Am I missing something here or is this the same Pineiro that has struggled to even stay in our rotation for the last few years? Simmer down Joel, you’re not a good pitcher anymore, if you ever were.

Hey Joel- last time I checked the Cardinals were (over)paying you millions of dollars to pitch for them, and not for the Puerto Rican national team. Suck it big guy and get to work on your change-up. You pretty much sucked last year.

Joel, the other pitchers (Snell and Sanchez) are better than you are. Suck it up and improve your game.

I wanted to see him on the PR squad just so Team USA could rough him up. Somebody needs to remind him that he’s Joel Pineiro, and not really all that good.

Dear Joe-L,

You posted a 4.71 FIP last year. You kinda suck. Please do us a favor and stop whining about your perceived entitlements pendings the cessation of said suckitude.

Signed, Everyone

Is this the same Joel Pinata that played for the Cardinals last season? Maybe Oquendo was trying to save you from the embarrassment of giving up 9 runs in the first two innings and leaving it to your team to battle back.

ahhhhh- Pineiro- feel damn lucky your a part of our rotation to start the season. God help us if you are still part of it come all-star-break~ When it comes to the qualities a starting pitcher must possess in order to be a “starting pitcher”- you possess NONE OF THEM! In Jose Oquendo’s prime (secrete weapon)- HE could pitch better then you! You are about as cool as a hangover, and shame on our GM for being as cool as a head on collision with his off-season flea market quality crap he picked up… Its a good thing that OUR CARD’s have a solid fan base, with a small cast of great players like P-didy, Rick, Ryan and Chris (hopefully injury free this year, GOD I HOPE SO); otherwise I would already write this season off to the recession and hope Dewitt wins the powerball and finds a bank that has an atm card that has a pin # that actually WORKS! But the way it looks, we need to start looking at the draft class for 2009, and what #1 pick were going to get~ Also some good lies to tell Albert from now until 2011 about how we will be a contender with the crapy on paper and on the field our team is~

ps- can we fire Dave Duncan? What has he done???? He has rode Tony’s coat tails for um-teen years! He can’t make his son any better that plays for the YANKs (pitcher), and has proved again and again, he’s about as cool as a chub in sweat pants!

I was gonna try to say something witty. The words “reality check” would have been included. Then I read the othe posts and realized I could say it any better.

Wake up Joel!!!

Pineiro, you haven’t been good since 2003 season. After that you posted mediocre numbers. Be thankful that you’re not in the minors and you’re getting overpaid for your crappy services.

Oh my you mean he spent hundreds of dollars on possibly wasted plane tickets?? How will he be able to afford milk for his kids?

I guess sad stories abound.

Piniero’s last “good season” was in 2003 when he was 16 - 11. Since then, he’s won 35 games total…an average of 7 Ws per year. Have I missed something or is this guy grossly underachieving? Gotta love the arrogance. By the way, the dollar smart Cards payed him over 5 million last year. Brilliant!!

To be fair to Joel, Ian Snell was one of the very few pitchers, and I mean very few pitchers, who had a worse 2008 season than him

You poor thing!!!!! How will you go on, I am sure you feel like throwing yourself in front of big rig!
This is exactly why I haven’t purchased a ticket to a ball game in approximately 15 years. What a bunch of big cry babies and spoiled, cottled brats!!

Be DAMN thankful you have a job that pays you extremely well.
Maybe if they started posting the headlines of the mornign newspapers on their lockers every morning they would figure out they are blessed beyond belief and keep their little whinny mouths shut.

To the editors you have my permission to forward my post to any MLB player and e-mail me and I will give you my phone number and I will be happy to tell them myself.

WAAAAAAAAAH! can he be traded to Puerto Rico!

Oquendo doesn’t want Joel starting because he has seen him pitch in person.

Joel,
Should Puerto Rico assemble a hockey team for the 2010 Winter Olympics, I’m sure you’ll get the call to play goalie…..you underachieving-skate saving boner.

