Can you believe this decline? It has made being a Cardinals fan dangerous. The Surgeon General has decided that watching the Cardinals may induce a heart attack due to INTENSE frustration. I was upset the other day to hear one of the Baseball Tonight commentators suggest that not only will the Cardinals not win the Central, they won't make the playoffs. NOW - I REALIZE ...

Rolen (If he's healthy); Pujols; and, Edmonds are the only 3 in the lineup that can play.

All the rest are hamburgers.

Cincy need another pitcher and they'll win it all.

Another disappointing year for Tony.

But they are ALL hamburgers that made it past Double A.

It's amaizing how someone who has never been there can criticize those who ARE there.

Beenthere, what are you saying? (Gloveman, I'd agree most of the time but I've lost my mind lately watching my beloved Redbirds in this horrendous skid. BTW, I didn't make it much past little league. LOL!)

The Cardinals identified that they needed quality starting pitching long before EVERYONE ELSE IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE reconginzed it and went and got a quality starter. Ok, so they didn't but I can dream.

Belly Lard, excuse me, Belliard IS THE ANSWER! Ok, he doesn't even know the question but hitting a robust .160 since the trade and having hit into more double plays than hits has solidified that anemic lineup. Yes, it is not not only anemic but lethargic.

SOooooooo Taguchi? Beenthere, how can you say that our defensive genius in the OF is hamburger? Why he ... Ok, so he has forgotten how many outs there were and carried the ball in while runners tagged up and advanced. SOooo he has fallen down in 2 of the last 4 games he has played allowing singles to become extra base hits. SOooo he isn't an power threat or even an offensive threat for that matter. SOooo in attempting to throw a runner out at the plate last week, he hit the second base bag. I'd never compare him to hamburger. I LOVE HAMBURGER.

Are you saying that our bullpen isn't among the best in the National League or baseball for that matter? Just because we don't have a reliable lefty out of the pen and just because I have to now drink Pepto Bismo when our "stopper" comes in, I just don't think ...

... and there there's Tony. I loved his recent post game interview. "We sucked in every phase of the game tonight." Then he turned and left the interview room. (I do like Tony and can't wait for management to get him a team.)

Let's be realistic. There are 3 absolute outs in the lineup every game. There are major holes to fill that haven't been addressed. WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE. (I'll do my best to lay off the Diet Coke this early in the morning and take a few breaths. I'm sensing that my blood pressure is going to soar when they take the field against the Reds.)

Coach, relax. It could be much worse. You could be a Cubs fan. What a mess!!

It's elementary as the Met's are the NL's only shot at winning the WS this year...no other NL even comes close to matching up with the big dawgs in the AL. JMHO

Coach, we've become a carnival game for the opposition: Step right up and inflate your BA! Come One Come All Pitchers and shrink your ERA! The Pirates (sorry, OPP, but the Pirates!?) have a better record after the AS break than we do.

Does Yadi have a signal for (blank) high and down Main Street that he keeps flashing to Marquis? Did Eckstein suffer a little more than a concussion? Do Pujols and Belliard really hate each other? Can somebody relay a few home truths to our Jimmy: keep playing like that and you should be bloody worried about where you'll be playing next season!

It is a flipping LL team --- we've got our Star Player and the Coach's Kid as the only current producers!

Came in the office this morning saying I hadn't swept well this weekend, and to watch out for CardFan the Grouch.

Hmmmm....bit of a rant, there, but I don't feel any better.....

NY, I'm a fan (I know I am; I went to games in the '70's --- right, Coach ). I don't care if they get swept (again). I want them in postseason.

If my memory serves me correctly, the BOSOX were recently swept by the ummmmmmmmmm
ROYALS...

Keep the faith!

Glove,

Baseball fans can criticize all they want.

Doesn't matter whether you've played or haven't played; or, have played pro ball but not at the highest level.

Everyone who has watched the Cards knows that they only have 3 players...might be enough to win a weak division, but they are not going ANYWHERE! Isringhausen was my son's teammates in the Mets organization years ago...I've followed his career closely. He's down about 3-4 mph in his fastball velocity...Not the same closer he's been in the past 4 years.

Ozzie and the White Sox should take it all again in 2006. They should pick up Preston Wilson to play centerfield and get some key hits for the next 6 weeks.

