While most know of the Dodgers’ struggles the past fortnight or so, they finished by winning their final two games. 

And though St. Louis had little to play for other than home field in round one, the Redbirds dropped eight of their final ten, mostly to teams now playing golf.

Thankfully, perhaps, they avoided the Rockies, who took six of seven from them in 2009, and instead get the Dodgers, who limp into the postseason, after being arguably the NL’s best squad most of the season.

Here is the TV schedule and the pitching matchups for the Cardinals-Dodgers NLDS series:

Cardinals-Dodgers LDS TV Schedule and Pitching Matchups

Before winning Saturday and Sunday — the latter a meaningless game which Colorado played back-ups — Los Angeles had lost five in a row, four of them to the Padres and Pirates.

The Dodgers have been a solid home team this season, but they dropped two of three at Chavez Ravine to STL in late August. The reason? Cy Young frontrunners Adam Wainwright and recently-minted Comeback Player of the Year Chris Carpenter, who foiled LA’s lumber during the regular season, on their way to 41 combined victories despite the latter missing five weeks (and six starts) in April/May.

Those two fellows stand as Saint Louis’ biggest strength in the series.

Hitting had been a strength of the Dodgers all season, but lately, while Manny Ramirez has not homered since mid-September (4 for 28 this year against STL with no homers), key role players like James Loney and especially Russell Martin, have scuffled of late. Andre Ethier, the Dodgers big stick on the left side, will need to capitalize against a Cardinal staff full of right-handers. One strength Los Angeles has, that does not get enough attention in postseason but really matters, is defense. There is no playoff team better defensively than the Dodgers.

With journeyman Randy Wolf assuming the role of “staff ace” in a game one start versus Carpenter to be followed by 21 year-old Clayton Kershaw against Wainwright, LA could have major issues trying to get this series back to LA, as STL is bound to win one of those, if not both. Right-handed sluggers like Pujols, Matt Holliday, Ryan Ludwick and Mark DeRosa — 116 homers between the four this year — will be salivating to see Wolf, who allowed a startling 23 home runs vs righties in 2009. Heck, 2002 NL MVP (and right-side slugger) Troy Glaus will probably start a game or two as well. Defensive stud and 2006 NLCS hero, Yadier Molina, willstart game one despite missing most of the season’s final week.

On the other hand, the Cards need to split at worst in LA (home field means very little in the postseason) as they have major issues in the 3-4 starter area, with struggling Joel Piniero , spotty Kyle Lohse and  42 year-old John Smoltz getting the balls this weekend.Blue-collar closer Ryan Franklin has become a major issue for the Cards after having a sensational first half.

The Dodgers’ ace in the hole is Chad Billingsley, who’s been hurting, but when healthy is their best pitcher.  His status is unknown. So is the back-end of the rotation, though there are quality candidates. LA’s bullpen, however, worked the third most innings in baseball during 2009; the Cards’ pen, the fewest in baseball. Then there’s the Red Birds’ ”ace” is known to many, and can be the difference in any series: Mr. Albert Pujols.

Gerry Farley of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, explained why Saint Louisians should be confident:

“This is, by far, the better matchup for the Cardinals. The Dodgers lack a dominating starter. Their opening-game starter, lefthander Randy Wolf, is the bad-karma pitcher of the season. The Dodgers have nine blown saves behind Wolf, who has trouble getting beyond the sixth inning. Lefthander Clayton Kershaw allowed 4.79 walks per nine innings and also usually departs in the middle innings.”

There are many other great storylines in this one, and despite all the perceived mismatches, I could easily see it being the first division series since 2005 to go five games — and the only one to do so this season.

The Cardinals, arguably the “team of the decade,” at least in terms of consistent success, would like to add another deep run to their 21st century resume.

Yahoo Sports, which, for my money is far superior to ESPN.com, has done a great job with playoff synopses. St. Louis’ can be found here. A more local look at the NL Central champs is here. For more on the Dodgers, see here.

In this week’s edition of I’ll Tell You This, we feature a new segment at the end of the article. Check it out and give me your feedback! Here we go….

1 – NFL Injuries

Three weeks are now in the books in this young NFL season, and injuries have already began to raise its ugly head.

First of all, and likely worst of all, The Miami Dolphins received news today that Chad Pennington’s shoulder injury, which occurred during Miami’s loss to San Diego, is likely to end Pennington’s season. Pennington tore a capsule in his throwing shoulder, and will likely be replaced for the season by back up QB Chad Henne.

The upstart 49ers took what could be a devastating hit to their offense as Frank Gore went down on his first rushing attempt. X-rays were negative as to any broken bones, although Gore underwent an MRI late on Monday evening. The 49ers are claiming that this injury is not related in any way to Gore’s ankle sprain last week in his 207 destruction of the Seattle Seahawks.

In the third quarter of the Colts’ handling of the Arizona Cardinals, pro-bowl DE Dwight Freeney was taken to the locker room with what was said to be a quad injury. Freeney said when he was held by a member of the Cardinal’s OL, he felt a pop in his quad. Freeney was also scheduled to have an MRI on Monday night.

On Bill Polian’s radio show, Polian gave little information, but did go on record saying:

“The docs will report to us later this evening, so we’ll know something then, but I don’t think there will be anything definitive for quite a while… The positive side is that he basically said, ‘I can walk, I can play.’  The good news is I don’t have any bad news.”

I’ll Tell You This: All three of these injuries are devastating to their respective teams.

Miami is 0-3 and cannot afford to lose another game. Unfortunately for them, their star QB is now gone for the season. Chad Henne is unproven, and things could go from bad to worse for the Phins.

I don’t think the Frank Gore’s injury is really worth worrying about. With no broken bones, at worst, Gore may be out a couple of weeks. In a weak division, San Fran already has a 2-1 record.

The Colts have got to be worried about losing Freeney. Who knows when Bob Sanders will come back, and the last thing that this defense wants to see is their leader, and best player, on the sidelines for any large amount of time.

2 – The Colts

Speaking of the Indianapolis Colts, they displayed quite an impressive game in a blowout win of Arizona.

The game started stale for both teams, and the Cardinals struck blood first with a field goal. But the Colts would outscore the Cards 31-7 throughout the remained of the game.

Impressive outings from Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne, and the entire defense locked up possibly the best showing by the Indianapolis Colts in a very long time, which included a whopping 505 yards of total offense.

I’ll Tell You This: Wow.

As a die-hard Colts fan, this may have been the most impressive game I have seen in a long time.

