Hardball Talk: Report: Rasmus requested trade earlier this season

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a bit of news that will add lighter fluid to the stack of rumors hinting at a “rift” between Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and 24-year-old outfielder Colby Rasmus.

Strauss heard from sources that Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season because of “frustrations” with La Russa and his lack of everyday playing time.

It’s not hard to believe.  Ryan Ludwick, in fact, made a similar request just before he was traded to the Padres in late July and it’s beginning to look like we may have a scapegoat for what has been a horribly disappointing season in St. Louis: the skipper himself. 

UPDATE:  La Russa has confirmed the report, according to B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest, also saying that Rasmus requested a trade last season.

STL Today: La Russa disputes ‘underachiever’ label

Pitchershifter!

La Russa’s response came when asked about a Wednesday assessment from Houston Astros infielder Geoff Blum, who noted a lack of urgency on the Cardinals’ part after the Astros’ three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park.

Blum said the Cardinals “didn’t look like they wanted to beat us at all” while being outscored 11-2 in the series, which capped a 2-8 trip that left the Cardinals eight games behind the Cincinnati Reds entering Friday’s opener against the NL Central leaders.

La Russa acknowledged his team’s dull look in Houston and recognized how the impression might form. “We got beat 3-0 twice. And when that’s happened, you’re not going to look like a club taking extra bases because you’re not on base. He’s entitled to his own opinion. I think it’s fair to characterize our club on that road trip, and even the last home stand, as a club struggling to make things happen.

“But I don’t agree. If you’re characterizing it as underachieving, that’s a tough hit to take. Our pitching staff has been first, second or third (in team ERA) all year.

“There are guys in this clubhouse who I don’t think you can say are underachieving. But there’s no doubt that on the last home stand and this road trip we did not achieve wins.”

Cardinals returning to KMOX next season

I’m surprised no one put this up..

Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said, “Fan sentiment and feedback” were important factors in the decision to go back to KMOX.

He added that the business climate has changed considerably in the half-decade since the club bought a 50 percent interest in KTRS and moved the broadcasts there.

“I don’t think there are any regrets,” DeWitt said about the original decision to leave KMOX.

He said the team will be open to offers about buying its portion of KTRS, which it purchased for $2 million, according to numerous sources.

Now they’re stuck with KTRS, with no sports teams associated with that station.  Good luck on that!

MLB.com: Happ shuts out Cards on two hits

After suffering through the worst start of his career in his previous meeting against the Cardinals, Astros left-hander J.A. Happ had one of his best Monday night.

Happ, who couldn’t survive the second inning in St. Louis on Aug. 4, dominated the Cardinals with a two-hitter to lead the Astros to their seventh win in nine games, 3-0, in the series opener at Minute Maid Park.

Astros rookie first baseman Brett Wallace, a former Cardinals first-round Draft pick, who was in a 5-for-45 slump, had his first career three-hit game and drove in a run.

St. Louis’ relative inability to defeat sub-.500 teams is getting pretty comical. They play in the NL Central, so they’ve had plenty of practice against such teams.

StL Today: La Russa, Pujols will appear at Washington rally

“Gateway Arch showing rust and decay”...and you ain’t ####### kidding.

Cardinals first baseman and three-time NL Most Valuable Player Albert Pujols will be among several honorees at a highly publicized and potentially politically charged Saturday morning rally expected to draw more than 20,000 to The Mall.

Organized by Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck and featuring former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the “Restoring Honor” rally is scheduled to take place at the base of the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Beck, who met Pujols at Busch Stadium before a June appearance at Chaifetz Arena, is promoting the event as an apolitical celebration of the First Amendment and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, scheduled to introduce Pujols, insisted Thursday that he and Pujols are attending only after receiving assurances that the event is not a thinly disguised political rally.

Some liberal critics have portrayed the three-hour event as a platform for the conservative Tea Party movement.

“I made it clear when we were approached: I said, ‘If it’s political, I wouldn’t even approach Albert with it.’ I don’t want to be there if it’s political,” La Russa said.

