The MLB season is over and the offseason has officially begun. Some teams will look to improve, while others simply hope to keep the talent they have.
Many player will be on the move this offseason, perhaps a Hall of Fame shortstop, a notable pitching ace, or maybe one of the league’s best sluggers.
Regardless, always remember that these are bold predictions, and in honor of the title that they shall be.
This is part three of a series of articles outlining the decisions that the Cubs will need to make this offseason. You can read part two by following this link.
Ryan Dempster, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and Carlos Zambrano are all pretty safe bets to break camp with the Cubs when they finish up in Mesa next year.
Marmol and Marshall did more than enough to earn whatever salary raise they end up getting this offseason. Dempster didn’t have his best season, but he put in 215.1 strong innings with 208 strikeouts (one less than his career high) and a 3.85 ERA.
Samardzija, who is out of minor league options and has a no-trade clause that allows him to reject trades and waiver claims, will likely get a shot at the fifth spot in the rotation, but break camp in the bullpen.
Zambrano had a whirlwind season, but finished strong enough that there should be no doubt that he will remain in the rotation. He has a large salary and no-trade protection, but the main reason that other teams might shy away from acquiring him is his frequently stated intent to retire at the end of his current contract. Even if the Cubs wanted to trade him, which they have repeatedly denied, his value to other teams isn’t necessarily the same as it is on the North Side.
The next closest thing to a sure bet is Andrew Cashner, who will, in all likelihood, be in the bullpen. But the possibility does exist that he could be sent to Triple-A Iowa to be stretched out as a starter instead of throwing him into the fray on day one. This assumes, of course, that the Cubs wish to develop him as a starter right away rather than having him spend another year in the bullpen, or molding him for a permanent late-inning role.
With two rotation spots and four bullpen spots already (for the most part) locked up, there are still six players needed to fill out the twelve-man pitching staff that I anticipate they’ll field.
The organization certainly has no shortage of left-handed pitchers to choose from to fill those spots, though. John Gaub, Tom Gorzelanny, John Grabow, Scott Maine, and James Russell are all set to return to the organization in 2011, but only so many can find a seat alongside Marshall in the bullpen.
Gorzelanny will probably return to the Cubs’ rotation next year, but the Illinois native might get moved if the organization finds another southpaw starter to take his place. If such a find were to be made, that could mean that Gorzelanny moves to the bullpen (as he has done a few times these past two seasons) or that he gets traded in an attempt to land another piece of the puzzle.
More likely than not, to avoid the matchup problems associated with having more lefties than righties available in relief, there will be only three southpaws in the bullpen. This means that if Gorzelanny moves to the bullpen, Grabow might see the end of his Cubs tenure, or that all three of the young lefties (Gaub, Maine, and Russell) might be sent back to Triple-A.
Of course, if Gorzelanny isn’t in the bullpen, either because of a trade or because he remains in the rotation, then the picture becomes less cluttered. In that situation, which I find to be much more probable, and under the assumption that Marshall will be healthy, there’s no reason that the remaining left-handers have to come via trade or free agency.
In other words, two of Gaub, Grabow, Maine, and Russell would stay and two would go. Since Grabow’s $4.8 million salary is not necessarily an amount that the team would be willing to eat by releasing him, Grabow would probably only leave this team via trade, an unlikely scenario considering his recent performance and injuries.
Then, assuming a left-handed starter (Gorzelanny or someone else) will be occupying a slot in the rotation, two starters will still be needed.
The top candidates going into spring training will most likely be Carlos Silva (unless he’s traded) and Randy Wells, for the simple reason that they have the most major league starting experience of all the internal candidates, and each has had some recent success doing it: Wells in his rookie season of 2009 and Silva in his first sixteen starts of 2010.
But other players such as Casey Coleman, Thomas Diamond, Jay Jackson, Cashner, and Samardzija could get their own shot at making it. So if one or both of the aforementioned front-runners is removed from contention through injury, poor play, or trade, look for the youngster with the best spring training performance to get his shot.
