urbanSTL

They interviewed some of my co-workers because we were all eating at Pujols 5 for an IT luncheon yesterday right outside the restaurant.



Needless to say, their interviews outside Pujols 5 didn't air

Doesn't anyone find it curious that this "independent" investigation was conducted by a prominent Senator who now serves as the Director of the Boston Red Sox and is a friend of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig? Why isn't the media talking about this? Hmmm...



It then should not be a surprise that the number of names was limited and that only a few were recognizable. Basically, MLB gave itself a spanking on its own terms. Maybe that was the best decision instead of telling the truth to the extent it really occurred. Then again, maybe not.

They just traded Edmonds.

DeBaliviere wrote:Great, Eckstein signs a one-year deal with the Blue Jays, and we're stuck with Izturis.

We (the Cubs) had Izturis last year and I didn't really care for him. I think Eckstein was something of a fan favorite for the Cardinals and now they're getting Izturis who will be lucky to meet middling expectations.

Dunno, but FWIW Kurt Warner is still involved with "Warner's Warm Up."

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

innov8ion wrote:Dunno, but FWIW Kurt Warner is still involved with "Warner's Warm Up."

True, but I wouldn't think that would involve as much hands on work.

What about the investment Edmonds made? I think he'd want to see a return unless he could sell it to recoup some. I bet it stays for a while.

He just said in a FoxSTL interview (I think) that he hates to leave an area he has made his home and he loves it here.



So I say just retire from baseball and stick around for Fi15een

According to a report I saw on KMOV this evening, Edmonds requested the trade to San Diego because he feared his playing time would drop as the Cardinals are probably bringing up Colby Rasmus from Springfield in mid-2008.



LaRussa supposedly assured Edmonds he'd be the #1 centerfielder, and then Mozeliak emphasized Rasmus would likely get his chance come mid-season. I could be wrong, but I came away with the impression that the manager and general manager weren't completely on the same page. And in the same report, Jeff Skversky also said that Rick Ankiel is likely to play CF at the beginning of the season.



Edmonds may be past his prime, but I have mixed emotions about this deal. It's also interesting that we got a third baseman in return, since the Rolen/LaRussa spat shows no sign of ending. (Funny, because a few days ago LaRussa completely sounded off on Rolen, yet in an interview today he said he had no idea why Rolen was upset. Um, yeah, okay.)



As far as Fifteen is concerned, other than fewer Edmonds sightings, I can't imagine it'll affect the business. I guess if the Cardinals can get value for him now, that's fine. But after Edmonds' eight seasons and his many contributions to the team and city, I had hoped for more from the Cardinals.



And I'm still steaming about the loss of Eckstein.

Burn it all down. Rebuild around Pujols and the young guys.

anyone catch the Eckstein piece on Fox2 tonight?



regardless of wether he should have been resigned or not, seems like the whole thing could have been handled better, more professionally. seems like i'm saying that to myself a lot lately with the cardinals.

^That is what you get when you start believing the things your sports weasel, er, I mean agent, says.



Does anyone actually believe that Eckstein's agent would have stressed to the Cardinals that Eckstein really wanted to stay and play in St. Louis - as he claims?

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Rolen/Glaus deal. I think the lack of talk nearly a week after the trade shows how much fans' expectations for next season have already been dampened a bit.



Frankly, I'm probably in the minority here in a town where the media tends to turn on athletes that don't fit squarely into the mold (see also Brett Hull), but I'm on Rolen's side. Some people think he's done, and maybe they're right. Some people think he's whiny and a divisive force, and with that I have to respectfully disagree.



Rolen is one of the few players I've had the pleasure of meeting, and I think he's one of the more humble, gracious, and fan-friendly players out there. I still think he's got potential to reverse course after unfortunate injuries. I don't know what he said off the record, but Tony LaRussa was classless on the record, which IMHO was merely an attempt to force Rolen's hand into waiving his no-trade clause to play for a team that was probably far from his first choice (Toronto). Think what you want of Rolen, but on the record he's taken the high road.



(And now I have to explain to my four year-old why his favorite athlete will no longer play for the Cardinals. Thanks, Tony.)



I defended LaRussa when defending LaRussa wasn't cool, but I think he's run his course here. Aside from the Rolen feud, I wasn't happy to see him return. Sure, he fielded many competitive teams over the years leading up to the 2006 WS title, but late last season he appeared to be out of gas, and I know there were many personal challenges within the team. I have nothing against LaRussa per se, but I hate how he handled the Rolen feud, it's hardly the first time he's alienated players only to publicly berate them, and I simply think (like it was with Jocketty) that his time in St. Louis has simply run its course.



Since the Cardinals made their choice with LaRussa, though, I think the Rolen/Glaus swap was about as good as it could possibly get. Rolen would've been shipped sooner or later anyway, and who knows if we could have received much in terms of a trade in midseason? Both players have questionable futures after injuries. We lose Rolen's defensive ability but gain Glaus' power hitting, and hopefully he'll perform up to expectations hitting cleanup behind Pujols.



My expectations for next year are still in check to say the least, but then again, I didn't have the highest expectations for 2006 either.

^ In the end, I feel the same way about the deal, even if I miss Roeln and I reserve the right to be skeptical about two more years with LaRussa.



Since circumstances between LaRussa and Rolen weren't going to change, and the Cardinals chose to keep LaRussa for two more years, the deal had to happen. I'm excited that in Glaus we seem to have someone that could really contribute to the team and will fit into the system well. And props go out to newbie GM John Mozeliak for pulling this off, because I think a lot of people thought there was going to be a fire sale with Rolen, i.e., we would get little if anything in return.

Like 314 said, I was glad to see Rolen take the high road - it showed a lot of class.



That said, I'm glad he's gone. With the combination of his injuries and the flap with LaRussa, it's probably best for everyone. Rolen's lack of bat speed due to the shoulder injury/surgeries and overall fragility made it a real possibility that he would have spent a lot of time on the bench for us again in 08. Frankly, I'm amazed that we were able to get a player of Glaus' caliber in return - kudos to Mozeliak for getting it done. It doesn't sound like Glaus' injuries are nearly as severe as Rolen's, and it also sounds like playing most of his games on natural grass instead of carpet will be beneficial to him as well. Now, if he could just cut down on the strikeouts...

It will be interesting to see what Rasmus can do at the Major Leage level. Down here with the double-A Cardinals he's been pretty impressive! He just seems like such a scrawny kid though. I would guess that they will bulk him up pretty fast once he gets to St. Louis...and hopefully not in a Barry Bonds/Jose Canseco sort of way

DeBaliviere wrote:That said, I'm glad he's gone. With the combination of his injuries and the flap with LaRussa, it's probably best for everyone.

Very true. Rolen still has something to prove, which should be much easier for him with a fresh start in Toronto. One less distraction for LaRussa doesn't hurt either.



Joel, I had the pleasure of attending a couple of Springfield Cardinals games last summer, and both times Rasmus was the star of the game. He was certainly impressive at the AA level, so I look forward to seeing what he can do once he gets here even if I'm not in the biggest rush for his sake.