All Star Voting!

It's everyones favorite time of the year! All-Star Voting!! As my personal run to get to next years Fan Cave I am making sure I am doing everything I can to help load the All Star roster with St. Louis Cardinals! I need your help! Use every e-mail you can to vote for them! Here is the website: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2013/ballot.jsp?forwardUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fmlb.mlb.com%2Fmlb%2Fevents%2Fall_star%2Fy2013%2Fballot.jsp&flowId=registration.logout!
Also on Twitter don't forget to tweet the hashtag #VOTESTL! Lets send the birds to New York!

~Emily

Weekend #1 at Home

My weekend in one picture.

Here are my thoughts on Opening Weekend. I was there, so I was rocking the High Socks and rocking out to a big win for the Birds!

1. Saturday:
    It was a great day to go to a game. The sun was out there were some clouds but it was perfect                                   weather.
    I think the Cardinals are settling into a pattern here. Taking a couple of innings to "wake-up" then blowing it out of the water. Well that is exactly what happened Saturday. They scored a run and then came back a couple of innings later and blew it out of the water. They scored 7 runs in the 6th inning! It's crazy sauce! It was a lot of fun coming to my first game of the season and watching the Birds blank the Brew-crew in front of the home crowd.
    Also, not very often do you see Wainwright or anyone else have a complete game shut out. It's one of those once in a lifetime game and I got to see one. Wainwright was fantastic. He was so efficient that it just gives me as a Cardinal fan faith that maybe, quite maybe, our starting 5 could be becoming an elite group once again. Plus how many times do you see a pitcher go 3-3 in one game! Or a pitcher go from .000 Batting Average to a .375 Batting Average in ONE game! It's unheard of! Well not only was he a great pitcher but a great hitter too.

    Also I am a HUGE fan of the Alternate  jerseys! They look AMAZING in person! I was more excited about getting the new jersey then getting to go to the game... Hahaha :D Also I had some great personal moments, one, I got my first baseball in forever! My dad reached over the wall and grabbed it for me. He is so awesome!

      Also I was fortunate to be able to take a picture in front of the Stan Musial statue. Ever since he passed away, I have wanted to get my picture taken with him and I finally did. I obviously wanted to go there when the shrine was up but going this weekend was good enough. 

        Well I'm just gonna come out and say it. I love Fredbird. He is absolutely hilarious and he is such a fantastic mascot. We were cracking up because before the game I wanted to take a picture of him in his jersey and what does he start doing? He starts posing! Like he was in the middle of a photoshoot! So funny. 

 

       To end the game, one of my favorite things to see after a win is Fredbird waving around the flag. It was a great win and I was so excited going into Sunday and hoping for the sweep.

2. Sunday:
    Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Oy. I was so excited to be going to the game. My friend Emily and I had been planning on going to this game since we found out that it was Yadi day! Since of course it was a Sunday, it is known as #highsockssunday. I decided to be the dork that I am and wear the high socks and I rocked them! I definitely know what to wear on Sundays now! Yes I will be the crazy person in high socks in the middle of July. Just look for me. I promise here and now I will wear them!

      Emily and I are both HUGE fans of Yadier Molina. I loved Mike Matheny when he played for the Cardinals but Yadier has definitely won me over with his great abilities behind the plate. I was super psyched to be going to his special day. For a special day it was really down played, maybe its his personality but it was still cool to see him be honored and of course receive the trophies ourselves...

     Well the game started off great! The Cardinals came out strong, Jaime was on track for another fantastic game. Also one of my "babies" is on a hot streak! Ok to explain the "baby" thing, I love Matt Adams. When he got pulled up last year, I loved watching him play. He was a great player and a great hitter. I was super excited when I got to be at the game where he hit his first career home run. Hence me calling him my "baby". Well I realized yesterday, everytime I'm at a game he starts, he hits a home run! That streak continued this weekend! So cool! I'm gonna try and get this hashtag started #adambomb for his home runs because they're gonna keep coming. Also He is definitely making a great case for rookie of the year! He's hitting .611 right now! That's huge! I know he's not an everyday starter but come on! He definitely deserves the respect!!

    Some lighter moments before the big bad moments of the end of the game, were Fredbird once again putting on a show. He kept pulling little kids out of the front row to dance with them out on the field!

     I just realized how creepy that sounds but, we know Fredbird is harmless and he wouldn't do anything. But it was still quite hilarious. Also I had a first in seeing my first group of people hopping the fence and trying to run across the field.

