Holy Sh*t does that guy have a cannon for an arm, just hope he doesn't lose his control and start chucking balls into the upper deck . And unlike Edmonds he can actually hit the ball and doesn't like dudes.

As long as you are going to "out" Edmonds, why no mention of Pujols?

Edmonds and Pujols

What are you trying to say.......Pujols likes POO-HOLES?

You really have to give LaRussa credit for this. He might even deserve more credit than Ankiel himself. He has an eye for talent that no one else has ever had. There has never been another pitcher converted to a position that has had this kind of production and there never will be again unless LaRussa is involved.

umm... George Herman Ruth, Jr.

Ahem, that guy was in Black and White. Crayonz is referring to players of color.

OMFG. Are you seriously bringing that fat tub of crap and comparing him to Ankiel? Seriously?

"Baseball" back then was more entertainment than sport. Ok, fat Babe "pitched". Did he throw as hard as Ankiel? Did he ever have success against an actual athlete as a pitcher or a hitter? The guy from The King and His Court probably hit well too. Would you compare him to Ankiel? Didn't think so.

Once you've wiped Tony's love mayonaisse off your chin, you should take a look at the coaches in the instructional league, A-ball, and AA-ball who actually developed Ankiel. All LaRussa did was send him down when he was bad, and call him up when he wasn't a head case.

There's no denying Ankiel's freak athletic talents though, and his ability to stick with the game through tough times.

When every other manager in the history of baseball would have cut him loose completely. Oh yeah, and who hired those geniuses at A and AA?

They saw the guy could hit, he had a professional swing even when he would bat as a pitcher. They obviously knew he had an arm. They had him under contract. I think EVERY organization would've sent the guy down and tried him at another position, given his raw athleticism and batting abilities.

Also, I hate to pull Tony's cock out of your mouth before you finish him off...But he doesn't hire ANYBODY for the Cards...I'm sure he has some input (not just in your mouth), but the decisions are made by the GM, the Director of Player Development, and the Director of Minor League Operations. Shockingly, there are individuals in the St. Louis organization who rank higher than LaRussa. Sorry about that.

There is no need to be rude. Your lack of baseball knowledge will shine through on its own even if you just use regular language.

You are joking right? Ruth was one terrific pitcher. He had a streak of 22 scoreless innings.


In 1916, he won 23 games with a 1.75 ERA and 170 K's.
In 1917, he won 24 games with a 2.01 ERA and 128 K's.
In 1918, he led his team to the World Series, going 2-0 in World Series games with a 1.06 ERA.

His record as a pitcher was excellent, and as a batter, he was the greatest ever.

Nice Stats.

For a fat load that pitched against guys that couldn't play in a Wenesday night softball league in 2008. Get real.

As for his batting stats I have to give him some credit. He brought excitement to the game with his home runs and there is no denying it propelled the game to greater heights. The issue is that he did it off of nobodies. Ability wise he could not hold a candle to Ankiel.

Ruth was great for his time. The problem is, his time sucked.

What? I assume you are trying to have a baseball discussion, not pulling a hogboy.

Ty Cobb, Joe Jackson, Tris Speaker, George Sisler, Eddie Collins, Happy Felsch and Chick Gandil, ...these were some of the guys who Ruth pitched against. Honus Wagner also played at this time, although he was NL. These guys were talented baseball players in any era.

The dead ball era may have not been open to all, but there were far fewer teams concentrating the talent.

As far as hitting, there were several great pitchers in the 1920s, and Ruth hitting stats are out of this world.

But this is 2008. How dare you say Ruth was as good as a run-of-the-mill, steroid-using outfielder playing for a mediocre team who will finish under .500 for the second year in a row in the worst division in the weak NL.

Jealous much? Keep believing that numbers are just numbers. I'm sure some fat old drunk who waddles to first base in about 23 seconds would do just fine in today's game.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Rick Ankiel could land on the disabled list after injuring his shoulder on a hard swing in Friday's game.

The newspaper says the Cardinals have privately prepared to promote outfielder Joe Mather from Triple-A Memphis to replace Ankiel. Mather, 25, is hitting .308 with seven homers and a .637 slugging percentage.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

That's a tough break and hardly seems fair to a team that has had more tough breaks in the last few years than any team I can remember. Hopefully he'll be back soon but the Cards are prepared as usual. Mather would already be starting for 25 teams in the majors.

