The Hometown Discount

Welcome to the Bigs, Fat Matt

2012-05-24T15:12:00.002-05:00

The last week has been a whirlwind for Cardinals prospect Matt Adams. May the 19th started out just like any other day for the 6' 3", 230-lb, slugging first baseman. AAA Memphis was in Las Vegas to take on the 51's (yes, that's actually the team's name). Fat Matt, as he has been affectionately dubbed by this blog, was penciled in to his usual position at first base. The 23 year old, hitting .340 with 9 home runs and 27 RBI while with Memphis, was a fearsome presence in the middle of the order.

Unfortunately, his path to St. Louis remained blocked, even with the recent departure of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Lance Berkman, Allen Craig (a Hometown Discount favorite) and Matt Carpenter have been red hot for the big league club. Finding at-bats for those three alone has been difficult enough, much less a rookies without an at-bat in the Bigs to his name.

However, the last 24 hours changed that, quickly. A recurring hamstring injury forced the A-Craig Hammer to the 15-day DL Saturday morning, continuing the Cardinals disturbing trend of injuries. Currently the Cardinals have six players on the DL in Chris Carpenter, Allen Craig, Kyle McClellan, Jon Jay, Scott Linebrink and Lance Berkman (we'll get to him in a sec).

At 9:00 CT, both Lance Berkman and Matt Adams took their positions at 1B, one against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other against the Las Vegas 51's. The first inning failed to produce anything eventful, as both men failed to reach base in their at-bats. Then came the second inning of the game in Los Angeles, an inning which could prove to be the most pivotal inning in the Cardinals' 2012 season. Justin Sellers grounded a routine ball to shortstop Rafael Furcal who threw the ball over to first base. Unfortunately, Furcal's throw veered a little off-line, forcing Lance Berkman to lunge for the ball. As Big Puma lunged his right knee visibly buckled. Lance's face immediately contorted in pain as he hopped around and final collapsed to the ground, eerily reminiscent of No. 5's wrist injury last year. With significant help, Berkman was able to limp gingerly off the field. However, it didn't take a medical expert to know that his was serious, very serious.

Back in Las Vegas, Matt Adams was mashing like his usual self, ripping a fourth inning double down the line in right. Fat Matt would score later in the inning and went back into the clubhouse. Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't be going back out onto the field. The Memphis Redbirds had received a call from St. Louis GM John Mozeliak. Adams was to be taken out of the game immediately and hop on a short flight to Los Angeles to join the big league club.

So, here we are. The Cardinals have placed three first basement on the DL in the last week. The job is Adam's. He follows in huge, Pujols-sized, footsteps. Is he up to the task? I sure hope so. Best of luck, Mr. Adams.

An Early Christmas Gift

2011-12-22T19:51:00.001-06:00

Mr. Beltran, welcome to St. Louis.

The gaping hole left by the recent departure of Albert Pujols is slowly being filled, this time in the form of six time All-Star Carlos Beltran. The newly-inked outfielder hit .300 with 22 home runs and a .385 OBP last year with the Mets and Giants. The deal (according to Derrick Goold) is reportedly worth $26-million dollars over two years. It also includes a full no-trade clause.

The addition of Beltran makes the Cardinals' offense one of the most fearsome in the National League. Beltran also fits nicely into the Cardinal's defensive alignment, being the projected Opening Day right-fielder. After Allen Craig recovers from offseason knee surgery, Beltran is slated to move into center-field. Even without Albert, the Cardinals projected line-up, after Craig returns, looks very, very solid: Furcal, Beltran, Holliday, Berkman, Freese, Craig, Molina, Schumaker, Pitcher. Scary.

GM John Mozeliak made a statement with this signing. It's more than just a baseball move, more than just on the field results. Mo' was left standing in the dust when Albert took his mercenary money and skedaddled out of town. He needed to prove that this historic franchise wasn't going to curl up and die simply because the resident superstar up and left, leaving behind only a note. He needed prove that to the fans. He needed to prove that to the players. He also needed to prove it to himself. Whatever Carlos Beltran does over the next two years is much less important than the declaration that the Cardinals' front office just made: We're here to play. We're here to win. Right now.