Those left on the outside looking in for the final rotation spots would then join Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad, Rafael Dolis, Angel Guzman, Marcos Mateo, Brian Schlitter, Jeff Stevens, and others in pursuing the final bullpen spot.
Guzman showed promise between 2007 and 2009, but, after being hampered by elbow and shoulder injuries, it is unknown whether he will be fully healthy coming into next season. If Cubs management doesn’t have faith in his ability to pitch this upcoming season, there’s a chance that he’s non-tendered and let loose to free agency.
On the other hand, if they don’t non-tender him, I would be hard-pressed to believe that he wouldn’t get a very fair (and perhaps somewhat forgiving) chance at making the team, since he is out of options.
Also, with the Rule Five Draft coming in early December and Chris Archer eligible for selection, look for the Cubs’ 2010 Minor League Pitcher of the Year to be added to the 40-man roster and get his own shot at making the Opening Day roster in 2011.
With the indication of a decrease in payroll for 2011, and the announcement that the difference will be allocated towards scouting and development, I don’t expect the team to make any significant free agent pitching acquisitions.
They will likely look to trade away the $4.8 million owed to Grabow and the $8 million (including his 2011 salary and 2012 buyout) owed to Silva, but the injury problems experienced by both players should make that difficult.
Although I don’t expect the 2011 pitching staff to be completely without turnover, I do suspect that there will be many faces familiar to this organization taking the mound on the North Side next season.
Don’t forget to look out for part four of this series, expected to be up at some point in the coming week.
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The Chicago White Sox General Manager has some tough choices in the coming months.
The White Sox, who currently have a payroll of over $105 million, have nine free agents and four arbitration eligible players on whom decisions will have to be made. Some will return to the fold in 2011, while others will be wished the best and sent off to seek different Major League employment (or start exploring that life after baseball thing).
Life is full of tough choices; let’s start making some.
At this rate, you’re probably sick and tired of reading stories of speculation about the next possible Marlins manager. But despite all the speculation about who will be the Marlins’ next manager, with potential skippers ranging from Bobby Valentine to Bo Porter, it may come down to Edwin Rodriguez, who managed them down the stretch last year.
According to various media reports towards the end of the regular season, the Florida Marlins were a likely landing spot for Ozzie Guillen because of the turmoil that he had internally with his front office, notably general manager Ken Williams.
Apparently, the Florida Marlins asked the White Sox for permission to speak to Ozzie Guillen, who is going into the final year of his contract with the White Sox. When the White Sox asked the Marlins for compensation, reports indicate that Chicago asked for up and coming slugger Mike Stanton, who hit 22 home runs in 100 games this past season.
Whether or not Stanton was involved in talks or not, the two sides could not come to agreement on compensation for Ozzie Guillen.
In any world, I wouldn’t trade a potential 40-50 homer hitter for a manager; the difference in the win column would weigh more on the player than a manager who won’t even take the field.
When that failed, the Marlins turned to Bobby Valentine, who shut them out of his managerial future and left the Marlins scrambling over other issues ahead of them, such as getting a Dan Uggla long term deal done and ongoing stadium construction. Think of the Marlins as a quarterback under pressure; he sees two potential targets go by the wayside (Guillen and Valentine), but in the end he hands it to his running back near by (Edwin Rodriguez).
Considering that the Florida Marlins’ previous plans have failed in their search for a new manager, don’t be surprised if after a long holding pattern in managerial talks, the organization brings back Edwin Rodriguez for a one year deal.
It would be dumb on their part to basically give away another season (payroll is only going to rise slightly into the $50 million range), but smart if they can hire the right manager.
The ultimate plan in the front office minds would be to give Edwin Rodriguez the job for an additional season and hope that the White Sox don’t make the playoffs next season. Ozzie Guillen’s contract has an option which is automatically picked up if his team wins the AL Central (the team holds an option for 2012); if the White Sox miss the playoffs, Guillen’s chances of leaving the South Side increase, especially if he isn’t offered an extension.
