The Official Non-Red Sox/Yankee Baseball Fan Thread

[cardaway]

Mariners tied for the wildcard!

Too bad it took traveliing to Baltimore to get back on track. Let's see if they can keep it up against some tougher competition.

Once again all the talk is about the Yankees and how they're close. Just once it would be nice if they focused on the team actually there (at the top)rather than spend every friggin minute talking about payroll central.

 

[OK!]

Some bad news and some good news for Cards fans today....the bad is that Scott Spiezio has been placed on the restricted list after he approached the team about some substance abuse issues he's been having, and there's no timetable for his return. The good news is that they promoted Rick Ankiel from Memphis and he's starting in RF tonight, batting 2nd. I'm so happy for him. I've had kind of a thing for him since he was in the minors back in the late '90s and was supposed to be the next big thing as far as pitchers went. His stats were jaw-dropping back then, and he did really well at first when he came up, but then there was that infamous blowup in the playoffs in 2000, I think, along with all of the family stuff he was dealing with at the same time, and he was never the same after that.

He decided to retire as a pitcher in 2005 and some of the coaches thought maybe he ought to give being a position player a go because he's always been a great hitter. He basically had to take his career and start from scratch, and I think it's really cool that the Cards have stuck with him all these years. So now, after fighting injuries in the minors every season, including a very serious knee injury, he's made it back, at least for tonight.

 

[Hixski]

Some bad news and some good news for Cards fans today....the bad is that Scott Spiezio has been placed on the restricted list after he approached the team about some substance abuse issues he's been having, and there's no timetable for his return. The good news is that they promoted Rick Ankiel from Memphis and he's starting in RF tonight, batting 2nd. I'm so happy for him. I've had kind of a thing for him since he was in the minors back in the late '90s and was supposed to be the next big thing as far as pitchers went. His stats were jaw-dropping back then, and he did really well at first when he came up, but then there was that infamous blowup in the playoffs in 2000, I think, along with all of the family stuff he was dealing with at the same time.

He decided to retire as a pitcher in 2005 and some of the coaches thought maybe he ought to give being a position player a go because he's always been a great hitter. He basically had to take his career and start from scratch, and I think it's really cool that the Cards have stuck with him all these years. So now, after fighting injuries in the minors every season, including a very serious knee injury, he's made it back, at least for tonight.

DH was just telling me about all this earlier. I am glad to see Rick back. I am wondering about Scott though. He seemed to be having a rather hard time with Josh Hancock dying. Maybe he was supposed to be in the car with him and didn't go. Maybe he was there and let him drive. He just seemed to be showing his emotions very strongly about his death.

 

[OK!]

DH was just telling me about all this earlier. I am glad to see Rick back. I am wondering about Scott though. He seemed to be having a rather hard time with Josh Hancock dying. Maybe he was supposed to be in the car with him and didn't go. Maybe he was there and let him drive. He just seemed to be showing his emotions very strongly about his death.

I know....I remember him referring to him, Encarnacion, Preston Wilson, Weaver, and Hancock as "the rejects" during an interview after (I think) the NLCS, like saying how proud he was of all of them for overcoming being dumped by other teams and doing well as members of the Cardinals.

Plus, he's had all of the injury problems this year, with the lingering staph infection in his finger, etc. (And how scary was that, given that that's what Jack Snow died from?)

Somewhere around here I have a pic of me with Ankiel from a card show my boyfriend made me go to so I could get some stuff signed for him. Rick was probably 19 in it. I'll have to see if I can find it anywhere. It's a hoot.

 

[OK!]

Wow, that was the most excited I think I've EVER seen La Russa during a game! Ankiel hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th and Tony was actually smiling! Way to go, Rick!!

 

[Hixski]

Wow, that was the most excited I think I've EVER seen La Russa during a game! Ankiel hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th and Tony was actually smiling! Way to go, Rick!!

That's nice!!!!! I am at work so I will have to live vicariously through you on this game.

 

[OK!]

That's nice!!!!! I am at work so I will have to live vicariously through you on this game.

It's cool...every other word out of the broadcasters' mouths has been "Ankiel" all night long. It reminds me of his MLB debut (the first time around ), which I think I still have on tape somewhere. This is awesome for him.