Bye Bye (former) Birdie

2011-12-09T10:45:00.001-06:00

Denial. They say the first stage of grief is denial. Denial that all that took place yesterday actually occured. That this wasn't some elaborate hoax played on us by the unforgiving media. Denial that St. Louis' appointed King of Baseball Heaven had just bolted to the City of Angels. Denial that, after being blessed by 11 seasons of watching Albert do his work, No. 5 will no longer anchor the heart of the Cardinals lineup. I'm still in denial, that's for sure. I simply don't want to believe it. And yet, there it is, plastered across the front of every website, newspaper, TV station and blog. They all bear the same, unfortunate news. It happened. It really, honestly, actually happened. Albert Pujols is no longer a free agent... and no longer a Cardinal. All it took was $254 million dollars from the West Coast.

Those are tough words to swallow. However, I do have some good news for you. The Cardinals will continue to play baseball in St. Louis in 2012 and beyond. Albert Pujols or no Albert Pujols, the reigning World Champs have a tradition of baseball excellence to continue. So, the question arises, "where do we go from here?"

Even without the Best Player in Baseball, the Cardinals are still the favorites to win the NL Central. With a pitching staff headed by two legitiamate aces in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, along with a young up-and-comer in Jaime Garcia, the pitching staff is one of the tops in baseball. The lineup, though visibly weakened, is still the best in the National League.

The further I am removed from the news, as far as time goes, the more level-headed I become. I'm not angry at the Cardinals for failing to lock him up. There's no way I would've been happy paying that exorbitant amount of money to him. From ages 38-41 the deal will be paying him over 100 million dollars. Only twice in the history of baseball have players been All-Stars age 38 or older. One of those was, suspiciously, Mr. Barry Bonds. The deal, especially considering that the Cardinals are a mid-market team, would potentially cripple the organization for half of a decade.

I'm not particularly angry at the Angels. On the cusp of signing a gigantic new TV contract, they have money to spend. They felt, even at a astounding cost, that this Pujols deal made sense for their club. No blame can be assessed simply because Pujols is (or possibly, was) a St. Louis icon.

I'm also not particularly angry at Pujols himself. The man owed nothing to the Cardinals organization. He's paid his dues, providing the Cardinals Hall of Fame quality baseball at an exceptionally minuscule price for the last 11 years. The man deserved to be paid and he got what he deserved. However, it still hurts. Hurts deeply. I, like so many others in this great city of St. Louis, had hoped that words like legacy and icon played a little more loudly on the strings of Albert's heart. Apparently they didn't.

Watching Albert Pujols mashing the baseball with an embroidered halo on his head is going to be tough. It won't feel right. Watching Matt Holliday bat in the three hole won't feel right. Watching Lance Berkman dig his cleats into the first base dirt won't feel right. None of this feels right. I'll learn to deal with it eventually... I'll have to. I have no choice. However, right now, I can't seem to get past denial.

Welcome Aboard, Captain

2011-11-13T21:12:00.001-06:00

Well, that didn't take long. The Cardinals took care of item #2 on their Wish List a few hours ago. Mike Matheny, who anchored the plate for the Cardinals from 2000-2004, has been hired as the new manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Matheny has no professional managing or coaching experience, though has "instructed" for a short time in the minors. John Mozeliak cited "leadership qualities" as the main reasons for choosing Mr. Matheny. As a player Matheny won four Gold Gloves (three with the Cardinals) and had a career slash line of .239/.293/.344. (For those who don't know, that's batting average/on-base %/slugging %)

The hiring will be announced officially at an 11 AM press conference Monday morning. Matheny received two years, with a club option for 2014.

This is an extremely high-risk, high-reward hiring by the Cardinals. In selecting Matheny they place a championship callibur under the leadership of a man who will be learning on the job. To make things harder than they already are, Matheny follows in the footsteps of surefire Hall-of-Famer and mad genius Tony La Russa. I'd be guilty of over-simplification if I described Tony's methods as eccentric but extremely successful. Matheny will have to win over the clubhouse and earn the respect of the high-profile men he will lead, though according to Derrick Goold of the Post Dispatch, he already has.

As always, time will tell if the decision is successful or disastrous. Nonetheless, national scrutiny will remain focused on Matheny throughout his inaugural season, ready to jump on each and every mistake he makes. If Matheny posses the qualities espoused on him by Cardinals execs, he will be able to steer his team away from the criticism. But, supposedly stronger men have folded to that pressure.

There is no way of knowing what will come of this until the season begins. In the meantime, we wish the best of luck to Mike Matheny.

