***Official St. Louis Cardinals 2021 Season Thread***

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

SEIOWA CLONE

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2018
6,463
6,648
113
62
It’s because he’s so freaking talented that if he could actually get his head straight he’d dominate.

I’m sure they’ll let him walk and he’ll go on to dominate us for 5 more years.
Saw a game a couple of years ago that Smoltz's was doing as Martinez pitched for the Cards. They had played together in Smoltz last year, he was saying the same thing. Great arm, and he wants to nibble to get outs.

Been a Cards fan my entire life and I will say I am tired of seeing Martinez on the mound and Carp in the lineup. Carp is hitting .080 for the year, and we are giving him at bats. Let him heat up and then we can move him to save some money some have said. Well he is not going to hit, and if he did, the Cards would play him more and not move him to save money.

We need Martinez until we rotation gets healthy, once they do, put him in the bullpen and release Carp before the season gets away from us.
 

throwittoblythe

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
3,438
3,809
113
Minneapolis, MN
Saw a game a couple of years ago that Smoltz's was doing as Martinez pitched for the Cards. They had played together in Smoltz last year, he was saying the same thing. Great arm, and he wants to nibble to get outs.

Been a Cards fan my entire life and I will say I am tired of seeing Martinez on the mound and Carp in the lineup. Carp is hitting .080 for the year, and we are giving him at bats. Let him heat up and then we can move him to save some money some have said. Well he is not going to hit, and if he did, the Cards would play him more and not move him to save money.

We need Martinez until we rotation gets healthy, once they do, put him in the bullpen and release Carp before the season gets away from us.

Couldn’t agree more. Carp hitting .080 and in the lineup at all is bad. But putting him 5th? Or even in the 2 spot like they did the other day? Inexcusable. These guys have to understand that this business is harsh. It’s not like Carp is in a slump for the first time. It has been THREE YEARS of this. Cut bait and move on. It’s like firing Prohm...you like the guy, but you could not do much worse by putting a sack of potatoes in his spot. Give Nogowski or someone a chance to produce. You know what you have with Carp, which is nothing.

I was surprised how many hitters are doing well...Edman, Arenado, and Molina are all above .300 and Goldy isn’t too far off. But then you have absolute lineup killers with Carp and DeJong as well as ONeill before he got “hurt.”

I guess the good news is that Bader and his sub .200 average are about to return....I’m excited to see him strike out on sliders out of the zone again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SEIOWA CLONE

SEIOWA CLONE

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2018
6,463
6,648
113
62
Great to see that finally the front office is seeing and now saying what the fans have seen and said for the past couple of years. Carp refuses to adapt to the shift, and therefore is hurting the team when he plays. After his at bats tonight, Carp is hitting .077 with another 0-2 and a walk effort tonight.

Time to release him, and go our separate ways, I am not going to feel sorry for anyone that receives 20.5 million to go away. I would bet right now, everyone on this board would take that deal and be happy as hell, as they laughed all the way to the bank.

20.5 million = 18.5 M salary this year and 2.0 million buyout for next year.
 

throwittoblythe

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
3,438
3,809
113
Minneapolis, MN

I read that earlier as well. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a FO person be so blunt about a player with the media. Credit to MO for being honest. I wonder how the clubhouse views that kind of talk. He’s not speaking anything but the truth, but I’d love to know what the players think of what he said.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CyBobby

swiacy

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2009
1,699
1,334
113
The shift destroyed Carpenter and he refuses to bunt as a counter. The Cardinals made a really bad decision in 2019 with the extension on an aging player who was always an average defensive player at best (limited range with weak arm). I suspect the only reason they have started him the past two weeks or so was due to the injuries in the outfield along with poor production in the outfield along with the hope that maybe he would come around enough at the plate to make him more palatable in a trade. I went to the Royals/Angels game last week in KC to see Albert in person for probably the last time. Mozeliak was faced with probably the hardest decision in his tenure and made the right financial decision although they have never come up with a clean up hitter for the 4 hole since. This Carpenter situation has gone on for three years and Mo needs to look in the mirror and pull the trigger again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SEIOWA CLONE

StateThrowdown

Well-Known Member
Oct 27, 2008
339
319
63
Jasper County
This may be unpopular, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved listening to the guy for years but Mike Shannon is almost impossible to listen to this year. I have absolutely no clue what’s going on at any time when he’s announcing. He reacts to a two out single the exact same way as he would to a grand slam. Glad he is getting his victory lap this year but good lord, it should’ve been three years ago.
 

throwittoblythe

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
3,438
3,809
113
Minneapolis, MN
This may be unpopular, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved listening to the guy for years but Mike Shannon is almost impossible to listen to this year. I have absolutely no clue what’s going on at any time when he’s announcing. He reacts to a two out single the exact same way as he would to a grand slam. Glad he is getting his victory lap this year but good lord, it should’ve been three years ago.

