I asked Rockin' the Red friend Aaron Borchelt if he would like to write his opinions on the Cardinals' season so far. The true All-Star that he is, he was happy to oblige. This is the first part of a two-part series Aaron will be writing, with the second part focusing on what we can expect in the second half of the season. You can read more about Aaron in the Stories from the Stool series or see him ushering down the right field line the next time you're at a ballgame.

"It was the best of times ... it was the worst of times." It was the Cardinals first half of the 2008 season. What a roller coaster ride it has been. Coming out of Spring Training, expectations certainly were not as lofty as they have been the past couple of seasons. A corps of Cardinals made up of a handful of veterans and a slew of rookies drove fans to their local scorecard vendor and favorite blog sites to find their new favorite player.

"These guys won't be able to make noise in the Central this year."

"There's not enough experience."

"The team lacks a decent starting rotation."

But this team of Redbirds didn't seem to pay much attention to the so-called experts. Call it overachieving. Call it luck. Call it playing beyond itself. Call it what you will, but this team has closed out the first half of the season with the second best record in the National League. And you could even point to some games and situations and play the "what-if" game, but that's for another blog at another time. Through (literally) the blood, sweat, and tears (and RAIN!), this team, under the supervision of the master chemist Tony LaRussa, has continued to persevere and surpass every expectation and soar beyond every hurdle placed in its way.

Here's a look back at the first half of the season and some highlights (and lowlights) from Baseball City, U.S.A.

• WHO NEEDS A SCORECARD?!?!?!? 2008 marked the Major League debut for 10 Cardinal players (and perhaps more to follow). Here's the list: Brian Barton, Mitchell Boggs, Jaime Garcia, Joe Mather, Kyle McClellan, Mike Parisi, Chris Perez, Nick Stavinoha, Rico Washington, and Mark Worrell.

• CARDINAL NATION - LOUD AND LOYAL!! Team personnel had set a season attendance goal of 3.2 million, a bit lower than previous years. But the St. Louis faithful have been just that, faithful, packing the stands at an average of better than 42,000 fans per game.

• "HOME" AWAY FROM HOME Good teams find ways to win, no matter where they are playing. This Cardinals team has done just that, boasting the best road record in the National League with a 27-22 mark.

• COMEDY CENTRAL NO MORE The National League Central has been the target of many jokes over the past few years. After all, 83 wins secures first place in the division?!?! But this year is a different story. The top three teams from the National League reside in the National League Central - the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers. I guess it's no laughing matter any more in the midwest. Perhaps it will turn to the "Wacky West" as their first place team is under .500.

• AS GOOD AS GOLD??? They say that "defense wins championships." Well, this team might just prove that to be true. At the close of the first half, the Cardinals own the best fielding percentage in the National League. Newcomer Troy Glaus, in fact, leads NL third baseman in fielding percentage, giving up only 3 errors in 235 chances. Albert Pujols, the Cardinals All Star first (and second) baseman only has 2 miscues in 777 chances. That's good for third in the league.

• IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE??? At times throughout the first half, our disabled list looked more like a lineup card. With names such as Pujols, Molina, Wainwright, Carpenter, Mulder, and a host of others missing time due to injury, the Cardinals have been forced to play shorthanded for much of the season.

• MO KNOWS PITCHING John Mozeliak has, of late, been the subject of conversations regarding personnel moves, or a lack thereof. Although, after watching the performance of our starting rotation on the mound, I'm starting to think that he knows something we don't know. Start with All Star snub, Cardinals Ace???, Kyle Lohse. 11-2 ... 3.39 ERA ... 12 out of 20 quality starts ... not bad timing for a guy who will be a free agent at the end of the season. And then there is the National League Pitcher of the Month for May, Todd Wellemeyer. During the second month of the season, Todd went 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA while chewing up 37 inningsin 6 games.

• THAT'S A BUNCH OF "B.S" I began my bit with the popular passage from "A Tale of Two Cities." This couldn't be more true for the Cardinals bullpen. Through one-half of the season, the Redbird relievers lead the league in holds, but also in blown saves. Arguably the most frustrating BS of the first half came last Saturday in Pittsburgh when the Cardinals blew a 6-run lead to the Bucs.