Forget Ankiel for a second...Ludwick..for real? As someone who watches a lot of Cards games, what can you tell me about this guy? Any obvious holes in his swing? Developing patience/contact rates?

He has always had some pop when he first came up with Texas and then with Cleveland. He used to strike out too much and he still does sort of, but he produces. The better coaching he has received with the Cards has really helped. It has allowed him to get more ABs and thus his production has gone up. I wouldn't call him a superstar yet but he is very solid. Another year in the system and who knows?

Another dinger tonight.

Coaching. LaRussa told him before his at bat to go deep.

4 seasons - 14 HR, 44 RBIs
1 and a quarter seasons - 26 HR, 84 RBI.

How have these numbers changed so much?

Experience helps with pitch selection and plate discipline. And the Cardinals have had one of the best performance-enhancing drug programs in the bigs for the last decade.

Also, finding a team who is average enough to let a journeyman play everyday helps him as well.

When you have been PWNED you should probably just go away, not make claims like "yeah but they do drugs".

"Yeah, but, Ankiel did do drugs." He paid for HGH with his credit card and had it delivered to his house. I know it's a nice story about the pitcher who had a meltdown and made it back to the bigs as a position player, but it doesn't change the fact that he did it. Like many other players on every other team, no doubt. I give Ankiel credit for admitting to the story immediately when it broke last season....Even if his excuse of it being "doctor prescribed" is comical, seeing as the doctor was really a dentist...

I thought you were accusing Ryan Ludwick of doing drugs, not a guy that was rehabbing an injury. Oh wait, you were. Like I said. PWNED!

I didn't accuse Ludwick of doing drugs. I just don't put it past a Cardinals player who has struggled in his past to turn to that stuff. It's not in the realm of unbelieveable. They've been doing it for 10 years. Big Mac used the juice for his bum knees, right?

It's going to be a long season staring at the Cubs' rear bumper....That race is finished....Nice catch by Edmonds last night on the hill in Houston...

Not that I agree with Crayonz trying to make Ankiel sound like a saint, I'll admit that he cheated and used HGH but don't count your chickens before they hatch Chub fan....................last time I checked you guys have a little history of choking, losing, whining, crying and bitching. Seems like I here this sh*t talking every year about this time and it slowly disapears by the middle of the summer. Enjoy last year while you can

Yikes the Cubs! No thanks. The Tribe baby!!!

Cubs had the best team in that division last year, and won it (took them a little while to figure it out, but they got there.) I know its a long season but I can't see them losing that division lead (or falling more than a game or 2 back if they slip.) I see the Cards playing above their heads right now, and for some reason I REALLY REALLY hate the Astros. That's one I could never quite pin down...I don't know why I hate Houston, but I always have. Anyways, I don't think Berkman will keep up his pace and finish with 60 HRs and 160 RBIs.

Cubs would be a major choke job because they have by far the best roster and possibly the only manager who has 1/10th the smarts of LaRussa.

My bad I didn't mean to call you a Cubs fan (sorry ISNOCH, you're the only one I actually like). Not to mention you would really have to be a glutton for punishment if you were a Bills fan and a Cubs fan.

Ankiel is a GREAT outfielder. That guy can do everything; hit for power, average, get on base, makes great catches and has an awesome arm. Not sure who's responsible for it, but I think I'll give the credit to Ankiel for turning his career around.

As far as Ludwick goes. Is it just me, or is that guy really streaky at the plate? He reminds me of Pat Burrell.

Not that the Tribe have been much better...Goddam Tony Fernandez...And add to that the Sabres, it definitely makes for some LOOOONG years....No signs of baldness yet which is shocking....An actual championship might be the death of me....Immediate heart attack or a week-long liver poisoning bender are the two most likely causes....

I feel your pain man, untill the 2006 Cardinals none of my teams had ever won a damn thing (I went to game 4 and it was badass, I lost my voice for 3 days after Granderson fell down in the Outfield). I'm pretty optomistic about this years sports with my teams though.............Cards are playing pretty well (although I wasn't expecting it), got my Missouri Tigers to look forward to this fall, and I'm really pumped about this years Bills team. Keep the faith buddy, theres nothing like sticking by a team through thick and thin and then getting to witness them winning it all.