What a year! It was very few hills and lots of valleys for Cardinal Nation. Things didn’t go well from the very start of the season. I found myself actually finding other things to do than watch Fox Sports Midwest. Let’s look at what the Cardinals GM staff believes are the Top 5 stories of the year.

1. Without question the one story that affected us all was the death of Josh Hancock. Many questions were fired off from the media about what happened and how it could have been avoided and did management see it coming. It made a profound impact on the season.

2. The firing of Walt Jocketty. No one can say they saw it coming. It was a blindsided move that was a shocker to those outside the organizational walls. With that move, the entire off-season was put in limbo. Would TLR come back? Was Luhnow getting promoted? Would Mozeliak move up? Was it time to seek an outsider? The questions kept coming.

3. Scott Spiezio goes into rehab. See #1 and it will give some insight, I believe to some of the new problems that the organization now had to face. Speez and others had their inner souls shaking from the loss of a friend and teammate. Speez was seeking answers and it appears he headed down the wrong path.

4. TLR gets a DUI. That set the tone for the season. Can he lead a team or has he lost the confidence of his team? Is this a recurring problem or is it isolated? Will his team put it behind them or be quiet and move on? The team has a substance abuse problem it appears and the leadership has swept it under the rug (see#1 and #3).

5. The Kid arrives. Rick Ankiel is back in the major leagues and it has a feel good story to it. Once a promising pitcher that became a struggling pitcher and now returns as an outfielder. What’s he do? He homers in his first game! But a black cloud appears and he is implicated in performance enhancing drugs and the Cards go on the skids. The good and the bad for Rick.

Special bonus: The ongoing feud between Tony Larussa and Scott Rolen. I believe it will be the TOP STORY of 2008 for the Cardinals!

Check out the other United Cardinal Bloggers and their opinions at CardinalNationGlobe, C70 at the Bat, Readin’ Redbird, Rockin’ the Red and Stan Musial’s Stance

The next column will find us in a new year and I will be another year older at midnight tonight!!

(That is why they really drop the ball in Times Square, to honor my birthday)

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Apparently the Cardinals are close to making former Padres, Marlins, Cubs and Red Sox hurler Matt Clement a Cardinals pitcher. Let’s get together for a little party and get Carpenter,Mulder and Clement together and we can compare surgeries. What is up with this? I have never felt that pitching coach Duncan was a miracle worker. Seems to me he is hard to work with. To him, there is only one way.

A lifetime 87-86 pitcher with a 4.47 ERA. The Cardinals think they can rebuild Clement and revitalize his career.

Clement was 10-2 with a 3.85 ERA in the first half of the season in 2005 before falling off the face of the baseball earth.  He finished the year by going 3-4 in the second half with a 5.72 ERA.

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-yawn-      

Nothing shaking in the world of the St Louis Cardinals. I am basically speechless with no activity so let’s take a gander at what others are saying.

Here’s a telling list of what the Cards have done this off-season at Cardinals Diaspora.

Colby Rasmus known as The Phenom gets the bulk of print at C70 at the Bat.

Here’s a take on the Jimenez signing at Fungoes.

Stan Musial’s Stance highlights the return of Cliff Politte.

LOOK FOR the next United Cardinals Bloggers project to come out on New Year’s Eve. It will feature each bloggers opinion on what the Top 5 Cardinal stories were of 2007.

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                  I Went to Menard’s today and Adam got me thinking…. he said, “all I want for Christmas is a pitcher.” Right on, Adam!

We need a good pitcher. Why can’t we get one that is healthy, good arm and has upside. No , not Jeff Weaver type players but I don’t mind we we throw him in the mix for the #4-5 pitcher.

A potential stud. Do we not have the money? Do we not have the trade-ability? What is it? Carpenter and Mulder can’t be counted on and we have NO one. ok, Wainwright is the best but how good is he?

Some teams have stoppers. The Oswalt/Zambrano/Pedro type. We haven’t had for how long now?

We look for the OFFENSE first, it seems.

You know, ” Christmas isn’t over until the fat man brings!”

Please hear the Cardinal Nation.