First of all, major props to Colts’ defense coordinator, Larry Coyer. Everyone said, “They’ll be tired from the Miami Game, a short week, and traveling all the way to Arizona? There is no way they’ll win.” Well, the defense came out stout and pressured Kurt Warner all night, forcing him into bad passes and turnovers.

The Colts looked good on all sides of the ball, even special teams. If this is a sign of things to come, watch out.

The only bad news from the night was the injury to Dwight Freeney.

Freeney’s status is uncertain at this point, but the Colts will face the 1-2 Seahawks, and the 0-3 Titans, followed by a bye week. Hopefully Freeney (and Sanders) will be back by then.

3 – The Clinchers (MLB)

The Yankees have clinched home field throughout the playoffs after winning their 100^th game.

Other division clinchers include: the St. Louis Cardinals and the L.A. Dodgers. Boston’s magic number to clinch the AL Wild Card is at two..

I’ll Tell You This: I preface this by saying, I love baseball, and I don’t say this just because my Cubs suck but…..

Who Cares?

The division races, outside of Detroit-Minnesota, were essentially decided over 6 weeks ago, and the wild card races have been boring and benign.

That, combined with the excitement of the NFL this year, reflects that baseball’s postseason may be in trouble.

I hate the Yankees, and I hate the Cardinals even more, but that will be your World Series. Spoiler alert: Yankees win it all this year.

Again, who cares?

4 – Detroit’s Big Day

The Streak is finally over!

For the first time since December of 2007, the Detroit Lions have notched a game in the win column.

Rookie Matthew Stafford was 21-36 for 241 yards, and RB Kevin Smith would put up 101 yards on 16 carries.

I’ll Tell You This: Congrats to the Lions and their fans.

It’s good to see them win, because I wouldn’t wish the past year and a half of any fan (except for maybe the Patriots).

However, don’t knight them yet. This team has definitely improved, but their win was over a very bad Redskins team.

They will be better, but let’s not talk about the playoffs just yet; let’s see them get win number two first.

Watch out Tampa, you’re next. Better win one.

5 – The New Segment of I’ll Tell You This:

This is the debut of a new segment that will be featured in each week’s  “I’ll Tell You This”

In this segment I will pose a question to all of you, and I want to hear your response through comments on this page.

You Tell Me This:

Below I have listed the six teams in the NFL that are 0-3.

Tampa Bay Bucs, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs

Who is the biggest surprise at 0-3?

Which team will be the last to win a game?

Will a team go 0-16 this year too?

Let me know what you think!

**********

Stay tuned for the next edition of the MSF Podcast, available on iTunes and posted to every Monday Night Football preview, where JRod and Big MB host their “Monday Night Argument” as well as divulge their NFL Locks against the spread. Don’t miss it!

Until next week kids!

* – Matt Stafford photo credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya via ESPN.com

He also has experience as a blogger, having been a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a featured blogger for ESPN.com. Oh, and he was in the Marine Corps from 1992-2001, which makes him more of a badass than 99.9% of the people reading this and certainly more of one than the clown doing the editing here.

Ronald will be covering the Cardinals, Brewers, Packers and Badgers. His first post is below. Enjoy.]

——————–

If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to somehow make an improbable run toward the playoffs, the final month of the season is the time to do it.

That run could start tonight when the Brewers visit NL Central leading St. Louis.

The Brewers and Cardinals tangle nine times in the next 33 days, and Milwaukee has six games against the second-place Chicago Cubs.

Follow these links to RazorGator for great deals on all MLB tickets, Brewers-Cardinals tickets and Brewers-Cubs tickets in Milwaukee, Brewers-Cardinals tickets in St. Louis, and Brewers-Cubs tickets in Chicago. Get $15 OFF baseball and/or concerts ticket orders of $200+ using promo code CJSummerDN.

Braden Looper goes tonight against his former team at Busch Stadium. He is second on the squad with 11 wins, trailing Yovani Gallardo’s 12.

The Brewers need Looper and Gallardo to be solid down the stretch. More importantly, Milwaukee needs the rest of the staff to break out of its disappointing season-long funk.

Carlos Villanueva was solid last year, but is 2-10 this season with an ERA over six. Manny Parra and Jeff Suppan both have losing records and ERAs hovering around six.

Most knew that the Brewers starters would struggle this year without Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia. But after a strong start, who knew they would simply collapse around mid-May and never recover.

At this point, the playoffs are extremely unlikely, but one can hope. What should also be hoped for is simply finishing the season over .500. As it stands, the Brewers are two games below .500 (64-66) and 12 games behind first-place St. Louis.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, own a 10.5-game lead over Chicago – the largest margin of any division leader in the big leagues. The acquisitions of Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa and John Smoltz have really worked out well for the Cards. Couple that with consistent starting pitching provided by Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainright and tonight’s starter, Joel Pineiro, and St. Louis has been on fire since the all-star break.

The Brewers aren’t out of it yet, and can make up some serious ground in the month of September. They’d probably have to win at least 10 of those 15 remaining games against St. Louis and Chicago to make the playoffs.

As much as I hate to say it, that just isn’t going to happen.

**********

“This guy is a classic pitcher – gets stronger as game goes on, which is rare these days.”

 
Carpenter was strong again all Saturday night on San Diego — seven shutout innings on just three hits — prompting this Sunday afternoon email from a good friend who works in the Padres scouting department:

“When he’s healthy, he’s virtually unhittable.  Completely shut us down on Saturday.”

 
Carpenter’s continued success has enabled Tony Larussa to confidently “bump him up” to start this Thursday afternoon vs. Houston due to injuries in St. Louis’ back end of the rotation. There, ”Carp” will seek his seventh consecutive win. He has not lost a decision since July 22, and despite missing over a month, is now tied for the NL lead in wins at 14. 
 
Chris has the league’s lowest ERA as well, putting him, in my view, in the driver’s seat for Cy Young — though many believe Tim Lincecum is right there as well. Lincecum has struggled his last four starts and, even with four extra starts, has two fewer wins and a higher ERA than does the durable St. Louis righty. It’s therefore Carpenter’s to lose, though the media has been favoring Lincecum all season to this point.
 
Not bad for a 34 year old who basically missed the past two seasons entirely after a World Series winning season (2006) and Cy Young prior (2005).
 
