I attended the 16 yr old (Juniors only) showcase (players had to be invited) that was hosted by PerfectGame at Terry Park in Fort Myers, Florida this week. I came away impress with some players that could really “bring it”. The most impressive, to me, on Wednesday was a left handed hurler from the Kansas City area Dalton Moats.

Dalton faced nine batters and threw mainly in the 83-85 MPH range and reached 87 one time. He was able to use his changeup at 70-71 MPH to keep hitters fooled. He struck out all nine batters he faced. A smooth delivery he is able to hide his pitches very well. Appears that he is a thinker on the mound as he never grooved a 1ball 2 strike pitch and always kept the at bat in his favor.

He was invited back on Friday as one of the better pitchers and kept pace very well. Most of the pitchers of the day appeared not as prepared to throw at 8AM in the morning. Moats gave up a bloop single and then fanned the other three to close out the only inning he was asked to pitch in.

Keep your eyes peeled for this youngster as he progresses forward.

Ht: 6-2
Wt: 170
B/T: L/L
HS: Park Hill
HS Grad: 2013

State: MO

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GRADE B+

This is about halfway into the off-season and I thought it was time for some evaluation.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has been busy, or doing his job, no matter how you look at it. From my perspective I believe he has done a decent job to this point.

Carlos Beltran was signed this week to a contract that appears a bit high at $13M per year but it is for two years and that is fine. Next year they may need him in a different spot and he will be available for it with some contracts coming off the books. The money was there and this is a good use for it.

Rafael Furcal was re-signed to be the everyday shortstop. Some have concerns and they are legitimate about his age, his injuries and his pop in the bat. He will likely bat lead-off and is a switch hitter. He has the ability to defensively play the spot. Tyler Greene is the back-up and that is a good plan.

Skip Schumaker was given a new deal. We need players to fill-in and he can spot start. This was not a horrible signing and the fact remains he is a leader in the clubhouse.

JC Romero is a lefty pitcher and will give us some options for the LOOGY instead of trotting Mark Scrabble out there everytime. This was a low risk deal. I don’t like his numbers from the past but if used correctly he may be serviceable.

Did not sign Albert Pujols- That can be debated for quite some time. To me, the amount of money Pujols wanted was not what the Cardinals should have given him so the non-signing was fine.

All in all Mozeliak has had a good winter making decisions to help them towards the goal of remaining World Series Champions.

For his efforts I am giving John Mozeliak a B+

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Here are the key dates for Major League baseball as they progress throughout the year.

• Jan. 9 — Hall of Fame voting announced, New York.
• Jan. 11-12 — Owners’ meetings, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Jan. 13 — Salary arbitrating filing.
• Jan. 17 — Exchange of salary arbitration figures.
• Feb. 1-21 — Salary arbitration hearings, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Feb. 19 — Voluntary reporting date for pitchers, catchers and injured players.
• Feb. 24 — Voluntary reporting date for other players.
• March 2 — Mandatory reporting date.
• March 2-11 — Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.
• March 19 — Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.
• April 2 — Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2012 salary.
• April 4 — Opening day, St. Louis at Miami. Active rosters reduced to 25 players.
• June 4 — Amateur draft.
• July 10 — All-Star game, Kansas City, Mo.
• July 12-18 TBA — Deadline for amateur draft picks to sign.
• July 22 — Hall of Fame induction, Cooperstown, N.Y.
• July 31 — Last day to trade a player without securing waivers.
• Sept. 1 — Active rosters expand to 40 players.
• November TBA — Deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to their eligible former players who became free agents, fifth day after World Series.
• November TBA — Deadline for free agents offered arbitration to accept, 12th day after World Series.
• Dec. 2 — Last day for teams to offer 2013 contracts to unsigned players.
• Dec. 3-6 — Winter meetings, Nashville, Tenn.

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Nuggets from the Hot Stove

Let’s turn our attention to some Hot Stove Stuff that is always bound to ignite the imagination of the fans. Many of these kind of things are just rumors or stories made up by the fan base or media hounds to create some print space.

