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Celebs In Cardinals Hats

Written by athooks on .

If there is something we love more than randomly seeing celebs in Cardinal hats, I haven't found it. It's awesome. And we've featured some of the best on the site (including, who else, AXL ROSE!)

We, shamefully, were on the TMZ and found this:

And if you want to hear more from Slim, check out this interview: LINK HERE

Good on the whole Cash Money crew for helping the community out AND looking good. 

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Went There: Guns N' Roses in Vegas

Written by athooks on .

Axl Rose is not a great musician. 

Let's get this out of the way right now. Because it's true, A and its B non-relevant to the Guns N' Roses conversation. 
 
Especially now, at 50, it's clear that Axl's voice has seen better days, evidenced by the fact that at a couple points during his Saturday Night show at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas his voice backing track kept going when he pointed his mic into the crowd.
 
It's hard to say if Axl was ever a great vocalist.
 
Interesting, yes. Great? I'm not so sure. Plus, over the past 10 years or so, as he's branched out into his own entity while maintaining the GnR moniker, he's produced very little art that's penetrated the mainstream consciousness. 
 
However, Axl Rose is also the most interesting person I've seen on the stage. 
 
Ever.
 
It's impossible to attend a GnR show and not watch him 100% of the time. He's the quintessential rockstar. And when Axl is in the room, he owns the room. He does not give a shit who you are or what you're doing. This is his room now. He's the honeybadger. 
 
This was my first time seeing Guns N' Roses and now that I've been through the fire, here are the 5 things you need to know about the show:
 
1) Axl leaves the stage. 
 
All. The Time. If I had to guess, he averages at least 3 exits stage left... PER SONG. It's easy to be all "he must be doing coke or something", but that's wrong. He may be doing coke, but he can't be every 2 minutes. 
 
It's a bizarre tick. But one that everyone seems to accept. Including the guy who's sole job it is to open the curtain when Axl comes off the stage and then comes back on.
 
Sometimes he goes out for long guitar solos and changes his outfits. Sometimes he leaves for like 5 seconds (literally). But this is the "rockstar" thing I'm talking about... I couldn't take my eyes off of what he was doing.
 
2) You better like guitar solos. 
 
Because every single song has a loooooooong one. Comically long. He has 4 axemen on stage and each one of them gets their solos. At one point, I thought that these might be openly baiting us into leaving. 
 
Which reminds me...
 
 
3) This show does not cheat you.
 
3+ hours. No breaks. Just song after song after song. By the time he closed the show with 'Paradise City' around 3 am, there were 3 people left in my row of 20. And those bitching solos are a bit more cumbersome when you're just ready to go do something else.
 
You kind of wish you were cheated.
 
This probably stems from Axl's control issues and the fact that the Hard Rock probably signed him with the understanding he'd do whatever the hell he wanted. 
 
But if a producer was able to cut the show by an hour. Take out some of the new crap. And tighten up the solos, you've got an A+++ show. 
 
GnR playing all the hits AND some Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin covers too? 
 
Co-sign.
 
4) He got rid of the cornrows. 
 
This is a good thing. He needed to and he did.
 
However, Axl has now gone full Affliction and cowboy hats. I guess if you're a rockstar you can't go to Bonobo's and get some reasonably priced (and well-fitting) chinos and call it a day.
 
Still, it's kind of embarrassing how many outfits everyone in the band with though. 
 
It was weird.
 
5) And that's exactly the word I'm looking for.
 
The crowd was weird. Everything from die-hards to 20 year-olds wanting to go retro. Yuppies and drunks and housewives all in this stew of humanity, listening to rock. 
 
It's awesome. 
 
I don't know if Mr. Rose has political aspirations, but if he did, I think he might finally be able to bring this country back together. It's hard to imagine any band or act anywhere that can cross over so many ages, demos and archetypes. 
 
He might be the perfect President. 
 
Get everyone together, then leave stage left before he wore out his welcome.
 
