Join baseball writer Derrick Goold for his live Cardinals chat at 11 a.m. Monday
Bring your Cards questions and comments to Monday’s 11 a.m. live chat.
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It's often a euphemism for wanting someone fired, publicly, for the transgression of losing, I guess. I find the use of the word "accountable" as a substitute to avoid "another person losing their livelihood and job" fascinating, like it some absolves the critic of demanding something that harsh.What else could accountability mean?Make that coach fly coach! That's accountability! -
I laugh at your defense of DeJong on playoff roster
He is another “break glass open” in emergency type of roster spot you have railed about for years with Cardinals with a pitcher on roster
No different here - the 6 million dollar man will take up a roster spot he does NOT deserve
The organization plays faves and doesn’t even hide it -
-- Is that a pun?-- I offered an explanation. That's not an argument either way. I offered you how the team has it set up and their explanation. If you think that's a failure of their roster depth, then say so. If you feel they should have a better alternatives, then say so. But this is the roster they have.-- Every organization plays favorites. They did pay for production they expect to see when they sign a player. That's how contracts work. That's why teams, all teams, give players with contracts lots of opportunity to put things together. See: Dickerson, Corey.
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I do. How would you know? Are you snooping around the inbox to see what other people are asking. This is the first question of yours that I remember seeing, Jake. Oh, shoot, guess I've got to answer this one. What a toughie!Yes, he is. Regularly. And even without warning.
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I think what people are missing with Dejong on a playoff roster — or rather are choosing to miss — is that Dejong has earned his spot as a defensive replacement. He hasn’t earned a spot in the lineup, and his place on the roster reflects that. He has earned his spot as a defensive replace because his defense is very good. It’s pretty simple.
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Not -- stay with me here -- if that person never comes to the plate but upgrades the defense to close out a game late. Just spit-balling what teams have done in the past. Late-game defensive replacements haven't been banned like the shift, have they? Don't think so.
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Where did we get this notion that a HR ball belongs "to baseball" or to the guy who hit the HR? It's ridiculous. It belongs to the fan who put up their hard-earned money to buy a ticket to the game not knowing if any historic HR would be hit and then potentially risked life and limb to get the ball. Did this start with the guy who gave McGwire's 62nd back? That was an admirable decision, I guess, but it is baffling to me that we now seem to have an expectation that fans are supposed to offer the ball up to the player for token consideration. I read the article about Albert's gracious gesture over the weekend and thought, "That's nice, but why did this lady feel like she needed to offer the ball to him at all?" It's like winning the lottery and then being pressured by the lottery organizers to sell the winning ticket back for $1,000 in free lottery tickets. Crazy.
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That's your opinion. I offered mine. Here's where I get that notion: I could possess the baseball, keep it on a shelf, maybe show it friends, or maybe sell it and pay off some bills, whatever. Or, I should share it with baseball fans -- you know, the folks who paid "hard-earned money to buy a ticket to the game" and weren't, by fluke, fortunate enough to catch a lottery ticket. You know those folks? I know those folks. Their money is the same. Only their luck is different. Nothing else. Yeah, maybe they would like to see the baseball at a Hall of Fame or museum and not in some safe deposit box for only a few to enjoy or ever see.That's just my view. I'm just thinking about sharing the good fortune with those other fans who -- how'd you put it -- spent hard-earned money on a ticket three seats to my left.Sorry for spilling their beer.
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You mentioned Quintana's short starts earlier in the chat, but it feels like he's averaging very close to what he was averaging when the Cards acquired him. Is that not the case? If I remember correctly, he was averaging less than 6 IP per start, and is right around that now. Maybe my math is off. Thanks.
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Fair point. Before coming to the Cardinals he was averaging slightly more than five innings per appearance. In his eight starts with the Cardinals, he averaging exactly five innings a game. He started off better than that with the quality starts, six innings. And he does have the run of two or fewer earned runs. It's more the fact that four of his past five starts have been five or fewer innings, including one that was less than three innings. That's left some innings for others to carry. That's all. If he averages five innings from here that would help, if it's more than that because he's sprinkling in a six here and there, that's far better.
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Thank you for your insights. And bless you for your patience with some questions. Two related questions. Looks like the league has figured out Gorman and he has not adjusted well yet enough for consistent production. Is his issue similar to Carlson, De Jong, other -- pitch recognition and mechanics.. Nootbar and O'Neil are pretty streaky but boy, what defense.
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That's exactly it. It's the adjustment of a young player. The league knows how to attack him, and he has to adjust. He punishes mistakes, and he'll see enough of them obviously to do some damage. But to expand how often he plays and how often he does hit successfully, he'll have to adjust and close those areas where he's being pitching. That's common for all young hitters, especially at the highest level.
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I don't take covering history for granted. It's only happened three other times in the history of the game, and it has never happened when the Post-Dispatch is the newspaper of record for that team. History on the beat you cover is never to be overlooked, not when that history is a championship or a moment like No. 700. That's significant. Better be at my best.
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I'm not sure they could do that, honestly. Not real clear on how transferable a personal services contract is. It's a $10 million personal service contract. Pujols has the option to accept or decline. I think it's worth noting that the Cardinals spent $2.5 million to have Pujols play for them this season. Would they commit $10 million to have him not be an Angel employee?There's also the chance this gets sorted out in the purchase of the Angels. That is a factor in it.
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I think there is more to simply being in the organization before 9/1 for post season eligibility. Have to be on the 40-man unless you petition the Commissioner's Office. www.mlb.com
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From a beat writer, newspaper perspective, I don't think so. There's an element of the old don't-meet-your-heroes aspect. How would you handle the inevitable conflict when the team doesn't turn out to be like you hoped it would be, and there will be conflict because of the nature of asking questions and challenging poor performance or being the person who reminds a player/manager of a failure. And what happen when your favorite team's attitude toward the media (you) isn't the same as it is welcoming to fans (which you no longer are with a credential). Covering a team means checking out the wizard behind the curtain. Not sure how fun that would be a fan who wants to see the Great and Powerful Oz.There is definitely room in the media for fans to cover the team. We see that in a lot of places and fans attach that. But there's also room for a beat writer who isn't a fan, doesn't have that tie. And can still enjoy covering the beat.This is a compelling, interesting team. Who wouldn't want to cover that?Covering a team as a fan or for a medium where that works is something I don't really know, but I do see people do it extremely well. That's just not traditionally what the role of beat writer has been. I've never covered a team that I had any fondness for as a kid. That's kind of on purpose, honestly.