I shall endeavor to personally watch the potential two-time Cy Young winner Labor Day weekend in Pittsburgh.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

**********

* – Chris Carpenter fist pump photo credit: Mike Shannon’s Cardinals Blog

* – Chris Carpenter cap wave photo credit: Arches and Ivey

Some girl that I’ve never heard of before sang “God Bless America” last night at the Dodgers-Cardinals game and, well, it didn’t go so well. Follow the link to Busted Coverage’s account of Erika David failing miserably in her singing of “God Bless America”, and then watch video of said failure below.

And, yes, James Loney’s facial expressions are priceless.

Video: Erika David Fails Singing “God Bless America” at Dodgers-Cardinals Game

And now some other links from around the blogosphere for you:

• Jay Cutler, Jersey King — (Jay Cutler Superstar)
• Joe Mauer: MVP — (Josh Q. Public)
• Random Retro Baseball Player: Kelly Gruber — (Sharapova’s Thigh)
• NCAA’s respect weekend has big potential to fail — (MoonDog)
• Manstruction: How to write poetry — (Straight Pinkie)
• 35 Trippy Hippy VW Vans — (Hail Mary Jane)
• SEC Digital Network will change the game as we know it — (SEC Rivals)
• Kenny Powers makes his debut as an analyst — (Awful Announcing)
• A couple of nice Erin Andrews photos — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
• College football blogpoll ballot — (Not Qualified to Comment)
• The best Favre hate from around the web — (Tremendous Upside Potential)
• Reds stuck with Harang — (My Sports Rumors)
• Strasburg gets Capitol Punishment — (Zoner Sports)

1.St. Louis Cardinals – The division leader for most of the season has just recently been tested by the Chicago Cubs. The acquisition of Matt Holliday has paid off. With Ankiel and Ludwick not performing like last year, Holliday was a must pick-up to add offense to the outfield. The return of Carpenter has also helped the Cardinals stay atop of the the division. Pitching hasn’t been the problem for the Cards since their ERA is 3.71, 3rd in the whole league.

With players like Holliday, Pujols, and Carpenter why didn’t the Cards take more firm control of the division?

The problem is their inconsistent hitting. The Cards are ranked 23rd in hitting, batting a team average of .256. The Card’s hitters are not doing as well as last year, and it is hurting them. Ankiel and Ludwick are having a tough time following up on their breakout season that they both had last year, although Ludwick has been hittin much better since the break.

Overall it has been the consistent pitching that has kept St. Louis afloat and in the race for the division title.

2.Chicago Cubs – The team picked to win the division has been the most up and down this season. There have been points in the season were the Cubs looked totally out of it, and now suddenly they are tied for first along with the Cards. The Cubs are behind the Cards in hitting and pitching, but their offense has started to pick up as of late and that is why you see them on top of their division.

The Cubs season hasn’t been without a lot of criticism of the team and the signings of certain players. Randy Wells, however, has been a revelation as the only consistent pitcher for the Cubs. Wells, a really nice catch, has produced many great starts, and has been a huge part in the Cubs staying in the race. The Cubs just might make the playoffs this year, but they need to watch out for Holliday and Pujols. If those guys start hitting on all cylinders, then the Cubs could be in trouble.

3. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brew Crew are playing at the level most people thought they would play. They have begun to dip a little in the recent weeks, but are still only 4 games out of first, which is still a very reasonable distance considering that they are 1 game below .500.

Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are having great seasons again but it’s not the offense that is lacking. It’s the pitching. After losing CC to the Yankees, the Brewers are having trouble finding a go-to pitcher. Every one of their pitchers are having decent but not great years. Before the season started people knew the pitching was the weak point so it doesn’t come as a surprise. Look for this team to contend in a few years if they get the pitching help they need.

4. Houston Astros – A huge shocker that this team is were they are at. They have sipped the past 10 games going 3-7, but they are still hanging in there after a terrible Spring Training and start to the year. Having only three big names on the team —  Oswalt, Lee, and Berkman — the Astros are really holding their own. Almost a sleeper this year, the Astros have flown under the radar. Now I am not saying they will win the World Series or even make the playoffs, but they are doing a good job of at least keeping a possible playoff appearance within the realm of possibility.

With a few more months left in the regular season, the Central Division race should be an exciting and close race all the way to the finish. We will have to see which teams are still contending after August, and which have fallen off the playoff wagon.

Get ready to watch some great American baseball!

* – Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday photo credit: SkyNews

The Prez delivers (barely),
The Host Does Not,
And a Team To Watch in the Second Half.

—————

After a loooong pre-game show which at times was boring to everyone not from St. Louis, we were all ready to play some ball. However, there were some fun moments I made mental notes of while waiting out the 45-minute pre-game.

– I liked watching the player intros from the reserves that are truly happy to be there and might never be back. Not Jeter or Pujols, who get to do this every year, but guys who are just cracking into the limelight. My old buddy Zack Duke of Pittsburgh didn’t even get to play Tuesday night, so taking off his hat and smiling was his only big moment. Go Waco Midway Panthers! Although I must say Duke and the other reserves gotta feel like second-class citizens after getting introduced completely separate from the starters.

– I’ll always like looking at Sheryl Crow, who still looks hot despite being 47. Oh and she sings too.

– The wide stadium shots showed off the cool Arch and Courthouse design in the outfield grass. And there was some weird new MLB marketing things on banners I didn’t really pay attention to.

– And there’s the First Fan, President Barack Obama, who just gets cooler and cooler, even when he’s dorky. Before the game, he was shown joking around with Pujols and Prince Fielder. “Hey Albert what happened with the derby?” he teased. “In your home park, huh?”

Even though he’s the President, it’s awesome that he has the stones to tease the hulking Pujols and do it in a way that makes Pujols like him even more. In fact, Pujols bailed out Obama once it was time for the first pitch. Obama had said he was trying not to bounce it, and that’s exactly what would have happened if Pujols had not reached way in and scooped it up centimeters before it hit the dirt. (Here’s why you didn’t see the pitch live.)

Obama’s take on how he did: “I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid and so, you know, I think some of these natural moves aren’t so natural to me,” he said.

Here is the video of President Obama throwing out the first pitch at last night’s All Star game in St. Louis:

– Now to Pujols….After checking out in Round Two of the Derby on Monday, the King Cardinal looked to do a bit more in the “real” game. And once Obama left the stage, it was Pujols’ for the taking. I guess he didn’t get the memo.

His fielding error in the first inning allowed the A.L. to score a run. He made some nice plays in the field after that, but he did go 0-3 and his team did lose by that one run. He said he wasn’t affected by all the attention he was receiving

“I won’t use the word ’stress,’” Pujols said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I wish it could be like this for the rest of my career. I enjoy it. I was so happy for (Ryan Franklin) and Yadi (Molina). And having it here, in our city, I knew our fans were going to receive us with open arms.”

