RIP Oscar Taveras

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

                             - Mary Elizabeth Frye

Following a baseball team is a weird thing. For a good six months of the year, your team is like 25 friends who you keep up with on a daily basis. You bask in their triumphs, and you share in their sorrows. In the end, the game is just a game, but it brightens an otherwise gloomy day, it brings excitement to what would be a lackluster weekend, and above all it distracts from life's harsh realities.

Unfortunately, today the game of baseball and the harshness of life collided in a most unexpected way. Oscar Taveras, the wonder kid uber-prospect, just 22 years of age, has passed away. Just two weeks ago, he was hitting home runs in the playoffs. And now, we are abruptly and shockingly left with the tragic emotions of "what-if" and "too young, too soon."

I distinctively remember feeling a similar emotion when Darryl Kile and then Josh Hancock passed away while members of the St. Louis Cardinals ball club. I was younger then, and struggled mightily with putting my thoughts into words. I still struggle today, some 10+ years later, but reading all of his teammate's thoughts makes me realize that this news goes beyond anything related to the game of baseball. Taveras was a friend, a son, a future husband and father. He was taken away too early. Baseball means very little in comparison. But as a fan, I mourn the loss of one of my 25 guys. Rest in peace, Oscar Taveras.

reliving the past

Recently some have suggested that my friends and I talk about the past too much.

I thought about the allegation some during my work commute, and ultimately decided that while I did like to relive the good old days more than the ordinary person, that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If you dwell in current happenings 100% of the time, life will end up just flying by and the entire journey that got you to where you are today will simply be hazy and forgotten.

With that being said, it has been rewarding to focus on the present this summer in order to set-up a more certain future. Now that one critical step has been accomplished, I will take my time and appreciate the journey that got me here over the last three years, post-college graduation.

Cheers to one more checkpoint in this crazy rat race that is adult life.

Although not the original inspiration for this post, an honorary shout out goes to Allen Craig and Joe Kelly today. Thanks for the memories, fellas. You will be missed with the Birds on the Bat.

Baseball Scorebook Wrap-Up 2001-2013

Game	Date	Stadium	Score	Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher
1	7/13/01	Busch II	Tigers 4, Cardinals 1	Steve Sparks	Mike Matthews
2	8/29/01	Busch II	Cardinals 16, Padres 14	Gene Stechschulte	Bobby J. Jones
3	9/9/01	Busch II	Cardinals 8, Dodgers 1	TJ Mathews	Chan Ho Park
4	6/27/02	Busch II	Brewers 7, Cardinals 2	Luis Vizcaino	Gene Stechschulte
5	7/3/02	Busch II	Cardinals 4, Padres 1	Jason Simontacchi	Brian Lawrence
6	7/7/02	Busch II	Cardinals 12, Dodgers 6	Mike Matthews	Omar Daal
7	7/7/03	Qualcomm	Padres 7, Dodgers 1	Oliver Perez	Andy Ashby
8	7/21/03	Qualcomm	Padres 5, Cardinals 4	Jay Witasick	Lance Painter
9	4/30/04	Petco	Padres 7, Mets 6	Brian Lawrence	Tyler Yates
10	5/15/04	Petco	Cubs 7, Padres 5	Sergio Mitre	Adam Eaton
11	6/21/04	Petco	Padres 3, D-backs 1	Ismael Valdez	Casey Fossum
12	9/6/04	Petco	Padres 7, Cardinals 3	Scott Linebrink	Cal Eldred
13	6/11/05	Petco	Padres 2, White Sox 1	Scott Linebrink	Dustin Hermanson
14	6/23/05	Busch II	Pirates 11, Cardinals 7	Dave Williams	Matt Morris
15	6/24/05	Busch II	Cardinals 8, Pirates 1	Jeff Suppan	Kip Wells
16	8/23/05	Petco	Padres 2, Astros 0	Jake Peavy	Roger Clemens
17	5/26/06	Petco	Padres 7, Cardinals 1	Clay Hensley	Jeff Suppan
18	5/28/06	Petco	Padres 10, Cardinals 8	Jake Peavy	Mark Mulder
19	6/25/06	Petco	Mariners 9, Padres 4	George Sherrill	Alan Embree
20	7/15/06	Petco	Braves 11, Padres 3	John Smoltz	C.H. Park
21	9/21/06	Petco	Padres 3, D-backs 1	Woody Williams	Brandon Webb
22	4/28/07	Petco	Padres 3, Dodgers 2	Greg Maddux	Brett Tomko
23	5/12/07	Petco	Cardinals 5, Padres 0	Braden Looper	Chris Young
24	5/13/07	Petco	Padres 3, Cardinals 0	Justin Germano	Anthony Reyes
25	6/7/07	Petco	Padres 6, Dodgers 5	Justin Hampson	Jonathan Broxton
26	6/20/07	Busch III	Cardinals 7, Royals 6	Kip Wells	Jorge De La Rosa
27	7/16/07	Petco	Padres 5, Mets 1	David Wells	Jorge Sosa
28	4/17/08	Angel Stadium	Angels 5, Royals 3	Jon Garland	Brett Tomko
29	5/19/08	Petco	Cards 8, Padres 2	Todd Wellemeyer	Wilfredo Ledezma
30	6/28/08	Petco	Mariners 4, Padres 2	Carlos Silva	Cha Seung Baek
31	7/11/08	Petco	Padres 4, Braves 0	Jake Peavy	Jo-Jo Reyes
32	8/3/08	Petco	Padres 4, Giants 1	Greg Maddux	Kevin Correia
33	6/16/09	Petco	Mariners 5, Padres 0	Felix Hernandez	Kevin Correia
34	7/11/09	Angel Stadium	Angels 14, Yankees 8	Jered Weaver	Andy Pettitte
35	8/22/09	Petco	Cardinals 7, Padres 0	Chris Carpenter	Kevin Correia
36	8/23/09	Petco	Cardinals 5, Padres 2	John Smoltz	Cesar Carrillo
37	10/7/09	Dodger Stadium	Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2	George Sherrill	Ryan Franklin
38	5/25/10	Petco	Padres 1, Cardinals 0	Jon Garland	Adam Wainwright
39	6/15/10	Petco	Padres 8, Blue Jays 2	Mat Latos	Brett Cecil
40	6/25/10	Angel Stadium	Rockies 4, Angels 3	Matt Belisle	Francisco Rodriguez
41	4/14/11	Dodger Stadium	Cardinals 9, Dodgers 5	Jaime Garcia	Hiroki Kuroda
42	4/25/11	Angel Stadium	Angels 5, Athletics 0	Jer. Weaver	Gio Gonzalez
43	5/23/11	Petco	Cardinals 3, Padres 1	Kyle Lohse	Heath Bell
44	7/8/11	Angel Stadium	Angels 4, Mariners 3	Jordan Walden	David Pauley
45	7/29/11	Petco	Rockies 3, Padres 2	Jason Hammel	Tim Stauffer
46	8/18/11	Petco	Padres 3, Marlins 1	Tim Stauffer	Javier Vazquez
47	8/21/11	Petco	Padres 4, Marlins 3	Heath Bell	Edward Mujica
48	9/18/11	Petco	D-backs 5, Padres 1	Joe Saunders	Aaron Harang
49	4/5/12	Petco	Dodgers 5, Padres 3	Josh Lindblom	Edison Volquez
50	4/12/12	Petco	D-backs 3, Padres 1	Ian Kennedy	Micah Owings
51	8/24/12`	Dodger Stadium	Dodgers 11, Marlins 4	Jamey Wright	Nathan Eovaldi
52	9/15/12	Dodger Stadium	Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3	Ronald Belisario	Jason Motte
53	5/22/13	Petco	Cardinals 5, Padres 3	Tyler Lyons	Burch Smith
54	5/26/13	Dodger Stadium	Cardinals 5, Dodgers 3	Seth Maness	Clayton Kershaw
55	5/29/13	Angel Stadium	Angels 4, Dodgers 3	Jer. Weaver	Chris Capuano
56	6/10/13	Petco	Padres 7, Braves 6	Jason Marquis	Julio Teheran
57	6/20/13	Petco	Padres 6, Dodgers 3	Nick Vincent	Matt Guerrier
58	6/26/13	Petco	Phillies 7, Padres 5	Joe Savery	Tommy Layne
59	7/3/13	Angel Stadium	Cardinals 12, Angels 2	Shelby Miller	Jerome Williams
60	7/11/13	Petco	Giants 4, Padres 2	Madison Bumgarner	Luke Gregerson
61	7/27/13	AT&T	Cubs 1, Giants 0	Pedro Strop	Sergio Romo

