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The Ozzie Smith We Weren't Supposed To See

Written by athooks on .

Ozzie Smith is auctioning off his Gold Gloves, World Series rings and other memorabilia: LINK HERE

PI

Growing up we all had our 'guys'.

I wasn't original in tapping Ozzie Smith as mine. After all, by the time I really started loving baseball in the early 90s, he was headed towards the twilight of his career and had long established himself as the best defensive player of his generation. I was hopping on a bandwagon before I really knew what that meant.

In 1992, maybe 1993, my buddy SJ found out that ANYBODY to go to the public access channel in our hometown and use it. And if the crap shot was any good (read: anything), they'd put it on air.

We wanted a show. Bad. And because SJs grandpa knew someone over at the Cardinals, they hooked us up with press passes to go on the field before a game against the Phillies. I've told this story before, so I won't bore you with all the details, but the thing that sigularly sticks out in my mind about this whole whirlwind of a experience for a 12 year old was Ozzie.

Ozzie did our interview. And as we were breaking down equipment, he called SJ and I over to the dugout.

THE CARDINALS DUGOUT?!

He sat us down on the bench and started asking us questions about what we were up to, where our show would air, etc al. He then told us that he really admired what we were doing and to keep up the good work.

Mind you, this is a Hall of Fame player at this point. The most famous Cardinal of the 80s and early 90s. A certified superstar. And he's taking the time out from his pre-game prep to give 2 kids a pep talk.

The best.

I'll have that memory forever.

PII

Sunday night at the gym I was having a conversation with my friend and I admitted that I totally whiffed on the story that came out a week earlier about Ozzie selling all his awards at auction.

Working in the news business, you might not know of all the news stories, but the big ones you at least have a tangential idea of what's going on and some bit of context about how important they are. I just didn't see this story.

I was sad.

And not because Ozzie needs the money (we all could use more money), but because a part of me remembers the agony of seeing which NL shortstop was going to win the Gold Glove in the early 90s. I mean, the team sucked, so I had to root for things like All-Stars and Gold Gloves. It's not much, but like I said, Ozzie was MY GUY. If Barry Larkin though he was going to step up, he was WRONG.

Those moments of my childhood were kind of tucked away. A happy place that I suppose I could tap into if the situation was right. But now this auction had kind of cast a pall over them.

If Ozzie doesn't really care about the Gold Gloves, then why the hell did I care so much?

Because I was a stupid little kid that didn't know any better, that's why. Still, it's not fun to see the guys that you thought were immortal become so. And do it in a way that's more sad than anything. A big part of me knows that the 'family planning' line is all BS, after all, his downtown restaurant was a spectacular fail,  but my first inclination was to defend Smith against the Internet comments that were harshing his decision.

Shit, I actually thought about if I could help him in some way.

PIII

Ozzie is going to stick with the line that he wants to set his family up and that he'll still have the memories of all those awards. That's fine. I'm sure that this whole ordeal is embarassing for him.

And because the Wizzard is my guy, I'll hope that whatever need he has is filled through this estate sale.

But maybe, just one day, Ozzie can come out and tell us he didn't really want to do this. And that things were worse than he let on. Because even though his gold gloves are going on the auction block soon, I can't really square the guy that cared about 2 knucklehead 12 year olds and their journey with the guy that would sell his awards for cash.

It may be 20 years on, but Ozzie Smith is still my guy. He'll get through this stretch. And he can set the record straight.

Right now we're seeing the Ozzie we weren't supposed to see.

PIV

In April of 2011, Cards Diaspora got the chance to interview Ozzie Smith: LISTEN HERE

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A Week On? Not Better.

Written by athooks on .

It's been a week.
 
A little under a week, actually. But as the Giants look to close out the week with their 7th straight win and their second World Series win in three years, do we differently about what happened to the Cardinals?
 
Yes. But mostly no.
 
For whatever reason (probably not Hunter Pence), the Baseball Gods have tapped the Giants on the shoulder and guided them through multiple deep deficits to crown them champs. We didn't know last Friday when we packed Busch Stadium and bars all over to reveal in back-to-back NL Pennants.
 
It's clear now that the Giants had the 'it' factor. Not many people were aware when they went down 0-2 to the Reds. 
 
Still, its hard to not see how low the bar was for entry into the Fall Classic and get pissed all over again that we're all sitting on our thumbs while the Giants eviscerate the Tigers. 
 