At this point, if the Chicago White Sox wanted Ozzie Guillen and Guillen wanted the White Sox why hasn’t an extension gotten done?
Edwin Rodriguez handled the Marlins managerial duties pretty well (46-46) considering the series of injuries he dealt with down the stretch, which could have swung his record by five games the other way (51-42).
Giving him a long look would give the Marlins a chance to see if he is worth keeping on a long term basis. If the Marlins make the playoffs this season, then Edwin Rodriguez stays, but if they don’t, he is likely gone and Ozzie Guillen is potentially in. That’s the scenario the Marlins’ front office has swimming in their heads and the one they hope ultimately happens.
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There’s Always Next Year: Intro
With catcher arguably the most important position on the diamond, the Cubs seem to have found a solid foundation for the future—hopefully.
Geovany Soto proved that he certainly had the talent to repeat and even build upon his rookie campaign after that came into question in the 2009 season.
There is no doubt Soto can hit. The question for the upcoming season—and seasons beyond—is whether or not Soto can stay healthy. Catcher is no doubt the most physically taxing position to field, and the ability to stay healthy is always a crapshoot.
That said, Soto has run into injury problems of his own. He hurt his knee in August, and while he spent a short four days off the field, his ability to hit took a noticeable slide. Considering the pressure on the knees it takes from the catcher’s crouch, this could be a recurring problem. He also had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, but this should not be a problem in the future.
Besides the injuries that were dealt to the starting Cub catcher, Soto had a remarkable season at the plate. He hit for a .282 average on the year and improved his patience stats along the way, walking 16 percent of the time. He also showed his 2008 power wasn’t a fluke, as he hit for 17 home runs—five less than 2008, but with 176 less plate appearances, a result of Lou Piniella’s fascination with Koyie Hill.
Given increased playing time from new Cubs manager Mike Quade, look for Soto to continue improving his game with more and more major league experience (only two full years of ML service time).
Hill filled in quite a bit in Soto’s stead, as Piniella tried to incorporate him into the Cubs lineup, seeing him as a better receiver than Soto. The fact is that Hill was a huge detriment to the Cubs offense when he played. Hill hit for a terrible .214 batting average, and his .298 slugging percentage was a figure that reminded Cubs fans of Juan Pierre.
Striking out almost 30 percent of the time, Hill was just downright terrible at the plate. He only walked 15 times in 231 plate appearances, and three of those were intentional. The idea that Hill was just a Jason Kendall-type slap hitter is irrational. Hill hit for a below-average contact rate, and pitchers were not afraid to attack him, throwing an above-average number of first strikes.
Hill was essentially a replacement player, meaning you could find equal value out of the position from a typical Triple-A catcher.
Hill’s arbitration clock has hit three years, meaning that the Cubs may just decide to non-tender him and not give him a pay raise, meaning that they will simply cut ties with him without any penalty to the franchise.
Wellington Castillo would provide an ample backup if the Cubs were to non-tender Hill, as he showed he can essentially provide the same production at a cheaper cost.
Castillo has showed flashes of power in his minor league career and even at the major league level this past summer, smashing five extra base hits in 20 at-bats. His main fault at the plate is a glaring lack of patience, as he walked only 7.7 percent of the time this past summer between Triple-A Iowa and a short showing with the Major League club.
I think Castillo can provide a more than serviceable backup to Geovany Soto and a viable replacement option for Koyie Hill.
This article was featured on TheUnfortunateCubsFan.com
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According to a source on ESPN, Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees have reached agreement on a three-year contract that will pay him $3 million per season with a $500,000 bonus for winning the World Series.
According to the report, Girardi never even considered joining the Cubs as manager. He apparently told Yanks’ GM Brian Cashman in August that he wouldn’t leave such a good thing in New York for Chicago, despite this being his home.
Unofficially, my sources tell me that Jim Hendry was never interested in Girardi anyway, but that owner Tom Ricketts wanted Hendry to hold off on a manager until Girardi was officially free to discuss the opening with other teams.
