Not the Same Old Cardinals!

Whatever you think about the Cardinals, I think it’s fair to say that if you’re a long-time, die-hard fan, you deserve to vent your frustrations about the team from time to time. And that’s fine.

But I’ve had enough with the straight-up trash talk!

For the last week or so, since the Cards completed a 2-game east coast loosing streak in which they were embarrassed in New York at the hands of Brett Favre’s career day, all I’ve been hearing is “They’ll never change!” and, “Cardinals Suck!” As an intern for Xtra Sports 910, I screen a lot of phone calls and I know what people have been saying. And trust me, these are things I’m used to hearing about this team. Things like, “See, they’re the Same Old Cardinals…”

Sure, they’re a team plagued by a history of shamefulness and mediocrity. But this year, all of this talk is getting to me a little bit more.

Because I downright don’t agree with all these naysayers!

Instead, I see a team poised to prove them all wrong. I see a team whose defense is underrated (at least at home with a healthy Adrian Wilson). It’s a team with an offense capable of putting up very scary numbers, even without one of it’s top wide receivers (according to ESPN research, the 76 points scored in its last two games are second most over a two-game span in team history)… And after the 41-17 thrashing of the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills last Sunday, I hope more of you are starting to see the high potential of this team as well.

Let’s just hope they can learn to harness that potential on the road!

If they do it next week at home against the Cowboys, that would be nice as well.

Another interesting development has been the improvement of rookie RB Tim Hightower. With 5 TD runs on the season, Hightower is turning into a viable fantasy sleeper… and dare I say, a rookie-of-the-year candidate?!? It would be totally awesome to see his production remain at such a high level throughout the remainder of the season.

Adrian Wilson, by the way, in case you didn’t know, is a complete baller! Listed as questionable before the Bills game with a lingering hamstring injury, Wilson said he woke up on Sunday with the mindset that he was going to play. In case you missed it, here’s the hit he issued to Trent Edwards on the third play of the game, the one that sent the Bills quarterback into the locker room for the rest of the game with a concussion:

And that’s what ballers do! They play through injuries and still come up with big plays. As for the legality of the hit, well, it looked legal to me… The NFL will review the legality of the hit before issuing a decision by this upcoming Friday, Oct. 10th. Adrian Wilson told Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic that he wasn’t worried: “They didn’t throw a flag, so it is what it is.” What do you think about it?

 

Playoffs and Cardinals? In the same sentence?

Is it really true? Really???

Are the Arizona Cardinals, 2-0 for the first time since ‘91, seriously considering the possibility of a 2008-09 playoff run? Granted, its a little early in the season to be mentioning playoffs, but come on! Can you blame us? All of the die-hard War Birds fans can hardly believe what they’re seeing. We’re just not used to it!  Can any of you believe it? Really??? I didn’t think so. 

So please, don’t blame Cards fans for looking ahead. We rarely get the chance..

Let me just say this. I think 2-0 might be a little early to get excited about playoffs. The true test is about to present itself. Weeks 3 and 4 will be the ultimate challenge for this team and will determine whether or not playoffs is a word allowed to be spoken in the same sentence as the Cardinals. If they pass the test, then it’ll be time to get excited. 

Week 3 vs. Washington will not be a walk in the park. They always seem to put up a fight against us. Especially when they are the home team, which they are in this case. The Cardinals have to keep up their recent high level of play in order to come out victorious.  Anquan Boldin thinks they can, which is important because he is one of the main leaders in the locker room. Everybody feeds off his energy. Plus I like the fact that he has kept his word thus far in not being a distraction to the team. 

Did you know: 

The Redskins hold a 72-44-2 edge in their all-time series with the Cardinals, which dates back to the 1932 season, when the then-Chicago Cardinals first faced the then-Boston Braves. Washington has won six straight in the series, including a 19-17 home victory when the teams last met, in Week 7 of the 2007 season. The Cardinals last beat the Redskins in 2000, and are 0-5 in Washington since last winning there in 1998. Whisenhunt, who played for the Redskins in 1989 and 1990, is 0-1 against his former team, while Jim Zorn will be meeting both Whisenhunt and the Cardinals for the first time as head coach for Washington.

After that, it’s on to New Jersey to take on the NY Jets. They will not be flying home to AZ in-between games, opting to stay back east all week to avoid jet lag. This is interesting. It will also allow them to see what it’s like to be away from home for an extended period of time, practicing on somebody else’s field…  something all Super Bowl teams have to endure as well. 

Like I said, a true test.

 

Sun Devils let one slip away..

Saturday night, the Sun Devils let a game they should have won slip away from them. The Rebels of UNLV came back to win in OT, thanks largely to a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone by Phillip Payne with :18 left.

Check out some reaction from Az Sports hub. Vince Marotta thinks the decision to run the ball 36 times and pass 23 times in the game was a mistake, especially with Keegan Herring out with an injury. I agree. With the game on the line you have to stick with your strengths. And for ASU on this night, their strength was the passing game. 

I also think this loss had a lot to do with the fact that the Sun Devils have No. 3 ranked Georgia coming to town, and they perhaps were looking ahead to that game a little prematurely. Teams tend to hide much of their offensive and defensive schemes in games before those against highly ranked opponents because they don’t want to give too much of their strategy away.

You’ve got to hand it to the Rebels for taking advantage of that. 

