Bleacher Report - Articles by Alex Bausch

Cardinals-Reds: Persistent Effort Is Key in Win for Cards

Alex Bausch — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:15:38 -0400

While waiting for help to arrive—via trade, promotion from Memphis, however—the current Cardinals must create runs any way they can.

Their 5-2 victory over the Reds on Tuesday night was a classic example.

For five innings, scoring opportunities were hard to come by. The Cards dug in against crafty Reds starting pitcher, Bronson Arroyo, fouling off pitch after pitch while working for something to hit.

“Whatever he’s got, he’s going to give it to you,” Cards manager Tony La Russa said of Arroyo. “If he doesn’t have it, he’ll invent something.”

The Cards spoiled a lot of good off-speed pitches. They built a high pitch count (111 in five-and-one-third innings) against Arroyo with their persistence. Skip Schumaker battled through a 14-pitch at-bat before finally striking out.

Fans gave Schumaker a mild ovation as he walked back to the dugout, recognizing his effort. Now this is how teams fight out of offensive slumps.

Finally the Cards broke through in the sixth inning, with the help of some sloppy Reds defense and erratic Cincinnati relief pitching.

Fill-in starter Brad Thompson delivered five solid innings. The three-run sixth inning made a winner of middle reliever Jason Motte, who threw one-and-two-thirds powerful innings, and boosted the Cards back into a first-place tie with Milwaukee in the National League Central.

It was a difficult climb. The Cards scratched out their first run on Albert Pujols’ well-struck RBI grounder in the first inning.

In the fifth, Albert got Schumaker around from first by crushing a double into the left field corner. That tied the game 2-2.

(Reds left fielder Laynce Nix helped out by misplaying the ball, but Jose Oquendo was sending Skip all the way. Slumping Ryan Ludwick was due up next, so this was a good time to force the action.)

Finally, with rain starting to fall in the sixth inning, the Reds helped the Cards break loose. Sloppy defense and erratic relief-pitching helped the home team move ahead.

The tiring Arroyo hit Yadier Molina with a pitch. After Joe Thurston ripped a single to right field, continuing his hot streak, Molina challenged Reds outfielder Jay Bruce.

Sure enough, Bruce threw wide of third and allowed Molina to reach the corner. Thurston took second on the throw, which was critical. La Russa considered that aggressive baserunning play one of the highlights of the game.

RBI machine Nick Stavinoha, double-switched into the game for the slumping Ludwick, and lifted what should have been a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

But Willy Tavaras didn’t get a good jump on the ball—he couldn’t quite run it down.

Stavinoha’s two-run double gave him 12 RBIs in 45 Cards at-bats this season. Who needs Matt Holliday when this guy is raking in a part-time role?

La Russa is coming to like Stavinoha more every day. “His nature is, I will do whatever you need,” La Russa said. “Those are not throw-away at-bats. He is getting stuck right in the middle of it.”

La Russa cited the organizational book on Nick, which says he “gives tough at-bats, drives in big runs.” So far that has been the case. His clutch hitting has turned several would-be losses into victories during this tough stretch of the season.

Reds reliever Carlos Fisher threw a wild pitch, allowing Stavinoha to move to third. One out later, he threw another wild pitch and allowed Stavinoha to score.

Whew!

The Cards found a way to win the game. They competed hard and finally earned some breaks.

Can they do it again and again? Can they keep clawing out victories by working pitchers at the plate, putting lots of balls in play and running aggressively?

They will have to. This is where the team is now. Until this team gets Rick Ankiel, Ludwick, and Chris Duncan producing runs again, this is how they will have to play.

Former St. Louis Blue Peter Zezel Passes Away at Age 44

Alex Bausch — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:38:05 -0400

Former St. Louis Blue Peter Zezel died Tuesday afternoon in Toronto following complications from a long-time blood disorder. Mr. Zezel was 44.

Mr. Zezel had a 15-year NHL career, including two stints with the Blues (1988-90, 1995-97). He scored 25 goals and had 72 points for the Blues in ‘89-90 and finished with 54 goals and 105 assists during his career in St. Louis. Mr. Zezel played with seven teams in the NHL and retired from the league following the ‘98-99 season.