Pujols is still the man, don’t get me wrong. He’s the best hitter in baseball and his career All-Star numbers are still great: 6 for 17 (.353) with three RBIs in eight All-Star Games (seven appearances and six starts).

Still, the experience of serving as centerpiece for the two-day festival left a lasting impression on the two-time NL MVP, who received the loudest and longest applause during pre-game introductions.

“It was almost getting to the point where I got a little bit emotional yesterday and today the way the fans received me, Franklin and Yadi,” Pujols said. “It was pretty special.”

It would have been even more special had he done more to help the NL win its first ASG in 13 tries! So home field advantage in the World Series will be with the AL once again. So as we start the second half, which team will represent the Junior Circuit in October? New York? Boston? How about Seattle?

Zuh?

Okay, the M’s won’t win it all, but they may be in the postseason conversation, which is amazing.

The Ms are being called this year’s Rays. After a 100 loss-season, new skipper Don Wakamatsu has them 4 games over .500, just 4 games behind the Angels in a weak AL West division. They have gotten good pitching surprises from closer David Aardsma (22 saves) and starter Jarrod Washburn (2.96 ERA). Eric Bedard has been good and is finally healthy. Russ Branyan (who?) is having a bounce-back year and should have been an All-Star with his 22 HRs, 49 RBI, and .280 BA.

The M’s that were All-Stars are Wakamatsu, who was in St. Louis as a bench coach, pitcher “King” Felix Hernandez, and 9-time All-Star Ichiro in the outfield. Ichiro went 1-3, Hernandez pitched a perfect sixth inning, and Wakamatsu’s team won.

Not a bad night, even if it belonged to a guy on the losing team.

* – Barack Obama / Albert Pujols photo credit: Chris Lee / St. Louis Post-Dispatch

* – Don Wakamatsu photo credit: AP via SeattlePI.com

———-

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

But it also means something else: it’s time to dole out some midseason awards.

Since our primary focus here at Midwest Sports Fans is, well, the Midwest, I am going to focus my award giving to just the Central divisions of the American and National League. Let’s get right to it.

NL Central 1st Half MVP: Albert Pujols, and I really don’t need to say anything else about it. His name itself is becoming hyperbole. I want to see a new version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials featuring Pujols. They could be called “The Most Dominating Presence in Baseball” and include lines like “he once struck out, just to see what it felt like” and “he’s seen less pitches than the World Cup, yet his goatee alone has hit more home runs than Ryan Ludwick.” Albert Pujols is amazing and is not just the NL Central MVP, but the MLB MVP for the first half of 2009.

AL Central 1st Half MVP: This one is not so clear cut. Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates (stats as of July 9th):

• Joe Mauer, Twins: 60 G, 224 AB, .388 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 48 R, 1.118 OPS
• Justin Morneau, Twins: 84 G, 319 AB, .317 BA, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 56 R, .984 OPS
• Jermaine Dye, White Sox: 77 G, 276 AB, .297 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 51 R, .940 OPS
• Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 129 K, 29 BB

Obviously I really want to say JD, or even Scott Podsednik, and I think there is an argument to be made for them as their value has been highlighted by the injury to Carlos Quentin, but I have a hard time giving it to anyone other than Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer with the impressive stats both have racked up.

It certainly isn’t Zack Greinke, whose team becomes more irrelevant with each passing week. If his ERA was still 1.00, then maybe. But he hasn’t been as lights-out recently, which is to be expected since he isn’t the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind and all beings, as some have suggested.

While everyone is salivating over Mauer, and don’t get me wrong — he has been great since returning from injury, Morneau has been producing at a high level for 24 more games and over the span of almost 100 more ABs than Mauer. Plus, batting average is an overrated stat, so Mauer gets no bonus points from me because he’s making everyone dream about .400. Both are great candidates, and by the end of the year such a difference in games won’t be so magnified, but right now I have to go with Morneau, who has been the most consistent run producer in the division over the course of the entire first half.

NL Central 1st Half Cy Young: I see two primary contenders: Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee. Here are the stats:

• Yovani Gallardo, Brewers: 8-6, 109.2 innings, 2.95 ERA, 120 K, 51 BB
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: 9-5, 122.1 innings, 3.09 ERA, 110 K, 45 BB

Pretty damn close based on the numbers (and you could probably throw Ryan Franklin in the mix here too, who has been great as the Cardinals’ closer). My first instinct when comparing Gallardo and Wainwright is to go with the guy pitching for the team in first place, but it’s hard to use team record as a tie-breaker considering the Cardinals are only one game up on the Brewers in the standings. Or is it? With two pitchers this close, sometimes it comes right down to head-to-head battles.

Thus far in 2009, Wainwright has absolutely dominated Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in two starts against the Brewers, going 15.1 innings and giving up just a single run while striking out 18. Gallardo, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat against his team’s primary competition for the division title. Despite having a better overall ERA and WHIP than Wainwright, Gallardo is 0-1 against St. Louis. Sure, he pitched 8 innings of shutout ball while only giving up 2 hits in the teams’ May 25th battle, so you can’t blame him for the no decision there, but that game was not head-to-head against Wainwright like the July 7th game was. In that battle, Gallardo lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a 5-0 loss for the Brew Crew.

So maybe that one game difference for the Cardinals is the difference between Wainwright and Gallardo. I’m giving the 1st half Cy Young for the NL Central to Adam Wainwright.

AL Central 1st Half Cy Young: Lots of legit contenders here. Let’s list them out with stats:

• Mark Buehrle, White Sox: 9-2, 3.14 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 65 K, 25 BB
• Joe Nathan, Twins: 0-1, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 33.1 innings, 22 saves, 43 K, 7 BB
• Justin Verlander, Tigers: 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 115.1 innings, 141 K, 35 BB
• Edwin Jackson, Tigers: 6-4, 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 93 K, 33 BB
• Zack Greinke, Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 127.1 innings, 129 K, 29 BB
• Fausto Carmona, Indians: 2-6, 7.42 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 60.2 innings, 36 K, 41 BB

If we were giving this out to the pitcher who has been the most generous to opposing hitters and teams, Fausto Carmona would win in a landslide. And yes, this is the same Fausto Carmona that went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 2007. But obviously I only listed Carmona here to throw more salt in the multitude of open wounds Cleveland’s start has given its fans. More on him later.

