So this past weekend I made the trip up to Chicago to see the Cardinals play at Wrigley Field.  I made the trip knowing that sometimes I run into people that are rude, crude & pretty much wear Cub underoos when they go bed at night even thought they are in their mid 40's.

Just like every year, I made sure I had plenty of alcohol to keep me occupied while in line. You run the risk of getting a ticket from the Chicago PO PO if you drink an open container of alcohol while standing in line for the bleachers @ Wrigley.

So me & 2 friends arrive at Wrigley on Saturday morning for the semi-annual Wrigley-GRAS. I had my beverage of choice with me in line. My 2 friends chose to patiently wait in line without indulging in adult beverages. The time was approx 10:30 am & the gates for the game did not open until 12:40.. so needless to say we had some time to KILL! So we did. We talked to some Cub Fans that were cool, & we yelled at some Cub Fan that were not cool.

Thats how it is when you are waiting in line for bleacher seats - which by the way are GA if you don't get there early like we did, you are pretty much SOL on decent seats.

So we FINALLY make it into the stadium  get our seats in Left Center Field. We were in HOMERUN territory... which could be good, turned out it was bad for US in the 11th inning.

Regardless we got good seats & I had a good buzz going. The beer starts flowing, the game starts going & people were getting ejected starting during BP & pretty much up to the 11th inning.

As the game ended, I started walking up the isle to leave. Some douche Cub Fan decided he was going to block my way. He is all yelling, screaming & being beligerent since the Cubs won with a walk off homer in our section. I attempt to move to the right of this drunk, classless Cub Fan that is blocking the isle.

He decides to get in my way AGAIN... so this time I look up at him & say - "Hey dude, can you move I need to go"... He is still yelling, screaming & talking idiot... so I move him over to the left...

I don't if the dude was "that" drunk or if he wanted an Oscar nomination for his performance, but he ended up 6 or 7 rows below me.  This was the first douche of the day.

I then walk up the stairs & yet another Cub Fan gets in my way.... He tells me I didn't need to throw that guy down the stairs. I replied to him, "I asked the guy to move, & he refused. I then moved him to the left so I could get by... He should have moved when he had the chance..."

The guy I told this to then stepped out of my way. I kept walking up the stairs & got to the "concourse" area. I headed to the ramp when my hat was removed from my head. At first I thought it was a friend of mine. I turn around & nope .. it some douche Cub Fan.. He is acting like a monkey, bouncing all around & acting a fool. He then throws my hat out of the stadium & runs into the crowd like a coward.

What an ass... An usher is standing right there and says - "well go kick his ass". I replied to the usher "Yeah that would make the situation better." "I would end up in jail, not my idea of a Saturday nite".

So then I look out the stadium & there sits my hat, on the roof of a parked bus. Nice.
No way to get it, & a crowd of drunk, sensless fans.

I left without my hat that day. I could have left with hand cuffs on my wrists, or even in a squad car.
I consider myself luck, some fan left without class, then again... I know 2 people that didn't have it when showed up to watch the game.

If these 2 classless fans want to show up at Busch, feel free. I welcome you visit me on MY TURF!!

So here I sit, packing my bags & preparing for my Road Trip to Chicago. I must say I am dissapointed the Cardinal game is NOT televised tonight?? Cmon really? Sad. Cardinal Front Office (CFO) complains about low attendance, lower revenue & they can't even broadcast all 162 games. Seriously?

I know, blame FSN, blame Arizona, blame someone other than the CFO.

Back to my original purpose - Road Trip.
I am pumped for what I have dubbed Wrigley-gras. It will be a weekend of drinking, partying & heckling Cub Fans @ Wrigley Field. I wouldn't miss it for the world. It is soo fun to listen to all the excuses the Cub Fans come up with every year.

Why did you (the cubs) implode yet again? ohh too many left handed bats, we were tired, la la la la.

