Out of Thin Air

By: Guido

Welcome Back Cardinals fans. I know it's been a long season and your quite happy that the Redbirds have won another central division title...but I know your deep dark secret.

Wasn't it back in spring training training when you all agreed, along with all the Cubs fans, that the Cubbies would be celebrating their first ever division title 3-peat? Yes. Yes it was if I remember correctly. You were very quick to write the Cards off. Sure, Pujols would show up and have another great season and hey, if Carpenter is healthy, you thought you could compete for third in the division. No point in getting too excited over a team that mainly consists of last years triple-a starters. Am I right? You said that didn't you. That's what I though.

Now I recall a good friend of mine getting absolutely pissed when the Cards lost to the Red Sox in the WS a few years ago. He was even more pissed when the Cards didn't pursue anyone in the off season. I clearly remember in the spring of 2006 during our weekly sports radio show on 89.9 The Max, when you stated, "I will not watch a game this coming season. We didn't pursue any key free agents. We have a crappy team with the best player in baseball history and we aren't going to build around him. I will not watch them this year. I don't care what they do. 5th place, 4th place...doesn't matter. I'm not watching."

Does that sound familiar? Because I basically heard the same speech from every Cardinals fan I talked to this year. Well, that was until the all-star break. Come that time, the Cards were leading the division with the Cubs not far behind. And you knew Derosa was on his way to STL and possibly Holliday.

Speaking for all Cubs fans, we have never just left our team to rot because we don't like the direction they are taking. We can't. We love our team that much that no matter how bad they play or act of the field, we still watch. We still live and die and come back for me the next day. We don't quit before the first pitch is thrown. I fell that Cubs fans are just as knowledgeable and passionate about their team as any other fans. I don't feel that Cardinals fans are. Not the whole lot of them. They are fair weather fans. "Talk to me when we are winning" attitude. They are quick to point fingers at their manager. If you ask me, La Russa is the most intelligent, drunk-ass manager in the history of baseball and I'd damn sure take him any day over Torre or Piniella or Sparky Anderson.

Where's the love for your team, Cardinals fans? So what if you don't like the direction your team takes to start off a season. Need I remind you of 2006 again? The Cardinals finished the regular season 83–78. This is the second-worst record ever for a league champion (the 1973 New York Mets finished 82–79) and the worst record ever for a World Series champion. But you still won!

It just made my stomach turn to see more and more people put on their Cards attire and work on their Greatest Fans in Baseball smiles as the season wore on. Fake. Fake. FAKE. You were never there until the winning started and the "saviors" came over from trades. Why must you be so ignorant? Why must you be so pompous? Why are you so...faithless? Greatest Fans in Baseball my ass! But I know your secrets, you fair weather bunch, you!

Key Free Agents

By: Guido

The following players will become free agents after the completion of the 2009 season. Note: * indicates option for 2010 season.

First Base
Russell Branyan SEA
Carlos Delgado NYM
Jason Giambi COL
Aubrey Huff DET
Nick Johnson WAS
Adam LaRoche ATL
Jim Thome LAD
Chad Tracy ARZ

Second Base
Ron Belliard LAD
Mark DeRosa STL
David Eckstein SD
Orlando Hudson LAD
Akinori Iwamura * TB
Omar Infante ATL
Felipe Lopez MIL
Placido Polanco DET
Freddy Sanchez * SF

Shortstop
Orlando Cabrera MIN
Bobby Crosby OAK
Adam Everett DET
Alex Gonzalez * BOS
Khalil Greene STL
John McDonald TOR
Marco Scutaro TOR
Miguel Tejada HOU
Jack Wilson * SEA

Third Base
Adrian Beltre SEA
Hank Blalock TEX
Geoff Blum HOU
Joe Crede MIN
Pedro Feliz * PHI
Chone Figgins LAA
Troy Glaus STL
Melvin Mora * BAL

Catchers
Henry Blanco SD
Ramon Castro CWS
Ramon Hernandez * CIN
Jason Kendall MIL
Victor Martinez * BOS
Benji Molina SF
Jose Molina NYY
Miguel Olivo * KC
Brian Schneider NYM
Yorvit Torrealba * COL
Jason Varitek * BOS
Gregg Zaun * TB

Outfield
Bobby Abreu LAA
Garret Anderson ATL
Rick Ankiel STL
Rocco Baldelli BOS
Jason Bay BOS
Marlon Byrd TEX
Mike Cameron MIL
Frank Catalanotto TEX
Endy Chavez SEA
Coco Crisp * KC
Carl Crawford * TB
Johnny Damon NYY
David Dellucci CLE
Jermaine Dye * CWS
Darin Erstad HOU
Cliff Floyd SD
Ryan Freel TEX
Brian Giles SD
Ken Griffey Jr. SEA
Vladimir Guerrero LAA
Matt Holliday STL
Geoff Jenkins * PHI
Reed Johnson CHC
Andruw Jones TEX
Austin Kearns * WAS
Hideki Matusi NYY
Jason Michaels CLE
Xavier Nady NYY
Magglio Ordonez * DET
Manny Ramirez * LAD
Dave Roberts SF
Gary Sheffield DET
Randy Winn SF

