Tag Archives: Brandon Phillips

The Good, Better And Best Of A Winning Home Opener

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Umbrellas and raindrops were key parts of yesterday’s home opener but, thankfully, the rain wasn’t enough to delay the game. And the St. Louis Cardinals offense apparently likes being home, as the Cards scored five runs on nine hits to triumph over the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 in damp and drizzly home opening game.

Seven Cardinals had hits in the game — Peter Bourjos had two! — and Yadier Molina showed once again how much he loves driving in runs against the Reds with a three-run first inning double. While Trevor Rosenthal had an uncharacteristic ninth inning, it wasn’t as wild as past home opener adventures in recent years and the Cards won their first opening game at Busch since 2010. Maybe Trevor just wanted to keep us interested …

And while the photo below shows a little bit of that gray and rainy atmosphere, the bunting was out and the Opening Day logo was on the scoreboard and the field — therefore, it was a beautiful day at Busch Stadium.

Here’s a look at the good, better and best of the festivities and the game, and special thanks to Laura for the photos she provided.

home opener

Photo: Laura

The Good

TLR

Photo: Laura

Leading off the parade of Hall of Famers was the newest of them all, former manager Tony La Russa wearing his red blazer for the first time. He looked good, and did a nice job greeting his fellow Hall of Famers, Mike Matheny, the coaches and the players as the first one in the home plate receiving line. He and Ozzie Smith even had a polite moment as they shook each others’ hands. And, as Dan McLaughlin and Ricky Horton pointed out on television and which I also noticed when watching, TLR even steered Pat Neshek in the right direction when he was going to walk behind everyone.

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Vote Now! Would You Like Brandon Phillips If He Was A Cardinal?

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It happened again during today’s Cardinals home opener win on FOX Sports Midwest, as it pretty much has every single game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds since Aug. 10, 2010.

(Hopefully I don’t need to remind you what transpired that day at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. If so, here’s a one-word summary: brawl.)

collage4714As the Reds second baseman strolled to the plate in the top of the third inning to a chorus of boos, Dan McLaughlin first said sarcastically about Phillips “they just love him here in St. Louis.” After Ricky Horton chuckled, McLaughlin continued with a familiar (since he says this every single time the two teams play) refrain: “I’d bet they’d love him if he wore the Birds on the Bat.” Horton’s response was “I’m sure we would.”

I know my opinion — no way, not ever — and that seemed to be the popular Twitter reaction among those I follow who were tweeting at the time McLaughlin made his latest comment.

So, what’s your thought? Would you, as Danny Mac assures us is the case, like Brandon Phillips if he was a Cardinal? Or do you too hold a grudge and think Phillips is just an attention-hungry idiot? Vote in the poll below.

Catching Up With the Cardinals: Monday Morning Edition

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Ah, Monday morning … right after Daylight Saving Time begins. And just when we were beginning to enjoy the fact it was brightening up after 6 a.m. Patience is now needed again for the longer days ahead.

DiazAs you’ve probably read by now, the St. Louis Cardinals have signed 23-year-old Cuban free agent shortstop Aledmys Diaz to a four-year contract. There aren’t many details about it yet, as he’s scheduled to be introduced at a news conference this morning, but Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has some good info on what he calls “a landmark moment for the Cardinals. His will be the richest contract ever from the Cardinals for an international free agent or amateur, signaling their intent to reach beyond the Latin America amateur market they’ve cultivated.”

Joe Schwarz at Viva El Birdos also has been covering Diaz in-depth since he first worked out for the Cardinals several weeks ago.

Headed to Jupiter, Fla., to see the Cardinals spring training games at Roger Dean Stadium? Forbes reports that the Cardinals have the 10th most expensive spring training tickets, with an average price of $50. The teams with more expensive tickets, in order from 9 to 1: the Astros (perhaps surprisingly?), the Twins, the Phillies, the Cubs (which is perhaps not a surprise — have you seen there new spring home?), the Yankees, the Giants, the Rangers, the Braves (who train at Disney World) and, of course, the Red Sox with an average price of $79.

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