Midwest Sports Fan Blog

Mark McGwire drew a standing ovation before the Cardinals’ home opener Monday, a clear sign many St. Louis fans have forgiven the former home run king for using steroids.

There was an immediate burst of applause even before the official introduction prior to the game against the Houston Astros. McGwire is the Cardinals’ new hitting coach.
“It’s always exciting here for opening day,” McGwire said before the game. “I’m sure it’s going to be awesome. I’m sure my stomach is going to be turning.”
McGwire was riding in the back of a dark blue flat bed truck around the warning track in the team’s annual procession. He showed up on the jumbo scoreboard just behind manager Tony La Russa and third base coach Jose Oquendo.
Cheers for McGwire dwarfed the response both La Russa and Oquendo received. After bounding out of the truck, he shook hands with Cardinals Hall of Fame Stan Musial.

Click here to read the full article – By R.B. FALLSTROM of The Oakland Tribune

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St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols did not make the cross-state trip for Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox because of discomfort in his lower back.

The three-time National League MVP did not play Sunday against the Florida Marlins — a scheduled day off — and is not expected to play against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, a game also being played in Fort Myers.

“We’ll definitely give him tomorrow,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. “Even if we were home, I don’t think he’d play. We’ll see how he feels on Wednesday.”

Pujols first experienced discomfort in his back on Sunday. Joe Mather will take his place at first base against the Red Sox.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

The Cardinals see left fielder Matt Holliday as a unique talent within this year’s free agent pool, and they apparently do not envision themselves as bidders for the market’s presumptive second choice should Holliday defect.


General manager John Mozeliak confirmed Tuesday that the Cardinals’ priority signing would shift away from offense if Holliday proves too pricey for the club to retain.

“We’ll see how the market develops,” Mozeliak said. “Is (Jason Bay) a possibility? Sure. But right now it’s fair to say he’s not one of our top priorities.”

The Cardinals have yet to submit a formal bid to Holliday’s agent, Scott Boras, and are unlikely to do so until free agents can begin accepting bids from all clubs on Saturday. The Cardinals continue to view Holliday as their offseason priority but have also constructed alternatives with starting pitching, not hitting, as a centerpiece.

Click here to read the full article – By Joe Strauss of ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

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OK, EVERYBODY. TAKE a deep breath. Count to three. Find your happy place. And quit worrying, if only for a minute, about the St. Louis Cardinals’ slip-and-slide slouch toward this postseason. Sure, the Cards were 4-9 the last two weeks of the regular season, giving us pause as they jetted off for their playoff visit to Los Angeles tonight.


Guess what? In 2006, when the Cards were about to win a World Series, their record the last two weeks of the regular season was … wait for it … 4-10. Think about that: 4-9 on the eve of the playoffs this year, 4-10 on the eve of a Series win three years ago.

The last month of this season, the Cards went 14-16. The last month three years ago, the eventual Series champs went 12-17.

And then they went 11-5 in the ‘06 postseason, winning the division series in four games with San Diego, the NLCS in seven games against the New York Mets, and the Series in five games with Detroit.


Click here to read the full article – By of bnd.com

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Troy Glaus rejoined the Cardinals on Tuesday and pronounced himself ready to play, but exactly how much he’ll get to play is in question.


Glaus, who has dealt with one injury after another this year, was most recently sidelined with pain in his left oblique. He was not with the team on the first two stops of its current three-city road trip, instead staying in St. Louis to get treatment. He made improvement, though, so he caught up with his teammates at Great American Ball Park.

“I’ve been hitting for six days,” he said. “Taking grounders, throwing, doing everything.”


Click here to read the full article – By Matthew Leach of MLB.com

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With the Cardinals 10 1/2 games up in the NL Central with 27 games left to play, it’s all but certain that they will be returning to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2006.

But despite the big lead, the Cardinals are deadlocked in a tight battle down the stretch. The Cardinals, Phillies and Dodgers are all within a game of each other for the best record in the National League and the winner, of course, gets home-field advantage all the way until the World Series.

With the division race all but over, you would think the race for the best record in the league would be a positive motivating tool for manager Tony La Russa and his club. Nope.


Click here to read the full article – By B.J. Rains of MLB.com

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St. Louis manager Tony La Russa repeated the same thing over and over again during Albert Pujols’ brief slump.

Pujols hit a grand slam in the 10th inning for his second homer of the game and the Cardinals rallied to beat the sliding New York Mets 12-7 on Tuesday.

Pujols finished with four hits and five RBIs for the Cardinals, snapping out of an 0-for-13 skid with his ninth multihomer game of the season. Ryan Ludwick also went deep and drove in two runs for St. Louis.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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It wasn’t the most dominating eight scoreless innings you will ever see, but Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright will surely take it.

The righty allowed eight hits and got in several jams on Tuesday night but got out of all of them, holding Los Angeles off the board as the Cardinals combined Wainwright’s performance with six runs in the sixth inning to beat the Dodgers for the second straight day, 10-0, at Busch Stadium. The win moved the Cardinals back ahead of the Chicago Cubs and into first place in the NL Central after the Cubs lost, 11-6, to the Houston Astros earlier in the night.

Click here to read the full article – By B.J. Rains of MLB.com

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The Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday from the A’s on Friday in exchange for Brett Wallace and two other Minor Leaguers, Triple-A right-hander Clayton Mortensen and Double-A outfielder Shane Peterson.

Oakland will send cash to St. Louis to help offset the remaining cost of Holliday’s contract. Holliday, 29, can be a free agent at the end of the 2009 season. His current contract pays him $13.5 million, of which approximately $6 million is still due. The move is a clear indication of a win-now philosophy for the Cardinals, who acquired Mark DeRosa from Cleveland in June. They are locked in a four- or five-way battle for the National League Central Division title, but with their second upgrade in a month, may now be considered the favorites.

Click here to read the full article – By Matthew Leach of MLB.com

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King Albert leads the NL in homers and RBIs and ranks second in batting average

Albert Pujols has won two MVP awards and is shooting for a third this season. He also is unanimously considered the best player in baseball, and now he has a chance to win the Triple Crown. There’s a reason no one has won the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1967 and, in the National League, since Joe Medwick in 1937: It’s really hard to do, perhaps harder than ever.

Click here to read the full article – By Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com

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