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The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

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Old 06-02-2014, 08:39 PM   #49
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

Quote:
Originally Posted by lilbiggio
Man this losing streak is starting to get crucial man! Willie instigating WWIII has set off some pretty rotten karma for you. He should repent for the sake of the season. Baseball is a very superstitious sport you know?
I know dude! Ever since we tried to eliminate the Brewers and curb stomp them, I've been on the worst losing streak of my Show career. It's getting to the point where I want to rip my hair out. We keep finding new ways to lose ball games and it can't be stopped.

As for asking Willie to repent, I think that's pretty much out of the question at this point. He's going to get his revenge on the Brewers one way or another.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IXI DECAY IXI
Definitely enjoying what you got going on here man. It's a great read for sure!

I did have a couple questions. How often do you play user game and do you use a slider set when you do play them?

Thanks and keep up the great work!
Thanks for following man!

I've tried several slider sets over the course of the years but it got to the point where I just had to make my own in order to make it realistic for my style of play.

As for how many games I play, I play 1, sim 5. I don't have the time to play through 162 games and write about each one of them. With the play 1 sim 5 system, I get to pitch with each guy in the rotation and the stats are influenced by both the games I play and the simulated games.

Quote:
Originally Posted by beamerball811
Just caught up, enjoying this so far.
Thanks for following it man, I appreciate it.
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Old 06-02-2014, 09:04 PM   #50
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

Willie Singleton's Office
St. Louis, MO
May 5th, 2014
11:30 AM

Willie Singleton sat at his desk typing away on his computer. This was his first shot as a General Manager and he was already blowing it. If something didn't change, Willie knew that he was going to be responsible. A World Series winning team can't just go from first to worst without repercussions. He sat through the same system in Boston in 2011-2012. A team with such talent... such promise... fell apart and people were calling for heads to roll all over the place.

If Theo Epstein wasn't safe in Boston, there was no chance Willie Singleton was going to be safe in St. Louis where the people not only wanted to win but expected to win.

And that's why he sat here trying to come up with a plan to fix the Cardinals.

Quote:

Fixing the Cardinals

1.
See more pitches.

2.
Pitchers must go deeper into games.

3.
The bullpen has to stop goofing around.
It was really that simple. The Cardinals had gotten away from "The Cardinal Way." They were being more selfish, not taking care of the baseball and frankly... embarrassing the franchise's storied history.

Willie clicked the send button and shipped his blueprint out to the Cardinals big league coaching staff in Pittsburgh.

Surely it was going to be only a matter of time before the Red Birds ironed things out and were back to playing some good 'ol fashioned Cardinal baseball.
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Old 06-02-2014, 10:28 PM   #51
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

And the streak keeps going and going...
I thought that I would be coming back here to report a change in our situation... to say that we had actually won a game. But no, twas not to be. Instead, we're now halfway through May and still stuck in neutral. Yadier Molina is hitting .189, Joe Kelly has sucked in the rotation and 2nd base is still a pain in the ***.



Quote:
Michael Wacha didn't pitch a bad game. In fact, he threw really well going 7 innings with 4 hits and 7 strikeouts. This time it was the offense who really couldn't get going. Gerrit Cole was absolutely on fire and finished the game in under 90 pitches. How can be expect to win games if our guys can't even knock the starting pitcher out of the game?

To make matters worse, Gregory "El_Coffee" Polanco won round two of the phenoms and was on fire again. We've tried all sorts of avenues to shut down Polanco but he keeps finding ways.


Quote:

Against the Braves, it was the same exact thing. The Braves pitching shut us down and Kris Medlen pitched a complete game in under 90 pitches. If that wasn't another cause for concern, just look at the errors. You just can't have 5 error games and expect to win ball games.

On top of that, when you factor in Justin Upton, the revamped BJ Upton and Jason Heyward... tonight's game was a recipe for disaster right from the word go.


Quote:
Up in Cincinnati, things looked worse. For the first time, this team really just rolled over and died. The offense couldn't get going against Homer Bailey and Lance Lynn was effectively left out to dry.

On top of that, Jay Bruce continues to be a Cardinal killer and keeps swatting everything out of the park. Everytime we've gone up north this season, we've been ambushed by the division-leading Reds.
As I said earlier, we're already half-way through May and we still can't seem to get anything going. Right now, Oscar Taveras, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury are driving the offense and trying to give us something to hang our hat on.

Pitching and defense are the heart of our ball club so when they aren't where they usually are, our ball club struggles. We're 3rd in baseball in home runs but when we don't have the ability to stop other teams from scoring runs, it's hard to win ball games.

Something has to turn around quick for our team to hop back into the postseason race.
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Old 06-02-2014, 10:44 PM   #52
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

Conference Room B
St. Louis, MO.
May 17th, 2014
2:09 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scout 1
You don't know what the hell you're talking about! I saw that kid throw and he's good!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scout 2
All I'm saying is he doesn't even have a plus offering.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
Well it looks like he has a nice clean delivery and could add some weight. Check back on this kid before the draft. It sounds like we need some fresh info on him.
Before their draft day conversation could progress however, Bill DeWitt came into the conference room and beckoned Willie to meet him outside.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
What do you need Bill?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
I'm going to ask you the same question I asked you last month.

