Cardinals

Springfield, Mo - Top story of the day, locally and nationally, was the signing that never happened in St. Louis. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals could not come up with an agreement before the Wednesday deadline. Now the two parties will not discuss the matter again until November.  

ST. LOUIS, Mo. --  The St. Louis Cardinals tweeted around 4:15 p.m. Friday they've placed catcher, Yadier Molina on the bereavement list. The Cards have recalled Bryan Anderson from Memphis to take Molina's spot on the roster. The Cardinals say Molina's wife's grandfather died, and Yadier wanted to be with his wife in Puerto Rico. Tony La Russa, the manager of the N.L. All-Stars selected Matt Holliday to replace Molina on the roster. The Cardinals said Molina will rejoin the team after the All-Star break.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced through their Twitter account that a press conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday where they will announce Mike Matheny as the new manager. Matheny's a former catcher for the Cardinals from 2000-2004.  Along with winning four Gold Gloves (three with the Cardinals and one with San Francisco) Matheny's very popular with current players and coaches. Most recently, the 40-year-old Matheny has been a minor league instructor with the Cardinals' and has no managing experience on any level.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Should we expect fireworks on Independence Day at Busch Stadium? The St. Louis Cardinals and Cinicinnati Reds will not play each other again till the July 4 holiday weekend.  But there is enough to talk between the two teams to last till then. The National League Central rivalry has escalated again after Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman criticized the Cardinals during Cincinnati's game Monday against the Chicago Cubs.  The Hall of Famer called pitcher Chris Carpenter a "whiner and an excuse maker.

SPRINGFIELD -- The RockHounds scored early and often against Cardinal pitching en route to ending Springfield's winning streak. After scoring 1-run in the 1st, Midland added 5 in the 5th and another 2 in the 6th to clip the Birds 8-3.  Carlos Martinez limited Cardinal hitters to 1-run on 2-hits over 5.1 innings. Chris Swauger was the only Cardinal brightspot going 3-4 with 2 RBI.  The loss ends Springfield's winning streak at 7-games; one shy of the franchise record set in 2007.  The loss comes at the hand of Carlos Martinez's left.  The 7-game win streak was against right-handed starters; their last loss was to a lefty prior to the streak.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Chris Carpenter has nerve irritation that has caused weakness in his pitching shoulder and the St. Louis Cardinals' ace will be sidelined indefinitely. The Cardinals made the announcement Friday, after Carpenter was evaluated in St. Louis this week. The team says there is no new nerve injury and the cervical disc injury that occurred earlier in spring training is a "non-issue. " The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is expected back in camp by Monday, but there is no timetable for his return to the mound.

SPRINGFIELD -- Oscar Taveras appears to have Texas League pitching down.  Thursday night, Teveras went 4-5 with 3 RBI in the Cardinals 7-0 win over Northwest Arkansas. Taveras single-handedly put the Cards ontop early with RBI singles in the 1st and 2nd.  He'd add a solo home run in the 8th to finish his night. Meanwhile, that was more than enough for starting pitcher Trevor Rosenthal.  Rosenthal pitched six scoreless innings to improve to 8-6.  Rosenthal allowed four hits while striking out four.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Former Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Jess Todd is getting another chance with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals claimed the right-handed reliever off waivers from the New York Yankees Monday night.  He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.  Todd was a second-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2007.  He made one relief appearance in 2009, before he was traded to Cleveland in the Mark DeRosa deal.  Todd pitched sparingly for...

MILWAUKEE  -- The Brewers pounced on Adam Wainwright to mount a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning and held off late Cardinal rallies for a 4-3 victory Wednesday. The Cardinals had the tying run at third, and the bases loaded in the 9th, but new Brewer closer Francisco Rodriguez got Lance Berkman to pop out to end the game. Former Springfield Cardinal starter, Trevor Rosenthal, pitched a scoreless 8th inning for the Redbirds.  Rosenthal gave up a hit and had two strike outs in his appearance which saw him throw a 100 mph pitch to strike out Corey Hart.

St. Louis Cardinals fans might still be drying their tears over the Game 7 loss in the National League Championship Series, but there's a good chance this 4-year-old boy's reaction is the saddest of all. The boy had to go to bed in the fifth inning, but the damage in the game was already done. Yet he remained hopeful that the Cardinals would pull out the victory. In the end, it just wasn't meant to be.

