Terry Francona Should Replace Tony LaRussa

Take a good look St. Louis, this is the man that will steer the ship for the Cardinals in the 2012 season.

Sure, I have heard plenty of rumors regarding Terry Francona and what he may do next season. There has been rumblings about Tito joining Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer in Chicago. There has been talk about Tito taking a year off. There has been talk of Tito doing T.V. for a year. I don't think that any of those options are realistic. When it comes down to it, Terry Francona is the perfect candidate to take over for Tony LaRussa.

No matter what, replacing Tony LaRussa is going to be very difficult. I have heard the rumors that third base coach Jose Oquendo is primed to take over for LaRussa. Rumor has it that Pujols will only return to St. Louis if Oquendo is the coach. Guess what? Pujols will return to St. Louis if they give him the best deal.

Period.

Other names that have been floated to take over for LaRussa: batting coach Mark "Big Mac" McGwire as well as Chicago Cubs legend and current AAA coach for the Phillies, Ryne Sandberg. Here is the deal with McGwire, the guy was a hell of a baseball player, albeit with steroids later in his career, but overall, he was a great player. He came out, apologized for taking banned substances and has quietly been trying to gain a positive reputation back in Major League Baseball. I respect that. I just don't see him being ready to take over for a Major League Club yet.

Ryne Sandberg on the other hands, as you know if you've read any of my posts before, I would love to see in Boston. With my Boston argument, I have the same reasoning why he will not be coaching in St. Louis - the Cubs would be foolish NOT to hire him to be the coach in 2012.

Sure, there are other names out there that could replace LaRussa, but not many have as good of a record as Francona posts. While LaRussa coached for 2,728 wins and 2,365 losses over a 35 year career that saw him coach just 3 different teams, the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals. LaRussa chalked up 6 pennants and 3 World Series Titles with his .536 winning percentage.

In his 12 years coaching just 2 Major League clubs (The Phillies and Red Sox), Terry Francona has coached 1,029 wins and 915 losses, or a .529 winning percentage. It is worth noting that while in Boston, Francona had a .574 winning percentage and in that same time frame, LaRussa's Cardinals posted a .554 winning percentage.

Terry Francona will be loved in St. Louis, both by the players (as he is very much a players manager to the end) and by the fans/media. Tito is always very candid and open about his coaching, and in a baseball town like St. Louis, they will love having a guy like Francona whose life IS baseball leading the charge.

If St. Louis manages to bring back Pujols and sign Terry Francona on as their manager in 2012, this team has a legitimate chance of repeating as World Series Champions.

Freese Frame!

I was wrong. I admit it. I truly thought that the Texas Rangers were the superior team going into this series. On paper, certainly I was correct. The problem with that theory was, you can't measure heart, determination and momentum in quantifiable sums on paper. The 2011 St. Louis Cardinals had all three in their corner, and it showed.

Game 7 lived up to the hype set forth by Game 6, a game many are calling the greatest World Series game ever played. It was hard to argue. The Rangers were one pitch away not once, but twice, from winning the grand prize, only to let it slip away in an extra inning gem as played by the Cardinals. That brought forth a seventh game that started eerily similar to game 6.

In the top of the first, Ian Kinsler singled off of Chris Carpenter and it seemed as though Texas was about to begin another offensive show early on. That was when I saw one of the finer catching plays in recent memory made by Yadier Molina. While Carpenter was dealing to Elvis Andrus, Molina caught Kinsler sleeping at first and made a snap thrown down to Albert Pujols. Kinsler was sent back to the dugout.

Though Carpenter would go on to give up 2 runs in that first inning, again, eerily similar to game 6, he would not give up another run in his next five innings of service. In fact, he would only surrender 1 more hit, completely shutting down the Texas Ranger offense that has been so powerful throughout the season. Carpenter looked like a man on a mission. It is worth mentioning that had game 6 not been rained out on Wednesday, Carpenter would not have started that game last night.

With the Cardinals down 2 runs going into the bottom of the first, it appeared as though they would be set down in order. Ryan Theriot grounded out to lead things off. Allen Craig then flied out for the second out of the inning. Then, things turned around. Albert Pujols drew a walk. So did Lance Berkman. That brought up the hometown hero. The "MAN" from game 6, David Freese.