• YADI LEAVES IT ALL ON THE FIELD One of my favorite memories of the first half, Yadier Molina continued to lead by example in Milwaukee. On May 12, Yadi had a "different interpretation of the strike zone" than home plate umpire Paul Schrieber. To drive home his point, Molina littered the home plate area with his catching gear and walked off the field.

• MORE ON MOLINA Here's undoubtedly the "Stat of the Year." Who leads the Cardinals in infield hits this season? Yadier Molina. Who would have thought that?!?!?!?!?!?!? Flashes of speed aside, Yadi is putting together a career offensive season, posting an average of better than .300. He would get my vote for Offensive Most Improved Player of the Year.

• IF THE "SCHU" FITS ... PLAY HIM!!! One of the many pleasant surprises this year has been Skip Schumaker. This has been Skip's first chance to play everyday in the big leagues and he has embraced the challenge and thrived. It started on Opening Day - Take 1 - when he made a dazzling diving catch in left field. While that Web Gem doesn't officially count as a putout since the game was rained out, it is certainly one of the plays of the year in my book. Looking at the numbers, Skip has been a quality leadoff batter by hitting .293 with 6 homers and an on-base percentage of .357. Dare I say it, exactly what the team needs in the top slot of the batting order. All of this productivity has come in 89 games played, which is one more than any of his previous seasons (previous high - 88 games in 2007).

• WELCOME BACK!!! First half 2008 gave Cardinal Nation the opportunity to formally welcome back to beloved Cardinals of recent history - So Taguchi and Jim Edmonds. When considering my favorite moment of the first half, the reception that these two players received from the home crowd is definitely up there on the list. Both players were greeting to the batters box with a standing ovation, both of which delayed the game a bit until the guest tipped his cap and stepped in. I'd put our quality fans up against any other group of supporters in the league, especially those from Philly and Chicago.

• MAGIC NUMBERS I know, I know, it is still WAAAAAYYYYYY too early to start talking about those countdowns to a clincher at this point in the season. In fact, word to the wise, don't dare utter those words to Tony LaRussa. But the numbers, well really number, I am referring to is "300." This number has special significance to the Birds on the Bat this year. Albert Pujols hit his 300th career home run against the Cubs on July 4. Yadier is hitting over .300 for the first time in his career. Troy Glaus is 8 home runs shy of 300 for his career. But the real question might lie with another "300" ... Will Jason Isringhausen record his 300th save this season? Stay tuned ... Only time will tell.

• A GLAUS-SY FINISH??? The newcomer with the highest fan expectations for the year was none other than Troy Glaus, the 2002 World Series MVP. He got off to a slow start, battling unfamiliar pitchers and "allergies," just to name a few. The opportunities to shine were there as it seemed like he was always batting with runners on base. But as the weather started heating up, so did the native Californian. After hitting .259 with 3 homers and 33 RBI in April and May, the keeper of the hot corner has bounced back with a .286 average and 11 HR while driving in 24 runs in June and July. That includes a .310 average in the month of July. I don't know about you, but I like the trend that this is leaning towards.

I'll be honest. I did not have much faith in this Cardinals team as we turned the calendar from March to April. 75 wins would be a great season in my book. But this team has continued to surprise all of the doubters, like yours truly, and have put together a season that all of Cardinal Nation can be proud of. What will the second half be comprised of? Will there be a Jocketty-esque move before the trade deadline? Who knows. But one thing's for certain ... this team won't quit! They are geared up for the long haul. So sit back, relax, and get ready, because this roller coaster ride is only halfway done!!!


More...

The Memphis Redbirds next scheduled game is Friday, July 18.
Memphis Redbirds: Home
Redbirds : Memphis Commercial Appeal
AM 560 Sports 56 WHBQ - The Voice of the Fan!

