NO….we’re not confused….the MLB is a baseball league and goals come in hockey…..but….here’s a suggestion…again…that the MLB should “borrow”from the NHL..
….why doesn’t the MLB adopt the NHL policy of not “dressing out” their roster….the MLB could carry 27 players and “dress out” 25 per game….it would really save us from all the shuttling back & forth from the minors & DL …add stability to this rocky flight across the MLB season….this simple suggestion does have ramifications….like…the MLB owners would have to pay a bit more in salary…one would assume that these players getting bounced back & forth from being on the playing field and the booth would be minimum pay players for the most part…probably pitchers….the union would be ecstatic since more players would be added to the roster….along with this proposal….I would like to see the 10 day & 15 day DL rule removed….30 day ..maybe even 20 day DL should be the minimum….let’s remove all these “games” about blisters, aches that miraculously disappear in 10 days without quick flights to the Mayo Clinic, Lourdes, or some other miracle place….while we’re at……currently there is a rule that when players are sent down to the minors that they must remain there for 10 days…..I think the rule should go both ways….when a player moves up the MLB….they must remain on the roster for 10 days…..these 1 day stints cheapen the game…..fans like to identify with the players…currently players are pulled up to the majors and shoved back down to “meet a pressing need” before the common fan even knows his name…….the only fans who can identify with these yo-yo players are pilots…in one city for a stop and off again….cut it out…MLB rosters do HAVE 25 players…. and some minor league player…..is going to step in…. on a 12 hour notice and be better than one of your 25….if he is better…bring him up permanently. With this 27 man roster, a team should be able to withstand a missed turn in the rotation without modifying their roster.
…..the current trend in the MLB is to continue to shorten the expected outing of the starting pitcher… make each game a parade of pitchers who throw about 2-3 innings up to the 6th inning…then the 1 inning march begins from the bullpen…it happened yesterday—Philadelphia threw 7 pitchers..no one going longer than 2 innings!….I’ve written the past about the golden number of 75 -80 games over a couple years…it seems that at that point relief pitchers are buying a ticket to an extended stay on the DL in the following year and/or a shortened career….sure…a couple exceptions exist but here’s some data on the Cardinals….and I’m sure it parallels all other teams across the league about pitchers who throw over 75 games/year…including post-season.
….Trevor Rosenthal..2013..74 regular season+10 post season=84 games; 2014…72regular season+ 6 post season=78 games; 2015..68 games + 2 post season= 70; 2016 arm issues cut performances to 45 games; 2017—50 games–out of baseball now
…Edward Mujica…2012(with Cards)—70 games + 9 post season=79 total; 2013-65 games + 2 post season= 67 games;2014- 64 games(arm issues begin); 2015 – 49 games; 2016 missed entire season; 2017- just 5 games…
…Seth Maness… a man with a slighter build…hence, probably not the stamina as the larger, stronger relief hurlers….2014…73 games + 2 post season=75; 2015..76 games + 2 post season; 2016 arm issues limit him to 29 games; 2017 removed from MLB Royals roster after 8 games-out of baseball
…Greg Holland…2013.. 61 games(a bit below our threshold); 2014…65 regular season+ 11 post season=76 total games; 2015…48 games then sidelined by arm issues; 2016 missed entire season; 2017. 61 games + 1 post season= 62….terrific 1st half….not so much in 2nd half of season…2018 with Cards…now at 23 games with 4.42 ERA
…Matt Bowman….75 games last year….DL trips this year
….there are a couple exceptions…relief pitchers who last a long time….I’d suggest that most don’t throw 75 games a season….Aroldis Chapman…maybe the longest “power” pitcher currently…has thrown in consecutive years since 2011 this amount of games(including post season): 54, 71, 68, 54, 65, 72 (world series run), last year 58….personally…I think he left the Cubs because of his “overuse” in the post-season; currently..as we approach July 4th.. at 32 games…on track for 65ish games….it seems that some managers….like the one here in the Lou…uses the Kleenex principle…use em up quickly …then throw em away…funny when you consider that Matheny was a catcher….however….I really do believe that…. Because he landed in the post season very early in his managerial career….. Matheny manages EVERY game like he’s in the post-season…can’t do that over 162…
….while we’re at it….hockey could borrow some ideas from the MLB….
