Category Archives: Riding the Pine

Riding the Pine…Random Baseball Thoughts

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It’s really been too long since I’ve sat down and really wrote about baseball. Sure, I’ve started doing Bullpen Banter with Russ, but I really haven’t looked at much going on in the world of baseball.

- This has been a crazy off-season in St. Louis; one that has caused the World Series to be over-shadowed. It’s hard to believe the Cardinals just won it 2 months ago. I have a couple of reasons for this. First off, being in Milwaukee for games 6 and 7 was a huge reason; I missed all of the local coverage of the celebration, analysis, etc. I got to see parts, but Fox ended their coverage much earlier than the local stations.
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Riding the Pine: Can It Get Any Better?

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Can this time of year get any better for baseball fans? The season culminates with the World Series; teams are about to get major or minor face lifts. Mangers will come and go, as do GMs (which we’ve been seeing moreso this year).

The only thing that can make it better is a historic October game.
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Riding the Pine: Top 7 Cardinals Prospects

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Like every year at this time, the United Cardinal Bloggers have their “Top 7 Cardinal Prospect” project. While I don’t participate in all of the projects, this is my favorite. It’s a jump start on prospect ranking.

Granted, my list will change by the time I do my official list next spring, but it’s still a fun exercise.
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Riding the Pine: Social Media and Sports

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Nowadays, it seem like everyone has a blog; if they don’t have a blog, they have a twitter account or a facebook page. Everyone is connected. Everyone has a voice.

It’s changed sports. We know what is going to happen as it happens. Before, someone had to wait for ESPN to list that the Padres’ Heath Bell was claimed on waivers by the Giants and the 2 team could not work out a trade. Today, MLB Trade Rumors and the local newspaper websites have all of the up to the minute details.

Most in sports don’t like this; the St. Louis Cardinals are embracing it.
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Riding the Pine: Tony LaRussa and the Destruction of Order

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Way back in 1996 when Tony LaRussa joined the Cardinals, I was in agreement with the masses – I was totally excited to have LaRussa leading my favorite team. What he’s done in STL has been remarkable; 3 losing records in 16 seasons, 2 100-win seasons, 8 playoff appearances, and 1 World Series Championship. It’s really remarkable.

But what has he done recently? Continue reading →

Riding the Pine: Divisions and Salary.

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Yesterday, I looked at who is the best division in baseball. One thing I noted was I thought it’s funny how the geography matches up for each; Easts, then Wests, then Centrals. I’m willing to make a theory on this. Traditionally, the bigger markets are on the coasts. New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas. The Midwest has Chicago, and to some degree St. Louis (fan-wise) and Houston (Texas is a large market, right). We’ll see how my theory holds up.
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Riding the Pine: Dan Haren, 8 Years Later

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Dan Haren’s major league debut was 8 years ago last night; he was a last minute call up to face Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. It’s probably a little weird that I remember that, but the game is tied to one of the low points of my life.
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Riding the Pine: All Star Ballot

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As part of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, we are required to vote for certain events – Predictions, Awards, and the All Star Game. I try to do as many as possible of these as possible, as they are fun to do and it can be interesting comparing my results to others in the group.

For my all star ballots, I’m looking at the big picture of what they’ve done. I don’t care if the player is big name or an emerging star. There might be a surprise or 2 here as well.

Along with the starter, I’ve listed a back up for each position. There are 3 for the outfield, 5 for starting pitcher, and 3 for relievers.
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Riding the Pine: The Frustrations of Fantasy Baseball

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I love fantasy baseball. I used to play 16 teams a season. The one aspect I’ve been continually frustrated with is roto keeper leagues.
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