Also…Dave Zirin’s “A Plea for Albert Pujols Not to Attend Glenn Beck Rally”.

N.Y.Times: Forman: “Keeping Score: The Number Beyond M.V.P. Numbers”

A.L. M.V.P. ... Cano (6.3 [WAR]) is the front-runner, with tremendous offense and good defense at a premium defensive position. He has been the Yankees’ best player by nearly two and a half wins this year.

N.L. M.V.P. ... Roy Halladay (6.3 WAR), Adam Wainwright (6.1) and Tim Hudson (5.9) have been more valuable than [Adrian] Gonzalez thus far. But the M.V.P. award has not gone to a starting pitcher since Vida Blue in 1971, and the voters are not likely to change that, barring a Bob Gibson-in-1968 performance.

MLB.com: Pujols belts career home run No. 400

Albert Pujols’ 400th Major League home run wasn’t just historic, it was emphatic.

In the fourth inning of the Cardinals’ game against the Nationals on Thursday night, the slugger obliterated an 0-1 fastball from Jordan Zimmermann, drilling the pitch into the right-center-field seats. Washington center fielder Nyjer Morgan appeared to think for a while that he had a bead on the ball, but ultimately watched helplessly as it soared several rows deep into the stands.

Pujols is the third-youngest player in Major League history to reach the milestone at 30 years, seven months and 10 days. Only Eddie Mathews and Alex Rodriguez hit 400 at an earlier age

stltoday: Ozzie Smith wants to be more involved

Who’ll make it to the top first, Sandberg or the Wizard?

During his visit to the Quad-Cities and the home of the Cardinals’ Midwest League affiliate, Smith served as the honorary coach at a youth clinic, delivered a speech and spent almost 35 minutes answering questions from fans gathered in the stands.

During his public presentation, Smith talked about his desire to become more involved with the game.

“The happiest days of my life have been spent on the baseball field. I get asked a lot if I would like to coach, and typically I’ve said that hasn’t interested me. As I get older, that interest is starting to change,” Smith said.

“For the first time since I retired in 1996, I’ve agreed to go to a Cardinals baseball fantasy camp, and I’m starting to think more about getting back into baseball and maybe coaching. The bug is coming back, and whenever I’m out on the field it feels like home.”

ESPN: Szymborski: Albert Pujols’ Triple Crown Shot [INSIDER REQ]

First thing I’ve written anywhere for a couple of weeks (I’ve had a nasty-ass cold and spent 2 weeks mostly eating soup, running fantasy football draft, and playing video games).  Using ZiPS and Monte Carlo, I attempt to handicap the chances of Pujols, Cabrera, and Votto winning the Triple Crown this year.

N.Y. Times: Cheering on Your Favorite Team With Your Lawn

“Lawn Logo” is about to hit the market, and as the New Jersey-based company behind it touts, “suburbia may never look the same.”

Starting with 14 major league teams, do-it-yourself kits first will be sold for an unspecified introductory price on QVC on Aug. 31. They will be sold at select retailers, including True Value and Ace hardware stores, with a suggested retail price of $129.99.

The kits, officially licensed by Major League Baseball, include a 52-inch reusable stencil and enough spray paint, in the team’s official colors and designed for grass, for several applications. There is no guarantee, of course, that the kits will not be used to paint the sides of houses, abandoned buildings or subway cars.

According to the company’s website, the teams available first are: NYY, BOS, CWS, DET, MIN, LAA, TEX, ATL, NYM, PHI, CHC, CIN, STL, and LAD

The Cardinal Nation Blog: Bissinger Blasts Birds

No hope comes alive on Saturday morning!

In the past, the closest to home that Bissinger, a friend, collaborator and business partner with Tony La Russa had come to the manager was a series of shots directed at Lou Piniella prior to the Cubs skipper’s retirement announcement and some relatively mild criticism of the hiring of Mark McGwire as Cardinals hitting coach over the winter.

That changed on Saturday.

“Something in the Card organization is terribly wrong. Getting rid of Jockety stupidest move ever. Kept idiotfuck Luhnow instead.”