He lived up to the hype again.

Freese doubled to left field, scoring both Pujols and Berkman. Game tied. Momentum starting to shift. The Cards would come out of the first inning no worse off than when the game started, all things being equal. Allan Craig would go on to hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd inning that would prove to be the game winner. However, the Rangers still had heart, until they gave away the game in the bottom of the 5th, walking in a run with the bases loaded, followed up by hitting a batter with the bases loaded to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead.

The eyeball test proved accurate at this point. You could see that the Cardinals had the "eye of the tiger" in them, while the Rangers looked to be a team defeated.

David Freese, the hometown boy, had come up big in Game 6 with 2 hits and 3 RBI's helping his team force game 7. He added his 2 run double in game 7 to even everything up early on and give the Cards a chance. But what Freese did extended beyond the paper numbers. His hits came in pressure packed situations. He came through for his team when they needed him the most. He proved that on a team with so many great players, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Rafael Furcal - that the player with the most heart, grit, and determination often times proves to be the most valuable.

Congratulations to the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. Well done.

Congratulations to David Freese, a player that exemplified Most Valuable Player throughout the entire post season.

The Case for Mike Napoli

Every year the fall classic brings out the best in some previously unknown player. Last year, Cody Ross stole the show for the San Francisco Giants. This year, Mike Napoli has proven to be a legitimate big-game player. Going into this World Series I swore that Adrian Beltre would prove to be the MVP of the series. It looks like I may have to eat those words as Napoli is just feeding them to me.

In the 5 games he has played thus far Napoli has compiled the following stat line: 13 at bats (18 total plate appearances), 2 runs scored, 4 hits, 1 double, 2 home runs, 9 runs batted in, 3 walks and he has struck out twice. His batting average is .308 while his on-base percentage is .389. His slugging percentage is .846 and his OPS is 1.235.

What does that all translate into? He is first on the Rangers in OPS, Slugging and OBP. He is 3rd in batting average (2nd if you only quantify players that have played in all 5 games.) I need to repeat this, he has 9 RBI's - that is as many as Michael Young (3), Adrian Beltre (2), Nelson Cruz (2) and Josh Hamilton (2) combined. He has become an offensive machine.

On the other side of the ball - he has not allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to steal a base on him, throwing out all 3 attempts: Allen Craig twice and Jon Jay once.

While Napoli's star is surely shining bright right now, the question is, why haven't we noticed him before? The obvious answer is that he is buried on a team full of offensive and defensive weapons. But, Napoli is single handedly destroying my case for the Texas Rangers needing to/being in the hunt for Albert Pujols. Now, allow me to clarify here, I am not saying that Napoli is as good as Pujols, but what I am saying is that Napoli is good enough to not need Pujols.

First of all, Napoli is only 29 years old. Pujols is 31 - not a huge difference in age, but nevertheless, a difference exists. Napoli is capable of both catching and playing first base as well as DH'ing if need be. Pujols can play first or DH. Those are the plain eyeball examinations of the players, but lets take a quick look at the meat and potatos.

During the 2011 season Mike Napoli's stat line looked like this: 113 games played, 72 runs scored, 118 hits, 25 doubles, 30 home runs, 75 RBI's, 58 walks, .320 batting average, .414 OBP, .631 slugging and 1.046 OPS.

During the 2011 season Albert Pujols' stat line looked like this: 147 games played, 105 runs scored, 173 hits, 29 doubles, 37 home runs, 99 RBI's, 61 walks, .299 batting average, .366 OBP, .541 slugging and .906 OPS.

For arguments sake, Prince Fielders 2011 stat line looked like this: 162 games played, 95 runs scored, 170 hits, 36 doubles, 38 home runs, 120 RBI's, 107 walks, .299 average, .415 OBP, .566 slugging and a .981 OPS.

