Ah, spring!  A time of hope and renewal, where anything is possible and the sky is the limit.

Good News

So much good news has filtered out of the St. Louis Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Florida!  Adam Wainwright looked good in live batting practices.  So, did a HEALTHY Chris Carpenter.  Of course, when pitchers look too good in live BP, I worry that there’s something wrong with our hitting.   It’s only the first week, so maybe, I worry too much.

The Cardinals also made it through the first week without a player logging a season ending injury.  Woo-hoo!  The two pitchers (Mitchell Boggs and Matthew Scherer) that experienced soreness early in the week are healing nicely.

Redbird Migratory Paths

Two former redbirds have roosted in the Tampa Bay Rays camp:  Adam Kennedy and Jason Isringhausen.  If the Rays repeat this year, they may both look at their last rocky days in St. Louis as a blessing in disguise.  Seeing Izzy not in a Cardinals uniform is beyond weird.  As the all-time Cardinals saves leader, he has earned his place in Cardinals history.  It is “unfortunate” (a word Tony LaRussa used) that Izzy could not finish his career with a strong year in St. Louis. 

Cooler Heads Did Not Prevail

The controversy of the week involved Jose Oquendo, Cardinals Third-Base Coach and Manager of Team Puerto Rico, not choosing Joel Pineiro for Team Puerto Rico’s starting rotation.  For Team Puerto Rico, the starters will be Javier Vazquez (Braves), Ian Snell (Pirates) and Jonathan Sanchez (Giants).  Looking at last year’s numbers, I could not see a clear cut reason why these pitchers, except for Vazquez, were picked over Pineiro:

Javier Vazquez       12-16, 4.67 ERA, 61 BB, 200 K’s  208.1 IP

Ian Snell                  7-12, 5.42 ERA, 89 BB, 135 K’s  164.1 IP

Jonathan Sanchez,   9-12, 5.01 ERA, 75 BB, 157 K’s  158.0 IP

Joel Pineiro               7-7, 5.15 ERA,  35 BB,   81 K’s  148.2 IP

Joel Pineiro did pitch well in the 2006 WBC (2.08 ERA, 4 BB, 5 K’s, 8.2 IP).  So, perhaps there is another reason.  The manner in which Pineiro took the news, venting his displeasure to reporters, claiming he was “disrespected”, and giving in to his emotions made me wonder if Oquendo’s pick had more to do with temperament than performance.  Pineiro is an emotional player, and when things start to go badly in a game, his emotions can get in the way.

Or, perhaps it was Pineiro’s mindset.  Maybe because he and Oquendo are teammates and he started in the in the 2006 WBC, he thought he was a lock for the rotation.  He already purchased tickets for his family to the WBC.  He thought Oquendo was joking when he first suggested that Pineiro would be in the bullpen rather than the rotation.  Did Pineiro take too much for granted?

Coaches typically do not appreciate players who assume too much.  One of the few starts I got in all my years of playing basketball came when the coach overheard some of the starters use the word “indispensable” in regard to their value to the team.  Of course, after about five minutes of my stinking up the court, they were in and I was back on the bench where I belonged.  Still, we learned a valuable lesson.  Work hard.  Be ready.  Assume nothing.

In the end, it is Jose Oquendo’s team and his decision.  Pineiro has every right to feel “disrespected” or disappointed or upset, but it is not cool to unleash those emotions outside the clubhouse and express your displeasure with your coach to the media.  If he wants to be respected, then he should know that his comments made him look like a spoiled, petulant child rather than a man worthy of respect that he insists he is due.

Crash Davis School of Clichés

Crash Davis: It’s time to work on your interviews.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do?
Crash Davis: You’re gonna have to learn your clichés. You’re gonna have to study them, you’re gonna have to know them. They’re your friends. Write this down: “We gotta play it one day at a time.”
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Got to play… it’s pretty boring.
Crash Davis: ‘Course it’s boring, that’s the point. Write it down

Ebby Calvin LaLoosh:  (Writing) …one day at a time

Crash Davis:  I’m just happy to be here.  Hope I can help the ballclub.  I know.  Write it down.  I just want to give it my best shot and the good Lord willing, things will work out.

Following Crash’s guidelines of “boring is good”, I tried to rework Pineiro’s statements.

Original Statement:  “[Oquendo] said if I went, it was going to be in the bullpen.  Everybody knows that’s not my role. I was very disappointed, very heartbroken…I felt disrespected.  I mean, everybody knows there’s only been two pitchers in Puerto Rico which has 8-10 years [as a] consistent starter, which is Javier Vasquez and myself….everybody knows if I go out there as a bullpen guy, I’m going to get setback here…if I would have been there as a starter, it would have been my normal exhibition game starts…But, after I was informed that I was not going to be a starter, I was not happy about that.“

Boring Statement:  “Oquendo said he had a spot for me in the bullpen, but not as a starter.  If I went as a starter, I could prepare for the season the same as I would here.  Unfortunately, I can’t do that pitching out of the bullpen, so I made the tough decision to stay here, work hard and be ready to go in April.  I am disappointed that I will not be representing my country in the WBC, but Puerto Rico has other great pitchers to take my place.  And, I’m happy to be here.  I hope I can help the ballclub.  I want to give this season my best shot and the good Lord willing, things will work out.  Instead of playing in big games this spring, we’ll be playing in big games in October.

Of course, if he said that, there would be no controversy, and what would I write about?  This may all work out for the best for Pineiro.  He was both injured last year and not particularly sharp.  His hold on the fifth spot in the Cardinals rotation is tenuous at best.  He should be hearing the footsteps of capable young arms gaining on him, ready to take his spot. 

In one of his statements he said, “I felt, I’m a veteran guy.  I’ve been around long enough to know that I should be there representing my country.  I deserve that respect.  That’s the way I look at it.”  A sense of entitlement, does not typically get one the respect they feel they deserve.  Actions do.  If he wins a dozen games, gets his ERA under 4.0 and learns how to control his emotions so he can pitch himself out of a jam, then he will have my respect, the respect of his teammates, and, I dare say, Oquendo’s too.