      I'm just grateful  that they weren't streaking. That really would have been interesting. I definitely was kicking myself because I saw the whole thing happen and I wish I had gotten a picture. I saw the two gentlemen sitting atop the wall and I was confused and then I saw them drop out of sight and saw them run across the field. I'm pretty sure all the ushers were confused but they got there quickly and took care of the situation. That definitely was a first and it was pretty crazy.

       So now the elephant in the room, the bullpen. You know, I had seen the bullpen implode on Opening Day, but for some reason I just thought that maybe, just maybe, they were close to being on track again. Fortunately the bullpen didn't implode in the major way it did on Opening Day. When Rosenthal gave up that two run home run, I'll be honest, I wasn't worried. I was like, okay we blew the shutout and the streak of scoreless innings but its ok. We still can win this. It was after that inning where I became very confused. 1. I wondered why Rosenthal wasn't left in the game. I realize it was a save situation and Boggs is the closer, but Rosenthal was finally on a roll. I definitely thought he should have had the chance to close out the game because we know Boggs is just not a good fit as a closer. Hem hem, we need Jason Motte back. 2. Why did we use Boggs? It was obvious that he did not have his usual stuff and so why did we leave him? Why not bring in Joe Kelly? I know he's not the dubbed closer but he hasn't worked in a week! He definitely needed the work, and I can't imagine he wouldn't have saved the game for the Birds.

        Hindsight is 20/20, so we can only speculate as to what would have happened, or what should have happened but we aren't being paid the money to do that job. Matheny is and he has done a pretty remarkable job thus far. But now we need to figure out what we are going to do with the bullpen. Obviously we are running into the situation we had with Ryan Franklin in 2011. I believe that Boggs is a great reliever, yes I do mean reliever. He was incredible last year in the 8th inning. He just doesn't have the stuff to be a great closer. I really think until Motte comes back, if he does come back and doesn't need surgery, we need to find a closer. I'm all for trying Kelly as the closer. I don't know but I really think he could do the job very well. Call me crazy but since he's used to working as a starter, and coming in in big situations, I think he's our best bet. 

      The game didn't end the way we wanted it to obviously but we can't blame it all on the bullpen. We set it up to a perfect situation for a walk off win. We had our hottest hitter up and ready to walk off and unfortunately Adams didn't pull it off. Then we had David Freese come up. I mean HELLO!! Who else is the perfect guy to have up in that situation!?!?! Yes the bullpen lost it for us but our big bats did not help the cause and put even more pressure on our already taxed and rough bullpen.

       All in all it was a great weekend. I would have loved to have seen the brooms brought out for the sweep but I'm glad that I got to see one win this weekend. The Cardinals are in the same situation they have been in so many other times. Most recently in 2011, when of course thats when the won the World Series and in 2006 and the same result happened. Maybe this is leading to good things again but we can't bank on anything yet. We just have to remember that its the beginning of the year. We still have plenty of time and hey! The Cardinals are still in first place! Nothing could be better! 

~Emily

@emicall_12

Unique Way to Spend Opening Day

Where did you spend Opening Day? Were you at home on the couch watching the games or were you at work listening or keeping track of the games on your phone? My cousin and I found a rather unique way to spend Opening Day. My cousin Sarah and I are avid Cardinal fans, just look at the pictures below. We were both at Game 6 in 2011 watching David Freese hit that marvelous home run in the batting cage straight away center field. We went to a couple of games together last summer including Christian Day at the ballpark. But like the rest of the family Cardinal blood runs in our body, maybe a little deeper in ours than the others.

We were out to lunch and super excited about it being Opening Day finally and we got to talking about my favorite store Pro-Image(the only place to find good Cardinals stuff in this town) and we decided to go over there because well, we love the Cardinals. We walked around looking at the great stuff they have and decided to go to JC Penny because she thought they had good Cardinals stuff and they did! That is where she found that awesome blue jersey she has on, remnant of the '82 jerseys, and she bought it! That is where I got the great idea of going to Sears(where I work) to take pictures! I'm sure my coworker thinks I'm crazy now but we got some great photos!

This is the last picture we took, we were already laying on the ground for the sepia one(see below) and I wanted to take one more, so I said, "Sarah flop over my back." She as you would expect said, "WHAT?" She grabbed the glove and did exactly what I said but when she did it I was laughing so hard that explains the look on my face! It ended up a great picture and its our favorite of the day.

