Riffs fresh off the Hot Stove
SOUTH GRAND — Trying to get better at the shorter, punchier, quicker entries when possible. So while working on an entry that will appear in a few minutes, I realized that these bits of notes I collected this morning were just sitting there. Sooner rather than longer, here goes … Some quick Riffs:
Today is Stan Musial’s 88th birthday. Play a tune on the nearest harmonica, mimic the swing, look at those statistics, find your favorite “88″ in his numbers, do something to mark The Day for The Man. … Ryan Howard called Albert Pujols recently to congratulate him on winning the MVP. …
Stan "The Man" Musial turns 88 today.
Cesar Izturis, the Cardinals shortstop this past season, tops the Baltimore Orioles’ list for their opening in the infield, according to Jeff Zrebiec in this morning’s Baltimore Sun. Like other teams in need of a shortstop, the Orioles seem to expect the price of Rafael Furcal to climb. He’s drawn intense interest from San Francisco. … Yahoo! baseball writer Jeff Passan has the rundown of the other teams that have courted Furcal. The Cardinals are not listed, but they have investigated what Furcal is looking for in an offer. … As colleague Joe Strauss, Mr. Mizzou Hoops, has reported, conversations between the Atlanta Braves and Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick still have a pulse. That was reiterated by AJC music man/baseball writer David O’Brien in his comment-crazed Braves Blog. … The Raul Ibanez connection to the Cardinals does not make much sense to several sources I spoke to. … Aaron Heilman wants to start or he wants to be traded, according to Adam Rubin in The New York Daily News.
Mike Mussina retires, Barry Sanders-like, after the first 20-win season of his career. …
Loading …Hal Pilger, from the The State Journal-Register, reports that catcher Justin Knoedler has signed a minor-league deal with the Cardinals and has received an invitation to major-league camp, not unusual for a catcher. Knoedler, a Springfield, Ill., native, has been in the majors in three previous seasons, all with San Francisco and most recently in 2006. … Major League Baseball is going to rewrite the rules so that All-Star games and playoff games must be played at least until the conclusion of the ninth inning to be official. Where have you heard that before? … David Freese cut short his participation in the Venezuelan Winter League and returned to St. Louis to have Cardinals’ doctors look at a sore wrist. The Cardinals said the soreness won’t prohibit Freese from being ready fo spring training. …
In case you didn’t see, the laundering of former Cardinals continues north of the border. First, Cody Haerther is plucked off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays and then a few days later he returns to the Cardinals. Then, David Eckstein is signed up there only to be dealt to Arizona later in the season. This week, the Jays took Kelvin Jimenez off waivers only to pass him through a few days later and have the White Sox claim him. Better have those bags packed Scott.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
DG, what do you think about the Cards taking a run at Heilman? He was always a dependable starter in the minors, had a few bad starts and was sent to the bullpen. He was one of the best relievers for a few years, and had one bad year last year.
I think it’d benefit us to give him a chance to earn a starting role. Would the Mets price tag be that high for a disenfranchised pitcher who the fans already openly berate?
Brian,
With the way the Cardinals currently view their pitching situation, I’m not sure they could offer Heilman any more of a guarantee he’ll start than the Mets can right now. He is still an intriguing arm (read: insurance), especially because he can shift from bullpen to rotation.
dg
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I heard on CNN that is was Junior Griffey’s birthday today as well. That’s even more of an odd coincidence for the #1 and #2 home run hitters from Donora, PA.
That is correct: Both Ken Griffey Jr. and Stan Musial were born on the same day in the same town 49 years apart. Somebody check the birth announcements in 10 years for the next Hall of Famer … Or, maybe the Next One comes 10 years early.
I always thought this was interesting about the two Nov. 21 Donora, Penn., stars:
One was “The Man”, the other has always been called “The Kid.”
Perfect.
dg
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I have no doubt that Mussina belongs in the Hall of Fame.
He won 270 games in his 20 year career, and remember, he spent all 20 of his big league seasons in the AL East. A division where he reguarly faced some of the best hitters in the game. In some ways it makes since for Mussina to retire after his 20 win season in 2008, because this way in some regard he could go out on top. But, I’d find it hard to walk away from the game with only 30 wins needed to reach 300 career victories. If he reached 300 wins he’d be a lock to make the Hall of Fame. I couldn’t walk away from baseball, knowing that I needed only 30 more wins to reach 300…best of luck to Mussina, however…
Happy Birthday to Stan the Man…
Both Howard and Pujols are great for the game. Two great sluggers, whom respect each other and are always in the news for the right reasons…both are really great for the game of baseball.
I’m all for Carpenter being healthy and being a constant part of this rotation, but I do struggle to understand the entire concept of us waiting on more news about Carp’s health before we venture into the mode of acquiring another SP. Now we have mentioned getting a swing-arm….umm Heilman?….Sounds like a winner to me.
I’ve read where the Mets are listening to offers on both of their catchers and in search of someone different to fill the role. Enter Bryan Anderson. What do we think about trading Bryan Anderson for Aaron Heilman, and inform Heilman that it’s a competition - TLR loves those - between him and Pineiro for the 5th spot in the event Carp is good to go.
The opportunity to start would be in his hands, and would give us a good “swing-arm” in the pen. Though I also have to wonder if the Cards have mentioned to McLellan that he should get into “starter-shape” coming into ST, for a possible shot at the 5th spot?
from 1994 to 2001, Mussina finished no lower than 6th in Cy Young voting. In those same years, he finished no lower than 6th in ERA and 6th in wins.
He is a lock for HOF, he was a great pitcher in a great division for a long time.
Actually in 98′ he seems to have finished lower than 6th in the CY voting. My reference doesn’t show anything about his rank in the voting for that year. Regardless he had a stellar career, but I don’t see him being a first ballot HOF’er just because he never lead the league in K’s and only led the league in W’s once. The voters will notice that and keep him out on the first ballot, but he’ll get in on the next whenever they notice that he was in the top ten for both of those 10 times and 9 times respectively.
Actually who’s his real competition going to be? He might make it easily afterall.
Also I need to note my TYPO on McClellan in my previous post.
Keep in mind that Ken Griffey, Sr. was born in Donora. Ken Jr. was born in Cincinnati. Still, it’s a nice coincidence that they have the link.
Mussina’s record over 18 years compares more than favorably with Bob Gibson’s. More wins; fewer losses. He should make the Hall, it seems to me.