The Springfield Cardinals are at Tulsa Drillers @ 7PM.
Probables: Adam Daniels vs Kip Wells (< rehab).
Springfield Cardinals
JOCK 98.7 FM
Drilled
Springfield Cardinals

The Palm Beach Cardinals are at Sarasota Reds.
Probables: Brandon Dickson vs Bobby Livingston @ 6PM.
They got this done! < :)
Palm Beach Cardinals: Home

The Burlington Bees are at Quad City River Bandits .
Probables: Nicholas Addition vs Alexander Caldera @ 1PM.
Quad Cities River Bandits: Home

The Johnson City Cardinals are at Kingsport Mets @ 6PM.
Johnson City Cardinals: Home

The VSL Pirates are at VSL Cardinals @ 11:30AM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: VSL Cardinals
New time zone
Current local time in Caracas - Venezuela

The GCL Cardinals are at GCL Mets @ 11AM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: GCL Cardinals

The Batavia Muckdogs are at Staten Island Yankees @ 6PM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: Batavia Muckdogs

The DSL Cardinals are at DSL Athletics 2 @ 9:30AM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: DSL Cardinals

MiLB Standings
USATODAY.com
MiLB team schedules
Minor League Baseball: Schedule: Schedule
Minor League Baseball: Multimedia: Gameday Audio

Off topic:
The Big Guys next scheduled game is in St. Louis Thursday @ 7PM .
MLB - Scores & Schedule Thursday July 17, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

STLtoday - Sports - Cardinals

Cards Website - Home link
The Official Site of The St. Louis Cardinals | StLCardinals.com: Homepage

FSN schedule
FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Schedules

Additions and corrections are appreciated.

LINK


I dont know about you Loren, but I cant stand Kerry COlins. There are much better people who served (or serving) for our team that could be on the list.

In celebration of this week's All-Star festivities, I thought I'd catch up with our own All-Star field usher, Aaron Borchelt, who graciously made time for another Q and A session as a sequel to his smash-hit first interview, "An Inside Look at the Life of a Field Usher." This time, I thought we'd take a look at the lighter side of being a field usher - streakers, dealing with Fredbird, and making highlight-worthy catches. Reader be warned.

First of all, I have to ask this: is there actually All-Star selections for ushers? If not, what can we do to help you make that happen?

No, unfortunately (or fortunately ... more on that to come) there are not all star usher selections. They let the host team have their people out there for "the big game." Which brings me to the "fortunately" part of our show, since the "big game" will be in St. Louis next year, I should be stationed on the stool for all of that action. And I thought the pressure to perform was high during the World Series ;-)

As our readers may or may not know, on Friday (the 4th) night there was a fan who ran onto the field in what seemed to be an ill-fated streaking attempt. Is it true that the field ushers had, for lack of a better word, "intel" before the game even started that there would be a fan attempting to run onto the field? If so, how does intel like that come about?

There was indeed a "field intrusion" on Friday night at the Cards-Cubs game in St. Louis. Supposedly, this was a well-documented plan that "fell" short of execution. During the seventh inning, this fan decided to "stretch" her legs and go for a bit of a jog. Little does she know that the security at Busch Stadium already was aware of her intentions.

I'm not for sure how it was made known to the Cardinals. I thought it had something to do with a radio prank/promotion, but I can't confirm that. It was just a matter of time. When it came to her "5 seconds of fame," that's about all she got ... 5 seconds! She barely got past Stan Musial's retired number on the left field wall, which is not very far for those that are unfamiliar with our tribute to some of the Cardinal greats. She was caught, written up, and taken to jail to spend the remainder of her Fourth of July weekend. I guess she had to provide some fireworks of her own! The fine is yet to be determined until a court appearance takes place.

As an interesting sidebar to this story, this fan was ejected from the ballpark earlier in the game for activity elsewhere. It is believed that she obtained a second ticket and came back in to get some more attention. That story reminds me of the Red Wings fan that went to Pittsburgh and was thrown out of a Stanley Cup Finals game for hurling an octopus onto the ice. What fans will do!!!!

Do the Cardinals have a jail cell for holding detainees, such as in the King of Queens episode where Doug and Carrie get put in "Mets jail" for running onto the field/being belligerent at a hot dog stand? I suppose they take the matter a little more seriously in real life than they do in a sitcom.

Busch Stadium is equipped with holding cells for those patrons who feel the urge to come onto the field, or who fight the law. I've only seen this area once when I had to file a report. I think there is a separate location for the intoxicated fans/underaged drinkers. I haven't seen that episode of King of Queens. Can you say YouTube?!!!!