The Cardinals are more than kicking the tires on outfielder Carlos Beltran. What can he do for the Cardinals? He can play a corner outfield until we bide our time until Allen Craig is fully recovered or he can be inserted into the centerfield spot so as to not overexpose John Jay for an entire season. It has become increasingly apparent the Cardinals are not enamored with making Jay the full-time centerfielder for the Cardinals. Beltran also allows for Berkman to become the regular first baseman and not be moved back into the outfield.

Rumors are floating the Cardinals are inquiring about signing Carlos Pena to play first base and keep Lance Berkman in the outfield. Another has it that the Cardinals are kicking the tires on Derrek Lee as a possible infield acquisition. I do believe the Cardinals would like another big bat in the lineup for next season.

Thought Process

I am not too excited about the addition of JC Romero to the Cardinals staff but if used to get out one lefthander or two per game then this has a chance to work. It has been stated that Charlie Manuel would use him against righties and that was horrendous. Romero’s number are pretty bland and run-of-the-mill but if he is cheap enough then tha tis better, we needed one more lefty out of the pen.

Yu Darvish has to be so overhyped it is getting stupid. The posting fee and then to sign him to a contract  is not good money spent. It appears the Blue Jays or the Cubs are inquiring.

Speaking of the Cubs, they are rumored to have Prince Fielder locked up by Christmas for an enormous Pujols type contract. I hope they invest 10 years into him as they has the ability to tie their hands for some future dealings. How did that Soriano contract work out for them?

** that is all for today Cardinal fans**

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Let’s round up our 25-man roster, yes I know is is Mid-December, and see where we are at this moment. IF the roster changes then we have another blog post idea. What players will play in what positions next season?

1B- primarily this belongs to Lance Berkman. Who has the back-up duties? Well, some want the big man Adams to come up and get some time. That is exactly the point, he needs a bit more seasoning, unless he is so impressive in Spring Training they can’t help it, he will go to Memphis to start the season.

Do you see a time the Cardinals may ask Matt Holliday to play a few games there? Yadi will get a few innings I suppose.

2B- Every word points to Daniel Descalso getting the nod to start the majority of game. Who spells him at that spot? Likely Tyler Greene will fill-in but I suspect Skip Schumaker will see considerably less time at second under Matheny than he did with LaRussa.

SS- Rafael Furcal was just signed for $7M a year to play this spot so it is his. Tyler Greene gets the back-up spot and on a limited basis Descalso could get a few innings of work.

3B- World Series MVP David Freese has laid claim on this spot. Now will we see him yanked late in the games for defensive purposes? Some. Not as many. Who is going to play there? Same as mentioned above. Descalso mainly, but he can’t play them all nor do we want him to. Possibly another player is to be signed and it could be the return of Nick Punto to cover all 2 infield spots.

C- Yadier Molina will be behind the plate and it will be different to him with his buddy at first. The roster currently has Bryan Anderson and Tony Cruz on the 40-man and they may be the back-up. Matheny likes Anderson, I am told so that is a possible.

LF- Matt Holliday will be there 140 games or more.

CF- John Jay is the logical choice but the media says Carlos Beltran is being talked about to be signed. Could change things for Jay.

RF- Allen Craig/Skip Schumaker – I think Skip was re-signed to platoon for Craig as the lefty bat in the outfield. Craig might get a few minutes at second base but I feel Mike Matheny will not diddle much in the unknown.

BACKUP OF- Adron Chambers, Shane Robinson and Lance Berkman fill in the outfield

Starting Pitchers- Wainwright, Carpenter, Garcia, Lohse, Westbrook... look for spot starts by Lance Lynn, Kyle McClellan and Mitchell Boggs….

Relief Pitchers- This team probably needs one more lefty and the talk is JC Romero, I am bit apprehensive about that one.

lefty is Rzcepcynski and the only one currently on the roster is Freeman

Righties- Lynn, Salas, Motte, McClellan, Boggs, and maybe Dickson

The players listed in BOLD are the one I am putting on the 25-man roster. Currently I have 24 players on that list.

What are your thoughts on the roster?

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Think about it. Some similarities here.

Well we’re movin on up,

To the west side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the west side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

Fish don’t fry in the kitchen;
Beans don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’,
Just to get up that hill.
Now we’re up in the big leagues,
Gettin’ our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it’s you and me baby,
There ain’t nothin wrong with that.

