The Latest Dose of Material

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Sunday is where all the thoughts from the head fire out in random order and I just let it rip here.  No order, no restriction and all unplugged prose.   Let’s jump right in. 

 
*The Cards have the best record in baseball and are regarded as the strongest club.  That is without 3 members of their rotation, their 2012 closer, and shortstop.  It never gets old to remind the non followers that our team’s pitching depth is something to be reckoned with not just at the moment but for years to come.   We are 40-22 with rookie pitchers accounting for a third of the wins and a former journeyman reliever(Mujica) collecting 19 saves.  We lead the Reds by 3 games after Saturday’s loss, which I will talk about in a minute because it is cutting into my nerves at the moment.   The Cards are getting production from unexpected spots in the lineup.  David Freese is having a resurgence with a 18 game hitting streak.   Matt Carpenter is among the best leadoff men in baseball and playing a new flawless second base.  Mujica and his saves.  The most ridiculous feat the team has pulled off is hitting with runners in scoring position. They are hitting .405 in those situations and are killer when it happens with 2 outs.  This club is breaking through in areas that previous Cardinals teams could not.  They hit into a lot of double plays but get a lot more big hits.  They own the best fielding percentage in baseball and have made the fewest errors at 19.  Just a few of the things that make my team stronger than ever at the moment.  
 
*Saturday’s loss was digestible.  Matt Latos has beat us three times this season, shutting down our bats and being the Cards only route to getting the best of us.  On Saturday he did it again and handed Aromis Chapman a 4-2 lead in the 9th.  Pete Kozma doubled and Chapman hit Matt Carpenter with two outs to bring up Carlos Beltran.  The ideal Cardinal fan said to himself, “here they go again”.   Beltran grounded sharply to third base and a wild throw seemed to pull Joey Votto off the bag at first base.  To the naked eye, the foot was OFF the bag.  Umpire Phil Cozzi called him out.  Cardinal nation called bullshit.  Votto was off the bag, Beltran was safe and the bases should have been loaded for Matt Holliday.  Instead, the Reds won and evened the series.  This just can’t happen.  Let me elaborate.  
 
*Balls and strikes calls are debatable because its pure judgement.  Each team is given their fair share of breaks in a game.  However, a bad call that decides the game just can’t happen.  Something needs to be done to rectify this.  Earlier in the season, a home run wasn’t ruled correctly and a game was turned over.  Last night, The Cards weren’t guaranteed a tie game but deserved the chance to take their best shot.  Cuzzi’s main problem was staring at the throw going into Votto’s glove instead of his foot.  Why didn’t he at least ask the other umpires for their thoughts?  Chris Maloney, Beltran and Mike Matheny all went nuts because they saw the foot was clearly off the bag.   All this means is the umpires get defended for human error and their flawed abilities again.  What needs to happen is an expansion of instant replay.  Something needs to stop this injustice.  It would have taken 10 seconds on a reply television to see the foot was off the bag and play needed to continue.  I don’t particularly like instant replay and all its hassle, but this has to be stopped.  The NFL and NHL incorporate it.  The NBA doesn’t share too much of a need for it.  MLB needs it.  Home run calls are fine but plays at first are getting worse.  Does the name Jim Joyce ring a bell?  His horrible call at first base robbed a pitcher of a perfect game.  Last night the Cards were robbed of the chance to come back.   Bad news for the human element.  It’s not a machine takeover.  It’s common sense and technological expansion.
 
*Who’s ready for the Game of Thrones finale tonight?  After last week’s Red Wedding Stark massacre, who dies this time and how does the wickedly compelling third season draw itself to a close?  Can it all be fit into an hour?  In reality, no way but that’s all HBO dishes out.   I can only hope some Lannister is mistreated, killed, or left in painful regard by a competing rival.  Except for Jaime Lannister, my favorite anti-hero on TV and my personal fave on the show, the rest of that family can be destroyed.  Well, save Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion as well.   Non Thrones fans won’t understand a bit of this nonsense so bare with me.  
 
*The Internship is a dull unfunny film that ranks as another dud in the recent arsenal of Vince Vaughn.  Two old salesmen gunning for jobs at Google isn’t a horrible idea but dealt with in the most cliche boring fashion.   Pass it up.  
 
*Watching Man of Steel on Tuesday and excited for the next reincarnation of Superman.  Superman Returns was a bland take on the character and ultimately forgettable.  The X-Factor this time.  The close involvement of Christopher Nolan, who reinvented the Batman mythology and put his hand on the shoulder of visual wizard filmmaker Zach Snyder here.  With a game cast and a deeper look at the alien turned superhero, a thinking man’s blockbuster is in order.   This film could take over 2013 with its follow through.  
 
*Listening to few covers this week.   Johnny Cash covering U2’s “One” in what must have been a busy last year of life for the man in black.  He seemed to cover every well known song in his later years.   It’s a strong cover.  Cash treats it like a mechanic.  Strips it down for rebuilding and slowly trudges through it for unknown sparks until it’s his own machine.  Also taking in “500 Miles” by a young band called Sleeping at Last.  Here, a fast rock ballad is slowed down to a crawl and for good reason.  The hidden gem lyrics are finally exposed.  Good tune.  Look them up.  
 
*Adonis Stevenson, a light middleweight heavy puncher, collected the most stunning and convincing victories last night.  With one punch in the first round, he knocked out champ Chad Dawson and won a title.   That is still the most brutal and blunt win in sports.  A one punch KO.  Apparently, he put his straight left fist through his head.  Easy to watch.  Not that long.  Check it out on ESPN.  
 
*Tonight my fellow film-addicts are shooting a video for the site that will hopefully play in front of a handful of theaters in St. Louis.   This could be a big batch of exposure for our young yet strong site.  Videos are so easy to watch and enjoy that the attention is easy to hook.   It’s a 15 second dose so hopefully it comes out complete and fun to watch.  A first for me.  
 
*Twitter gets better and better.  If you use it, you love it.  If you don’t, you loathe it.  For others it just exists.  It’s a lot more than simply posting what you’re doing.  It’s the new form of journalism where you can get on, pound out a thought in 140 characters and connect with people you never met.  I find it to be incredibly invigorating.  Facebook is fine but dying slowly by the day.   Twitter is more private, precise and hands on.   I have connected with actors, sports fans, long lost family and even fellow Buffa’s that I have no relation to but tracked down anyway.  It’s a fun area to play with.  
 
*Manny Pacquiao needs to brutally defeat Brandon Rios in October and avenge his loss to Juan Marquez in order to have any shot at Floyd Mayweather Jr. or in a more simpler case, full redemption.   The loss to Tim Bradley was unjust but set up Pac Man’s one punch loss to Marquez.   The Filipino puncher needs to collect a couple wins before he is considered dangerous again.  
 
*Canelo may not beat Floyd in September, but he will hit him and hurt him.  Bet on that.  Alvarez isn’t just a puncher anymore.  In his win over Austin Trout, he proved that he could box as well.  
 
*All politicians are full of shit and lies, but I think Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, is trying to clean up a violent city and doing his best.  He is cutthroat and brutal in some aspects, but is sincerely trying to change things.  It’s never easy.  Hence the bullshit and lying. 
 
*Here’s a quick response to my main correspondence adviser “Chicago Mang” about the Cardinals surge that perfectly sums up their flight. 
**That’s the greatest thing about the Cards and something I expand on in my blog(being composed right now).   The team is doing this without Carp, Garcia, Motte, Furcal and Westbrook.   A batch of young talent is carrying this team through an important part of the season and I believe Chris Carpenter will be that X-Factor in July.  He will be able to pitch the 7th, start a game of even close.  The most important thing is seeing how far Carp Jr. and Mujica can run.  Their contributions so far are ridiculous.  A pure bred lead off hitter with some pop and a step in closer who is perfect so far.   The games the team have lost lately are close battles.   Take last night.  Chapman was having troubles and with one swing Holliday ties the game or gives us the lead.  The Boggs demolition marathon game was ours to take.  
 
The gap will be expanded with our inner division record which is strong.  We have taken care of the Reds and Pirates head to head.  I also want a dominant end but will be content following this team week by week.  I would love to see a 20 games + over .500 finish.   You don’t have to pull the starters in August when 2/5 of your current slate are on the mend in Carp and Westbrook.   Lyons and Wacha are providing valuable balance right now and even Siegrist and Maness are proving to be difference makers.   Proof that we don’t need broken arms like Boggs, Salas, Rzep in the coming years.  The next 5-10 years of this Cardinals team is full of bright young talent that is contributing already at the MLB level.  Taveras and Wong aren’t even here yet.”
 
We could be witnessing something profound, folks.  
 
*Mad Men isn’t as showy or flashy with the blood as Thrones or other shows but there’s a quiet intoxicating factor that hooks me to that program.   1960’s dreamer ad salesmen with a death wish and an urge to be blunt about everything.   Jon Hamm and John Slattery are superb but the rest of the cast is also top rate.  Matthew Weiner is spinning a tale that will have a compelling and complete resolution.   Trust me.  
 
I can’t think of anything else worthy to add and time is running out before my evening kicks in.  Thanks for reading and feel free to tell me I suck, need to discuss a certain topic or just plain go away.  The last one I can promise won’t happen but the next dose may bring a bigger bang.  Until then…
 
Goodnight and good luck,
 
D. Buffa

Game of Thrones and The Red Wedding

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Oh boy how do I start this one off.  This is for Game of Thrones fanatics, watchers, purists and enthusiasts.  Sunday’s episode featured the most brutal sequence on television in a long time and maybe forever.  This is worse than Noah Wyle and the intern getting stabbed by the patient in ER.  This is worse than Ned Stark losing his head.  It was far worse than anything on Sopranos or The Wire.   Game of Thrones and its creators, original novel writer and actors pulled off a wicked finish to the second to last episode of the third season.  Let me step back a little.

Two months ago I wasn’t even watching the show.  I knew about it, heard the wicked claims and didn’t find time to watch it.  I don’t have time to sit down and read all the books and what fun would that be in following it up by watching the series on TV.   Book readers are a crowd that I respect and admire.  They find time to do that and I just can’t.  I love to write and adore my television.  Suddenly sometime near the end of March, I dove into season 1 and didn’t reappear to normal living conditions until I was 3 episodes into season 3.  You stop your normal evening schedule when you load up on a TV series.  You forget to do certain things, like shower, eat properly or tend to your young son.   You might as well grab a sword, a stick, a horse and ride to Westeros.  I got engulfed in this series and loved every bit.  There are stories I care less about but the general scheme is magnificent and hugely addicting.  There is a tasty complexity to the show that other series’ fail to bring to the table.  All the kingdoms fighting for supremacy in a cutthroat time is cool to watch and the nudity, blood and excess add to the pleasure.  Back to Sunday night.

