There is two weeks left to reach some decisions.

One was made this week by ownership to extend the contract of CardinalsGM John Mozeliak for another three years. I believe this is fine and it now gets him out of the shadows of his predecessor, Walt Jocketty.

Other things: Pitching

Jaime Garcia and his innings load will be a topic soon. He has eclipsed 100 innings on a year following his surgery. His last few starts have not been stellar performances. when do they shut him down or will they limit him to 5 or less innings per start?

The Cards can not afford to use 7 pitchers per night on the nights Carpenter and Wainwright do not start. This is wear the bullpen down too much.

Another start or two will be needed but how do we acquire that? Trade? What do we have to give? D-Backs want 2 starters and relief help for Dan Haren. That isn’t going to be us getting that done. Maybe a mid-type start will be the way to go. Cards are linked today with Fausto Carmona and that might work. Maybe a retread like Livan Hernandez can eat innings.

Shortstop.

I wrote this earlier but Brendan Ryan is not cutting it. Tyler Greene, Felipe Lopez and Aaron Miles are not the answer to this position. Cards were linked to Alex Gonzalez and now he is gone. Where do we turn? What do we need here, pop and speed? I would like Stephen drew here but I can be almost sure he can not be pried away with our offers.

Impact Bat.

Everyone wants this. just as I rip Randy Winn, he has a good few nights. Do we have any trading chips we can use in order not to weak our lineup elsewhere? Would you trade Ryan Ludwick for a #3-4 starter? With John Jay emergence I could do that.

End of July is coming soon and DECISIONS need to be made.

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Ok, just for point of reference, I recently retired after 34 years of teaching in the public school system. I understand, i see the value of repetition. that is one of the best ways to learn.

Practice.

Someone shows you how to do something correctly. This doesn’t appear to be what the Cardinal coaching staff does very well or maybe not at all. The team is struggling in defense this year. The errors are mounting up.

Situational hitting appears to be left out of the equation. We can teach them to swing from the heels. To turn on a pitch at every count of the at bat. But we can’t seem to move runners along to get in scoring position.

Baserunning is horrid. One thing that would help is for them to watch their base coach and actually do as they are told. Quit this looking over the shoulder while rounding second base and trying to score when the “stop sign” is put up. Another thing is attempting to steal bases because you ‘thought” you could make it. A very few should get the green light and the rest go on a sign.

Now is the pitching. Can’t we talk to pitchers about not throwing the same pitch 6 times in a row? one change-up or two are fine but it doesn’t remain a change-up if it is your pitch a half dozen times in a row. Reliever need to understand they are in the Major Leagues and their fastball is as overwhelming as it was in lower leagues.

Teaching is important in ALL profession in order for them to be successful.

Tony LaRussa has a propensity to surround himself with veteran players and I feel it is so he doesn’t have to “teach” them the ways of the game. I can attest to the fact that I have coached different levels in the school setting and you actually say the same thing over and over at each level. Some more advanced than others but it is really the same thing.

If the Cardinals need a retired teacher, i can work some time in to help out.

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I could write words upon words about being an American and how the military has proudly and willingly sacrificed to keep our freedoms…… but how does one improve on the Lee Greenwood song, God Bless the USA?

Let’s look at how I view the song…

If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.

I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.

(this is the greatest place to live and our military is willing to put it on the line for all of us back in the USA so that we can wake up every morning and go to sleep every night knowing the things we enjoyed will still be there. No one will stifle us or keep us from expressing our ideas or thoughts because they may be different.)

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

(my first experience in losing someone to military happened in 1968-69 when I was a Senior in High School and some of the members of the class before me went off to Vietnam and Cambodia and never came back. The names Eddie Stone and James Azbell shall always be synonymous with bravery and freedom to me….thanks to all military members living and dead that allowed me to raise kids and have a comfortable job without worrying about it being taken away from us.)

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

(being much older this “standing up” thing makes it very difficult physically but knowing what is at stake and smooths it over and more than willing to do my part to ensure my grandchildren and future generations enjoy the freedoms and not experience the tyrannical life some others have had to endure)

From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there’s pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.

(we Americans are proud of our country and to even say that means much sacrifice has been made and will have to continue to be made so that the United States of America remains a beacon for the world to see that freedom works and it is a great thing.)

That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

(Janis Joplin sang “freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose” and I think those words are just wrong. Freedom is a word that means we have rights. Right to choose, right to live life intentionally the way we wish to. Freedom means we have a lot to lose and we will continue to protect it.)

————————————————————–

Thank you to the military for what they have done, are doing and continue to do to make the United States of America the greatest place in the world!

Go Cardinals!

Sincerely,

Tom and Family

Illinois

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