St Louis

All championship teams have this in common; can you guess what it is? I’ll bet my baseball heads can. 

The answer is a reliable closer—one who consistently gets the job done, especially in crunch time. 

After witnessing Big Adam Wainwright close out the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series, many people in Cardinals Nation are starting to question whether or not Ryan Franklin is the man for the job.

After Friday night's excruciating blown save and subsequent loss, I planned to pen a brief debate on whether or not Ryan Franklin should keep the Cardinals' closer role.

Now, after blowing his second save in as many days, the question is whether or not Tony LaRussa will actually keep going to Franklin in save situations, where he's converted just one of his four chances.

Nicknames and baseball go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

There are literally thousands of different nicknames that baseball players have acquired though their careers, and we all have our favorites. 

Making a list of the top 50 nicknames is difficult, because there are some great players and nicknames that have to be left off the list.  So I guess I'm apologizing in advance if I left your favorite off the list.

Here are the top 50 nicknames in MLB history:

One of the most storied franchises in the world, the St. Louis Cardinals have captured 10 World Series championship trophies.

Recently awarded a Medal of Freedom by president Obama, Cardinal for life—Stan Musial—is a champion in baseball and in life.  Considered one of the best hitters ever in the majors, he's ranked somewhere on my list of all-time Cardinals rippers. 

Zip along for the ride to find out where.  Rip camera one...

At first glance the N.L. Central would seem to be a two-team race between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers. Some people add the St. Louis Cardinals to the mix because, well, they're the St. Louis Cardinals. But most analysts seem to agree that it's between the Reds with their combination of speed, power and pitching, and the Brewers, who have one of the top offenses in baseball.

But hold on!

During the first decade of this millenium, Lance Berkman was a staple in any conversation about the best hitters in baseball.

Through almost 12 seasons in Houston he had become the face of the franchise, along with Roy Oswalt, and was a former member of the Killer Bs, taking Derek Bell’s place in 2000 alongside Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

In his first three full seasons, Berkman was 6th in Rookie of the Year voting and was a two-time All-Star:

St. Louis Cardinals (2010 record: 86-76)

As spring training got underway a few weeks ago, the Cardinals were a serious threat to win the NL Central division title. But with the Albert Pujols contract situation hanging like The Sword of Damocles above everyone’s head and the subsequent injury (elbow) to RHP Adam Wainwright (who will be lost for the season), it is suddenly difficult to foresee the Cards posing a serious threat to the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

When camp broke, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Matt Carpenter seemed destined to start the 2011 season as the third baseman for Triple-A Memphis.

After Adam Wainwright went down for the season, Kyle McClellan looked like the leading candidate to take the open spot in the starting rotation. After his first outing of the spring, that spot is now McClellan's to lose.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most storied franchises in American sports history. They've won 10 World Series—second only to the Yankees. Their uniforms are perhaps the best-looking in all of sports.

But hungry fans want more. They want the Cardinals to compete harder against the Yankees' (Jankees') legacy. By spending the cheddar, the Cards can stay competitive.