I am a Twitter bitch and Facebook wanderer.  I knew something was coming.  When Banshee’s lovely leading lady Ivana Milicevic tweets, “OH. MY. GOD” with the hashtag #GOT, something has got to be cooking.   I knew a wallop was hitting the crowd who hadn’t read the story where SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER The Stark family is slaughtered at a wedding held by the Frey Kingdom.  Robb Stark(wonderfully understated actor Richard Maddon) and the woman of the house Catelyn(Michelle Fairley) are sliced up and in the process, Robb’s wife, Talisa, is stabbed in the stomach a few times(5 to be exact).   The only catch is Talisa is pregnant and stabbed several times.  This part isn’t in the book and is instead cooked up by David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the showrunners.  In the books, Talisa doesn’t exist and Robb’s wife isn’t pregnant and stays at home.   In a way, this feverish ambush by King Frey, an old pervert who flirted creepily with Talisa scenes before ordering her demise.  The entire scene was just brutal, bloody, and appetite quenching.  The entire hour you could smell it coming.   Book lovers knew it was coming.   Non Book show addicts could smell it, just like I did.   Once Talisa was telling Robb about naming the unborn child Eddark, you heard a match get lit in the room and the fire started.  The bride and groom were carried off and the door was shut and then the music started. The Lannister music.  “Rains of Castamere”(probably not spelled right but suck it faithful souls) filled the room(with Coldplay’s Will Champion holding the drum).   Catelyn knew the jig was up and when she saw the chainmail under Rouse’s clothing, she tried to stop it.  What was she going to do?  The Stark’s were dead in the water.  Sitting ducks.   They were the gambler way in over his head at the tables at 1am with the real players looking at him with pity.   It was sad.  Robb looked like a serious threat to bring down the Lannisters and then he pulls a fast one on the Freys and pays DEARLY for it.  Not only is his entire army killed and his own life is ended and the life of his mother is stopped, but his pregnant lovely wife is stabbed maliciously.

The toughest moment was Robb crawling up to the dying body of his bride, grabbing the severely bleeding stomach and looking broken.  Once he watched her soul depart, I don’t think he cared one bit about his fate.  His mother tried to reason with the Frey elder, but to no avail.    The turncoat Rouse walked up, grabbed Stark, whispered a greeting from the Lannisters and stuck a knife in his heart.   Catelyn sliced open the neck of the youngest bride of the Frey Elder before her own throat was cut.  End of story.   Poor young Arya, riding with the Hound to the wedding in hopes of being reunited with her Stark family for the first time since her dad’s head was cut off, is knocked out by her unlikely protector and carried away.  A horrible ending for the Stark family for what seems like the duration of the show.

When will this family catch a break?  It reminds you of George Martin’s writing and his ability to go against the grain of natural storytelling.   I thought Robb was going to sack the kingdom of Tyrin Lannister and take over and avenge his father’s death.  Instead, he is dead and so is his army and mother.  The Stark’s jhopes rest in children and the bastard son, Jon Snow.  I believe they will be quiet for a while.

This sets up the finale quite well but I have a hard time seeing the last episode top the Red Wedding.   No way.  How much more brutal can you get?  They could have shown the penis being cut off in the previous hour and I wouldn’t rate it higher than seeing a pregnant woman stabbed repeatedly.   That, I believe, was the show runners pushing the brutal pedal forward into our digestive system and making sure we remembered this episode all week and possibly all year.  Whenever Game of Thrones is mentioned, the Red Wedding will come to mind.  Without the relentless murder of Talisa, the impact isn’t as severe.

The intent of Frey was as direct as a blade itself.  Take away everything Robb Stark has and will ever have after his demise.  No son(or daughter). No wife.  No parents.  No Rule. No kingdom.  Goodnight Stark Avenger(not named Tony).  If you see a Stark this week, buy them a drink or two and tell them its okay.  You may be lying but at least you won’t be carrying a knife or wearing chainmail.

Season 4 can’t be talked about until the season concludes next week.  I may write something then or I may not.   Only certain times do I feel the need to unload a TV solo blog.   My favorite character is still Jaime Lannister because his history is so juicy and complex and his character arc is so interesting to watch and prepare for.   His hand getting chopped off is the next thing on the shock list of Season 3.  From that point on, the Kingslayer changed in more ways than one.

Take this as you will.   It’s a dose of mental extraction from a guy who had the Thrones on the mind all day.   Just a brutally brilliant episode.

That’s it.  Thanks for reading and goodnight.

-DB

Time to Rant About The Cardinals

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There’s no better way to start off a Saturday than to let the hands go and fire up a blog.  Unload the noise in the head and simply give your take.  It’s what I do.  Hopefully you approve or at least respect me in the morning.  

 
First thing up to dish on.  STORMS.  What a stressful task to deal with when you have a sleeping 20 month old and a tornado capable storm brewing outside your house.  I am not the guy that runs to the basement every time he hears a watch or warning.  The best radar I have are my own two eyes.   I go outside and take a look while checking the news channels.  I just can’t run downstairs and do some laundry and wait.  I have a kid, two dogs, and two cats.   After putting Vinny to bed, the storm wanted to mess with my part of town.  After a few looks outside and several sirens, I looked at the sky and it was whipping dangerously sharp winds, turning red and starting to point a dirty finger towards my street.  So I scooped up the kid around 8pm and went downstairs for an hour.  What a load of crap?  Unless you live in Oklahoma, the chances of you getting rocked is small.  Joplin got hit hard last year but most of the time, my area gets rain, winds, some hail and a lot of worrying.  Pisses me off…every time.  This is why I’ll take snow or sleet over tornadoes.  One can be defensed easily and one will just take you away no matter what.  That’s life.  It’s not all fun and games.  
 
Busch Stadium and the Cards cancelled the game before the storms hit and fans went home.  Good thing for safety but a bad thing for the die hards wishing to wash the nasty taste of Thursday’s brutal defeat from their mouth.   It was so bad and so wrong for a team that was playing the best baseball in MLB the past two weeks.  The Cards are 35-18 as they open action today with the Giants in a doubleheader.   What happened Thursday night?  Let me spin it for you quick because a lot of good things happened and some very bad things happened.  Let’s review.  
 
1.  Why did the Cards lose 4-2 after leading 2-1 going into the 9th inning?   Well, Mike Matheny completely screwed up the inning by putting the world’s least likely to exceed with a close lead late in the game pitcher on the mound.  That’s Mitchell Boggs, who currently calls Memphis his home again.   With Edward Mujica having worked four days in a row(I’m fine with him sitting) and Trevor Rosenthal having thrown 42 pitches in 2 outings on Sunday and Tuesday(less okay with that one), the bullpen was sparse for closing talent.  Enter Boggs, as petrified and scared as a man fighting Bane in a dark alley.  Boggs didn’t deserve to be promoted from Memphis 2 weeks ago because he sported a 5.32 ERA in his few outings down there.  He came up and pitched in San Diego and gave up a 2nd pitch home run to Will Venerable.  He had consistently been bad in close and tight games since his return and well since the beginning of the 2013 season.   Matheny calls on his long lost son Boggs to close a 2-1 game that belonged to rookie starter Michael Wacha, who exceeded the hype on Thursday and pitched a dominant brilliant precise 7 innings and left with a lead.  When you see Boggs warming in the pen breathing heavy and looking distressed(he didn’t just watch the LOST finale, trust me), Wacha should have known.  He saw Boggs in AAA earlier this month.  Ouch!  Boggs comes into the game to face Jeff Francoeur, who would swing at a pitch if you threw it into the Cards dugout.  Boggs throws a fastball in and Jeff lines it down the left field line foul.  Boggs got away with one.  The next pitch drops right in the middle of the plate and Francoeur launches it into the damp, rainy and muggy night for a game tying two run homer.   Boggs walks another batter, and then Victor Marte comes in and allows a go ahead two run single after a hit batter and single.  In about 10 minutes, the game was turned over to the worst relievers in the bullpen because Matheny thought this was the best way to manage a 2-1 lead.   You are 18 games over .500 and you give one to a pathetic Royals team. Bad move Mike.  
 
Where does the problem lie?  Right with Mike Matheny.  I really like Matheny as a manager.  He is tough, loyal to his players and shoots the media straight every night.  As I said in the winter of 2011, he was the right choice for this team after Tony La Russa left.  The players love playing for him and he has gotten results.  However, he has a weakness that extends to his loyalty with his players.  He sticks with damaged goods way too long and the biggest case is Boggs.  In April during his struggles Matheny continued to push him out there.   What started as brave and noble turned into risky and dangerous.  When he came back from Memphis, Boggs looked more like Elvis but still couldn’t get outs.  He was the absolute wrong choice for the 9th inning on Thursday because there was no precedent this season that gave two cents to the fact that his ability was right for that night.  Mike Matheny has shown a newly developed dangerous allegiance to wounded players.   He kept putting Fernando Salas into high leverage situations when it wasn’t working.  He did it with Boggs far too many times.   
 
Matheny does this because he knows he is partially responsible for breaking the mental wall of Boggs.  I’ve said it 3,000 times but how about one more time.   Why pull Mitchell Boggs from an area where he clearly thrived in during 2012 to put him in an unknown suspect arena that is known as closing?  It was a bad move from the start and yes Boggs didn’t pitch well and made the pitches that gave way to danger.  Any time a pitcher steps on the mound they may be told to leave sooner rather than later.  However, this could have been avoided if Matheny kept Boggs in the setup role from the start and especially if he didn’t force him back into high leverage appearances so soon.   Boggs showed no improvement in close games in order to be counted on Thursday night.  NO WAY.  Chris Duncan can talk all he wants about what he did last year on The Turn on 101.1 ESPN on Friday and I will laugh at him and hit him a pop fly to prove my point. Mitchell Boggs is a liability and may always be one for this team.   Matheny broke his psyche by placing him in an area where he couldn’t succeed and doing it multiple times.  The team should have waived or released Boggs on Friday but they demoted him again in hopes of the young man reclaiming his previous form.  Unless you build a new stadium, find new fans and relinquish the pressure from his shoulders, that will never happen.  The Cards have too many young capable arms to give innings to damaged goods like Boggs.  Things happen quick in this league.  Players are up and then far down.  It’s life.  It’s tough.  Deal with it.  Move on.  Hopefully Mike Matheny learned a lesson.  Loyalty should never be crossed with insanity.   
 
Bright spots.  Wacha pitched great and should get another turn.   Tell Jake Westbrook to keep throwing bullpen sessions.   Michael Wacha and Tyler Lyons are turning in serious work.  A year removed from throwing baseballs at aluminum bats, Wacha dazzled our senses on Thursday.   93 pitches, 1 run, 2 hits, 6 K’s and 1 walk.   Lights out pitching.  His fastball routinely touched 95 and his changeup was as good as advertised.   Yadi Molina continues to sting the ball and is hitting over .340 and exists as a batting title and MVP threat.  If the league wanted to seriously identify the most valuable player on a Cards team, it would be Molina.  He means so much to the pitching staff and his defense changes another team’s game plan.  He does so much before he even picks up a bat and hits .340 through a third of the season.   There is a good reason why the young pitchers come up here and do so well.  They listen to Yadi and make pitches.   David Freese has found his bat and his clutch hitting touch.  He is driving the ball all over the field and getting timely hits again.  It was only a matter of time before the hometown kid got it going.  Allen Craig has only 4 HR but is ripping the cover off the ball, driving in runners and hitting for a high average.   The 4-5-6 spots in the order are downright deadly.  
 
