Albert Pujols doesn't owe the Cardinals anything. He wasn't going to be on the opening day roster in 2001, his rookie year. Bobby Bonila had an injury 2 days before opening day which opened the door for Albert to be on the opening day roster. So he hits 37 HRs, 130 RBIs, and bats .330...and Jack Buck STILL didn't think he was for real. They signed Tino Martinez. He wasn't that bad, but 2 more years and Albert doesn't have a fixed position. Even last week an ESPN radio guy in STL said AP wasn't really a leader, just a good ball player. WTF?
One thing for sure: The STL Cardinals brass know exactly what AP wants to hear. If they're not going to tell him what he wants to hear, then they might as well not say anything at all. As to where he might go? He liked playing for Manny Acta in the world games a few years back. He manages at Cleveland now. Hmm. If we can keep him we might have the makings of a dynasty.
Albert Pujols doesn't owe the Cardinals anything. He wasn't going to be on the opening day roster in 2001, his rookie year. Bobby Bonila had an injury 2 days before opening day which opened the door for Albert to be on the opening day roster. So he hits 37 HRs, 130 RBIs, and bats .330...and Jack Buck STILL didn't think he was for real. They signed Tino Martinez. He wasn't that bad, but 2 more years and Albert doesn't have a fixed position. Even last week an ESPN radio guy in STL said AP wasn't really a leader, just a good ball player. WTF?
One thing for sure: The STL Cardinals brass know exactly what AP wants to hear. If they're not going to tell him what he wants to hear, then they might as well not say anything at all. As to where he might go? He liked playing for Manny Acta in the world games a few years back. He manages at Cleveland now. Hmm. If we can keep him we might have the makings of a dynasty.
Do you think Cleveland will pony up $200Mil to get Albert?
As much as I'd like to see him in Boston, the RedSox already signed Adrian Gonzalez to a long term contract at 1B, The Yankees have Texiera and who else would cough up that type of $$?
Theo Epstein now with the Cubs? ....maybe, but he has never been good with long term contracts. The Mets?...ditto
Albert is a once in a generation player, as much as I'd like to see him in a Red Sox uniform (he would be incredible in Fenway), it seems to me like it is only right for him to stay in StL---At least to those of us outside StL he IS the Cardinals---just as much as Stan Musial, Bob Gibson or Ozzie Smith--all of whom I could never ever picture in another uniform
Today was the victory parade. Started at 4PM probably lasted max 2 hours. Right after the parade Albert hosted a basketball game to support his charity for people with downs syndrome. Other celebrities were there, even Meadowlark Lemon. He has several charities like that. I heard that this year a poll was taken among just the players which included who was the meanest player in MLB and that Albert and Chris Carpenter were in the top 10, but in STL he's hard to hate.
As much as Im sure that Cards fans are walking on air--and will be all winter, I really feel more for the Rangers fans.
Coming within one strike, not once but twice, having big leads that were blown, and watching Cruz drop Freese's triple in game 6 is the stuff of baseball torture.
Many many Ranger fans will be reliving those nightmare moments over and over and over for along long time
It's like they took a page out of Red Sox history.It’ll be remembered as the one that got away - one of the great choke jobs of all-time.
If they are anything like Sox fans they'll be reciting the play-by-play of the epic failure and replaying it over and over in their heads for decades to come.
Here oldtimers still debate whether Johnny Pesky held a relay throw too long in the '46 series, and the images of the ball going through Bill Buckners legs in the '86 series was never erased until the Red Sox finally won a series in '04-----and even then --it still stings---25 years later.
Baseball is a great game, but as Bart Giammatti once noted, it is designed to break your heart.
Getting as infintesimally close as the Rangers did only magnifies it.
Now they know what we had to put up with for decades.
My best to Rangers fans its going to be a long long winter---I feel your pain.
This series was weird in that there was no history between the 2 teams. One 3 game interleague series in Texas in '04. That's it. During the first 50 years of the 20th century there were probably a lot of WS matchups like that, but with expanded playoffs and interleague play this becomes more unlikely.
The 1965 WS was like that, ironically involving another team which used to be the Washington Senators. The original Washington Senators won 3 pennants and 1 WS championship when Walter Johnson pitched for them, but never against the Brooklyn Dodgers. So the Dodgers/Twins '65 matchup was unprecedented. Good series, too. Seven games. Won by the Dodgers. Koufax shut the Twins down 2-0 in game 7 at Minnesota.
Texas became the 4th team ever to lose 2 WS in a row. The Yankees were the first ('63/'64), but immediately before that they WON 2 WS in a row and '64 was the 29th year of a run in which they appeared in 22 of 29 WS. That will NEVER happen again. The Dodgers lost in '77 and '78, but with the same manager, they were the only team in the 80s to win as many as 2 WS championships. Then the Braves lost in '91 and '92, yet appeared in 3 other WS winning in '95.
This Texas team's legacy is far from over. During game 7 I could not relax knowing how powerful Texas' hitting lineup is. Pretty much every hitter in their order made a contribution. The guys you hadn't heard of as well as the ones you had. I have no inclination to gloat over Texas; they handled themselves like professionals in every way.