How come it has been over 100 years since your last World Championship?

Just a few of the quesitons I ask every year & the responses get better every year. Alas I will be sitting in the bleachers of Wrigley Field on Saturday. The beer will be flowing, as well as several expletives. I even have a brick at Wrigley which I will be anxious to see. I can't wait to spit on it. After all it is mine so I can do to it what I want!

Just remember if you are at the game Saturday, make sure you come up to me & say - CUBS SUCK!!! I can never hear that enough!!!

Hopefully the Cardinals will maintain their positive play.....

Lets GO CARDS!!!

As I sit here tonight, the Cardinals are exacting revenge on the Pirates. Paybacks for the heart wrenching come from behind win the Pirates pulled on Opening Day. Yadi has ripped a triple & a homer, Dunc has gone yard, El Hombre has also touched em all. It is nice to see the Cards bats wake up.

As I watch the game on my 51" HD DLP TV I wonder if the Cards will save some runs for me on Wednesday. I am ready to return to the stadium. The last "live" baseball game I attended last year was the Cards/Cubs game @ Wrigley. I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing the Cubs clinch the Central. The HORROR.

The score of the Pirates/Cards game is currently 9 - 3 Cards. What  a sight to see. The Cards have scored every inning so far. I just want MY Season Opener to trump my last "live" baseball game. I need something to inspire me.

Deep down inside, I am still a little bitter about last seasons finale. It was tough to take. The Cards held their own most of the season only to IMPLODE the last couple weeks & take a nose dive.

This year has got to be different. Colby finally gets to shine. Freese will get a chance to show what he is made of.
El Hombre is himself. Ripping the cover off the ball on every swing, The man does not get cheated at the plate.

Look at tonight for example, Alber popped one up in the infield & got a double thanks to his all out hussle.

That is what I WANT TO SEE at my SEASON OPENER!!

Watching the game on my 51" HD DLP is nice, but I LIVE for the real game, sitting in the bleachers, yelling at the opposing teams center fielder & having a good time.

Well I will go to bed early tonight. It is like the first day of school. I need to be well rested for my season opener.
Here's to a BIG 2009 Season.
GO CARDS!!!

Well, the news surfaced this week that Glaus "hit a plateau" in his rehab. 2 days later he is flying out to visit the doc that cut on his shoulder. Mo, Dewitt & the Spin Crew all came out & said this was an 8 week check up...

Sorry, I'm not buyin into that for a couple of reasons:

1) Rolen & his shoulder were never right after his injury. The Cardinals played it off that it was Rolen & not the shoulder. We all know how that worked out.

2) Carp & his elbow. In 07, Carp started Opening Day & experienced "elbow discomfort" according to MO, Dewitt & the Spin Crew. 2 years later Carp appears to be on the up & up.

3) David Freese & his mystery injury. Our top 3rd base prospect has an off season car accident injuring his achilies heel. No word in the press about it, nothing to the fans. Then all the sudden Glaus is injured & our top prospect is "slowly" adjusting in Spring Training?

After reading all the info on Glaus & his rehab, my take is Glaus will not be back before the All-Star Break if he plays at all this season. I gotta take the 08 Carp approach on this one. What will the Cards do without Glaus for the entire year?

Mo, Dewitt & the Spin Crew better get working on it. How are they going to spin this in the Media?
"We want Glaus to take his time... and if that means waiting till the 2nd half then so be it?"
"Glaus pushed himself too hard in his rehab & caused a setback?"

Check the bottom of your shoes. Did you step into something?
Mo, Dewitt & the Spin Crew sure did...

Just give it to us STRAIGHT MO!

Some people will remember a time back in 2006, when the Cardinals were in the World Series. The fans were in a feeding frenzy like sharks. Fans spilling into the streets after every playoff game. Souveniers, tickets & all kinds of memorabilia flying off the shelves at Busch Stadium. All around Busch Stadium Cha-Ching Cha-Ching could be heard from every available cash register. Then before a World Series Game - appeared the Cardinals Front Office (CFO) along with Mayor Francis Slay.