But the Cubs got word through back channels that Girardi wasn’t coming to the Cubs, even if the Bombers didn’t bring him back. And Ricketts didn’t want to be used as negotiating leverage for Girardi.
So the Cubs went ahead and named Mike Quade as their manager and Girardi will be returning to New York as expected.
There are those in New York who maligned Girardi for his misuse of the bullpen and his strategies. One such decision that drew the fans’ ire occurred late in the season when he decided to rest several veterans in a pivotal game against the Rays.
But while many Bronx fans are mixed in their support of Girardi, he was the top choice of many Cubs fans. However, that interest was never reciprocated by Girardi, despite rampant speculation to the contrary.
Girardi won the World Series in 2009 with the Yankees, after ending his stint with the Marlins as NL Manager of the Year in a dispute with Florida ownership. His record in three season with the Yankees is 287-199.
Hendry, meanwhile, never had interest in Ryne Sandberg as a Major League manager, either. His first choice was Freddi Gonzalez, who declined to interview because he knew he was taking over for the retiring Bobby Cox in Atlanta.
In the end, perhaps it was destiny for Chicago to have another Coach Q.
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Of all the major pro sports leagues, Major League Baseball’s postseason is the least valid at crowning a champ. This is for a number of reasons. There is good news, however. Many positive tweaks to the playoff structure have already been discussed. Time to shed light on just what is missing, and what actions should be taken.
Baseball season is by far the longest of any of the four major sports. Most teams, barring rainouts, will slog through 162 contests. Hockey and Basketball teams play 82 games in contrast. (In fact, even with half the number of games, NBA commissioner David Stern is considering a shortened schedule for his league.) It’s a pretty large sample survey from which to judge the quality of a team. It’s too large, in fact.
This becomes painfully obvious when you realize how quickly half the teams in the postseason will last. Imagine playing all those games and then getting swept in the first round after three games. All those must-win games, the pennant chase and the buildup. Gone after a weekend.
So one major flaw becomes obvious at this point. To be successful in the regular season, the team must be built for consistency. Pitching staffs generally need quality out of four or five starters, two or three set-up men and a closer. The lineup needs at least a few sluggers, high on-base percentage players and usually at least one speedster on the basepaths.
This is a recipe for long-term success, and after 162 games, suddenly these important regular season qualities lose much of their value.
Once the first round begins, you can throw them out the window. It’s a best-of-five series after all. Most of the time, the losing team will not even get a whole turn of their rotation. It would seem to me that the team built for regular season depth would not even get to showcase that strength. The criteria suddenly changes. Forget a deep 5 man rotation, a three man rotation with 2 star hurlers will get you further.
Doesn’t it seem a little too quick to send a playoff team home after five games at most?
It’s even worse when you consider how many upsets have taken place. Don’t get me wrong, upsets are what gives sports their luster many times. Upsets are not as exciting if they are so easy to come by. In baseball, too many times the fan is left feeling cheated. Many exciting and talented teams have been sent off to the golf course without even getting a chance to play everyone that contributed during the year.
There is a way to ease this issue. Make every round a seven-game series. Obviously there are some logistics to work out in that case. I will get into that a little further down.
The NHL and NBA already have implemented this structure. And in those leagues, the same players compete every night. If any of the sports had an argument for a shortened first round, it would be them since you are essentially showcasing the same matchup multiple times.
In baseball, there are completely new pitchers each day. It makes for a different feel for each game. And in the current format, there are only eight playoff teams. That means that first round matchups are never duds on paper, since even top seeds vs. bottom seeds have more parity than other sports with double the teams in the postseason. That’s why baseball doesn’t get redundant in October.
Another issue that troubles me is how the rotations are set. If your team is still fighting for a playoff spot in the last few games, they will most likely not be able to give themselves the matchups they want when the postseason arrives. Many people have argued that teams that have clinched earlier should get that advantage. Let’s take a closer look.