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The Cardinals New Uniforms & The Friday Links

Written by athooks on .

Anyone else get a little caught off guard with these new uniforms? 

Let's backtrack a bit here.
 
You know that you're living in a baseball town when a full-blown news conference is called, replete with live coverage and no commercial interruption and multiple speakers... to show off an alternate jersey. 
 
I could be wrong, but San Diego changes their uniforms the 1st and 15th of every other month. I don't think it even makes the blogs. 
 
Anyway, I'm watching (KSDK) and see that the Cardinals are unwrapping a brand new uniform that they'll wear on Saturdays, at home. 
 
WHAAAA?
 
Shouldn't I have heard about this before this very moment? How'd they keep this so secret? A new jersey is a new jersey, though and up and to the right, you see it.
 
What do you think?
 
I hate it. 
 
It's not ugly by any means, but I hate it. The Cardinals don't need it. They don't need a third jersey. They have a grey one and a white one and it has nothing on it but the logo and I like it like that and you're not going to change my mind. 
 
I know they want to goose holiday sales, (after all, a 3 game choke doesn't sell as well as a World Series around the gift buying season) but I can't think we're boosting these cream colored duds from the Giants.
 
BOOOOO! We couldn't win 1 out of three games, we don't need to copy EVERYTHING they do. 
 
It'll be a hit. People will buy it. Maybe I'll come around. 
 
Still... we didn't need this. We didn't. 
 
Now, the Friday Links...

Because screw you, that's why. LINK HERE

The world's fastest piano juggler. LINK HERE

LOL Taliban. LINK HERE

Cracker Jacks are getting caffeine. LINK HERE

Great article on ESPN. LINK HERE

Uncle Drew is back. LINK HERE (via Mountain Fresh)

That's it. That's the week. Sorry about the missing links for so long. On to Vegas.
 
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Photo Without Comment

Written by athooks on .

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The Boring Season Drones On

Written by athooks on .

I think I've been able to distill the real disappointment of 2012. 

As we've moved on from the NLCS debacle and accepted the ultimate fate of the Cardinals, the reason that we've been unable to let this fully go is boring, but true.
 
We don't have anything to look forward to until April.
 
See, I told you it was stupid simple.
 
But as opposed to last off-season, one that saw the subtraction of Pujols and the addition on Beltran, there is little hope for drama. Kyle Lohse is leaving. The Cardinals have said they're aren't pressing needs that require a splash.
 
That's true.
 
The Cardinals are pretty well set, sans some minor tinkering. They won't be making an signing that is going to register on the front page of ESPN. Hell, the front page of the ESPN Baseball section is a pipe dream. 
 
What we're really excited for it to see Shelby Miller or Trevor Rosenthal in action again. Or if Oscar Taveras can make the club. And those answers aren't coming in the Hot Stove season. They'll be bore out during spring. 
 
Again, it's not a bad thing to have a contending team that's stable. It's a very good thing.
 
It makes the off-season looooooooong. And when the calendar barely says November, it's hard to find the silver lining in maintaining the status quo.
 
When is spring?
 
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The Phrase That Won't Die

Written by athooks on .

I thought it was dead. 

I thought that after a season filled with the laziest trope the Cardinals evoked, we were finally done. We wouldn't have to see it ever again and we would all be the better for it.

Than I click on the Sporting News 'Hot Stove 2013' for the Cardinals and there it is. The phrase that SCREAMS that what you're about to read is nothing more than filler.

Fluff.

Here's the leade: No Albert Pujols? No Tony LaRussa? No problem for rookie manager Mike Matheny and the Cardinals, who came within one win of reaching the World Series.

No LaRussa. No Pujols. No Problem. 
 
It's been ubiquitous, long after it should have been. The Cardinals were  indeed a different team in 2013.
 
But even without the hall of fame manager and the former best player in baseball, the Cards still had enough talent to be a playoff team... just maybe not a World Series team.
 
It was cute in April, when we were still getting to know this new team, with a new skip. But now in November?
 