Amid the playoff hype, throngs of fans teaming to celebrate a championship & a city bursting at the seams for good news it is announced the Cardinals will build Ballpark Village on the site where Old Busch Stadium once stood.

I said this then & I will repeat it today, Ballpark Village will NEVER be built. The Cardinals pounced on a moment when they knew the fans & the city would give them anything they wanted in return for 1 thing... A World Championship.  The players delivered a Championship, the 10th for the team. The fans, city & players celebrated. Nothing wrong with celebrating.

Since then, the CFO has done more talking than building on the site which they claim someday will be Ballpark Village. To their credit they did pave a 1/4 of the site to provide the fans parking close to the stadium. They even named the parking lot Ballpark Village Parking Lot.  They charge a crazy price to park there, I think it is around $20 per car on gameday. How nice of the CFO to provide discount parking to the fans so close to the stadium. The FO also put a make shift fence up around the area to keep the crime out. A sad little fence, leaning in places, rusting in others. I think the fence is intented to keep ideas out of the area more than anything. The CFO even invested in tacky coverings for the fence. You know, pictures of the Cardinals celebrating a World Series Victory, the trophy, you know.. trying to stir memories of when the originally annouced the plan almost 3 years ago.

For most of 06, 07 & 08 the site was home to more mosquito's & trash than anything. A nice big hole or as I called it - A Money Pit. A pit the Cardinals plan on making money on. Whether the $$ is from the city in terms of tax breaks, or $$ from the fans for parking. The CFO will get blood out of the turnip before they actually admit they will not build on the site.

Now the CFO announce it will be a softball field. Correction, they sent out a press realease stating what will go there. I have yet to see a CFO rep speak to the media about the softball field. Hmmm.. wonder why... Ohh wee.. just what downtown needs, a softball field. I'm sure the homeless people in downtown will find a way to scrounge up some $$, get to Play It Again Sports, buy some used equipment & field a team.
Honestly, I'm sure there are a 100 better uses for the land than a softball field. Here are a couple ideas:

1) Make it a Green Space & Plant trees - there are never enought trees in the city
2) Build a Helipad & give tours of the city (for free)
3) Build a Mud Bog & have races on the weekend - everyone loves a good mud bog race
4) Build a Wal Mart on it - that would provide jobs
5) Have the city take the land via eminent domain & auction the property off - to developers!
6) Make it an outdoor skate rink/hockey rink - roller rink in the warm weather, ice skating in the winter!

I like the eminent domain idea myself. If some average working joe owned the land, all a developer would have to do is whisper sweet nothings to the city & -Poof- just like that the property would have a new owner.

It is obvious the Cardinals will drag their feet long & hard on this project. It is also obvious the Cardinals would rather spend the city's & taxpayers money than invest their own $$ on this project. Well who wouldn't. It is always easier to spend someone elses money than your own. Heck, the Jay Nixon even made a cameo at Busch Stadium yesterday announcing $1million dollars to the tourism fund for the All - Star Game.

Hey Jay, is there a reason why you held your press conference inside Busch Stadium & not on the site which will allegedly be Ballpark Village? I'm surprisex Jay Nixon didn't blame Matt Blunt for the failure of Ballpark Village to this point....

I think it is safe to say Ballpark Village will never be built.
I challenge the CFO, City & or other developer to PROVE ME WRONG!!!
You name the project, price & start/completion date.
I will be waiting to hear.....don't be shy!
I will even post the reply's on my blog for everyone to see....
I won't hold my breath.

With a Couple weeks still left of Spring Training, I decided to sit down & think bout - Who is favored to win the NL Central?

