My hope for 2007 - Page 2

BrotherBri · 08-01-2007, 12:18 PM

Well, it hasn't been a good summer for computer time, what with me playing more softball this year (a ribcage injury dropped my average down to .560 over the last four games), and with two teenagers in the house hogging both computers! And then when I do get on, I have to get the emails and articles read. But I will try to be on a bit more.

Had a great birthday at the ballpark on Sunday, even though I never did catch up to Bleacher. We celebrated the fifth anniversary of the acquisition of Mr. Rolen, which he celebrated, quite fittingly, with his 1,000th RBI. The Pujols double was a beautiful thing to see. The idiot running on the field afterward was entertaining, though I wish the crowd hadn't cheered him ... made me have to waste time explaining stuff to my son.

My son really enjoyed the comeback, and I have to say that it was the most excited I've ever seen him about baseball. He may finally have learned that while the home run is impressive, it is the rally that is exciting. Hustle doubles, infield singles, close plays at the bases, strong throws from the OF, quick turns at 2B ... he really got to see a lot of good baseball, played well and with the proper outcome! Maybe this will turn him into a REAL fan ...

With the win streak, I fear that TLR will convince himself that the veteran core has another year in it, and he'll stay on through '08. On the one hand, it would be fitting if Edmonds, Izzy, TLR and Walt all ride into the sunset after a very successful year, so I can see them all wanting to return for that. On the other hand, (1) with Carp not a certainty for next year, that happy ending is nothing close to guaranteed, and (2) hanging on to this difficult year might prevent Edmonds and Rolen from getting (needed?) clean-up surgeries, making success next year an even trickier chance. I certainly agree with all those who want to make the changes now to begin our transition ... give me Ankiel in RF right now, and lets see if Ludwick, Schu, Ryan, Cate and Falkenbourg can really do the job up here. Get real answers to our questions for '08, and then we can add the pieces we need.

That's what I'd do ...

tulcard · 08-01-2007, 12:50 PM

Thought it was a bit strange that Falkenbourg was DFA'd Sunday night after his last performance....Perez was brought up from AA to take his place as closer....(per the P.D.)

BleacherBum593 · 08-01-2007, 01:10 PM

Tully - I also thought the move with Falkenborg being DFA'd was kind of strange. With alittle better planning, they shouldn't have had to go thru that process. I wonder if someone messed up on the # of options that he had left and didn't catch it till it was time to send him back to Memphis.

BTW, Perez had a great start at AAA last night. 1 IP, 3 batters faced, KO'ing 2. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in STL by Sept 1.

GoCrazyFolks · 08-01-2007, 05:33 PM

The thought just occurred to me. Could Falkenborg be the PTBNL in the Pineiro deal? If so I don't know why they didn't just announce the name, but I guess there could be a reason.

Just a random thought.

AutobodyCAD · 08-02-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoCrazyFolks

The thought just occurred to me. Could Falkenborg be the PTBNL in the Pineiro deal? If so I don't know why they didn't just announce the name, but I guess there could be a reason.

Just a random thought.

Hopefully not. I sure hope you're wrong, then.

GoCrazyFolks · 08-02-2007, 11:30 AM

I don't know enough about Falkenborg to make an educated statement about the value of the "possible" trade. I just thought it was an odd move to DA him in that fashion.
It would make sense from the aspect the two players can never appear on the same roster.
At this point I'm holding my breath for both the PTBNL trades that are pending.

AutobodyCAD · 08-02-2007, 12:23 PM

Somehow I missed that he was DFA'd! It seemed to me he had more good performances than bad.

So, if a player is DFA'd, does the club still hold rights so as to be able to trade him?

GoCrazyFolks · 08-02-2007, 12:30 PM

I believe we have 10 days to trade him or release him. We can still re-sign him after the 10 days, but I believe he becomes a free agent. Bleacher or some of the others may be able to answer this question better than I can, though.

BleacherBum593 · 08-02-2007, 03:08 PM

From my transaction dictionary file:

Quote:

5. Designated for Assignment

When a club designates a player for assignment, it allows the club to open up a roster spot while it figures out what it is going to do with a player. Most often a player is designated for assignment so the club can open up his roster spot while they wait for him to clear waivers. A club may also designate a player for assignment while they try to trade him to another club.

Quote:

4. Waivers

A waiver on a Major League Player is defined as "...a permission granted for certain assignments of player contracts or for the unconditional release of a Major League player..."

A Major League Player placed on waivers will have "cleared waivers" if after three business days following waivers have been requested he has not been claimed by another team. If a player "clears waivers", the team has secured waivers on that player for the rest of the waiver period.

A team can do one of three things with a player once he has cleared waivers. They can send him to the minors, for veteran players with the consent of the player, they can release him, making him available to other teams, or they can trade him to another team, regardless of whether or not the trading deadline has passed. In order for a team to trade a player past the July 31st trading deadline, he must have first cleared waivers.

