Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

Episode 73: Revenge of the Fifth

It's been a tough week for the St. Louis Cardinals.  Not necessarily on the field, as they've won four straight against Chicago teams (two White Sox, two Cubs) and a couple of those in dramatic fashion.  It's come at a cost, though, as four players were injured over the last two days, including what seems to be a serious injury to Yadier Molina.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) talk about the winning ways of this club even as the offense has struggled.  Some underlying stats seem to indicate Matt Carpenter is due to come out of it, but how much do we buy into that?  Luke Weaver has been rough the last few times out--can he turn it around?  What happens in the bullpen if Dominic Leone and, more notably, Bud Norris are out for any length of time?
The guys also talk a little Solo movie in honor of Star Wars Day being yesterday (when this was recorded) and spend time waiting for Molina updates by talking about the Cardinal Hall of Fame selections (stick around for Daniel's hot take about the 1980s) and the 3000th hit of Albert Pujols.  Plenty here including a lot of worry that hopefully is unfounded.  If you enjoy, please give us a rating and review on iTunes.  We'd appreciate it!

Episode 72: The Second-Most Ambitious Crossover Event in History

Fresh off another great #UCBWeekend, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) crosses the streams and brings both Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) and his Gateway co-host Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) to talk about their time in St. Louis as well as the other issues surrounding the Cardinals.  The focal pont of Blogger Day is always the Q&A with John Mozeliak and Bill DeWitt III and this year was no exception.  What were Mo's thoughts about the staff changes?  Why did he feel confident in bringing up Jordan Hicks?  What does Hicks's spin rate have to do with a lab in Florida?  All this, plus talk about the Mets game that was going on while recording, Matt Carpenter, the bullpen, and much, much more!

Episode 71: Are They Trending Up?

Most of the time, the Cardinals sitting at .500 wouldn't be that interesting.  Perhaps it's still not, but after taking the first two from Cincinnati, it's easy to start thinking maybe things are starting to click.  Though, as Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) admit, when you are facing the Reds, everything looks great.  The Cards didn't use Greg Holland in a save situation on Friday--is this an issue?  How about the scuffles of the Patron Pitcher?  At least Luke Weaver has been sharp and Adam Wainwright had a surprisingly good outing.  Then there's the offense--is the set-in-stone lineup good for the club?  All this and much more crammed into a little shorter of a show.  Enjoy!

Bonus: Godspeed, Rebels

Another one of our bonus Star Wars episodes, the seventh in the series, finds Daniel (@C70) talking with Tina (@ErdrickStrom) and Tito (@triveratops) as usual as well as newcomer Ron Nuttall of the Team of Rivals Podcast (@TeamofRivalsPod).  Star Wars Rebels wrapped up about a month ago and the panel talks not only about some of the concepts and ideas that came out of the last few shows but also how the series as a whole worked for them.  After that, there's discussion about the new Solo trailer and if it has moved the needle for anyone in wanting to see Han Solo again on the big screen.  A few rabbit trails and an outtake at the end that must be heard to be believed.  Get ready for the jump to lightspeed!

Episode 70: Past, Present, and Future

The season's a week old which means there is plenty of stuff to talk about.  So much stuff that Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) brought in their good friend Kyle Reis (Birds on the Black, @kyler416) to talk about it.  Adam Wainwright made the start in the home opener.  Should he have?  Where do the Cardinals go from here and is there any way this doesn't turn ugly or sad?
Then there's the other roster moves, like bringing up Jordan Hicks and using Yairo Munoz as a defensive replacement.  These are moves that don't seem to fit with the general approach of the Cards over the past few years.  What's behind this?
The minor league season has gotten underway and Kyle goes over the highlights of the full season rosters.  Which teams will be intriguing, which prospects were in unexpected places, and which roster does our prospect guru deem boring?
Finally the guys tackle the Tommy Pham article and all its repercussions.  It's a full show and we hope you enjoy!

