My thoughts on the State of the Cardinals
I love my St. Louis Cardinals baseball but the 2016 version may just be my least favorite squad I have ever laid eyes on. I don't even know where to begin. I realize it is not something that is limited to the cardinals but since when is it ok to just plug and play people at seemingly any position. Case in point, Matt Holliday has as much business as I do in playing first base. Heck I can stand there and not reach a bad throw in the dirt from the pitcher. I am waiting for Fredbird to start in Centerfield any day now as just about the rest of the roster has been run out there at some point. Ok so I write this with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but you see where I am coming from. I realize the Cardinals offense is strong but you can't just forget all about defense. Granted I grew up watching those speedy Cards teams of the 80's that played some of the best defense ever in the big leagues so maybe I am biased. But this team is awful on defense. The outfielders do not read the ball off the bat very well, the infielders look uncomfortable and not confident in their decision making. Baseball is a game of reaction and instinct so any doubt in a players mind just makes the task at hand that much tougher. And do not get me started on the base running mistakes. For Major League players to run into outs at home four times on plays that aren't force outs is simply inexcusable. How hard is it to wait for the infield ground ball to be thrown to first before you break for home or even to stay at third since there is less than three outs. Like I said, the game is not that complicated, there is no reason to make it that way. I personally feel that Jose Oquendo is vastly under rated and his absence is being felt every day but not even his presence could fix everything. Maybe my favorite Cardinal is Yadi Molina but it is clear that he is not playing at 100%. Whether it is his thumb or some unknown ailment he is simply not himself. I think it is a combination of thumb and age catching up with his knees as his mobility behind the plate is not what we have come to expect. Mike Matheny being a former catcher himself has to see this. So why not give Yadi more rest? This team is not going to make a long run in the playoffs so why not keep an eye on the future and save wear and tear on maybe our Most Valuable Redbird? I personally hope that this off season brings change in philosophy and the front office puts an emphasis on playing the game in a way that stresses defense a little more so we can help an aging Waino, a returning Lynn, etc, as I feel it is a better strategy than waiting to hit the long ball no matter how it effects team defense.
It is time for Hard Knocks, what to do what to do?
So years ago HBO introduced us to the behind the scenes series Hard Knocks. As a fan that had attended Rams training camps for years I fell in love with the behind the scenes look of NFL teams every summer. Now as fate would have it the Rams have left for the sun and surf of L.A. and the Rams are this years team to be profiled on Hard Knocks. I want to be angry, I want to ignore all things Stan Kroenke related. But the series is so well done that it is hard to ignore. After all, I even watched the year they followed the Dolphins when they were coached by Joe Philbin. Now if you are not familiar with Joe Philbin let me just say that he is about as interesting as a Bill Belichik press conference. So if I watched at that time how do I possibly not watch as the series follows the team I rooted so hard for during it's 20 years in St. Louis? I want to see the personalities of some of the players I watched such as Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, and Todd Gurley. Will it be hard to watch while knowing the team and the NFL are no longer in St. Louis? Of course it will be tough. Especially when the folks that put the show together will no doubt try to say the team was not supported here and that the City of Angels has instantly fallen in love with the male sheep. But we all know the product we were forced to follow here was clearly a comedy of errors except for that 5 year run of the Greatest Show on Turf teams. So will I watch the series? Yeah I am sure I will. Will I regret it? No I doubt it. If anything it may give an inside look into why the team was so terrible while in the Lou.
I love my St. Louis Cardinals baseball but the 2016 version may just be my least favorite squad I have ever laid eyes on. I don't even know where to begin. I realize it is not something that is limited to the cardinals but since when is it ok to just plug and play people at seemingly any position. Case in point, Matt Holliday has as much business as I do in playing first base. Heck I can stand there and not reach a bad throw in the dirt from the pitcher. I am waiting for Fredbird to start in Centerfield any day now as just about the rest of the roster has been run out there at some point. Ok so I write this with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but you see where I am coming from. I realize the Cardinals offense is strong but you can't just forget all about defense. Granted I grew up watching those speedy Cards teams of the 80's that played some of the best defense ever in the big leagues so maybe I am biased. But this team is awful on defense. The outfielders do not read the ball off the bat very well, the infielders look uncomfortable and not confident in their decision making. Baseball is a game of reaction and instinct so any doubt in a players mind just makes the task at hand that much tougher. And do not get me started on the base running mistakes. For Major League players to run into outs at home four times on plays that aren't force outs is simply inexcusable. How hard is it to wait for the infield ground ball to be thrown to first before you break for home or even to stay at third since there is less than three outs. Like I said, the game is not that complicated, there is no reason to make it that way. I personally feel that Jose Oquendo is vastly under rated and his absence is being felt every day but not even his presence could fix everything. Maybe my favorite Cardinal is Yadi Molina but it is clear that he is not playing at 100%. Whether it is his thumb or some unknown ailment he is simply not himself. I think it is a combination of thumb and age catching up with his knees as his mobility behind the plate is not what we have come to expect. Mike Matheny being a former catcher himself has to see this. So why not give Yadi more rest? This team is not going to make a long run in the playoffs so why not keep an eye on the future and save wear and tear on maybe our Most Valuable Redbird? I personally hope that this off season brings change in philosophy and the front office puts an emphasis on playing the game in a way that stresses defense a little more so we can help an aging Waino, a returning Lynn, etc, as I feel it is a better strategy than waiting to hit the long ball no matter how it effects team defense.
It is time for Hard Knocks, what to do what to do?
So years ago HBO introduced us to the behind the scenes series Hard Knocks. As a fan that had attended Rams training camps for years I fell in love with the behind the scenes look of NFL teams every summer. Now as fate would have it the Rams have left for the sun and surf of L.A. and the Rams are this years team to be profiled on Hard Knocks. I want to be angry, I want to ignore all things Stan Kroenke related. But the series is so well done that it is hard to ignore. After all, I even watched the year they followed the Dolphins when they were coached by Joe Philbin. Now if you are not familiar with Joe Philbin let me just say that he is about as interesting as a Bill Belichik press conference. So if I watched at that time how do I possibly not watch as the series follows the team I rooted so hard for during it's 20 years in St. Louis? I want to see the personalities of some of the players I watched such as Robert Quinn, Aaron Donald, and Todd Gurley. Will it be hard to watch while knowing the team and the NFL are no longer in St. Louis? Of course it will be tough. Especially when the folks that put the show together will no doubt try to say the team was not supported here and that the City of Angels has instantly fallen in love with the male sheep. But we all know the product we were forced to follow here was clearly a comedy of errors except for that 5 year run of the Greatest Show on Turf teams. So will I watch the series? Yeah I am sure I will. Will I regret it? No I doubt it. If anything it may give an inside look into why the team was so terrible while in the Lou.