Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, David Freese triples in two runs tying the game in the top of the ninth. 2 innings later he homers to win game for his hometown team. The Cardinals go on to win the World Series and Freese adds the 2011 World Series MVP to his 2011 National League Championship Series MVP. Fast forward to the end of two seasons later and David Freese gets traded to the Angels. Baseball trades happen all the time. Its just part of the game. But trading a hometown hero is seldom heard of. Yes, he had a down year but most of that was due to injuries. In 2013, Freese batted .269 with 9 homers and 60 RBI. The Cardinals feel Freese became expendable with the emergence of Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong and didn't want to pay him the $7 million he most likely would have received in 2014. In the trade, St. Louis received Peter Bourjos,(.274, 3, 12). I don't agree with the trade but I can accept it. But then the Cardinals made a huge mistake.
The Cardinals signed former Tiger, Jhonny Peralta (.303, 11, 55) for 4 years and $53 million. On paper Peralta's last year's number look better than Freese's do. However, Peralta , also, served a 50 game suspension for PEDs that he didn't fight.
So, to summarize: hometown hero hustled out to Halo-town, proscribed PED performer picked up and paid.
For shame for shame.
So, IF David Freese decided to take the short cut that Peralta did and had a better batting year, I can only assume that David Freese would still be playing for his hometown Cardinals.
GREAT MESSAGE, SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS.
PS. The Baseball Hall of Fame has kept admitted and alleged PED users from entering the Shrine. But it recently allowed Tony LaRussa as a manger into its Hall. LaRussa had a winning percentage of .536. However, his world series teams with the A's and Cardinals were led by admitted PED users Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Rick Ankiel just to name a few. What would LaRussa winning percentage be without the cheating? So, they will keep out the cheaters but the enablers, who gained the most from the cheating, can get in.
For shame. For shame.
PSS. The Cardinals were tied for the best record in baseball and came within 2 games of winning the World Series in 2013. Had they remembered how to hit with runners in scoring position they probably would have won the championship. They did this with Freese at third and Kozma at short. And the Cardinals felt they needed and upgrade at both positions? They have made 2 huge mistakes and I think 2014 will be a step backward for them. This gaffe almost tops LaRussa's benching of Ozzie Smith for Royce Clayton.
***Stats and info from ESPN.com and Wikipedia.com
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Lil' Andy and the Kite
*Based on a true Story
Lil' Andy sat staring out the front window. It had been boring Tuesday morning. His older siblings were all out and his younger sister, Midge, was taking a nap. He had played with his same old toys and needed something new to do. He watched the birds come and go and he saw Charlie, the hound from up the block carelessly running down the middle of the street. Lil' Andy sighed and was about to give up when something caught his eye. Three teenage boys from across the street had brought out a new kite. Lil' Andy was immediately drawn to the rainbow colors that shouted from the kite. He sat up and watched very intently. Lil' Andy was amazed at how the kite took to the sky and how it just floated in the breeze. He saw how the boys pulled on the strings and made, what he thought were magical tricks. Up and down the kite would go. Lil' Andy wished he had a kite. He turned from the window to see where his mom was. He wanted to ask her if he could have kite of his own. but he did not see her. Dejected, Lil' Andy turned back around and saw what made him very curious. The three teenagers were tying the kite strings to the picket fence that bordered their front yard. Lil' Andy wondered why they were doing this. The boys watched their kite soar for a few minutes and went back inside their house. But Lil' Andy stayed put. He watched the kite for what seemed like an eternity. He began to daydream of himself flying his kite. He could see himself making all of those magical tricks. He snapped out of his dream to see the kite still flying all by itself. "I bet that kite is getting lonely," Lil' Andy thought to himself. Lil' Andy looked all around and saw that no one was around. He hopped down from his window seat and went outside. There was still no one around. Lil' Andy crossed the street and studied the kite strings. He looked up at the kite. He decided that it was his turn to pilot the kite. He untied the strings and took control. At first, he just held the strings but as the minutes passed Lil' Andy became braver and braver. He started pulling on the strings, mimicking what the three teenage boys had done. The kite began to dance. Lil' Andy got excited. He pulled even more. The strings began to get tangled and the kite then begin to make big circles. Lil' Andy couldn't get it to stop. The more he pulled the more the strings twisted together and began making knots. Before he knew it, Lil' Andy had a rats nest of string in both of hands. Finally, with one big loop, the kite come crashing down to the ground. Andy couldn't believe what had just happened but to make matters worse the three teenage boys came outside and saw what had happened. Although, the kite was unharmed, the boys were furious at Lil' Andy. They yelled at him for a bit and demanded that he buy them new string for their kite. Lil' Andy began to cry. He ran home to tell his mother. Lil' Andy's mother was not pleased with him. He hadn't asked to play with the boys kite and now he had broken it. Lil' Andy's mother grabbed her purse. She, Midge and Lil' Andy then went to buy more string. While at the store, Andy found all sorts of kites but he knew his mother was mad and didn't ask for one. The returned home and took the string across the street. The boys' mother answered the door. Lil' Andy's mother explained what had happened and offered her the new string. The boys' mother accepted the string but also apologized that boys had made Lil' Andy cry. She ask that they wait a minute. She soon returned and handed Lil' Andy a small kite. She told him that it was a beginner's kite and that with lots of practice he could move to the bigger kites. Lil' Andy was so excited that he almost forgot to thank her. Lil' Andy began practicing right away and soon became a great kite pilot.