Joel– if you love your country so much, why can’t you represent it as a middle reliever?

I agree with everything posted here in the comments..
however, Randy.. Duncan is much better than you tried to slam him for.. and if you knew anything you would know that NEITHER of his sons are pitchers you donkey.. the yankees guy is a 1B and 3B.. and also no longer plays for the yankees as he was released this offseason when they got Swisher.. So, please remove your head from your rectum and only post about things you know about…

Well now we have our newest Doghouse member. Why is it that our weakest links always seem to think they are so entitled to so much, and then spend the season focused on their perceived disrespect. Get over it Joel and learn to focus for more than one inning and maybe you can keep your job. Oquendo will always be smarter than you and his ability to see the whole picture is why he is the Manager of the PR team and hopefully our future manager in St. Louis.

Great post, Mike!!!

Randy, nice knowledge about Duncan!!!

Mike….well, said. I was going to go there with Randy until I read your post. Thanks!

As for the drama queen, Joel Pinata….You better get your act together this spring. The cost-conscious Cardinals would hate to have to pack you and your wasted millions on a Bon Voyage!

Mike- your a douche~ Duncan is not better then what I give him credit for~ Not at all, he was crappy with Oakland, and has been even worse with St. Louis! His in game pitching decisions are down right horrendous, much like your stupid rant… Do us all a favor and get off your dial up internet in Troy, MO and go pipe-fit something you worthless pos! If I were Duncan, I would be so proud of the most blown saves out of any team last year~ Yeah, he’s worthy of his title (pitching coach)- my a$$!!! I think I would rather get your sister to take the job, and get her insights as to how to make them better pitchers, considering her brother is such a witty bas*tard~

Shelly was a pitcher in HS turned hitter~ like his brother too- tard! My point is- how do you have a DAD that is a pitching COACH in major league baseball, and have two MLB sons that are both over 6ft tall, and one is freaking LEFThanded~ AND NEITHER OF THEM PITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And with that, I think we’ve seen the end of the Joel Pineiro starting experiment in St. Louis. If ever TLR had a reason to let one of the youngsters have the #5 spot, he’s got one now. Pineiro is a spoiled brat who happens to suck as a starting pitcher. Isn’t this the same guy who was “disrespected” in Boston for getting put in the bullpen? Which is weird, because he said “I’ve always been a starter.” Um, not true. St. Louis got you on the cheap because you wore out your Boston welcome. I’ll take any free agent starter out there over Joel now. Or any of our Young Birds. Note to TLR from a die hard fan: GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!! Send him the way of Kennedy.

Wow, what class all of you have shown! Such a great fan-base we are, though in all of these comments someone actually pointed that without sarcasm, among all of these over-the-top comments.

Do I think he should feel the way he does? No. I think that the 3 starters picked in front of him are currently better than he is. That’s all that really needs to be said. Yet you guys pounce on him like a bunch of schoolyard bullies picking on the slow kid. The guys pride was hurt, maybe the lack of pride within yourselves is allowing you to overlook that simple fact.

I would expect better from this fan-base, regardless of the rough season he had for us last year. Sure, point out that he didn’t do so well last season and that the other options are better……but at least try and have some class/maturity about it.

JohnnyG…..Sorry, but I don’t have to feel bad for anyone making millions of dollars. A motivated Pinero winning 15 games this year would go a long way to making me forget about his pouting. Suck it up, Joel!

On another note, about 100,000 more people will lose their jobs today.

Did they interview Pinero or Terrell Owens?
Joel, now is not the time to be a whiny cry baby because you are not garnering the accolades of your fellow country men.
Last year you were HORRIBLE, you weren’t even decent, With Waino, Carp, Mulder, Clement out for all or most of the year you had your chance to prove you were a #1 or #2 starter. Your pitch selection was horrible & you gave up clutch hit after clutch hit. Is that “The Secret Weapons” fault? Be a man and admit you probably didn’t qualify for a spot on the active roster last year. The Cards were FORCED to use you since they are too cheap to go out & get a REAL Starting Pitcher!!! I would rather see Ankiel take your spot in the rotation then you remain… GROW UP & focus on your command. We don’t need your DRAMA in the LOU.. feel free to pack up & leave. WE DONT NEED YOU Pinero… why are you still here?