Episode 69: Not The Start We Had Planned

Baseball's back!  The Cardinals have played a game in the 2018 season!  We should be overjoyed, yet after their 9-4 loss to the Mets, that's not exactly the feeling that is prevalent.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) talk about all the issues that came out of that first game, from Carlos Martinez's lackluster start to worries about Matt Bowman.  The Cards went out and got Greg Holland for their ninth inning needs.  Was that really necessary?  What does that mean for the club and who gets to find out their seat is now taken?  Jordan Hicks took the expressway to Cardinal fans' hearts as well as the majors.  Is this the best move for the young fireballer?  Finally, Jose Oquendo told the media that Jose Martinez would be the main first baseman going forward.  What does this mean for the musical chairs that is St. Louis's infield and is this a power struggle or shift from the manager?  Plenty of things to talk about this week!
 
(PS: Apologies if there are sound issues or glitches.  Both Allen and Daniel had various issues while recording this and there's only so much Daniel can do with his rudimentary skills to clean it up.)

Episode 68: Getting Down to Brass Tacks

The wait is almost over.  Spring training has just a handful of games--games you can count on one hand, even--before it concludes and the regular season gets under way.  In this episode, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) are joined by Moose Michaels of the 243 Podcast.  (You can find Moose on Twitter @MooseMichaels and the show @243Podcast.)  The Cardinals made their final hitting decision earlier on Friday, sending down Harrison Bader and Luke Voit while keeping Yairo Munoz for the Opening Day roster.  Was this the right move?  Did the Cardinals let spring stats influence them too much?  The guys tackle that plus the Carson Kelly demotion, what the bullpen will look like, and their general thoughts on the team.  Plus they tackle some of your Twitter questions as well!

Episode 67: It's All Coming Together

There's less than two weeks until Opening Day and the optimism level around the St. Louis Cardinals continues to rise.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) talk about some of the current events in camp as they look forward to the March 29 opener against the Mets.  Who will be on the roster when that comes?  There are a lot of pitchers, most notably Mike Mayers and Josh Lucas, competing for that seemingly last spot in the pen.  But does it matter who gets it?  Also, Matt Carpenter is back instead of being down in his back.  Are there still concerns there, though?  Alex Reyes isn't going to face hitters in a game this spring.  How disappointing is that?  Plus plenty of other talk as the guys go around the roster--and note history as it happens in the NCAA Tournament.

Episode 66: DeJong and the Richless

Well, OK, so Tommy Pham is not richless by the standards of everyone listening to this podcast (if you are the exception, Allen and Daniel would like to talk to you about a sponsorship) but compared to his teammate's contract, his is looking a little small.  Is this going to be a problem?  Did Pham make the right decision?  And what about that long-term extension for Paul DeJong anyway--was it a good move?  Was it a necessary move?  Does it really matter?
Matt Carpenter is still not on the field, though reports are bat-swinging is coming soon.  Is there any real concern about whether he'll be ready for Opening Day?  If he isn't, what does the lineup look like?
All that plus talk about how Yairo Munoz could fit on this team (and whether he will) and if there should be concerns about the starters after a couple of turns through the rotation.  It's a Monday edition of Meet Me At Musial!

Episode 65: Where the Names Are Unknown and the Results Don't Matter

The Cardinals have returned to the field and are playing unmeaningful games against other organizations.  It's not been the swiftest start for the team in red, but Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) are counseling you to settle down if for some reason you've been worked up over what happened this weekend.  Spring training results, both good and bad, should be taken with huge silos of salt, especially this early as rust is being shaken off and people are getting into their grooves.  Daniel and Allen talk about the starts of Jack Flaherty, Carlos Martinez, and Miles Mikolas.  There's also talk about some of the young outfielders.  What would it take for one of them to be on the roster come Opening Day?  The guys rail against the new pitching visits limitations and wonder why both Luke Voit and Breyvic Valera want to be outfielders when there are so many in the system.  It's a bit shorter than normal--you're welcome--so give it a listen then rate and review!