in the MLB…every stadium is different…different dimensions to all parts of the field….why can’t hockey let each team have their own dimensions for their home rink….Boston already has their own size rink….what if they were a bit longer..or wider…or both….would it REALLY change the game?
…..why not play the same team back-back….make it a 2 game series at at same site …each team would have the same amount of rest….maybe not EVERY series….but playing the same team on consecutive nights could be fun…it’d sure save on all the traveling around for these 1 games series…especially against your divisional teams
Weekly thoughts on the Cards…
….despite the 4 game skid…I think the Cards are poised for a strong 2nd half…..DeJong will be back in the lineup….Molina missed several games in the 1st half and is healthy now…Jack Flaherty has “grown” from last year with his wicked slider…the curve balling Miles Mikolas continues to tantalize batters and has shown no drop off in his efficiency…Ozuna seems to have settled down and is now performing close to his lifetime averages–.278, 20 HR, 88rbi’s…. Matt Carpenter has gone back to the future with Doc Brown and found his stroke…and more importantly…his attitude …about hitting as he did in 2013 when he hit .318 with 55 doubles, was the silver slugger for 2B, 1st in runs scored in NL, 1st in hits in NL, 2nd in Offensive WAR in NL…the bullpen appears to be improving as Holland returns with a strong arm (he’s become a ½ season pitcher…take ur pick 1st half or 2nd half….Colorado had the 1st half last year…and we hope the Cards have the 2nd half this year); Holland will join another veteran, Bud Norris, who’s been sharp and with a bit less use by Manifesto should provide a wonderful 1-2 closing punch….John Brebbia and Mike Mayers should be taken off the Memphis red-eye special and remain with the team as a permanent fixtures…. MO often imports a significant player at the trading deadline to reenergize the team…and the fan base….Nolan Arennado?….dont’ get my hopes up!….the Cards must find a way to utilize Dexter Fowler… platoon him with Bader for a day & Pham another day….they can’t trade or cut Fowler now due to his abysmal numbers and salary….so they MUST find a way to use him…..why waste that spot on the roster?….also …to improve the team, Sam Tuivalala and Brett Cecil need to be moved. Cecil has practically no value so the Cards may have to close their eyes and “eat the contract”…Tui could be moved easily…his stuff may be “good” but he isn’t!
….Looking back at the Cards golden teams of the 60’s & 80’s…both of those teams were very good defensively in the middle infield….Maxville/Groat & Javier; Ozzie & Tommy Herr…both managers swallowed less offense…at times….to have that defense on the field daily..are the Cards willing to make that commitment NOW or does hitting alone prevail? What do you think?
…..Cleveland challenged Jose Martinez “pulling off the bag”….they were wrong…he had remained in touch with 1B on that throw…but….I DO think that Jose DOES …and with some frequency…lose contact with the base on throws…speaking of Martinez….he’s seeing many more off-speed change ups at the plate now….
…How is it that Kolton Wong gets hit so often? He’s been hit 12 times! He’s walked 16 times….either… he freezes for just a moment and bingo…another HBP…or…he’s so shaken about his own skills that he willingly takes the plunk on the arm/leg/shoulder/where ever to get on base…I tend to think that it’s the latter…if so…..the Cards can’t look to him in the long run as a 2B.