Yeah, I’m glad he’s hanging it up too. It seems like he’s gotten really bad this year. He doesn’t have any fire in his voice, almost like he’s bored or not even really knowing what’s going on. He’s always been pretty bad, but at least he was excited and jovial...not this year. He butchers players names, mixes up which players are on which team, and repeats the same stats/jokes multiple times in the same inning.

I actually was researching yesterday if he had a stroke or something. At first I assumed he was just drunk like usual, but he sounds really bad even in the early innings now. I did read that he got COVID and they had to put him in a coma to get through it. So, maybe he’s got some after effects there.

Either way, I’m glad he’s only doing home half innings of home games. I’d much rather listen to the rest of the broadcast team.
 

swiacy

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2009
1,699
1,334
113
Pretty obvious Shannon is not on point and I would be surprised if he lasts a full season. Glad that the network owners are giving him a respectful exit to a guy who will be put up there with Jack Buck. Sad for we boomers to watch Gibby & Lou go out together & Mike showing his age the same year. I’ve wondered how long the current fan base would want to continue to hear about the glory era of Gibson, Brock, Boyer etc. They put the Mad Hungarian out to pasture and time rolls on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: throwittoblythe

CyCrazy

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
26,102
13,745
113
Ames
Nice series sweep. On to Shannon, I have loved hearing him for twenty plus years but like others have said its time to walk into the sunset. It was always comical to hear him get really giggly when he was 3/4 in the bag.

Who would take over for him?
 

throwittoblythe

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
3,438
3,809
113
Minneapolis, MN
Nice series sweep. On to Shannon, I have loved hearing him for twenty plus years but like others have said its time to walk into the sunset. It was always comical to hear him get really giggly when he was 3/4 in the bag.

Who would take over for him?

That’s a great question and I was wondering the same. I don’t know what ex-players there are that have that bent for announcing. Brad Thompson does a nice job but I don’t think he’s high profile enough. Edmonds does a great job for TV but doesn’t seem like a play by play guy.

Maybe they have Rooney take over then find a former player just for color/fill-in.

Well...I completely forgot about Rick Horton. I’m guessing Rooney/Horton take over.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mramseyISU

CyCrazy

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
26,102
13,745
113
Ames
That’s a great question and I was wondering the same. I don’t know what ex-players there are that have that bent for announcing. Brad Thompson does a nice job but I don’t think he’s high profile enough. Edmonds does a great job for TV but doesn’t seem like a play by play guy.

Maybe they have Rooney take over then find a former player just for color/fill-in.

Well...I completely forgot about Rick Horton. I’m guessing Rooney/Horton take over.

That makes a lot of sense. And I agree with Edmonds, he does a great job on tv.
 
  • Like
Reactions: throwittoblythe

FallOf81

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2017
2,453
3,690
113
I'm a Mike fan. But he's lived a fast life since the 60s, and the amount of happy juice has consumed along with an aged body has caught up with him. Hell he had crazy calls in the 80s. Living legacy but time to lower the curtain.
 

throwittoblythe

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
3,438
3,809
113
Minneapolis, MN
I'm a Mike fan. But he's lived a fast life since the 60s, and the amount of happy juice has consumed along with an aged body has caught up with him. Hell he had crazy calls in the 80s. Living legacy but time to lower the curtain.

Yeah for sure. He’s always been pretty bad at actually calling the game. But at least before he was actually entertaining. You had no idea what the count or score was, but he’d keep going on some wild story. Now he just seems lost and confused.
 

SEIOWA CLONE

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2018
6,463
6,648
113
62
Few announcers know when its time to call it a career, most go a few years beyond the time they should retire. Shannon as had a double life, very good player, until he was forced to retire, and then a spot in the booth for 40 years, many spent with Jack Buck, which brings back many fond childhood memories. But his time announcing has passed, time to move into the future.

Joe Buck would be great to get, but not sure he would be willing to give up the Fox Sports gig, Bob Costas would also be great, but I am sure it will Rooney taking over full time, with someone like Horton doing the color.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: throwittoblythe

BikeSkiClone

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2014
1,219
920
113
I haven't had an mlb.tv subscription for a few years (and live outside the midwest), so haven't seen too many Cardinals games but picked up a subscription this year and have been trying to watch most games. One of the Cardinals TV guys was confusing as hell today going on and on about how upset Blandino was after India was hit by a pitch. I had left the room and came back right after it happened and through all the replays, the warning, and the ejection, he kept saying 'you can tell Blandino is upset, and it's understandable...yada yada...Blandino is angry....yada yada...Blandino is rightly frustrated...Blandino this, Blandino that...' and I thought maybe Blandino had been on-deck or had jumped out of the dugout to defend his teammate.

...and then two batters later when Blandino actually was at the plate, they apologized for mixing up Blandino and India previously. Thought I'd missed some feisty fireworks.

Have really enjoyed the road games with Edmonds on the broadcast.

Also....less drama in the 9th, please.