As for gloating? Nyger Morgan, Brandon Phillips, and Marty Brenneman. Each of them will certainly renew the hostilities next season at the drop of a hat, but at least this should shut them up for a little while.
As for gloating? Nyger Morgan, Brandon Phillips, and Marty Brenneman. Each of them will certainly renew the hostilities next season at the drop of a hat, but at least this should shut them up for a little while.
True enough that the way baseball is now set up is that in division rivalries are things that breed hostilities....As much as rivalries can be exciting, id like to see the schedule makers develop a more balanced schedule across the league somehow.
In the AL East every other game is against the Yankees, Rays, Os or BlueJays--- with maybe a once or twice a year blast to see other AL teams who may as well be playing in some league in China..After awhile the billionth game of the year against the BlueJays gets old especially when I havent seen the Rangers, Angels, White Sox or Tigers in 5 months.
Every division has the same situation. Personally Im not a real big fan of the overloaded division schedule and would like to see it spread out more.
I dont know if it is mathematically possible (and Im not getting out the abacus to figure it out)but I think it would make for good baseball if teams could all play each other an equal amount of times the way they did in the 60's when I was first exposed to the game, and not be so overly focussed on the 3 or 4 teams in their region.
Divisions have some advantages but make for unequal schedules and lack of exposure of some players that I would love to see more of...
Yeah, beginning in 1969 there were 12 teams in each league and 6 teams in each division. So you played 18 games each against the other 5 teams in your division and 12 each against the rest of your league. 162 games. Mathematically precise.
Even before divisional play started it was like that. Before 1961 there were 8 teams in each league and 154 games in a season. 22 games against each team, no remainder. From '61 to '68 it was 10 teams/162 games/18 games against each team.
If they make it 15 teams in each league it will force at least one interleague series each week. Part of me says no, too weird, but another part says hey, this could be interesting.
I think they could still fit in Interleague games in June over 6 weeks or so like they do now (or whenever they do it) without having to spread it all over the season.
There could be a number of different ways they do it--Play each team in your own league 10 times
(10 x 14 teams= 140 games) which would leave 22 games for interleague games--or for people bent on keeping play within divisions alive --12 games against each team in the division (12 x4=48) 9 games against each team in the rest of the league ( 9 x10 =90) which leaves 24 for interleague play.
If the schedule was efficient I think they could fit 24 interleague games in the same time span they do now
or since Im not a fan of interleague play (at least not until they can agree on the same damn rules).
13 games with in the division (52 games) and 11 games against each other team in the league (110 games)..and leave facing the other league for the All Star game and the World Series like it was for eons
This is all assuming that the Astros move into the AL, but Im sure some math whiz could tweak the numbers to make it work in amore balanced way no matter which teams play where
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mstar1
Congratulations Cardinals---A good series, a GREAT game six (although I'd hate to be Nelson Cruz about now..)
Enjoy it Cards fans
.....as a PS I wouldnt mind being this guy who bet the Cards at 999 to 1 when they were out of the race-
$500 gets you $375,250
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johniam
Albert Pujols doesn't owe the Cardinals anything. He wasn't going to be on the opening day roster in 2001, his rookie year. Bobby Bonila had an injury 2 days before opening day which opened the door for Albert to be on the opening day roster. So he hits 37 HRs, 130 RBIs, and bats .330...and Jack Buck STILL didn't think he was for real. They signed Tino Martinez. He wasn't that bad, but 2 more years and Albert doesn't have a fixed position. Even last week an ESPN radio guy in STL said AP wasn't really a leader, just a good ball player. WTF?
One thing for sure: The STL Cardinals brass know exactly what AP wants to hear. If they're not going to tell him what he wants to hear, then they might as well not say anything at all. As to where he might go? He liked playing for Manny Acta in the world games a few years back. He manages at Cleveland now. Hmm. If we can keep him we might have the makings of a dynasty.
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mstar1
Do you think Cleveland will pony up $200Mil to get Albert?
As much as I'd like to see him in Boston, the RedSox already signed Adrian Gonzalez to a long term contract at 1B, The Yankees have Texiera and who else would cough up that type of $$?
Theo Epstein now with the Cubs? ....maybe, but he has never been good with long term contracts. The Mets?...ditto
Albert is a once in a generation player, as much as I'd like to see him in a Red Sox uniform (he would be incredible in Fenway), it seems to me like it is only right for him to stay in StL---At least to those of us outside StL he IS the Cardinals---just as much as Stan Musial, Bob Gibson or Ozzie Smith--all of whom I could never ever picture in another uniform
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johniam
Today was the victory parade. Started at 4PM probably lasted max 2 hours. Right after the parade Albert hosted a basketball game to support his charity for people with downs syndrome. Other celebrities were there, even Meadowlark Lemon. He has several charities like that. I heard that this year a poll was taken among just the players which included who was the meanest player in MLB and that Albert and Chris Carpenter were in the top 10, but in STL he's hard to hate.