In 34, and 49 fewer games played respectively, Napoli put up fairly similar numbers to both Pujols and Fielder. Of course, on the free agent market, both of those gentlemen will command big dollars and long term contracts. The Rangers have Napoli arbitration eligable for the 2012 season and he becomes a free agent in 2013. According to SI.com, the average salary for a catcher is $2,160,425.94. The Rangers have something special in Napoli and if they are wise, their biggest signing this off-season could be a nice contract extension for him. Not bad for a guy who was traded to the Blue Jays, stayed there for all of 4 days and was turned around and traded to the Rangers last winter.

After all that, I need to offer up 2 mea culpa's... first, Mike Napoli, not Adrian Beltre will win the World Series MVP. Second, the Rangers do not need, nor will they sign Albert Pujols, they're gonna be just fine without him.

Detroit Rock City

As a Boston Red Sox fan there is a certain (albeit self-serving) feeling of righteousness when the New York Yankees are ousted from the playoffs. Sure, the Red Sox didn't make it to fall ball for 2 seasons in a row. That only matters minimally in this war of ages. What matters is that the Yankees didn't acquire another ring. Phew. I'll bet the Sox brass is breathing easy with that knowledge.

This isn't at all about the Red Sox though. This is about seeing teams emerge and be great in October. This is about Jose Valverde shutting the door on Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees. This is about Justin Verlander making everyone realize that he could and should be the AL MVP this season. This is about Austin Jackson coming into his own as a suitable replacement for Curtis (MVP runner-up) Granderson.

This is about Victor Martinez, settling in nicely as a part-time catcher and DH. This is about Doug Fister handling this New York Yankee lineup for four scoreless innings, only allowing 1 run over five innings. This is about Magglio (don't call me washed up) Ordonez going 2 for 3 and showing he's still got it. This is about the magic that October brings out in all of baseball.

What we are witnessing this post season is something that I'm sure Bud Selig is enjoying quite a bit. Of the 8 Division Series teams only 1 would be considered "major market" by many accounts. We are seeing the Arizona Diamondbacks show incredible resilience against a formidable Milwaukee Brewers team. We are seeing the St. Louis Cardinals ride out this wave of amazing baseball that they have been playing since September 1st, taking it to the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies. We are seeing history in the making.

Tonight should prove to be no exception to that statement. With 2 game five's lined up, this is going to be an epic night of baseball. First, at 5:00pm est we will see the Milwaukee Brewers play host to the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks. The snakes are hoping to see another Kirk Gibson-esque performance from Ryan Roberts. Justin Upton could solidify himself as a bonified star by becoming an October hero as well. On the other side the Brewers are hoping that the combo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder will provide enough offense to rid themselves of those pesky Diamondbacks.

After that, at 8:30pm est we will see the finale' of the Cardinals and Phillies series, capping off the Division Series playoffs with a pitchers dual for the ages; Chris Carpenter against Roy Halladay. Though Carpenter is hosting a 12.00 ERA in the NLDS (he pitched on short rest in game 2) tonight he is on full rest and ready to take on his old compadre' Roy Halladay (3.38 ERA in the NLDS).

I said it on Facebook the other night - I have already made my predictions for the World Series and starting tonight, I think you'll see the Cardinals make their way to play the Texas Rangers for it all. All I know is that I will be tied to my TV tonight for some exciting October baseball.

Where Pujols Fits

Adrian Gonzalez has ruined the market for Albert Pujols. Its true that the season is very young, but Pujols is not off to a prototypical "Pujols" season. If Adrian Gonzalez performs as expected in Boston and outperforms Pujols then it would be really hard for any team not named the Yankees (a presumed non-factor) to shell out $200 million for his services.

