Does it exist?

The Cardinals  have hit an N.L.-high 22 homers. They are scoring the majority of their runs via the long ball.

We can debate this but simply, do you believe Mark McGwire has caused this to happen or is it just a coincidence?

Is his teaching causing some to swing for the fences?

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Now don’t be sad (Don’t be sad)
‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad
Now don’t be sad (Cause)
‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad

I will take this ALL year long!

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It means a good start to the season. I has shown the Cardinals on the first round of the rotation had good starters to throw out there. Probably the most frustrating was Lohse. Maybe it was the slowness he used but I had problems watching him pitch. Garcia got my attention with his ability to get hitters out and keep the ball mostly out of the air and in the park. Carp and Waino are just good so I guess they don’t get my praises this early in the season. Penny was a delightful surprise with his outing.

It means Rasmus has drawn a lot of attention with his new found ability to take walks. I love that effortless swing. Don’t hurt me when i say it reminds me of JD Drew and his swing.

It means Yadier Molina has stated en fuego with 7 RBI’s so far. It means the opposing pitchers have to pitch to the complete lineup right now (not just Pujols, holliday or Ludwick) as none have shown to be an easy out.

It means we might be a bit concerned about the bullpen if anything but they really only blew one game so that is short-sighted…. we will dismiss that for now.

….. and it means we are in first place in the NL Central!

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It is only two games that I am drawing these observations from and we all know that is a small sample size.

I like Rasmus in the 5 hole. He gets a chance to drive in runs. He seems so effortless in his swing and he is seeing the ball well and taking some walks. All good things. Also, he can run from the 5th spot. good place for him.

David Freese has not lived up to his name. He has stayed calm and by all accounts he is confident in his abilities. Definately can make some connection to the baseball.

Brenden Ryan has range. No surprise he can get to many balls in the hole and up the middle. I am not crazy about his flip to first base but if it works for him, it works for me. Glad he is back.

Ryan Franklin- he seems so hittable. Glad to see Ryan Ludwick get the save in game two. A few grabs on hard hit balls made all the difference in the world.

—————-

Now let’s see what Brad Penny can do for us.

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Wow, now that was fun. It was a six hour drive but overall it was worth it. I want to share a few things I noticed from this trip.

Great American Ballpark is a very nice and clean place to see a game. The site lines were all good, it was felt like a wide open stadium with some very nice views of the river from my seat. The people working were extremely friendly to someone wearing a Cardinal shirt and hat.  Great place to see a game, just make sure you skip ordering a bratwurst. I am not too keen on a white brat.

Te pre-game in comparison to what I have seen in St Louis was weak. They had a very short parade downtown with people gathered at Findlay Market. No real hype or giveaways, just food lines. At game time they had the introductions of the players from both teams and a fly over by four jets. Weak sauce as far as I was concerned.

The game.

Reds fans were visibly excited that Aaron Harang struck out the first two batters to start the game. I would be too, he has lost 31 games in the last 2 years. then Albert went deep. Let me interject here that in batting practice the ball on many bats seemed to jump out of there. Albert is a man.

Rasmus looks so effortless right now in his swing. His looong home run was a thing of beauty. Then later he made a very nice home run robbing catch of Scott Rolen’s shot. Cards may go as Colby goes this year. If he is good or very good, the Cards are in for a treat.

David Freese is, in my opinion, not going to cut it defensively. He is going to cost us some games this year. His bat is sound, his defensive footwork is questionable.

Carpenter- He just battles. I have no concerns at this time about him.

Motte- Jason throws the same pitch at the same speed from the same arm angle. This is not going to cut the mustard for a full season. He throws 95-95 MPH but you know where it will be.

Holliday- How many sunflower seed packages will he go through this year? We sat in left field bleachers and he poured in his mouth almost every 2-3 pitches. Now if this is all I can find wrong with Matt, this is a good thing.

Franklin- i am worried. He doesn’t appear sharp and able to just get people out on a regular basis.

Overall, we looked good after one game. I have generated some excitement for the upcoming year. This should be fun.

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After watching and reading this is my guess.
=======================================
NL EAST
1. Phils
2. ATL
3. FLA
4. METS (when will this mediocrity end in NY?)
5. WASH (still not good)

NL CENTRAL
1. STL
2. CUBS (w/o injuries could move up)

3. REDS (good nucleus)

4. MIL

5. ASTROS (getting old)

6 PIRATES (forever young and inexperience but no losing season this yr.)

NL WEST
1. Rockies
2. Giants (going to surprise this yr)
3. Dodgers
4. Padres (move out of last place)
5. D-Backs (not gonna be good)

WILD CARD: Cubs or Braves? Bobby Cox gets the nod in his final year.

MVP: Pujols (look for Tulowitzki and Howard to push him)
CY: Halladay (I want to put Ricky Nolasco here)
Rookie: Jason Heyward
MGR: Bobby Cox
HR Leader: Ryan Howard

Phils back to World Series.
=============================================
AL EAST
1. NYY
2. Boston
3. Tampa Bay (could sneak into 2nd)
4. Baltimore
5. Toronto

AL CENTRAL
1. White Sox (Can Ozzie stay quiet long enough to see them through?)
2. Twins (I like this team)
3. Tigers
4. Cleveland (going to be better)
5. KC

AL WEST
1. Angels
2. Mariners (much improved)
3. Texas
4. Oakland A’s (the mighty have fallen)

WILD CARD: Boston or Twins? Got to go w/Boston.

MVP: Alex Rodriquez
CY: King Felix Hernandez
Rookie of year: Brian Matusz, Balt
MGR: Gardenhire (I know I picked them 2nd)
Comeback: Peavy (good get for Pale Hose)
HR Leader: AROD

=================================================

Yankees advance to World Series

2010 Champs: Philadelphia Phillies

What do you think?

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