Juan's Face...and Ankiel's Glory

Getting the chance to tune into the Cardinals game tonight via ESPN.com's gamechannel, all the while keeping track on the Cardinals forum on STLtoday.com. Unfortunately I didn't get to see Juan take one of the face, or Rick's bash but it's a pleasure seeing that little white ball leave the stadium with the bases loaded...even if it is from my computer.

Some highlights from the forum tonight:

From ozziethesaint: "(Juan) didn't duck out of the way like he does when he plays right field."

"Have fun on the DL Juan. Now you can't steal at-bats from better players."

***Why can't people give this dude a break? He's batting .283 on the season. Better than Rolen, Duncan, Edmonds, Molina, Kennedy, Ludwick, Spiezo, Bennett, and Preston Wilson.

From krazy2k: "Tony's next smart move should be demoting Anthony Reyes to the bullpen."

From Dennis7474: "Have never liked Juan's play, but by no means was happy to see this happen. Hopefully he can make a full recovery. I was hoping, if that's the right word for the situation, that it hit him in the mouth and not the eye. As for the sick posts, we all knew they were gonna happen. Some people crave attention, no matter how they get it."

***Ah...there's the answer I was looking for. The previous posts from ozziethesaint is from a "sick" and "perverse" person who "craves attention."

COMMENTS ON ANTHONY REYES:

"Tony's next smart move should be demoting Anthony Reyes to the bullpen."

"I've defended him, rationalized his performance, believed in his ability despite dismal performance after dismal performance -- no longer. The truth is it's not run support, it's pitch selection and location.
Why not pound your fastball rather than hanging looping, hanging curves? Sadly, the window to deal him when his value was high is a faint memory.
He shouldn't start another game for the Cardinals.
And this, my friends, from a true believer."

"Most frustrating guy on the team." -Bernie Miklasz

"It hasn't been a good year for either Kip Wells or Anthony Reyes. I think Reyes will be back next year, but I don't feel the same way about Wells.
I just don't understand this. He had strung together a few good outings not too long ago, and now this is his third consecutive sub par start. And there may have been excuses such as poor run support, poor defense, or the wind at Wrigley Field. There is no excuse tonight. He just flat out wasn't very good.
I will be curious to see how Reyes can bounce back from this tough season as we move into 2008. I have a hard time believing he will start the season 2-13 again."

"It is very frustrating. There is no pitcher on that roster that we've all hoped to see succeed more than Reyes. We've all followed him with high hopes for years. He tantalizes with brilliant performances, but more often than not he fails. I do agree that his time is surely running out with this organization."

"It's just not going to happen with him and while I'm one of the last guys on the planet to give up, I have. There has to be some mental deficiency explanation."

***There you have it, Bird fans giving up on both Reyes and Encarnacion.

Thought you guys might enjoy those thoughts from other Redbird fans. Let us know what you think about these two guys, and put a word in for Ankiel as well.

Have a good night. And a great win for the Birds' tonight. And an even better loss for the Cubbies. Cheers.

Not a Fightin Chance for Illini

...or so most Mizzou fans think. But remember that embarrassing loss to Iowa State last year in clutch time? Remember two seasons ago when the good ole Tigers capsized against a poor New Mexico team? Surely no one has forgotten that Pinkel and Co. have bitten the dust two of the last three years to a terrible Kansas Jayhawk squad?

So what makes the believers believe this season? Maybe it's the renewed confidence of head coach Gary Pinkel and his 6.5 million dollar nest, or the fact that football experts are mentioning the Tigers in their preseason talks. Perhaps its the exciting young quarterback Chase Daniel and the high-flying Big 12 offense. Maybe, just maybe....

But Mizzou fans..beware. Myself included. Don't go more than knee-deep in the hype. This is a mediocre football program with much to prove this season and beyond. The squad is led by a questionable coach who has a career losing record in the Big 12 (20-28). Not to mention, a bulk of the team is young with much to learn. Don't believe this team won't make stupid decisions on the field (remember Will Franklin's touchdown-to-be last season?) Daniel is a young man still and although he seems to be invincible under pressure...remember this is only his second season as a starter.

The Big 12 isn't an easy nest to lay your egg in. The stakes are high and the pressure is on. This isn't the OVC, baby. Samford isn't on the schedule. A 56-point season opening loss won't be something to laugh about. People won't be saying "let's wait until we get a home game." Mizzou must win now. They must win tomorrow. And they must win many more times this season. The Independence Bowl won't cut it this year. Second place in the North won't cut it this year.

All the hype adds all the pressure. Let's cross our fingers and hope the boys in black and gold can stay focused, determined, and able to handle the big show. Opening up on ESPN2 is the real deal. Playing at the Ed is the big time. Pinkel better have his boys ready to fight this season, or there's going to be more alumn and fans jumping off the bandwagon quickly.

Deck out in your best black and gold plated birthday suit, be in downtown early enough to get nice and funny so you're not shy about contributing to the ruckus, and be ready to heckle the hell out of anybody in puke orange. I'm jealous. And I'm envious of all you lucky fools who get to be there.

