I'd like to see Burden get that job, but he has to catch the ball. With how limited practices and camp sessions are these days, you don't know what you don't know, but pregame evidence has suggested Burden catching punts is not a guarantee. He let a lot drop in high school and then caught them off the bounce with a full head of steam. That works in high school, not so well in college.
The gave it all to the Loop Trolley. I forgot to mention it. Kidding, kidding. I don't know of anything new with it. How city, county and state leaders decide to use the money will be heard about by our news reporters on those beats before I do, I imagine.
If the version of the Tigers that played the Wildcats showed up, probably the Beakers. They're 2-0 for the first time since 2011. Check your window. A pig could be flying by at any moment.
I understand the people who are low on Carlson want to turn this season into their spike-the-ball moment. I do. I'm just not ready to go there yet. We'll see.
Cowboys and overrated go together like Jerry Jones and cow dung.
A lot can happen in a 21-game span. A lot. Cardinals have been less predictable than usual this season, under Marmol. They have used Jordan Hicks as a starter and an opener. They're brining back Steven Matz as a reliever. He's refreshed the bullpen on the fly with internal options now holding pretty important spots. I think they want to evaluate what things look like here down the final stretch before locking anything in. I don't think they're just saying that either.
Candace Buckner. It was a fun read. Of all the things I don't understand in sports, one of the biggest is paying for a ticket, paying for parking, paying for up-charged food and drink . . . and then leaving before it's over -- if there's something that could be coming that you could want to see. If the kids are hot and sweaty and you're good with missing whatever happens, all good. If you could wind up regretting it, best to stay in that seat.
The pattern with the Blues that has become clear in recent seasons is that if a player gets very far into the final season of his contract without an extension, chances are he won't be coming back. Schenn, Parayko, Faulk, Thomas and now Kyrou all got early extensions. Pending unrestricted free agents have trended the other way: Pietrangelo, Schwartz, and most lately Perron. Scandella was an exception. So, a telling pattern will now have to be reversed for the captain to be extended. And it should be reversed. The Blues are signaling their future is Thomas and Kyrou, and that's great, but if you don't think these two young rising players could still learn from O'Reilly as captain, your fooling yourself. Especially now that Perron is gone. Tarasenko is not that guy, even if he plays well. And he's a free agent after this upcoming season, too.
The big version of that question could go down as one of the biggest STL sports what-ifs of all time. Would the Cardinals have a more recent World Series championship than 2011? Would Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina both be Cardinals? Would Pujols have been a better version of himself than what the Angels got -- or would it have been the same here, where a bloated contract harmed the team? All kinds of rabbit holes to go down. I imagine the Cardinals would have a more recent World Series if he stayed, but my guess is he would have retired by now if his struggles here were as bad as they got in California, in part because he would not have wanted to let that play out here on this stage. What remains the coolest thing about this story, for St. Louis, is that it will be able to see Pujols start and end here -- while also saying it never once witnessed a bad Pujols season.
He took snaps at wildcat in week one. He's taking direct handoffs and pitches on jets sweeps. And I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in the return game soon. He's being used in a multifaceted role now. He just needs to be sure to catch balls that hit him in the hands. He's had some freshman moments. Drinkwitz said today in CoMo that he wants Burden to get more touches but play fewer snaps. Maximizing his value is a must. He can do that in different ways, but he's a receiver first and foremost.
Drinkwitz said after the K-State game that Cook was the starter still, and the depth chart released today showed no changes. He went to Jack Abraham because Cook was getting roughed up and he thought maybe the backup could create a spark. Abraham didn't do anything to help his case, unfortunately. Drinkwitz said he did not consider playing Horn, the true freshman. If he felt he was ready then I'm guessing we would have seen him some Saturday. That suggests he doesn't think he's ready at this time, meaning Cook is the best option. Cook being the best option right now should not be too surprising, but it does stir up the memories of the three QB transfers Drinkwitz stuck out on this season.
Small sample size as you said but he's certainly been swinging. No strikeouts yet. Putting balls in play. I think his challenge right now is not being over eager, making sure he's swinging at good pitches and not just every pitch he can get his bat on. He's swung at half the pitches he's faced so far. Just needs to settle in a bit, which is common.
I said before the season started I think Drinkwitz's make-or-break season is year four not three, but it would be silly to ignore what factor fans play in this conversation. Their attendance and support or lack thereof can and will have to be considered by an athletics director who did not hire the coach. If the Tigers put the K-State mess behind them and move forward, calm will prevail. If it's a sign of what is to come then things could get pretty rough. When things get pretty rough at Mizzou, recent history suggests the attempted answer is change, not patience. I think it's too early to get too far down that road at this time.
From what I've read and heard they had specific complaints and proposed tweaks to the rules that they were upset were not implemented by the league. They voted against because they felt like player feedback was not incorporated enough in the process. Specifically there were questions raised about how pitchers could work around the pitch clock, how base stealers could force pitchers to burn a throw over and then be more likely to steal after that, how the pitch clock could impact close games late when a pitcher could need more time, and more. One about shifts was how challenges raised about players potentially being in an illegal position could negate big plays. That's one of my big ones, the one I mentioned earlier. It could be similar to the offsides challenge in hockey, which is a nightmare especially when it results in a snapshot wiping away what should have been a good goal before the freeze frames got involved.
Where is the answer least likely to come from an internal candidate? Probably at catcher, right away. The Cardinals have the National League's second-lowest OPS among catchers right now. Andrew Knizner's pitch-framing has been problematic. Ivan Herrera isn't quite ready. That feels like an important position that needs a more proven answer for 2023, even if it's a short-term one. Catcher has become a less important position across baseball over the years. I don't think it is for the Cardinals, at least not yet. Maybe when automated zones arrive but that won't be in 2023.
I'll take my annual stance of assuming the Cardinals are not going to break their trend of not wining whatever bidding war is waged for the offseason's top free agent. Boring, I know. But the Cardinals do their big deals -- Goldschmidt, Arenado -- in different ways, usually when they know what the price is and can plan around that on the front and back ends. A shorter term deal for a proven shortstop would make sense. I can't imagine why Turner would be interested in going short. He's the star of the class.
Texas was back -- until it wasn't.
Sounds like there are going to be some changes there, per Drinkwitz in CoMo today.
Cardinals have an eight-game lead with a chance to really open it up against the Brewers if they take care of business. Pujols has a .640 slugging percentage this month. He starts against every lefty, can start against some manageable righties and will get pinch-hit chances against lefties off the bench, a weapon Marmol is not afraid to use early in a game. I think he's gonna be hitting a good amount here through the end. The Cardinals' lead and his performance encourages it. Marmol wants AP to get there, too.
I agree with you. It suggests to me he does not have someone he trusts for fair catches. That's a problem.
It's pretty hard to look past what Montgomery is doing, and I think what happens here in the final 21 games matters more than some are assuming.
Gotta jet, folks. Heading down to ballpark for interviews. Have a good rest of your week.
I'd like to see Burden get that job, but he has to catch the ball. With how limited practices and camp sessions are these days, you don't know what you don't know, but pregame evidence has suggested Burden catching punts is not a guarantee. He let a lot drop in high school and then caught them off the bounce with a full head of steam. That works in high school, not so well in college.
