Congratulations to the Redbirds....

[packerzrule]

and their fans for winning yet another Division Title

I don't know how the hell they do it year in and year out but hats off to those guys!!

 

[BrockForBroglio]

Thanks packerzrule......

Have you heard any news on the 3 headed monster...GB's running backs' health? Being a Packer fan in Illinois, I don't get much inside poop.

 

[packerzrule]

unfortunately, no updates yet on any of the injured players

hopefully the additional week of rest was good enough to get all of their studs back

 

[LTR1961]

and their fans for winning yet another Division Title

I don't know how the hell they do it year in and year out but hats off to those guys!!

Thanks for the kind words.

It starts with the farm system and the scouting department. The Cards minor league system is loaded and they've been able to plug in young players cheaply so they don't miss guy like Pujols, Lohse etc. when they walk away. Thye have a ton of home grown talent on this team with 5 guys from the 2009 draft alone making significant contributions. Adams, Carpenter, Miller, Kelly and Rosenthal. I'm not just saying this because I've been a Cardinal fan my entire life. They are clearly the model franchise in MLB right now.

 

[Arch City]

Packerzrule- I also thank you for the kind words about the St. Louis Cardinals. I am a lifelong fan, and even I am in absolute awe of my home team. LTR has it right: The Cardinals have fundamentally sound systems in place- talent evaluation, player development, farm teams- they're all top-notch. St. Louis is mid-market and cannot keep up with the Joneses in free agency like New York, Boston, LA, or Chicago teams. Yet, we are blessed with a strong organization and fan base, so we're much better off than smaller markets that struggle to hang onto the players they develop, like the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers.

It's been really quiet around here. I know I haven't had much free time to post. And when I have had free time, I've spent it watching the Cardinals, as they have had one hell of a September. Pittsburgh is not going to be an easy opponent; they certainly weren't in the regular season either. But it should be a great series, especially if the Cardinals maintain the momentum they've had over the last few weeks!

 

[mutigers1fan]

Johnny Mo and his crew get the the credit for supplying the guys, Matheny has brought them in and found a way to get the most out of everybody. Huge credit to the organization as a whole.

As far as the series goes, I'm very confident. If Waino at home twice can produce 2 wins we need 1 out of Lynn/Shelby/Kelly. I like those odds. Here's my preliminary prediction.

Pitching match ups:
Game 1: Burnett vs Waino has been announced, at home I take our guys. They are on fire and played .667 this season at home. Waino is pitching well, I'll ride him.

Game 2: Cole(my assumption) vs Lynn(announced).
Cole had a 2.85 ERA in 7 road appearances this year. 1.69 ERA in September.
Lynn has a 1.09 ERA in his last 4 starts.
This 1 could come down to the bullpens and specific matchups.

Game 3: Kelly(guess) vs Liriano(pretty confident on him starting)
Liriano at home, thats tough to beat.
Kelly has a 2.07 road ERA. He's 9-3 with a 2.28 ERA as a starter and his highest ERA in any month after May is 2.55.
This is going to be a tough matchup, slight advantage PGH.

Game 4: Shelby(only guy left) vs Morton(same situation)
Shelby hasn't had a QS on the road since May 3.
Morton has been pretty good at home.
Advantage Pirates.

Game 5: Repeat Game 1 except way bigger.

Offensively the Cardinals are better. This gives me the confidence in our guys to prevail. The team is hot and going to be hard to beat.

 

[LALakersboy24.7]

Pirates Vs Cardinals its going to be a great series good luck to both teams!

 

[mutigers1fan]

Lakersboy, same to the Dodgers against the Braves. Thanks for the well wishes.

 

[LTR1961]

Lakersboy, same to the Dodgers against the Braves. Thanks for the well wishes.

I love to see a Cards/Dodgers NLCS. Hopefully both teams hold up their end of the bargain. The two most storied NL franchises going at it to earn a trip to the World Series. It doesn't get any better than that. I'm sure Fox is hoping for that as well.

 

[mutigers1fan]

NLCS isn't on Fox this year, but I would prefer a Braves-Cardinals NLCS anyway. The Dodgers left handed pitching scares me.

 

[LTR1961]

NLCS isn't on Fox this year, but I would prefer a Braves-Cardinals NLCS anyway. The Dodgers left handed pitching scares me.

The Dodgers scare me as well. I just thought it would be a classic matchup. Who has the NLCS this year?

 

[BrockForBroglio]

LTR1961,,,how's it going? I was stlfan7098 on ESPN, we chatted about our boy's sports activity. Been on this site for a while. Someone needs to start a Series thread.

I am liking STL's chances in today's game. Gotta be patient with Burnett and swing at strikes. I like what Matt Adams has done in filling in for Craig, especially the last few games where he is taking the all to left field, going with the pitch.

Nice seeing you again and......GO CARDS ! ! !

 

[mutigers1fan]

I believe TBS has the NLCS unfortunately.

 

[LTR1961]

LTR1961,,,how's it going? I was stlfan7098 on ESPN, we chatted about our boy's sports activity. Been on this site for a while. Someone needs to start a Series thread.

I am liking STL's chances in today's game. Gotta be patient with Burnett and swing at strikes. I like what Matt Adams has done in filling in for Craig, especially the last few games where he is taking the all to left field, going with the pitch.

Nice seeing you again and......GO CARDS ! ! !

How are you doing my friend? Good to speak with you again. How's your son doing in college? My son hasn't been playing because he had rotator cuff issues. He's hoping to get back playing in 2015 and he will still have 2 years of eligibility left. So far so good with the Cards and yes great job of being patient against Burnett. Lynn has pitched much better of late and does well at home. Let's hope he doesn't have one of his blow up innings today. They really need to get up 2-0 with Liriano going in game 3.

 

[LTR1961]

I believe TBS has the NLCS unfortunately.

Thanks. I just assumed it was on Fox

 

[BrockForBroglio]

How are you doing my friend? Good to speak with you again. How's your son doing in college? My son hasn't been playing because he had rotator cuff issues. He's hoping to get back playing in 2015 and he will still have 2 years of eligibility left. So far so good with the Cards and yes great job of being patient against Burnett. Lynn has pitched much better of late and does well at home. Let's hope he doesn't have one of his blow up innings today. They really need to get up 2-0 with Liriano going in game 3.

My son was red-shirted his Freshman year. About half was through his Sophomore year got about 25 minutes a game averaged 4.7 a game. Biggest problem was he had to come in for a 6'8 kid and guard big guys when he is 6'4. He held his own, working hard in the weight room. Sorry to hear about your son's shoulder. Hope he can have a successful recovery and get back on the diamond.

 

[packerzrule]

Thanks. I just assumed it was on Fox

I prefer the announcers on TBS instead of FOX. Brian Anderson does the tv games for the Brewers on Fox Sports Wisconsin and always does a great job