Posts belonging to Category Teams

It should come as no surprise that Mark Buehrle was awarded his second consecutive American League Gold Glove Award on Tuesday afternoon.  No, I’m not just saying that because his wife let the cat out of the bag with her congratulatory message on Facebook.  Rather, Buehrle was unequivocally the best defensive pitcher in the American League in 2010, just as he was when he won the same award in 2009.

Oh yeah, and there was also that spectacular play on Opening Day.

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The Golden Sombrero presents Rookie Card Corner: Adam Wainwright 2000 Bowman

Fun Fact: Waino hit the first major-league pitch he saw out of the park, a feat only six other players had done before him.  To commemorate the event, the St. Louis Cardinals gave him an engraved Rolex watch.

The Golden Sombrero presents Rookie Card Corner: Bryce Harper 2010 Bowman Chrome

Fun Fact: Harper said he chose to wear #34 because “I always loved Mickey Mantle, three and four equals seven.”

Over the last few seasons, I have learned that the baseball world is perpetually invested in the demise of Jeff Francoeur.  Even those who root for him as a member of their favorite team think that the guy is an arrogant bum.  I’ll admit it; I liked the guy when he first came up with the Braves.  I didn’t exactly think he was the greatest thing ever — or as Sports Illustrated claimed, “The Natural” — but I believed that the guy had a lot of potential.

Last night, as I was killing time by scouring eBay for various baseball rookie cards(yes, I’m 25-years old, shut up), I stumbled upon one of Jeff Francoeur.  Now, on eBay, nearly every baseball rookie card will eventually sell, even if it is eventually at a reduced price.  Over the years, the depreciation and gross production of baseball cards has made many of the cards people once dreamed about buying, a possibility.  Hell, even Jose Canseco’s rookie cards get a few bids and eventually find a new home.

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The Cardinals and long-time manager Tony La Russa recently agreed on a contract that will bring him back for the 2011 season, as well as a mutual option for 2012. What does this mean for Cardinals fans? Well, it means more classic double switches, more pitchers batting before Brendan Ryan (although I still haven’t decided if that’s a bad thing—ZING!), and maybe even another Glenn Beck rally if he’s feeling political, like when he went on record saying he supported the supremely racist Arizona immigration law. Seriously, Tony? All that aside, what we will definitely see is an influx in Tony’s favorite guilty pleasure, and I’m not talking about taking naps at stoplights at 3 AM. I’m talking about atrocious 30-something infielders. T-Bone adores picking up players well past their prime, assuming they had a prime in the first place. The requirements for this list are simple, and the same criteria Tony uses: they have to be well over 30 with an OPS below .700 (the lower the better). Here are four players that TLR should keep his eye on, some of which might actually play for the Cards next year or played for them in the past…

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