This year, the Rays and the Yankees fought for the AL East crown to the wire. These teams also had the two best records in the league. It doesn’t matter if the Rangers clinched their weak divisions much earlier; the two best teams still had work to do.
Why should the Rangers, who had a weaker record in a weaker division, get the advantage of setting their rotation while the two higher quality teams in a tougher division could conceivably be stuck with whoever is rested enough?
This would not be such a significant factor if the first round became a best-of-seven, as all of the pitchers would most likely get a chance somewhere in the series. There should be a three-day break before the playoffs begin. That will allow all of the teams to load up and truly play the best against the best, rather than just who is available each day.
A guaranteed two or three-day period between further playoff series should be instituted as well, for the same reasons. Obviously, as it currently stands, there would be scheduling conflicts. If these changes were in place, any other off-days that aren’t designed for travelling should be eliminated. That way, the teams cannot just skip pitchers. It would be a lot more like the regular season for which these teams are built.
Changing the season from 162 games to 154 would be the best catalyst to make these sorts of improvements. People always have a little hesitation when this idea is brought forth. Most of the time they are concerned about the record books and how to judge new achievements. It would be a pretty safe bet to say that if there were only 154 games in a season, then Barry Bonds could feel really good about keeping the home run record.
But that’s just the point. Many of those records are tarnished anyway. Bonds was an obvious steroid case, as well as many others in the last 20 years. We are now at a point in baseball where we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that all records are subject to fallacy.
Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in only 154 games. Remember that many felt Roger Maris was a fraud since his 61 homers came in 162 games. There is just is no consistency. Once baseball moves on from this naive notion, things can be streamlined.
With only 154 games, there can be a pause to transition from the regular season to postseason. While pitchers are resting up, Major League Baseball can use the time to build some serious media hype. Imagine all those Game 1’s with staff aces facing off against each other. That’s drama. They will also be available for at least another game if the series goes long. Another plus. More superstars equal more ratings.
Baseball is a sport whose outcomes many times are affected by inches. Sometimes the difference between a winner and a loser can come down to a lucky bounce. The more games that are played with the most consistent preparation are a better measure of who is deserving of the title.
Don’t worry though. Upsets will still be plentiful. The only difference (with the new rules in effect) is that upsets will seem much more significant. To grant a much higher degree of validity to the World Series Champion, these changes would go a long way. After that maybe we can get rid of the designated hitter as well, since both leagues should play by the same rules (especially in the playoffs). But for right now, this would be a major improvement.
-Follow me on Twitter (@ChiBdm)
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The score was 3-2 in favor of the Yankees. There were two on and two out for one of the most feared hitters in the game today, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers led the series two games to one, so this was a critical at-bat for the Yankees and their underachieving pitcher A.J. Burnett.
Hamilton hit a pop foul down the left field line—and then it happened.
As Yankee left fielder Brett Gardner closed on the ball, he was quickly running out of room. As he got to the wall and was reaching up to make the catch, a fan reached up to make the catch also and got his hands on the ball. A disgusted Gardner glared into the stands, and Hamilton was given a reprieve.
Sound familiar, Cubs fans?
This was Steve Bartman all over again. It was a similar play that kept an at-bat alive for the Florida Marlins in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. The Marlins then went on to score eight runs in the eighth inning and forced a Game 7. They eventually won the World Series and kept the Cubs’ title-less streak alive at 95 years and still counting.
Bartman was immediately declared Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago. He was escorted from Wrigley Field before the game ended for his own safety. He was then forced to become a recluse. He still has not been heard from since. The man’s life was forever changed.
But here is the thing: It was not his fault. It never was. And now we have proof. Burnett, undaunted, got Hamilton out. The inning ended, and the Yankees then went on to lose the game anyway. The play had no effect on the game—and in reality, neither did Bartman’s. It was a foul ball in the stands, which every baseball player knows is not fan interference.