“Hiring McGwire terrible move even though batting coaches don’t do ####. Tony never should have done it. Been there too long? Silence……..”

“The Cardinals could win the WS (except Franklin sucks). Have the pitching. So why are they playing like they don’t give a shit…”

“Of course top heavy. But DeWitt is cheap. And if team collapses, Albert will leave. He should.”

“For all the stats in the world, if players don’t care, come into park distracted, defeatest, then streaks are not accidental.”

Is Bissinger speaking for himself, or also sharing the thinking of the manager, who is not under contract for 2011, when he typed the following?

“Let me be clear: I love Tony La Russa. Brilliant gutsy manager. Most interesting man I have met in sports. But mesh is no longer right.”

StL Today: Broadcaster Dan McLaughlin arrested on suspicion of driving drunk‎

“The Cardinals organization remains supportive of ___________”

Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin was arrested Monday night on suspicion of drunk driving, according to police.

Chesterfield police Lt. Steve Lewis said McLaughlin was pulled over about 10:45 p.m. on eastbound Highway 40 (Interstate 64) after an officer responded to a report of an erratic driver.

The officer suspected McLaughlin had been drinking and requested McLaughlin take a breathalyzer test. McLaughlin refused and was arrested, Lewis said. He was taken to Chesterfield police headquarters for booking and later released. Lewis said he was unsure how long McLaughlin was in custody. It was unclear if McLaughlin had been charged.

Many members of the Cardinals’ organization and extended family attended a fundraiser that day in St. Alban’s for Albert Pujols’ foundation, but McLaughlin was not at that function.

MLB: Cards acquire third baseman Feliz

One season ago, the Cardinals desperately needed a middle-of-the-order bat if they hoped to make it back to the playoffs. General manager John Mozeliak delivered Matt Holliday. With injuries and ineffectiveness wiping out the back of the starting rotation this July, Mozeliak reached onto the Major League trading block and plucked Jake Westbrook.

Now, with misplaced infielder Felipe Lopez struggling mightily at third base and the Cardinals in the midst of a four-game losing streak, Mozeliak filtered through waiver wires and came out with Astros third baseman Pedro Feliz on Thursday.

“A lot has been written and said about us having to improve defensively at third base,” Mozeliak said. “Defensively, [Feliz] ranks up there with almost any defensive third baseman in the game today.”

Ready…Set…Go!

Chris Carpenter: No excuse for Cueto’s kicking fit

Kick It Up With Cardsio Exercise!

Chris Carpenter had little to say about his fine for his part in a brawl between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.

He did have had more angry words for Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who kicked several St. Louis players and gave Jason LaRue a slight concussion. LaRue was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, retroactive to Aug. 4, and the team recalled outfielder Nick Stavinoha from Triple-A Memphis.

Carpenter said Friday, the day after penalties were assessed by Major League Baseball, that Cueto was the only player trying to hurt anyone Tuesday. Carpenter said anyone who used such tactics on the street would be dealt with harshly.

“All the yelling, the talking, the pushing, the fighting and everything else, there was nobody throwing punches, there was nobody doing that stuff,” Carpenter said. “I don’t care how scared you are or what the deal is. Whatever excuse you have, you don’t start doing that.”

Carpenter was in the middle of the fracas and said he was just as scared as Cueto was.

“He can say whatever he wants,” the pitcher said. “He came in there with intent to do something from the back side.”

MLB: Cueto, Baker, La Russa hit with suspensions

Major League Baseball handed Reds starter Johnny Cueto a seven-game suspension and also suspended Reds manager Dusty Baker and Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa for two games each for their actions during Tuesday’s on-field incident at Great American Ball Park.

Cueto, Baker and La Russa, who were also fined an undisclosed amount of money, are slated to begin serving their suspensions on Friday, unless they appeal.

In addition, four players were fined an undisclosed amount: second baseman Brandon Phillips and reliever Russ Springer (who came on the field while on the disabled list) of the Reds, and starter Chris Carpenter and catcher Yadier Molina of the Cardinals.

