Congratulations to Whitey Herzog on his call from the Hall!  It was long overdue.  As a fellow southern Illinoisan (Whitey is from New Athens, and I'm from Belleville), I'm pleased as punch that a homestate boy is being inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Whitey Herzog was Cardinal baseball in the 1980's.  Before Whitey came to St. Louis, the Cards were a sub-par team.  Whitey came in and cleaned house.  As a GM, he wheeled and dealed to get the players he wanted.  He had a great working relationship with Gussie Busch, then the Cards' owner. 

Whitey created his own brand of baseball, better known as "Whiteyball."  Whiteyball consisted of stealing bases and manufacturing runs, among other things.  Whiteyball put fans in the stands, excited the baseball faithful, and led to a World Series win for the first time in 15 years.  The Cards also won 2 NL pennants under Whitey's management, one in 1985 and 1987.  After Whitey left the Cards, he went to the Angels where he helped build that team too. 

I have lots of great memories of Whiteyball.  Thanks to my BFF who bought a lot of Cards tickets on her credit cards, we went to lots of Cards games in the 1980's.  I used to take my daughter to the Cardinals game.  Bleacher seats were $4.00, and if she could walk under the turnstile, she got in free. Can't do that anymore!  But she went to the dark side and became a Cubs fan.  That's one of the ultimate acts of rebellion! 

As Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch puts it so eloquently here, it's long past time to retire Whitey's uniform number 24. In my opinion, it should have been on the wall of the new Busch Stadium when it opened.  I look forward to seeing Whitey inducted into the Hall on MLB TV, and if only I could win the lottery, I could be there in person.  I know, I know, I have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than winning the lottery.

In other news, it appears that the Cardinals are giving us another early Christmas present by signing pitcher Brad Penny, once he passes his physical.  Penny will be another reclamation project for Dave Duncan.  The winter meetings are not over yet, so maybe Cardinals fans will receive more Christmas presents in the days ahead.

Time for me to fly!  See you all soon!

Diane

And ladies, you know what that means - Christmas shopping!  :D  Yes, I know that Christmas is about Jesus Christ, who I love so much.  (And Albert is preaching it too - see here.)  But the Wise Men did bring the baby Jesus some nice gifts, and we still follow that example today. We give to others to remember the great gift of love He gave to us. 

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I did some cyber shopping and found some cute, cute Cardinals stuff you can suggest that your husband/boyfriend/significant other can buy you for Christmas, so to keep in your good graces.  You could also give Cardinals gifts to your best buddies who are Cardinals fans. 

I found a really cute purse on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website.  Click here to see it. The Post-Dispatch site also has some cute Cardinals earrings, necklaces and even iPod covers.  Click here to see all the Cardinals products.

The folks at Major League Baseball are no slouches in the women's accessories department either.  They have some really cute stuff and you can find it all here.  MLB also has some cute women's shirts and jackets, but they don't come in plus size (yes, I'm talking to you, Alyssa Milano.  Not all of us are skinny minis like you.)  If you order from MLB, make sure you have the items you want in stock, because there are only 23 days until Christmas, you know!

If your husband/boyfriend/significant other is shopping impaired like my husband is, perhaps you can e-mail the links of the cute Cardinals stuff you want directly to them.  A little hint never hurts!  

The Cardinals themselves gave us an early Christmas present by resigning Jason LaRue.  Yadi is a great catcher and all, but sometimes, he needs a rest (or he gets sick or injured) and Jason is a great backup.  There was a photo of Jason in the Belleville News-Democrat this morning of Jason without his mustache and I didn't recognize him! 

Well, that's all for now.  Have a great evening!

Diane

Congratulations to Albert Pujols for winning the 2009 NL MVP award, an award most deserved.  It's his third MVP award, which puts him in a select company of professional baseball players.  A third MVP award almost guarantees a selection call from the good folks at the Hall of Fame.  Even more impressive is the fact that the MVP selection was unanimous.   Better writers than I have expounded on Albert's monster stats and those need not be repeated here. 

For those who insist that Albert is on steroids because he has gained a few pounds and has lost some of his hair, well, remember that he will be 30 in January.  Men gain a few pounds and lose some hair (if not all of their hair) as they age.  Heck, I'm a 48 year old woman and I've gained some weight and lost some of my hair (waah!)  Talent, hard work and a great attitude will take a person a long way, and Albert has those qualities in spades.  When you have those qualities, you don't need steroids.  Albert has said many times in interviews that he is willing to be tested for steroids at any time and at any place. If he were on the juice, he wouldn't be willing to make that kind of statement. 

Albert has another title - that of Most Valuable Person.  He is an MVP on and off the field.  Albert is a devoted family man.   Not only does Albert give his well earned money to charity and has even started a foundation devoted to Down's Syndrome people and the poor people of the Dominican Republic, he gives his valuable time as well. 

Albert is a man of great faith in God.  In interviews, he never fails to give credit to the One who gave him the talent to accomplish his great achievements.  Every time Albert hits a home run, he points to the sky to give thanks to the Lord for his accomplishment.  Even in non-baseball interviews, he draws attention to the Lord and his beliefs. 