Reasons why the Cards are 35-18.
1.)The rotation is the best in baseball and that’s with an ever changing cast.  Lance Lynn is holding up well, Waino is aces and Shelby Miller doesn’t give up that many runs.  
2.)The bats hit well with 2 outs and RISP.   The trend hasn’t died yet.
3.)Edward Mujica is 17-17 in saves.  Amazing.   Still puzzled by the Zach Cox trade?  No.
4.)Matheny trusts his players and that’s(mostly) a good thing.  
5.)Our inner division record is fantastic and that will help in a tight race.  The Reds aren’t going anywhere.  
 
There are more reasons but not enough time to list every one of them.  I will say this.  The Cardinals have the best problems right now.  Who should we play here?  Who pitches?  What if this guy gets healthy?  They have an insane amount of depth at the moment and it’s glorious.  If Westbrook and Carpenter come back, you have 7 credible worthy arms to play with in the rotation.  If Kolten Wong and Oscar Taveras really heat up, you have to find a spot for them.  Matt Adams is your power stroke off the bench.  This team has the best farm system in the major’s but also the best translation rate of minor league to major league results.  It’s a fresh issue to see in Cardinal Nation and makes the future bright.  When Westbrook, Carp, Furcal, Beltran and others fall off the payroll in 2013, you don’t have to rush out and sign big names, hand out cash and hope to remain competitive.  The Cards have all the talent in their own house.  
 
Thursday’s loss stung because there was a very clear reason why the ball was dropped.  I get resting young pitchers and closer’s with over 100 games to go in the season but not doing it at the risk of losing a winnable baseball game.  
 
End of story.  Thanks for reading.  
 
-Buffa

 

Open Fire Session

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It’s time to let the hands go and unleash the greatest blog in the history of cyber net writers.  Well, not really.  Just a collection of words from a guy whose only tool is blunt truth.  Here we go with no Pitbull included.  I have been dealing single subject blogs for a few weeks but this one is all over the place.  Special and intact.  Starting with my Redbird Stress Burners….

 
Cards Talk Central-10 Things About My Team
 
*Say what you want about John Mozelaik’s scarf collection but the man knows how to brew up some young pitching.  11 of the Cards 31 wins this season have come from the rookie arms on our staff.  Tyler Lyons came up from Memphis(where Tiger Blood is being served daily) and flung seven solid innings on the road in San Diego.  John Gast won two starts before coming out of tonight’s game with a sore shoulder.  Seth Maness has been putting out fires in the 6th and 7th innings before getting tagged tonight.  Carlos Martinez is striking everybody out.  Mo took over as GM in 2007 and promised this team would build from within.  While the LA Dodgers place manager Don Mattingley on a pressurized timebomb in LA with a 211 million dollar payroll, the Cards stroll along with the leagues best record at 31-17 and behind a 110 million dollar staff.  Let’s take a closer look at that 110 million budget.
 
*The team lost Rafael Furcal to Tommy John surgery in February, so that’s 7 million being picked up by the insurance.  Jason Motte went down with Tommy John Surgery earlier this month, so that’s another 2.5 million.  Chris Carpenter had a dead arm until last month, so we will see how much of the 10 million he earns.  Jaime Garcia pitched solid for a month and a half before going down for season ending shoulder surgery so there is 7 more million added to the heap.  Jake Westbrook has hit a brick wall twice on his return from elbow inflammation, so his 9 million is hanging in the air.  Add it all up and right now we have 35 million in salary hanging around the 60 day DL or the full season bench list.  Tonight, Gast left after six hitters with shoulder tightness so expect ANOTHER move to happen in the next few days.  
 
*This team can only resist the Michael Wacha urge for so long.  I have heard the defense moves by the local scribes.  Starting his free agent clock.  Bringing him up to stay.  Yeah, I get all of that but right now you are burning pitchers like dollar bills at a strip club so its time to pull the trigger and bring the Wachanator up here.  Quick nickname drop there, take it or leave it.  He can’t be any worse than Garcia after a missed call or a error behind him.  He’s blowing hitters away in Memphis and my rule is when he doesn’t have much to prove down there and there is a need here bring him up.  Judging by the first two months, the rookies in this farm system know how to pitch up here so make the move Mo so we can keep singing your praises amid your Machiato intake at Starbucks.  
 
*Carlos Beltran is raking and aiming for another big season.   Oscar Taveras is hitting decent down in Memphis so this brings up the future look at the outfield situation in 2014.   If Beltran rides out an even better season than last year, do you try to pull him back on a 1 year deal and keep Oscar in developmental phase or move Jon Jay to a 4th outfielder and ditch Shane Robinson once and for all?  Juicy question that is premature so pardon me a glance here into the looking glass.  Beltran tired out last year in the final months before revving it up in October.  He is a force when cranking. Oscar is the best prospect in baseball but you never know when MLB action takes over.  This all hinges on Beltran taking a one year deal here in 2014 because he could cash in on a 2-3 year deal as a DH in the American League.  Just putting it out there that I would support keeping Beltran here another season if he wants to, especially since we are breaking off the Westbrook and Furcal contracts after the year ends.  
 
*Expect Kolten Wong to make an appearance at Busch before August.  The kid is lighting up Memphis pitching and getting on base a ton.  Matt Carpenter is playing solid at second and David Freese is coming alive with his bat with DD on the bench but Wong will present the team with uncomfortable yet good questions in the coming months.  The job is his in 2014 but he may be here sooner.
 
*Chris Carpenter could be facing hitters this week and going to Memphis in 2 weeks.  This is an amazing story that only gets better with each positive report.  Three months ago he was done for good and now he is pumping 85 pitches per session and looking better every time.  With the starting pitcher troubles, Carp’s 9th comeback from the pitching reaper could be perfect timing.  If all goes well, he fills Garcia’s spot.  One last hurrah would be good no matter how the ending plays out.  I want some more Carp!
 
*Ty Wiggington came to the plate tonight as our final hope.  I would have preferred a gun and a shot of whiskey over that fat over the hill turd who is hitting .170.  He is 2 million dollars of wasted space.  Make Shane look like gold.  He is officially Roger Dorn in Major League 2.
 
*Daniel Descalso does a good job as a utility player and I support Bernie’s fine words on him in his Friday blog.  A lot of fans shit on him because of his .220 average when they forget he is officially a backup with Carp Jr. at second and Freese a mainstay at third.   DD had a couple huge hits in SD, plays great defense and is a very good team player.  He is Skip with more grease and a real beard.  However, if Wong keeps heating up, the uncomfortable decision making may lead Mike Matheny and his staff to look at Descalso’s name.  
 
*By the way, Matheny is doing a great job in his 2nd year.  Tip a cap friends.  He has been through the ringer his first two years, taking over the job from a legend after the team wins a World Series and loses its biggest star while suffering major injuries.  Matheny almost took us to to the World Series in 2012 and is holding strong with another dish of injury fated misery in 2013.  There’s something to be said here for a guy who got a lot of bad press after being given the Cards skipper job without any experience.  So far, with the expected hiccups and bad decision making here and there, he is doing a damn fine job.
 
*Tonight’s game was a rough loss but digestible for a few reasons.  When you lose your starting pitcher after 3 outs are recorded, your chances of winning go down the tubes.  Gast left, and the ill prepared Joe Kelly managed to fire off 4 innings and allow only a single run.  Adrian Gonzalez had 3 big hits, Nick Punto helped beat his old team and Matheny sent out his biggest mistake as a manager, Mitchell Boggs to the mound in a one run game.  Just enough madness to spare.  Boggs coming into a close game is like pouring gasoline on a burning building.  It’s bad news.  Matheny continues to cling to this broken pitcher.  MM took a quality setup man in Boggs, pushed him into an ill advised spot as the closer and the young pitcher snapped.  I don’t think Boggs will ever be right again.  He is trade bait this July if any takers grows a pair of balls.  The Expendables right now are Wiggington, Rzep(roughed up in Memphis), Boggs, Salas and DD.  
 
That’s all for now.  On to other things of relatively lower importance.
 
*Hint Time-Stop calling the Cardinals’ fans the best in baseball.  It just brings on unneeded wrath.   No team has the best fans.  It’s a bullshit moniker to throw on a franchise.  We are as bitchy and second guess vengeful as any other team’s supporters.  We are lucky to have a team that competes every season.   Take LA for example.  3/4 of those fans don’t even know who is playing third base as their ownership attempts to buy a World Series.  Nice try Magic.  Just because we cheer hard doesn’t make us the best.  
 
*The Blues can take a look at the Boston Bruins as an example of talented players coming together in a nucleus of gritty winning style for future reference on what it takes to win.   Instead of relying on their own tendencies and playing a singular game of hockey on the ice, the Bruins players bypass ego craters and display a selflessness that can’t be taught.  There are no true stars on the Bruins or at least there isn’t an Ovechkin or Crosby.  However they knocked off the Rangers in 5 games today to advance to the Conference finals where they will take on the Penguins.  My bet is they get by them in 7 hard fought games or die trying because they go hard for 60 minutes and their goaltender doesn’t choke in big spots.  When will the Blues take a look in the mirror and realize their young nucleus of overrated young players(Oshie, Berglund, Perron) won’t win them a Cup?  Hopefully soon, guys, I am graying up a little in the beard.
 
*Mad Men had its best episode of the season on Sunday when the entire staff got drugged up with adrenaline from a special doctor and was up all night writing ads for Chevy.   There isn’t a better sight than watching Jon Hamm running mad around the office on no sleep ranting about ideas with a gallon of scotch in him and the ripping desire to cheat on his wife going through his head.  There are mad souls on this show who do very bad things but they are so addicting to watch we respect them anyway.  Writer and creator Matthew Weiner let it go in this hour.
 
*Game of Thrones is having a solid third season.  It’s too hard to explain the latest developments in this ever growing plot so I will only say that I am moving from Team Stark to Team Lannister slowly but surely.   Look, the Starks are the noble warrior family that does everything so clean and right that rooting for the bad bunch of Lannisters is more energetic and fun.  Take Jaime Lannister for example.  He is known as a swordsman who stabbed a king in the back and fucks his sister and has fathered all her children.  However, this third season has shined a light on his story and while he is far from perfect, he isn’t an evil man and has layers.  The Lannister’s King is ruthless and played by Charles Dance and Peter Dinklage is amazing as Tyrion, the bastard child.  I am taken aback by the actors in the roles so give me that little small bit of leverage there.  There are the fans who adore the books and I haven’t read a single page of them.  This show is another addiction.
 