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Let’s review what we owe the big guy. Lots have been made of whether he should be traded or not. Monetarily here is how his contract looks like.

8 years/$90M (2003-10)

• 03:$7M, 04:$8M, 05:$11M, 06:$11M, 07:$12M, 08:$12M, 09:$12M, 10:$12M
• $10M deferred ($2M/year from 2003 to 2007)
• full no-trade clause
• performance bonuses: $50,000 each for Gold Glove & All Star selection

Pretty much a $12 million dollar guy. So how much WOULD YOU pay to rid the team of his contract? Let’s face it, even with a healthy Scott Rolen do you really believe we have enough in the tank to win our division and compete for the whole enchilada? If you say NO, then why not trade him and pay 3-5 mil per year to free up another $7-9 mil for some serious help for the 2009 season.

If we CAN compete to the middle of the pack or even 2nd place does that help us any to have Rolen and his contract for any good reason? Let’s free up some money now and re-invest it in younger upside players. I don’t even care if DeWitt keeps it. I would rather that happen than to sign reclamation projects galore!

Of course, we all want MLB ready players in return. Not likely to happen. My favorite scenario that I keep reading would be Rolen for LaRoche and the Dodgers. Scottie isn’t going to face Larry Bowa everyday in LA, so forget that.

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Vina. Used HGH as a Cardinal player. I am embarrassed also for my team.

Where oh where is the management on all this? I don’t believe for one second there was a manager that DIDN’T know when a player was using. They had to know. Watch the player closely. Oh wow, he is coming back from that injury several weeks sooner than we thought. He must have worked hard to get it in playing shape. BALONEY. They knew and they turned away from it and they feel absolve from this.

The sport is in a mess. Selig knew.

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Thanks for your contribution to the Cardinals. You shall forever go down as a fun, exciting Cards player.

Now the deal. The return was a 24 yr old Class A player who may someday make it to the Bigs. Money has been freed up to spend. Hopefully for an impact pitcher. Probably another $6-7 mil available. I think another deal is soon to follow that will free up even more money.

Production? I believe the platoon of Ankiel/Ludwick/Schumaker will produce approximately as much if not more than Edmonds. I truly believe that Rasmus will not be up unless he has a fantastic Spring Training.

Where to spend that money? The media writes that Lohse and Silva are still looking for the “good deal”. I am not sure they would be big help to us. We shall see.

Another interesting side note here is why did LaRussa come back this year? He hasn’t shown the propensity to manage youngsters and it appears that is the way it shall be.

For more thoughts on Edmonds check out C70 at the Bat.

When does the Rolen axe fall?

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to ask.

What are the Cardinals doing?

FOOKOO signed today

Tejada went today.

Rowand goes WEST.

Why have we not heard anything? I am trying to be patient but it is hard when good/decent players are evaporating from the Cardinals sight.

I hope Mo has something valuable for us before March. We need it.

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LaRussa. The Squire. MFL. Whatever you want to call him he is the boss. He is not afraid to let people know that, including his players.

Tony has gone public in the Rolen escapade. He has called him out. For this, in most media outlets, he is being chastised for doing this to a player. Many believe he should handle this quietly. Did he already try that? The famous “letter” that he wrote in the off-season had been the brunt of many jokes.

Other players have expressed concern in working for TLR. And then there is Ozzie…. different story. This is a boss/employee problem and only the higher ups can settle this without one of the two being a goner. I think we know which one wins. Hence, the MFL tag (Manager for Life).

If I am boss I will/would confront my employees about job performance but surely wouldn’t go public. but then again, the media is feeding off this and jump at every word and move. Makes me wonder if this is a MEDIA fabricated story.

LaRussa or Rolen?

Next part is decision time. Care to voice your thoughts on this one?

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Do I have to? I know, nobody is making me.

As the Lovin’ Spoonful sang in the 60’s.

Did you ever have to make up your mind?
Pick up on one and leave the other one behind
It’s not often easy, and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind?

Did you ever have to finally decide?
Say yes to one and let the other one ride
There’s so many changes, and tears you must hide
Did you ever have to finally decide?