This year's MVP award is just another award in Albert's collection of awards. I've seen some of them in person in the glass case at his restaurant.  But the award that Albert will treasure the most will happen when he shuffles off this mortal coil and meets his Maker. Then he will hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  Those six words will mean more to Albert than any earthly award, for they will come from his Savior and he will reap the benefits of that award throughout eternity.  I pray that I too will hear those wonderful words when my time comes. 

Well, that's all for tonight.  Have a great Thanksgiving! 

Diane

I am still aghast about the selection of Tim Lincecum for the NL Cy Young award.  Chris Carpenter, the comeback story of the year, and Adam Wainwright, who was lights out all season, were ripped off.  Instead, this prestigious award is given to a pot smoking, long haired hippy from San Francisco.  Does he wear flowers in his hair?  Okay, maybe the hair is a non-factor.  But Lincecum can well afford a good hair stylist.  Long hair is better suited for skateboarders and surfers, not professional baseball players. 

 

What kind of example does Lincecum's selection set for our sons who are pitchers? According to the voters, it's okay if you smoke pot or do drugs or do steroids; as long as you win ballgames, you can still win the Cy Young award.  In my mind, voters should look at how a player lives his life off of the field as well as their record on the field.  But then, maybe I'm just old-fashioned.  Back in the day, professional baseball players (and professional players in other sports as well) were held to higher standards in their personal lives.  Standards for professional athletes have slipped just like the standards of our modern society have slipped into the abyss. 

 

As far as his performance on the field, Lincecum only had 15 wins this season.  Lincecum faded in the stretch.   Waino and Carp both had more wins than Lincecum.  If Waino had won his 20th game, he would have been a shoo-in for the Cy.  Kyle McClellan owes Waino a big, fat apology for losing that 20th game. 

 

We only have one more award to look forward to during this off-season, and that's the NL MVP award next week.  If my standards were applied to the voting, Albert Pujols would win in a landslide. 

 

I need some chocolate to get over this rejection of our beloved Cards pitchers.  See you next time!

 

Diane

I read the article below in Forbes magazine today, and although I disagree with Steve that the baseball universe is aligned properly since the Yankees won the Series (we Cards fans would say that about the Cards, of course), the rest of the article is right on. 

Link

Two Solid Hits Needed

Steve Forbes

The baseball universe is properly aligned again, with the Yankees' World Series victory. Now the national pastime's pooh-bahs should focus on two issues.

--Length of the season. Having the playoffs run into late October and early November is a formula for unnecessary player injuries--with cold weather and rain and possibly even snow. Television attracts maximum audiences during evening games, so Major League Baseball (MLB) has given afternoon games short shrift. If MLB can't shed its postseason afternoon-game phobia, then it should bring back during the regular season something once commonplace and now virtually extinct: the doubleheader. These don't have to be held in the same way they were in the old days, when one ticket allowed you to watch back-to-back games on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, there'd be one game for one crowd at noon or 1 p.m. and a second for an evening crowd at 7 or 8 p.m. Then the playoffs and World Series could end before we need to bring out our snow boots and skis. And the possibility of serious weather-related injury would be minimized.

--Instant replays. MLB uses them now for home runs hit near the foul line. No one wants to do that with strikes and balls. But there have been a number of questionable calls on base running--when it wasn't immediately clear if a player actually tagged the bag or if a runner was tagged or not. One suggestion that wouldn't disrupt the flow of the game: Each team could request one replay per game. There would be no need for the umps to leave the field to review a particular call; they could view it on a handheld device or on a nearby display screen and make a decision within seconds. During postseason games teams should be able to question two or three calls, since the stakes are much higher and the pressure far more intense. Again, this wouldn't disrupt the flow of games anymore than do television-mandated timeouts between innings for commercials.

--Instant replays. MLB uses them now for home runs hit near the foul line. No one wants to do that with strikes and balls. But there have been a number of questionable calls on base running--when it wasn't immediately clear if a player actually tagged the bag or if a runner was tagged or not. One suggestion that wouldn't disrupt the flow of the game: Each team could request one replay per game. There would be no need for the umps to leave the field to review a particular call; they could view it on a handheld device or on a nearby display screen and make a decision within seconds. During postseason games teams should be able to question two or three calls, since the stakes are much higher and the pressure far more intense. Again, this wouldn't disrupt the flow of games anymore than do television-mandated timeouts between innings for commercials.

Both changes would help the game and ultimately be good for MLB.

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This season ran long because of the World Baseball Classic.  Do we really need the World Baseball Classic?  If memory serves me (and it's late), I think that baseball got dropped from the Olympics, but the Olympics would be the best place for a world baseball competition.

Watching the World Series in November is very, very strange to me.  If Reggie Jackson were playing now, would he be called Mr. November instead of Mr. October? If one (or both) of the World Series teams were from Canada or the northern regions of the U.S.,  we would be worried about snow for the World Series.