Think of me. Call me. I'll be bellied up at Cuckoo's eating fried chicken and drinking some of Augie's finest. And if there's a stupid three yard sweep play called on a third and long, I'll be causing a little ruckus of my own.

"We're gonna go inside, we're gonna go outside, inside and outside. We're gonna get 'em on the run boys and once we get 'em on the run we're gonna keep 'em on the run. And then we're gonna go go go go go go and we're not gonna stop til we get across that goal line. This is a team they say is... is good, well I think we're better than them. They can't lick us, so what do you say men?"

Only Two Back, Jack.

THIS JUST IN: "Jason Isringhausen, the Cards' all-time leader in saves, has been with the team for six seasons now, but this year has been arguably his best. He pitched a scoreless May and has converted 27 of 29 saves with a 1.50 ERA." Write that down and stuff it in your mouth all you ignorant fools who hate on the best closer the Cardinals have had in 15 years. "Oh, let's trade him. He's terrible. He's old. He's hurt. Here he comes, he's going to blow the game for us." Until I moved out of Missouri, I was so sick and tired of hearing about everybody in Cardinal nation gripe and moan about Jason Isringhausen. It was the stupidest moaning I've ever heard in my life. Realize a good thing when you have it.

And to all those who stuck with Izzy through a rough spell, thank you. You know a good thing when you see it.

I'll avoid the same ole song and dance of me telling you that the Cardinals are going to make the playoffs. You know that by now. And you're starting to believe again. Aren't you?

As I was reading Mark's T5 blog this week, and was reflecting on Starbury's comments, I got to thinking: why is beating dogs any different than killing deer? These dogs aren't domestic, they were born and bred to fight each other. I'm not defending Mike Vick, by any means, but think about it....and tell me what you think. Because the issue isn't going away any time soon. Kind of like Maria Sharapova isn't getting ugly any time soon. You can put that on your chalkboard also.

*Issac Bruce weighs on the Vick issue at yardbarker.com. He also guarantees an MVP season. Draft him early.

Ricky Clemons is BACK, but nobody ever doubted him. Did they? He signed a pro deal to launch retarded shots from stupid positions in untimely moments somewhere in Poland. I've heard they're feeding him cheeseburgers and fries under the table. The kid just can't do it clean. He's like Kalen Grimes in that sense. That said, I guess playing ball in Poland is better than beating innocent bystanders in the head with a pistol. Kudos to Clemons.

Speaking of Mizzou...this is certainly the most excited I've been about Mizzou football in a long time. I couldn't get over the players 'pride and ego' while I was on campus there, but now that I'm off....I'm stoked about this season. Even Mizzou coaching great Gary Pinkel says "I feel it." Usually that means he feels another three yard sweep play on 3rd and 11. But maybe not. Maybe this is the year. Maybe this is his year. We need to fire him, in my opinion. But I'm pulling for him this season. I want the team to win the damn Big 12. And if he's at the helm than so be it. Let's just win some football games. It's all about ball, baby. Even if it is made of pigskin.

And speaking of pigskin...why isn't the NFL in trouble for killing pigs in order to make their footballs? Or is that whole pigskin thing just a saying? C'mon guy.

I've gotta jet, the clearance deal from DirectTV on the Poland Pro Basketball package is over in twenty minutes. Step to the 'Lu.

Ankiel the Gem in Cardinals Rusting Armor

...and in right field, for the future, ladies and gentlemen we give you THE LOLLIPOP KID: RRRRRRIIIIICCCKKKKK AAANNNNKIEl! Somebody call Sports Illustrated and tell them their Ankiel-O-Meter just exploded like Barry Bonds' head. Somebody call the Cubs front office and tell them we've got a new weapon, tell them that, unlike their sorry organization, we know what to do with our pitching prospects when they suck on the mound. Call the commissioner and tell him he needs to be in St. Louis watching a real athlete do incredible things, not a fat, overweight, big-headed, steroid using slug hit long balls with a fungo bat. In St. Louis (post-McGwire era), we know how to play real baseball. And Rick Ankiel, sports fans, is the best thing to happen to St. Louis since Bartman pissed Moisture Aloe off.

Seriously, we're running out of time. But from my seat out west I think Ankiel makes up 4 of the 6 games himself. The CoRockies are taking care of business against the sorry Cubbies in the seventh (not that we're worried about the Cubs). And, like I've been saying all along, the Brewers are destined for a colossal collapse. It'll happen.

The Birds have a long way to go, but the Lollipop Kid is a reason to get excited about being at Busch Stadium again. As for me, I've worked out a deal with the Durango Joes coffee company across the street from my crib that allows me to borrow one of their laptops with high speed wifi each evening so I can listen to Shannon's voice take us into the playoffs right from the comfort of my front yard hammock.

Not all of you have it as nice as me, but at least you can still go to Busch. When you get there, if Jack Clark is sitting in your seat, kick his ass out. And make him buy you a Budweiser. And let him know that he's been terrible for me in Nintendo's RBI baseball all season long. He's batting a measly .246 with 13 homers. You gotta expect more out of Jack Clark.

What's your thoughts on Ankiel? Is he the real deal or is another Anthony Reyes?

Get real people. We're going to the playoffs.