Daniel My Brother

Hey Val, I think the Cards are willing to pony up the cash, they're just trying to avoid getting burned by long-term contracts in the process. Everyone else spends like idiots (cubs) around the time of the Winter meetings, then they go into hibernation. Walt works year round. He signs guys during spring training, during the season and even after the trade deadline. Based on past esperience I'm willing to give the Cardinals a little time to figure this out. I think they'll be fine. Keep the faith! Dan

Mike, Congrats on the new combo, I hope you like yours as much as I like mine! Fatman, I picked up a Pinnacle Extant HS Metal reel on closeout from Wally World early in the spring. This is the only Pinnacle I've ever owned, but I've really enjoyed it. Very smooth reel, though I have no idea where to send it for maintenance. Like you said, you don't hear much about Pinnacle.

I have had fried calimari, but I guess I never put 2 and 2 together. A couple of times it was tender and delicious, another time it tasted like an old shoe. So do they fight?

Very well said Ronnie!

This reminds me of a story my grandpa liked to tell: When they were building the old Memorial bridge across the Mississippi river in Quincy, a worker fell into the foundation while they were filling it with concrete. There was apparently no way to save him, so they just continued to pour. When the forms were removed, the sole of his boot was visible just above the water line. Over the years the sole disintegrated and you could pull your boat up and pick at the bones in his feet.

I find this fascinating. How big are those squid, and how big do they get? I'm guessing you eat those, but how?

You can save big bucks if you buy the combos at BPS. Pick a Pflueger President spinning reel and match it with your choice of BPS Extreme rods for $100. Individually they are a good value, as a combo it's a steal. I like the BPS extreme baitcasters and Abu round reels as well. I won't argue with anyone who gets more enjoyment out of high end rods and reels, but you don't have to look hard for great gear under $100.

Those are some wicked looking squid. How do you catch a squid? I honestly don't have a clue.

D'oh! Sorry Harshman. Thanks for setting me straight LR I know that secret well. This bass was only 8 inches long :

Harshman, I think your girlfriend was just trying to spare your feelings, her bass looks way bigger than yours Congrats on the fish and the fishin' girlfriend! DMB

Here's my problem with J.D. Drew: In 2004 the Cardinals were losing to the hated cubs in the 9th inning of a regular season game. Edgar Renterria came to bat for the Cards and hit a walk off grand slam to win it for St. Louis. As you can imagine, the fans were going wild and the players sprinted out of the dugout to celebrate with Edgar at home plate! Except for Drew, he was the last guy out of the dugout and he looked like he was walking to his own funeral. If beating the Cubs with a GS in the 9th doesn't get you excited about baseball, then why are you even playing?! JD is very talented but the Tin Man has more heart than this guy. Good luck Boston.

On that list, I'd have to say Billy Beane. They win like the Cardinals, with the Royal's budget. Epstein is the most overrated based soley on paying JD Drew $70 million for 5 years. C'mon!

Cajun, I hope you go in there are wreck the grade curve for all those 19 year old traditional students! Good luck! Dan Cart, I always liked the Famous Austin Peay (pronounced "Pee") University cheer "Let's go Peay! Let's go Peay!" AP used to have a star player named Fly Williams...they modified the cheer "The Fly is open! Let's go Peay!"

Another vote for the Chatterbait. It's the only "new" lure design I can think of that actually produced fish. Everything else is just a new way of presenting an old concept.

Suppan was not terrible in the 2004 World Series. He did give up 4 runs to a very good Boston offense that was on a roll. Don't forget that he outpitched Clemens in the 2004 NLCS to send the Cards to the series in the first place. If Suppan wants to be a Cardinal, he'll accept arbitration. If all he wants is the biggest paycheck possible he'll probably sign with the Yankees and they can have each other.

Baseball is messed up. Adam Eaton just signed a 3 year, 24.5 million dollar deal to pitch for the Phillies next season. Adam Eaton has never won more than 11 games in a season. His ERA in 2006 was 5.12. He's been on the DL six times in his career. And for THAT, the Phillies are going to pay him roughly $4,060 PER PITCH for 3 years. Ball, strike, hit batter, doesn't matter. $4,060 per pitch. He could pay off the remainder of my mortgage in 12 pitches! I really should have tried harder in little league.

Pujols would implode in New York. He just doesn't take criticism well, and he also doesn't always hustle down the baseline on routine grounders and fly balls. You guys already ruined A-rod, please don't ruin our superstar, too.

Robert, Neat cars, but which one pulls the boat? ;D

I'm in awe of Albert's talent, but he should just keep his mouth shut about the MVP thing. Nothing he says is gonna change anything and it only makes him sound like a sore loser. If he played in New York and made those comments, the press would be all over him. C'mon Albert, you're better than that.

The Zara Spooks are affordable and work well. Here's a good article on the subject from Field & Stream http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/article/0,13199,1069239,00.html

I've heard this about Clemens as well, but that may only help prove the point. The way I understand steroids is that they actually help your muscles recover faster after a workout, allowing you to workout harder and more often. This would also explain why so many relief pitchers have been busted using steroids. A relief pitcher may pitch 3 nights in a row and needs to recover fast. When Jason Grimsley was busted by the feds with HGH, it's been reported that one of the people he named was Clemens. HGH is undetectable using current methods, so we'll probably never know. A better question is can we use HGH on bass? Maybe dump it in your favorite farm pond and see what happens. That might help even out the playing field with those California guys and their trout fed monsters.

I can't argue with that, but I think Suppan is going to be way overpaid because of his post season and I just don't see the cards keeping him. I read something in SI a few weeks back that Suppan's ERA would have been a half a run higher per game if not for the Cardinal's defense. A lot of guys do well in St. Louis, that wouldn't succeed elsewhere. The fans are more supportive and forgiving, the media seldom rips into you, and the coaches put you in positions to succeed. Let's hope Wells benefits from that. Also, I love the thought of getting Gonzo for one season. The Cards have a good track record with signing big name guys in the twilight of their careers. LaRussa likes veterans and veterans like him....except maybe Ozzie Smith Is this turning into a Cardinals blog? Sorry.

Raul, I agree, getting a 14 foot jon on top of a car would be a chore, but maybe if you installed rollers to the top of your vehicle, you'd only have to lift half the weight of the boat at a time. I think any deck would have to be removable. Here's the deck I built for my 14 foot jon, and it pops right out. It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it might work. Good luck!

I like the Wells signing. Better career ERA than Suppan, and that should only get lower with the Cardinals defense behind him and Dave Duncan coaching. Good fastball (can hit 96)...nice guy to have on the back end of the rotation. I think Adam Kennedy will be a servicable 2nd baseman, though his numbers against leftys have not been good. Actual baseball talk!!!! This is so much better than talking about steroids! Go Cards!

Good point Valascus. Zambrano is a legitimate #1 starter, but that's all the cubbies really have right now. I think the NL Central will be wide open, you could make a case for any of the six teams to win it in 07. Houston scares more WITHOUT Clemens. I think he was bad for clubhouse morale. Didn't sign 'til mid season & didn't travel with the team. You can't have a different set of rules for one player. I don't think any players purposely tanked on days that he pitched, but it would be hard to get motivated to back up a diva like Clemens, and his run support reflected that. Houston closed the gap to a 1/2 game with one to play, how good would they have been if Clemens had been around all season? Maybe they'd be the ones celebrating. (or maybe Clemens was serving a super-secret 50 game steroid suspension...any conspiracy theorists out there?)