Thanks to Chet.

Miklasz: Reds’ insults have unintended effect on Cardinals

or…When “Your Mather” jokes backfire.

Besides, the Cardinals got everything they needed from the real Brandon Phillips during a particularly emphatic three-game beatdown of the Reds at the unfilled Great American Ball Park.

Phillips couldn’t have done this any better if the Cardinals were paying him under the table to sabotage the Reds.

Phillips ticked the Cardinals off, raised their intensity and put them in the mood for a kill. Phillips gave manager Tony La Russa and his players a common cause. And after this low-rent Ochocinco/T.O. wannabe put himself on center stage to command the attention he hungered for, Phillips shriveled up. He gagged on all of the brave words by going two for 14 in the series.

It’s kind of interesting that the dude’s initials are BP, isn’t it?

Phillips called out the Cardinals.

The Cardinals knocked out the Reds.

200 treated for heat-related issues at Great American Ball Park

Around 200 fans were treated for heat problems Wednesday during the Cincinnati Reds/St. Louis Cardinals game at Great American Ball Park.

The game time temperature was 93 degrees, but it was much hotter in the concrete stands.

“Concrete just absorbs heat,” said Sean Brown, the Reds Director of Ball Park Operations. “You’re looking at a 10 to 15 almost 20 degree difference. So maybe it’s 113 degrees in places that have been in direct sunlight. That’s pretty hot.”

“We’re seeing all kinds of things,” said Doug Harris, the Medical Coordinator for Tri-Health, which oversees stadium medical care. “Most of them are heat-related issues—a lot of dehydration and nausea.

Harris said those weren’t the only maladies medical personnel were seeing.

“We’re seeing seizures. We’re seeing chest paints,” he added. “It’s pretty busy down here.”

And chest painters look stupid too!

Reds, Cardinals clear benches in 7-minute melee

Scrum Alliance!

Those who wondered if the comments of Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips a day earlier calling the Cardinals a bunch of big babies would create any bad blood, got their answer Tuesday.

A seven-minute melee opened the bottom of the first inning when Phillips stepped into the batter’s box and exchanged words with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

One view is it appeared to begin when Phillips attempted his at-bat ritual of touching the ump and catcher with his bat. Yadier Molina kicked Phillips’ bat, then stood up to confront him.

The dugouts cleared and the bullpens came for a meet-and-greet at home plate that soon deteriorated into some shoving and a takedown between Cards ace pitcher Chris Carpenter and Reds third baseman Scott Rolen.

The scrum moved toward the backstop with one of the Reds players pushed up against the screen, and he kicked out with his spikes to get the crowd of Cards players off him.

...Before Tuesday’s game, Phillips stood by his comments of Monday.

“People (other than the Cardinals and their fans) respect me for what I said,” Phillips said. “Those were my comments, and a lot of people feel that way all throughout the league—many people feel that way.”

Chris Carpenter lectures Brendan Ryan in dugout (Video)

Brendan: The Hostage

I wandered in a nightmare
All around Great American Ball Park

Ryan’s mistake was not reporting to the field on time — he had been in the dugout cage hitting when St. Louis made three quick outs — and Carpenter’s start was further delayed because Ryan then grabbed the wrong glove on his way to his position.

OK, so the famously intense Carpenter had reason to be annoyed and I don’t blame him for shooting the death-dagger stare toward Ryan while the whole shuffle was going on. Get out to your position and get ready to go, guy.

But considering that Carpenter got out of the first inning just fine, allowing only one single, he should have just left it at that.

Unless he wanted to point out how good Ryan’s necklace looks out on the field — and let’s hope that’s what he was doing — there was no reason to signal his shortstop and have him slink the length of a dugout like a kid who had just flushed a cherry bomb down a locker room toilet.

Gordon: Maybe Schumaker isn’t so horrible after all

Bend over Poz and enjoy your Kuiper Belt lashes from Jeff Gordon!

