"I highly doubt Smith and Larussa will be exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon."


I'd ordinarily be surprised how long that gurdge has lasted, but then I stop to consider the personalities involved and I'm surprised that I'd be surprised.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"Descalso isnt an everyday player."

He's not, but how much better (and maybe just as importantly more expensive) is a guy who's going to be brought in on a 1-year contract going to be? We discussed the concept that second base has pretty much been a revolving door since Vina left, and they seem committed to Wong long term.

"It wouldnt hurt to have a right handed option at second base either."

Hello, Pete Kozma. I fully expect them to go with a Descalso/Kozma combo up the middle until Furcal returns, and then they'll platoon Kozma and Descalso at second. Unless they go with Scal/Skippy because Scal hits lefties better than he hits righties.
Granted, it's not an optimal situation, but there aren't many options.

I see where you are coming from.  Still I think an infield depth chart of Furcal, Kozma, Descalso and I guess Carp/Skip thrown into the mix is really weak.  Maybe Jackson gets a shot to if he makes it out of the doghouse.  Personally Id throw Kozma back on the Memphis roster and leave him there.  Id use Delscalso as the backup SS.  He isnt that bad when he played there.  Not that good but not that bad.  He would work as the backup as long as Furcal is playing most the time.  Descalso cant be over exposed at the position of SS, I understand that.  If Furcal goes down then they can call up Kozma. 

I dont agree with the idea that you should platoon two lefties (Carp/Descalso/Skip) against lefties because one of them (Carp) hits lefties well.  that sounds dumb.  I understand them trying Carp at second.  I am alittle on edge after I jumped on the Skip bandwagon and held on for the bumpy ride.  However we did learn some things during the process.  If carp is going to play second he has got to get alot of time there to get good.  He isnt going to learn the position completely and be ready to play it at any given time during the offseason.  The other option is playing him there and praying to Pujols' god that the ball isnt hit to him.  You know the God that gives a fuck about baseball. 

Of course all that depends on there being another option through trade or FA to get a right handed second baseman.  Looking at the free agent list I am coming up empty. 

Second Basemen
Jeff Baker, ATL
Robinson Cano, NYY *
Mike Fontenot PHI
Orlando Hudson CWS *
Maicer Izturis, LAA
Kelly Johnson TOR
Adam Kennedy, LAD
Jeff Keppinger, TB
Jose Lopez, CWS
Freddy Sanchez, SF
Ryan Theriot, SF

Shortstops
Jason Bartlett, SD
Yuniesky Betancourt, KC
Ronny Cedeno, NYM
Stephen Drew, OAK *
Alex Gonzalez, MIL *
Cesar Izturis, WAS
Jhonny Peralta, DET *
Luis Rodriguez, SEA
Marco Scutaro, SF

Alex Gonzalez didnt play much at all last year.  Between him and Furcal you might have a full player.  IDK if he can play second or not, he never has but he is right handed.

Johnson on the other hand cant play SS and strikes out alot.  I like him better then Descalso tho.  He be interesting in a platoon situation with a right handed second baseman.  The right handed second baseman the Cardinals dont have.

tkihshbt wrote:

Carpenter said on the Bernie Show today that he's organized some workouts with the team's younger pitchers and he is throwing several times per week with Rosenthal.

I recently finished the new Larussa book.  Overall I thought it was average.  I found a couple of typos in the copy we bought suggesting the finished product was rushed and it was very disjointed.  It was more a stream of consciousness than a story.  Worth a read for a Cardinal fan, but it wouldn't get high marks in a high school English class.

In any event, the one thing that you could take away from the book it's that Larussa clearly valued those "glue" guys like Carpenter.  He refers to them as "co-signers" because whatever management is trying to sell to the team, the veterans have to co-sign it and get the rest of the team to buy in.

When they re-signed Molina, one of the things that was talked about quite a bit was the role he played working with the pitchers and preparing for games.  Hopefully they see the value that a guy like Carpenter brings to their younger talent, appreciate that they have a younger version of that with Wainwright and get his extension worked out.

It was after the 2003 season and IIRC, the vets basically told La Russa to calm his shit down.

tkihshbt wrote:

Carpenter said on the Bernie Show today that he's organized some workouts with the team's younger pitchers and he is throwing several times per week with Rosenthal.

I'd like to see Rosenthal spend the winter working on a third pitch. I know Carpenter doesn't throw a straight change, but that would be a pretty easy pitch to help him develop, and it could be a devastating pitch for a guy who can touch three digits.

"What shit did he need to calm?"

My recollection was that La Russa was seen as something of a control freek and authoritarian, and the veterans wanted to let him know that they were mature, grown-ups who knew how to play baseball, and therefore could be entrusted with a few decisions. 

I don't know if this was related, but I do recall that somewhere down the road, Rolen became one of the only (the only?) guy on the team who could attempt to steal without a signal from the coaches.

Here's a FA right-fielder.

Ichiro's patience snaps with Yankees: report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has lost patience with the New York Yankees over a contract extension and has begun talking with other teams, his agent said on Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/ichiros-patience-snaps-yankees-report-105053248--mlb.html

Are they in the market for a FA right fielder who is 39 and has been atrocious for the past two seasons?

I don't think the Yankees even played him in RF. It seemed like every time I saw him on a highlight, he was in left.

I'd say Ichiro must be operating with an inflated sense of self-worth.  Ichiro isn't anywhere near the kind of player that teams are going to be rushing out to sign.  I've read a couple of places that the Yankees are in hard on Nate Schierholz now that he's been non-tendered.  If they get a deal with Schierholz completed, they may not have any interest in Ichiro.

I've read a couple of times that Ichiro really wants to get to 3,000 hits in the states,  He needs 394 more.  He played pretty well for the Yankees, but overall his last 2 seasons have been pretty bad.  His OBP with Seattle last year was sub-.300.  And he better be ready to take a MASSIVE pay cut from the $18M he made last season.

APIAD wrote:

Skip is probably a better option as a fourth outfielder then Ichiro and that is pretty much all Ichiro is.

I would have agreed with you in July, but he had a pretty good second half with the Yankees, and he can still run. Which is not to say I'd advocate the Cardinals signing him at whatever he's asking, but he'll find a home as a starting outfielder somewhere.
Speaking of Japanese players, whatever happened to Kosuke Fukudome? Wow, did the Cubs get sold on that nonsense.

Max wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

I'd say Ichiro must be operating with an inflated sense of self-worth.  Ichiro isn't anywhere near the kind of player that teams are going to be rushing out to sign.  I've read a couple of places that the Yankees are in hard on Nate Schierholz now that he's been non-tendered.  If they get a deal with Schierholz completed, they may not have any interest in Ichiro.

I've read a couple of times that Ichiro really wants to get to 3,000 hits in the states,  He needs 394 more.  He played pretty well for the Yankees, but overall his last 2 seasons have been pretty bad.  His OBP with Seattle last year was sub-.300.  And he better be ready to take a MASSIVE pay cut from the $18M he made last season.

Thanks.  That's more the conversation that I was trying to jump start. How do you say, "The Man" in Japanese?

No problem.  I just found it odd you started it in the Cardinals thread.  I thought you were suggesting we should be in on signing him.