*The new show I am looking forward to the most is Showtime’s Ray Donovan.   First, it stars the undeniably talented and underrated Liev Schreiber(featured in Film-Addict’s Character Actor Spotlight today) and he is most deserving of a leading role.  Second, the supporting cast is strong and Jon Voight is a member of it.  No one plays a estranged, sinful shitty father better than Voight.  Third, the plot is gritty and simple.  Schreiber’s Donovan is a Hollywood fixer whose life is turned upside down when his long time grudge holding father is released from jail.  With his life already diced in small chunks of misery, his father’s arrival just increases the flames.  Think of a tornado ripping through a family and you have Ray’s predicament.  It all makes for great drama and it will play after Dexter’s 8th and final season this summer.  This show looks like a keeper.  Here’s a sneak peek.
The song in the trailer is played by Dead Man’s Bones, led by none other than the supremely talented actor Ryan Gosling.  Apparently, in 2009, he started a band with one other guy and produced an album.  The song is called “Lose Your Soul”.  It’s pretty good.  Add him to the club of celebrities who think they can sing and are actually halfway right in their thinking.
 
*Every day my son gets bigger, smarter and more ambitious. I look at him and see so much of me.  I just hope he does better than me.  That’s always the hope for a father.  You look at your kid and want him to achieve more.  Granted, I still have a lot of life left and a couple avenues of opportunity to hit it big if I am smart and lucky(Film-Addict, my writing) but Vinny has to be greater.  I won’t place the weight of the world on his shoulders but I will tell him there is a difference between having to work until you are 70 and being able to to retire when you are 50.  I hope he does great.  He is my prodigy.
 
Transitioning here into even more random areas as I crack open my second Bud Select.  
 
*Carl Froch and Mikael Kessler beat the shit out of each other on HBO Boxing today and Froch won a well deserved decision.  It was 12 rounds of war and deserves a look from any real boxing fan.  The sport is far from dead and these guys are another reminder of it.  They got into the ring with the intent to do damage and provided some entertainment.  If you have HBO, watch it. If not, just imagine a Brit beating the shit out of a brawler from Denmark in Nottingham and both leaving with cuts and bruises.  Solid hand to hand combat.
 
*Fast & Furious 6 is exactly what a summer film should be.  Loud, exciting, non stop action and full of eye candy.  It’s not high art.  Just good old fashioned fun and boy does this film deliver.  Vin Diesel and The Rock were put on this earth to kick ass and look good doing it.  There’s a teaser in the credits for Part 7 and let’s just say another one of my action heroes will be playing the bad guy in the next installment.  
 
*The Hangover 3 is a mistake and plays like a direct to DVD retread.   Todd Phillips listened to his fans and shuffled the deck too much and forgot to sprinkle in the sharp edged comedy that I am used to in a Hangover movie.  I liked Part 2 because I expected it to be the same exact story only set in Bangkok.  This addition feels forced and plays like a bland showcasing for moneymaking. Skip it.
 
*Rent Jack Reacher, Silver Linings Playbook or Broken City.  Two of them are solid and one is an absolute gem.
 
*Running into Know It All Car people is bad news for me.  I know very little about cars except for engines and transmissions are the heart and soul while the tires make it a smooth trip and the more horses the faster your car will gallop.  Just got told that Mustangs and Chargers kind of suck tonight it came from a kid who was working at Starbucks so I basically wrote it off.  How many engineers work with foam all night?  I pleaded the fifth, grabbed my 4 shot Americano and went home.  
 
*The Rams aren’t going to LA but they may get a new stadium in St. Louis if their owner decides to help the city build it.  Stan Kroneke needs to show interest for the project to get done.  Also, after seeing the packed house of Busch Stadium for a soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City, the incorporation of an MLS team into that new stadium for the Rams could help a lot.  STL has a strong following of soccer fans that filled up our baseball cathedral on Thursday and even had this relatively casual and barely intense soccer fan watching from start to finish.  I would be in support of a soccer team coming to St. Louis and see an open stadium being built in Earth City sometime in the next 5 years.  
 
*A treadmill and punching bag in my basement could keep me from beating up several drivers and other people I come into close contact with.   Cardio and fitness help save lives everyday.  Caffeine as well.
 
*Every job has its issues and bright spots.   My job at Bommarito Wines in Brentwood has its usual warehouse malfunctions but for the most part is a decent gig.  The atmosphere is loose, the women in the office are nagging yet non threatening and I get to wear headphones and fill my head with tunes and movies all day while I pick orders.  I didn’t envision doing this when I was 16 but it will do for now while Film-Addict grows.  
 
Speaking of my growing site, there are things coming up.  In the middle of June, we shoot a 15 second video that will play in four theaters in St. Louis.  Galleria, Chase, Moolah and The new MX Theaters downtown.  Second, we are bringing in local advertisers to the site.  Third, we are gaining access to stars and directors for interviews.   It’s a lot of work but a passion project that may hit big one day.  Joblo was started by a kid in his mother’s basement and now generates 2 million per year.  That site and other sites hit big right around the time that internet was beginning to explode so we are behind the ball a little but I believe with the right exposure and willing investor, our big moment is right around the corner.  We have been around for 1 year now so progress is being made.  Check out the site and get your fill of movie news.
 
That’s all I got tonight.   Have a good holiday.  Tomorrow, Shelby Miller takes on Clayton Kershaw in LA and it will be a pitching showcase for the ages.   In my opinion, Miller will have a better career than Steven Strasburg because he has great stuff and an ability to shut down teams.  We will have to wait and see.  
 
Goodnight and good luck,
 
Buffa
 

Redbird Torture Chamber Notes

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Being a Cardinals fan is like being a fan of Evel Knievel.   Every time they go to work, something bad could happen.   A chaotic horse race.  A traffic jam on a broken highway.  Loud noises in a grocery store.  Baseball will snap your heart 10 ways from Sunday and there’s no stopping it.  The season is so damn long you wonder how your body and mind adapt and survive every year.  This is why I admire and respect the casual fans.  They watch, put one foot into the door and escape before devotion and addiction settle in.  Believe me, if you can do it, I am all for it. The problem is when I was 5 years old I was hooked and haven’t let go since.  Baseball owns me.  I own myself partially.  Life goes on.   

 
Let’s talk about a few things and I will try not to bore you, waste your time or lose your attention to the point of you playing a cellphone game while you read this latest dose.  
 
Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook Hit The DL
 
It was announced an hour ago that Tyler Lyons would take Garcia’s spot in SD this week.   An unfortunate development in Cardinal nation that compounds when you add it to the loss of Jake Westbrook(elbow inflammation) last week.   The St. Louis Cardinals attract doom like Oklahoma lures in tornadoes and this latest storm may rock the pitching surplus filled ocean shores of Busch Stadium.  The Cardinals  will have to go back into the vault to fill a spot and Lyons doesn’t intrigue me.  He has a 4.30 ERA over 2 seasons at Memphis and is a lefty who doesn’t throw too hard.   He doesn’t walk a lot of guys but what does he bring with him?  Questionable intrigue.   Let’s back up and complain about the Garcia injury before I forget because this is classic Cards medical staff foolery.  
 
*Last year around this time, Garcia went down with a shoulder strain.   It was later discovered that he had a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.  Rest was prescribed.   He didn’t return until September.   After starting against the Nationals in Game 2 of the NLCS and sucking, Garcia gave in once again and left the series and playoffs with the same injury.  He saw a number of specialists in the offseason, including the increasingly popular Dr. Andrews.  Out of four surgeons, Andrews was the only one to tell him rest could heal the torn piece in his shoulder.  More rest.  Rest hasn’t done this team good the past 6 months.  Let’s review.
 
*Rafael Furcal hurt his elbow in August last year.  The doctors found a torn ligament in his elbow in the offseason but no surgery was required or so the experts told us.  Rest was prescribed all the way up until spring training in February when Furcal hit another wall and Tommy John Surgery was authorized and the shortstop’s season was lost.  
*Jason Motte felt a pop in his elbow in March and was prescribed REST.  When it was found that he had a partially torn ligament in his elbow, the same condition as Furcal, he was still prescribed rest and given a shot of cortisone. Weeks later, he tried to make a last ditch attempt to return by playing catch from 60 feet before the arm said something like this, “HEY JASON, GUESS WHAT, I’M TORN AND NEED REPAIR, SOFT TOSS WON’T HELP HERE, THANKS…YOUR ELBOW”.  
 
Jaime Garcia is a talented young pitcher.  When right, he can dominate and his record in 2013 backs that up.   5-2 record with a couple wins taken away by a man called Boggs who coincidentally replaces him on the roster this weekend.   The young lefty has a 4 year deal that is in progress that pays him 7 million per season.   With shoulder surgery on the horizon, I just ask one thing.  Could this have been done last November?  When it flared up again, why was rest given AGAIN?  Post Dispatch writer Derrick Goold told me that teams and players never want to rush to surgery.  I understand that but also push this forward.  What if there are no other viable options and you are hurting your team’s chances this year and next by delaying the inevitable?  Motte resting and making the one pitiful effort may cost him next April as well.   Garcia could be gone for the rest of the season.  Was rest the best option and when did players become doctors? They are hired to pitch and not have the final say on their health right?  If my back was preventing me from doing a good job at my warehouse gig but I told my bosses(who have a business to run) that I could work through it, I would hope they would stop me and tell me to rest up and heal properly or get a procedure done so 100% Buffa returns sooner.  It’s just logic.  I understand when the paid writers have to think about the team they are covering when breaking this issue down.  I just fire off what I think and know from a team that I have followed, studied and loved for 26 years.
 
Thunderstorms strike this team in doubles often.  As Garcia goes down, Westbrook hit a setback in his recovery and needed another shot of cortisone(that magical serum currently on back order at Busch Stadium) and will miss another start.  Who knows when the fire in his elbow will go out and he can resume throwing?  John Gast will get a 2nd start today after pitching decently against the Mets on Tuesday.   Lyons starts in San Diego this week and may just be a temporary fix until Seth Maness and/or Carlos Martinez can get prepped for starting duty.  I would prefer Maness and Martinez stay in their current roles because the bullpen has benefited from their precise abilities.  The depth in this organization’s pitching arsenal will be tested all season and this is the biggest strike.  Don’t forget about a guy named Chris Carpenter who is rehabbing as we speak.  Sports Illustrated just visited the team this past week to do a feature on their stellar rotation.  Is this the SI curse in full force or is that too much?  The cover hasn’t ran yet so maybe it’s not a viable complaint.  At this point, I’m looking for anything.    
 
That’s the biggest news for this team right now.  They are 27-15 and doing very well.   Having a great homestand that is only limited by their ability to not beat lefthanded starters and shoot themselves in the foot.  After losing the final game to Jonathon Niese and the Mets on Thursday, the Cards took Friday’s game 7-6 but blew a 2-0 lead and lost in 10 innings yesterday to the Brewers 6-4.   Joe Kelly made his first appearance in weeks and didn’t look good.  Maybe he needs a trip to Memphis to get reworked as a starter.   He isn’t being used correctly or barely at all here at the moment so why not.   
 
Let’s break down the options for the future of repairing this leaking rotation.
 
