“Cards sign a damaged ex cub pitcher” And people are shocked when he’s not 100%. ‘But they got a good deal’. Mediocrity is all you could expect. I love Albert but I’m sick of the drama.

Just confirmed that my not buying tickets for this season was a wonderful idea. Can’t wait for the Frontier League to open up. Tickets are reasonable and games are fun to watch.

One other realization. With so wide a range between New York/LA money and the rest of the league, everyone but those cities have to deside where to spend their money. This is a small media market that just doesn’t dump the money in the kitty to allow for free spending. It will remain this way until uniform salry caps are implemented; which probably will never happen. As long as Fox, NBC and the like are willing to take an absolute fleecing on their TV contracts, nothing will change. Edventually the media will see the sad playoff ratings and drop their offer dramatically. Maybe then baseball will acknowledge their problems and deal with it. In the mean time, be glad we don’t have pitching. If we did, we couldn’t afford Albert. All things considered, management choose Albert. I can’t fault them for that.

Wow…so now we’re back to 2 of the 3: Reyes, Thompson, and Wellemeyer. Does anybody really believe that we’ll get 10 wins out of the Carpenter (why is he already throwing?), Mulder, Clement trio? For that matter I’ll throw in Reyes, Thompson, and Wellemeyer. Ten wins out of these 6 guys? Maybe. Twenty? No way. For the record the 6 of them combined for 13 wins last year…and Brad Thompson will not have 8 wins again.

I suppose many of us kept looking at the Web and the papers for some sign the Cards would be able to swing some deal. I would have almost mortgaged the farm for Bedard. I’m sure that was an unrealistic, unfeasible goal. But Hernandez, or another innings eater, was a possibility. Please, no more talk about Jeff Weaver.

Positive scenario: A couple of the Cards hurt pitchers come through, Looper progresses, and PIniero keeps it up as a Cardinal.

Reyes?

Negative: The lineup and bulletin are fair to good. The rotation implodes.

Even if this is a rebuilding year, what could the team really be expected to do in the market next year?

Youth movement, get going fast. Please, no Tehada

Shock! Not. After hearing Dave Duncan’s lamentable comments last fall about taking on these sore armed pitchers and headcase pitchers, I thought management would oblige and seek healthy arms. We’re talking MAJOR shoulder surgeries, folks! We have (had, in Rolen’s case - Lord, I’m glad he’s gone!) several shoulder situations in our clubhouse, and none of them ever turn out good for the team. We pay these guys millions and all they do is ride exercise bikes and work in the weight room. Cards management needs to get passed this “bargain hunting” mentality they are in, because it is wearing thin in Cardinal Nation.

When I read this article in the morning paper I have to say that my immediate impression was precisely the same as Mr. Miklasz’s. The Card’s organization consistently seems to have some sort of problem with the expectations game when it comes to their starting pitching. Frankly, they would be a lot better off telling their pitchers, manager, owners and administrators to can it. The exception, and I could be wrong, seems to be the brief one - Coach Duncan. I can’t recall many instances of him inflating expectations, but since Mr. Miklasz and I are of the same mind on this topic I’ll leave it to him to correct that impression if he wishes.

I guess Anthony Reyes’s odds of making the starting rotation just got boosted by 50%. Gonna be a long season.