The Holiday Wishlist

2011-11-11T11:30:00.001-06:00

It's 11/11/11 and many people around the country are making wishes, fanciful as they may be. Fresh of their 11th World Series title, the Cardinals have some wishes of their own and plenty of work left to do this off-season. Below is the Cardinals 2012 Off-Season Holiday Wish List:

#1: Albert Pujols--Does this come as a surprise to anyone? Pujols represents the biggest decision, and financial commitment, in St. Louis Cardinals history. Pujols, almost universally considered the best player in the game, will be on all thirty teams' wish lists, only a fewbut can actually afford him. The Marlins, Cubs, Rangers and Angels have all expressed legitimate interest in Albert. They also have the check books to back it up. The Cubs are the heavy front runner from that list. Thankfully, for Cardinals fans, four names don't appear in connection with Pujols, the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Mets. These clubs either lack the financial stability or already have first basemen inked to long term deals. The Cardinals have the money, fan base, supporting cast and iconic appeal to be the front-runners in the Pujols sweepstakes. The stars seem aligned for Albert to be welcomed back to St. Louis... however, that can't happen soon enough.

#2: Who follows Tony?--Tony La Russa, long-time Cardinals skipper, went out on top a few weeks ago, retiring immediately follow the World Series Championship. The Cardinals quickly lined up candidates to replace him, unfortunately not pursuing Hometown Discount favorite Joe Maddon. The Cardinals have narrowed the search down to six men, with Mike Matheny, Jose Oquendo and Terry Francona (formerly of the Boston Red Sox) being the favorites. Ryne Sandberg remains a dark-horse. Francona is the only one with previous Major League managing experience, the rest having various degrees of coaching backgrounds. In all honesty, The Hometown Discount doesn't have a preference between the four, trusting the Cardinals brass to do their jobs well.

#3: Middle infield--The middle infield has been a bit of an enigma for the Cardinals in recent years. The Cardinals have plenty, though mostly unattractive, of in-house options to fill those roles. At SS that includes Tyler Greene, Daniel Descalso and Ryan Theriot. At 2B we have Skip Schumaker, the aforementioned Theriot and the A-Craig Hammer. Allen Craig is a bit of a liability defensively at 2B, but more than makes up for that with his bat. Schumaker and Theriot are both average defenders with light bats. Back to SS, Greene and Descalso are solid defenders but, again, unimposing at the plate. This brings us to our free-agent options, the most enticing of such is Rafael Furcal, an instrumental part of the Cards' World Series run. Furcal is an electric defender with a streaky but occasionally dangerous bat, however, he comes at a much higher price than all of the options mentioned above.

John Mozeliak, GM: The Cardinals' Santa Claus
(AP)

The Cardinals have many other minor details to take care of this off-season. However, if Mo' can effectively and efficiently care of the top three items on the Holiday Wish List, everything else will fall into place and the Cardinals will once again be a championship-caliber club contending for another title in 2012.

(Also, a shout-out to The Hometown Discount's readers from Russia, Germany, UK, Sweden, Netherlands and France. Cardinal pride from around the world!)

Farewell

2011-10-31T22:20:00.000-05:00

Tony La Russa was no ordinary manager. Does it come as any surprise that he didn't retire in an ordinary way? For those living under a rock: Tony La Russa announced today that he is officially retiring from managing the St. Louis Cardinals. Bittersweet, for both him and us. In fact, La Russa became the first manager in the history of the game to retire immediately after winning a World Series.

The man led the Cardinals from 1995, winning 2 World Series titles and another NL Pennant. He will be sorely missed. His departure also signals the end of the Dave Duncan era in St. Louis. There is a possibility that Dunc' will stick around for one last season in 2012, but that would certainly be his last. We'll miss you Tony. A lot.

So this leads us to an important question, who's next? Jose Oquendo is the in-house option, raised under the tutelage of TLR. Terry Francona is the biggest name out there and offers championship experience, though was recently fired by the Boston Red Sox. However, The Hometown Discount has other ideas. Joe Maddon, currently at the helm of the Tampa Bay Rays, is my #1 choice and prediction. He still has one year left on his deal with the Rays, so details would need to be worked out. Maddon grew up a fan of the Blues, Bilikens and Cardinals and had previously expressed interest in working for the Cards.

Whoever takes over, we can only hope for one thing and one thing only: The next manager does Tony proud.

Do You Believe in Magic?

