The Voice of Spring

The good time is approaching
The season is at hand.
When the merry click of the two-base lick
Will be heard throughout the land.
The frost still lingers on the earth, and
Budless are the trees.
But the merry ring of the voice of spring
Is borne upon the breeze.
                   --The Sporting News, 1886

The more things change, the more things stay the same. That 1886 piece could have been written yesterday.

Anthony Reyes is saying the right things.  I found it fairly interesting that he had LASIK eye surgery in the offseason.  Could that have been part of his problem?  The Cardinals are a much better team if Reyes can show the form that made him such a highly touted prospect.  I know it's early spring and the players are saying what they are supposed to say, but that article really got me encouraged about Reyes.  We'll see in a couple of weeks, when he actually starts facing batters, if that optimism is warranted.

LaRussa says the team is being "underestimated".  I'd agree with him on that.  There are a number of potential power sources in the lineup.  The rotation has some ifs, but still has the potential to be one of the best ones in the division, at least, and that's without Carpenter and Mulder.  I touched on this before, but while there are some good teams in the NL Central, there are no real dominant ones.  Everyone has their flaws.  It's just a matter of whose flaws will be exposed first and who will be able to work around them.  I don't expect the Cardinals to necessarily win the division, but I'd argue with anyone who thinks they are going to linger toward the bottom of the standings.

And then there is this quote for TLR, which will blow a lot of his detractors' minds, since they insist he only likes veteran players:

"The young guys came in," he said, "and saved our year."

By the way, want the spring training experience but don't have the money to hit Florida or Arizona, or at least not to the extent that you'd like?  Check out Blogs By Fans' Spring Training '08 site.  Continually updated and full of information on every team, it's just like being there without the sunburn.

Cardinal70 covers the St. Louis Cardinals on his blog, C70 At The Bat.Leave a Comment

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