Then there’s the fact that Dennis Erickson and offensive coordinator Rich Olson decided to limit Carpenters passing attack in the second half. After the Devils scored on a touchdown pass on the first drive of the 3rd quarter, Carpenter attempted only 6 more passes for the rest of the game. He even said he would have liked to have the ball in his hands when the game was on the line in the 4th quarter. Still, he handled the whole issue with the media well and did not seem to be attacking the coaching staff or ego tripping to any extent. But he was certainly disappointed to a degree in that decision. 

As he was also disappointed with the way the team practiced on Thursday, the last practice before the game. Apparently, he said, “It wasn’t as good as it should have been,” and “That’s on everybody,” which shows you just how great of a leader Rudy is for this team. A leader is supposed to rally his team and get them in the right state of mind for every game. Carpenter might have slipped on ensuring that this time, but I like how he knows where his team failed and I doubt he allows it to happen again.

Bring on the Bulldogs.

 

D-backs look like they’re in trouble

After being swept by the Dodgers and Giants on a largely disappointing road trip to California, the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t have the same swagger as they’ve had for most of the season. With their heads lowered and their eyes on the floor of the dugout, they just don’t look like the same team.

Whats going on here? How can a team that was best in the majors after the first month of the season be where they are now: 3 games under .500 and on the brink of losing their playoff spot to the rival Dodgers?

I don’t like what I see, and I’m sure most of you don’t either. This is not the same team that it was just 2 weeks ago, when they had a 4 and 1/2 game lead in the NL West. They aren’t hitting. They aren’t pitching. The team’s two aces in Webb and Haren are not on top of their game.

Will they turn it around in time to go on a late September hot streak?

Or are the 18 games they have left simply not enough?

Only time will tell…

 

Comeback win Wednesday is a great sign of things to come!

In a gritty effort, the D-backs displayed on Wednesday exactly why they should be considered a serious playoff contender this year.

In come-from-behind fashion, the D-backs rallied to score two runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth and win 4-3, thanks to a big RBI single to left field by Conor Jackson and a huge game-winning double to right by Big, Bad Adam Dunn, a hit that scored Jackson and gave the team a much needed series-clinching victory.

I, along with hopefully all you other Arizona fans out there, believe this team has what it takes to win it all in 2008! Assuming they make the playoffs, something that was looking harder by the day until Wednesday afternoon,  this team has another shot at a world championship. Allow me to tell you why. It’s because they have three things: heart, class, and the ability to manufacture runs… and not to mention a huge new power hitter in Adam Dunn (!!!).

People should not underestimate the amount of heart this team has. There’s a high level of togetherness and cohesiveness that is truly great to see happening on any team. They pick each other up on a daily basis. When there are those who aren’t realizing their potential, somebody else is there to take his place. They’ve done it all season and they’ve done it consistently. And I think that translates into why this team has the amount of heart needed to win a championship. Simple as that.

But to win the World Series, a team needs to have more. That more comes from their ability to manufacture runs, and they showed they can manufacture them it in big pressure situations, like when there is an important series on the line.

They are also a classy team, with a manager that is the epitome of the word.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a team that has does have a chance to succeed in October. Now, they just have to do one more thing to make sure they make it there, starting on Friday of course, in Los Angeles: BEAT THE DODGERS!!!

 

D-Backs swept by Padres, see pitching woes continue

Once again the D-backs fail to hold onto a win for R-J. Not only that, they allow the NL West’s last place Padres to complete a three game sweep in San Diego. I point the blame at the struggling bullpen, primarily Brandon Lyon and Jon Rauch. Bob Melvin’s done some questionable things as well. Then again, he is the Mad Scientist, so maybe there’s always a method to his madness..

For the last two weeks or so, fans have watched Lyon’s ERA skyrocket…  and Bob Melvin has assured the media that Lyon will continue to be his closer due to the fact that he has yet to struggle in actual save situations. Lyon, with an ERA of 4.18 in save situations and 6.00 in non-save situations, has combined for a 12.75 ERA in 13 appearances since the All-Star break.. I think it’s fair to call that sub-par. Granted, he did get a big save for the team on Labor Day against the Cardinals, looking much more on top of his game in the process. Good for him. I hope he’s corrected whatever was bothering him. That puts him at 26-31 this year in save situations. Not that bad at all.

Okay, I’m fine with that, even though a 4.18 ERA in save situations is kinda high. But here’s my question to Bob Melvin: If you know Lyon’s stuff has been horrid in non-save situations, why do you keep putting him in there when there’s no save for him to earn?!! Can’t you throw Cruz, Pena, or the new guy, Wil Ledezma? And Jon Rauch’s sore forearm will be feeling better soon (I hope). So Bob, just try to keep Lyon’s arm out of the game when you don’t need him, will you? Unless of course, he’s in a position to earn that all-important Save..! then by all means, let him pitch! He’s shown that is the only time he’s capable of stepping up his game. And he has definitely earned the right to be called the team’s closer. 

Chad Qualls is another reliever that sometimes irritates me. After starting the season in April with several quality outings, fans have lost the affection they once had for him as they continue to see more and more of his “other” side… His less-than-spectacular other side. A side we all hope he can keep hidden down the stretch. 

So even though the Mad Scientist’s schemes are criticized and often seconded-guessed, I choose to put my faith in him. Bob Melvin has been a class-act here in Phoenix and an excellent manager of this Baseball team. Wouldn’t you agree?