Kelly Chase, a former roommate and teammate of Mr. Zezel:

“It’s just awful. Obviously the last time we saw ‘Zez’ (when he attended the Brett Hull jersey retirement), you realized that something was wrong, but he thought he had a hold of it. Wendel (Clark) saw him a few weeks ago and (Zezel) said he wasn’t feeling well, but he had his arms around it again and he was going to be fine. I guess he was going to have his spleen removed, but then all of the sudden there were some complications. I don’t know all of it. It’s just unbelievable when this happens...guys you played with.

“The guy was a mountain. He had legs on him like tree trunks. They had bark on them. He was always a strong, strong guy. It just shows you how quickly things can go south on you. It doesn’t matter how strong you were as an athlete, or how you think you can beat anything because you were tough as a player. Quickly, that changes. Reality is that it gets you in a hurry. In Zezel’s case, it’s just brutal.”

John Davidson:

“Words simply cannot express the deep sadness felt by the entire St. Louis Blues organization today. Peter was one of the more popular players to wear the Bluenote and his contagious smile will truly be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Albert Pujols Cracks 1 Million Votes, Yadier Molina Leading Catcher

Alex Bausch — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:00:40 -0400

Continuing his steamroll to the overall lead in votes received for the All-Star Game, St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols is one of two players to have received more than 1 million votes so far, according to the latest poll results released by Major League Baseball on Monday afternoon.

Pujols has received 1,240,395 votes, more than twice as many as the second-place first baseman in the NL.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina leads NL catchers, edging Milwaukee’s Jason Kendall, 629,007 votes to 471,557. MLB provides weekly updates on the vote-counting for the starting lineups for the 80th All-Star Game, which will be held in St. Louis at Busch Stadium this July.

Chase Utley is the only other player to have 1 million votes so far, and the Philadelphia Phillies infielder leads all second basemen—trouncing No. 2 Orlando Hudson by nearly 550,000 votes. Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker, in his first appearance on the ballot at the position, has held strong at fourth place, receiving 308,867 votes.

Schumaker, Pujols and Molina are the only Cardinals to rank in the top five in their positions. The Cardinals are the only team in the NL to have a leader at more than one position. Ryan Ludwick has received the ninth-most votes in the outfield and Rick Ankiel is about 8,000 behind at 10th overall.

The voting at first base:

Albert Pujols … 1,240,395
Prince Fielder … 527,165
Ryan Howard … 524,165
Joey Votto … 240,383
Adrian Gonzalez … 220,080

Cards Need Upgrades to Stay in NL Central Race

Alex Bausch — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:05:41 -0400

If Chris Carpenter had not swung so hard at that pitch earlier this year.

If Ryan Ludwick had not pulled a hammy running down a ball in the gap in Pittsburgh.

If Rick Ankiel had not run into the wall.

If Khahil Greene was even a shadow of his former self.

The Cardinals—not the Dodgers—would be the talk of baseball.

With a quarter of the 2009 baseball season done, the Cardinals sit right where they want to be. In the thick of the National League Central race.

Given the numerous injuries to Troy Glaus, Chris Carpenter, Rick Ankiel, and Ryan Ludwick, the Cardinals should be happy where they are right now. The Cards have fought through all the adversity because:

1. Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball, everything is easier when Albert is on your team.

2. Tony La Russa is the best crisis manager in the game, nobody does a better job finding solutions on the fly.

3. The improved organizational depth—which was years in the making—helped stave off a team collapse. Chris Perez, Mitchell Boggs, Shane Robinson, Tyler Greene, and Nick Stavinoha stepped up from Memphis and made a positive difference.

4. The investment in veteran starting pitching has paid off. The rotation was strong during the first half and lights out this week.

The solid first quarter is something to build on and it is something the Cards must build on by making some changes during the second quarter.

Their 3-2 loss to the Royals at Busch Stadium on Sunday afternoon and their 1-0 loss on Monday at Milwaukee underscored the need to upgrade. There are all sorts of interesting decisions to make:

Who replaces Troy Glaus? There is no reason to believe he will play this year and if he does come back from his chronic shoulder woes, he won’t arrive until much later this season.

Brian Barden, .262, four homers, could buy the team some time. He is a solid defensive player and he has delivered a few big hits.

Joe Thurston has scuffled all month at the plate, lowering his batting average to .231 overall. He is just an adequate fielder. On the plus side, he grinds out good at-bats and draws walks even while slumping.