  1. Carlos Martinez.  Fire ball tossing mini Pedro Martinez has been with team for 3 weeks and would need to be sent back to Memphis to retool as a starter again.  I like him as the fireman in this bullpen, the strikeout artist who can pitch a full inning.  Leave him be for now unless setbacks occur.
  2. Seth Maness.  He is a strike throwing machine and gets more double plays than Cardinals Care can keep up with but would also need to be sent back to Memphis to retool to be a 5-6 inning arm again.   He is so effective in his role, like Martinez, that I don’t want to move him right now.  Future wise he is a starting prospect.  Right now he is a plumber who fixed a leak in the bullpen first, taking over Edward Mujica’s role when he left for the closer spot.
  3. Joe Kelly.  Once again, he was used in relief yesterday and has been playing more catch with the right fielder between innings than pitching in games.   I am not sure if he bought Mike Matheny a knife for a gift this year or was he simply forgotten.  He needs a Memphis trip to be retooled as a starter so he can help this team in June and onward.
  4. Michael Wacha.  The most intriguing choice was passed over for Lyons even though his next start would fall in turn with Garcia’s missing appearance.   The Cards may not want to start Wacha’s clock too early but I say if the kid has the goods to pitch here, then start the ticker and get him here.  Why waste a start with Lyons when you have Wacha dominating Memphis bats?  He stays in AAA for now.  Excuses to follow in the papers.
  5. Chris Carpenter.  A month away at least but the big guy is progressing with a starter workload in his rehab.   He is throwing close to 100 pitches and getting closer to a rehab assignment in Memphis.  If all goes well there, he will step into either Garcia or Westbrook’s role, especially with the rotation on fire.  John Cast and Tyler Lyons are intriguing young arms but if you have a guy named Carpenter lurking in your corner, you put the gloves on him and send him into combat.   Chris Carpenter at 75% is better than most pitchers at full blast because of his tenacity, intensity and pure volatility on a pitching mound.  Hanley Rameriz still can’t get the shit stain out of his pants from the time Carpenter screamed at him up the first base line at Busch in 2011.  Chris Carpenter is brass balls fury and will make it to Busch sometime in June.  
  6. Tyler Lyons.  I don’t know a thing about this kid and neither does any scribe on twitter yet so we will have to wait and see when he takes the mound in Ron Burgundy Country this week.
  7. John Gast.  If he pitches well over 2-4 starts and Westbrook comes back and Carpenter isn’t ready, you move the young crafty lefthander into Garcia’s spot.  For now, he faces a big task today in taking the rubber game against the Brewers.  
Other Cards Bits-Reading Time, 1 cup of slightly cooled off coffee
  • Anybody else hear the boulder fall off David Freese’s shoulders on Friday when he launched that grand slam to center field in a home run reminiscent of his 2011 World Series bomb from Game 6?  It was one hit but a meaningful one for the native.  He is a good hitter and will bust out of the funk.  Friday’s bomb helped.
  • I like resting Carlos Beltran 2 times a week.  It will keep him fresh and ready to roll in the late season high stakes action.  
  • Edward Mujica’s work is truly remarkable and isn’t getting enough attention, which could be a good thing.  He is 12-12 in save opportunities in the month since taking over in mid April.  He has retired 40 of the 46 hitters he has faced since that time.  He is making it look easy.  He is also a cool dude and a father of a young girl.  Just icing on the cake.  Chief is getting the job done in a big way. If it continues, this will be the most shocking and smooth recovery in the Cards bullpen in years.
  • No one hits a ball harder than Matt Holliday and sports science backs it up.  According to studies, the ball comes off Holliday’s bat at near 100 mph.   The only player who stings the ball harder is Giancarlo Stanton in Miami.   Holliday hits into so many double plays because he hits a missile to the middle infielder on a hop and its an easy turn.  Holliday sprints down the base line every time.  Something to think about to go with Holliday’s effectiveness in 2 out/RISP situations in 2013.
  • The Cards only like to score a lot of runs with 2 outs.  Kind of their thing so far.  I expect this to change.
  • CORRECTION-Joe Kelly has pitched 4 times in the past 6 days.  This guy was wrong.  He still doesn’t have a role and deserves better.  With Gast, Lyons, Maness and Martinez up here, it would be good to send Kelly back down to retool as a starter.  I think he helps the team the most in that role.
That’s it. I am sure I forgot a few things but that is why I always come back to rant a little more.  Non sports notes of the day.  Listen to Alabama Shakes tune “Always Alright” and watch Broken City on DVD/Blu Ray.  Quality picks.
 
Have a good day and thanks for reading,
 
Buffa

St. Louis Blues Wrapup Blog

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Sports teams are made to break our hearts.   Athletic players coming together with one common goal of winning a championship that temporarily puts their hardcore fans on a pedestal.   It’s a freaky concoction of competition, addiction and inner strength.   You could go to any main street and toss a rock at a crowd and hit a person who could deliver a 10 minute uncut rant about sports easily.   It’s a common element of life and one that hits people who don’t even like sports.  The Blues break out hearts so often that we are used to it.  That doesn’t mean the pain goes away or the incoming crash is any weaker.   Every year, playoff built or not, we think to ourselves what it would be like to celebrate up and down 14th and Clark and around the city for the Blues and not the Cardinals.  A myth, pipe dream, and goal shared by old men, ambitious young men and women and kids alike.  What if the Blues won the Stanley Cup?  Typing the sentence involves a necessary pause because in their time here since the late 1960’s, the Blues haven’t won a single Cup.   We are without a championship banner and it sucks.  On Friday, our hopes for one in this lockout shortened season were destroyed.  The Los Angeles Kings came back from a 2-0 series deficit and beat the Blues four straight games to capture the first round and send every Blues fan to the cold hard concrete ground with a thud.  Too bad we all knew it would come, now or later.  The Blues have given us this sickness in our systems.  A feeling of inevitable failure.  What a terrible thing.  Not as horrible as a rash in a sensitive area but one that itches at us in other ways.   Here are my thoughts on the Blues.

*Confession.  I slept through the final period of hockey for the Blues on Friday night.  After a long ass hard week of dual jobs, fatherhood and general running out, I was wasted mentally and physically as I carved out a spot in the corner of the couch for my trunk of a body.  It was 2-1 Kings after a soul draining last second goal in the third period by Dustin Penner that somehow(stretchy thought) eluded Brian Elliot’s body and equipment.   I spat out around 5 strong words of profanity and turned away, waking up around 1am to the final score of my phone and a replay of FSN post game.   The two anchors, a weird guy named Scott and a former player, looked devastated.  It was as if a mortar hit the Arch and brought it down.  That or a man named Jonathan Quick who brought it down for the second season in a row.  Let’s begin.
1.)  That’s right.  The Kings have knocked us out cold twice in a row.  The Blues can’t find a way to win in LA and we can’t beat them in a series.  Last year, they knocked us out cold in four games.  This year, they let us get ahead before sticking the knife in deep enough.  Quick gave up a couple silly goals in Games 1 and 2 before righting himself and the LA ship in route to four straight wins.  The Kings are the new nemesis in the Blues life.  Move over Hawks and Wings.  Preds also.
2.)  Games 3 and 4 defined this series.  The outcome was carved there.  In Game 3, we lost 1-0 but missed several clear open looks at the LA net to tie or take the lead.   One of the biggest factors in the playoffs for the Blues was MISSED SHOTS.  Professionals failing to put the puck on net.  We missed the net 111 times in the 6 games against the Kings, which is as bad throwing 111 gutter balls in a game of bowling.  It’s unacceptable and something that Brian Elliot has nothing to do with.  The forwards especially couldn’t hit the net.   I am talking to you Andy McDonald, Chris Stewart and David Perron.  How fucking hard is it to shoot a puck on net?  Do I need to strap on my skates from high school, take the ice and fire a few wrist shots at the net.  I know it’s the playoffs and the action is quick and relentless but these guys are built for this type of play and they failed.  BIG TIME.  Game 4 we had a 2-0 lead and a chance to step on the Kings throats and we then blew a 3-2 lead in route to a 4-3 loss.   These two games in LA were the back breakers.  We were up 2 games to one and we blew it.  The lead was gone.  Vanquished.  In playoff hockey, it can happen that fast.  In any sport, it can happen that fast.
3.)  Brian Elliot isn’t better than or as good as Quick.  We knew this going in.  So stop throwing all the blame on Elliot for the series loss.  I told you before the series started that we would go as far as Elliot would take us.  As far as his PLAY could take us.  He had an uphill climb with Quick opposing him and for 3 games he was as good or better than the Vezina Cup winner.  Then, reality set in and he started to roll downhill.   I don’t blame Hitch for keeping him in there.  This was Elliot’s team and not the whiny bitchy midget Slovak Halak’s team.  This was his series to lose.  Elliot had a dramatic season.   He took over for an injured Halak less than a month into the season and quickly got rocked to the point of being benched for Jake Allen, who saved us in March.  Then, Elliot reappeared after a 2 week sit and a Peoria assignment to win back the starting gig and he did it in a big way.  He carried the team through April and to the 4th seed when they were barely scoring goals.   Elliot once again played above his ability and overachieved for the second season in a row.  He did give up a few soft goals in the LA series, including the game winner in Game 5 at Scottrade and the game winner in Game 6 in LA.  He just broke down again and met his match in the Kings.  Elliot did a stellar job, especially if you think back to March when most Blues fans(me included) cast him off to the minors.  He came back and like the team, fell short.  When he went down, the Blues overall play went with him.
4.)  What to do with the kid line that is getting more stale by the minute?   TJ Oshie is an injury prone energy player who won’t score more than 20 goals EVER!  He is a talented player with a high ice IQ but he takes games off and can’t stay on the ice.  He has a 5 year deal so it will be hard to move him but if you listen to many analysts, he is the freshest thing since Budweiser(I don’t understand it).  He has reached his ceiling in my opinion but will be hard to receive any return in a trade.  David Perron has another year left on his contract and is the most likely player to be dealt.  He can score in bunches but loafs around too much, tries to be a pest, takes very stupid penalties and may never reach his potential.   Patrik Berglund is a big Swede with streaky scoring touches but also a SOFT player.  Far too many times he is beat in the corner and can’t forecheck for his life.  He is a big forward with a decent contract so I don’t think you can move him.   These players have gotten the chance to flourish and have hit brick walls lately.  They are still incredibly young so I wouldn’t be surprised if they all came back.  If it isn’t working, why let it run forward?  Changing things would help.  Any fan who whines about Oshie’s departure can be reminded of what has been won during his time here.  NOTHING.  If Doug Armstrong brings back the same players what message is being sent to fans?  We are contenders and pretenders.
5.)  Goodbye Andy McDonald.   You have speed to kill but take concussions like breakfast and disappeared in the playoffs.  He also makes 4 million, which comes off the books as the summer begins.   He is gone.  Jamie Langenbrunner is also gone.  There’s 5.5 million freed up.   Chris Stewart had an inconsistent season to say the least.  He scored what seemed like 10 goals in a week and then took a week off.  He was on a contract run and may have gotten another short deal with the team or an exit to somewhere else.  I wish I could take out the iron tenacity and strong will in the corner checks and forechecking from Stewart and put it into Patrik Berglund.   Stewart offers you that big forward with a little attitude but for the money he will command, I don’t think he is worth it.  I would give him a 2 year deal but not give him a no trade clause so you have the option to trade him at will.  If he balks, see you later.  More money comes off the books.
6.)   The Blues didn’t generate a lot of income during the short season and won’t have EXTRA money to make moves.  Armstrong’s moves will come through trades and not signings.  Until owner Tom Stillman finds more investors and sponsors, the Blues will be scraping the bottom of the payroll barrel in the NHL.   Think about it, and it’s amazing what they were able to accomplish with the 3rd lowest payroll in the league.  Still, results spawn bigger expectations so the team will have to gain revenue or rely on Dougie to spin the wheel.
7.)  I do like Armstrong.  I liked when the Blues gave him the GM gig.  He has the risky brass ball set to make big deals and try to improve his team and help his coaches.  He has a lot of Mozelaik in his brain.  He can find a lot with a little.  He brought the team a high quality defenseman in Jay Bouwmeester and he is a guy who can pair up with Alex Pietrangelo next year to create a great tandem.    He did bring in the painfully average Jordan Leopold but that was more of an insurance move that ran too long.   Ken Hitchcock should have thrown Kris Russell into the mix in the LA series when Leopold was exposed.  Armstrong can make a deal or two so I trust him.
8.)  While I like Elliot, I think Jaro Halak gets one more shot at being #1.  He is made of glass and gives up as many soft goals as any goalie but is a playoff beast and has pretty good stats with the team.  In three seasons, he is 59-38-15 with a franchise tying 16 shutouts.  When healthy, Halak is a #1 goalie.   The problem is he hasn’t been able to stay in net without sustaining a long term injury.  Elliot makes 2.5 million next year and Halak makes 4 million.   Jake Allen is the silver lining here and deserves to be on the NHL roster.  He has nothing more to prove in Peoria and proved his skill set in March.  Which means the Blues have to decide whether to keep Halak or Elliot?  You can’t keep both, or at least I wouldn’t.   Halak whined to Hitch in the LA series and that happens way more than you think so its a tad overblown.  However, I think Halak gives you a better chance in a playoff series and that is the blocker in front of this team right now.  A playoff goaltender.  Keep Halak, trade Elliot and have Allen as your backup.
9.)  The Blues took a step back.  They beat the Sharks in the first round last year and came up short this year which represents a step back.  Clearly, we can get to the playoffs and are that kind of team again but it isn’t enough.  Blues fans have come back after 2 recent lockouts and supported their team.  They have gotten NOTHING in return for it.  What will Doug Armstrong and company do to reward our patience?  You can’t keep the same lineup every year with minor tweaks.  Something must be done.  Dramatically.
10.)  Adam Cracknell, Ryan Reaves and Chris Porter proved they are your CPR 4th line next season.  They disrupted the Kings more than any line in the series and were true pests.  They all need to be on the roster.   Jaden Schwartz can move into McDonald’s playmaker spot and continue to grow, as well as Russian prodigy Vladamir Tarasenko.  David Backes gives ypu everything you want in a captain so I am okay with his production going down.
11.)  This team needs a bolt of new blood.  A GOAL SCORER.  Stop me if you have heard this before because it is an old dance tune.   The Blues need a difference maker on the ice.  An instant threat.  Perron, Berglund and Stewart have the ability to score but often come up short.  We need a player like Teemu Selanne, who continues to score for the Ducks and is a threat on the ice.  He has close to 700 goals and won’t leave the West Coast represents that player we need.  Bobby Ryan has been linked to the Blues in many cases.  He is a good scorer.  Jarome Iginla is a big time scorer and would cherish the chance to play for a contender for a full season.  Dustin Penner, the man who sunk our ship, is a free agent.   The Blues need to make a move like the Columbus Blue Jackets did when they traded for Martin Goborik or the Kings did when they trade for Jeff Carter.  This team needs that difference maker on the ice who WON”T miss the net. With freed up cap space and trade parts, hopefully we can make this happen.  If not, I don’t see the team getting past the Kings or Hawks next year.
What will the team look like in October?  The intrigue begins soon.  My time here is done.  Time to watch the Cardinals.  They are 36 games into a 162 game march.   The Blues are out, playoff hockey is still entertaining but the Cards are now in full gear.   It’s too bad for the Blues.  I thought this was their year.  Their youth and shortened season gave them advantages.  However, as the great Bobby DeNiro told Sly Stallone in the underrated drama Copland, “I gave you a chance to be the hero here and YOU BLEW IT.”  It’s that simple.  The Blues choked and blew their opportunity to do something special.  I end this rant with the most dreaded line in sports and the Cubs slogan.
Maybe next year….
Thanks for reading and goodnight,
D. Buffa