Let's assume that there is no blockbuster mid-season trade that sends Pujols elsewhere and he makes it (as expected) to free agency. The question then becomes, "Who will pay for his services?" The list should be short, right? After much debate with a friend of mine, we narrowed the field down to 7 realistic potential suitors. Surprisingly, neither will be the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees. Having said that, let's examine those teams that would be willing to shell out the coin (presumably) as well as have the desire to make a splash. As for Pujols, I don't get the vibe that he is all to concerned with staying in St. Louis for the sake of staying in St. Louis. Albert wants to get paid and he wants to win. With those parameters, I offer up these potential suitors for the biggest free agent in recent memory:

St. Louis Cardinals

Obviously the Cardinals need to keep him. The loss of Pujols could prove to be a catastrophic hit to the proud franchise. The signing of Matt Holiday was an attempt to show him that they have the willingness to spend the money to build a winning team around him. They have a new stadium that would be a sad sight if half empty. The loss of the power hitting first baseman could set this team back for years to come. Even if they attempted to fill the gap by becoming major players in the Prince Fielder auction, that would be like trying to sell Jo Jo English as a suitable replacement for Michael Jordan. No disrespect to Prince Fielder, but you catch my drift.

Colorado Rockies

This is my dark horse selection for the race. They are a complete team in many regards, but they have an aging first baseman in Todd Helton with a stud, young lineup that includes Troy Tulowitski, Carlos Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rockies have never been known to be "big spenders" so to speak, which is why I would love, LOVE to see them in the race for Pujols. Can you just imagine it? At Coors Field Pujols would average 60 home runs, 120 RBI's, post easily a .300 average and be a potential triple crown threat every year. The Rockies would instantly be the team to beat for the next 8 years in the National League.

Anaheim Angels

I don't care how you want to spin it, the Angels were big time losers in the free agent market this past season. They did not get Carl Crawford. They did not get Cliff Lee. They were non-factors and were left with doing what the Angels do best, acquiring big, bad contracts. (See Vernon Wells.) This is a team with the resources and the need to make a big splash to become legitimate contenders in the eyes of the Red Sox and Yankees. Being an American League team, this offers Pujols the option of becoming a DH in the later portion of his contract. That might be an attractive incentive.

Texas Rangers

My American League dark horse. The Texas Rangers have built a reputation of winning under the leadership of Nolan Ryan. I love this organization right now. They wanted to shell out big money for Cliff Lee, who is to say they won't do the same to get Albert Pujols? Being an American League team, again, he will have the option of DH'ing in the later years while being thrust into a winning lineup as constituted. He will have protection in the lineup with the likes of Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, and possibly a contented DH in Michael Young (assuming he is stuck there through the 2011 season.) This team would instantly be World Series favorites, hands down.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Once again we have to assume that the McCourts will get the legal issues ironed out by the time the free agent frenzy begins next year. If they do, I'm pretty sure they'll do their best to inject some life into this highly talented lineup that is just under performing. I think you'd see them part ways with James Loney and light a fire under Andre Ethier (a personal favorite player of mine) and Matt Kemp. The Dodgers have fallen off from being considered a real threat in the NL and this would definitely give them back their legitimacy. It would also be a huge market for Pujols to make money in on his own... Pujols, Los Angeles...

New York Mets

I know - they are boring. They are broke. They haven't been viable for at least 3 seasons. That's why I can't rule them out. They're in New York. They may be bought out and suddenly find the cash the be a player again. Its New York. Did I mention that? The Mecca of the free world, Pujols could cash in nicely on endorsements etc being in the Big Apple. In the grand scheme, I find this to be the least likely option, but I would hate to not at least through the Mets in the mix. Lastly...

Chicago Cubs

The hated Cubs. This would vilify Pujols in St. Louis as much as LeBron is vilified in Cleveland. Maybe even more. It would be as if Ted Williams came back from war and decided to put on the pin stripes. Magic Johnson really did desire a trade and wound up playing with Bird in Boston. It would be the biggest smack in the face of the St. Louis Cardinals... but that might not be a concern for Pujols. He wants to get paid and he wants to win. The Cubs have Carlos Pena on a one year deal. They need a shot of adrenaline in their lineup. They have money to burn and a drought to end. They're desperate at this point. Don't sleep on the Cubs. They don't make sense across the board, but they may just overpay for Pujols to lure him away from St. Louis and to show their fanbase that they are trying to end their curse.

The field is wide open. There could be some other clubs that want to make a splash that just don't come to mind. But, based on my assessment and much debate... I think you may see Albert Pujols singing, "The stars at night, are big and bright...." Just like his contract, and his future... as a Texas Ranger. You heard it here first.