Down at Memphis, ’08 top pick Brett Wallace hit .387 in his first seven games in Class AAA ball. The Cards won’t rush him, but could use him.

With would-be replacements Joe Mather and David Freese recovering from repairs, Cards GM John Mozeliak will have to acquire short-term help if Barden and company. don’t hold up.

There are also trade possibilities. Mark DeRosa, Melvin Mora, Garrett Atkins, Adrian Beltre, and Hank Blalock are some of the possible targets. Some people would rather the Cards stay in house to fill this hole—but if nobody steps up soon, Mozeliak will have to get busy.

Who plays shortstop? By sending Tyler Greene back to Memphis on Sunday, the team suggested that Khalil Greene will return to a semi-regular role at shortstop. He has been grappling with some vexing psychological and emotional issues.

The younger Greene, .263 with two homers as well as four RBIs and two stolen bases, and Brendan Ryan, .241 with four doubles and three stolen bases, have done an excellent job in Khalil’s absence. These two should fight for the starting job next season.

In the meantime, will Khalil have something to offer? Could the Cards really find another team, maybe the Red Sox, to take him for the rest of the season?

Or will the Cards have to shut him down for his own good and move on?

From this vantage point, Tyler Greene looks like the most attractive option. But he is gone, for now. Barden started in Khalil’s place Sunday and went 0-4.

How do the Cards beef up their bench?

Nick Stavinoha could add some righthanded help if he keeps hitting with men on base. At 27, he has the maturity to handle a part-time role. His ability to catch in a pinch adds slightly to his value.

Stavinoha contributed to the recent winning streak with clutch hitting. He has earned a longer run in this role.

The Cards must melt their pitching staff down to the 12 best pitchers and move on. Blaine Boyer, 7.04 ERA, and Brad Thompson, 4.30 ERA, not only must compete against each other, they must compete with Memphis hurlers Jess Todd, 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA and eight saves, and Josh Kinney, 1-0 with a 3.94 ERA and one save, for that 12th spot.

When Ludwick comes off the DL on Friday, the Cards should move a pitcher to make room for him. If that means losing a pitcher out of options, so be it.

This team is in solid shape with Carpenter back in the rotation with both Ankiel and Ludwick on the mend. But this team also has the resources to become even better by translating its improved depth into improved performance at key positions.

Let’s see if the organization gets that done, because if they do the Cardinals will be back to a place that they haven’t been since 2006, the playoffs.

A Plea to Blues GM Larry Pleau: Don't Go After Chris Pronger Just Yet

Alex Bausch — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:34:08 -0400

If the Ducks don’t want to sign Chris Pronger to a contract extension, the Blues should wait a year and take their chances in free agency.

In a year, the Blues will be positioned to invest in another veteran player. Jay McKee and Paul Kariya will be headed to free agency, giving the Blues the option to reallocate some or all of that $10 million. (Moving either guy before then will be difficult, given their high pay.)

In a year, the Blues could free up lots of salary cap room while other teams face severe cap crises.

In a year, the Blues will know what they have in Alex Pietrangelo—a potential power-play quarterback currently lacking the strength to play at this level.

In a year, the Blues could make a decision on Carlo Colaiacovo, who has a year and about $1.3 million left on his deal. Could he add long-term skill as a No. 5 or No. 6 defenseman? Or is he just a stopgap?

In a year, the Blues will have a better idea of what collegiate prospects Ian Cole and Cade Fairchild could offer. Will they be impact guys, like Roman Polak, or will they be depth guys, like Steve Wagner?

And, finally, in a year the Blues will have a better sense which young forwards will merit big investments and which won’t.

If the Blues trade for Pronger now, the front office would have to quickly decide which young players didn’t fit their long-term goals. That would be difficult.

Also, the Blues would have to make a long-term commitment to Pronger to make this deal work. And that commitment would preclude other investments in the looming buyer’s market.

Jay McClement Signs a Multi-Year Deal with the St. Louis Blues

Alex Bausch — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:36:58 -0400

Blues center Jay McClement, who would have been a restricted free agent on July 1, has signed a three-year contract extension with the club.

Here are the details: Three years, $4.35 million

2009-10: $1.4 million
2010-11: $1.45 million
2011-12: $1.5 million

Blues President John Davidson on McClement, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“I think he’s still improving. No. 1, he really has a defined role that he embraced last season. That was, he was the lead guy on the penalty kill, he was the lead guy on matchups, regarding the other team’s top lines. He’s maturing as a player in understanding what his strengths are, yet there’s still upside.”