…Greg Garcia seemingly performs well at any position in the infield…the Cards are afraid that he’ll be “exposed”…..MLB vernacular for ….if he plays every day, the opponents will find his weakness and “expose” it….reminds me of the same talk about John Jay….currently Jay is playing every day now for the Arizona D-Backs after KC Royals traded him recently…D-Backs happen to be in 1st place…Jay is hitting .291 for the season with 320 AB…Jay is batting Lead off for the D-Backs…guess they haven’t exposed him yet 
…uncharacteristically…Manifesto tried hanging on to Luke Weaver through the 5th inning so that he could pinch hit for him on Saturday night and save a pitcher….Braves blew open the game with 6 runs in the 5th….game over
…before shuffling off …more on the Cards…. Now… we don’t expect our “super” heroes on the ballfield to shine up their halo nightly…or even weekly … but …at a miniumum…we hope that fans can identify with them as good players and good people ….on Saturday morning we learned of a fight that took place outside an ESL strip joint in 2014… ….the fight included Carlos Martinez, Oscar Tavares and Marcell Ozuna… so clearly Ozuna was “pals” with Carlos way back in 2014….makes me wonder if the Cards target in the Miami OF chase last January was ALWAYS about Ozuna….the talk about Stanton…or even Yelich…was just subterfuge to make it appear to Miami that the Cards were willing to take “less” when the received Ozuna….maybe they thought that surrounding Carlos with his ‘friends” that would help his performance on the field…who knows? ..anyway….Makes me wonder ….we do know that “birds of a feather, flock together” … and what type of birds flock together to strip joints in East St Louis?
Quick trip through the MLB…
…btw….it seems to me that sharp dropping curve balls seem to be an antidote for the “elevated” swing angle employed currently by most MLB’ers….check out Mikolas and you’ll see my point…the Braves pitcher…Fried..used the same pitch against the Cards
…thank goodness we don’t rely on the MLB “experts” when going to the race track….these “experts”… how do I become one?…..bemoaned how bad Miami was going to be in 2018 during the off season selling off…some would say…giving away…their entire outfield in the winter…granted….Miami isn’t a contender but…..they are a long way from being the worst team in the MLB….Miami has 33 wins while Baltimore has 23 wins…about 2 wins a week …and Kansas City has fallen way off the cliff to a meager 25 wins….and….yet another team…Chicago White Sox are worse than the Marlins..the ChiSox have 28 wins for the 2018 season…
…..Did ANYONE think in March that on July 1 that….
…. in the NL East, Atlanta would be in 1st place followed by the Philadelphia Phillies?
…. Scooter Gennet would be leading the NL in batting?
…. Shin-Soo Choo would have reached base in 41 straight games?
…. That Dexter Fowler could be hitting .167 with the 5th most AB on the Cardinals?
…. some guy named Ozzie Albies (Atlanta) would be leading the NL in 2B and be 4th in HR in the NL?
…. the Dodgers would have only the 10th highest number of wins in the MLB to this point?
…. Jason Heyward would have a higher average than Anthony Rizzo, Chris Bryant and Wilson Contreras and Cubs would still only be 1.5 games out of 1st place?
….that a ANY regular player could be hitting .340 on this date…yep…Jose Altuve
…that Swing-When(my spelling)Oh (Toronto) would have as many wins as Carlos Martinez (4) on July 1
World Cup in a glance…
….Russia beats Spain in penalties….I only saw the last 2/3 of the 2nd half and the extra periods….Russia was back in their shell while Spain controlled the ball for up to 90% of the time….not the up & down, back & forth action that I prefer….at one point, Spain made a beautiful cross into the face of goal and the Spanish attacker was practically tackled so that he couldn’t get his head on the ball….instantly, my son said, “the fix is in….Russia will advance”…after review, it was ruled “no foul”…now I don’t know if his thought has any validity but I do know that the game wasn’t real entertaining me….a non-soccer guy.

Thanks for making it to the bottom…..YOUR thoughts are always invited…everyone has an idea….would love to read YOURS….put it on the site or email it to me and I’ll get it on the site for you…thanks…hope that you enjoy a wonderful holiday week!