What a Difference a Year Makes

If you look back where we were a year ago from right now, you can absolutely say, without hesitation, that we have made strides in the right direction. Some might call it a 180 degree turn, but whatever you want to call it, it is working. This newfound sense of direction shows us that we have a fountain of youth in our minor league system (due to better drafting philosopohies) that are a year away from heading north with the Cardinals from the minor leagues, as well as some other great players added since the 2008 campaign to our major league roster. But there was a time last year when we had a lot of question marks. For instance, is Chris Carpenter going to have a comeback type of year? Is Mark Mulder going to be healthy? What can Caesar Izturis do for us offensively as our new shortstop? Who is Kyle Lohse and why did we sign him? Can Ankiel and Ludwick produce at the rate like they were at the tale end of 2007? What kind of drop off from Rolen to Glaus can we expect defensively? Those questions seem to have subsided for now after a rough, injury riddled year for Carpenter in 2008, another disaster year for Mark Mulder and we finally let him go, Caesar Izturis having no offensive credibility (but defensively was great) and now we replaced him with a better all around shortstop in Khalil Greene, we can depend on Kyle Lohse to be a very solid 3 or 4 starter for us, Ankiel and Ludwick had a stellar 2008 campaign and Glaus played a gold glove calibur third base. Ok. Take a breath. Now we are heading into 2009 with a very positive, optimistic attitude about the core players that we have, along with some young players (most notably Mather and Rasmus) that are up and coming and that can contribute right away.

Since the issues deemed "lets not beat this horse to death" have settled down and have disappeared out of sight and quickly into the past (i.e. The Mark Mulder Saga), we have decided to move into a new direction with our new front office management. Yes, last year was less than stellar on the free agent and trade market, and yes, last year was the front offices' first full year together, but they were still dealing with some of the "leftovers" from the Jocketty Administration. Some people strongly disagree with the decision making of the new regime and that they dont spend the money or that they havent explored any trade possibilities to bolster our starting rotation, added another power bat etc... Well if you look at the history of our organization, we have spent the money and we have made the moves at the July trade deadlines. And that is it right there. As opposed to making trades, which we heavily relied on in the past, and spending money from our shallow pockets, we are reaching into our own crop of players. Yes, you can look at that as being cheap, but we cant say that we have the money to pay overrated and/or past their prime free agents. We are investing in these young players that we have and making sure that they are groomed and ready to make the jump to the big leagues at the drop of a hat if need be. To think that we can practically turn this organization around in less than a year and change our philosophies, is simply astounding. How many organizations do you see doing that? Especially for the better. I am not saying that we were in ruins and a reviving was in order, but the Dark Age of the Cardinals was on the horizon just like the majority of the 1990's were and we all know how they felt. Not to mention missing the postseason the past two years. We have filled many holes by tinkering around with certain players within our organization to save money and to hold the fort until further notice. For instance, the Skip Experiment. I think that this was a great idea from the start. The only problem is can he be ready by the season opener? Many people, along with myself, think that he definitely will be ready and will only get better as the season goes on. Also, Joe Mather playing third until the return of Glaus. These guys have helped us stay calm and collected and to give us confidence for the future. These are signs of a transition, both internally and economically.

I am very impressed by this front office and what they have done. To be where we are right now, at this point and time, is nothing less than amazing. I do not want to look past 2009 before it even starts, but the future is exciting for this organization. It is very hard to imagine what kind of position we will be in a year from now, but the direction that we are headed in really speaks volumes of what this front office is all about.