Good. Maybe a little humility will do him some good, but I doubt it.

“disrespected”? He felt “disrespected”? Is that even a word? I believe he felt “insulted”. That’s what grown-ups used to say before everybody went soft in the melon and tried to be all gangsta yo.

Joel,
These comments are way off base. We will miss playing against you every three games.

Now dont get me wrong I have never been a fan of Pineiro, and dont see that changing anytime soon either. However, the guy has a point. If he was good enough in 06 then why not now. Nothing has changed, except for the fact he has may be gotten a little worse. This whole thing has the ear marks of TLR and Duncan whispering into Oquendo’s ear. The truth will come out all of this. Who is Oquendo trying to fool, Pineiro cant win 20 games in two years. I would be really surprised if this came on Oquendo and no one else. Who really cares anyway about this WBC? Let him pitch, Pineiro suck it up come out of the bullpen it wont screw you up that much anyway, my guess is you will most likly win a spot in there by the all star break to begin with

How can a guy making that kind of money playing a game complain about anything. He is not a top tier pitcher and his loyalty should be to the Cards. Just another example of a spoiled self centered athlete whining. He should be thankful to have this opportunity few have, especially in this economy. Cards fans are the best but should not put up with this. Tony should demand a trade for a better pitcher, throw in some other talent if necessary.

What’s changed between 06 and 09? Pretty simple – Sanchez and Snell had a combined zero seasons under their belt at the time of the WBC.

Joel better focus on actually being in the CARDINALS starting rotation.

Hey Joel,last time i checked you didn’t win the Cy Young Award last year.You were a barely above mediocre pitcher on a mediocre staff.So just be quiet and let your pitching do your talking.

If Oquendo wants to coach in Puerto Rico, so be it. The St. Louis Cardinals are a Major League baseball team and Oquendo is employed by the Cardinals. First and foremost you keep our players happy. Nobody around here gives a hoot about the Puerto Rican WBC team. And I doubt Puerto Rico is paying Oquendo what the Cardinals are paying him. Oquendo has now initiated a conflict within the Cardinal team. It would have been much better for the Cardinals if Oquendo would have started Pineiro to keep him happy, regardless of what he thinks the outcome will be for the WBC team from Puerto Rico. And regardless of Pineiro’s pecking order in our pitching staff, any of our players are more valuable than a 3rd base coach. Oquendo messed up big time and Tony La Russa knows it and now has to deal with it. And I am surprised that none of the previous comments to this article picked up on the importance of a Major League team and its players in relation to a side show like the World Baseball Congress. Yep, Oquendo lost sight of his paid duty to this team in exchange for being able to play manager for one of our territorial teams. And since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, so why not have a USBC (United States Baseball Congress) whereby all the players who are citizens of a State or territory play for that citizenry, e.g., Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Puerto Rico, etc.. However, they would still play second fiddle to our MAJOR LEAGUE club, the St. Louis Cardinals (you know, the multi-million dollar business with 162 game schedules, 7 month long television revenues, the World Series, etc.)

i love the consensus in people’s responses, hahah. stop crying piniero.

I’m much more interestd in jose’s qualities as a “secrete weapon”, as he called him. And while I agree pineiro was awful last year, it says a lot when you are considered more awful than ian snell. He may not make the pirates rotation. DEWITT! WHY DEWITT… why???

“Obviously, it’s my thing to start. I’ve been doing it my whole career”

Didn’t he pitch out of the bullpen for Boston in 2007 and part of that season with us?