If there are any fans that should be postseason-savvy enough to know to let the player make a play in that situation, it would be Yankee fans. After all, no fans have had more practice at the postseason than they have. Yet here they were going after the ball. Why? Because instinct takes over.
Part of being a fan at a baseball game is trying to catch a foul ball. It’s what keeps fans attentive. Without being allowed to keep baseballs, fans might not keep their eyes on the ball at all times, and there would be more fan injuries as a result. We are trained to try to catch foul balls as a youngster. It’s why kids bring their gloves to the game with them.
When Bartman and that Yankee fan reached for the ball, they were doing what any fan would do. You see the ball coming at you, you catch it. No fan should be punished for that.
Early last season on TV I saw a fan at a Tampa Bay Rays game get in Evan Longoria’s way on a similar play. Longoria yelled at him and then glared at him. The poor fan was mortified. If there is any team that cannot afford to alienate fans, it’s the Rays. I hope they apologized to him.
The Cubs need to reach out to Steve Bartman too. He did nothing wrong and has had to pay a steep price. The Cubs owe him an apology. Cubs fans owe him an apology. Baseball owes him an apology.
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I’m sure that there are more than a handful of Cubs fans who are under the impression that the organization will acquire a few impact players this offseason, much like the post-2006 and post-2007 offseasons. However, the fact of the matter is that the team’s current 40-man roster will need to be tweaked quite a bit before any additions can be made.
To begin with, only two players on the team’s final 40-man roster can leave on their own volition: Aramis Ramirez and Xavier Nady.
Since Ramirez has already made it clear that he will be exercising the $14.6 million player option on his current contract, the only player that might be leaving via free agency is Nady, who the Cubs might need at first base.
After Ramirez exercises his player option, he will then be one of nine players with a major league contract in effect for 2011. The other eight are Alfonso Soriano ($18 million), Carlos Zambrano ($17.875 million), Ryan Dempster ($13.5 million), Kosuke Fukudome ($13.5 million), Carlos Silva ($6 million by Cubs, $5.5 million by Mariners), Marlon Byrd ($5.5 million), John Grabow ($4.8 million), and Jeff Samardzija ($2 million).
Of those nine players, only two players are completely without no-trade protection: Silva and Byrd.
Among the other players on the roster, seven are eligible for arbitration this offseason: Jeff Baker, Tom Gorzelanny, Angel Guzman, Koyie Hill, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, and Geovany Soto.
Sam Fuld, Jeff Gray, Micah Hoffpauir, and Jeff Samardzija are all out of options. Thomas Diamond, Bobby Scales, and Randy Wells each have the right to refuse an outright assignment to the minor leagues. Outfielder Brad Snyder has both the right to refuse outright assignment and no remaining options.
Together, that’s 23 players (two catchers, four infielders, five outfielders, and twelve pitchers) who would need to make the active roster out of spring training to guarantee themselves a spot in the organization. And that’s before you take into account players like Darwin Barney, Andrew Cashner, Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin, Blake DeWitt, James Russell, and twelve other players on the current 40-man roster.
It’s also before you factor in some young players who could make their ascension to the big leagues in much the same way that James Russell and Tyler Colvin did this past year.
Minor League Pitcher of the Year Chris Archer, Minor League Player of the Year Brandon Guyer, Chris Carpenter, Brett Jackson, Jay Jackson, or Josh Vitters are all early candidates to make such a rise, but the first two (Archer and Guyer) might have the best start out of everyone that is currently off of the 40-man roster. That’s, quite simply, due to the fact that they will almost certainly be added to the 40-man roster this offseason in order to avoid being picked up by another team in this year’s Rule Five draft.
So what decisions need to be made this offseason, what moves could realistically happen, and who’s going to be managing this team next year?
To find out, you’ll have to check in for part two of this series, expected to be up at some point in the coming week.
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The Cardinals came into this season expecting to challenge the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League pennant and to dethrone the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Yet they were out of contention by the middle of September, in the clutches of a collapse from a first-place tie with their longtime rival, the Cincinnati Reds, and were far removed from being the hottest Redbirds team in three seasons.