Back to the subject at hand. Zack Greinke obviously has the best numbers, but I just don’t believe in handing out awards to players whose teams are not in the playoff race. There is a different level of pressure when your team is expected to win and when games are meaningful. If the award were Most Outstanding Pitcher, it’s Greinke by a landslide. It’s not, and it clearly states in the fine print of my own personal Cy Young and MVP criteria that last place teams (Cleveland sucks so bad they don’t count anymore) cannot have Cy Young or MVP winners, so we’ll let Willy Wonka tell Zack Greinke what he’s won:

(By the way, credit goes to Hugging Harold Reynolds for tweeting that video yesterday. I hadn’t seen that in forever, but always loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie Bucket is a golden god.)

Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot to separate Buehrle, Verlander, and Jackson. All three have had excellent seasons. I’d give the edge to Buehrle because he owns the Tigers and Verlander sucks against the White Sox, and both have more wins than Jackson, but it’s really splitting hairs between those three.

My 1st half AL Central Cy Young goes to Joe Nathan, who has just be out-of-this-world awesome. The Twins’ pitchers (other than Nick Blackburn, who is having a very good yet under-the-radar season) have struggled this season. Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey have all dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. The one constant (throughout all the years Ray, has been baseball) has been Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen making sure that when the Twins do have a late lead, they do not surrender it.

I’m not a huge proponent of giving Cy Youngs to closers who typically pitch less than a third of the amount of innings a top-line starter does, but Joe Nathan has given up only 18 hits in 33.1 innings and is 22-24 in save opportunities. He has been beyond dominant and there is no way the Twins would be as close to first place as they are without him. It’s a competitive field, but Nathan is the choice.

NL Central Manager of the 1st Half: Tony LaRussa, and I don’t think it’s close. Ken Macha has done a nice job in Milwaukee keeping the Brewers in the race without C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets, but LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place with one legit hitter in his lineup. Yes, that hitter is the great Pujols, but look at the rest of the team’s offensive stats. Putrid. And it’s not like their pitching has been lights out. Ryan Franklin has been a revelation in the bullpen, and getting Chris Carpenter back has helped, but this is still a rotation that counts on guys like Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero, and Todd Wellemeyer. That LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place is a testament to his managerial genius (and to Pujols’ utter dominance, of course).

AL Central Manager of the 1st Half: I really want to say Ozzie Guillen, and I think that he’s done a great job, but my vote goes to Jimmy Leyland of Detroit. It’s not just that the Tigers are in first place, it’s that they’ve been able to rebound from last season’s disappointment with a far less potent offensive attack and without the benefit of an above-average bullpen. Leyland has navigated his way through the struggles of Dontrelle Willis and Armando Gallarraga, plus had to deal with Magglio Ordonez’s sharp decline. Leyland essentially has a lineup with only three hitters who have been consistent producers (Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson), yet there the Tigers sit, a couple games up and eight games over .500.

2009 has been an excellent rebound season for Detroit, and Leyland deserves credit as the man steering the ship. He also deserves credit for having one of the most hilarious old school baseball cards ever. The hat, the mustache, the sunburned face…I’m not sure if he’s at Spring Training, a train conductor, or working at a carnival.

And with that, let’s transition into a few “alternative” awards for the first half.

NL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Milton Bradley wins this one. Signed in the offseason after putting up terrific numbers in Texas, The Angry One has only gotten 203 ABs so far this season and hasn’t done much with them. He’s hitting .236 and, even worse, is slugging only .374. Ouch. Plus, he is being his usual distracting self and getting into public pissing matches with his manager when he’s not forgetting how many outs there are in an inning. Like most things having to do with the Cubs, you just get the feeling that this is not going to end well.

AL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Fausto Carmona of the Indians. We touched on his stats above, and they really say it all. This guy has just gone straight downhill since 2007 and the Indians have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to recapture the ability that made him appear to be one of the bright young pitching stars in the big leagues. Despite a rough 2008, a lot was expected out of Carmona this year. Well, the Indians have gotten a lot out of him…it’s just all been bad.

AL/NL Central Worst Manager of the 1st Half: Hands down Eric Wedge. You need look no further than this site, where our very own AJ Kaufman calls for Wedge’s head in pretty much every article he writes. The Indians were expected to contend for the AL Central crown, yet they are 13.5 games out and 19 games under .500 already.

AL/NL Central Manager with the most potential to give his kids truly awful awesome names: Eric Wedge. If he had any sense of humor he would name his kids Orange, Potato, and Cheese. No such luck though. As it is, he and his wife named their kids Ava and Dalton Cash. Oh well.

Come to think of it though, Dalton Cash Wedge is a pretty sweet and unique name. The kid is either going be a scrappy middle infielder/#2 hitter in the majors or the lead actor in his generation’s version of Dawson’s Creek. Well done Eric. (See, we don’t always criticize you on Midwest Sports Fans.)

AL/NL Central Quote of the 1st Half: This one is easy and goes to (who else?) Ozzie Guillen. And there were a few of them, all of which were gloriously derogatory towards the team from the North Side.

“But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there. That’s just to be honest. And if Cub fans don’t like the way I talk about Wrigley Field, it’s just Wrigley Field. I don’t say anything about the fans or anything now. But Wrigley Field, they got to respect my opinion. That’s the way I feel…I don’t care if they hate me. They don’t feed my kids. If they hate me, that’s cool.”

That’s just a great quote, although the part about Ozzie not talking about Cubs fans may not be entirely true. Ozzie also had this gem:

“…our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans.”

AL/NL Central Home Run Call of the Year: Hawk Harrelson, two days ago. Hell yeah!

That’s all I’ve got. Sorry for not even mentioning your teams Reds, Astros, and Pirates fans…they’ve all been pretty uninteresting so far this year, at least as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to add your own midseason awards in the comments.

The White Sox bring out the brooms again tonight, and then play the Twins in a pivotal pre-All Star Break series. As Hawk might say, I loooove baseball.

* – Jim Leyland baseball card image credit: Vinewood Sports Cards

* – Albert Pujols photo credit: Urban Shocker

Last night in Saint Louis

Later this week or early next, he will hit his 352nd homerun, which will allow him to pass Ralph Kiner for the most long balls in the first nine years of one’s career. For reference, Alex Rodriguez hit fewer than 300 his first nine big league seasons.

While A-Rod, steroid issues aside, will now be very hard-pressed to pass Barry Bonds and become the all-time homerun king (Alex, approaching his 34th birthday, hit #565 last night) Pujols, statistically, has a valid shot.

