St Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Corey Patterson.

Maybe I'm a moron.

Maybe I'm a thinker.

Either way, sometimes crazy ideas work. 

I know I'll get fried for this. You're probably thinking, "If he's not good enough for Washington, he's really not good enough for St. Louis. What does this guy know?"

"Feel the wind and set yourself a bolder course...you'll sail the perfect line...in your time."

—Bob Seger, "In Your Time"

It should have been this year, 2009, but it's coming for Pablo Sandoval.  Sooner or later, he will get his due and the entire baseball world will realize how special this player is.  Until then, I'll do my best to hasten that day's arrival.

With that in mind...

What's the matter, Charlie Manuel?  Couldn't figure a way to get Matt Stairs and Carlos Ruiz on the team?

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Tonight, the Cardinals started the holiday weekend off with a bang.

As I grow a little bit older, I've begun to realize what most people my age start to.

There are now people in our past that have gone on to a better place and we are left with just the memories of them.

Memorial Day can start to really take meaning on all levels of personal importance.

I reflect on memories of my grandmothers, aunt, and my grandfather.

"Gramps" I called him and he was my main man.

I named my son after him and he wears the name proudly.

I'll admit, sports captivate my soul.

Do you ever have the feeling life is passing you by at a speed that prohibits real examination? I’m afraid I’m guilty of this lifestyle misdemeanor at times.

But every once in a while, I apply some brake pressure as a sporting crosswalk approaches. I have to remind myself that it’s worthwhile to stop and smell the pine tar.

One such crosswalk involves the hushed voices and polite applause of golf. Whenever I have the opportunity to watch Tiger Woods play, I thank my lucky stars.

After it was widely assumed that the St. Louis Cardinals would head to Memphis carrying 26 players, the management decided to finalize the Opening Day roster by relegating Joe Mather to Triple-A Memphis.  Mather, who had been relatively inconsistent with his swing through the Jupiter campaign, finished the Grapefruit League with a lowly .227 batting average.

With David Freese looking like the clear favorite to grab the third baseman job in the absence of stud Troy Glaus, Mather's swing issues hurt him down the stretch with regards to grabbing the final roster spot.

The Cardinals didn't lose any key players in the off season, and look to have a surprisingly strong starting lineup for opening day.

The lineup for opening day will be lacking the former all-star Troy Glaus, but he is expected to return sometime in May. So, at third base will most likely be David Freese, who according to the Cardinals staff, has had an exemplary spring training and preseason.

So let's go around the horn.

C: Yadier Molina.

1B: Albert Pujols.

2B: Skip Schumaker.

SS: Khalil Greene.

3B: David Freese.

LF: Chris Duncan.

The Cardinals finalized their opening day pitching staff by optioning flame-thrower Chris Perez to Triple-A Memphis. This move leaves the Cardinals with 12 healthy pitchers heading north for opening day.

The Cardinals elected to keep Brad Thompson as a second long-relief pitcher, not because his performance merits a trip north over Perez's, but mainly because of the shaky performance by long-relief pitcher Kyle McClellan. 

Manager Tony LaRussa was quoted as saying, "I'm sure he'd rather pitch in the big leagues, but he knows he's highly regarded, and he's young."