Starting Pitcher
Brandon Backe HOU
Miguel Batista SEA
Josh Beckett * BOS
Erik Bedard SEA
Daniel Cabrera ARZ
Bartolo Colon CWS
Jose Contreras COL
Doug Davis ARZ
Justin Duchscherer OAK
Adam Eaton COL
Kelvim Escobar LAA
Jon Garland * LAD
Tom Glavine ATL
Mike Hampton HOU
Rich Harden CHC
Tim Hudson * ATL
Randy Johnson SF
John Lackey LAA
Cliff Lee * PHI
Braden Looper * MIL
Jason Marquis COL
Kevin Millwood * TEX
Brett Myers PHI
Vicente Padilla * LAD
Carl Pavano MIN
Brad Penny SF
Odalis Perez WAS
Andy Pettitte NYY
Joel Pineiro STL
Sidney Ponson KC
Jason Schmidt LAD
John Smoltz STL
Jarrod Washburn DET
Brandon Webb * ARZ
Todd Wellemeyer STL

Relief Pitcher
Danys Baez BAL
Joaquin Benoit TEX
Rafael Betancourt * CLE
Chad Bradford BAL
Doug Brocail * HOU
Kiko Calero FLA
Octavio Dotel CWS
Ryan Franklin * STL
Gary Glover WAS
Mike Gonzalez ATL
Tom Gordon ARZ
John Grabow CHC
Kevin Gregg CHC
LaTroy Hawkins HOU
Matt Herges COL
Trevor Hoffman MIL
Jason Isringhausen TB
Masahide Kobayashi * CLE
Brandon Lyon DET
Ron Mahay MIN
Gary Majewski WAS
Trever Miller STL
Darren Oliver LAA
Troy Percival TB
J.J. Putz * NYM
Fernando Rodney DET
Duaner Sanchez NYM
Scott Schoeneweis ARZ
Rafael Soriano ATL
Matt Thornton * CWS
Jose Valverde HOU
Luis Vizcaino * COL
Billy Wagner BOS
Jamie Walker BAL

Cubs Free Agents

By: Guido

The following Cubs players will be free agents after the 2009 season.

Rich Harden
Kevin Gregg
Reed Johnson
John Grabow
Aaron Heilman
Neal Cotts
So Taguchi
Chad Fox
Carlos Marmol
Geovany Soto
Ryan Theriot
Koyie Hill
Sean Marshall
Tom Gorzelanny
Mike Fontenot
Angel Guzman
Jeff Baker
Micah Hoffpauir
Randy Wells
Jake Fox
Sam Fuld
Mitch Atkins
Justin Berg
Andres Blanco
Esmailin Caridad
Tyler Colvin
Marcus Mateo
David Patton
Rich Robnett
Bobby Scales
Jeff Stevens

If You Love Someone Set Them Free (Or Renegotiate Their Contract)

By: Guido

Happy Carlos Zambrano Day! Yeah yeah I know I'm two days late on that but I'm sure ol' Carlos didn't notice. You see, due to his "fiery personality" (which I've always liked) and his mediocre pitching thus far in 09 (poor run support mostly), Zambrano may be on his way out of the Cubs organization.

Yesterday, the report out of Chicago was the Zambrano would not waive his no trade clause. That's fine by me but here is what Zambrano and the Cubs should do: restructure Big Z's contract!

Look, that asshole Pujols did it in St. Louis and apparently that makes him look good. As if he's doing it for the love of the game and his team mates. Yeah right. It just makes him more marketable by compainies who want to endorse a star athlete. Pujols is still an ass, but now he's labeled as a player who does it for the "love of the game". Just another reason for Cardinal fans to walk around with their noses in the air, thinking their bird shit don't stink. We will get to that later.

So if Zambrano would just redo his contract, that could possibly free up alot of cash. Why not make it an incentive laden contract? All you have to say is, "Hey Carlos! I betcha can't have an era lower than 2.50 this season. I'll give you $750K if you do...but you probably can't do it". Trust me. He's do it just to prove you wrong.

The Cubs organization needs to show their fan base that they are dedicated to winning. I feel they are trying to show that by spending a ton of cash but that's not the only way to win. I felt the 2009 season start to go downhill when I read that we had signed Aaron Miles. I figured that he would back up DeRosa and Fontenot would be headed else where. Nope. A few hours later, Derosa was traded to Cleveland for a 12pk of Schlitz and a couple of gas station hot dogs. And ever since then, the Cubs offense hasn't been consistent. No team identity. No team leader. No charisma. The only characteristics the Cubs of embodied this year would be the quietness of D.Lee and the Zambrano-Gatorade-smashing-fieriness.

Ill assess what the Cubs and Cardinals should do in the offseason a little later on.

Nice Shirt

By: Guido

In my mind, Deron Williams was one of the better college basketball players I had ever seen. He's also one of my favorite NBA players, as I only know of a dozen or so. He looks like a bad ass in the Ghostbusters shirt. Dan Akroyd should take notice and cast him in the next Ghostbusters film.

Urlacher's Wrist

By: Guido

How in the hell is a dislocated wrist going to keep Urlacher out for the entire season? Didn't Aramis Ramirez only miss two months with a dislocated shoulder? I see NFL players wearing cast on their arms all the damn time! This truely blows for the Bears. They will absolutly have to sign Derrick Brooks or Zach Thomas. Son of a bitch.