You don’t have to do much math to figure, if the Cards’ first basemen ends 2009 with roughly 380, he is halfway to Barry, and Albert does not turn 30 until January of next year. Averaging just 40 for the next five seasons will give him close to 600 before age 35, when non-drug users generally slow down.

Can he hit another 170 or so from age 35 on? That is the question. (Barry Bonds hit about 350 after age 35, for what it’s worth; while Ken Griffey Jr has only hit 119 due to injuries)

With alleged and confessed steroid use in MLB tainting many HR records in the eyes of fans and media, Pujols, assuming he’s clean (the czars are already doing drug tests on him regularly, which he’s passing), is the Great Hope for baseball fans everywhere.

[Editor's Update: Even more amazing is the fact that Pujols is doing all of this with very little protection in the Cardinals lineup, as discussed earlier today by our good friend Moon Dog in his article Albert Pujols Should Vote His Teammates Off the Island.]

After my misadventure trying to accurately characterize the level of disappointment I felt after hearing that IU had to self-report a minor recruiting violation in the basketball program, and then writing about the rift between Shuan Rogers and Eric Mangini, I feel the need to write something that is decidedly upbeat and positive.

So here they are, the five baseball players that I am rooting for in 2009 who are not playing their home games on the South Side of Chicago.

Joe Crede, 3B, Minnesota Twins

This one is easy.

Ever since Joe Crede was a White Sox farmhand and the heir apparent to Robin Ventura at third base, he has been one of my favorite White Sox players. He was always inconsistent at the plate, but did produce in the clutch — especially during the 2005 World Series run. And what he lacked in consistency at the plate he more than made up for by being one of the best, and most underrated, defensive third baseman of the 2000s.

Questions about Joe Crede’s back and the presence of young talents like Josh Fields and Dayan Viciedo compelled the White Sox to let Joe go, and he ended up in Minnesota. While I feel a natural rivalry with the Twins, I do not hate them like I hate the Indians, Tigers, and Cubs. Something about the way they play and Ozzie’s affinity for the “piranhas” has rubbed off on me. Joe Crede will fit in perfectly with the Twins, and I hope that he stays healthy and has a good season.

Of course, I wouldn’t mind it if he struggles when the Twins play the White Sox, but I hope that he can begin a solid second act in his very solid career. I think all White Sox fans appreciate the many good years that Joe Crede gave us, and I would assume that the majority are wishing him well in his new digs.

Ken Griffey Jr., OF/DH, Seattle Mariners

The Kid’s White Sox career was brief and unspectacular, and is in no way part of the reason why I am rooting for him in 2009. I have always admired Ken Griffey for the all-around excellence of his skills during his amazing first decade in the Major Leagues. It is unfortunate that he was unable to stay healthy in Cincinnati and that he has become “just another guy” since leaving Seattle.

Yet, with each new allegation of steroids that comes to light about baseball’s superstars from the late 90s and early- to mid-00s, Ken Griffey Jr’s accomplishments become more and more impressive. There are very few guys for whom steroid allegations would surprise me anymore, but Griffey is definitely one of them.

Although his skills have eroded and he is not even 50% of the graceful and elegant defensive player he once was, he still has that same sweet (albeit slower) swing and is one of the true, pure legends of the last twenty years in baseball. Now he gets to go home where it all started and provide some nostalgic joy to Mariner fans who may not have much else to cheer for this season. I would love to see Griffey put together an unexpectedly productive season at the plate and every now and then flash the brilliance that made him one of the most exciting young players baseball has ever seen.

Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

The real life Roy Hobbs.

I hear that so much living down here in Dallas that it is almost cliche now — but only because it is so exceedingly true.

Josh Hamilton’s story is truly one of redemption and the triumph of the human spirit. I realize that his problems and addictions were almost exclusively self-inflicted, but every now and again it is good and inspiring to see someone lift themselves up after hitting rock bottom, reminding us of just how powerful human will can be when truly put to the test.

Add the backstory to Hamilton’s ridiculous talent and you have one of most compelling figures in all of sports as far as I’m concerned. It goes without saying (although I’m about to say it) that everyone is hoping beyond hope that the redemption story of Josh Hamilton was written without any illegal performance-enhancers and that he can stay on the straight and narrow. If so, he has the ability to become one of baseball’s brightest stars heading into the new decade.

Dontrelle Wills, SP, Detroit Tigers

While living in Miami in 2004 and 2005 I got to witness Dontrelle Willis’ ascension to stardom during his early years with the Florida Marlins. When he first came up with the Fish, he reminded me of the pitching version of a poor man’s Ken Griffey Jr with his attitude and enthusiasm. Yet, Willis’ numbers have always been somewhat up and down — no doubt a byproduct of his unique delivery — and there was the DUI and then the rumors that he and Miguel Cabrera were not exactly the best clubhouse influences during their last year in Miami.

Still, when I think of Dontrelle Willis I think of a guy who is a ball of entertaining energy, who seemed to be maturing as a pitcher before he got to Detroit, and who is renowned for being involved in the community. He is also someone that young African-American baseball players in America can look up to, during a time when African-American representation in the Major Leagues continues to dwindle.

Most of all, I just love watching Dontrelle Willis pitch. Obviously if he makes the Tigers’ rotation he will be pitching for an AL Central enemy of the White Sox, so I hope his control eludes him when the Tigers and White Sox play; but I would like to see Dontrelle make a triumphant return to the Majors and get his career back on the right track.

Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Simply put, he is the most consistently great hitter I have seen in my lifetime. Even better than The Big Hurt.

Look at his career stats — they are unreal from Day One. And so far Pujols has avoided any significant rumors of ever being on steroids. You certainly can’t point to any particular season or groups of seasons as showing a Bonds- or McGwire-type pop in production.

If anything, he would have to have been on steroids his entire career, that’s how great the numbers are that he puts up on annual basis.

Albert Pujols also appears to be the ultimate team player. He has led the Cardinals to an improbable World Series and I have never heard him complain despite a steady erosion over the last couple of years of the offensive production around him in the Cardinals lineup. He just goes out every day and proves that he is the best all-around hitter in the game.

I can tell you right now that if I get the #1 pick in any fantasy drafts this year I won’t even consider A-Fraud — I’ll go right for Pujols. I prefer to pack my fantasy teams with players I actually like rooting for, and few non-White Sox players fit that bill like Albert Pujols.