First you have the Cubs - marred in Futility, back to back Post Season First Round Sweeps - and nothing to show for it. They dumped Derosa, added Bradley, lost Kerry Wood to free agency & picked up Gregg? from the Marlins. Supposedly Marmol or Gregg will be their closer. Zambrano is on the decline & dealing with shoulder issues, Harden has arm/shoulder issues & may not be available for the start of the season, Lilly has been getting tagged in the joke known as the WBC. I honestly think the Cubs are worse off this year than last. Soriano is a 1 man Band that brings them down. He is constantly in the media saying he wants to hit lead off. For the $$ the Cubs pay him, they should be telling him where he is hitting in the line up. Bradley is as unstable as they come. Sure he had decent #'s last year but he was hitting infront/behind of Josh "the Juice" Hamilton. The Cubs are in shambles. Their outfield will be their downfall as well as their suspect pitching.

The Astro's added Mike Hampton. He had more injuries the last 3 years than he has thrown pitches. It has been reported the Astro's have signed washed up Catcher Pudge. He is past his prime & needs to hang it up. He couldn't even fill in for Posada in NY for the last month and a half of last season. Berkman is suspect. He is like a mini Adam Dunn. he can hit the ball but his defense lags & his contact lags. Same for Carlos Lee. Lee can swing but can't run or field the ball. Both need to move to the AL& DH. Would do them some good. The Astro's always seem to be a team that hangs in there & makes their move the last month of the season. The Stro's just haven't been the same since Bagwell & Biggio left the nest.

The Brew Crew. They had an outside chance last year after they landed CC... now that CC is gone so is the wind beneath their wings. I highly doubt Looper - former Cardinal- will be half the pitcher CC was. Brewers are pretty much out of the race. They will be fighting the Reds & Pirates for last place in the Central.

The Cards, well we have our own issues. Carp is back - but is he 100%? If he is then that is like signing CC as a free agent. Lohse was our #1 starter last year - if our pitching holds up - Waino, Carp & Lohse will be one of the best starting 3 in the NL if not the league. 2nd base & closer will be an issue for us. The Skip experiment may be a bust. He is struggling & will need to find his form early, if not then we need to go out & find a starting second baseman. Our bullpen will be suspect as well. Last year our bullpen cost us a playoff berth. Some low hanging fruit has been brought in to stop the bleeding. Personally I think we need a proven closer. We went with multiple closers last year & NONE of them could do the job. Now, 6 months later they can miraculously do the job?

The Cards may not be favored to win.. & that is fine with me. Everyone jump on the Cubs Bandwagon. The wheels are about to fall off & the radiator is about to blow. Cub Fans expect it, whereas Cardinal Nation won't stand for it.

This is my view - from the bleachers --- GO CARDS!

I sit here thinking... WOW... Less than 12 days until pitchers & catchers report for Spring Training. It is entertaining & puzzling at the same time. Do the Cards have enough pitching this season? Which has more questions - The Cardinals Pitching Staff or this MY FIRST BLOG?

I sat threw many a blown saves & gut wrenching games last year. At the stadium, at home watching the game & yes even on the road following the Cardinals.

So as Spring Training approaches I start to wonder - Will El Hombre be healthy? Will Duncan deserve to make the Opening Day roster? Will MANNY be a Cardinal? Can Ludwick back up his 08 #'s? Will Glaus fully recover? Will the fans show up in force this year? Will TLR sign an extension? Will the Cardinals sign another SP before Spring Training ends? Will Carp be healthy? Who will be the Cards Closer? Is Izzy coming back? Will Die Hard still body paint for the games?

Well I can tell you this, I will Body Paint for the games because I am FAN. Regardless of the outcome I will support the Cardinals. Anyone can go to a game in the good times, but the true FANS go regardless.

I am ready for the season to start. I may not have all the answers. I may not like all the answers I hear. But the regular season is 162 games so there is plenty of time to see what the Cards can do.

Ready or Not - The Season is Approaching... FAST!!!

GO CARDS!!!

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.