Pat Imig posted on June 26, 2012 13:02
YADI MOLINA FOR PRIME MINISTER!
Anyone who thought Molina was overpaid for the contract he signed in the offseason is probably at ease knowing that Molina is not only the best at handling pitching staffs and sniping runners off 1st Base, he's also the best offensive catcher in the game.
As a result of Molina's Monday night heroics, Marlins closer Heath Bell says he deserves "a slap in the face". From the Palm Beach Post:
“We definitely had momentum. I went out there and blew it. Plain and simple, this loss is on me. I didn’t have my stuff tonight for whatever reason.
“I had been pitching good. Once in a while this game humbles you. It definitely has humbled me right now. I’m just going to go out there and work hard and try not to ever have this happen again.
“I apologize to my teammates to my teammates because I sucked, I let everybody down….
“I wasn’t throwing strikes, plain and simple. I need to mix it up a little bit more. I just went out there and was throwing fastballs and basically I was throwing BP to the Cardinals.
“They were hitting everything I threw.. .You to tip your hat to them but also you have to slap me in the face because I sucked tonight. I let everybody down.
“I know exactly what I did wrong. I know the good things. I’m going to go fix it and I’m not going to let that happen again.
“These guys played way too good and we’ve turned it around and you can forget about all those (losses) because we’re going to win. We’re a bunch of winners out here. I just had an off night.”
The Miami Herald has another one from Bell: "I blew it".
On the flipside, Mike Matheny says it's "Unbelievable".
JOE KELLY FOR LT. GOVERNOR!
If Kelly doesn't show off his speed, Jason Motte blows another save. Yeah, we're going to have to fix that at some point.
MORE BIRDS
Viva El Birdos has a great look at the evolution of Allen Craig as a hitter. Here's a quality sample that shows his experience and maturity at the plate ...
"Last season, Craig walked in only 6.8% of his PAs, a rate well below the league average of 8.1%. In 2011, Craig saw 3.90 pitches per plate appearance (P/PA), a total that would have placed him in the top 50 for all of MLB (along with Holliday at 3.93 P/PA) if Craig had enough at-bats to qualify for the batting crown. In 2012, Craig's P/PA has risen to 4.13, a rate that would place him in the top 20, if it continues. Craig's walk rate has risen correspondingly, from well below average to a well above average 11.2% this season. Craig's offensive profile seems to have evolved from a high-average hitter with good power who doesn't walk that often to a player who hits for average, draws walks, and hits for power."
If Craig continues to progress and can stay healthy, the Cardinals will be set at 1B for years to come.
The Cardinals are averaging more than 4,500 fans per game in 2012 compared to 2011. It's all about Matheny's hair compared to TLR's. [Baseball Reference]
Dave Veres on his best friend, Daryl Kile [I-70 Baseball]
After adding Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis, the Padres have called on another former Cardinals pitcher: the one and only Kip Wells. Goodness. [Hardball Talk]
MIZZOU LINKS
Frank Haith talks recruiting and moving to the SEC [SB Nation Kansas City]
For what it's worth: Gary Pinkel only registers a .5 on the Hot Seat rating. That's a good thing. [CBS Sports]
RAMS
Stan Kroenke is behind the realty company (THF) that is looking to purchase Union Station. [Rolla Daily News]
Here's what Kroenke's bid for Union Station means for the Rams. [SB Nation St. Louis]
How the Rams handle their players' usage of social media. [Turfshow Times]
July 13th and 14th: the The Holt Brothers football camp. [Holt Foundation]
IT'S FINALLY OVER
If you missed it over the weekend, former Rams GM Billy Devaney opened up about what went wrong during his Rams tenure. The tenure was known as "Steven Jackson and the Pips", apparently.
"That was it. And you know what? I would have probably been happier with some of the Pips, quite honestly."
Devaney also offered some insight into Josh McDaniels ...
"We lose Pat Shurmur to the Cleveland Browns, he's our offensive coordinator. And the decision was made to bring in Josh McDaniels and change the whole offense. And it kind of completely blew up on us. It was the perfect storm. When you look at it, we had a ton of injuries, no offseason. It was just one thing after another. I could tell in training camp -- I mean early on, I don't even know if we started playing a preseason game -- things just, especially on offense, things just looked really ... nobody looked comfortable."
Oddly enough, the Rams were undefeated in the preseason.
And how about that schedule?
"And our [2011] schedule was ridiculous. I mean, we were hoping, and this is -- we're trying to be optimistic -- we were hoping at the halfway point, we may have had two wins. We thought if we could scratch out two wins, the back end of the schedule, we could win a couple of more games. Well, I don't know if we won any. We may have won one, but by that time, the roster was decimated."
That's the spririt of competition!
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