Oh, and they're up 5-0 right now, bottom of the 8th, with Ludwick on 2nd and Molina on 1st.

 

[OK!]

Well, they ended up winning 5-0 and La Russa said during the postgame interviews that Ankiel's HR was one of his (TLR's) best moments in a Cardinal uniform, which is a pretty amazing statement to make. Of course, it's been said that TLR placed a lot of blame on himself for Ankiel's mental "stuff" after that 5 wild-pitch inning during the 2000 NLDS; a lot of people said he was crazy for starting a 20-year-old kid in such a pressure-filled situation, so it's suspected that part of the reason the Cards were so patient with Ankiel for so long afterward was because TLR seemed to think it was his fault. He looked just like a proud dad tonight, though.

 

[Hixski]

Well, they ended up winning 5-0 and La Russa said during the postgame interviews that Ankiel's HR was one of his (TLR's) best moments in a Cardinal uniform, which is a pretty amazing statement to make. Of course, it's been said that TLR placed a lot of blame on himself for Ankiel's mental "stuff" after that 5 wild-pitch inning during the 2000 NLDS; a lot of people said he was crazy for starting a 20-year-old kid in such a pressure-filled situation, so it's suspected that part of the reason the Cards were so patient with Ankiel for so long afterward was because TLR seemed to think it was his fault. He looked just like a proud dad tonight, though.

Not that it matters much in the grand scheme of baseball. This is just not our year.

 

[OK!]

Yeah, you're probably right, but at least for tonight they're only 5½ games out! Milwaukee's in some sort of freefall, apparently...they got SPANKED last night by the Rockies, like 19-4 or something. The Cubs were winning last I checked, though. Sigh.

I won't hold my breath on our boys coming all the way back, but stranger things have happened (see 2006 ).

 

[Bob Slydell]

Wow -- Rick Ankiel, that's a blast from the past. Good to see him back -- it's a great comeback from one of the most memorable "meltdowns" in recent history.

And, on a side note -- Indians are now up a game and a half.

 

[Missy1961]

Mets lose again to the Braves. Just wasn't meant to be. Game tying homer caught. At least they are still in first place.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yeah, you're probably right, but at least for tonight they're only 5½ games out! Milwaukee's in some sort of freefall, apparently...they got SPANKED last night by the Rockies, like 19-4 or something. The Cubs were winning last I checked, though. Sigh.

I won't hold my breath on our boys coming all the way back, but stranger things have happened (see 2006 ).

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...

If the Cardinals do come back, then I would like them to pass up the Cubs too, I would much rather see the Cards in the playoffs than the Cubs...

 

[Hixski]

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later...

If the Cardinals do come back, then I would like them to pass up the Cubs too, I would much rather see the Cards in the playoffs than the Cubs...

As a Cardinals fan you KNOW we want the Cards in the playoffs and not the Cubs.

Here is a pic of Rick Ankiel right after he hit the 3-run homer last night.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I've been out of touch with thread for a while. Good gracious! I can hardly believe the Tigers lost 2 to Tampa. If they don't turn things around soon, they can forget about postseason. There seem to be so many hot teams in the AL right now... and the Tigers aren't one of them!

 

[OK!]

Wow -- Rick Ankiel, that's a blast from the past. Good to see him back -- it's a great comeback from one of the most memorable "meltdowns" in recent history.

I still have one of those stickers for the car that looks like the back of a jersey that says "Ankiel 66," the number he wore the first time around in the majors. I should probably burn it so as to avoid some sort of black hole timewarp curse being enacted on the poor man.

Everyone in my office was watching the meltdown as it occurred...I worked for AT&T at the time and we had TV monitors mounted on the walls all around the office, which the bosses managed to get tuned to the game that afternoon. Ugh, I just wanted to cry for him, it got so bad so fast.

 

[OK!]

And how about this? The kid's gone 3 for 4 today (so far--top 8th now) with 2 more HRs!

 

[Missy1961]

And how about this? The kid's gone 3 for 4 today (so far--top 8th now) with 2 more HRs!

Awesome! Congrats to Rick, good for him for not giving up.

 

[Missy1961]

Time for all of us to update....the Red Sox fans started a new thread this morning!

Mets still in first, but I'm not comfortable with the way they're playing lately.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Indians suck