As we continue to hold our breath, waiting for news that will indicate that February 16th will be a great day in Cardinal Nation rather than the potential beginning of the end, there are a few other things going on as well with the team in red.<\/p>\n
First off, last weekend the Cardinals\u00c2\u00a0signed Jim Edmonds<\/a> to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. \u00c2\u00a0Now, you’d think the outfield was a place where the Cards really didn’t need any help. \u00c2\u00a0After all, Colby Rasums, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman would seem to be locked in as the starters and Jon Jay and Allen Craig (with rumors of Tyler Greene as well) could be the backuips. \u00c2\u00a0So what are the Cards looking for out of Jimmy Ballgame?<\/p>\n Well, he’s obviously got some veteran leadership. \u00c2\u00a0If he and Tony LaRussa are all patched up, the chemistry could help the team. \u00c2\u00a0More than anything, though, it gives Edmonds a chance to go out a Cardinal. \u00c2\u00a0He can still hit and has some power, but I have a feeling he won’t make the team and will retire at the end of the spring. \u00c2\u00a0It gives him one last go-round, one last spring training, and ending where he has some strong memories.<\/p>\n Now, if someone gets hurt or he just comes out like gangbusters in camp, all bets are off. \u00c2\u00a0Jay does still have options, as does Craig (I believe), so they could start the year off in Memphis and be insurance for when (and with Berkman and Edmonds, it is most likely\u00c2\u00a0when<\/em>) someone gets hurt. \u00c2\u00a0All in all, no risk for the Cardinals and it makes for a good story for camp. \u00c2\u00a0Something to keep people’s minds off that other story.<\/p>\n Also, we are finally getting to see some of the players show up in camp. \u00c2\u00a0Derrick Goold has video up in his\u00c2\u00a0Bird Land blog<\/a> of some of the pitchers doing some throwing. \u00c2\u00a0Other stories are starting to trickle out. \u00c2\u00a0It’s beginning to look a lot like baseball.<\/p>\n Do you remember the\u00c2\u00a0Friends<\/em> episode with the prom video? It’s our first indication on how fat Monica was in high school and she gives the disclaimer that the camera adds 10 pounds. \u00c2\u00a0To which Chandler responds, “So exactly how many cameras were on you?<\/p>\n That came to mind when I saw that Kyle Lohse had gotten a tattoo to cover his surgical scar.\u00c2\u00a0When you look at it<\/a>, you have to wonder if he couldn’t have covered four or five scars with that work! \u00c2\u00a0Lohse is also the subject of the latest roundtable transcript<\/a>, posted over at Aaron Miles’ Fastball today. \u00c2\u00a0Remember, you can follow along with the roundtable and find links to the other questions over at the\u00c2\u00a0official site of the United Cardinal Bloggers<\/a>.<\/p>\n With Jerry Sloan of the NBA’s Utah Jazz retiring this week, the title of “longest professional coach”\u00c2\u00a0now resides with Tony LaRussa<\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0It’s come to the point where some young people don’t remember Cardinal baseball without TLR. \u00c2\u00a0With 10 years of Whitey Herzog, five years of Joe Torre, and now 16 years of LaRussa, almost my entire life (and all of my Cardinal following) has been made up of three managers. \u00c2\u00a0It’ll be a really new experience when TLR leaves and they actually have to do a managerial search.<\/p>\n The Cardinals continue to look for players in the Dominican,\u00c2\u00a0signing two new players to minor league contracts<\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0I’m sure that the guys over at\u00c2\u00a0Future Redbirds<\/a> will be monitoring these players and will have plenty to say about them.<\/p>\n Finally, I don’t want to talk much about the Albert Pujols situation, but two notes in relation to that. \u00c2\u00a0First off, how ridiculously fun would it have been to\u00c2\u00a0have him and his wife in your house<\/a> and then for him to start talking about the whole situation with you? \u00c2\u00a0Secondly, a tip of the cap to my good friends over at\u00c2\u00a0Pitchers Hit Eighth<\/a> for their mention in\u00c2\u00a0today’s column by Jon Morosi at Fox Sports<\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0Kudos, guys!<\/p>\n Good stuff coming up, even outside of the activity in Jupiter. \u00c2\u00a0Next Wednesday on the UCB Radio Hour, we’ll be talking with Scott Lamb, co-author of\u00c2\u00a0Pujols: More Than The Game<\/em><\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0I had a chance to read that the last couple of days and it’s a great read, nicely mixing Pujols’s Christian beliefs and charitable work with what he’s done on the field. \u00c2\u00a0Also next week, I believe we’ll have an interview with Matthew Leach as he reports from Jupiter, giving us an update spring training report.<\/p>\n Bob from\u00c2\u00a0On The Outside Corner<\/a> and I will be chatting with former Cardinal and Dodger pitcher Jerry Reuss next Saturday. \u00c2\u00a0More on that as we get closer to time.<\/p>\n