Nanny-Nanny Boo-Boo...

Oh, and by the way...Not to rub it in or anything, but I got Opening Day Tickets!!!! WHOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

1st Crack...

It's time for everyone to start making "Opening Day Roster" predictions...so here's my best guess as of this posting:

1. 2Base - Adam Kennedy

Here's hoping he can have a better year than last year. If Kennedy can pull it together and fill the lead-off spot, that extra Right Field position can be used to throw a bit more pop into the lineup.

2. CField - Rick Ankiel

Ank the Tank...I like it! He sure doesn't look like a two-tracked fighting machine, but let's hope he can hit like one. A consistent Rick Ankiel will greatly reduce the stress and burden on Pujols' shoulders this year (and hopefully his elbow).

3. 1Baseman - Albert Pujols

'Nuff said.

4. 3Baseman - Troy Glaus

I know Troy's numbers are a bit "less" when he hits in the clean-up spot, but let's face it - Rick is too inconsistent to scare anyone; Chris has the infamous "left-handed jinkies" to contend with; and who the hell knows what we'll get from Juan Gone in a full season. Troy is the only one in the lineup that might make a pitcher sweat enough to occasionally challenge Pujols.

5. LField - Chris Duncan

Dunc seems to hit with or without protection. In fact, the only thing capable of stopping him (other than a left-handed breeze) is himself. So, throw him in the 5 hole and let that tall, windmill swingin' frame protect Troy a bit.

6. RField - Juan Gonzalez

Dude...this guy's old, but he's been lighting up the batter's box in Spring Training games. I love Skip Schumaker, but if Kennedy can get the job done in the lead-off spot, Juan could provide some surprising pop in the bottom half of the lineup.

7. Catcher - Yadier Molina

Too slow for the "extra lead-off spot" but not enough pop in the bat for the heart of the order, Yadi gets shoved in the number 7 hole. But let's face it...anything we get offensively from this guy is a bonus.

8. Pitcher - Adam Wainwright

Opening Day Starter extraordinaire...here' s hoping he can look more like Anthony Reyes this year and less like himself in the first inning of that Mets/Cards game. And, I gotta' say...I think I'm a fan of the "pitcher in the 8 hole" strategy - but I reserve the right to backpedal if it goes wrong.

9. SStop - Brendan Ryan

Okay, okay...enough with the Cesar Izturis experiment. I myself just finished making the "send Ryan to AAA" argument on Leach's blog, but the kid's hitting better than Izturis (not that a 1 year-old with a wooden rattle couldn't hit better than Cesar), and he may very well be more versatile (which is key now that Spiezio is gone). Hand him the keys to the car and let's go drivin'.

So...that's it...my first crack at the Opening Day lineup. Here's a list of the "benchies" (as we will affectionately call them this year) just to round out the post. GO CARDS!!!

Starting Pitchers: 2-Looper, 3-Reyes, 4-Piniero, 5-T.B. Thomps-emeyer

Relief Pitchers: Izzy, Franklin, T. Johnson, Flores, Springer, Ron Villone, B.T. Welle-son

Bench: Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, Aaron Miles, Jason LaRue, Cesar Izturis

"Who's the Man Now, Dawg?"

Anthony Reyes - that's who...

Reyes pitched 3 strong innings today, allowing 2 hits, no walks, and sitting down the Mets' starters in strong fashion. I didn't see it...I had to settle for that god-awful, oxymoronic "Live" Box Score function from the Cardinals' website...but I heard about it. Okay, I didn't actually "hear" about it...I read it...about a half hour after the game ended because apparently no one can get their butts in gear after he left the game at the end of the 3rd and write a stinkin' article that Cardinals Nation is waiting on pins and needles for...

But I'm not bitter...