The End
PS: A happy ending. But what did the 3 boys really tell Lil' Andy?
Upon seeing the ball of matted string, the boys told Lil' Andy to "Take that string home to his mother and tell her to tie her pussy up with it." Confused Lil' Andy did as he was told. He went home and told his mother what the boys had said. He added "I don't understand mom. We don't have a cat." His mom answered "Well, maybe they thought you did."
The Real End
Lil' Andy sat staring out the front window. It had been boring Tuesday morning. His older siblings were all out and his younger sister, Midge, was taking a nap. He had played with his same old toys and needed something new to do. He watched the birds come and go and he saw Charlie, the hound from up the block carelessly running down the middle of the street. Lil' Andy sighed and was about to give up when something caught his eye. Three teenage boys from across the street had brought out a new kite. Lil' Andy was immediately drawn to the rainbow colors that shouted from the kite. He sat up and watched very intently. Lil' Andy was amazed at how the kite took to the sky and how it just floated in the breeze. He saw how the boys pulled on the strings and made, what he thought were magical tricks. Up and down the kite would go. Lil' Andy wished he had a kite. He turned from the window to see where his mom was. He wanted to ask her if he could have kite of his own. but he did not see her. Dejected, Lil' Andy turned back around and saw what made him very curious. The three teenagers were tying the kite strings to the picket fence that bordered their front yard. Lil' Andy wondered why they were doing this. The boys watched their kite soar for a few minutes and went back inside their house. But Lil' Andy stayed put. He watched the kite for what seemed like an eternity. He began to daydream of himself flying his kite. He could see himself making all of those magical tricks. He snapped out of his dream to see the kite still flying all by itself. "I bet that kite is getting lonely," Lil' Andy thought to himself. Lil' Andy looked all around and saw that no one was around. He hopped down from his window seat and went outside. There was still no one around. Lil' Andy crossed the street and studied the kite strings. He looked up at the kite. He decided that it was his turn to pilot the kite. He untied the strings and took control. At first, he just held the strings but as the minutes passed Lil' Andy became braver and braver. He started pulling on the strings, mimicking what the three teenage boys had done. The kite began to dance. Lil' Andy got excited. He pulled even more. The strings began to get tangled and the kite then begin to make big circles. Lil' Andy couldn't get it to stop. The more he pulled the more the strings twisted together and began making knots. Before he knew it, Lil' Andy had a rats nest of string in both of hands. Finally, with one big loop, the kite come crashing down to the ground. Andy couldn't believe what had just happened but to make matters worse the three teenage boys came outside and saw what had happened. Although, the kite was unharmed, the boys were furious at Lil' Andy. They yelled at him for a bit and demanded that he buy them new string for their kite. Lil' Andy began to cry. He ran home to tell his mother. Lil' Andy's mother was not pleased with him. He hadn't asked to play with the boys kite and now he had broken it. Lil' Andy's mother grabbed her purse. She, Midge and Lil' Andy then went to buy more string. While at the store, Andy found all sorts of kites but he knew his mother was mad and didn't ask for one. The returned home and took the string across the street. The boys' mother answered the door. Lil' Andy's mother explained what had happened and offered her the new string. The boys' mother accepted the string but also apologized that boys had made Lil' Andy cry. She ask that they wait a minute. She soon returned and handed Lil' Andy a small kite. She told him that it was a beginner's kite and that with lots of practice he could move to the bigger kites. Lil' Andy was so excited that he almost forgot to thank her. Lil' Andy began practicing right away and soon became a great kite pilot.
The End
PS: A happy ending. But what did the 3 boys really tell Lil' Andy?
Upon seeing the ball of matted string, the boys told Lil' Andy to "Take that string home to his mother and tell her to tie her pussy up with it." Confused Lil' Andy did as he was told. He went home and told his mother what the boys had said. He added "I don't understand mom. We don't have a cat." His mom answered "Well, maybe they thought you did."
The Real End
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