If a player placed on waivers is claimed by another team, the club requesting waivers may withdraw the waiver request. If the club doesn't withdraw the waiver request, the player's contract is assigned based on certain criteria. If only one club claims the player, that club is awarded the player. If more than one club in the same league makes claims, the club currently lower in the standings gets the player. If the claim is made during the first 30 days of the season, the previous season's standings are used to determine who gets the player. If clubs in both leagues claim the player, the player will always go to the club in the same league as the club requesting waivers.

Ewttexas · 08-04-2007, 01:42 PM

I'm starting to view this season with a weird perspective. Ask youself a couple of questions. Does our record really make a difference? Does it matter whether we win 100 games or 80 if the team comes out on top? What I am seeing is that the teams in front of us are not setting the woods on fire and those behind are not breathing down our necks. We should have won the last 2 games. They're over-let's move on.
Ever the optimist, I saw some good signs in those games. Pitching is the priority and both Wells and Reyes showed vast improvement. The offense is what has let us down. I think that it was Coop that said that Shannon thought that Eck was playing hurt. If that's the case, put him back on the DL and bring Brendan back.
I think that our season rests on the arm of Pineiro. If he turns out to be a steal ala Woody and Finley, we have a shot. Wainwright, Wells, Pineiro and Reyes. There is little choice for #5. I believe that Thompson and Looper have had it for the year. Too many innings. Looper was good at the beginning but he's a career reliever. Thompson has flip-flopped between starting and the pen and it has taken its toll. There is no real help at Memphis unless you want to give Keisler another chance. We're down to Maroth. He's somewhere between starting and being DFAd. I wish that he could go to Memphis to straighten out telegraphing his pitches but I don't know if we have that luxury. Looper is scheduled to go on Monday. It could be a disaster waiting to happen. The only solution I can imagine is to DFA Maroth and bring back Keisler. Assuming that Maroth clears waivers, keep it that way until he gets it figured out. Treat the 5th day as a BP day. Leave Keisler in as long as possible and go to the pen for the rest of the game.
In short, it's not over yet. We still have plenty of games with Milw and Chicago but we need to be in a position to take advantage of them. Albert has been in an Albert slump lately and Dunc has slowed a bit. The dog days of August are upon us. Rolen and Edmonds seem to be coming around so the offense should get back on track.
The fat lady hasn't sung but she's warming up. It's time for the Cards to do the same.

tulcard · 08-04-2007, 03:42 PM

Be an optimist, pessamist or realist....We will need to be at or over .500 at the conclusion of the Washington, L.A. and San Diego series to have a shot prior to facing the Cubs and Brewers once again.

The rotation will need to be figured out....offense will need to be consistent; getting the timely hit and 2 out hits instead of leaving 10 plus runners on base a game....defense will need to be solid....in other words this Team has never had the opportunity, or luxury of being able to jell and click on all cylinders. It better be able to or the Fat Lady will have concluded her performance.

Being a combo realist/optimist....we will either have placed ourselves in a position to compete for the postseason, or we'd better be thinking about next year by the end of these next three series....

Although, I'll still watch the games thereafter....

bedir than average · 08-07-2007, 09:29 PM

Cards fans, welcome to the Frontpage

08-01-2007, 12:18 PM	#16 (permalink)
BrotherBri Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 46	******* Well, it hasn't been a good summer for computer time, what with me playing more softball this year (a ribcage injury dropped my average down to .560 over the last four games), and with two teenagers in the house hogging both computers! And then when I do get on, I have to get the emails and articles read. But I will try to be on a bit more. Had a great birthday at the ballpark on Sunday, even though I never did catch up to Bleacher. We celebrated the fifth anniversary of the acquisition of Mr. Rolen, which he celebrated, quite fittingly, with his 1,000th RBI. The Pujols double was a beautiful thing to see. The idiot running on the field afterward was entertaining, though I wish the crowd hadn't cheered him ... made me have to waste time explaining stuff to my son. My son really enjoyed the comeback, and I have to say that it was the most excited I've ever seen him about baseball. He may finally have learned that while the home run is impressive, it is the rally that is exciting. Hustle doubles, infield singles, close plays at the bases, strong throws from the OF, quick turns at 2B ... he really got to see a lot of good baseball, played well and with the proper outcome! Maybe this will turn him into a REAL fan ... With the win streak, I fear that TLR will convince himself that the veteran core has another year in it, and he'll stay on through '08. On the one hand, it would be fitting if Edmonds, Izzy, TLR and Walt all ride into the sunset after a very successful year, so I can see them all wanting to return for that. On the other hand, (1) with Carp not a certainty for next year, that happy ending is nothing close to guaranteed, and (2) hanging on to this difficult year might prevent Edmonds and Rolen from getting (needed?) clean-up surgeries, making success next year an even trickier chance. I certainly agree with all those who want to make the changes now to begin our transition ... give me Ankiel in RF right now, and lets see if Ludwick, Schu, Ryan, Cate and Falkenbourg can really do the job up here. Get real answers to our questions for '08, and then we can add the pieces we need. That's what I'd do ... __________________ Just a thought ...