It's Time To Forgive Vick, But Forget About Him Playing In St. Louis

Alex Bausch — Sat, 23 May 2009 12:50:28 -0400

As the Michael Vick controversy begins to reignite and take off, let’s clear one thing up right away, and in no uncertain terms:

Vick will not be a St. Louis Ram.

Forget it. Not going to happen. Put it out of your mind.

When he’s reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell—and he will be reinstated—Vick won’t be welcomed back by the Atlanta Falcons. But the Falcons still control the quarterback’s rights, and they will try to trade those rights to another NFL team.

The first two names that pop into my head are the Oakland Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals.

That said, I have read on different Web sites that the Falcons called the Rams twice to gauge their interest in Vick, and in both instances, the Rams told the Falcons that they had none.

Thank God. Finally, the Rams are headed in the right direction. Or maybe for once they are thinking straight.

Vick isn’t a West Coast offense QB.

The Rams don’t want the distractions.

They don’t think he’s worth the trouble.

The owner of the team, Chip Rosenbloom, is said to be emphatically opposed to the idea—not that anyone at Rams Park is pushing for Vick, because they aren’t.

But anyone who has seen Rosenbloom’s excellent “Shiloh” trilogy would understand Chip’s feelings on Vick.

Meanwhile the debate continues on Vick.

My three quick comments on the Vick situation:

1. I don’t like Vick or what he did in funding a dogfighting ring and engaging in despicable acts of animal cruelty, but he should be allowed to play football again, because that’s his chosen profession.

Vick spent 21 months in a federal prison and will spend the next two months in home confinement.

He’s lost millions of dollars. His reputation is ruined. He paid a price for what he did and wasn’t given any special treatment.

When people get out of jail, they have the right to seek a job. Vick is no different. If someone wants to give him a football job, then so be it. That’s the way we do things in America.

2. I don’t think Vick is a very good quarterback. The Falcons were 9-15 in his last 24 games and they fell apart down the stretch in 2006.

His accuracy is erratic. His fundamentals as a QB are sloppy. He peaked in 2004 and never played at that level again. That’s a long time ago.

He’s been in jail for nearly two years and I have to wonder: Can he still run? Is he still a top athlete?

He never developed into a smooth QB. Don’t see how he can do that now. (I understand why he would want to do that now.) And he didn’t strike me as much of a leader or a teammate.

3. A team that signs Vick will also bring in a circus, and it will be a mess—TV cameras all over the place. Questions and questions and questions being pitched to teammates concerning Vick’s past. Protests from animal rights activists at the team facility and stadium.

A potential loss of commercial sponsors for the franchise. Distractions galore. A never-ending story about one guy, which takes away from the team concept.

How many teams will want to bring all of that into their house? Like I said, the Bengals and the Raiders. Maybe.

All that said, Vick should get another opportunity to be eligible to play, but no team is under obligation to sign him.

And if Vick doesn’t get an opportunity with an NFL team, then that’s just the way it is. He put himself in this position.

St. Louis Blues: Watching Kids Grow Up

Alex Bausch — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:29:48 -0400

What’s the difference between the Blues and the Blackhawks this year? They have a lot in common—in particular both teams have a strong nucleus of young players.

Interestingly enough, I think the big difference is that the Blues have demonstrated that they are the better playoff team.

How’s that, you ask. Weren’t the Blues eliminated from the playoffs by the same team that the Blackhawks just dispatched? Isn’t Chicago in the Western Conference Finals and the Blues teeing it up on a golf course?

Well, duh.

Except for one thing: The Blues have been in “must win” mode since January. The Blackhawks have stepped it up just recently.

This year’s Blues team of young guns delivered a 92-point season and earned a first-round ticket to the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Along the way, they breathed life and provided entertainment and excitement and for a franchise that need to be revived and hadn’t seen the playoffs since a quick five game exist in 2004, when they lost to the Sharks.

For St. Louis, obviously, there is still work to do. This is still a process. The construction isn’t complete. The Blues were swept out of the first round by Vancouver. Mostly, the kids (and veterans) fumbled on the power play and never sufficiently buzzed the net to disrupt Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was white hot in the first round.