Just avoid a three game sweep. That's it. Doesn't matter how. Just get one of three. 
 
Couldn't do it.
 
We're in the midst of a true golden age for the Cardinals. The trouble with golden ages is that they don't last. The 60's turned into the 70's for the Cardinals. The 80's into the 90's. Feasts, followed by famine. And while the Cardinals don't look to hit a fallow period next year or the year after, it's still more likely than not that the ebb and flow of baseball will knock them down a peg.
 
See Boston, circa 2012.
 
Forgive the hackneyed cliche, but tomorrow is never promised. And when opportunities for greatness present themselves, you simply have to take them. The regret stings now, but will only grow with time.
 
It's going to be really easy when the Giants officially win the World series to dismiss the Cardinals choke as something pre-destined. And that's will probably make many of us feel better for a while. 
 
History, though, isn't letting go that easy. The further we get away from the chance the Cardinals had in 2012, the more bitter it will taste.
 
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First Todd Akin, Now This?

Written by athooks on .

Guys.

Let's huddle up for a second. Because we need to cover a couple of things.

1) Don't be a homophobe. It's not a good look. Even if it's against your religious beliefs, keep it to yourself, not out on Twitter.

2) Twitter. Other people see this, you know this right? 

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Kleenex, You're NOT Funny

Written by athooks on .

Serious.

This arrived in my inbox today.

Not cool. 

 

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Choose Your Talking Points Carefully

Written by athooks on .

Nope.

Not feeling better about Game 7 today. Not in the least. Hard to turn on SportsCenter this AM and hear them talk about... well, a shitty Monday Night Football game. But STILL. They COULD have talked about Game 7 and that would have been the PITTS.
 
Listen, before we become fully entrenched in our talking points over the next couple of days, let's talk about this nasty little habit we're getting into about "next year". I hate to pick on BJ Rains, because so many other people already do, but his Tweets last night were pretty typical of ones I saw that weren't bashing the Cardinals in some way:
 
 
To paraphrase: Good year, disappointed now, but the Cardinals will be back and better in 2013.
 
Ok, I totally get why people would feel that way. The emergence of players like Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, Edward Mujica and Joe Kelly... plus the anticipation of Oscar Tavares and Tyrell Jenkins, I think the Cardinals could be set up for an extended run.
 
COULD BE.
 
I was thinking of the most apropos example of how this type of thinking can be off, and it happened that Mr. Tim McKernan thought of it first:
 
"I recall standing on the sidelines of the Rams-Panthers’ playoff game in January 2004. The Rams had been in the playoffs in 1999, 2000, 2001, and now here they were again in the 2003 season.
 
NFL Playoffs were becoming a regular and expected occurrence around here…and a fan base that had either suffered through the Big Red or no NFL at all was starting to expect success.
 
The Rams were down big to the Carolina Panthers…and they had come back and were driving down the field with a chance to win the game. A field goal would tie.
 
A touchdown would win.
 
And then, in a clutch moment…in a high-pressure moment, Mike Martz does something he hadn’t done since becoming offensive coordinator and head coach: he sat on the ball…went conservative…and kicked a field goal to tie and send it to overtime.
 
About a half-hour later, The Dome was emptying out as Steve Smith celebrated a game-winning touchdown…and Jason Sehorn’s jockstrap was blazed into the turf at The Dome.
 
At the time, it hurt. No question.
 
But, also at the time, after all of the success that had come in 1999, 2000, 2001, and the regular season of 2003, I think fans expected the team to bounce back and deliver more of the same in 2004.
 
Well, Steve Smith’s touchdown was the last postseason NFL play we’ve seen in St. Louis.
 
Barring a miracle, the soonest we’ll see one is January 2014…10 years later."
 
The Cardinals were 1 win away from going to the World Series. All they did was have to avoid a three game sweep. But as we stand here this AM, they've now let a 3-1 lead in a best of 7 series get away from them a record 4 times. Will all the players above be able to get them that 8th playoff win and a berth in the World Series?
 
I hope. But, unlike B.J., I don't have a fucking clue if it WILL.
 
So let's not sit here and act like any of us know if this will "make them tougher" or "give them something to build on" or "fuel their fire". There have been plenty of choke jobs in sports where the the loser did in fact reach it's pinnacle during the choke and never recovered. Hell, if I wasn't so lazy, I'd look it up (the '86 Cardinals and '97 Cardinals didn't "come back stronger, that's for sure). 
 