As far as Duncan goes, his successes equal his failures. He’s taken many declining veterans and turned them around - Bottenfield, Weaver, etc. At the same time, the organization hasn’t developed many guys from the system while he and LaRussa have been here - only Wainwright really (jury is still out of McClellan; Dan Haren doesn’t count, since he really turned the corner with the A’s).

Reason number 12 as to why we should have kept Looper.

Ok, so why did the WBC come into existence again?? It’s stupid, and I think it is the real problem here. Do you think ANY GM or manager wants ANY of their guys going to this thing? They lose time in spring training, and risk injury. These are multi-million dollar properties here folks. I applaud Oquendo for figuring out an angle to keep this jerk in camp. You owe the Cardinals a good season, not Puerto Rico. Go hang out there in the offseason if you like, but come Feb 15, you are property of STL Cardinals INC. And as for Pujols, thank God he’s not going either with that elbow.

Joel needs to stay in camp and work on improving on last years performance.
I always dread when it was his time to pitch last year. Stay in camp and
throw throw throw……

He is the best player on his own fantasy team. Why do we still have this guy on our squad? I am getting sssooooo tired of this guys whining. When will this guy EVER grow the heck up?!

This is a real problem. Jose O is demonstrating something we have all known for several years. He has the stuff to be make objective decisions for the good of a team he is managing. He deserves to be a major league manager somewhere. I would hate to lose him, but good luck to you, Jose. I hope we don’t have to play against one of your teams in the future.

Oquendo hasn’t created some problem that TLR didn’t see coming. I’m sure TLR wanted this to happen so the pitcher on his staff that needs the most work and needs the most improvement over last year can stay where he belongs…in Jupiter. Piniero needs to suck it up…the Cards don’t need his distraction this spring.

Does he not remember that he was in AAA for the Redsox before we got him for nothing? He’ll be in Memphis before the season’s over.

Tough comments, but the truth can be that way.

Bout to get Kennedy’d!

It is a tough job being a person who has to make a decision. It’s kinda like being an umpire-your make 1/2 the people mad each time you make one. Pineiro is capable, he just isn’t as capable. Oquendo has always been pretty up front I believe.

As to that person who says that Dave Duncan is a bad pitching coach, where would Todd Wellemeyer be without him? Duncan taught Wellemeyer how to pitch. Before the Cardinals picked up Wellemeyer, he was just a thrower. Wasn’t Duncan also one of the ones who helped Adam Wainwright become a closer in 06, when Izzy got hurt?

So what do you think is the over/under on Pinero’s stay not only in the Cards rotation but on the Cards roster. I say the first sign of struggle and out goes Pinero and in comes either McClellen,Thompson or Boggs.

I have nothing against him personally, but I hope Pinero IS on the way out. He’s even worse than Brett Tomko.

Piniero sucks as a back back up 5th starter…even our coaches agree on this…our management is just too cheap to get a better 5th starter…

The World Baseball Classic is becoming a problem for MLB. Specifically, managers and GM’s are no longer able to prepare their pitching staff the way they would like. Despite the millions invested, MLB wants to see the WBC work at all costs. Not only do I wish that Cardinal players from all countries would skip this useless event that is barely watched on television, but I would love to see our coaches focus exclusively on the season. Oquendo is also well paid, and regardless of Piniero’s current abilities, Oquendo just caused friction for our squad. This is another reason to pray for the end of this silly tournament.

Joel Piniero is not very good.

Tell Pinero that I too am heartbroken that I am not pitching for the U.S Team but I am not going to be a crybaby. I am going back to work at my $20,000/year job while he can be happy being disrespected (like who cares) with his millions

Hey, so-called “diehardcardsfan” I have some news for you… The current #1 pitcher on the staff has a last name, and it happens to be WAINWRIGHT. Go ahead, spell it, learn it, and don’t slap a nickname on a guy who doesn’t want a nickname that sounds like a drain opener.

