11/15/2005: "Lankford/Redman/MVP angst (aka: typical GUB post)"

Deadspin is on board the Retire Willie McGee's Number train; it's good to have a mainstream blogger as a Cardinals fan, because if McGee had played for another team he wouldn't have shown up on Deadspin unless he was photographed drinking with a pack of hookers. Anyway, I like Willie, and I'm certainly not opposed to his number being retired, but it would be criminal to retire it but not Ray Lankford's #16. As I've said before (many, many times), Lankford not only played just as many seasons with the club, but also posted an OPS around 25% higher than the league average. McGee had an above-average OPS with the Cardinals six times, four as a starter, and finished his career almost exactly average. Certainly he was a better defensive center fielder, but unless he had to patrol Central Park he can't make up that kind of offensive gap.

I understand fully that Willie McGee's better loved, and that that should have some effect on whose numbers are retired, but this much of an effect? It's not Lankford's fault he came up on the Irrelevant-Early-90's Edition of the club instead of the beginning of the Whiteyball era, and was inexplicably overshadowed by Brian Jordan and then--ah, explicably overshadowed by Mark McGwire on subsequent clubs. So retire both, or retire neither, and then be prepared to retire a third centerfielder's number after Edmonds hangs 'em up.

From Birdwatch Dan (previously TedSimmonsFan if I remember correctly), pretty much exactly what I was going to say about Wayne Hagin's departure. Trying too hard pretty much sums everything up, from the attempt at making "You can kiss it goodbye!" a catchphrase to his vocal inflection, which would sometimes be almost humorously colloquial. It was like if one of the yuppies from Thirtysomething had been in a PAXTV remake of Green Acres.

He wasn't a bad announcer, certainly, and I wish him the best; but hopefully this new guy will leave the catchphrases to Mike Shannon.

Also via the Birdwatch, RADIO EDIT Your Couch has heard via XM that Phat Albert managed to snatch the MVP from the Andruw Jones machine. Don't know if it it's true yet, but it would definitely be cool. And funny, because this is arguably his second-"worst" season. Yeah, he's, uh, pretty good.

Viva El Birdos has a list of the first minor league pick-ups. Michel Hernandez is the most likely to have an impact; it goes without saying that he's at least as capable as last year's Einar Diaz model. He in fact was something of a token prospect back with the Yankees (around when Jimmy Journell was token prospect for the Cardinals), a catch-and-throw guy who actually had some upside as a hitter. Does he still have it? Well, can he post an OPS above .550? For a Cardinals backup catcher, that's huge upside. Prentice Redman, another New York ex-prospect (though this one's from Queens) could also pop up, although skirting so near Tike Redman being on the team is enough to send me to a therapist. According to his minor league numbers this one can actually hit, though--actually, he probably becomes a "prospect" again as a Cardinal--so I suppose I could be strong.

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