MMM

Episode 33: A Little Talk With Mo

Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) had a chance to finally meet up this past weekend, joining a handful of other bloggers under the Arch.  Those bloggers got a little face time with Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, who had a frank and open discussion with them on many facets of the game, including what's coming up in the minors, how the offseason moves panned out, and what goes into some of the moves like moving someone to the bullpen or the coaching changes that came along last week.
Before the guys dig into that, though, there's a week of middling baseball to discuss.  The team looked great against the Phillies, then floundered a bit against a Brewers team they needed to beat.  What do we make of Seung-hwan Oh and his struggles?  Are these losses as bad or as frustrating as that losing road trip?
Kyle Reis (The Redbird Daily, @kyler416) comes by and drops knowledge on the draft and the week in the minors, then the guys tackle your Twitter questions.  They tried to keep this one short but miserably failed again.  Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Episode 32: Real Change or Shuffling Deck Chairs?

In what was SUPPOSED to be a short "emergency" episode of MMM, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) react to all the news that John Mozeliak tossed out at the news conference Friday afternoon.  Kolten Wong for Jhonny Peralta, that made sense, but the coaching staff shuffle was a surprise.  Will it make a difference?  How hot is Mike Matheny's seat really?  How likely is it that this team can click and start playing better baseball?  Daniel and Allen take a whack at it, but don't promise any real answers!

Episode 31: How Long Can You Say The Same Things?

Another week, another recap of baseball that doesn't reach the general quality we are used to from the St. Louis Cardinals.  Honestly, neither Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) or Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) really have any answers, but that doesn't keep them from turning everything over.  The offense continues to sputter and you have to wonder how much longer the club can resist taking Jhonny Peralta out of the equation  Even that won't help the top of the lineup, which continues to be a huge black hole.  What options are there?  Can the Cardinals make a deal that will get them out of this funk?
The bullpen situation has changed in the fact that Jonathan Broxton is gone and there's more flexibility, but the trust issues remain, as was seen in Saturday's game against the Cubs.  What can you do if you are Mike Matheny?  What should you do if you are John Mozeliak?  At least the starting pitching is fairly solid, including a major return to form by Adam Wainwright.
Kyle Reis (The Redbird Daily, @kyler416) talks about losing out on Luis Robert, the rise of Jack Flaherty, and Carson Kelly's season, plus what it's like not thinking much about this season's draft.  (Apologies if the sound is iffy on this segment--Skype wasn't our greatest friend here.)
Allen and Daniel then talk about your Twitter questions and tell you how you can meet them in person if you are in the St. Louis area this coming weekend!

Episode 30: The Down Part of the Roller Coaster

The Cardinals are tiring folks out.  In many ways--these West Coast games really mess with your sleep patterns--but mainly the fact that nothing really is clicking, save the starting pitching.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) plow through the latest games against the giants and Dodgers and the Friday clubbing of the bullpen in Colorado.  There are a lot of problems but trying to find solutions is a different story.  Who should go?  Lots of locked-in contracts make manuevering a bit of a challenge.  Jose Martinez started his rehab assignment, so decisions will need to be made soon.  Will John Mozeliak go out and shake this team up?  Was Magneuris Sierra really the key to it all?  And how frustrating was it not to lock up Luis Robert?  It's a shorter version of MMM, so hopefully it's a higher ratio of goodness per minute!

Episode 29: Rain Delay Theater

Actually, while Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) though they'd try to podcast during the rain delay of Friday night's Giants/Cardinals game, the rain let up just as they kicked off.  So you get a few game updates and instant reactions built into a discussion of the past week of Cardinal baseball, the moves that were made and need to be made, and the answering of Twitter questions.  Was sending down Magneuris Sierra the right move?  How much will we see of Jhonny Peralta?  What's wrong with Brett Cecil?  Who goes when Stephen Piscotty is ready?
All that plus Kyle Reis (The Redbird Daily, @kyler416) talks to us about what Sierra's demotion to AA means for the rest of that outfield, who had the best week in the minor leagues, and perhaps the final speculation on Cuban prospect Luis Robert.  Give us a listen, then give us a rate and review on iTunes!