Rolen vs LaRussa

vs

Rolen. Scott has been a hard workin’ man since he arrived in 2002. He hits the ball and sucks up most of the grounders that are hit his way. To the media before this fiasco he has been a soft spoken man that just went on with his business.

But Rolen is an employee. He works for the St. Louis Cardinals. His immediate supervisor is Tony LaRussa. In almost all jobs in life we find that sometimes we don’t always like the people we work with and also there are bosses we can’t stand. So, we either suck it up or we move on. What we don’ t do or shouldn’t do because it is dangerous is complain about a superior. That is dangerous. Jobs are lost immediately for that. If you have trouble working for many bosses then you get a reputation as a hard person to work with.

Scott, that is you. Let’s look back at some stuff that was written before you came to St. Louis.

Heading into the 2001 campaign, the Phillies’ top priority was to ink Scott to another extension that would keep him in town during his prime, and see him manning third when the team opened its new ballpark in 2004. But Scott questioned the club’s commitment to winning, and was reluctant to negotiate. This rankled new manager Larry Bowa, who never got along with Scott, and set the stage for a season and a half of ugliness between the two.
Scott began the year with a flourish, homering on Opening Day for the third straight time. Unfortunately, April and May were less kind, as his power dwindled and he failed to hit in the clutch. That June, during a series in Tampa Bay, Bowa blamed the club’s sluggish start on Scott, and the two got into a heated argument. When the team returned to Veterans Stadium, the fans booed their star.

That August, senior advisor Dallas Green said Scott was only a “so-so” player and that personality would prevent him from becoming a superstar. Furious at this slight, he proceeded to bang out 10 hits in his next 15 at-bats, including three homers, and quietly vowed that he would not resign with the Phillies if conditions didn’t change.

One thing that did change in ‘01 was the losing. The Philly rebuilding plan was finally bearing fruit, as Marlon Anderson and Jimmy Rollins became the team’s new DP combo, Travis Lee nailed down the first base job, and Burrell flourished in his first full season. The starting rotation was still a mess, with Person leading the staff with 13 wins. But the bullpen was magnificent, as castoff Jose Mesa saved 42 games. The Phillies went 86-76, finishing two games behind the resilient Braves, and just out of Wild Card contention.

Scott did his part. In a crucial September series against Atlanta, he rapped out the winning hit in three straight games. He also became the fifth player ever to hit two homers off Greg Maddux in the same game. The series took place after the September 11th attacks, and Scott was one of the players who was vocal in his opposition to resuming the season after just a few days. To the league’s assertion that baseball was part of the fabric of the country, he replied that human beings, not baseball, were the fabric of the country.

Scott’s back kept him out of a handful of games in 2001, as did a sore ankle later in the year, but his numbers were terrific nonetheless: 65 extra-base hits, 107 RBIs, 16 steals and a .289 average. He batted .350 with men in scoring position, led the team with 25 home runs (18 after the All-Star break) and won a second straight Gold Glove.

Over the winter, the Phillies offered Scott a seven-year extension worth $90 million and he turned it down. The team was shocked. They went to the winter meetings in Boston intending to trade him, but other teams felt their asking price for a player one year away from free agency was too high. For example, the Phillies asked the Cardinals for Albert Pujols and Bud Smith, who had twirled a no-hitter the previous season.

On the first day of spring training, Scott told the press he was probably an idiot, then spent the next 45 minutes listing every flaw in the Philadelphia organization. Four days later, while taking grounders, Scott was accosted by Bowa. They got into another heated discussion, after which the manager demanded GM Ed Wade trade him—in front of three film crews.

Scott was having a solid year in 2002, despite his unhappiness and constant trade rumors. In his first 200 games, he hit 17 home runs and batted .259, and remained steller at the hot croner. With two days left before the trade deadline, Scott finally escaped Philadelphia. St. Louis gave the Phillies a package they wanted, which included hurlers Mike Timlin and Smith, and infielder Placido Polanco, whose live bat and multi-position skills were ideal for their needs.

Rolen has had these problems before. Ok, some people deny when they have a problem when it happens the first time but what can be said when it is a repeat performance?

Part 2 tomorrow looks at LaRussa.

Part 3 will decide… Do I take sides?

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