Collapse is a more powerful word than the phrase “second-half swoon,” but collapse is more appropriate in this situation, without question.
Redbird Nation is baffled:
How a team expected to swim deep into the playoffs needed CPR, personal oxygen tanks, and a breathing apparatus by the beginning of September is beyond us.
Instead of challenging the Phillies in the playoffs, the Cardinals were eliminated by the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates with a week remaining in the regular season.
Watching their barroom-brawling rivals run away with the division crown this particular season is a James Bond movie-like bitter and poison pill for diehard Cardinals fans to swallow.
They were 12-6 against the Reds, but their record was an ugly 26-33 against the rest of the division, and 46-50 against teams with a losing record.
Again this year, thanks to a second-half swoon that has become the norm over the last three Redbirds seasons, the Gateway City’s Gas House Gang’s gritty baseball team flavor lost its savor under their now-embattled tragic Cardinal of a manager: Tony LaRussa.
The Cardinals were playing like the best team in baseball from the first pitch after the 81st All-Star Game. Starting on July 15, their first eight games after the break were played in St. Louis against two of the top NL teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Eight revenge games to start the second half: The Dodgers had swept the Cardinals out of the playoffs in 2009, and the Phillies were the defending NL Champions.
After the infield dust settled, Major League Baseball eyes watched in admiration at the Redbirds’ sizzling performance.
First, the Birds swept the Dodgers by outscoring them 22-9 in the four-game series. In July, Joe Torre’s squad was still considered the front-runner to win the NL West.
Then, the Cardinals bopped the Phillies in three straight games, taking the series 3-1, and outscoring Philadelphia 23-8 in the four contests.
Then, in the very next series, in Chicago against their top rivals (the woefully struggling Cubs), the Cardinals were dismantled by yet another team that owned a losing overall record.
The Cardinals’ August began in Houston against the cellar-dwelling Astros. Houston shoved an 18-4 loss down the Cardinals’ throat; an embarrassing effort that drew the ire of Cardinals fans who experienced the bitter commentary of MLB analysts as well as those from other team’s fans.
But the Redbirds made up for it a week later, by running Cincinnati red—in Cincinnati. This was the “Scrap Series,” where the Cardinals swept the clashes but ended up losing the conflict.
Cincinnati’s cocky infielder, Brandon Phillips, a breathing conflict on the diamond, fired the then-second-place Redbirds up with his comments that I will not repeat here. And when he stepped to the plate, the Cards’ rugged catcher, Yadier Molina, dared Phillips to shine across the line.
Phillips did so and the brawl was on to the Reds’ detriment, or so it seemed.
Being swept by his managerial Mad Hatter in Tony LaRussa, Cincinnati’s skipper Dusty “Batman” Baker’s blood boiled as he was seen bristling in postgame interviews.
The Reds went on a division-clinching run after the series’ infamous summer brawl, while the Cardinals started to swoon.
To end August, the Cardinals got swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates and by the Astros, plus Albert Pujols and the St. Louisans were almost swept by the Washington Nationals. In the last 10 games of the month, the Cardinals record was 1-9.
The swoon was now lasting way past June. Even though the Redbirds destroyed the Reds by a score of 6-1 in a game played on national television on the Saturday before Labor Day, for all intents and purposes, the division race was over.
How could a relatively young team with a Cy Young candidate (Adam Wainwright), a first baseman vying for the Triple Crown (Pujols), a $25 million enforcer (Matt Holliday), a top NL closer (Ryan Franklin), and a former Cy Young winner (Chris Carpenter) miss the playoffs?
Before asking yourself “What just happened?” chew on this:
As you know, I believe that the blame has to fall squarely on the grudge-holding mind of manager Tony LaRussa.
Both LaRussa and McGwire are pond scum, and now we see them for what they truly are. Hopefully, in this long offseason, consequences and repercussions will be the result.
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