Well we’re movin on up,
To the west side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the west side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.

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… to come down to earth and try to rationalize some issues.

First thing to me is that everyone must do what is right for them and their family. You can not fault a person for making that kind of decision that impacts his family in a positive way. Who are we to tell Albert Pujols it is a bad decision? We don’t know his status of things. What works for his family may or may not work for ours. We like to tell people that we can’t understand why someone would do that, whatever it is, but the fact remains, we don’t have all the facts that they do. TAKE CARE OF THE FAMILY.

Baseball wise, it is still baseball. We are constantly bombarded by the media (usually self-imposed) that St Louis has the greatest fans in baseball. Really? There are not great fans in Houston, Atlanta or Los Angeles? We have bought into this item and now we truly believe it is true. Albert will be just fine playing baseball in another city. It is HIS job now and he can do that from Anaheim.

The money. I am not going to lower myself and compare my previous profession (before retirement) of being a public schoolteacher to that of a professional baseball player. Well maybe a bit. If you could get a 10%-25% pay raise somewhere else, wouldn’t it be enticing? You bet it would and then you start comparing the cities.

The cities. Anaheim is a great place to be (especially November through March) for lots of nice warm sunshine and going to the beach and Disneyland and oh so many place year-round. To me, that is the key. Year-round. Of course you can go to Six Flags in Eureka, Missouri but only for a limited time. The beaches in California are basically open 24/7.

Other things are there for Albert to consider but we are not privy to them. He made his choice and that is that.

As my 8 year old grandson (Drew) pointed out to the local TV camera on sports last night… “I will just have to deal with it.”

Yes, Drew, we will.

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What says RESPECT to the Professional Athlete?

In basketball is it the double team? How about the baseball player is in when they pitch around you or intentionally walk you. Is it having people hound them for an autograph? Howe does a professional athlete get respect?

This week there is a media hoard over where Albert Pujols is going to sign. Last year people followed the Le Bron James story all the way to ESPN. Both of them said they wanted respect. But what did/are they doing? They are following the money. They are wanting top dollar for their services. It appears that if they can be the athlete, in their sport, that makes the most money, they call it respect.

The only true power money brings to us is the power of “choice”. It can be used in the wrong way giving others the false impression that “spending power” makes someone truly powerful. It can cause corruption and bring false friends more often … many governments are proof of that .More likely than not, those with money have a false sense of power due to the many people around them, using them in some pathetic attempt to find their own happiness and call it respect.

Power may bring the “appearance” of respect because money allows you to “buy” people and things … unfortunately just because something or someone can be bought doesn’t mean you buy respect along with it. People put up with and give up a lot for money … many times their own morals and beliefs … which is why the world is in the state it is today.

To be respected you must be respectful. You must give respect to get it. Money has little to do with it in the end. Sure money can buy choices … but it can’t buy happiness. Many of the richest, most powerful people in the world are the unhappiest because they haven’t ever figured out that only YOU can create your own happiness. No amount of money and nothing you can buy will ever be able to do that. Proof of that is in all the drama we see surrounding rich celebrities and politicians everyday.

True power and respect come from a good and loving heart my friend. No matter what happens … at the end of the day I’d rather be comfortable and happy with good and loving people around me … than have all the money in the world. Certainly, you can have money and be respected … but that seems to be a rare thing in this world we live in. Money does not automatically equate true power in the end … but rather many false friendships and a never ending search to fill the empty void that can’t be filled no matter how many “things” you own.

It is not the money that brings respect. Don’t undo the good things you have done and the great community affairs you have been involved in just to squeeze some more money out of some teams. I know you can still do those deeds but with this money “first” mentality that is coming out of the Winter Meetings, it is not shedding the proper respect you may believe it does.

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I would like to thank A&E Home Entertainment for allowing me the opportunity to  take part in this giveaway of such an outstanding product.

The Winners are:

Ms Cassie Rodgers

304 West Armstrong St

Peoria, Il 61604

Mr Jerry Wills

605 Golden Court

PO 1121

Mackinaw, Il 61755

Mr. Shawn Durbin

1 Hawthorne Cove

Morton, Il 61550

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