Posnanski wrote: “People tend to love Skip Schumaker. And for good reason: His name is Skip, and the guy will do anything for the club. He moved to second base last year, even though he had never before played the position (a guy named Skip SHOULD play second base). And though he struggled there defensively, he at least held his own and got on base enough to be of value to the Cardinals. This year, so far, he has a 78 OPS+, his defense at second base still seems quite a bit below average, and he has run into quite a few outs on the bases.”

OK, so Skip didn’t hit much in April. He offers little power, even in his good months, and he doesn’t steal bases. He lost his leadoff spot to Felipe Lopez and fell to No. 7 in the Cards batting order.

He occasionally fields second base like an outfielder, which, of course, he is.

But . . .

Schumaker is hitting .343 with runners in scoring position this season and .290 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

If every Cardinal hitter were that reliable in run-producing situations, this team would have a five- or six-game lead over the Reds in the National League Central.

McCoy: Brandon Phillips: “I hate the Cardinals, hate ‘em”

B. Phillips 2b - 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2

Before we dissect the Chris Dickerson for Jim Edmonds trade with Milwaukee, listen to some quick words from Brandon Phillips before the big, Big, BIG three-game Cincinnati-St. Louis series.

Phillips fouled a ball off his shin Saturday in Chicago and missed Sunday’s game. But he was in Monday’s lineup and said, “I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is ##### and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little #######, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear - I hate the Cardinals.”

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, of course, volleyed things back at Phillips by saying, “We win the right way and we lose the right way. We’ve received a lot of compliments over the years that when we lose we tip our caps and when we win we keep our mouths shut, that’s my comment.”

But he added more: “I don’t think that will go over well in his own clubhouse. Phillips is ripping his teammates - Scott Rolen, Miguel Cairo, Russ Springer, Jim Edmonds - all the ex-Cardinals over there. He isn’t talking about this year. He is talking about the way we’ve always played and those guys are old Cardinals. Tell him he’s ripping his own teammates because they are all old Cardinals.”

Pujols Powering Up?

He certainly seems locked in over the last few days after making some adjustments to his swing.

It’s August, and Albert’s assault on Black and Gray Ink is revving up. MVP in the looming?  Triple Crown? 

HE’S BACK!!

Freese’s injury is ‘season ending’

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Tuesday that third baseman David Freese’s most recent injury is “season ending.”

Freese was hurt Monday night after apparently re-injuring his problematic right ankle in a rehab assignment at Class AA Springfield.

Just as the trade of Ludwick probably means too much Randy Winn in the weeks to come, Freese’s latest setback (in tandem with Tyler Greene’s injury and the erratic play of Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker) probably means too much Aaron Miles in the weeks to come. Not good news for a struggling offense.

Analysis of the Ludwick/Westbrook trade

At Viva El Birdos, azruvatar offers the most detailed analysis I’ve seen yet of the Cardinals side of the Ludwick/Westbrook deal, which he portrays as a trade of future surplus for present wins.

Here’s hoping Jon Jay can keep hitting .390 . . .

Ex-Cardinals pitcher charged with drug trafficking

That’s the Springfield Cardinals. (found at the wicked No-Future Redbirds site)

Recent Springfield Cardinals pitcher Shaun Garceau is facing at least three years in prison after being charged in an alleged Florida drug trafficking scheme involving the painkiller oxycodone.

Garceau is charged with conspiracy to traffic oxycodone and then trafficking the drug, according to the Palm Beach County, Fla., Clerk and Comptrollers office.

The felony charges carry a minimum mandatory sentence of three years in prison and a $50,000 fine, office spokeswoman Susan Lugar said Wednesday.

Garceau posted a $15,000 bond last month and a case disposition is scheduled Aug. 31, although sentencing may not take place at that time.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Garceau was among seven individuals who filled prescriptions at local pharmacies and then sold the drugs.

Rosenthal: Oswalt needs to drop demands

Harrumph…he’s acting more like Sonny Wojtowicz than Sonny Jackson.

If Roy Oswalt wants to be traded – really wants to be traded – he should start acting like it.