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mstar1
As much as Im sure that Cards fans are walking on air--and will be all winter, I really feel more for the Rangers fans.
Coming within one strike, not once but twice, having big leads that were blown, and watching Cruz drop Freese's triple in game 6 is the stuff of baseball torture.
Many many Ranger fans will be reliving those nightmare moments over and over and over for along long time
It's like they took a page out of Red Sox history.It’ll be remembered as the one that got away - one of the great choke jobs of all-time.
If they are anything like Sox fans they'll be reciting the play-by-play of the epic failure and replaying it over and over in their heads for decades to come.
Here oldtimers still debate whether Johnny Pesky held a relay throw too long in the '46 series, and the images of the ball going through Bill Buckners legs in the '86 series was never erased until the Red Sox finally won a series in '04-----and even then --it still stings---25 years later.
Baseball is a great game, but as Bart Giammatti once noted, it is designed to break your heart.
Getting as infintesimally close as the Rangers did only magnifies it.
Now they know what we had to put up with for decades.
My best to Rangers fans its going to be a long long winter---I feel your pain.
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johniam
This series was weird in that there was no history between the 2 teams. One 3 game interleague series in Texas in '04. That's it. During the first 50 years of the 20th century there were probably a lot of WS matchups like that, but with expanded playoffs and interleague play this becomes more unlikely.
The 1965 WS was like that, ironically involving another team which used to be the Washington Senators. The original Washington Senators won 3 pennants and 1 WS championship when Walter Johnson pitched for them, but never against the Brooklyn Dodgers. So the Dodgers/Twins '65 matchup was unprecedented. Good series, too. Seven games. Won by the Dodgers. Koufax shut the Twins down 2-0 in game 7 at Minnesota.
Texas became the 4th team ever to lose 2 WS in a row. The Yankees were the first ('63/'64), but immediately before that they WON 2 WS in a row and '64 was the 29th year of a run in which they appeared in 22 of 29 WS. That will NEVER happen again. The Dodgers lost in '77 and '78, but with the same manager, they were the only team in the 80s to win as many as 2 WS championships. Then the Braves lost in '91 and '92, yet appeared in 3 other WS winning in '95.
This Texas team's legacy is far from over. During game 7 I could not relax knowing how powerful Texas' hitting lineup is. Pretty much every hitter in their order made a contribution. The guys you hadn't heard of as well as the ones you had. I have no inclination to gloat over Texas; they handled themselves like professionals in every way.
As for gloating? Nyger Morgan, Brandon Phillips, and Marty Brenneman. Each of them will certainly renew the hostilities next season at the drop of a hat, but at least this should shut them up for a little while.
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mstar1
True enough that the way baseball is now set up is that in division rivalries are things that breed hostilities....As much as rivalries can be exciting, id like to see the schedule makers develop a more balanced schedule across the league somehow.
In the AL East every other game is against the Yankees, Rays, Os or BlueJays--- with maybe a once or twice a year blast to see other AL teams who may as well be playing in some league in China..After awhile the billionth game of the year against the BlueJays gets old especially when I havent seen the Rangers, Angels, White Sox or Tigers in 5 months.
Every division has the same situation. Personally Im not a real big fan of the overloaded division schedule and would like to see it spread out more.
I dont know if it is mathematically possible (and Im not getting out the abacus to figure it out)but I think it would make for good baseball if teams could all play each other an equal amount of times the way they did in the 60's when I was first exposed to the game, and not be so overly focussed on the 3 or 4 teams in their region.
Divisions have some advantages but make for unequal schedules and lack of exposure of some players that I would love to see more of...
anyway--my 2 cents
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johniam
Yeah, beginning in 1969 there were 12 teams in each league and 6 teams in each division. So you played 18 games each against the other 5 teams in your division and 12 each against the rest of your league. 162 games. Mathematically precise.
Even before divisional play started it was like that. Before 1961 there were 8 teams in each league and 154 games in a season. 22 games against each team, no remainder. From '61 to '68 it was 10 teams/162 games/18 games against each team.
If they make it 15 teams in each league it will force at least one interleague series each week. Part of me says no, too weird, but another part says hey, this could be interesting.
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mstar1
I think they could still fit in Interleague games in June over 6 weeks or so like they do now (or whenever they do it) without having to spread it all over the season.
There could be a number of different ways they do it--Play each team in your own league 10 times
(10 x 14 teams= 140 games) which would leave 22 games for interleague games--or for people bent on keeping play within divisions alive --12 games against each team in the division (12 x4=48) 9 games against each team in the rest of the league ( 9 x10 =90) which leaves 24 for interleague play.
If the schedule was efficient I think they could fit 24 interleague games in the same time span they do now
or since Im not a fan of interleague play (at least not until they can agree on the same damn rules).
13 games with in the division (52 games) and 11 games against each other team in the league (110 games)..and leave facing the other league for the All Star game and the World Series like it was for eons
This is all assuming that the Astros move into the AL, but Im sure some math whiz could tweak the numbers to make it work in amore balanced way no matter which teams play where
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Human without the bean
Is it to far out to predict Texas to win in all next year?
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