While, on the other hand, the Chicago Blackhawks’ youth movement had no such problem. They met Vancouver in the second round and banished Luongo and the Canucks in six games.

The Blackhawks broke Luongo down by getting him moving and keeping him moving. He didn’t seem sharp enough to match the Blackhawks’ quickness down low. When the Hawks attacked the net, he couldn’t react and wound up with a terrible .879 save percentage in the series.

This was the Blues’ plan, but they couldn’t execute it. And the Blues’ primary kids — T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund—didn’t reach a true postseason tempo and elevate their game until late in the four-game sweep.

Only Perron scored a goal. David Backes, a huge part of the Blues young nucleus, was also held to one goal in the Vancouver series. Patrick Berglund seemed like he cared more about the World Championships than the Stanley Cup.

But the playoff run started back in January when the Blues decided to roll the dice with the team it had and not sell off the veterans and the fans down the Mississippi River. The gamble to play a pat hand paid off.

Still, it’s bad enough to have to chase Detroit in the same division, which the Blues have been doing for my whole life. Now it’s a little more frustrating to come to grips with the reality that the The Note is running behind Chicago in the youth cycle.

The Blackhawks are further along in the process. The United Center is a tough place to play when the home team is decent. And, as sick as it makes my stomach, now they’ll play in the Western Conference Final, which will be a valuable experience for a young Chicago roster with an average age 25, not counting the goaltenders.

(And a few other things about Chicago and its luck this year: they fire Denis Savard at the beginning of the year and pick up former Blues Coach Joel Quenneville. They have former St. Louis and Detroit coach Scottie Bowman working for them.

And they spent the preseason shopping and threatening to send to the minors the guy who is playing between the pipes. Every single button the Black Hawks pushed this year was the right one. Hang on, I’m going to lose my lunch.)

OK. I’m better now.

I love what the Blues are doing. I love the way they went after it in 2008-2009. They’re going to be fun to watch for years to come. After all, in December 2008, the web site hockeysfuture.com, ranked them as the NHL’s No. 1 organization (in terms of their quality of prospects).

The Blues will need to keep the talented kids coming if they’re to keep pace and overtake Chicago.

The Blackhawks are ahead at this point because they hit bottom before the Blues did, and got an earlier start on a massive franchise overhaul. In a rundown of the Chicago roster, the Blackhawks got 158 goals and 216 assists this season from forwards age 25 or younger.

The Blues? They got 101 goals and 139 assists from players 25 or younger. (That includes a couple of goals that Alex Steen scored for Toronto before being traded to St. Louis.)

Chicago got 23 goals and 90 assists from defensemen age 25 or younger.

The Blues: Four goals and 59 assists from d-men age 25 or younger. That total would have been much higher but top defenseman Erik Johnson missed the entire season after knee surgery.

And, despite the pain in my chest I feel as I type this, that’s only part of the equation: Chicago’s U-25 players have really shined during the playoffs—pumping in 25 goals in two series so far.

The Blues finished 12 points behind the Blackhawks in the regular season despite dominating Chicago in head-to-head matchups. But the Chicago kids went to another level this spring.

Forwards Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien and defensemen Duncan Keith and Cam Barker have come up big in the postseason. The confidence that’s expanded and reinforced by postseason success will only make the Blackhawks tougher to deal with next season and beyond.

Chicago ownership is also willing to throw around the big dollars for free agents, as was the case last summer when defenseman Brian Campbell signed on for $56 million.

Blackhawks ownership, led by Rocky Wirtz, has more resources than the Blues’ Dave Checketts and partners. Like his late father, the young Wirtz wants to win. Unlike his father, he’ll be gunning for a Stanley Cup because he is willing to open his wallet.

To close the gap, the Blues just have to hope that Alex Pietrangelo, Lars Eller, Phil McRae, Ian Cole, Ben Bishop and others are as good as touted. They also have to get a little lucky and have some unexpected surprises develop.

I hope it’s going to be fun watching the Blues and the Blackhawks battle over the next several seasons. It would be just my luck that the Blues will play out of their minds and over their skill level and eclipse the Red Wings only to fall short against Chicago.

Still, the rivalry that was once huge in the '80s and '90s and was noted across all over the NHL will soon be back to what it once was, and the playoff battles are not too far off.

Even if the Blackhawks do have a head start.

AB