Join Jeff Gordon for his live STL sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday
Bring your Cards, Blues, Mizzou, SLU and MLS questions and comments, and talk to columnist Jeff Gordon in his weekly live chat.
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Jeff, I guess we’ll agree to disagree. You only have to look at a pitcher like Nolan Ryan who may have started out as “cheap labor” era but transcended into a money pitcher and his innings if anything stayed the same or went up. He pitched more innings in 1990 than he did in 1970. I understand he is the exception rather than the rule but overall there are more players today in the major and minor leagues than there were in the 1960’s and 70’s which means there should be more disposable talent now. I just think we’ve dumbed the game down and created too many silo’s. -
In 1960, the Dodgers had 14 minor league teams. The Braves had 12 and the Phillies and Giants had 11 and the Cardinals and Orioles had 10. The ratio of minor leaguers to major leaguers was far, far different.The pay structure was dramatically different. The physical construction of pitchers was dramatically different. On balance, they didn't throw the ball nearly as hard as players today. Nolan Ryan's fastball would be just another 100 mph heater today.Back then relievers were failed starters who mopped up, Today teams might have a half-dozen power arms groomed for high-leverage work.Really, these are almost two different sports when it comes to pitching. Sure, some guys lasted forever back in the day. I grew up watching Mickey Lolich work throwing every fourth day forever. But a lot of guys nobody ever heard of blew out their arms. -
A lot of ink is being spilled saying that the Royals will be a team on the rise this season. Many of their top prospects are pitchers who will throw out of the bullpen as they work their way into the rotation. How nervous should that make Royals fans with Matheny on the bench? Kevin Siegrist, Trevor Rosenthal, and Seth Maness may have a few words of advice.
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Mike burned through some guys. So has Mike Shildt. Then you look at teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers and what they do with relievers. They can't wait to get to their bullpen. That's where they want to win games.And to think we used to make fun of Tony La Russa and his Parade of a Thousand Relievers.
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Pretty much everybody they have left is with the team now, due to injuries and the use of the taxi squad for COVID reasons. At this point the most interesting guys not with the Blues are in Europe -- forwards Klim Kostin and Nikita Alexandrov. In junior hockey Colten Ellis the player to watch.
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A lot of NHL players deal with back injuries. He tried to play through the discomfort, as many players do.. But, yes, they can be dicey since surgical repairs often lead to unsatisfactory results. It's tough to speculate on No. 55 because we really don't know much about his condition.
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I bought cards as a kid but never really collecting them. My jewell was an autographed ball from the '68 Cardinals. This was a legit item with real signatures. My grandpa knew an usher who also scored me tickets to the World Series that year. Alas, the ball did not survive my many moves.
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If Reyes is under the 100 inning limit in the playoffs, is it possible he makes a playoff start? Similarly, if he has already reached his 100 inning limit in the playoffs, will the Cardinals shut him down? I know it's not a firm limit and that they'll try to plan so he has innings available in October, but if the Cards make an especially deep october run, he could surpass that limit while the Cards are still playing.
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Given the fights players have gone through together via their players association, that has led to more of a brotherhood in baseball and hockey for sure. Plus guys often have the same agency, The NBA is like a high-stakes game of pick-up, where LeBron or Harden calls "next", then assembles a team designed to stay on the court, er, try to win titles with him. Superstars recruit teammates in the modern NBA. But we do get some nice rivalries there when stars jilt certain teammates.
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I would not write off Kolten Wong. He'll be fine. But letting Wong go and adding Arenado as a replacement worked out pretty well, especially with Colorado underwriting the money side this year. As for the outfielder, sure, if all else fails the Cardinals would make another move. The roster is not frozen.
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Mikolas has gone from ready for opening day, to slowing down his work this spring, to now entirely shut down for at least a week. Elbows can be rebuilt, but shoulder issues have ended many pitchers' careers. How nervous should fans be that the Cards may not get much out of Miles this season, or perhaps next?
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I would not write him off for two seasons just yet. Sore shoulders are pretty common, especially when guys try to rebuild strength after lengthy inactivity. Shoulder injuries are hard to fix, true, but strains and inflammation are routinely overcome during the course of the season. So we'll just have to see which way this goes. If he rips something, yes, that woud be bad.Pitching injuries happen. A guy who feels great today could blow out his elbow or rotator cuff Monday. Fans have no shortage of things to fret about with pitchers.
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Billy Hamilton got the short hair cut from the Indians this week, which probably signals the end of his MLB career. An inability to get on base really hurt Hamilton since you can't steal second without first getting that initial 90 feet. But baseball is more fun when there are guys like Billy stealing 50 to 60 bases a season. With the steal going the way of the midrange shot in basketball, do you think the days of the speedy outfielder with little pop are done in baseball?
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Unfotunataely you may be right. A really speedy center field will have value in late innings, but not as much as during the pre-shift days. A speedy player who can get on base can still be disruptive, especially against infield shifts, but who trains for that any more? I bet there are 6-year-olds out there already drinking protein shakes and working on their launch angle. This makes me sad.
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Gratitude is always the right attitude but...What’s the standard for a mid-market team like the Cardinals who certainly have more resources than most?
Every time I hear fans should be grateful for the FO and winning baseball is like saying you should be thankful for sitting in the front of the class - not in the back with all the lesser students...like the Brewers, Reds, Pirates, etc -
I remember going to games when the Cardinals in the late 70s when they didn't draw flies, The Cardinals have resources today because they built them through success, first with Whiteyball, then with DeWitt rescuing the franchise for its malaise at the of the A-B years and reestablishing success. This is a small market team that has built upper mid-level resources the hard way: by trying to compete year after year in an industry where such commitment has become unusual.This approach outrages many fans, I know, but they will just have to live with it as long as the current ownership is in place.
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Hey Gordo! If the Blues are fortunate and get most of their injured players back in a reasonable amount of time before the end of the season, would they be considered a sleeper pick for the Stanley Cup regardless of playoff seeding? I see great depth, experience, a winning pedigree, and a team playing with a chip on the shoulder after last year‘s embarrassment. Thoughts?
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Right now just making the playoffs should be the target to focus on. Most of the injured guys will be gone into April or worse. So this is a game-to-game battle. If the Blues do survive that and if they do get their guys back then, sure, they will be deeper team with proven mental toughness. Their past playoff success could serve them well, as could the shame they felt over their bubble hockey flop.
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