Take enough swings and you’re going to strike out a few times. This was a rush job, by the seat of my pants and partially written on my phone. No excuses. Though I have broken the X key on my computer this spring. So we you see the following words now know to put in the letter yourself:

ecuse
ehume
-ray
obnoious
ylophone
-men
e-pat
and … ana

No worries, Brian. I’m pretty sure English,etc., is my mother. With the eception of the apparently math memo-appropriate “WT@#$@???”, it sure sounds like one of her emails,

dg
-30-

high road taken by DG.

well played, my friend.

On the grammar issue, I agree it is a blog, but written by a professional journalist, who should be able to “write professionally.” Enough about that.

It has been talked to death, but anyone who thinks this pitching staff can win enough games to be halfway competitive is nuts. The Cardinals ownership must think the fans are stupid. Why would we pay hard earned money AGAIN and AGAIN for sub-tier pitching amazes me. After Wainwright, there is currently not one legitimate MLB starter in the lineup. Some decent relievers they could very well be, but not starters. Yeah, if and when Carpenter and Mulder, and maybe Clement, return from injury and prove they are what they once were, then we are talking about a possible decent lineup.

The Cardinals are spoiled by loyal fans who blindly attend and support their beloved team, but yet the Cardinals are greedy and do not put the same loyal effort back into building a team that is representative of what we deserve.

As hard as it is not to attend, that is exactly what needs to be done.

I must weigh in on the grammar discussion after reading several posts that criticize and defend DG. There is not an excuse for poor grammar no matter whether the writing is either a blog or an article. I recruit for a major corporation and am horrified at how poor grammar has become an accepted part of our culture; both spoken and written. Sloppiness indicates a lot about a person’s long term value to the company and there is usually a carry-over to the job at hand. A few minutes to proof read is often well worth the while. Just like in sports, the way you practice is the way you play!

That said, give Brendan Ryan the job and put Izturis on the bench.

Ok, enough with the grammar lessons! I was at the game today, where Izturis made yet another error (he and Kennedy). I am not sure what DG is seeing, but I see an individual in bad position who looks like he would rather be at the beach. Brendan Ryan, on the other hand, was fabulous today; making several good plays on difficult hops. He also continues to hit. I sat right behind the dugout and a group of us made sure Tony knows that we believe Ryan should be playing daily! LOL! I doubt he listened, but hey Cards Fans, what can you do?

Derrick is writing a blog. The idea is to get interesting information out to us in a timely way. If Derrick made factual errors, I would be concerned and disappointed. I haven’t read anyone challenging him on the quality of the information he provides. On the contrary, it is first-rate.

I feel just as strongly as anybody else here about grammar, but not in a blog, guys. I don’t want Derrick delaying his posts while he proofreads his pieces or submits them to a copy editor. Just get it online! Now!

Besides, Fred: you misused the semicolon, proofread is one word, and in your last sentence, the word “like” should be “as.” I wouldn’t dream of pointing that out to you if you hadn’t set yourself up as an arbiter of grammar. Not to mention the guy who couldn’t get “pass” DG’s first sentence. I’m sure you know you mean “past” but it’s pretty amusing to read that in a post ripping Derrick’s writing. I feel like a butt-head even writing this. It’s all just dumb.

Nevermind grammar….where can I get some cool novelty t-shirts about injured pitchers or newspaper writers? I can’t believe no one else is clammoring for this yet today.

Groan. One person’s grammar is another’s calculus. Me? I have been known to enjoy both, and screw ‘em up with equal flair. Crank out enough copy and you’re (not your!) going to have bad days. Perhaps this much attention should not be spent on a lineup blog entry.

There (not their! or they’re!) it is. Mea typa culpa.

As for Izturis. Yeah. Another one today. Not a good one either. Starting to know how he feels. (Short sentences sending any of my professors into shock? Ma, you still with me?) The above comment was made before today’s flub, but it still holds true. Izturis and Brendan Ryan were the defensive standouts early in spring. Games have added to Ryan’s performance, and they have detracted from Izturis’. Not sure what to make of that, but Izturis’ ability deserves the benefit of the doubt.

The talent is there (not their! or they’re!), so perhaps there are (not they’re! or their!) other reasons for these lapses in play.

dg
-30-

Mr Goold, you should “take lemons and make lemonade” on this grammar flack you’ve been catching by marketing a line of t-shirts featuring blantant misspellings. If it has the Cards logo on it or any reference to the stadium or even an arch, count me in for at least three mediums.