That means dropping any demand for a potential suitor to exercise his $16 million club option for 2012; his new team could compensate him for waiving his no-trade clause in a less extravagant way.

It also means staying open-minded on which teams he would approve for a trade; the Cardinals, his reported first choice, are not the only club with a chance to win the World Series.

Remember, Oswalt asked the Astros to trade him, relaying his request through his agent, Bob Garber, in May. Some rival executives find it galling that the pitcher now seems to be trying to orchestrate every term of his departure.

Players either negotiate their no-trade rights or earn them through service time; Oswalt should not simply give his away. But if his priority is to get out, then he should be flexible, about both his contract and his next club.

O’Neill: Whitey Herzog and Garry Templeton ... a memorable clash

Memorable clash? You should see the undertones…

While they occasionally conversed and exchanged pleasantries when their respective teams met during subsequent years, Templeton and Herzog never came to an understanding over what took place in St. Louis.

“He never said anything about it and, you know, I wasn’t going to bring it up,” Herzog said. “You know, (Keith) Hernandez called me and thanked me so many times (years later). And he wrote me a real nice letter, that he appreciated how I protected him and never said anything about the drugs, took the heat for three years over that.

“(John) Mayberry came and apologized when I went in the Hall of Fame in Kansas City, which I really appreciated. I went through that stuff with Garry, but I never blamed him. It was just something that was going on so much in our society and he just got caught up with it. A lot of kids did.”

Herzog acknowledged it would be gratifying to have closure with Templeton. “If he just said to me, ‘Hey I was screwed up, I’m sorry, I wasn’t myself.’ I know he’s not a bad person,” Herzog said. “He went out to San Diego and he changed his life around, and he’s managing now. And I don’t hold any grudges.”

When asked about clearing the air with Herzog, Templeton paused on the other end of the telephone before saying, “No, we never did that.”

Krasovic: Marlins to Consider Padres’ Ted Simmons for Managerial Opening

Wish the Hall of Fame would find an opening…

The Florida Marlins will interview interim manager Edwin Rodriguez and likely other candidates for their managerial job after the season.

Among those the Marlins will consider is San Diego Padres bench coach Ted Simmons, FanHouse has learned. Florida has been gathering information on Simmons, said a major league source.

Simmons, 60, was an eight-time All-Star catcher who batted .285 in a career that spanned 21 seasons. He was 19 years old when he debuted as a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968.

As a bench coach in recent years Simmons held the managerial reins in both Milwaukee and San Diego when the manager was absent. He’s never been a full-time manager but said he’s ready to manage.

“At this point I either get on with doing it or forget about it, and it’s much too compelling to forget about it,” he said.

Cardinals Give John Mozeliak a Three-Year Extension

Go Moz!

The Cardinals will hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon where they will formally announce that general manager John Mozeliak will receive a three-year contract extension. The news wasn’t expected but it doesn’t come as much of a surprise either.

St. Louis is not a team that has seen a lot of changes at the top of the organization in the last 25 years. Dal Maxvill served as GM from 1984-94 and Walt Jocketty served until he stepped down in 2007. Mozeliak replaced him at that point, the team has kept on winning and they clearly don’t believe in fixing what hasn’t been broken.

In the two years since Mozeliak took over the top job, the Cardinals have won the division once and missed the playoffs once. His highest profile moves have both involved Matt Holliday, first trading for the left fielder around this time last year and then re-signing him in the offseason.

Michael Young becomes 83rd All-Star

Everybody is a star
One big circle going round and round

Adrian Beltre is unavailable for the All-Star game after injuring his hamstring yesterday and Michael Young has been selected to replace him, becoming the 83rd player who gets to say he was an All-Star in 2010…

we’re talking nearly three All-Stars per MLB team… Depending on how you choose to do the math, about 11 percent of players on 25-man rosters have been chosen as All-Stars.

Neyer’s Black Cloud:

However, as Rob Neyer pointed out even 83 picks is still a smaller portion of the total player pool than was selected as All-Stars in, say, the 1960s.