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.

creating community

People who love community destroy it. People who love people create community wherever they go.  -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

you've got a friend in me

As I am currently immersed in the struggle that is finding a job (among other struggles), I've had to do a lot of self-reflection about how to stand out, how to be exceptional, and/or how to wow the interviewer in order to land one of those few coveted offers.

It's a tough situation. Everyone has similarly outstanding credentials, most everyone has the ability to carry conversation without being overtly awkward, and everyone has the mental acumen to do the job if they were given the opportunity. So, it ends up being some hidden little thing that makes someone stand out. Which is hard to stomach.

This thought process led me to thinking about what makes someone special to me as a friend (special friend has a different connotation). I quickly realized that it usually wasn't because they were exceedingly good at some thing. Whether it be a brilliant intellect, amazing athletic ability, virtuoso musical talent, or amazing sense of humor (although this does help), none of these things would automatically draw me to want to be especially close friends with someone.

I thought about it some more, and I realized that many qualities of being a particularly good friend derived from some completely intangible quality, with tangible traits that just about anyone could provide. Common interests obviously help the cause, just because you naturally have more to talk about. Being like-minded in terms of beliefs or what's generally right or wrong also helps. But when it comes down to it, the ability to enjoy each other's company and conversation is a very intangible thing that is hard to quantify. Why do you enjoy Friend X's company? "Because we click." "Because we just get along." "Because they're fun to be around." All somewhat indistinguishable statements that could describe any friendship.

Then, it hit me. Once that certain level of "getting along well" and "enjoying each other's company" requirement is set, what makes a friendship truly special is that person's willingness to be there for you. When you're down, and need to take solace in a familiar face. When you're overjoyed, and want to celebrate the occasion. Your friend is that someone who roots for you at all times, hopes for nothing but the best, and yet sticks by you when you've messed up or things haven't gone your way. Truthfully, just about anyone has the ability to do those things. Most all of us are not TRULY special in terms of some amazing and rare gift. Instead, it's the little things like loyalty, security, comfort, companionship and shared memories that make a friendship truly special.

miners

Two miners stumble about in a dark cave, wandering about haphazardly until they, by chance, happen to meet where a tiny but vivid glimmer has caught their eye.

It's a gem, a beauty, but mostly submerged in the hard rock floor.

"This will take some effort to work out, but I think the reward could be momentous," says one miner.

To his great joy, the other miner agrees.

The two miners set to work digging and refining the jewel. Unlike other miners who have found a less submerged rock, this one has no clear end date in sight. Still, the time goes by quickly because the miners enjoy working together and spending time together. One can shine the light while another uses his pick-ax, and the two can trade-off when one gets tired.

As time goes on, the miners start to discover a few imperfections within the rock. Few, if any, rocks are completely perfect, but some of these imperfections make it especially difficult to work quickly, as the angle and the fragility of the rock are somewhat more difficult to maneuver than others.

Over time, the other miner grows discouraged at the sight of these imperfections, doubt creeping in her mind.

"These unforeseen difficulties are indeed not ideal, but I think this makes our jewel unique. The imperfections could even turn out to be marks of salience, making our jewel more valuable because of how much effort we put into getting it out of this cave," says the first miner, perhaps overly optimistic about such matters.

As time passes, the jewel has taken on a certain brilliance uniquely chiseled from the distinctive style of the miners. It's clear that either the miners finish the job, or the rock will be abandoned.

Sadly, more than halfway through their excavation, the first miner is left alone with the pick, and no one to hold the light. The jewel, still partly submerged but now representing a fuller picture of its unique characteristics and potential, is left in the dust.

Perhaps there is a perfect diamond out there somewhere, ripe for plucking without imperfection and without difficulty. Or perhaps that was never the point of mining in the first place.