Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

Episode 119: The Prodigal Returns

Albert Pujols, back in Busch Stadium.  The return of The Machine has overshadowed a lot of what is going on with the Cardinals, but Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) are fine with that.  The guys talk a bit about how good it has been to see Albert again, but quickly move on to the other issues and problems that this club has, even as they stand just a game out of first.  The offense continues to sputter, but it seems like the organization is more likely to get an arm than a bat and neither any time soon.  Can this team get out of their cautious rut?  Should they?  All that and more on this episode of MMM!

Episode 118: Is This a Turning Point?

Four wins in five days (with a little help from whomever makes rain-related decisions in New York) has Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) wondering if things might be on the upswing.  That said, there's still plenty of concerns, from the offense (that did look good late in New York) to the rotation.  The guys also take a bit of a side trail to talk about whether the relationship between the Cardinals and FOX Sports Midwest has gotten a little less-than-healthy for the fan that's watching.  The Cards are definitely better off than they were in May but it remains to be seen if they've gotten their feet under them.  We can only hope!

Episode 117: May This Month End

Things continue to be bleak for the Cardinals as they won just three games since Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) got together.  There were some terrible losses in that span and turning points that didn't turn.  What's up with this team?  Where does the blame really lie?  The rotation?  The lineup?  The front office?  The guys dive into all of these points, talking about the batting order, the demotion of Michael Wacha, and how warm John Mozeliak's seat should be.  This has to last you for two weeks so we made it supersized!

Episode 116: Are Things Getting Stale?

The Cardinals won just one time between episodes, which didn't do wonders for the mood around these parts.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) spend some time pondering just what is wrong with the club.  A lot of focus is spent on the starting rotation, which seems to be the weakest link at the moment.  Can the team continue to run Michael Wacha out there?  If not, how can they avoid it?  Is Alex Reyes the answer, does the club need to make a move soon outside the organization, or both?
The guys also talk about whether the club needs some sort of shakeup in their approach and valuation of players.  Are things getting stale around the club?  Does the front office need to revisit how they do things?
Plus there's some talk about the lineup and what might need to go along there.  A lot of questions, not a lot of answers, but we hope you'll stick around for the ride!

Episode 115: What In Tarnation Is Going On Here?

It's been a miserable stretch for the Cardinals, so bad that the recording equipment last time out didn't want to have any part of a conversation about them.  It's been disciplined, however, and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) are back to talk about this 3-12 stretch.  Not that they have any answers, but they ask plenty of questions.  Why not change up the lineup?  Will the bullpen moves from this weekend make an impact?  When can we expect Alex Reyes?  All of this and...well, more of this...waiting for you inside!

Bonus: Nothing Minor About This Episode

It's always fun to catch up with Kyle Reis of Birds on the Black and Prospects After Dark fame.  (Find him on Twitter @kyler416.)  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) sits down with one of the foremost authorities on the Cardinals minor league system to talk about certain prospects but also to talk about a couple of things that have been bugging Kyle.  Major League Baseball is doing a worse job of letting folks connect with Minor League Baseball.  Is there a reason for that and how is that impacting what Kyle does?  The Cardinals have been making some different decisions lately when it comes to development.  What is going on there?
And then we get into Nolan Gorman and Official Prospect of the Blog Dylan Carlson.  Would you expect anything different?

Episode 114: Roaring Like a Wookiee

The Cardinals are on the top of the world, or at least the NL Central, posting 20 wins already this season.  While they dropped one to the Nationals right before the guys recorded this, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about how good this team is right now and how much fun they are to watch.  They get into the soaring offense, the improving rotation, and the lock-down bullpen.  Who goes when Luke Gregerson gets back, for instance?  The guys also touch on some older news, including Carlos Martinez's bullpen destination, Alex Reyes's broken hand, and the Cardinal Hall of Fame selections.  Hopefully this makes up for missing last week!  Fare thee well, Peter Mayhew.  WOHARGHHGARRGRH!

Bonus: We're In the Endgame Now

With the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming this week to a theater near you, Allen (@amedlock1) and Daniel (@C70) decided to do a little drafting, divvying up the movies that have come before as if they could only watch those that they selected.  Which movie went first?  Which character is most represented early on? And which movie gets left out entirely from the 21 potential selections?
After listening to the show, we want your opinion!  Find @MeetMeAtMusial on Twitter and weigh in on which host drafted the strongest roster of movies.  Tweet us with your thoughts and tell us where we went wrong!

Episode 113: The Struggle Is Real

Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) is struggling with allergies but that does mean that he and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) aren't going to talk about the Cardinals.  The Redbirds have their issues as well, mainly focused on the starting rotation.  Should Dakota Hudson stay in that group of five?  What kind of reinforcements do they have and should they be looking to them?  The guys also talk about the debuts of Ryan Helsley and Lane Thomas, the resurgence of Marcell Ozuna, and their thoughts about the Mexico series.  Look for a bonus episode coming next week!

Episode 112: The Rise of St. Louis

Let's just get this out of the way--the guys do NOT talk about the new Star Wars trailer, but you probably guessed that because the show is only an hour long.  Instead, this week Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) invite in Alex Crisafulli (Birds on the Black, @alexcards79) to talk about all things Cardinals.  With a sweep of the Dodgers under their belts, it truly is #TimeToFly for these Redbirds.  What takeaways were there from the LA series?  What looked good, what didn't?  There's a lengthy discussion about Yadier Molina, some concerns about Michael Wacha, praise of Paul DeJong, and thoughts on the upcoming Mexico series.  So much good stuff, you'll forgive us for not talking about Rey's backflip over the TIE Silencer.  (Seriously, though, did you see that flip?)