While spending most of a Sunday wondering if unplayable fieldconditions would wipe out the annual Valmeyer July 4th weekendmen's baseball Classic, I wandered through the stands beneath thepavilion at the Twyla and Alois Luhr Field at Borsch Memorial Parkto ask fans about the current St. Louis Cardinals' season.With pen and paper in hand while a helicopter from FostaireCharter in Cahokia hovered more than two hours over a rain-soakedinfield in a drying attempt, I found fan appreciation.If USA Today can refer to a survey of Major League Baseballplayers that indicated "St. Louis fans appreciate the game best,"why not speak with some of the best about the Cardinals?To speed my query, I did not require anyone to identifythemselves first as a Cards' fan, but preferred to have them answera simple question:"What do you think the Cardinals need to do after the All-Starbreak?"Before considering what your response would have been or seekingmine, please consider the following that in some cases is precededby expanded info on the responder:Dale Woods, East Carondelet, A former Cardinals minor leaguepitcher (1949 for St. Joseph, Mo., and later West Frankfort, Ill.,in the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League): "Their pitching hasbeen good enough,Michael kors handbag, but they need hitting. You cannot win with justtwo runs per game. They are very fortunate to be in the (NationalLeague's) Central Division."James Heise, Waterloo: "I don't expect big moves; they look likethey are stuck with what they've got. They have to get two of thethree - Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, going and get backto hitting .270 to .295. With a little power, they should win thedivision. If they have two good months, 85 wins might win it."Jackie Gilbert, Maeystown, a former Valmeyer High Schoolsoftball player: "In order to win, they have to maintaincamaraderie and have a consistent team effort,louboutin shoes. They need a longwinning streak."Russell Baltz,Marc Jacobs Purses, Millstadt, a longtime friend of former Cardinals'Manager Whitey Herzog: "They need to replace the inexperiencedplayers like (infielder) Joe Thurston. You hear that they haveyoung players, but they are not young. Thurston is 29 but he's newto the Cardinals (with just 59 games played in MLB previously forthe Dodgers, Phillies and Red Sox)."Bev Musso, Belleville, the wife of Mon-Clair League Hall ofFamer Tony Musso and Waterloo pitcher Brandon Musso: "The hittershave to relax more, and they (Cardinals officials) have to solidifythe bullpen other than closer (Ryan) Franklin. Among the reliefpitchers, (Jason) Motte needs more than just a fastball."Rich Fisher, Waterloo, a M-C vice-president and also the generalmanager of the Waterloo Millers, who earlier this season was aguest of Manager Dusty Baker in the Cincinnati clubhouse in St.Louis: "If (Manager) Tony La Russa has not figured out who his bestplayers are when he makes out a lineup, he may as well flip a coin.The Cardinals need a consistent lineup,www.guesswholesaler.com, not hopscotch that has aplayer like (Skip) Schumaker playing second base and then theoutfield. If I were a player, I'd always be nervous, having to cometo the ballpark to learn whether or not I was playing and whatposition." Bob Blank, Columbia,Marc Jacobs Purses, the Mon-Clair Leaguesecretary-treasurer, and a former Houston minor league pitcher(1976): "You need pitching and defense to win, but you have to havemore than one dominating pitcher. Chris Carpenter can dominate, buthe has to stay healthy. They do not have enough (pitching) depth,and they should make a trade if necessary."Ben Yancey, Waterloo: "The Cardinals definitely need hitting.I'd go after (Oakland outfielder) Matt Holliday (a three-time AllStar). I'd give up (outfielder Chris) Duncan, (pitcher Brad)Thompson and more."Joe Toenjes, Millstadt, the president of the Mike Laga (formerCardinal to hit only ball out of old Busch Stadium on Sept. 15,1976) Fan Club: "The Cardinals are in the weakest division inbaseball, but even though they've been hurt by injuries,Marc Jacobs Tote Bags, they havebeen in first place. Despite that. I'd like to see more youth.Colby Rasmus has proved he can play center field, but they ought tobring up Brett Wallace (No. 1 draft choice in 2008), and stick himat third base, especially because he is a left-handed hitter. Tradea couple of outfielders for a pitcher, and move Schumaker into theoutfield for good."You can agree or disagree, but I found it interesting that notone person referred to La Russa batting the pitcher eighth or toAll-Star Albert Pujols, who barring injury is a threat to win aTriple Crown (batting average, home runs and runs batted in).At one point, one of the queried asked what I'd do? My responsewas to say that I preferred hearing from the fans whose insightmight well represent the fuel needed to win another pennant andmore.EXTRA INNINGS: At the recent Cardinals Care golf tournament atGrand Marais Golf Course in East St. Louis, I had occasion to askmany questions, including what some might have thought of theCardinals' pre-game routine with their starting pitchers.In a St. Louis sports talk radio interview with Frank Cusumano,Cardinals' pitching Coach Dave Duncan indicated that when a Cards'starting pitcher prepares for a game in the bullpen, other startingpitchers are with him. Apparently, this has been done since 2006and is meant to motivate a pitcher since his teammates are there toadd criticism and support.However, Vern Holtgrave of Breese, who pitched for Detroit in1965 and was among the celebrities at the CC tourney,disagreed."I don't like it," said Holtgrave, a former teammate of Cy Youngwinner Denny McLain."I knew when I threw well, and I didn't need the criticism fromsomeone who did not pitch like I did."E-mail:voellinger01aol.com Related articles:

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