Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

Episode 92: Things Are Threatening To Get Wild

After a week off, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) come back together to survey a bit different Cardinal landscape.  Four straight losses, including three to the Dodgers, had the Cards out of the October picture but winning three of four put them right back in the driver's seat.  What should we expect this weekend against the Giants?  Is Adam Wainwright for real?  What would a playoff rotation or roster look like?  How do you judge Matt Carpenter this year after his slow bookends to his scalding salsa-fueled run?  A little look ahead to the offseason but overall, Daniel and Allen try to stay in the moment and focus on the playoff possibilities!

Episode 91: There's a Shot to Left

It wasn't the best week of Cardinal baseball we've seen recently but the club still is currently a playoff team, so they have that going for them which is nice.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) spend some time talking about the week that was, especially the situation at the back of the bullpen.  Does Bud Norris need to be replaced?  Who should get the job if so?  It was also a tough week for Jose Martinez and the team's overall record might have been much better had he or anyone else been able to come through in two key at-bats.  Finally, Allen and Daniel mark 20 years since 62 with some talk about Mark McGwire and what that meant then and means now.  Enjoy!

Episode 90: No Donaldson? No Problem! (Hopefully)

The buzzed-about, anticipated-by-some, almost-seemingly inevitable combination of Josh Donaldson and the St. Louis Cardinals didn't actually materialize, with the club apparently not that interested and Donaldson winding up in Cleveland.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about the pros and cons of not adding a former MVP into an already interesting mix.  That's not all they talk about, of course.  The guys cover the 40-man roster and how Adam Wainwright gets back on there.  They discuss the pennant race and why they aren't quite ruling out a division title yet.  They talk about the young pitchers and Greg Garcia.  A hodgepodge of topics and a little scoreboard watching here during the last show of August!

Episode 89: Taking On All Comers

Another week, another slew of wins for the St. Louis Cardinals.  August has seen the club go 17-4 with all of those losses by one run.  It's a run that has Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) both amazed and to the point where they never believe the Cardinals are going to lose.  The two talk about the last week, specifically the sweep of the Dodgers in LA, then get into some other points like Jack Flaherty's development into an ace, the return of Matt Adams, and the remarkable pitching in general.  Plus they get into what sort of moves might be made when rosters expand and whether that means the end of Matt Bowman.  Plenty to chew on as you get ready for the big series with the Rockies!

Episode 88: Flying High

The Cardinals' eight-game winning streak might have snapped on Thursday night, but the good vibes and feelings about this team are still with us.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about all the fun that watching this team provides, including seeing Harrison Bader flying around the basepaths or seeing the pitching staff continue to be impressive.  Postseason baseball is back in the picture as a series win this weekend against the Brewers puts the Cardinals in one of those wildcard spots in the middle of August.  Can they keep it up?  How does Carlos Martinez to the bullpen and the pending returns of Dominic Leone, Michael Wacha, and Adam Wainwright impact this team?  All that and much more in a rare morning edition of Meet Me at Musial!

Episode 87: Don't Look Now, But.....

Is October baseball really out of the picture?  With five straight series wins, the Cardinals have not only gotten much more involved in the wild-card race but also have somewhat closed the gap inside the division.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about the tightening race and look ahead to the important series to come, most notably this week as the Nationals and Brewers come to Busch.  There's also chatter about the much-improved bullpen and what that has done to the mindset of the fans watching the games, plus the additions of Adolis Garcia and Patrick Wisdom start some speculating about who actually is still in Memphis.  A good solid week of Cardinal baseball and that makes for a pretty upbeat show!

Episode 86: A Solid (But Not Phamtastic) Week

The trading deadline has come and gone and the roster looks....a lot like it did last week.  One glaring difference, of course, is the fact that Tommy Pham is now a Tampa Bay Ray.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) discuss the trade of Pham as well as the other deal of the deadline, Oscar Mercado to the Indians. (Though, of course, for more on the return from both trades, we recommend Colin Garner and Kyle Reis.)  Pham moved, which was a surprise but shouldn't have been, but Jose Martinez and Bud Norris are still on the roster.  Is that a mistake?
The guys also get into the improved play as of late, at least from an interest standpoint, and talk about how Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill are both going to get playing time.  How long can you run with Dexter Fowler?  Where does the pledge to his playing time end and the expectation that Bader and O'Neill can push this team begin?  Where does Mike Shildt and the front office draw the line.
There's also Carlos Martinez talk and various other tidbits (and hopefully a softer intro) so we hope you enjoy!

Episode 85: Pour One Out for the Patron Pitcher (and Other Moves)

Ever want to hear a couple of Cardinal bloggers react to news in basically real time?  That's what you've got this week as Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) sit down to record right as the Cardinals completely overhaul their bullpen.  This wasn't just getting a couple of tires rotated, this was reworking the whole engine.  (Please note, I am not a car guy so this is as far as I can go with the analogy.)  Sam Tuivailala?  Traded.  Greg Holland?  Nice knowing you.  Brett Cecil?  Conveniently spared by the DL.  Then there was Tyler Lyons.  #70.  The #PatronPitcher, going the same route as Holland.  Somehow, Daniel was able to hold back the tears.
Plenty of new faces as well.  Luke Weaver returns, as does Daniel Poncedeleon from his short trip back after his no-hit debut.  This weekend will also see the first Cardinal apperances by Tyler Webb (not quite the same, Cardinals) and Dakota Hudson as the Cards mull what else to do before the 4 PM Tuesday deadline.
The guys also give their thoughts on whether some Cardinals will be still here on August 1 and what the news about Chris Archer being a target means.  It might be a bit jumbled, but it's a thorough look at everything that's happened!

Episode 84: What Shildt The Cardinals Do?

We're a week removed from the most earthshaking news to come out of St. Louis in years and the repercussions are still being discussed and observed.  Last week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) were talking about the problems with the Matheny era.  This week, that era is history and the Mike Shildt era is through its first week.  What's changed with the new skipper?  Was this a move that's going to make a difference?  How stunning was the firing of Matheny mid-season?
The guys then talk about the series in Chicago, with the Cardinals rallying to pull out a doubleheader split right before they start the show.  Is it too little too late?  Is the front office already in sell mode, just waiting for the opportunity?
Also, Daniel and Allen give a hat tip to the scorching Matt Carpenter.  The hat gets a little too close to Carp and goes up in flames.

Episode 83: The Midseason Blahs

Technical difficulties might have cut this one short, but that's probably not a bad thing.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) had trouble coming up with new things to talk about as the Cardinals continue their back-and-forth ways.  Well, Mark Saxon provided some new content as his story on Bud Norris's relationship with Jordan Hicks got everyone stirred up for a bit.  The more disturbing aspect of that story, however, could be Norris's oversight of the bullpen as a whole and his relationship with Mike Matheny there.  Then there's a little more Dexter Fowler talk, the return of Luke Gregerson and the Patron Pitcher, and why Tommy Pham is hitting ninth.  An early release just in time for pregame listening!