Fredbird was noticeably irritating you on Friday, throwing your stool, helmet, and poncho (which, I assume, was for the streaker) onto the field when you weren't looking. Fredbird might be one of the most annoying yet loved mascots in all of baseball. That said, is there any bad blood between you and the bird?

Fredbird and I have nothing but the utmost respect for each other. There is certaily no FOWL play involved. And I am NEVER irritated by what the bird does. It is fun, fan-friendly, and adds to the entertainment of a trip to the ballpark. Friday night was by far one of the funnier moments he has had. While I was going about my business of telling the front row of fans what they can and cannot do, Fredbird decided to litter the field with my belongings. When I didn't notice or react, he picked up my things and threw them further into the outfield. It was at that point when I noticed that I no longer had a stool to sit on down the right field line, but rather in line with the right fielder. I retrieved my things and continued on down the line. Fredbird then decided to take my things again, but was caught in the act by yours truly. All in all, many laughs were had and a good time was had by all.

That wasn't the first run-in with "Big Bird." Over the course of my years on the field, he has poked fun, made several gestures which I shall not go into at this time, thrown popcorn at me, offered me pizza, smashed that aforementioned Italian delight in my face, kicked dirt on me, and otherwise antagonized me in hopes of getting a laugh. What that bird doesn't know is that something is coming in return. He doesn't know what ... he doesn't know when ... he doesn't know where ... but it's coming!!!!

He smashed pizza in your face? Maybe it's time to send Fredbird to Cardinals jail.

Yes, I was "fed" a Digiorno Pizza during a game last season. I guess I was the "lucky fan of the game." Fredbird in Cardinals jail ... now THERE'S an idea. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Perhaps you've seen the viral video of a field usher who scales the outfield wall to catch a foul ball (you can see it here). Do you ever have any urge to pull a Jimmy Edmonds and make a diving grab in foul territory?

Yes I have seen that video. In fact, I think I had it sent to me 7 times in one day. Not a bad example of viral marketing! My first reaction to that video was, "That's fake. There's no way that happened." Which was indeed true. Speaking of making a diving play or attempting to make it on SportsCenter, the thought has crossed my mind. It's all about timing and opportunity. I have caught two baseballs on a fly, but those were of the line drive sort. The umpires really don't like for on-field security staff to do that sort of thing because a ball is still "in play" until it hits into foul territory. Will there ever be a time when I dive for a ball? Perhaps. But that will probably be the last time you see me on the field.

I think we all have to unanimously agree that the video is fake, or else we might come across an amateur field usher draft. Think you can play a little middle infield for us? With a decent glove and some gap power I'm pretty sure we could find a spot for you on the team.

Those guys make it look easy (most of the time). I could always hold my own fielding, but couldn't hit worth anything. However, if the big club would like to pay me the league minimum for a game or three, I would be more than happy to oblige.

I'll let Mozeliak know the next time I talk with him.


More...

The Memphis Redbirds next scheduled game is Friday, July 18.
Memphis Redbirds: Home
Redbirds : Memphis Commercial Appeal
AM 560 Sports 56 WHBQ - The Voice of the Fan!

The Springfield Cardinals are at Tulsa Drillers @ 7PM.
Probables: Kyle Sadlowski vs Ching-Lung Lo.
Springfield Cardinals
JOCK 98.7 FM
Doubleheader win
Springfield Cardinals

The Palm Beach Cardinals have a scheduled day off.
Palm Beach Cardinals: Home

The Quad City River Bandits have a scheduled day off.
Quad Cities River Bandits: Home

The Johnson City Cardinals are at Kingsport Mets @ 6PM.
Johnson City Cardinals: Home

The VSL Cardinals are at VSL Mets @ 11:30AM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: VSL Cardinals
New time zone
Current local time in Caracas - Venezuela

The GCL Nationals are at GCL Cardinals @ 9AM.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: GCL Cardinals

The Batavia Muckdogs have a scheduled day off.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: Batavia Muckdogs

The DSL Cardinals have a scheduled day off.
Minor League Baseball: Clubs: DSL Cardinals

MiLB Standings
USATODAY.com
MiLB team schedules
Minor League Baseball: Schedule: Schedule
Minor League Baseball: Multimedia: Gameday Audio

Off topic:
The Big Guys next scheduled game is in St. Louis Thursday @ 7PM .
MLB - Scores & Schedule Thursday July 17, 2008 - Yahoo! Sports

Cards Website - Home link
The Official Site of The St. Louis Cardinals | StLCardinals.com: Homepage

FSN schedule
FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Schedules

Additions and corrections are appreciated.

