Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

Episode 156: Circling the Drain

Is there going to be a season?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) discuss the latest developments in the battle between MLB owners and the players' association.  Will baseball really give itself another black eye by not playing baseball due to money issues in this environment?  Can there really be any common ground, though?  The guys discuss both sides, then talk about the minor leaguers that are being cut in droves.  Optimism doesn't abound here, folks, but we plug on regardless!

Episode 155: Going To The Bench

With Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) away due to his daughter's graduation, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) brought in a rookie to help go through some Cardinal news.  Russ Robinson (Redbird Rants, @frrobinson1957) and Daniel spend most of the time talking about the Cardinal Hall of Fame announcement.  Are the '80s too represented?  Who are some names that might be on the ballot soon?  What's the deal with Keith Hernandez?  They touch on the recent MLB/player developments for restarting the season at the end as well.  A solid debut from the pinch-hitter!

Episode 154: Some Cardinal History (From Someone Who Was There)

Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) were honored to be visited by Matthew Leach, current MLB.com editor and former Cardinal beat writer for the site.  Matthew's run in St. Louis went from 2002 to 2011 and we cover all sorts of topics from that time.  How hard was 2002 for a guy just getting on the beat?  How good was that 2004 team?  How many drafts of a story did he have to write about Game 6?  So much good stuff from one of the greatest periods in Cardinal history.
Before and after their chat with Mr. Leach, the guys talk about the most recent issues with MLB and the players that might keep the game from returning and about some recent comments from Yadier Molina.  But you are here for Matthew Leach and we completely understand that.

Episode 153: The Central State of Affairs

It feels like every week we get another plan for restarting baseball.  This week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about the regional plan that came out, pitting the Cardinals against basically every other Central team, NL and AL, as part of a three-division setup for MLB.  Does that solve the problems that baseball is facing?  What would the chances be for the Cardinals in such a division?  Is that close enough to "real baseball"?  Then the guys tackle the news this week that Yadier Molina wants to keep playing even if it's not with the Cardinals.  Is there anything to this?  Will anyone else be interested in Molina's services?  Finally, the guys talk about the umpires and their agreement with MLB about the 2020 season.  Another hour of baseball talk to hopefully keep you sane!

Episode 152: Major League Plans and Minor League Cuts

After a week off, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) are back at it, talking about how the virus is affecting their neck of the woods before getting into the little news that baseball has provided.  Does the idea of adding a third quarantine area if baseball starts play make more sense?  How would a Texas/Florida/Arizona plan work?  There are reports MiLB is starting to acquiesce to MLB's demands for the contracting of teams.  While that discussion is probably better served on Chirps, Allen and Daniel get into it as well.  And should MLB teams be cancelling games instead of postponing them and getting refunds back to fans?  Sit back and spend an hour with the guys!

Episode 151: Planning For the Future

We're basically a month removed from the last time the Cardinals took the field and it's starting to wear on Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1).  However, are the plans that are trickling out about the return of baseball the solution?  The guys talk about the problems and the pitfalls of both the Arizona "bubble" plan and the Cactus/Grapefruit realignment plan.  How much are we willing to sacrifice to get baseball back on the field?  Also, they talk about why, as great as the old games on TV are, they aren't completely appointment television and who might be the next retired number.  Spend a little time with the guys as we wait on baseball!

Episode 150: Quarantine Ramblings

Still no baseball on the horizon, so Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about whatever comes to mind.  From how the coronavirus is affecting them to what John Mozeliak said this week to a trip down memory lane talking baseball cards, it's just a couple of guys passing the time and trying to make sense of this current world.  Come on in and pass the time with them!

Episode 149: Planning for Go Time

Another week of coronavirus-enforced separation from baseball, but this time there's at least some news for Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) to talk about.  The owners and the players agreed on a framework for some of the issues for this crazy year.  Did the players give up too much?  Should they have been focused on free agency in a year that might have a very cold stove?  What are the chances there isn't a 2020 season at all?  Plus the Cards continued trimming their roster down, so the guys talk about the moves and why some of them are a little surprising.  Invite the guys into your quarantine for some baseball talk!

Episode 148: Wasting Away Again in Coronaville

What do you do when there are no sports and little news?  Podcast, of course!  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) try to talk about the news around the Cardinals, because there was actually a little of it, but as all conversations these days do, it comes back to the delay of the game and when we might get started up again.  Hopefully this will help kill a little time if you are stuck in the house!

Bonus: The Coronavirus Shutdown

Usually when there's a crossover episode, it's because of something fun like Blogger Day.  Not so this time, as Major League Baseball pulled the plug on spring training and delayed the start of the season by two weeks at minimum due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) are joined by Tara Wellman (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) as they talk about all the various ramifications of this decision.  Was it the right call?  What about the minor leaguers who may not be paid?  Will baseball actually be back the early part of April?  All this and more--no answers, just some fans trying to make sense of a historic situation.