Apparently you haven't seen Preston Wilson at all this year.... there is a reason the Astros are about to put him on waivers... he hasn't gotten any key hits all season, what makes you think the next 6 weeks will be any different. He might make some key outs though, go ahead pick him up.

BTW here are my new favorite teams starting tonight (in this exact order):
Royals
Twins
Tigers
Twins
Devil Rays
Royals
Red Sox
Indians
Angels
A's
Tigers
Mariners
Indians
Twins

O,

Your redbirds need this fella.

http://www.monkeymatters.com/trellix/rally_monkey.htm

IMO

its, we'll take all the help we can get! (By the way --- can he pitch?)

Glove, been loves to play the critic.

Izzy makes me crazy, too, but he is 7th in MLB in saves and second in the NL. Apparently last year's Cy Young winner Carpenter is a hamburger, as is Eckstein who has been held up here regularly for his lttle guy overcoming the odds hustle and dedication. Reyes is a hamburger, too.

Are they all performing now? Heck no, but then, neither is Bonds "the game's greatest hitter". He's coming in at a stellar .241, which does put him .001 point ahead of Hamburger Bigbie (who?) of the Cards.

As I say.....(see below)

I'll take my burger medium with no onions and no tomato, just Mozzarella and BBQ sauce please. MMM-MMM-MMM Delicious.

You can't get that at McDonald's.

I'd take the burgers at The Gateway over the SouthSide Windy's (get it) any ole day of the Spring, Summer and Fall.

I haven't been paying attention much this last week or so, but I know the Cardinals are struggling. It shows big-time when (sorry Pirates fans) the Pirates sweep the Cards. Let's take a look at these players:

Pujols- He's hit a slump. Guess what, he's human too!! Makes me wonder if he didn't come back too soon from his injury. He hasn't performed since coming back from the DL.

Eckstein- The 30 year old player who looks 15. Somebody was talking about him recently and about how baseball people judge a player by 5 tools. David's got NONE of the 5, but he's an ALL STAR in the Major Leagues!

Yadier- I'm still not convinced with him. He hits in spurts, but he is very inconsistent. His defense is decent.

Edmounds- He'll hit the ball out of the park, or he'll hit it nowhere. Albert needs protection, and Jimmy ain't getting it done. His defense isn't what it used to be.

Pitching staff- any of them can go out there and throw a good game when the offense is rolling. If it's a close game, however, it ain't for long b/c they break down.

The bullpen is starting to get worn down pitching several innings a night. They get better as the starting rotation gets better.

The one player I enjoy watching is Duncan. I think he's gonna be an everyday starter for quite awhile. He's got a left-handed bat and he is a versatile player. He came up the ranks as a first-basemen. Now he plays the outfield and I think he may also be the emergency catcher.

One reason the Cardinals look so bad right now is Cardinal fans are spoiled. The Cardinals are consistently ahead of the division if not the league. They are having an off-year, but they can still pull it around.

Watch a little closer, bulldog, it's not so bad as all that.

It's easy to say 'slump' when a guy doesn't hit in a critical situation (and we've had way too many of those critical situations lately), but AP's stats show him to be as consistent as ever, spot on average at .329, he's on pace with his hr, and his slugging percentage is up.

Actually, Eck's not been the same player he was at the beginning of the season since his injury, but his stats are what is expected of him.

And I disagree with you on Yadi (though Marquis might not...not that I think much of his opinions these days anyway, particularly when it comes to location). He's got a .997 F%, 20 CS, 19 pick offs and only 6 PB in 92 games. His D's impressive, but his bat isn't. Kind of like Matheny.

Jimmy's always been streaky ; at 37, I'm not terribly shocked he's lost a step in the outfield....but he's still better than a whole lotta other guys playing the position.

Immedietly after the break, I thought our problem was pitching. Lately, however, the malaise has extended to hitting and what passes for baserunning (heavy sigh). Fortunately, our suckage has been so great as to pull the rest of the division down in its vortex. Though the Reds are threatening to break free.

Young Dunc is fun to watch and has been a pleasant surprise.

You're quite right ---- Cards fans are spoiled. We're generally in the hunt, rarely going for long stretches of time without a postseason appearance. And we get very grouchy when we see underperformance, although it's not yet as bad as '69 when even Gibby said he was tempted to climb up in the stands and boo us as well!

Ohhhh!!!! 1969.

What a wonderful year.

Ya Gotta Believe!!!