We've moved on national media, we suggest you do the same.
 
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Contemplative Cardinal Guy

Written by athooks on .

I'm not going to sugarcoat it... after all that drama in October, there is jack squat to write about in November. And maybe that's being kind.

The news wires are filled with the lamest Cardinals news and various Bleacher Report slideshows. The Cardinals front office is on vacation. And the free-agent signing period is still not open. 
 
Long story short, it's not the best time to have a Cardinals blog.
 
But we've got to post something here, so I went looking on the Googles for something amusing. I searched "St. Louis Cardinals Funny" under pics and came across a cadre of mildly amusing photos. 
 
And, then, amid the morass, was this guy:
 
 
Just standing in the rain. Awash in his own thoughts. Lost in contemplation. Soul searching in the hallowed walls of Busch Stadium, with nary a soul to be found.
 
We'll call him 'Contemplative Cardinal Guy' and you bet your ass we're turning him into a meme when content gets thin over the winter.
 
So here's your introduction. Hope you like him. 
 
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Chris Carpenter Might Just End NHL Lockout

Written by athooks on .

If you've never been to an NHL game, you're missing out on a good time. 

It's fun. Hell, it's real fun.
 
Watching on TV is OK. The big games and the playoffs are always good, but something about being in an NHL rink on a Saturday night is electric.
 
And thanks to the boneheads that run the NHL, this is the second time in 5 years that the league is on the verge of losing a season.
 
By proxy, denying us fun.
 
Worry not, though. Because Cardinal legend Chris Carpenter has no time for this shit.
 
No sir.
 
As you can see from the picture to the right, he's been out keeping the Blues in shape. And if Donal Fehr and Gary Bettman don't get their heads out of their butts ASAP, Carp is going to go to NY and drop the gloves.
 
Is there anything this guy can't do?
 
At this point, I'm kind of expecting #29 to replace Bradford if the Rams can't get another win or two before the end of the season. At least we'd have a guy that has proven to be effective from 60 feet out...
 
HIYOOOOOOO!
 
Read the whole story over at FSN (LINK HERE) for Carps off-season workout with the Blues. And please remind yourself that the guy you see had a rib taken out this summer.
 
A rib.
 
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Lance Berkman In The Booth? Yes Please.

Written by athooks on .

So I'm trolling around some St. Louis Cards news on the Internet when I come across an article on SB Nation about Lance Berkman possibly heading back to the Houston Astros. 

Gah.

Houston? Those dirty dogs? I mean, I thought Berks got a taste of the filet and wouldn't want round steak anymore. But to each their own.

The article went on to explain that the talks were in the early stages with Houston GM (and former Cardinals front office exec) Jeff Lunhow and that this might not pan out. But if it does, he'd be a platoon DH.

Ah. Forgot that Houston was out of the NL Central in 2013. DH makes sense. 

Now full disclosure here, Dan Moore wrote this article. He's my editor for SB Nation when I write about the Rams. So when I say that his throw away line he ended with was one of the best ideas I've heard this offseason, I'm only exaggerating by a little bit... but you can understand.

Dan:

Berkman can clearly still hit, and he's clearly still a fan-favorite everywhere he's ever been. If he can clearly walk come March, the Astros would be remiss if they didn't pursue something like this, much as I'd love to see Berkman slide in, say, to the Cardinals' TV color analyst chair...

BING-FUKING-O!

Lance Berkman as the new color guy. Love it. LOVE it. 

Let's face it, Berkman is destined to be a baseball color guy. He knows baseball. He played baseball. He seems like a guy you'd want to have a beer with. He can be entertaining during blowouts. He can be thoughtful when needed. He's not NOT going to be a baseball color guy.
 
And here in STL, it looks like Danny Mac has finally got his drinking under control. So we're hopefully going to move to him being the announcer 100% of the games in 2013. But that also means that Al and Ricky Horton are going to still be on the color commentary. 
 
Ugh.
 