But I'd bet the success rate isn't as great as the failure rate. Oh, and it's not as if the Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Giants, Dodgers and Reds are going to quit baseball for good. They're out there trying to get better and have lots of "fuel for their fire" too.
 
You're going to be positive about the Cardinals in 2012. I respect that. 
 
But use a question mark. Because if you're sure this was a beginning point, then you need to be doing something else with your talents.
 
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NLCS Game 7: Beat. Beaten. Battered.

Written by athooks on .

Wasn't that fun? 

It was the last game in the National League for 2012. From April 4th to October 22nd, its members played games to decide a champion. And with the brightest spotlight being shone, the Cardinals wilted.
 
In order, the Top 5 Most Awful Things About Game 7:
 
5) Allen Craig. 
 
Dude came up WAY limp in the post-season. He gave us some serious soft-serve. Guy was 6th in NL batting average, 5th in NL slugging and 9th in NL OPS during the regular season.
 
Against the Giants he only came up with 1 extra-base hit, left a small village on-base (even with his vaunted BA w/RISP) and barely cracked a .100 BA with a few dinks and dunks the past couple of games.
 
4) Peter Kozma.
 
In his defense, it is hard to play defense with wet underwear. Right?
 
The best Tweet I saw (forgive not being to find attribution): "RIP Kozmania. 2012-2012". If this wasn't his first real taste of the bigs, we'd have him at #1, since he played some absolute dog grade defense. But he'll learn from this. The Cardinals have a way of making sure playoff meltdowns don't turn into bigger problems the next season.
 
Right, Rick?
 
RIGHT?
 
3) Matt Carpenter. 
 
Not that there is any pressure in a NLCS Game 7 right? I'm sure that Matt Cain was just chomping at the bit to face a guy who's tagged him for 5 hits in his first 5 tries, including 2 HRs. Pfffft... no worries.
 
What? What's that? Oh, Carpenter didn't play. Of course you wouldn't want him in there before mop up time. Because that wouldn't be nice.
 
2) Kyle Lohse.
 
If you needed one last reminder of how we viewed that contract a couple of seasons ago, Kyle Lohse has a little parting gift for you. He'd like to have brought it over to your house and set it on your front porch before lighting it on fire, but he's in California.
 
You think he even comes back to STL to get his stuff?
 
Or just heads straight to Boras' man cave and forgets any of this even happened? A little MMQB of me after the fact, but did anyone else think he looked tired? Like he slept about none last night?
 
1) Donovan Osborne.
 
Maybe he can give Kozma a call or something later this week. I'm pretty sure that 16 years after that blown 3-1 series against Atlanta, I wouldn't be talking about the stinking DO.
 
Here we are, though, excising him from the history rankings as the the #1 post-season flop in my lifetime. 
 
Still, I had to hear about Donovan all day. You probably did too. And now, the Cardinals have beat by a million runs. Re-opening a childhood memory I've been trying to forget.
 
At least Brian McKnight remembered the words to God Bless America. We'll have to take solace in the little wins. 
 
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NLCS Game 6: Carp Cooked

Written by athooks on .

If you're going to put a face on the rise of the Cardinals from contenders in the early 00's to consistently playing for Championships, it'd probably have to be Chris Carpenter. 

Pujols, obviously, was a HUGE reason, but Carpenter is still in St. Louis and will finish his career as a Cardinal. When we look back at this era, it's going to be Carp, Yadi and Pujols - in that order - as the embodiment of success. 
 
After Mr. Carpenter's previous start in Game 2 of the NLCS, I don't think we wanted to admit that 4 innings and 5 runs was anything more than fluke. He went out in Game 6 of the NLCS and repeated the feat, though. And now it's time to gnash teeth. 
 
Why?
 
Because it's better than looking forward and realizing the Cardinals had 3 chances to win 1 game to advance to the World Series and they're now down to their last one.
 
Again.
 
No, Game 6 was lost early. And often. With the Giants doing their best to fist, saw off, dink and dunk their way to another improbable series comeback. The box score will show those hits as frozen ropes, but those that watched know better. Hell, 3 of the runs were unearned - now a total of 9 for the serious - leading the way to a 7th and decisive game. 
 