Actually, I'm anything but bitter after that start by Reyes. We feel pretty confident Wainwright will be Wainwright, but after that, what do we have? A bunch of question marks (?-?-?-?-?-?). Looper may or may not duplicate his semi-reliable performance of last year...Joel the same...Thompson and Wellemeyer are flipping a coin to see who gets to pitch on any given day...and Mulder may or may not be back to the Mulder of old (Thompson and Wellemeyer refuse to let him borrow their coin to flip for his fate).

But Reyes...previously a question mark (?), now perhaps a hyphen (-) representing the glorious position of stability and ground-zero-ness that he could never reach in 2007...is it too much to ask to expect an exclamation point (!) in his future??? Could he possibly harness the velocity, the command, and the sheer oddity of a flat-ironed cap for the forces of good?

Well, I don't know...but I know this: as I stared at the riveting numbers of the Live Box Score displayed on my monitor and reliably refreshed every 30 seconds, I couldn't help but envision a Reyes I once knew in my mind's eye...a Reyes that appeared rarely in 2006 and most notably in Game 1 of the World Series...a Reyes who could both locate and throw the piss outta' the ball...a Reyes, dare I say it, who could miraculously hold down a number 3 spot in a seedy St. Louis starting rotation. If only...

I know one thing after today's game, however...the St. Louis Cardinals are strong. This may not be another championship year...in fact, I would bet against it...but I now see what La Russa meant when he cautioned others to not count them out just yet...I do believe we can win now, this year...and perhaps Anthony Reyes can be just the man we were looking for...

Funny...just 2 months ago, most of us were begging Mo' to trade the little nut-job - and his little cap too...

Where to begin...

Recently, I finally convinced my fiancee to sit down and watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That's right - she hadn't seen them before. Believe it or not, she hasn't seen the Star Wars trilogy (or twin trilogy) either, but we're working on that. So, on Sunday evening we watched The Fellowship of the Ring.

On Monday morning, due to inclement weather, we both called in to work to spend the cold day shivering together under a blanket. Kim, to my surprise, suggested watching The Two Towers. That evening, we finished the trilogy with The Return of the King. Now, keep in mind that I only own the extended editions - which means we watched 12 hours of movies in a 24 hour time frame.

I loved it.

I had forgotten the truly epic scope of those movies. Aragorn is both heartbreaking and heroic for me - desperately afraid of becoming who he was born to be, yet gloriously unable to run from it. His rough exterior serves to further the romance of his heart, while the strength in his arm fights to save the lives of his friends. Those movies, and Aragorn's quest, are a rescue for my heart. And they are a perfect way to begin this stage of my journey...

In the movie, Frodo makes reference to a statement by Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

This is where I find myself, now...carefully stepping out the door, fearful of where my feet will take me, and worried about the "no knowing" part. It is rare that I record my musings on God, Christ, and the spiritual journey I am undertaking - it has been far too long since I boldly set out my door on a journey of unknown beginnings and endings knowing only that I will most assuredly be swept off somewhere worth while. Far too long indeed...

So, today I begin the journey. Today, we shall see where the road takes us, and we will enter the fray unarmed and unafraid. We will pray for the strength, for the guidance, for the Godly desire that leads young men to battle fiercely and with grim determination. And we will pray that the endings are not nearly so dark as the beginnings when all is said and done.

The Road Goes Ever On

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

Pitchers and Catchers Report

A new beginning...

It's 2008 and the Cards are in camp. This year's gonna' be a wild ride. I can't remember the last time the Cardinals had so many question marks in one year. And, it seems like this is the first time in my life that the average age of a St. Louis Cardinal position player is more than 2 years younger than I am!!! I really don't know what to do with that...

Well...here's to one helluva season...GO CARDS!!!!

Luckiest Man Alive!!!

February 6th, 2008: Kimberly Ann Vines agreed to subject herself to a lifetime of humiliation and misery. Forever will she walk beside a balding, overweight, hair-covered mess of a man who was once crafty enough to dupe her into saying "yes" at just the right time. Thank God for red wine.

I love you, Kim.

Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms

but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;

thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,

risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Pablo Neruda