, he has made great strides to return the Cardinals to glory, including trading for, and subsequently signing, Matt Holliday for seven years.

“Mo has done a very good job over the past 2 1/2 seasons, and I thought that the certainty of his continuity would serve us well as we compete for the Central division championship in the second half,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said.

“I think he has got a good blend of what we need now, what we need in the future and getting value for value.”

DeWitt also noted that the Mozeliak will have freedom to expand the payroll by adding a few players at the July 31 deadline, without saying what kinds of players the Cardinals will be looking at.

“We have the capacity to take on payroll for the balance of the year and into next year,” DeWitt Jr. said. “We have the capacity. We will just wait and see if we match up with someone to give us a player who can help us.”

Mozeliak and DeWitt agreed that this move helps solidify some sort of leadership at the top of the Cardinals organization.

“As we start to look to 2011, 2012, having this side of the business taken care of made a lot of sense for us,” Mozeliak said. “Clearly we are going to have some personnel decisions to make, not only player personnel but also in scouting and so forth moving forward. When we looked to put our strategy together in the near future, we wanted to make sure there was no debate on leadership and the direction we were going.”

It’s also a possibility that this extension will help the Cardinals retain star first baseman and three-time MVP Albert Pujols, who is a free agent at the end of next season.

Either way, this move will help give stability to an organization looking to make some moves down the stretch.

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This is the second in a series of decade-by-decade looks at the greatest double-play combinations of all time. If you haven’t read the first one, you should go here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/411082-up-the-middle-the-top-10-double-play-combos-of-the-2000s

The 1980’s were a decade of double plays. It started in 1980, when “The Bad News Bears: Double Play” was released, to little fanfare (it was much worse than the original). It finished as a decade featuring some of the greatest double play combinations in baseball history.

The Guidelines

1.) These rankings are purely measurements of defensive prowess. Offensive ability is not taken into account. Apologizes to Roberto Alomar and Garry Templeton.

2.) Gold Gloves, as they can be pretty subjective, do not affect my decisions. Plus, during the 1980’s, Ozzie Smith and Ryne Sandberg won combined for 17 of them. It would just skew the argument unfairly.

3.) I’m measuring how both players performed together. Just because Frank White can win a Gold Glove, doesn’t mean that the Royals could competently find a good second baseman.

4.) In my last article, the requirement for consideration was that the duo had to log multiple seasons in which both played manned the middle infield positions for at least one hundred games.

However, over the past decade we have been lucky enough not to have a strike. During the 1980’s, however, the 1981 strike lessened the season from 162 games to 100. Instead of 100 games as the criteria, I used the appropriate ratio, which was approximately 62% of their team’s games. So, any 1981 season in which the player played approximately 62 games is eligible for consideration.

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With the possible addition of Cliff Lee, baseball’s top southpaw, the Yankees would have formed the most formidable rotation in baseball, and perhaps one of the best ever.

Sabathia. Lee. Pettitte. Hughes. Burnett.

Four of their five starting pitchers would be headed to Anaheim for this year’s All-Star Game.

But what about the sixth man?

With the addition of Lee to the front of their rotation, someone would have to be moved out. That man is Javier Vazquez.

Now, the Yankees are shopping Vazquez around. The first team to pounce on him should be the St. Louis Cardinals.

For Vazquez, this is the perfect storm. He would have the opportunity to head to a great baseball town, the home of the greatest pitching coach ever, and try to rekindle what once was.

He may not be able to revisit the success he had in Montréal, where he struck out 1,076 batters from 1998-2003, but he could help a Cardinals team that is hurting in the rotation.

Since Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse went down with injuries, the Cardinals have been forced to give Adam Ottavino and Blake Hawksworth turns in the rotation. The two are good prospects, and project as useful arms in the future, but for a team in the midst of a pennant race, this is simply not enough.

With Lohse out for the remainder of 2010, no definite time line for Penny’s return, and Ottavino having been recently delegated to the disabled list himself, St. Louis should pounce on Vazquez as soon as possible.

Vazquez is not suited as a relief pitcher, so the Yankees may be willing to part with him for one or two nominal prospects. Brian Cashman is a smart man, and he is not willing to let Vazquez’s $11.5 million sit in the bullpen.

A return to the National League might also bring improvement out of Vazquez. Not only was Vazquez a top-notch pitcher in Montréal, but he was quite successful as recently as last year for the Atlanta Braves, posting a 15-10 record with a 2.87 ERA. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting, behind Cardinals aces Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.

Under the tutelage of Dave Duncan, and out of the pitcher’s hell of the American League East, Vazquez could be a very successful pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Should Lee not be moved to New York, it still seems Vazquez is on the market, and St. Louis would be wise to pounce.

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Happy Canada Day to all!

For most Americans, Canada is the wilderness to our north, a place of moose and mounties. But in more recent times, Canada has also been a hotbed of baseball talent, giving us a Hall of Famer pitcher in Ferguson Jenkins and some great sluggers, like Larry Walker.

Today, Canadian ballplayers are some of the headliners on MVP ballots, Cy Young races, and could one day see Hall of Fame consideration. Who is the most talented Canadian major leaguer today? Here are the top 10.

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