Meet Me At Musial: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

It's becoming a bit more real these days that baseball is just around the corner.  The Cardinals have had two different intrasquad games streamed and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) are here to talk about those games and the issues around them.  Are the hitters struggling or are the pitchers that good?  What will the roster makeup ratio be?  Who makes up the bullpen?  Will the starters create the innings deficit we think they will?  Plenty of questions that nobody really has answers to but the guys tackle them anyway!

After a bump at the beginning of the week when testing issues caused consternation, the players are on the field and taking part in intrasquad games.  While there's not much news from those, that doesn't mean there's not a lot for Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) to discuss, especially when they bring in special guest Ben Godar (Viva El Birdos, @bengodar) to help out.  The guys discuss the testing issues and how concerned they are about the number of positive tests in the early going.  Then they get into some of the things this season might hold, such as how long do you stick with a cold bat?  How vital is each game?  Plus, with the Iowan on board, they discuss all things relating to the Field of Dreams game coming in August.  Plenty of talk for your weekend!

After weeks of contention, we finally have a 2020 season!  Well, at least we know it's coming (virus permitting) in about a month.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allan (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) go through a lot of the different issues and possibilities relating to the strange season.  What will it mean for people like Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman?  How long can you let a player work through a slump?  Will fans ever be in the stands (and should they be)?  And how excited are you about this season anyway?  It's good to have actual baseball things to talk about for once!

Another week has gone by and there's still no agreement between the players and owners about when the 2020 season can resume, how long it will be, and the financial issues that go with it.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) get into the week that was, with the owners' proposal and the players' counter-proposal capping things off, perhaps permanently.  There also could be some significant changes to the game if it does return, which gets Daniel up on his soapbox.

Of course, the virus gets the final say and with all the spring training sites being closed down for cleaning due to an outbreak in Phillies camp (among others), who is to say it will matter what the two sides agree on?  Baseball may not return either way.

To wrap up, the guys talk about the 30 for 30 documentary Long Gone Summer and relive a little bit of 1998.  COVID-19 can take a lot, but it can't take away two guys talking about games of the past.

Baseball news!  Actual real baseball news!  The First-Year Player Draft was held this week and that means Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) went to the expert to find out all about the draft and the players the Cardinals took.  Kyle Reis (Birds on the Black, @kyler416) breaks it all down for us--how good was the draft, his thoughts on the players taken, and what might happen next with the undrafted players.  Sure, before the guys get into that, they have to get into the latest "proposal" by the owners, but that's old hat by now really.  The draft part is the good stuff!

Another week and no movement by players and owners to some sort of settlement that will get baseball back on the field in 2020.  While there's a chance for a forced season of around 50 games, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) wonder if it is worth it to go through all the hoops for a season that would be so extreme and truly a small sample size.  The clock is ticking, though, and a small season might be all we can reasonably hope for.  The guys also talk about Jack Flaherty, whether it is his openness to criticize MLB owners or his fight on behalf of black Americans in this time of turmoil.  So much to discuss (and hopefully at better sound levels)!

Is there going to be a season?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) discuss the latest developments in the battle between MLB owners and the players' association.  Will baseball really give itself another black eye by not playing baseball due to money issues in this environment?  Can there really be any common ground, though?  The guys discuss both sides, then talk about the minor leaguers that are being cut in droves.  Optimism doesn't abound here, folks, but we plug on regardless!

With Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) away due to his daughter's graduation, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) brought in a rookie to help go through some Cardinal news.  Russ Robinson (Redbird Rants, @frrobinson1957) and Daniel spend most of the time talking about the Cardinal Hall of Fame announcement.  Are the '80s too represented?  Who are some names that might be on the ballot soon?  What's the deal with Keith Hernandez?  They touch on the recent MLB/player developments for restarting the season at the end as well.  A solid debut from the pinch-hitter!

Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) were honored to be visited by Matthew Leach, current MLB.com editor and former Cardinal beat writer for the site.  Matthew's run in St. Louis went from 2002 to 2011 and we cover all sorts of topics from that time.  How hard was 2002 for a guy just getting on the beat?  How good was that 2004 team?  How many drafts of a story did he have to write about Game 6?  So much good stuff from one of the greatest periods in Cardinal history.

Before and after their chat with Mr. Leach, the guys talk about the most recent issues with MLB and the players that might keep the game from returning and about some recent comments from Yadier Molina.  But you are here for Matthew Leach and we completely understand that.

It feels like every week we get another plan for restarting baseball.  This week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen (Red Dirt Redbird, @amedlock1) talk about the regional plan that came out, pitting the Cardinals against basically every other Central team, NL and AL, as part of a three-division setup for MLB.  Does that solve the problems that baseball is facing?  What would the chances be for the Cardinals in such a division?  Is that close enough to "real baseball"?  Then the guys tackle the news this week that Yadier Molina wants to keep playing even if it's not with the Cardinals.  Is there anything to this?  Will anyone else be interested in Molina's services?  Finally, the guys talk about the umpires and their agreement with MLB about the 2020 season.  Another hour of baseball talk to hopefully keep you sane!