The Cardinals are one of the top rated local telecasts in the nation. It's a real boon to be a Cardinals announcer. But somehow, FSN treats their booth as if they owe it to Al to be in there because he always has been and to Ricky because he's super nice.
 
Don't fire the guys. Let them fill in when needed. Let them do the studio shows. Maybe some on-field reporting. They're are some smart people at FSN... they'll figure out how to use them.
 
In the meantime, you're grooming Berkman to become one of the future Cardinals broadcasting legends.
 
I don't know what Lance has in store for 2013... but if he doesn't play, then do like Dan says and put him in the booth.
 
Please.
 
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Big Mac Lets St. Louis Down Again

Written by athooks on .

Big Make has, once again, left the yard. 

After refusing the Cardinals contract tender, Mark McGwire is headed to Los Angeles to join the Dodgers as their hitting coach. 
 
This will be the first time since 1997 that McGwire will wear another uniform other than the Cardinals.
 
Ok, ok. From 2002 through 2009, McGwire didn't technically wear any uniform, but when he came back to baseball in 2010, he did so as a Cardinal.
 
It's hard to remember now, but that spring training was the first of a still ongoing string of dramatic story lines that have ushered in a new season. See: McGwire '10, Pujols '11, Wainwright's Arm '11, Defending Champs '12...
 
He was the steroid era poster boy. Ripped out of his mind. Crushing balls into places Busch Stadium II never had seen before so much so he started a promotion that still endures today (Big Mac Land). 
 
And his re-entry into baseball after becoming the first of the 500 HR club to get rejected for a Hall of Fame entry pass was a national story. He did a full mea culpa with Bob Costas. He met ESPN behind the batting cage to apologize some more. He was contrite, but confident.
 
He led the '10 Birds to a .263 average. They finished 5 games in the rear of the Reds for 1st in the NL Central.
 
But the traveling circus that many (yours included) predicted would greet Mark along the road never materialized. Instead, America shrugged. And Big Mac worked hard to become a better coach in '11.
 
Ended up winning the World Series. Damn near made it again in '12. 
 
What part of that success can be attributed to McGwire's coaching is up for debate. He helped develop young hitters like Allen Craig, David Freese and others into MLB caliber. He also was blamed for prolonged slumps that plagued the Cardinals chances of doing more in the past three years.
 
The Cardinals will find a replacement. And that replacement won't hold 1/10th of the gravitas that Big Mac does.
 
That's OK.
 
The Cardinals will be OK.
 
I guess the bigger question here is how are we supposed to feel? We being Cardinal fans. After all, we were the ones that got roped into 1998. We were the ones that believed that bottle of Andro was nothing more than supplement advice gone astray. We were the ones that had to swallow deep and admit were were a bit naive after he admitted he dopped. We were the ones that welcomed him back into baseball when no other fan base slash ball club would.
 
Now he's moving on.
 
You can't begrudge a guy wanting to be close to his family. Then again, his wife is from St. Louis and he's worked here on an off for the better part of the past 15 years. Or almost 1/3 of Mark's life.
 
You can't get miffed at a guy getting a better job. Then again, the Dodgers didn't make the 2012 playoffs, didn't win the 2011 World Series and don't have same level of passionate fan base the Cardinals do.
 
You can't be steamed at a guy making more money, Then again, whatever Mark's raise may or may not be, can't be more than the interest on the money he banked from being the most high profile star in baseball during the late 90's when contracts were exploding.
 
Point is... I'm not sure how much of a loss this is for the Cardinals, but I'm kind of pissed. 
 
Can't explain it fully. Not yet, at least.
 
But it feels like we've nursed a wounded man back to health, only to see that loyalty isn't cutting both ways. (Yes, he took less to stay with the Cardinals in his last playing contract. Yes, he walked away from guaranteed $ in lieu of playing sub-par his final 2 seasons. Then again, he did cheat...)
 
Maybe all this will become clearer as we move away from it. 
 
Right now, it feels like Mark McGwire has let us down.
 
Again.
 
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