——————–

So now that I’ve given you my list, it’s your town. Who are the players that are not on your favorite team that you will be rooting for in 2009? The comment section awaits.

Like why, for example, Marshawn Lynch finds it necessary to stop running when he hits the line of scrimmage (and killing my fantasy season in the process) or when we can expect Favre’s new Wrangler ads? So, what do ya got, Greg and Dan? (Note: actual exchange forthcoming):

Dan: Man, there’s a lot to like about Thomas Jones…and what he likes is a lot of blocking up front.
Greg: The Jets are up to 300 yards on offense early in the 3rd Quarter. Now that’s very, very productive.

But I digress. Let’s talk about baseball.

The fellas in St. Louis have been quiet on the acquisition front since they inked Trever Miller to a $500K incentive-laden deal and traded for Khalil Greene (taking on the entire $6.5 million he’s owed). Brian Fuentes remains firmly within Tony La Russa’s sights, but, GM John Mozeliak was more guarded in his assessment:

“We’ve said all along that if there’s a chance we can address the closer role, we’re going to try…We’re open and willing to explore. We also are not giving up hope on some other fronts as well should we not be able to accomplish this.”

I would have a tough time drinking the Kool-Aid if they commit 3 years and $40+ 30 million to a 33 year old reliever. Not to belabor the point, but even with the bullpen problems of 2008, I don’t see the point to signing a big-ticket closer. It’s such a volatile position, and we already have the arms to get those tough outs on the team. I’m willing to ride the Perez/Motte/Kinney train rollercoaster into next Spring and see what happens. If they can’t get the job done, it’s not like there won’t be a closer available when Pittsburgh or San Francisco or Washington are having their annual fire sales in June. I simply don’t understand locking up a closer, who’ll pitch 70 innings during a good year, to a long-term deal…unless the name on the back of his jersey reads “Rivera” or “Sutter”.

Regarding our new shortstop, I was lukewarm on Khalil to begin with, and I’m still not very optimistic, but…at least there’s a bit of offensive upside with him (certainly something you can’t say about new Orioles SS Cesar Izturis). Still, there’s not a whole lot to like about Greene. His defense is not as good as Izturis’, but Cesar played above his ability last season, and I imagine there will be some regression with his age and a switch back to the DH league. Thus, any defensive “drop-off” from Izturis to Greene should be limited.

But this trade wasn’t about defense. No, the real reason the Cards picked up this “close-out special” is the career .427 SLG Greene brings with him (as compared to a baffling .331(!) from Izturis). Unfortunately, that slugging percentage does NOT come equipped with any ability to reach base or hit a baseball with any frequency.

Khalil Greene had a nice rookie campaign in 2004, hitting .273/.349/.446 with 15 HR and 65 RBI over 139 games (he finished 2nd in the RoY voting). Since that season, though, he has posted an OBP above .300 exactly once, and had the worst season of his career in 2008, playing in only 105 games and hitting .213/.260/.339…brutal! Worth noting however, Greene was nearly as valuable offensively last year in 105 games as Izturis was in 135, (67 OPS+ for Cesar, 64 for Greene). That said, I think the team is getting a player in Greene who provides an overall upgrade at the position (provided he can stay healthy…and thats questionable). I don’t think a line of .245/.300/.450 wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect, and that would be a nice addition to the lineup. As of December 15th, I remain cautiously optimistic. To be continued…

Finally, before I go, there’s an intriguing name floating around in Free Agentland as of last week. The Orioles did not offer a contract to Daniel Cabrera before the December 13th deadline (I guess because they felt comfortable with that veritable pitching stockpile they have featuring…um…Jeremy Guthrie…Garrett Olson…and Brian Burres? I’ll say!). Admittedly, there’s not a lot to like about Cabrera, but let’s look at the positives, shall we?

He’ll only be 28 in May of next year, and he’s pitched 384.3 innings over the last two seasons. Granted, his ERA was north of 5.00 both years, but a portion of that is certainly due to the level of competition in the AL East coupled with having the Baltimore Orioles play behind him. Tough times are certain to follow in those circumstances. Also on the plus side, Cabrera can strike out a lot of guys. 651 over his five-year career to be exact.

Now, Daniel Cabrera is not a prospect, but he does have potential given the right situation. His control, which has never been great, was terrible last season, and he generally seemed like he was struggling all the time. Nonetheless, he’s shown flashes of brilliance in the past, and has the ability to strike out 150-160 hitters over 180-200 innings in a season. I don’t see why a ticket out of Baltimore and some advice from Dave Duncan couldn’t turn things around, even slightly.

A move to the Senior Circuit, with the luxury of facing the pitcher 2-3 times/game could probably shave 0.5-1.0 run off of Cabrera’s ERA, making him a younger, cheaper Braden Looper, with a better ability to miss bats. Cabrera made $2.87 million last season, and probably shouldn’t expect too much of a raise. Do I like him on a 1-year deal at $3 million or 2 years at $6.5? Yes I do. Very much, thank you.

Well, what do you all think?

1. Do we need Brian Fuentes’ left arm to reach the post-season in ‘09 or can the team walk a tight rope with the youth movement?
2. Should Mozeliak kick the tires on Daniel Cabrera or should we keep looking for another arm in the rotation?

Roster spots are going fast!

UPDATE: Per MLBTradeRumors, It seems 11 teams have expressed interest in signing Cabrera. The only specific team mentioned is the Pittsburgh Pirates. I would hope the Cardinals are among the remaining 10.

Khalil Greene is apparently owed 6.5 million in 2009 and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Again, the full details of this trade have not been released yet so we are unsure if the Cards are on the hook for the full $6.5 million or if the Padres have agreed to eat some of this money.

Greene had a breakout year in 2007, cranking 27 HR’s and driving in 97 RBI’s, while playing a very smooth shortstop. Greene struggled at the plate in 2008, though, as experts feel he was consumed with trying to hit the long ball. Khalil only hit .213 in 2008 with 10 HR’s and 35 RBI’s through 105 games. His season was cut short July 31st as he broke his hand after apparently punching a storage unit.

Reports show that Khalil Greene had a falling out with the Padres front office and it has been rumored for a while now that they were wanting to move him, whether just to get rid of his salary or turn the page with someone else.

I am sure the Cardinals are hoping that a change of scenery will help Greene return to his ‘07 form. Khalil Greene has performed better away from pitcher-friendly Petco park over his years there, to the tune of a .270 BA and 50 HR’s versus .255 and 30 HR’s at Petco.