I wanted individual shots of us because our jerseys were so cool and these ended up being our favorites, because we feel so connected to the 2011 World Series Championship, since we were there, so we decided to hold up the 1s for 11. They turned out really cute!

The other two are really great pictures. My coworker really did a great job and we were so lucky that they didn't have an appointment when we wanted to take pictures. In honor of opening day of course we had to get a picture in the batters box. Sarah was a great sport and we had so much fun! We took a lot more pictures but we could only send 5 to our phone so we settle on these but all of these are my favorites from the session. And now we have a tradition on Opening Day! Wear a different jersey and go get our picture taken!!

~Emily

Opening thoughts

Welp game one is over and we are... 0-1. Not a great way to start but who cares how we start? It's about how we finish! Here are some thoughts about our birds today:

Loving the new uniforms, not liking the red hats at away games. Bring back the blue!!! Please!!! I do like how the red on the uniforms are blinding. It is very pretty and is a nice improvement.

It seemed like the Cardinals were lost today. They couldn't find their pitches and they couldn't cover the gaps in the outfield. It seemed like Jon Jay was playing his first ever major league game and was lost. After what we saw him do last year I expected a little more from him. Also it seems like Beltran was a little slow tonight. I'm wondering if the toe is playing a bigger factor than what we thought.

As we all have to remind ourselves. We have one huge season. There are 162 games. People say all 162 count but really the only games that really count are after the All Star break. We can only hope that the birds will show up big tomorrow and prove what they can do.

Bad start makes a great opening for a huge finish. Lets keep the hope alive!! And I'm super stoked that Jim Edmonds is back!! Welcome to Fox Sports Midwest Jim! Nice to see you around again!!!

~Emily

Can you smell it?

Can you smell it? Can you hear it? I can. I can smell the hot dogs cooking, the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. I can feel the excitement building. I can smell my favorite smells and hear my favorite sounds because we are just under a week until my favorite time of the year, baseball season.

With my favorite day of the year approaching, St. Louis and Cardinal fans all over the world are getting ready to bleed red for the best team in the entire world. The roster is slowly shrinking and the rotation is solidified, and the keys to our boys success are slowly starting to make themselves known.

1. 1982

Ok so it's not really a key but I wish it could be true. The last time St. Louis received this much snow was in 1982. We can only hope the magic of what happened in that snow can happen again this year. Resulting in the 12 world championship for our boys. We can only hope! :)

2. Shelby Miller
This pitching superstar surprised this Cardinal fan by making the rotation. Just slightly. I remember his almost no hitter the last game of the season last year but I never imagined that he was ready for the big leagues already. I'm always wary when they pull young pitchers up because I'm afraid it will ruin their arms but we will have to see what happens. Also my mind was a little blown when I realized that he was my age. Kinda puts things in perspective and kinda smacks me upside the head a little.

3. Pete Kozma
I've kinda noticed lately that people are starting to notice that Kozma is proving his worth. I mean today he hit a grand slam I mean that only happens a couple times during a career and to happen his second year in the big leagues? Kind of a big deal. I have already made it known on this blog that I think he's pretty awesome but I think he's gonna be huge this season. As long as Furcal is out Kozma will be productive, he proved that last season when he got hot his first two months of his career. I think only Pujols and Stan the Man can claim they've done that. He is a huge key this season.

4. The DL: Furcal, Motte, Carp and Freese.
I think it's pretty safe say that Furcal is done for the season. Tommy John surgery as we all know is season ending so he won't be a big deal for our success but he might be helpful for Kozma to mature into a good short stop. Same goes for Carpenter, he tried coming back last year with the same injury and we thought it was awesome but... well... he just didn't have his usual stuff. He just wasn't the same. We couldn't have won in 2011 without either of these guys but I think the chapter of the Cardinals history with these guys is slowly coming to a close.

The other two guys on the DL are the ones who are going to make or break the teams success. Even though there is plenty of back up for the Cardinals at third base, who doesn't love a home town hero? When I heard how Freese injured his back I couldn't help but laugh because that sounds like something I would do. I was quite a clutz when I played softball and although I was never seriously injured I still had some interesting cuts and bruises from them. It doesn't seem like its such a bad injury so hopefully he will be back soon. Finally the same with Motte. A huge key to the Cardinals success will be him rebounding quickly and having no serious issues. I know I will miss him coming into games. His walk up music is so perfect for him. It warns the other team "Hey guys, games over." Like in the playoff run in 2011, the bullpen was so powerful that when LaRussa pulled the starter you knew it was all over. These minor injuries should put these guys back in the line up quickly but it is the Cardinals and we all know how they work.