2011-10-31T12:27:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been nothing short of magical for Cardinals fans. Down three games to two to the Texas Rangers, the Cardinals knew they needed a little pixie dust... they just didn't realize how much. Charles Dickens accurately described Game Six with the opening of his novel A Tale of Two Cities with this, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

The first 6 innings of the game featured five egregious errors, many leading to unearned runs. Then things changed, and not in the Cardinals' favor. Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz hit back-to-back home runs in the 7th inning. The Cardinals stole one back in the 8th on an Allen Craig home run. Then the magic happened. Bottom of the 9th inning. Albert doubles. Berkman walks. Two outs. David Freese, Cardinals postseason hero, steps up to the plate. The pitcher, Neftali Feliz, quickly ran the count to 1-2, bringing the Cardinals within one strike of elimination. Only one team in World Series history had ever come back from their last strike to win a World Series, the '86 Mets. Boom. David Freese. Triple off the right field wall. Score: 7-7, heading to extra innings.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Josh Hamilton, a miracle story in his own right (amazing video about Josh Hamilton overcoming his addictions), had been fighting an injury that, by his own admission, would have landed him on the DL had this been the regular season. He hadn't homered in over 80 at-bats. That streak ended in the 10th inning, his two-run shot putting the Rangers up 9-7.

Lefty Daren Oliver trotted out of the Texas bullpen, his job to retire the Cardinals' first two hitters, lefties Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso. He failed, miserably, allowing singles to both men. A few batters later, Lance Berkman strides to home plate, man on second with two outs, the Cardinals trailing 9-8. Scott Feldman, complete with his Abe Lincoln-esque beard, stared Berkman down from the mound. The count went to 2-2. Again the Cardinals were down to their last strike. Feldman tried to jam Berkman with an inside pitch. Berkman calmly deposited the ball in center field. Tie game. Busch Stadium was in a delirium.

The Rangers' portion of the 11th inning was uneventful, the maligned Jake Westbrook completing his humble job with tight efficiency. David Freese led off the Cardinals' 11th, game knotted at 9 apiece. The crowd still buzzed from the excitement of the last two innings, shock and awe clearly written on their faces. They had no idea what was going to come next. Freese, already written in to their hearts and the history books innings earlier, waited for the 3-2 pitch to come his way. We will never really know what was going through his brain at that point. We will never know, nor, honestly, do we care. We do know this: Freese deposited a moon-shot into the grassy knoll in center. The Busch stadium fans, loud before, launched into a baseball-drunk raucous, not a person in their seat. Freese rounded the bases, a gigantic grin of his face.

Photo AP, St. Louis Cardinals

At home his teammates mobbed and "shredded" (ripped his jersey off) him, giddy as schoolgirls. The stadium sounded with an incessant roar, too shocked comprehend the magnitude of the moment. Rally towels waved frantically, people hugged and celebrated in their seats. Jubilant ushers even joined in the party.Do The miracle resurgence was, almost, complete; they simply had to win Game 7. And we all know what happened there:

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Thanks guys, for a great run. #11in11

Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy

2011-10-28T00:19:00.001-05:00

Anthony La Russa: Resident Genius

2011-10-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

Tony La Russa's mistakes in Game 5 of the World Series have been well documented, and I'm not here to defend them. Allen Craig caught stealing (twice!) with Albert Pujols at the plate. Leaving left-hander Marc Rzepczynski (zep-CHIN-ski) in to face the hottest (and right-handed) hitter in the on planet, Mike Napoli, with the bases loaded. Accused of not communicating clearly to bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist, causing the wrong reliever to start warming up. It wasn't a pretty game, ending in a painful 4-2 loss for the Cardinals.

Mr. La Russa

Tony wakes up the next morning to find news outlets nationwide ripping the Cardinals for their terrible play, broadcasting to all who will listen that the Cardinals season is, yet again, over. (People enjoy saying that, don't they? But, I digress...) Because it's the World Series, Major League Baseball has an interview scheduled for the off day. Tony, not normally one for interviews, confidently marches into the menagerie of reporters. Questions are immediately hurled at him, accusations thrown at players and coaches alike. Tony quickly sidesteps most of the questions. Amongst the madness of the interviews, Tony throws the reporters exactly the juicy steak of a story they've been looking for. He tells the reporters that it was, in fact, all due to a faulty bullpen phone that he "probably" made the call on.

Suddenly the baseball writers don't seem to care that the Cardinals went 1-12 with runners in scoring position. They don't remember that it was Albert that called for that hit-and-run with Craig, that call didn't come from the dugout. Even after given time to think about it, they don't even seem to understand that it wasn't actually Tony that made the call, it was Dave Duncan (who gets no disrespect from this blog). Nope, it's all on Anthony La Russa. It's all his fault. Tony is the reason that the Cardinals are losing this World Series, only to whine about it afterwards. He's too old, too out of touch and, apparently, too soft-spoken.