Oh, and Ryan Vogelsong took a no-hit bid into the 5th inning. Did I mention that, because the Cardinals went 15 straight LCS innings without scoring a single run. It took a mini miracle to scratch out 1 on Sunday night.
 
Chris Carpenter needed to do better. He needed to come out early and get some big outs and settle a boisterous crowd down. This is why he makes the big bucks. This is his bailiwick. 
 
Yet he failed for the second straight time to give his team a change to gain momentum and win. I wish I didn't have to write that and post another picture of teammates mobbing Carp with Champagne bottles and hugs instead.
 
But here we are. Anxiety on high. Counting on Kyle Lohse to save the season.
 
We told you that the Cardinals never do anything easy. And they're holding true to form. 
 
Let's just hope that their other modus operandi hold true and that they're on another Happy Flight home to St. Louis. 
 
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Predict GM 6 Score; Win NYT Cardinals Special Edition

Written by athooks on .

We did this give-a-way a while back, and it actually turned out pretty cool... so our friends at AnyDate.com offered us another copy of the St. Louis Cardinals NY Times historical paper. 

What is it? 

"The St. Louis Cardinals Historical Paper consists of 63-pages of commemorative New York Times headlines, articles & photographs about the Cardinals. Celebrate all of the Cardinals best plays, games, and series with this St. Louis Cardinals History Newspaper, which includes a special color section."

Check it out: St. Louis Cardinals Historic Newspaper

So if you want a copy for free, just post your prediction on the score below in the comments and the closest to the final result will win. 

You have until first pitch tonight  in Game 6 (OCT 21 2012) to get your entry in. Please make sure to pick what team will win as well (Ex: Cards 5, Giants 2)

Good luck. And let's Carp this one down. 

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NLCS Game 5: Put The Champagne On Ice

Written by athooks on .

The Cardinals have played 173 games in 2012 and last night's loss was, by a wide margin, the worst.  

Obviously the comedown from expectations of popping bottles to icing bottles is severe. That has to be a factor in making this statement, but it was more the amalgamation of all the worst parts of the 2012 Cardinals baked into one, neat, 9 inning example made it... ahem... take the cake.
 
Pitiful offense? Check.
 
You know how many baseball games you can win by scoring 0 runs? Zero. It's never been done. Yet there they were, making Barry Zito have flashbacks to 2004. It was a feeble attempt at offense. It really wasn't even a suggestion of offense.
 
Bad coaching? Check.
 
Maybe Mike Matheny is trying to get the city to turn on Lance Lynn. Maybe he's a gambling man. Maybe he's asleep when Lance Lynn starts. Regardless, he can't watch enough Lace Lynn struggling in the 4th inning before making a move. With the off-day pending and the possibility of being able to set your rotation for the World Series in reach, Coach should have had an itchy trigger finger.
 
He didn't. Then again, did it really matter? Because the Cardinals bats were in their patented 2012 sleep mode.
 
Insane plays? Check.
 
How about a hybrid bunt/swing single from the Giants pitcher? Or a throw to second base that misses all the fielders, but hits the base? Hell, unless you were rooting for the Giants, these might be the two most interesting things that happened Friday night. 
 
Ugh.
 
So the Cardinals are going back, back to Cali. And will have 2 more opportunities to return to the World Series. Raise your hand if you think this is going to go 7. 
 
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Trumbsy: "Will You Marry Me, Adam?"

Written by Trumbsy on .

Oh man. Did you guys just SEE that? 

I am so in love with Adam Wainwright right now that I can’t even stand it.
 
I’ve decided that when we get married (BECAUSE THAT WILL HAPPEN), Yadier Molina is going to be my maid of honor.
 
And I think Pete Kozma and Matt Carpenter will probably be bridesmaids. It’s all up in the air right now and I’ll have to talk to Adam about it (because we talk about EVERYTHING and are so in love), but I'm sure the pieces will all fall together.
 
Right now it’s kind of touch and go, but it’s obviously very difficult to plan a wedding when he’s out there being so awesome at throwing baseballs. We simply don’t have time for ALL OF THESE DETAILS.
 
I’m sure that when the day rolls around it will just be perfect and wonderful, because he means so much to me and our love is forever. If Hunter Pence (haha, THAT GUY!) can’t stop us, than no one can.
 
Put it on your calendars, you guys. You’re all invited!!!
 
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