St. Louis Blues Breakdown Game 5

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Before the puck drops on Scottrade’s freshly paved ice tonight at 8pm, let me toss out a few thoughts.  Warnings, ideas and basic sports prose sprinkled with analysis and attitude.  A pregame warmup session if you will allow the description to take flight.  The Cardinals avenged last night’s pathetic loss to the Cubs today with a nailbiting 5-4 win, so all the focus is on the BLUES.  Here we go.

 
PLAYERS THAT NEED TO BE CALLED OUT DIRECTLY-
  • Chris Stewart.  The enigmatic winger has gone missing for 2 weeks now except for one great pass to Barrett Jackman in Game 2.  Seriously, this is the main problem with Stewie.  He is passionately streaky.  He doesn’t play it low key and take a game off.  He takes a group of games off.  There are times where his energy level is also suspect.  He skates around, gets into a few scrums but doesn’t crash the net enough.  His job is to score goals and he isn’t doing that.  If Hitch wants to bench a guy, pick Stewart or demote him.  Time is running out, and this guy isn’t doing anything.
  • Andy Mcdonald.  The little guy hasn’t scored a goal since Mitchell Boggs’ last save and can’t hit the net with a shot.  Like Stewart, his job is to make plays, score goals and avoid concussions that make him miss 45 games.  McDonald is MISSING.  He isn’t leaving a dent on the ice, and looks slower every game.  He shows up tonight or he needs to be demoted.  He also happens to make 4 million dollars.  When was the last time he had a big game?  Don’t hurt yourself thinking.
  • David Perron.  The Frenchman has done little outside of hump Jonathan Quick’s leg before every whistle.  He hasn’t scored in a long time and looks flaky out there.  Perron is a playmaker and not paid to be a pest.  He makes nearly 2 million dollars to put pucks in the net, and that is as simple as it gets.  Let Chris Porter get into Quick’s head.  Perron needs to light up the damn lamp.  
Those three players need to score goals, stop being pests, show some energy and do more than give an effort.  School teachers give effort.  Hockey players like Stewart,Perron and Mcdonald need to produce results.   This starts tonight.  
 
Brian Elliot can be blamed for one of the 4 goals but I think he once again did a hell of a job in the net in Game 4 and stopped a lot of great shots.  He allowed one soft goal and did his best, which for an enigmatic offense and troublesome defensive team is a lot.   Elliot is still the gamebreaker on the team and just needs to keep his team in the game, which he has.  
 
Hitch sitting Adam Cracknell for Vladamir Tarasenko on Monday made little sense.   Tank only played 5 minutes and 40 seconds.   Cracknell is part of the CPR line, the 4th line grinding gang which gave the KINGS all kinds of trouble in the first three games and held them to 3 goals.  Why break that up to insert a rookie that Hitch has as much faith in as he does in the Pakistani bomb squad.  It made no sense.  Sure, Cracknell and the gang average only 6 minutes and 33 seconds the first three games but those are spent being pests, disruptors and controlling the Kings top lines.  Tarasenko seemed to jump on the ice for a few moments and immediately leave the ice.  If you don’t want to play the kid, that’s fine.  Sit him.  If you dress him, put him out there and leave one of the above listed daydreamers on the bench.  At this point it doesn’t matter who makes more money.  RESULTS matter.  The Blues need to pull their head out of their ass.  
 
Final thoughts.
-When they get a lead, it would be nice to see the Blues maintain the intensity.  It seems like when they get a goal or two, they take their foot off the pedal. Against the defending champs that’s a bad idea.  
-The team has put themselves in a bad spot.  They blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in Game 4 and let te Kings get life, momentum and threaten to take away this series.   They had the power after Game 2 with a big series lead, but now it is gone and that is due to failing to capitalize on 10 open net chances in Game 3 and blowing leads in Game 4.  They could have come home tonight with a virtually indestructible 3-1 lead and instead the series is tied at 2, and the Kings have confidence. They have fought to the death with the Blues and gotten close early and prevailed the last couple games.   Have they figured something out in our defense or are the Note just letting up too soon?  
-We have a long way to go in this playoff session so why slow down so damn early?  The Blues have talent for days but lack the finish right now.  Certain high paid players need to step up and produce and the defense needs to really learn how to clear a puck properly.   Ryan Reaves needs to put his fist through someone’s head and the hits need to keep on coming.
-The Blues have home ice advantage with 3 games left and need to use that weapon.   I predicted this series was going 7 games so I am not surprised but that doesn’t mean I would be mad if it ended earlier.   The question this team has to ask themselves is how bad do they fucking want it and how long can they maintain that intensity out there tonight? The LA Kings got off the plane at Lambert looking for blood.   Who throws the first punch tonight?
 
It’s game time.  
 
Thanks for reading and GO BLUES!
 
-DB

Breaking Down the Blues and Cardinals

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My take on the Blues before Game 4-

After losing to the Kings 1-0 on Saturday, the Blues found out a few things about themselves.  First, putting the puck on net is harder than it looks.  The Blues lead all playoff teams in missed shots.  Second, they found out Jonathan Quick can be pushed around in his crease by a 175 pound Frenchman named David Perron.  Third, they and the fans realized Brian Elliot can carry them in a game.  
 
Since they can’t hit Quick with a brick and knock him out of the game, they will have to find ways to make him uncomfortable.  Putting pressure on him and his defense.  Force him from the crease, where he is shaky.  Put shots on him, and get them up high.  The Blues seemed to have like 40 chances to stuff a rebound and couldn’t while the Kings slammed home their lone goal on a rebound.   The key to the game is pounding the net and keeping the majority of the shots on goal.  
 
The Blues defense and goaltending has been superb.  The offense has been dull save for Alex Steen and Barrett Jackman and a puck going off Patrik Berglund’s leg.  Where is Chris Stewart, TJ Oshie, Perron, Andy McDonald and David Backes in this series?  Effort and defense is great but results are another.  The Blues got the 2-0 series lead on Thursday but must act on it and not let the advantage slip away.  It isn’t easy but it was never drawn up that way.  NHL Playoff hockey is tough and brutal.  Raising that cup often means several players have to raise their game to get there.  
 
Who stands out for the Blues tonight because Elliot can’t hold the Kings off for much longer.  Allowing 3 goals in three games to a decent offense is otherworldly work from a goalie who had zero confidence in March.  
 