LINK

I really hope Kalil can dominate as our center for this coming season!

We won a series! We won a series! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the All-Star break as much as the players are. It's been an exhausting, disheartening, and stressful past week for Cardinals fans, and now we have this news to cope with this morning - Farewell to the King: A-B's Board Sells Kingdom to InBev for $52 Billion. I don't know about you, but I need a little comedy right now. Let's check up on how our former Cardinals are doing, volume 3.

Remember when we thought Jim Edmonds was done? Apparently not, as the Cubs now have a serviceable center fielder after all the ranting and raving of their fans the first two weeks. In 134 AB, Jimmy Ballgame is batting .269/.369/.552 with 9 home runs and 29 RBIs. I'll admit, I booed Jim when he came to St. Louis on the 4th of July, but only to try to drown out the applause he was getting from a large portion of our fans. Seriously, why give him permission to tug at the heartstrings of two different fanbases, two opposing fanbases, like this was some perverted episode of Dawson's Creek? He's a Cub now. He wanted out of St. Louis. He's the enemy. Give me Rick Ankiel any day.

The Scott Rolen trade is still playing out wildly in our favor. Whereas Scott is batting .267/.358/.431 with only 6 home runs and 28 RBIs (255 AB), Troy Glaus is batting .276/.377/.486 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs (333 AB). To top it off, Troy is playing Gold Glove-worthy defense in the National League, committing only 3 errors and ranking in the top 5 third basemen in UZR for the entire MLB. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha. That's Mozeliak having the last laugh.

David Eckstein, the other component of the Toronto Tandem, is batting .269/.354/.354 with 1 home run and 22 RBIs in 212 AB. The normally tough to strikeout shortstop is K-ing 10.4% of the time, the highest of his career. Eck's hitting his fair share of doubles, however, and is poised to post a career high in that category. I still think we made the right move despite his offensive proficiency to Cesar Izturis, as his defense has been downright dreadful, ranked in the bottom 5 of all shortstops. That said, Eckstein is a good guy, and we wish the best for him.

Another Cardinal good guy isn't have the season he expected. So Taguchi, now with the Philadelphia Phillies, is batting just .212/.288/.273 with no homers and 4 RBIs. So was able to keep his OBP and BA up last season, but this year he's not making any contact. Comparing seasons, he's basically Brendan Ryan without the batting average and middle infield abilities. That's bad for Brendan.

At last check, Jeff Weaver was struggling to not get pounded with the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate. Since then, he's been released and picked up by the Cleveland Indians. He made his first start for their Triple-A team on Saturday, pitching 3 innings and allowing 3 ER, 5 hits, and 1 home run. Ability-wise, I'd put him and Matt Clement on the same page right now, although Clement has more potential than Dream Weaver. It's fascinating how quickly pitchers can fall off the face of the earth.

Mike Maroth was another player struggling to stay on-board the Royals Triple-A affiliate. Unfortunately, the Royals released Mike on May 2nd. According to his website, Mike had shoulder surgery at the beginning of June and is currently recovering in Orlando. We wish him well.

Last but not least, there's some news coming from the John Rodriguez front as of late. At the beginning of June, John signed with the New York Mets to a minor-league deal. The native New Yorker had decent numbers with the Rays Triple-A affiliate, but perhaps he'll be able to work his way to a call-up with the Mets, who could really use outfield help. Not unlike Anthony Reyes, he's still plugging away, hoping for a chance to make his way back to the big leagues.

That sums it up. Some former Cardinals are having seasons to forget, some are recovering from injury, and some are playing on a second-wind. Even though these guys are gone, I can't help but notice how they have seemingly sprung up in the form of other players: So Taguchi and Brendan Ryan, Jeff Weaver and Matt Clement, Scott Rolen and Troy Glaus, David Eckstein and Cesar Izturis, Jim Edmonds and Rick Ankiel. The faces have changed, but their abilities haven't.


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