The end of an era

It's been a sad few days as a Cardinals fan to say goodbye to Chris Carpenter and David Freese, two of my favorite players from this era of Cardinals baseball.

It will be nigh impossible to replace Chris Carpenter and the career he had in St. Louis, despite the number of injuries he had to battle throughout his time here. Through his 11 years in Cardinal red, he only pitched full seasons in six of them, but when he did pitch there wasn't anyone else you'd rather have on the mound. Two world series championships are in the history books because of Carp, with another two world series appearances in part due to Carpenter's regular season pitching or clubhouse mentoring. Although he may not have the years/numbers to make the hall of fame, I'd strongly consider retiring Carpenter's 29 or at least not giving it out for many many years.

As for Freese, I still remember the blog post I wrote decrying the departure of another favorite, Jim Edmonds, who went to San Diego in return for the then-prospect Freese. As a typical sentiment and nostalgia-driven fan who didn't want to say goodbye to any of the aging stars who had done so much for the Redbirds, I wasn't sure I liked what new GM John Mozeliak was doing with the team.

Looking back, it turned out to be one of the best trades in St. Louis baseball history. Jim Edmonds would never really be healthy again in a full-time role. Meanwhile, Freese put up five seasons of solid numbers with the Cardinals (when he wasn't hurt) as their starting third baseman, highlighted by one of the greatest postseasons in baseball history -- the 2011 World Series numbers Freese put up were simply unreal. Nobody can ever take away that magical hit Freese struck against Texas, juuust beyond the reach of Nelson Cruz, and the image of Freese bouncing his helmet between his legs on the walk-off homer in the 11th will forever be a cherished memory for me.

All this being said, I have to give props to Mozeliak for turning an aging Jim Edmonds into the prime of Freese's career, into now the primes of two more young outfielders who will hopefully leave their mark as memorable players in STL baseball history. I've always liked Bourjos, and I'm surprised Mozeliak was able to pick-up another former first round pick in Grichuk too. Seems like a good deal for a pedestrian middle reliever and a 30-year old third baseman with a history of injury problems. If either Bourjos or Grichuk live up to their potential, this deal will easily be a win for the Cardinals.

Goodbye, Freese Frame and Master Craftsmanship. Your special times wearing the birds on the bat will live on in the form of legend.