When the details of this deal are finally released we will be able to truly decide if the Cards have made a smart move here. Hopefully they have’nt given up some top name prospects and likewise, hopefully Greene can return to being the electric, smooth, power hitting shortstop that helped him make a name for himself.

I will say it’s nice to actually see the Cards doing something. They have made some moves over the past couple of years but not necessarily what a lot of fans were hoping for. Again, that’s why we’re fans and not management. The Cards continue to compete and hopefully with a few more strong moves this off season the Cards can climb back to the top of the Central.

coop92 is a contributing author to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as the editor at Midwest Sports Junkies. Check out his site for additional analysis of the Cardinals, the BCS, and Missouri Tigers football.

The initial thought was that Miller would sign a two year deal but reports are now stating that Miller and the Cards have agreed on a one year deal. Compensation appears to be in the 2 million dollar range assuming Miller meets certain performance incentives.

Miller has been very consistent over the past 6 seasons posting 60 plus innings in each. Miller has a lifetime ERA of 4.43 in 422 1/3 innings. Millers 2008 stats for the AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays were a little better than his career stats. Miller posted a 4.15 ERA in 68 appearances with 44 strikeouts and 20 walks while surrendering only 2 home runs.

Miller has been dominant against lefties to the tune of a .209 batting average, a .305 on base percentage and a .308 slugging percentage.

I can see Miller being very comfortable playing for Tony Larussa. Tony is known to pick his spots and his match ups very carefully. They don’t always work out but Tony is very consistent in how he uses his left handed relievers.

I Feel the Cards may look to add additional left handed relief as we head into the Winter meetings next week. I will be very curious to see how the Cards address the rest of the pen as well as the holes at second and short.

Was this a good move by the Cards, I guess time will tell. I can say that 2 million is not a huge investment as long as it provides the stability we need from the left side.

What say ye about this move and whats your thoughts about how MO is going to shape the rest of the team.

coop92 is a contributing author to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as the editor at Midwest Sports Junkies.  Check out his site for additional analysis of the Cardinals, the BCS, and Missouri Tigers football.

I for one must say that I am a bit surprised the Cardinals did not offer to Russ Springer. I get the fact his career is about over and I also get the fact that he has had just as many bad years as he has good. But I have to look back on his performance in St. Louis and say thanks Russ! There’s no denying the fact that Springer stabilized a shaky bullpen in 2008. Was he perfect every time out? Well no; but who is?

The 2008 version of the Cardinals pen was made up with a lot of youth and I have to believe that Springer’s presence and mentoring helped some of these young guys with the mental aspects of the game. There is no one better to bring along young pitchers than experienced, battle-tested players that have a great attitude and work ethic. Not to mention the fact that Russ Springer was very steady coming out of the pen this past year and could be counted on more times than not to get the Cards out of a jam.

Now, I get the fact that he could still be in a Cards uniform next year and personally hope that’s the case. We all know he wants to play in St. Louis next year. I guess the question is, what are the Cards really planning to do?

coop92 is a contributing author to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as the editor at Midwest Sports Junkies.  Check out his site for additional analysis of the Cardinals, the BCS, and Missouri Tigers football.

Anyway, the deadline for MLB teams to offer arbitration to their players passed this afternoon, and our boys in Red and White declined to extend the courtesy to top free agents Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer and Braden Looper.

The lack of an offer to Isringhausen, a Type B Free Agent, comes as no surprise given his recent injury-plagued history, and Springer, despite being a Type A Free Agent (meaning the team would have been compensated with 2 draft picks had he been offered arbitration and then signed with another club), just turned 40 years old and was pushed out by the glut of returning righties in the bullpen (Chris Perez, Ryan Franklin, Jason Motte, Kyle McClellan and Brad Thompson to name just five).

Not offering arbitration to Looper (Type B) does come as a slight surprise, however. He made $5.5 million in 2008, while throwing almost 200 innings and going 12-14 with a 4.19 ERA. He’s not a guy that’ll put the team on his back and win them a ring, but he was serviceable as a back of the rotation guy. (According to the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss, he’s currently looking for a 3-year deal and would likely not have accepted the team’s arbitration offer.)

Nonetheless, there’s an inherent risk in offering arbitration to a player, since his 2009 salary will ultimately be determined by an unbiased third-party and not market forces. This means that a club could be on the hook for a lot of dough if they lose the arbitration hearing (see: Howard, Ryan).

This was certainly a major concern to Cards’ GM John Mozeliak:

“The big thing for us is we want to remain flexible and also look at what we feel might be the best way to improve this team.”

“The one thing that I was cautious about was, if we decide to offer arbitration, there is a chance they might have accepted. Especially if you look at the pace of this market to date.”

Moving on to news nearly as shocking as A-Rod backing out of his Kabbalah counseling with Madonna, the Cardinals declined to offer arbiration to Ron “Walk-double-single-3-run triple” Villone, Juan Encarnacion, Felipe Lopez, Cesar Izturis and Mark “Damaged Goods” Mulder

(Personal aside: Man, I could NOT be more happy to see Mulder gone. What a painful saga to watch unfold. I mean, good grief, had no one in the Cardinals organzation heard of a “sunk cost” before? You think maybe someone could have looked it up sometime between 2006 and now, possibly? No? Ok, that makes sense. Just keep running him out there because you made the investment. Anyway, good luck to Mr. Mulder in finding a new Bar Napoli and a bevy of jersey chasers each night in his next town. Not that I’m bitter about that situation or anything…)

Finally, in yet even more unsurprising news, another minor leaguer was suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance (Methandienone). This time the player was Cardinals’ middle infielder Wilfred Vivas, who played on the team’s Venezuelan Summer League club last season. Vivas the 68th player to have been suspended this year under the minor league drug program (40 of whom have played in the Venezuelan Summer League – red flag anyone? Selig? Mitchell? Do I sense another committee in the the league’s future?)

Alright, that’s it from here. Things should really start picking up over the next couple of weeks as the arbitration hearings start setting the prices for free agents and we move towards the Winter Meetings. The Cardinals have 4 spots left to fill on the 40-man roster, and have shown some interest in Andy Pettitte (and to a lesser extent Randy Johnson) of late. The deal with Trever Miller remains hung up over “health concerns” that materialized at his physical.

So, who do you think should fill those final spots? After all, the Astros just signed Mike Hampton to a 1-year deal, so we have to keep up with the mediocrity, right? I wonder if Mike Maroth or Kip Wells is still available?