4. Carlos Beltran
The last key to the Cardinals success is the guy currently in right field Mr. Beltran. Not only is this season a key to Cardinals success but also a key to his career in St. Louis. We saw what happened to Berkman this offseason when we ran out of room for him, this is why the NL needs the designated hitter, and we had to let him go. If he stays healthy and has a great season the Cardinals front office is more likely to re-sign him even though there are plenty of minor leaguers ready to go. And I don't know about the rest of you but I really would like him to get that World Series ring he's gone this long without!

These are just a few key items I think will make or break the Cardinals this season. I know we've had a rough spring but hey who cares how we start if we finish on top? Plus it's always better to have injuries at the beginning rather than the end so we can finish strong. But if all the keys line up straight we could have yet another magical season. Here's to #12in13!!


~Emily

Rafael Furcal

As we all know Rafael Furcal is instrumental to the success of the St. Louis Cardinals. In the line-up and on the field he is a force of nature, when he is healthy. Last August and September we found out how hard it is to get along without him. When Rafael Furcal went down with his elbow injury, we treaded water for a while but for quite a bit of time it was dangerous territory.

Rafael Furcal was a huge part of the Cardinals World Series win in 2011. In his book, One Last Strike, Tony LaRussa goes into detail about how instrumental Furcal was. It seems like every game LaRussa talks about, he mentions Furcal and the vital role he played. We helped Furcal get his first World Series ring, but he helped us immensely in winning that championship. We also know he can perform on the field when he is healthy. Some of those plays this summer had us all thinking "Wow! How does he do that?" He has such a big range that it makes us wonder how he can cover that area.

The question now is can he stay healthy? Last August we lost him to an elbow injury and it looks like we might lose him for part of the season this year. There is a bone spur in his elbow again and who knows if it is going to push him out of the race for shortstop. We know how great he is, but he is at the point if he doesn't stay healthy, when his contract is up the Cardinals are not going to keep him. That's what happened with Berkman this year and Beltran will be facing the same problem this year.

If we lose Furcal who will we have to replace him? The most obvious choice is Pete Kozma. I think I can safely say I'm not the only girl Cardinal fan who fell in love with him last year. Even before his heroics in game 5 of the NLDS of 2012. I remember watching him last year and thinking the Cardinals were in good hands with him. Also,  we have one of the recent signees Ronny Cedeno as a back up. He has played for many teams all over the league an is expected to back up both second and at short. With these two guys we could be set for the season barring any injuries.

So while the season remains in question whether or not Furcal can compete, and barring any injuries the Cardinals could possibly be set at shortstop. But knowing how the Cardinals work, we never know what to expect with them. Anything can happen especially at the beginning and during the spring, if not they wouldn't be the Cardinals we know and love.

~Emily

Twitter Handle: @emicall_12

Check out archcitysports.com! I'm now blogging for them!

Updates

Well the day we all have been waiting for is come and gone! Pitchers and catchers have finally reported!!! Spring Training has finally begun!! Also all the players are in warmer weather(lucky ducks) and preparing for the season!

I'm so glad because the Cardinals FINALLY came to an agreement with David Freese!! Wahoo! I am sooooo happy!

I am loving getting the updates from Cardinals camp because I looooove being able to see what's going on down in camp! It's so fun seeing all the new faces, the prospects, vying for their shot at the big leagues.

Two more things. I had an old person moment the other day for two reasons. One was the pictures of some special instructors at camp this year. Jim Edmonds and Willie McGee! I'm sure they've been at camp before but all I could think about was, man I grew up watching them! I have a picture with Willie McGee! Also my alma mater, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, signed Jason Isringhausen as a pitching coach! It's so crazy that someone I grew up watching is now working for my alma mater! Granted he hasn't officially retired, he's still looking for a contract from a major league team but its still pretty darn awesome!

Well I know it's been awhile but I needed a break after I didn't make the Fan Cave, but I'm back now. The Cardinals are back in the swing of things and I am very happy! I will write again soon.

~Emily
Twitter: @emicall_12