Month: June 2024

STL…PLAYING THE RIGHT CARDS

It was a rough start as the StL Cardinals had struggled through May. I seemed that the “right” cards just weren’t coming up. Lately, though, StL is PLAYING THE RIGHT CARDS.

…Let’s see how this change has come about for the Cards. On May 31, they were 27-28.  Now as June nears its end, StL is 41-39.  Not real shiny or sparkling but StL has moved themselves up to 2nd place in the Central. Further, if the curtains for the ’24 season had come down today, the Cards would be the 3rd wild Card team.

….How have the Cards found the RIGHT CARDS? Their Home record was a glittering 9-5 for the month of June. On the road, the Cards slipped below .500 to 5-6. The lineup has been solidified in June. Sonny Gray has lived up to the expectations as the ACE of the Staff. His work every 5 games solidified a teetering starting staff. Currently, he’s 9-4 for the season with a 2.81 ERA averaging 6 inn/game. In this moder era, much to my chagrin, starting pitchers are expected to pitch a whopping 5 innings! This is a enigma to me…the current MLB pitchers are bigger, stronger, better trained all year round than in past decades. Possibly, the approach that some pitchers seem to use is to throw as hard as they can for 4-5 innings and then “call it a day”. “Control” pitchers seemed to be frowned upon. Look @ the Cards, we have several older pitchers who are control pitchers—Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson & Miles Mikolaus. I’m not counting  Steven Matz—when will we see him in ’24.

….that alarm that you just hear going off was the Burn-out smell of the starting staff! All 5 expected starters are 33 years of age or older! Some look worn down already! Gray (34), Lynn (37), Gibson(36), Mikolas (35) & Steven Matz (yes…he’s still on the team) @ 33. Does anyone expect this 5-some to IMPROVE in the 2nd half..are they the RIGHT CARDS?

…Young players have played and will continue to play as the RIGHT CARDS FOR STL.  Masyn Winn has locked down the SS position. Currently batting .288(best on the team), he’s 2nd in HITS on the team, 2nd in doubles, leads in triples and his OPS is #1. Alec Burlison hasn’t found a permanent spot yet but he does have a daily spot in the batting order. When Ollie can’t find a place to play (1b or OF), he’s the DH. Burly (in name & posture) is 2nd in HR, Tied for #1 in RBI’s, 2nd in OPS. Michael Siana has played a dazzling CF defensively. He’s beginning to “hit” a bit.  He’s holding a .234 batting mark (after hovering below .200 for a while) and still excels in sacrifice bunts- #1 on team with 9. I ripped on him a couple weeks ago for being only a bunter at the plate. Well….the rest of the league saw the same thing and began to pitch higher fastballs to him (tougher to bunt). Thus far, Siana has responded by handling those high-strike pitches. He’s batting .236 now(a significant jump up in average close to 100 pts)—6th highest in the usual daily lineup. Siana is an outstanding CF…overs much ground, is able to dive and make catches frequently. I haven’t seen much of his arm but it seems adequate (at minimum)

…How well were the CARDS PLAYING THE RIGHT CARDS in June? Well, the Cards won 15 games, thus far, in June. Only 2 teams(Mets & Orioles)  have won more (16) as I write this on the 29th. Four other MLB teams have 15 wins for the month (Dodgers, Astros, Brewers, Mariners)

…But, the Cards aren’t the only team PLAYING THE RIGHT CARDS. The Florida Panthers just won the Stanley Cup. It was a very, very strange series—Florida won the 1st 3 games, then Edmonton won 3 in a row and Florida won the championship! It was the 1st STANLEY CUP title for the Panthers ever!! It was the 2nd consecutive year that the Panthers had reached the finals. It’s a huge step up for the Panthers. From the 1st days of their existence-1993-94 season, the Panthers have NOT made the playoffs (in any form) 20 different years!!! Apparently, Panther fans are celebrating in a big way (I’m thinking that it doesn’t match our St Louis reaction to The Blues title….but I am a bit biased 😊 )

….. a sad note to report…I’m thinking that many of you may have missed it. The 1967 MVP, Orlando Cepeda, passed away this week. He was 86 years old. What a year 1967 was for the StL fans and Cepada was the catalyst!  He REALLY PLAYED THE RIGHT CARDS THAT YEAR!! Harry Caray called him “Cha-Cha”!            In Frisco, he had been dubbed the “Baby Bull”. He brought StL fans lots of excitement in 1967 as the Cards beat Boston in 7 games in the World Series! May he rest in peace.

…hoping the play the RIGHT CARDS in the off-season as they plan for the 2024-25 season AND the future, the Blues created cap space & a 2nd round pick  by parting with Kevin Hayes & future considerations to Pittsburgh. Hayes had 13 goals/16 assists in 79 games last year. His lowest production level in his career. Hayes has 2 years remaining on his contract ($7,142,847), Flyers retained 50% of it in the initial trade. Clearly, Hayes didn’t fit into the younger, hopefully quicker forwards that the Blues are seeking for 24-25 season. Likely, this is the 1st of many of the RIGHT CARDS to be played by Doug Armstrong (Blues GM).

… Looking ahead…the Blues have already named Alexander Steen to be the GM. He’ll be the 1st Swedish NHL general manager after the Blues announced their front office succession plan. Steen was named special assistant to general manager Doug Armstrong, with the intent of taking over for him in 2026. I’ve never heard of a succession plan that was published…but it makes sense. Many times, it seems, the change in GM’s is an ugly scene with a firing of the former GM and the immediate introduction of the new GM.

….I must have lived the wrong way. I made more money when I worked than when I didn’t work.  PLAYING THE RIGHT CARDS…. Nick Saban will earn $500,000 a year in his new advisory role with the Bama, according to documents obtained by multiple media outlets. That figure is actually higher than the $305,000 base salary he earned in 2023, his final year leading the Crimson Tide. However….the small print brings us what we expected to see.  Saban signed a new contract with Alabama in 2022 worth a reported value of $93.6 million over eight years, including that $305,000 base salary. It also featured a talent fee worth north of $9 million annually. All told, Saban was the highest-paid coach in college football at the time. It’s a going away gift ….in a way! 

…It’s not hockey season…but there is news…in the draft, Blues drafted 3 defensemen in their first 3 picks. Clearly, there will be adjustments (not immediately though) in the back line in the future. 2nd…Blues hired 64 year old Claude Julien as an asst coach. He’s been a HC in the NHL for 19 years (led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title). Initially, before I knew his age, I thought that it was a hire to put pressure on Bannister. His age tells me that he’s there to add experience to the decision making—long term & short term. Sometimes this type of move “works”…sometimes it doesn’t. We’ll have to watch it develop for awhile before judging.

…Well….thanks for the read….I’m always curious on YOUR thoughts. Post on Facebook (Bob Ryan), or send to me & I’ll post it. YOUR reactions are always interesting! Thanks for your time & the read! Bob