It’s a sad / tough situation for Joel and O’Quendo. From Joels perspective, he believes he can pitch and is worthy of the assignment represent his Country. I can respect that. After all he is a MLB pitcher. All MLB players have a competitive nature about them or they would not be there. The question that only he can answer is will he get over the disappointment and not be a distraction to the team. It will be tough. Then there is O’Quendo. This had to be an easy decision for him as well as a hard one. Easy in the sense that it is apparent that O’Quendo makes decisions based on what he thinks is best. He does not play the favorites game. It had to be hard on him because he knew what it meant to Pineiro for him to pitch in the WBC. It’s tough on both of them. Piniero has to refocus as crushed as his heart is he will have to will have to put his feelings aside. The best of Professionals will do that, while them that are more sensitive will not.

Randy, get a clue. Clint Yates, learn about baseball before commenting. The major league club does not cater to the player in situations like this. Exactly how is Piniero useful to the Cards as the fifth starter, which he will unfortunately be, if he leaves spring training to sparingly represent his country as a middle reliever? He needs all the practice he can get, and it’s not Oquendo’s job to keep Piniero happy, it’s his job to help win games. If Joel was better than Sanchez or Snell, either of whom I’d rather have on the Cardinals, he’d be pitching for Puerto Rico. He’s not. Oquendo made the right choice for the Cardinals and for Puerto Rico. Jose didn’t disrespect him. And to answer Joel’s own question about why he started in ‘06: Sanchez was a just a rookie then, and you were only 3 seasons removed from being good. Now you are 6 seasons removed from being good, so it shouldn’t be so surprising.

To JP
If you love your “country” of Puerto Rico so dearly, why not contribute a hefty portion of your $7 million to your nation’s poor. Not too long ago one of the world’s worst slums, Fongito graced your homeland’s shores. Maybe help out there rather than wail the blues about not starting.

Joel, dont go messing with Jose Oquendo. He is a Cardinal in the mold of Stan, Red, and George Kissell. I can know see you bombing and get booed like you have never heard before. Then you crying the fans are disrespecting you. You idiot.

I also can’t believe you’re talking to the media about this Piniero! What a punk! Waaah. If Jose O. says it, it must be so.
SIT DOWN.

Wow. Just wow. I’ve unfortunately had to follow Pineiro for years, as a guy who leaves near Seattle, but has always been a Cards fan. I’ve always been hopeful on him, hopinng that he’s just a tweak away from recapturing the good form he flashed so briefly so long ago.

Now I see this and remember why I can sometimes feel so negative towards pro athletes. Joel, you just lost a fan. Not that you probably care much, since it sounds like you live in a delusional world in which either a) you are a better pitcher than Snell, Sanchez, or Vazquez, or b) sports teams should not worry about putting the best product on the field, or c) strangely, it is disrespectful to your home country to not have their worst pitcher bumping others from the rotation, but that it is NOT disrespectful for you to say that you’re too good to pitch in MR for them.

I always thought Piniero looked like a girl. Now we know he is one.

A-Rod

Joel I understand that you love P.R. but its probably best if you stay in Jupiter with the Cards and besides the WBC would be a much better tournament if it was held in the off season so conflicts like this wouldn’t occur as often

I agree with Jose Oquendo he needs to win us 20 games and stop talking about something that is irrelevant now. He is making himself look very bad in front of the fans and the players and most importantly his boss, who is paying him millions and he is below average.

No way for keeping B(Looper). Just a .500 pitcher with no power and lack of concentration when it was required. Same as Suppan. Oh, they are both on the same team again. Cards should be able to get back to back victories over them every time they see them this year. Maybe Joel will pitch one of those games and win for once.

Get rid of him. We don’t need another Scott Roland in the clubhouse. I’ll bet his performance this year will be awful because of this grudge.

Are you freakin’ kidding me Piniero. Snell and Sanchez are better arms than your sorry ass. Why don’t you go pitch for Puerto Rico and we’ll take Snell! What an ego!

Ian Snell? lol. how random