Brandon Phillips= Why the Reds haven’t been there before
Well Brandon Phillips proved to the Cardinals why they haven’t been contenders in the NL for over a decade, leadership.
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No matter who you like or what team you root for, the guys who win is what counts. The Cardinals swept the Reds with ease today after a brawl and some of Phillip’s opinions were published. The cameras caught Chris Carpenter and Scott Rolen making amends before the game but that was after some hurtful words were exchanged between some former teammates.
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As far as this writer is concerned, sticks and stones. Phillips and the Reds showed why the haven’t been around the top of the division for so long these past few days. They lack that leadership quality. As far as I’m concerned, the Reds are the bitches. Jason LaRue and Carpenter were featured on the “kiss cam” during game two of the series after a heated brawl. Carp took it as an opportunity to be the bigger “man” so-to-speak by laying one of his catcher’s cheek.
The fact is, the Cards proved their still top dogs and the Reds are not a concern. If you worry about the other teams in your division, you’ll fail. I don’t see Cincinnati overcoming this terrible series with their hated rival. The Red Birds will win the division and are my pick, STILL, to win the NL.
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As for Philips, 2-14 with one RBI in the series. Yuck. Not only that, the guy Brandon was jawing with was Yadier Molina who was 5-12 with three RBIs and a homer in the series. The bomb happened in his first at bat after the brawl
The Trade Deadline- Yankees, Cards, and more Yankees?
The trade deadline is over and someone made out like a bandit. Of course, it was the Yankees.
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Lance Berkman and his 326 homeruns landed in New York. The rich always seem to get richer. Berkman is on his worst stretch this year and no one can dispute that. But listen, is this even fair? What in the world did Houston get for this? It isn’t nothing but it sure isn’t enough for the SWITCH-HITTING, ALL-STAR-PLAYING, HOMERUN-SMASHING BERKMAN!
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Melancon, I’ve read, is a speedy youngster with a slightly above average bat and the other guy is a reliever. Neither player has spent any time at the big league level. The Astros are dumb and will be eating the Carlos Lee contract while they sit in the basement of the terrible NL Central. STRIKE ONE!
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The Cardinals traded a fan favorite in Ryan Ludwick. This one made sense for everyone except for the St. Louie fans, most likely. The Cards right fielder often found himself on the DL except for a phenomenal season in ’08, he hit 37 bombs and batted just under .300.
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He goes to SD where they get the Red Birds a starting pitcher from the Indians in a three team deal. I like Westbrook but he is a lot like Luddy-injury prone. So, the two teams swap DL plagued players. The Pads needed a bat and the Cardinals needed a pitcher to replace the oft injured Lohse and Penny. Cards fans won’t like losing the hard-playing Ludwick but they should be happy the team is most likely ending the awful Jeff Suppan experiment. STRIKE TWO!
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The Yanks landed Berkman but also Kerry Wood. He can strikeout batters but his arm is built like an Jenga tower 30 minutes in to the game. Look out! In a year and a half with Cleveland he’s kept his ERA at around 5.00 which isn’t bad for a closer. And he’s pitched a whopping 75 innings. What are the Yanks doing?
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I’ve never liked Wood. People think he’s worth more than he is. He was always a decent number two or three starter but no more. Then the injuries came and he went to the pen. Now, he’s a glorified setup man. That’s all. STRIKE THREE AND I’M OUT!
St. Louis Cardinal Sins
When you have a lead late in the game, you expect to keep it right? Tell that to the St. Louis crew.
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The Cards last two games have been tough to watch. Yesterday a 5-0 lead wasn’t enough for the Red Birds. A couple errors and bad bullpen pitching led the Cardinals to an 8-7 defeat.
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But that was NOTHING compared to the day before. Oh boy. If a 9-3 ninth inning lead isn’t enough, what is? This is getting embarrassing.
The Cards bullpen gave up a crooked nine runs in the bottom half which included two three-run homers off of Ryan Franklin. Yuck! Now, the Cards Ace is losing to the Rockies 3-0 in the fifth. This is not the way to head into the All-Star break. If I was a Cardinal fan I would be livid. This year the defense has been bad, the strikeouts have been up, and the division isn’t even that good! They better get that act together fast or the owners wont be dishing out the fat contracts to some of the upcoming free agents (Pujols excluded).
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The Cards are limping and the Reds aren’t letting up. Do you think Cincinnati will take the Central? Who all picked that!?
MLB Division Leaders 2010
This time a year ago every division in baseball had a different leader. Now, not every team that was leading at this point went on to win the division but it proves that the MLB season is a marathon not a sprint.
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What surprises me the most? The NL West has the Pads in first when in ’09 it was LA. San Diego should hold onto their slugger Adrian Gonzales and closer Heath Bell to keep this dream alive.
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Then there’s the NL Central. The Cards are a favorite this year but a year ago it was Milwaukee that was running the show. The Red Birds would go on to get Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday along with Julio Lugo to solidify the Central late in the season. This year the Reds need to make some moves if they wish to put themselves ahead of the Birds.
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The Braves lead the East because the ’09 team at this point is injured to hell. The Phillies are losing players left and right and now Chase Utley is out for who knows how long. I still think Philidelphia comes back to win the division.
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As for the American League, we were talking Angels last year. Now the Rangers are the best team in baseball. Don’t get too carried away. I’ll still stick with my Mariners pick but it’s looking bleak. They’ll probably trade Lee.
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The Yanks are in fist but Boston was last year. I’d like to see the Rays make a run but they need to get it in gear. Boston and New York are outplaying TB.
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Finally, that AL Central. The Twins are running the show now and I think they’ll win it easily. We were talking Sox and Tigers last year. Mauer and company has it together just like I thought.
My picks aren’t too bad right now. Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers. Yankees, Twins, Mariners. Wild Carders- Giants (get it going!) Red Sox.
Why Carlos Zambrano is a true Cub
It’s like the Detroit Lions or the L.A. Clippers, nothing goes right for the Cubs. Thats why Carlos Zambrano is a true Cub.
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His outbursts are constant and unnecessary just like the Cubs eager moves which never seem to workout right. There’s the closer problems. Since Rod Beck we’ve seen some awfulness come out of that sideline bullpen in the ninth. Flash Gordon, Latroy Hawkins, Joe Borowski, Kevin Gregg. Yuck.
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Then there are the knee-jerk trades that lead to stardom. Gary Matthews Jr., Dontrel Willis, Mark Grace wins a series, Greg Maddux years in Atlanta, Jamie Moyer, and did you know Lou Brock was once a Cub?
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Zambrano is another failure of an organization known for terrible luck. He’s a goner and so are the Cubs this year. They’ve stuck with him too long. I thought he’d turn it all around when he threw a no-no. But no.
Fun fact for the Cubs, did you know that the Cubs had the Peoria Chiefs affiliate for 17 of the last 25 years? The eight years they didn’t have it these players were in the organization; Placido Polanco, Dan Haren, J.D. Drew, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols. That was when the St. Louis Cardinals had them.
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STRIKE TWO!