Can the Blues forwards actually step up and win a game or will the Blues return home Wednesday tied up in the series?  We find out tonight.  

 

My Take on the Cardinals before their series in Chicago-

On April 30th, the Cards were barely above .500 and hurting from bullpen malfunction.  Starters were producing wonders but the bats were cold and the relief gave anything but help.  Mitchell Boggs was self-destructing and Mike Matheny was holding the on/off switch.  A week later, they are 20-11 and carry the best record in the NL.  How?  Finding their bats and being consistently rotten to their division foes.  
 
It started with Jaime Garcia, Matt Holliday and Edward Mujica turning back the Reds last Tuesday.  Garcia fired 8 innings or brilliance, Holliday hit a laser and Mujica struck out the best three Reds batters to close the deal.  They beat the Reds the next afternoon and went to Milwaukee.  
 
On Thursday, the bullpen nearly got in the way of a 6-5 win.  Friday, they beat Kyle Lohse for the second time in a month in a big way.  Saturday and Sunday, they made statements.  Adam Wainwright got rocked and gave up a 4-2 lead, but the offense came to the rescue of the rotation for the first time.  They won 7-6 in dramatic fashion.  On Sunday, Allen Craig and Jaime Garcia shut down the Brewers and we won 10-1.  The Cards outscored the Brew Crew 29-13 and the lineup went nuts…on the road.  In the early part of 2013, the Cards are telling divisional foes that if we have to lose to you, it will be us dropping the grenade and not you.  They swept the Brewers and took a second series from the Reds after losing the first game.   This team is streaky with their bats but lethal with their balance.  
 
Mujica has stabilized the closer situation that cost the team 5 wins.  Boggs and Marc Rzepcynzski are in Memphis.  Carlos Martinez and Seth Maness are with the team and thriving.  Craig and Holliday are RBI monsters.  Yadi Molina is ridiculous with his batting average.  
The rotation members all rank in the top 15 in wins and ERA.  They have been terrific ALL YEAR.  Where does this team go from here? 
 
To Wrigley Field for 2 games and then home.  It’s time the Cards step foot in their nemesis’ home and do damage.  Keep the bats flying and the arms mighty.  The Cards are white hot!  
 
The only way we lose is if we do it to ourselves.

Take 6 with Buffa

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Here comes the latest Dose of Buffa.  

 
1.)The Blues surprise us and the Kings with two wins at home.   I predicted the Blues would win this in seven games so I know the series will get much tougher when the Note travel to LA tonight for Game 3 in Staples Center, where the Kings owned the best record in hockey.   However, seeing my team take the fight to the defending champs, punch them in the mouth, knock them down, respond to a lazy period with a strong one, and outplay LA for two games and get this slack on the first round rope, I’ll take it.  After losing a 1-0 lead late in Game 1, the Blues responded with a Alex Steen rush behind the net that shocked Jonathan Quick out of his skates and he threw it in the net for an OT steal.  That is when I officially knew the Blues could hang with the Kings.  After losing the bearings of a 1-0 lead so late in the game, Ken Hitchcock’s boys never stopped fighting.  In Game 2, after two rough periods, the Blues responded with a fierce 3rd and scored two goals to win it and take the series and a bet back to the west coast.  Everybody in the NHL world, all the know it all’s and so called experts, are spinning their heads right now at our Blues.  How in the hell are they doing it?  I will tell you to the best of my ability.  Constant pressure, resilience and a new defensive attack that the Kings can’t get past.  Credit Jay Bouwmeester with the Pronger like ability to clear the puck and use his quick feet to take the puck up the ice.  Credit David Backes and Chris Stewart with throwing their weight around and dictating the pace.  Credit the 4th line for playing way above the skill level of a energy line.  Credit Steen for powering our scoring for game 1.  However, most of the credit goes to Brian Elliot.  He took a personal and professional setback in February, got help and rest, and came back to save this team in April and power it through May.  If we win the Stanley Cup, it will be from the play of Elliot in net.  He’s the rock right now.  Go Blues!  It won’t be easy in LA but I believe in this team’s heart and will, so prepare for a few more shockers.
 
2.) The Cardinals look different since the last time I ranted about their troubles here.  They have also won 4 of 5, beating the Reds twice in a row and beating the Brewers in the first two games of their road trip stop in Milwaukee.   The bats have come alive, scoring 4 plus in the past 3 games.  The starting pitching has been superb, with Jake Westbrook and Shelby Miller delivering potent starts to fine tune their records.  The bullpen got plugged in with new fresh arm power as the suffering Mitchell Boggs was finally dispatched to Memphis to find his head, arm and psyche before it eroded in bad relief efforts.   Pitching phenom Carlos Martinez joined the team yesterday and threw a scoreless frame.  Rookie callup Seth Maness also threw a scoreless frame in last night’s 6-1 win.  When in need, this team will only seek younger help.  Unless, that help comes in the form of Chris Carpenter.  This morning, Joe Strauss alerted his twitter followers that Carpenter is throwing again and with purpose.  This isn’t Jason Motte playing catch from 65 feet.  Carpenter is throwing with an intent to return and help in the bullpen.  
 
Allow me to expand on this.  
*The lights may have went out on Motte’s 2013 season yesterday when Tommy John Surgery was FINALLY prescribed, but Carpenter is still fighting.  Throwing punches, taking plenty and winning on points.  Motte had a torn ligament in his elbow and as a man who never went to medical school yet pays attention to the stumbling nature of this ballclub can understand, ligaments don’t heal with rest.  Remember Rafael Furcal in March.  Chris Carpenter’s situation is different.  He suffered from nerve damage in his neck/shoulder area and coming from someone who has had nerve damage, I can tell you that condition can improve or outright go away with plenty of rest.  Carpenter has rested for three months now since he stopped throwing in February.  If anyone can make this kind of comeback, it’s Carpenter.  The man is a bionic man, made of several recycled body parts, and is the toughest bastard on the planet.  The other day, I was thinking about the missing mound presence of Carp.  I miss his tall glare coming down at hitters, the snake eyes towards the umpires and the screams and shouting from the mound at the player who dare cross him.  He comes from a different breed of athlete and belongs in a different time capsule.  This team needs Chris Carpenter.  Imagine him coming out of the bullpen in a time of need and the picture starts to burn.   Led Zeppelin’s “When The Levee Breaks” blaring from the speakers as longtime hockey fanatic Carp runs in from the pen with a goalie mask on and a stick in his hand.   Well, maybe not that extreme, but close.  If Carp can contribute anything, I will take it.  
*Edward Mujica continues to amaze me with his ability.  He is 7-7 in save chances and while he allows a few baserunners, he convinced me on Tuesday night.  He struck out Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce in a close game to seal the win.  When his team needed it and after a flawless Jaime Garcia performance, “Chief” brought it home.  Hope he keeps it going.  That Zach Cox for Mujica trade last July looks pretty damn good right now.
*David Freese woke up.  Matt Holliday hit a ball halfway towards South America last night.  No one hits a baseball harder when their bat hits the sweet spot than Holliday.  Carlos Beltran continues to rack up power numbers.  Pete Kozma is holding his own at shortstop and dishing out some hits.  Matt Adams returns on Tuesday.  Allen Craig is heating up.  Yadi Molina lost about as much weight as Lance Lynn and is hitting over .320.  The bats are thawing out and they beat Kyle Lohse for the second time in a month last night.  I don’t think he will be the same pitcher there that he was for the Cardinals in 2011-12.  Too bad.  Like a certain guy named Pujols, we got the best of Lohse.  
 
3.)Iron Man 3 is exactly the kind of summer film that the movie crowd needs.  Its loud, quick, action packed and peels a few more layers off the billionaire, genius, philanthropist superhero that is named Tony Stark/Iron Man.   Robert Downey Jr. continues to amaze us with his versatility and the movie is unpredictable and risk taking for a comic book film without going all dark like Chris Nolan.  See it.  Read the rest of my review and Chris McHugh’s right here on Film-Addict.
4.)Film-Addict celebrated its first year yesterday.  365 days of hard work by myself, Eric Moore, McHugh, Landon Burris, Leigh Ann Jones, Marie Robinson and last but least web designer Samantha Smith.  Everybody has done their fair share and the site is moving in a positive direction.  In June, we could be shooting a video that will play in front of local movie theaters.  We are in contact with two advertisers for the site and are spreading the word as much as we can while feeding the site with fresh material.   This is my dream job.   Right now it’s a side job and a hard one at times.  It’s not seeing movies and getting in free, especially for the main 3 guys.  As I call us “the cinematic tripod”, we have to throw the material on the site, make slides, resize pictures and keep the site fresh.   A movie site with old news is about as useful as a car with no engine.  You’re only as good as your last story and how you put it out there.  As a rookie group who all work full time jobs, we do our best and allow me to say that we do a fine kickass job.  The second year will only get better.  Thanks to everyone who has supported us passionately, which means more than a mere site visit and exit.  You know who you are and we love you for it.  
 
5.) Vincent is 19 months old and full of ambition, passion, words, and bruises.  My son has the look of a bare knuckle brawler.  He has a cut above his eye, a busted lip and scratches on his leg.  The kid is a tough little midget.  He takes the lumps and keeps on trucking.   Words(something close to words) come out of his mouth and my wife and I do our best to understand them and make sure he is clean enough, safe enough and ready.   As a parent, 95 percent of your job is damage control.  What is he doing and is it okay?  As long as it doesn’t involve electric equipment or things he shouldn’t swallow, all is well.  I pity the parents who treat their kids like china and baby them up.   I prefer to let Vin take a hit, learn how to get up and become a kid a lot faster than most.  It’s the Buffa way.  
 
6.)Can Robert Guerrero beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. tonight?  If my money was on it, I would say no but I think Guerrero can hurt Floyd.  Remember what Miguel Cotto, an older and tired fighter, did last year to Floyd.  For three rounds, Cotto landed punches, made Floyd bleed and wore down that previously indestructible defensive wall of Mayweather Jr.’s.  Cotto did that, rightfully lost in the end, but left Floyd with a few cuts and bruises.   Guerrero is a young talented champion.   He has fought legit men in his career and is tall, lefthanded and will tower over Floyd.   After being away for a full year and serving 54 days in jail, is Floyd still fast enough?  He is starting to slow down, unable to get away as quick and will have to rely on his punching power soon enough.   When a fighter gets old, their knees give in and their legs slow down.  Guerrero is a brawler but also a smart boxer.  He will keep coming and in my opinion, penetrate the defense of Floyd.  If Floyd can survive, he will only be staring at superstar power puncher Saul “Canelo” Alvarez waiting for him September.  Mayweather’s life will only get tougher.  If he beats Guerrero and Alvarez somehow, he will retire.  My feeling is he won’t retire undefeated.  No Way!  Toughest thing for a boxer to do is know when to say when as age becomes a factor.  They only breed one Bernard Hopkins every 40 years.  Floyd will run into trouble tonight.   What kind of trouble?  We will have to wait and see.  The days of him fighting an aging Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley are over.  I respect his ability but I don’t like him as a person.  I still hold out hope that he will lose.   My hard earned money in on the red headed Mexican to deliver the blow.   Tonight, Floyd wins a decision in a lot closer fight than usual.  115-112 on the cards.  
 
