04 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Gveaway #1 came to a close with first pitch and our computer-chosen winner is Aaron Love. Direct Message me on Twitter so we can get your email!
Question #2 is as follows and will net a lucky contestant a glorious 8-DVD box set of the 2011 World Series!
What St. Louis Cardinal holds the most TEAM records from a single season? In what season did their feat occur? Tweet me @rallybirdsblog with your answer, hashtag #RallyBirdsGiveaway!
04 Wednesday Apr 2012
Tags
Okay Cardinals fans, welcome to Opening Day of the 2012 season… what a glorious day it is.
Let’s get this trivia program started! I will collect answers until game time tonight at 6. Then, I will randomly choose (using an online random decision generator) which will choose the winner among the correct answers. Sound good? You can submit your answer to me on Twitter @rallybirds blog with the hashtag #RallyBirdsGiveaway.
Are we ready? This first question is fairly easy and it will win a lucky individual a copy of the BluRay/DVD combo of Baseball’s Greatest Games featuring Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. (If you google that or search A&E’s online shop you will find exactly how awesome an item you’re getting.)
Here’s our question: Who is the only Major League Baseball Player to have an award named after him while still an active player? Bonus points if you know the year and the award, as well.
Answer away, Cardinals fans!
03 Tuesday Apr 2012
Tags
2011, A&E, David Freese, DVD, Game 6, MVP, United Cardinal Bloggers, World Series
Cardinals fans, we are a mere 23 and 1/2 hours away from the return of our reigning World Champions in regular season play. Spring, and soon Summer, is upon us as we count the hours to the season opener in Miami.
In celebration of this occasion, I will be giving away several items in remembrance of our fantastic and historic 2011 post-season. Firstly, I will be giving away a BluRay/DVD combo of Baseball’s Greatest Games: 2011 World Series Game 6 and, in conjunction, the St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series Collector’s Edition 8-DVD Box Set.
This is a great moment for RallyBirds.com, all of which made possible by the United Cardinal Bloggers alongside A&E Network Home Entertainment and Major League Baseball Productions. It is of the utmost pleasure to me to bring this gift to my fellow St. Louis Cardinals fans. I will be awarding 3 copies of each of the aforementioned BluRay/DVD sets so there will be some events or questions forthcoming to determine how these gifts will be disseminated. Stay tuned to RallyBirds!
02 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
I’m here with my friend and Springfield Business Journal photographer Aaron in the Press Box at Hammons Field. Game time is a rather warm temperature in the 80s with a southerly breeze whipping the Texas League team pennants which are tonight topped with St. Louis Cardinals banners. Find me on Twitter @rallybirdsblog and lets talk Cardinals baseball while we watch tonight’s exhibition.
02 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
St. Louis will pull into Springfield for the first time in a few years, making up the missed 2011 exhibition game. This is a bit of a filler post for the moment letting everyone know that I will be there (making use of the newly acquired media pass) making live updates from the game. Stay tuned to RallyBirds when gametime hits.
27 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
Here I sit in the Champion’s Club at Hammons Field, the home of St. Louis’ AA affiliate, surrounded by Cardinals Front Office personnel such as Jeff Levering, the voice of and Media Relations head of the team, as well as Springfield GM Matt Gifford. Also around the room are well-known sports personalities from the town; Ned Reynolds and Dan Lucy, and many from surrounding news outlets.
I walked through the Front Offices to the field where I first caught a glimpse of the field itself from ground level, peering through the right field gate. The field is perfectly green, lush from the recent rains and ensuing sunny Spring days, and in the process of a crafty and masterful grooming by the Hammons Field landscape professionals. The Sun beaming across the near-8,000 empty seats and the lightly watered infield has the room in the throes of Spring Training discussion interspersed between their own stories dating the numerous old friendships that knit the room together.
I sit at a small bar table peering out through this window, as I have peered through so many since the close of post-season season play, waiting for professional baseball to once again grace this shrine to which it was erected. Many ballparks deserve the title of “shrine” but few so deservedly as this particlar home to our perfect game. The question was asked to Mr. Ned Reynolds, quite easily the most notable figure of Springfield sports, how Hammons Field ranks amongst its fellow Texas League ballparks. Mr. Reynolds responds that Wichita boasted a fine park yet without a doubt, the best home to baseball in this Texas League is this; Hammons Field.
A perfect shrine, suited for the perfect game.
18 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in 2012, AA Springfield, General, Spring Training
Tags
Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Erik Komatsu, Matt Carpenter, Skip Schumaker, Spring Traininig, Springfield Cardinals
Spring is shaping up and we’re beginning to see some formulations of a potential Major League roster. Skip Schumaker is injured, Chris Carpenter has suffered a minor setback, the Carpenter of the Matt variety is making a bid for the big league roster, Erik Komatsu is getting a lot of attention, and Adam Wainwright has now thrown 9 scoreless innings in the Spring – adding four more this afternoon. Matt Holliday is mashing and appearing to take the reigns as a true leader on the team with a Jupiter-inflated 1.364 OPS and our new long-term contractee Yadier Molina has caught the majority of the innings so far this Spring with a backup battle sure to ensue soon. It seems at the moment that most things are going fairly well.