As for Steve's second point, the technology is certainly available today for umps to review plays with a hand held device or even a netbook.  I think there are too many commercials in baseball games today.  When my hubby watches a game, he'll switch to another channel during the commercials.  I have to remind him to switch back to the game!

Looking forward to seeing who the NL Cy Young award tomorrow!  Hey MLB, let's keep both Cy Young winners in Missouri, the Show Me State, OK?  See you soon!

Diane

On Thursday, the winner of the NL Cy Young Award will be announced.  As every good Cardinal fan knows by now, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are the two front runners for this prestigious award.  Chris and Adam make their arguments for the other player to win the award at the article here and here. They don't write half bad for baseball players.  :) 

Here's my take.  My vote is for Wainwright.  First, Chris has already won the Cy Young once.  Second, Chris was out for 6 weeks this season with an injury.  Adam is also a pretty good batter for a pitcher too.  Sure, Chris hit a grand slam this year, but Adam is a more consistent hitter. 

Such a tough decision for the voters.  Maybe Carp and Waino will be co-winners.  I don't think anyone would argue with that if it happened.  Hopefully, they won't split the vote and then Lincecum would win.  Lincecum won the Cy Young last year. 

Tomorrow, the Manager of the Year awards are given out.  I don't see Tony winning that one - more likely Jim Tracy of the Rockies.

See you next time!

Diane

And I don't mean Lowe's or Home Depot.  (MLB - we need smilies!  Thanks!)  It's award season.  Let's review the awards given out so far:

Hank Aaron Award - Albert Pujols
Gold Glove - Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina
Silver Slugger - Albert Pujols
Comeback Player of the Year - Chris Carpenter

The NL MVP award will be given on November 24, and Albert Pujols is a frontrunner for this award.  Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are the two top prospects for the Cy Young award. 

I know there's a couple awards I'm missing here.  Please comment below & fill me in. It's late and my brain is tired.  

So with all this hardware being awarded, why didn't the Cards make the World Series?  Well, there's a lot of reasons and we can debate this until the cows come home, but I believe that there are two big reasons:  a. Not getting enough runners in scoring position, and b.  Not getting the baserunners that are on base home. You can have great pitching, but unless you score more runs than the other team, you're not going to win the game.  That's elementary, Watson.

So what needs to be done to win in 2010?  I'll give you my thoughts in my next post.  Have a great day!

My mom & dad were Cardinals fans, but I didn't become a Cardinals fan until September 11, 1974. That was the night that the Cardinals played the Mets for 25 innings. My mom and I stayed up and listened to all 25 innings. The game didn't get over until 2:00 in the morning - I must not have had school the next day, or Mom wouldn't have let me stay up that late. LOL! You can see the box score for that game here. That game had more drama than a soap opera! After that, I started listening to Jack and Mike on the radio with my mom and dad. There weren't too many games on TV back then, except the ones on KSD with Jay Randolph. I've been a Cardinals fan ever since.

My first husband was not a baseball fan. During the 1982 World Series, he teased me unmercifully during the games the Cardinals lost very badly. I got mad & went to watch the game in the bedroom. During the last game, when the Cards were getting ready to win the Series, my ex got a wild hair up his butt that he had to go to his mother's house. We got to his mother's house in time to see the celebration on the field. There were other obvious problems with the marriage besides this. My present husband, however, is a big Cardinals fan. He said he married me because I'm the only woman that knows as much about baseball as he does. :) His family talks about sports as well, even his mother & his sisters, so I fit in well with them.

This love of the Cardinals has not passed to the next generation in my family, unfortunately; my daughter went over to the dark side and became a Cubs fan, and my son roots for whoever is playing the Cardinals (although my husband says he does this to irritate me).

I'd love to hear when you first became a Cardinals fan and how long you've been a fan. Please leave a comment.

That's all for now. See you soon!

Diane

As the title says, this is a blog for women who love St. Louis Cardinals baseball. I'm glad you found it and that you're here. I hope you come back and visit again.

Most guys think that women love baseball because women love men in uniforms (although NFL uniforms don't do much for guys, in my opinion). Not true, gentlemen. Baseball is a civilized sport. There may occasionally be a bench brawl, but baseball's nothing like hockey, where you go to a fight and a game breaks out. It's true that you do need athletic skills to be a baseball player, but baseball is a game of mental agility as well. There's the classic duel of batter and pitcher. And runners on the base paths have to not only watch the batter, they have to know when to run and when to stay on base. And baseball has a long and rich history. Why do I cry when I watch the Hall of Fame players being introduced at the yearly induction ceremony? Is it because I'm a woman? Or do I love baseball that much? I haven't figured that out yet.

The World Series may be over and it's the off season, but there's still a lot going on. It's hot stove league season, and lots of trades and things can happen in the off season. Plus, the big award season is this month. Will Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright win the Cy Young? Will Albert win another MVP award? And spring training will be here before you know it.

Well, that's all for tonight. I'll be back soon with another post. See you then!

Diane