08-01-2007, 01:10 PM	#18 (permalink)
BleacherBum593 Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: St Louis (LF Bleachers) Posts: 1,727	Tully - I also thought the move with Falkenborg being DFA'd was kind of strange. With alittle better planning, they shouldn't have had to go thru that process. I wonder if someone messed up on the # of options that he had left and didn't catch it till it was time to send him back to Memphis. BTW, Perez had a great start at AAA last night. 1 IP, 3 batters faced, KO'ing 2. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in STL by Sept 1. __________________ "Build it and they will come"

08-04-2007, 01:42 PM	#25 (permalink)
Ewttexas Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 580	I'm starting to view this season with a weird perspective. Ask youself a couple of questions. Does our record really make a difference? Does it matter whether we win 100 games or 80 if the team comes out on top? What I am seeing is that the teams in front of us are not setting the woods on fire and those behind are not breathing down our necks. We should have won the last 2 games. They're over-let's move on. Ever the optimist, I saw some good signs in those games. Pitching is the priority and both Wells and Reyes showed vast improvement. The offense is what has let us down. I think that it was Coop that said that Shannon thought that Eck was playing hurt. If that's the case, put him back on the DL and bring Brendan back. I think that our season rests on the arm of Pineiro. If he turns out to be a steal ala Woody and Finley, we have a shot. Wainwright, Wells, Pineiro and Reyes. There is little choice for #5. I believe that Thompson and Looper have had it for the year. Too many innings. Looper was good at the beginning but he's a career reliever. Thompson has flip-flopped between starting and the pen and it has taken its toll. There is no real help at Memphis unless you want to give Keisler another chance. We're down to Maroth. He's somewhere between starting and being DFAd. I wish that he could go to Memphis to straighten out telegraphing his pitches but I don't know if we have that luxury. Looper is scheduled to go on Monday. It could be a disaster waiting to happen. The only solution I can imagine is to DFA Maroth and bring back Keisler. Assuming that Maroth clears waivers, keep it that way until he gets it figured out. Treat the 5th day as a BP day. Leave Keisler in as long as possible and go to the pen for the rest of the game. In short, it's not over yet. We still have plenty of games with Milw and Chicago but we need to be in a position to take advantage of them. Albert has been in an Albert slump lately and Dunc has slowed a bit. The dog days of August are upon us. Rolen and Edmonds seem to be coming around so the offense should get back on track. The fat lady hasn't sung but she's warming up. It's time for the Cards to do the same. Last edited by Ewttexas; 08-04-2007 at 01:48 PM.

08-07-2007, 09:29 PM	#27 (permalink)
bedir than average Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 8,256	Cards fans, welcome to the Frontpage __________________ US Men's National Team World Cup Qualifying \| Democracy in Sports Meets My First Campaign "You're only so sure you're right because they're so sure you're wrong." Orson Scott Card in Xenocide

08-01-2007, 12:50 PM	#17 (permalink)
tulcard Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 737	Thought it was a bit strange that Falkenbourg was DFA'd Sunday night after his last performance....Perez was brought up from AA to take his place as closer....(per the P.D.)

08-01-2007, 05:33 PM	#19 (permalink)
GoCrazyFolks Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 166	The thought just occurred to me. Could Falkenborg be the PTBNL in the Pineiro deal? If so I don't know why they didn't just announce the name, but I guess there could be a reason. Just a random thought.

08-02-2007, 11:30 AM	#21 (permalink)
GoCrazyFolks Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 166	I don't know enough about Falkenborg to make an educated statement about the value of the "possible" trade. I just thought it was an odd move to DA him in that fashion. It would make sense from the aspect the two players can never appear on the same roster. At this point I'm holding my breath for both the PTBNL trades that are pending.

08-02-2007, 12:23 PM	#22 (permalink)
AutobodyCAD Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 352	Somehow I missed that he was DFA'd! It seemed to me he had more good performances than bad. So, if a player is DFA'd, does the club still hold rights so as to be able to trade him?

08-02-2007, 12:30 PM	#23 (permalink)
GoCrazyFolks Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 166	I believe we have 10 days to trade him or release him. We can still re-sign him after the 10 days, but I believe he becomes a free agent. Bleacher or some of the others may be able to answer this question better than I can, though.

08-04-2007, 03:42 PM	#26 (permalink)
tulcard Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 737	Be an optimist, pessamist or realist....We will need to be at or over .500 at the conclusion of the Washington, L.A. and San Diego series to have a shot prior to facing the Cubs and Brewers once again. The rotation will need to be figured out....offense will need to be consistent; getting the timely hit and 2 out hits instead of leaving 10 plus runners on base a game....defense will need to be solid....in other words this Team has never had the opportunity, or luxury of being able to jell and click on all cylinders. It better be able to or the Fat Lady will have concluded her performance. Being a combo realist/optimist....we will either have placed ourselves in a position to compete for the postseason, or we'd better be thinking about next year by the end of these next three series.... Although, I'll still watch the games thereafter....