We’re nearing the point where we begin measuring the distance to Opening Day in days rather than weeks and where I begin my very enthusiastic countdown to the big club’s appearance here in Springfield to face the baby birds on April 2nd. I am excited for the Springfield team this season, I am excited every year as it seems we are continually producing a handful of notable candidates to be future St. Louis Cardinals every season. We have seen several former Springfield players become Major Leaguers, it was slower at first but with nearly ten years under our belt as a farm club we have witnessed our hometown players not only become Major League Cardinals, but World Series Champions. There is no shortage of excitement for the 2012 Cardinals, and as a Springfield Cardinals supporter, that will continue into the future.
More updates will soon come as there is regular baseball in the air and we will soon see baseball taking place north of the Mason-Dixon line. Boy, I cannot wait.
30 Monday Jan 2012
Tags
Baltimore Orioles, Chris Davis, Koji Uehara, Kyle McClellan, Roy Oswalt, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Tommy Hunter
Kyle McClellan deals during the 2011 season at Busch Stadium.
As we continue following the developing Roy Oswalt story – for up-to-the-minute updates as events unfold check El Maquino’s breakdown – it appears that the Cardinals are in the middle of an attempt to dump salary to make both payroll and roster space for a Free Agent Starting Pitcher most likely by the name of Roy Oswalt. Despite reports, there is little to no chance any such opening would be used to tender a contract to the less enthusiastic option Edwin Jackson who was once expected to net at least a few years on his forthcoming deal.
The Cardinals are currently reported to be in trade discussions with at least one team and likely a couple more. The Baltimore Orioles present themselves as the most likely destination for a Kyle McClellan trade at the moment and reports have swirled that the Cardinals asked of a mid-level prospect in return. This suggestion was rejected however as too high a price to pay for the services of Kyle McClellan right now (and I would agree). The Cardinals will, if they haven’t already, adjust their offer to accept little more than salary relief. McClellan is due $2.5MM in 2012 after coming to an agreement with the Cardinals a couple of weeks ago.
The only major hang-up right now in the club’s possibility to move McClellan to the Orioles is their desire to bring back their 2011 trade chip Koji Uehara – a player they traded to the Rangers on July 30th for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter. Texas is the only other viable (known) suitor for the services of Roy Oswalt this season so they have the opportunity to create a gap in there roster and play spoiler to their 2011 World Series foes in St. Louis.
Roy Oswalt is expected to visit the Texas Rangers tomorrow (Monday) and will likely make a decision within the next seven days. As always, this is a developing story and I’ll continue to look at our possibilities as the situation evolves.
28 Saturday Jan 2012
Posted in 2012, General, Sabermetrics
Tags
2012, Cardinals, Carlos Beltran, FIP, houston astros, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse, Lance Berkman, Lance Lynn, Memphis Redbirds, Oswalt, Pitching, Roy Oswalt, Signing Day, Texas Rangers
2nd Edit – 29 January – 11:30 AM: John Mozeliak apparently not smokescreening about whether the club had signed or had a contract in place with Oswalt. Reports come out that Roy Oswalt will be visiting the Texas Rangers on Monday and a decision may come soon. Perhaps on Tuesday, maybe Roy is just a really big fan of National Signing Day?
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This blog was posted last night but I obviously needed to make a quick update as there’s been a few news items to note re: the Oswalt-to-Cardinals story. All signs, except apparently John Mozeliak, point to Oswalt. In an article today, John Mozeliak denies any pursuit of Roy Oswalt by the club.
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Official word pending, it appears that the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms with Free Agent SP Roy Oswalt. Oswalt, former teammate to Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran, seems to be headed to Busch Stadium on a one year deal slated to pay in the range of about $5MM. This will inevitably push one of Jake Westbrook or Kyle Lohse out of the picture, the only hang-up? Both men possess a valuable No Trade Clause in their contracts. If neither man is willing to waive their NTC it will create a predicament within the rotation that may result in Jake Westbrook either being relegated to a bullpen role or, and more likely, outright released. The Cardinals have certainly weighed the possibility of having to eat some dollars on either of the two men’s contracts in a trade or a release in the event they were able to bring aboard Oswalt. Lohse is due $11.9MM while Westbrook is due $8.5 so the Cardinals are looking at a BIG chunk of money either way. A trade is the best-case scenario right now.
Roy Oswalt was no slouch last season despite his well-documented injuries. He maintained a very respectable HR/9 (0.65) despite pitching several games in Philadelphia and sports an above average GB% (47.3%) for his career which should play into the Cardinals continued pitch-to-contact philosophy despite a lack of Dave Duncan for the foreseeable future.
Oswalt’s injury is still something to consider as I mentioned a couple weeks back that there was talk of Oswalt hanging it up due to his back mid-season last year. This seems to be a reasonable risk to the Cardinals and I’m on board, as well. Oswalt managed an FIP of 3.44 with an xFIP of 3.95 so he did very well in his injury-shortened 2011 campaign of 139 innings.
In another previous entry I discussed the potential for Lance Lynn to claim the 5th roster spot in Spring Training, this is no longer something I see as a possibility and expect him to stand a greater chance starting the year in Memphis’ rotation rather than St. Louis’ bullpen. I love what Lance Lynn may be able to provide as a starter and believe he projects as a #3 or #4 in the Major Leagues. While I want to see him at the big league level, I hope the organization remains committed to Lynn as a starter more than a reliever.
28 Saturday Jan 2012
Tags
2012, 5th Starter, Cardinals, Oswalt, Pitching, Rotation, Roy Oswalt
Rumors currently swirling that the Redbirds are closer than the Red Sox or Astros to signing free agent SP Roy Oswalt to a contract. More coming!
Here’s my previous thoughts!
Oswalt vs Westbrook; or The 5th Starter