What in the hell is going on with this team?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
We're working on some things to get this club back into contention.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
We need to do something Willie. We can't just sit here and watch a playoff caliber team **** away games.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
I'm aware. We're going to roll with this group through June and we'll evaluate after the draft.
Bill DeWitt moved in closer to Willie and whispered to him.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
This team has some... suitors if you will... they want to see direction Willie. Give them what they want and you shall have whatever you desire.
And with not another word, Bill DeWitt walked away leaving our hero flabbergasted...
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Old 06-08-2014, 11:49 PM   #53
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

The Draft Room
St. Louis, MO
May 20th, 2014
7:11 PM

Heh... I almost forgot that the draft was coming up. Getting mired in that losing streak could've set back this franchise for years to come. Luckily our pal Willie Singleton and the Cardinals brain trust were on top of things and have been out "discovering" and "scouting" prospects.

With the emphasis on the front office this season, it doesn't make any sense to just gloss over the draft.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
Damn... too bad that Kolek kid isn't gonna slip. I love getting those big kids down from Texas... Seems like that's the only real place to consistently find pitchers.

So we're pretty much sold on taking arm this year at 27 right?
The scouts and other Baseball Ops members noded their heads.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kantrovitz (Scouting Director)
I'm a fan of this Mederios kid... he's a lefty, high ceiling, great slider. Only problem is KC's hot on this kid and so is Milwaukee. There's a good chance he isn't going to be there when we pick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
Well what about that Jack Flaherty kid from Harvard Westlake?
There was a shuffling of papers in the room and one of the older scouts spoke up.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Scout 1
That kid is our guy... He's got a good fastball, a nice changeup piece, size, project ability. This is exactly the type of pitcher that we like to develop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kantrovitz
Willie, this is the kid we've been on from Day 1. Back in 2012, when we saw Fried and Giolito at Harvard Westlake, our scouts were chomping at the bit to draft Flaherty.

I'm telling you, this kid is the real deal. I don't care how much money we need to spend to get Flaherty... we need to grab this kid otherwise we'll always wonder what could've been.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Singleton
...I've read some reports on him and seen some video... But before I sign off on this pick, I've gotta see the kid. I'm going to be out in Cali the day after tomorrow checking out some guys at a workout. I'll get in touch with Flaherty and let have him throw a few.
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Old 06-09-2014, 12:16 AM   #54
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

Guido's Italian Restaurant
The Back Room
St. Louis, MO
May 20th, 2014
10:53 PM



Losing ball games by the truck load was not the "Cardinal Way." Sure the players and the front office knew it... Sure the media was getting restless... Sure there were whispers about cleaning house. For the first time in years, the casual Cardinal fan could turn on the radio and listen to rant after rant about who's not hitting, who's not pitching or who's not being fired. Everyone knew that being under .500 through May would be unacceptable for the franchise, for the city and for Cardinal Nation.

While the winds of dissapointment and disdain rolled cast a shroud over St. Louis... The tipping point for a certain powerful group had already passed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 1
It's unacceptable... That's what it is. I think we're all old enough to recognize the value of baseball and the value of the Cardinals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 2
You're right, the Cardinals hold a special place in all of our hearts. I don't know about you fellas but I can't bear to watch the Cards go downhill like this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 1
I think you spoke for everyone here tonight. The problem is though... there isn't a problem with this team. Every thing looks good on paper, the talent is there... the coaches are fine... hell, even the front office is doing A-OK.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 2
There's only one problem here and that's the owner. I don't know about you fellas but I'll never forgive him for letting Pujols walk and getting rid of La Russa. Those guys should've been Cardinal lifers... No matter the cost.

Some things are just bigger than the game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 3
We didn't come here to shoot the breeze... We came here to talk business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 4
You're right, let's get down to business... We can do this quiet or we can go loud. What I mean is we can "remove" Dewitt or we can buy him out. It's going to take a whole lot of money and there's no guarantee he even accepts the offer...
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 1
Well then we'll just pitch him an offer... If he doesn't like it? Kick rocks. We just go to plan B.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ??? 2
Heh... it's only a matter of time...
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:16 PM   #55
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension



... If you thought I was joking when I said that things were bad, boy you better guess again. We aren't playing bad baseball. We're leading the league in average, home runs, doubles, ABs, Triples and stolen bases. We're also ranked in the top 10 in most of the major pitching categories. We can't blame this on back luck and we obviously can't blame this on the numbers. It all falls down to the make-up of the team.



Like all the losses before, we got behind early again due to shouty starting pitching. This time, the blame falls on Lance Lynn who just didn't have the command tonight. He missed his spot big time and paid dearly for it as Brandon Belt absolutely destroyed his pitch.

I'll admit, we did make a gallant comeback attempt behind a couple of home runs but as usual, it simply wasn't enough to overcome the Giants onslaught tonight.



I'm not sure how much more I can take of this. I mean, it's one thing to be the Houston Astros and drop 100 games. But to be the St. Louis Cardinals and be under .500 entering June? That's a living on the edge. The Cardinals have a certain pedigree that they have to live up to because of their history.

Things are about ready to blow folks...
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:30 PM   #56
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Re: The Cardinal Way Part 2: Ascension

Mike Matheny's Office
St. Louis, MO.
May 29th, 2014
11:15 PM



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
Another tough loss out there huh Mike?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Matheny
Yeah, Bill we just gotta keep grinding out there. We'll get it figured out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
I'm not sure if I believe you Mike... We gotta big series up here against Kansas City. We lose to Kansas City and we're all toast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Matheny
So what are you saying Bill?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill DeWitt
I'm not saying anything. I'm giving you an ultimatum Mike. You drop this series to Kansas City and your out the door. I don't care how many times you've taken this team to the postseason. I don't care how many world titles you've won... I need results now.
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