That’s it.  Thanks for reading and stay classy.  As the recently rejuvenated actor Matthew McConaughey famously said, “Just keep livin.”
 
Sincerely,
 
Dan Buffa
 
Song of the Week(or Year) is “Monument” by The Fossil Collective.  Listen here.  I could listen to this all day on a loop.  So cool, effortless, and relaxing.

 

 

A Rant About My St. Louis Cardinals

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Pay attention, I am going to make this quick.  As I light up Twitter and Facebook, I will speed up the latest launch of Buffa prose to your skulls.  As my kid tries desperately to hurt himself on hardwood floors, my time is here to unplug for a little bit and inform you on my take.  I’m letting the hands go now.  This will be random, brutal and quite well…direct.  

 
*The St. Louis Cardinals played an ugly weekend of baseball at Busch Stadium to wrap up an uneven week.  Last weekend, they lose 2 of 3 to Philly and ride into Washington to sweep the series.  They beat Steven Strasburg on Wednesday and after a day off, they destroy the Pirates on Friday night.   
 
Let’s go further into this series.
*The Friday win had weirdness to it.  Granted, the Pirates lost Jonathon Sanchez after four batters because the umpire Timmons thought he threw at Allen Craig after surrendering three bullets to start his game.  I say this because I don’t think he should have been tossed.  I have watched the replay seven times and don’t think it was intentional.  He let a fastball go and it went off Craig’s wrist, where he has enough padding to hold off a baseball made of steel and stone.  The benches didn’t clear, the Pirates lost a manager and the Cards packed on a few more runs to win 9-1.
-On Saturday, they let a 2-0 lead evaporate after Jake Westbrook leaves and lose 5-3.   A disappointing loss to be sure and one that had the bullpen’s finger prints all over it.  Joe Kelly came in and gave up two quick runs in the 7th.  Trevor Rosenthal poured more gasoline on in the 8th inning.  The Cards lost a game.
-Sunday, things got ugly.  The Cards bats were shut down by a pitcher named Locke.  Shelby Miller gave up 3 runs(2 earned) in 5.2 innings.  The bullpen came in and demolished things.  Fernando Salas, a pitcher who carries little worth in my mind these days, comes in with an inherited runner in the 6th and on the first pitch gives up an RBI double.  The next inning, he surrenders a home run.   Mitchell Boggs and Marc Rzepcynzski give up 5 more in the 9th and we lose 9-0 at home.  When this team goes bad, they rub it in our faces and get down on dirt level.   Opening day was a game where they just got ripped.  Today is more of the same.  It’s just ugly.
*The Cards lineup ripped through the Nationals and Pirates on Friday but then went completely cold for 2 games, scoring 2 runs in 18 innings.   This offense can be exposed and shut down for multiple games like any other team.  It happens.  The lineup scored tons of runs and then couldn’t buy a run versus Locke today.   The more disturbing news comes in the bullpen work this weekend.
*Mitchell Boggs needs a Memphis assignment badly.  Demote him.  Reset his clock.  His head is in the gutter and his arm is close.  This guy was ruined by Matheny when he was shoved into a closer role he was ill prepared for.  Save me your bullshit about being able to pitch any inning because he is in the major leagues.  That isn’t the way it works.  Boggs found a niche in the bullpen when he was a setup man.   He got it done in the 8th inning last year.  Why change that? Why  mess with that?  Now, his confidence is shot, his mechanics are way off, and every time he pitches, bad things happen.   Friday and Sunday featured Boggs performances and he didn’t finish an inning.   It’s at the point where you can just send him down.  Make a switch.  Shake things up.
*Send Fernando Salas to the desert or Memphis if necessary.   Salas is a shade of the reliever the Cards brought up three years ago.  He doesn’t get hitters out in clutch spots on a consistent basis anymore and his pitches have zero action.  He got raked today and let a close game go wide.  If Eduardo Sanchez’s forearm gets healthy, send him up and get rid of Salas.  Of course this will not happen.  Salas is one of Matheny’s boys.
*Mike Matheny just said in his post game Serious John Wayne speech that his team wasn’t expecting the results that occured today.   Count us in that boat Mike.  This team is a freak concoction of unpredictable madness.  They win big, win close, lose close and lose big.  Four weeks into the season, and the convoluted Redbird Blues  have begun.  Matheny must do something to shake this up.  Send a couple pitchers down, flip a table over, yell at somebody, punch a wall, and get a message sent to this team early.   24 games in, and the questions are piling up.  
Let me fire off some definitive statements.  
*Edward Mujica did a good job as the closer last week.  Don’t expect that to continue.  His history doesn’t support his current performance.  I am glad if I am wrong here.  
*Trevor Rosenthal is having issues, but not in the same capacity of error as Boggs, Salas and Rzep are having.  Rosenthal has learned to rebound from his faulty innings and blow guys away.  He had trouble in Wednesday against Wash and ended the inning by striking out 2 batters on six pitches.  Yesterday, he got a little wild and rung himself in with a couple ground balls and a flyout.  Rosenthal, unlike Boggs, isn’t flaming out and torching an inning.  He stays.  
*The bullpen needs work.   Plain and simple.  What happens before Monday’s game to shore up this area?
*The Rotation, ladies and gents, is the best part about the team.  After dominating Washington, the staff came home and did this against the Pirates.  If you judge games by the starting pitcher, the Cards could have swept this weekend series.  Lance Lynn threw 7 innings on Friday night, striking out 9 and giving up a run.  Westbrook threw 6 scoreless innings on Saturday and struck out six.   Shelby Miller struck out 7 on Sunday and allowed 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings.  Add it up and you have another solid weekend series from our starters.   
*Its a small sample size with the rotation but 24 games in and they are the support belt of this team.  A question mark heading in is shaping up to be a potential strength.  Adam Wainwright has settled in.  Jaime Garcia has pitched well minus one start.  Lynn showed consistency with his fine start on Friday.  Westbrook has done his job.  Miller has been amazing for a rookie.   With more innings, hazards will accompany answers but right now this team is powered by their starters.  Without them we have maybe 6 wins.  
*Ty Wiggington doesn’t deserve to be on this team.  His 2 million dollar contract looks like a charity case the team took this offseason.  ‘Support a dead weight aging hitter” fund.   The bad part is he has been this way for 3 years.  
*Pete Kozma is doing just fine.  He is hitting .255, collecting some hits, keeping the errors at a minimum and doing what was expected.  If he goes on a terror, good for us and him.  He can hit .260 all year, play solid defense, drive in 30 and hit 5 homers and with his salary look like a bargain.  If THE REST OF THE LINEUP HITS THE WAY THEY SHOULD, Koz doesn’t need to do anything extra special.  Just be yourself Pete.  
*Jason Motte is throwing from 65 feet and playing catch.  Two days in a row.  Great.  Don’t expect me to get excited until he is firing 99 mph heaters into a catcher’s mitt from a mound and feeling zero pain the next day.  I’m sorry but the history of the Cardinals with players and their elbows is about as iffy as a Brazilian kidney transplant department’s activity.  Chris Carpenter wasted most of 2007 before going under the knife in August and missed almost all of 2008.  Rafael Furcal avoided Tommy John Surgery all fall and winter and finally succumbed to it this spring and is gone for the season.   Unless you can tell me Motte’s elbow received some voodoo magic, he will probably need surgery.  It’s science people.  Elbow’s with torn pieces don’t heal with REST.  When he ramps up the velocity he will feel the twinges and pain.  Again, as with the Mujica Trials, I hope I am wrong and Motte sprinkled some of his beard trimmings on his elbow along with Lou Diamond Phillips ancient herb formula.  Motte’s departure set off the bullpen’s destruction and that will have to be corrected through trades or signings.  
*Mitchell Boggs is giving a little more attitude to the media as I write this.  That’s wonderful.   Too bad it doesn’t translate to IMPROVED performance.  Boggs is troubled.  Mitchell Boggs doesn’t look the same without a beard by the way.  First bout of prescription meds.  Grow a beard son.  Keep your mouth shut.  Head down.  Ask Mike for a road trip.  Boggs won’t improve here.  Why?  He walks out there with a mountain of adversity on his shoulder.  It doesn’t matter if Matheny has faith in him or is shooting arrows at his knees.  Think of Brian Elliot in February.  When Halak(Motte in this situation) went down, Elliot(Boggs) was thrown into the starting role and got rocked.  He was horrible.  What happened?  He didn’t start for two weeks.  He went to Peoria.  Found something.  Came back and currently leads the Blues into the first round with home ice advantage as the starting goaltender.  
That is as good as a point as I can make folks.  
 
Here’s something positive.  The Cards take the mound tomorrow night with Adam Wainwright on the mound.  Baseball is good because it reloads every day.  A team can recover the next night with a win after losing 2 in a row.  162 game season is still young.   As La Russa said two years ago famously, “It’s only the fourth week of the season.”   That is to myself as much as anyone else.  As a diehard, you find it hard at times to remember where you are in the season.   It’s early, and while this team is troubling and needs work, there is plenty of time.  
 
Wrap Up-
Cards offense is inconsistent that but’s expected.  Bullpen is horrible and that can be helped with a shakeup.  The rotation has been great but that won’t last.  The end.  
 
Side Notes-
*The Blues will get their own blog tonight or tomorrow but let me say this.  Their 29-18-2 season was fantastic because of their ability to bounce back at home.  After dropping several games in the early and middle going, the team finished on a 7-1 route on home ice.  That helped their collection of the 4th spot in the Western Conference and their home ice advantage.  The acquisitions of Jay Boumeester and Jordan Leopold helped the defense.  The Fourth Line play of Ryan Reaves, Chris Porter and Adam Cracknell helped the slumping goal scorers like David Perron and David Backes.  The goaltending was locked in by the resurgence of Brian Elliot, which surprised the hell out of me since I asked for his head in March.  The Kings are a good opponent because they will present the Blues with a stiff test early on.  Why mess around with the Sharks and win a round only to get smashed in the second round.   Last year’s team raised the bar for hockey in STL.  We expect more than a series win.  We want it all Blues.  Bring it.  The Blues went 0-3 against the Kings this season.  That’s a good thing.  They have lost 7 straight against them.  If we beat them, the Blackhawks don’t scare me at all.  Actually, no other hockey team would.  Beat the Kings and earn our enthusiasm.  
*I wrote a Buffa Quarterly Movie Report for Film-Addict.  Review of this paltry four month run of films.  Read it here. 
The band of the moment for me is The Fossil Collective and their debut album, Tell Me Where I Lie.  Great folk rock music that needs an open road and the window down to go with a dark sky.  
 
Tonight, I get over my rough baseball weekend by watching Mad Men and Game of Thrones.  All new episodes.   Tortured soul ad men from the 1960’s and warriors from the Westeros.  
 
I’ll take my whiskey and sword and settle right in.  Take care my friends and thanks for reading.
 
-D. Buffa