Column:

A good off-season not in the Cards

By Patrick Daugherty

Published Jan. 25, 2008

First things first. I would like to begin my inaugural column by thanking my venerated predecessor, Mr. Craig Lackey, for his three semesters of devoted servitude. I'll swing hard for ya, bud, and if I can keep up your good fight (God willing), maybe someday the Southern Californias and Floridas of the college football world will stop scheduling the Stanfords and Vanderbilts. Fight on, Mr. Lackey, fight on.

Now on to the good stuff. As all you baseball junkies know, spring training is only ... err ... well I don't have a countdown going on my Facebook.com profile, so I'm not sure of the exact number of days, but heck, it's really close. And like many of you, I am a member of Cardinal Nation, and damn it, if there's one thing I am after this off-season, it's inspired by the birds on bat's latest megamoves.

Now, from what I understand, the coffers of the Cardinals' ownership aren't exactly overflowing with money, so they had to be choosy. I know, I know, attendance remains at near-record levels, ticket prices continue to rise and the team sells more t-shirts than every pro-life or pro-choice college group in America, but damn it, it isn't enough.

Thankfully, despite these financial hardships, they have taken it upon themselves to shower us lucky fans with gifts that most other baseball fans could never even dream of.

So much has happened, that for this week at least, I'll keep the focus on the team's infield moves.

Starting at second base, they have made the tough-on-the-wallet but good-for-the-soul move of keeping Adam Kennedy as their starter. They have bravely acknowledged that a light-hitting, hollowed out middle infielder with minimal defensive range only comes around once a generation. How they afford his $2.5 million salary, we might never know.

Everyone knows third base has been a problem. Scott Rolen was not happy and no doubt needed to be moved. So what did the brain trust allow new general manager John Mozeliak to do? Trade him straight up for Troy Glaus. Remember, this is the man who The Mitchell Report mentioned only 11 times. That's 72 fewer than Roger Clemens! Makes David Freese they got from San Diego for "cash" and Jim Edmonds look bad in comparison.

The team took its biggest leap yet with its shortstop. While not quite the second coming of Mike Gallego, Cesar Izturis is sure to elicit thrills from the throngs of Cardinal fans in the perpetually sold out Busch Stadium Vol. 3 in 2008. The possibilities are endless. How many sacrifice bunts will he lay down? How many times will Aaron Miles pinch-hit for him when the Cards need a big hit? How many double plays can Kennedy ground him into after he himself narrowly beat out a double play in his own at bat? The potential for big things is literally unlimited.

Admittedly, none of these moves have the sizzle of last year's Kip Wells signing, or Braden Looper's move from the bullpen to the starting rotation, but not every year can be the biggest year ever.

So thank you, Bill DeWitt. There's a reason other teams' fans want you and Cardinals fans want to be you.

pbd2pd@mizzou.edu