PostCards Live! from FSN
DOWNTOWN — A new spin on a couple old attempts here at the blog: We’re going to splice the pseudo-chat from the old days (before the advent of the new-fangled chats) with the live blogging from a couple weeks ago.
Voila! PostCards Live!
Will be joining the gang at FSN Midwest for tonight’s pre-game show. Then at first pitch, 7:05 p.m. St. Louis time, I will return here to ask questions and fire off thoughts (Max Leinwand promises to be witty; believe it when I type it). Figure the mailbag concept — so old and dusty in the days of JSL!!! and chatheads — needs a reboot. To ask questions or fire off comments, do so below or:
And we’ll start off with a little music.
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Q: Thought that was an interesting line — “10. Brady Toops, C (300th overall) … Retired to pursue singing career.” If you do a quick Google search you can find a video of him singing on American Idol. Maybe the Cardinals had him listed as a double threat. Play catcher AND sing the national anthem.
– Tom G.
DG: The Cardinals at one point did have a second baseman in their system who was married to singer who could belt out a fantastic anthem. That would have been a daily double. Tom’s email refers to the recent blog entry about the Lost Draft of 2004 — Behold! A 2004 Draft Class Sighting! — and specifically 10th-round pick Brady Toops, a native of New London, Minn., and a catcher. Toops got as high as High-A with the Cardinals before retiring to pursue a music career. Drafted out of Jess Todd’s University of Arkansas, Toops played in 119 minor-league games and hit .193, slugged .274 and reached base with an OBP of .286.
Inspired by Tom, I did a little YouTube search and found a little Before and After for the Cardinals’ 10th-round pick. Here is what the Cardinals drafted:
And here, from a station in Rochester, Minn., and its local American Idol , is what he’s doing now (notice how the screaming remains the same, it’s just gone up a few gazillion decibels and octaves here):
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More this evening, during the game and as you submit them.
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Every week during the regular season, The Post-Dispatch’s baseball writer Derrick Goold will answer fans’ emails in a mailbag blog called PostCards, a spin-off of Bird Land. To comment and discuss the mailbag visit the PostCards blog on StlToday.com. To submit questions write postcards@post-dispatch.com or file them as a comment on this blog. With all questions please include your name and hometown.
PostCards will run online exclusively at StlToday.com.
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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. 
just saw tonight’s lineup and i don’t understand why ryan sits. seems we could use his offense with albert on the bench. a shortstop like a center fielder can hit two forty and no one complains when his defense sparkles. i haven’t seen that from izturis. until we do, why is brendan ryan not playing?
Right now Izturis is swinging a hot bat. The guys been on a mini tear the last couple of weeks.
So typical of TLR to shock us by hitting Yadi second.TLR knows his stats, and the numbers for Molina against Bush and in the Brewers stadium are encouraging.
I really hope this amazing streak that Albert is on doesn’t affect TLR’s descision to possibly pinch hit him tonight.You play to win. If Albert gives you the best shot to win the game in the late game situation then you use Pujols.