Tony, lawyer by degree, sits back in his chair, smiling. He's been around the game for nearly half-a-century, he's headed to the Hall-of-Fame. He doesn't give a money's uncle what the press thinks about him. The pressure, the scrutiny, stress brought down by all these writers is off his players and all heaped onto him. And that is exactly how he planned it. Tony La Russa: St. Louis' Resident Genius.

The A-Craig Hammer

2011-10-03T14:38:00.000-05:00

Here at The Hometown Discount I have very strong bias, especially when it comes to baseball. I love some players and hate others, and oftentimes am unable to explain why. Sometimes players can rise dramatically in my favor (welcome to the club Mr. Motte), while, conversely, others make a similar fall. However, there is one player that rises above the rest when it comes to my partiality. Say hello to the A-Craig Hammer, Mr. Allen Craig.

Property St. Louis Cardinals and MLB

Say it again, A-Craig (pronounced like Akron) Hammer, it's a name you'll need to remember for the future. Many articles and posts will be devoted to the A-Craig Hammer Watch, as Mr. Craig ascends to stardom.

Note: If you look to the "Pages" tab above, you will see an entire section dedicated to The A-Craig Hammer. It will be a compilation of all the posts made on the topic.

A Look Back... (Part Two)

2011-09-28T14:10:00.001-05:00

That brings us to today. The Cardinals and the Braves have both played in 161 contests. They have both won 89 games and lost 72. Their paths have been very, very different. All of that is completely inconsequential. They both have 1 game left on their schedules. Tonight Chris Carpenter takes on Brett Myers of the Houston Astros. Tim Hudson, the Braves ace, faces Joe Blanton of the Phillies. A postseason berth is at stake. If both the Cardinals and the Braves have the same result, win-win or lose-lose, game 163 will be played tomorrow at 7:00 CT. 161 games, six months of struggle, highs, lows, tears of joy and pain, all rendered meaningless. All the matters is the next game (or two), and the ultimate goal will be realized... a spot in the playoffs.

A Look Back... (Part One)

2011-09-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

Seven and a half months ago, on February the 14th, 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals began their Spring Training. The weather, as it always is in Florida, was perfect. Anticipation for the upcoming season ran high, for the fans and the players alike. Unfortunately, life has a habit of dosing out some cold, hard reality. Before the Cardinals had played their first game, even of the preseason, dark news came. Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals superstar starting pitcher, had blown out his elbow. His only opportunity to ever pitch again was to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery, which would keep him on the sidelines for 12-18 months. Even then, pundits declared the Cardinals out of contention, even to the point of trading away their next best pitcher, Chris Carpenter, before the regular season began. The Cardinals, in typical Tony La Russa fashion, simply asked the next man in line to step up.

We fast forward to June the 19th. The Cardinals, despite the dire projections, were neck and neck with the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central standings. The Cardinals led the Kansas City Royal by a score of 3-2 in the 6th inning. Wilson Betimeit grounded a routine ball up the middle. Pete Kozma ranged to his right, gobbled the ball up, and made a low throw to first. When Albert Pujols reached back to snag the ball, his glove hand collided with Betimeit, attempting to beat the throw. Pujols' wrist was wrenched back, and he fell to the ground, grimacing with pain.

Hampered by injuries, the Cardinals drifted to a 15-13 record in August. In the meanwhile, the Brewers surged to a 21-7 mark, best in the majors, and all but sealed the Central Division. Not to be completely outdone, the Braves posted a 17-9 record in that month. On August the 25th, the Cardinals sat 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card. Then something, be it an act of God or not, clicked. From that point on the Cardinals have won 21 of 30 games, playing the best baseball in the majors. Simultaneously, the Braves have spiraled to a 10-19 record. That lead, 10.5 on August 25th, vanished to 0 last night.

It Begins

2011-09-23T09:32:00.001-05:00

Welcome to The Hometown Discount. The purpose of this blog is to provide an outlet for my thoughts and musings on the St. Louis Cardinals (and other local teams as I see fit). There will be little structure or consistency to the posting, just what comes to mind at a certain time. With the playoffs almost upon us, I figured this would be as good a time as any to begin this blog. Hope you enjoy.