Episode 28: The Speed Force

While the Cardinals returned to Busch and dropped the first in their set with the Chicago Cubs, that couldn't erase all the warm feelings from a 6-0 road trip, the credit of which has been squarely put on speedsters Tommy Pham and Magneuris Sierra.  Their speed seems to have created an alternate timeline where the Cards are good and folks are excited about the team.  Whether the new one will last or we'll revert to the old cranky folks we used to be still remains to be seen.
Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70), Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1), and Kyle Reis (The Redbird Daily, @kyler416) talk about all the excitement and intrigue that the promotions brought with them along with some of the other issues that the week contained.  Can Brett Cecil ever get anyone out?  How strange is it to wonder if Kolten Wong will ever have a day off?  Is Adam Wainwright just a five inning pitcher?  The guys then talk about what Derrick Goold refers to as "roster angst" and try to figure out what might happen as folks start returning from the disabled list.
In the minors report, the debate continues about how to say Luis Robert, but there's no debate on the Cardinals' interest.  This seems to be moving toward its endgame--with St. Louis be the last one standing?  The guys also talk about Daniel Poncedeleon's scary injury, the week that was in the minors, and who to watch on the Springfield club.  Plenty of great conversation here for Cardinal fans!  Be sure to give us a review when you are done!

Episode 27: Muddling Along

It's another week of Cardinal baseball and it's still tough to tell what we have in this team.  Or perhaps it's more that we don't like the answer we keep coming up with.  Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) tackle a mixed few games for the Cards, who lost three of five and had yet another rainout to contend with.  Not only that, but they lose Stephen Piscotty and possibly Dexter Fowler.  What does that mean for the team?  Are we out of the woods since Fowler isn't on the DL?  What does the future hold for Jhonny Peralta, who is beginning his rehab assignment?
All that plus Kyle Reis talks about the month of April in the minors and the guys tackle your Twitter questions, including those that pay homage to Star Wars Day!

Episode 26: Filling In the Hole

Another great week of Cardinal baseball, at least in the results, has the Cards knocking on the door of first place and Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) in a good mood.  Everything's not perfect, of course, but the flaws in this team are easier to swallow when they are winning nine of 11.  Daniel and Allen look at the good and the bad at each facet of the team, from the strong starts of Mike Leake and Lance Lynn to what to expect out of Adam Wainwright going forward.  The bullpen doesn't escape scrutiny, as the guys wonder about Kevin Siegrist and dissect just how Mike Matheny has been using the arms this week.
Offensively, the team seems to be clicking a little more, thanks in part to Dexter Fowler finding his footing and Jedd Gyorko claiming third base as his own.  What happens when Jhonny Peralta comes back?  Will Gyroko have the position the rest of the year?  The guys tackle those points as well as the Twitter questions provided by you, the listeners!

Episode 25: That's a Whole Lot Better

A week after seeing the Cardinals win just one game, Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) are a lot happier discussing St. Louis's recent good fortune, winning four of their past five games.  That doesn't mean everything's under control, because you still have Kevin Siegrist and Seung-hwan Oh and a sputtering offense, but it's much more fun approaching the future with some optimism rather than dealing with everything that's gone wrong.  If only John Mozeliak had had his talk with Mike Matheny earlier....  All the week that was, plus Kyle Reis talking the minors (and, of course, Luis Robert) and your Twitter questions!

Episode 24: Breathe. Just Breathe.

It's another week of Cardinal baseball but the worrying signs are still there.  It was a tough week for pretty much all facets of the Redbirds (save Mike Leake) and Daniel and Allen, fresh off watching a close loss to the Yankees, are here to break it down and talk about what went right this week and what went wrong.  Plenty of talk about that left fielder that probably shouldn't be.  Discussion about the bullpen breakdown and which parts of it are of concern.  And when will this offense click?
All this plus Kyle Reis giving a minors report and a absolute slew of Twitter questions.  And, given a new trailer and such, a little dab of Star Wars at the end.  Give it a listen, won't you?