ASH GROVE, Mo -- A graphic designer in the Ozarks is getting a shot to create a St. Louis Cardinals T-Shirt.  C.J. Woolf works at the CrackerJack Shack in Ash Grove as a graphic artist. He is a lifelong Cardinals fan. Last week the organization started a contest. They wanted T Shirt designs for their Social Media Night on June 4th. So Woolf sent in his design, and the next thing he knew he was in the top three. "The other day I thought of it as my two favorite things: graphic design and the St. Louis Cardinals.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - If you're having one of those days, and need a reminder of the good things in life, look no further than the Miracle League ballfield. It's impossible to leave without a smile. "They're cheering me on to hit the ball," Jacob Thornsberry says. Thornsberry was playing baseball on the field Monday evening. The Miracle League field consists of rubberized turf, wheelchair-accessible dugouts, and painted-on bases -- all of which make America's favorite pastime a sport open to kids who otherwise wouldn't get their chance to play.

SPRINGFIELD -- The wind on Thursday and the Texas League Championship behind home plate before the game, reminded many Springfield Cardinal fans of last season's playoffs.  Unfortunately, the Springbirds couldn't get a win for their home opener, falling to Corpus Christi 5-0. It's Springfield's first shutout this season after scoring exactly 2-runs in each of the first six games this season. The Cards left 8 men on, and were 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. The Hooks Austin Wates was a machine Thursday night against Springfield.  Wates was 3-for-4, with 2-runs, 2-RBI and missed the cycle by just a double.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Last year's Texas League champions are getting ready take to the baseball diamond here in Springfield for the first time this year. In 2012, the Springfield Cardinals brought their first ever Texas League Championship trophy home. It's something they'd like to do again, but that's easier said than done. They'll have to do it without some key players like Kolten Wong and Oscar Taveras, who moved up to Triple-A Memphis -- and Trevor Rosenthal, who made the St. Louis big-league squad.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Springfield Cardinals take on the Corpus Christi Hooks on Thursday night in the club's home opener.  Last year, the team brought home its first ever Texas League championship trophy, something that they'd like to do again. They'll have to do it without some key players like Kolton Wong and Oscar Taveras, who are in Memphis, and Trevor Rosenthal, who is in St. Louis.  They return 20 players from last year's championship team, including first baseman Xavier Scruggs, pitcher Boone Whiting, and fan favorite Chris Swauger.

JUPITER, Fla. -- The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Wednesday that retired outfielder Willie McGee is joining the team as a special assistant and will focus his attention on the minor leagues. McGee, 54, spent time in Cardinals Spring Training camp last month, serving as a Special Instructor. "We are pleased to announce Willie's return to the Cardinals organization," said Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak. "Willie has a wealth of experience in the game and he is eager to pass on his observations and teachings.

Many people know Stan Musial as the most popular player ever on the St. Louis Cardinals, but what most people might not know is that he played minor league ball right here in the Queen City. White City Park (bordered by Boonville Avenue, Campbell Avenue, Lynn Street and Division Street) played host to several minor league teams in the Western Association, one of which were the Springfield Cardinals. In 1941, Musial played 87 games for the Springfield club, batting .379. He slugged 26 home runs, an indication of what was to come in the major leagues.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Cardinals Caravan rolls into Springfield today. The first stop is Hammons Field during the noon hour with some former Springfield Cardinals. They'll sign autographs for kids 15 and under.  The Caravan will then go to the Tournament of Champions at JQH Arena. A ticket is required for that stop. Fans in Rolla can visit the players Saturday at 6 p.m. at the high school gym.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Cardinals have brought a minor change to the team's iconic uniforms. The Cardinals brought slight tweaks to their existing jerseys and brought forth a new alternate jersey -- which will feature the words "St. Louis" instead of "Cardinals" along the front. The home and road jerseys feature more detailed embroidery, according to the St. Louis Cardinals website. New features also include more detailed eyes and crests to the "birds on the bat," and the bat itself will look more three-dimensional.

SPRINGFIELD -- The boy who was captured crying on home video after the St. Louis Cardinals didn't make it to the World Series received a huge surprise on Saturday afternoon. The Oscar Meyer Weinermobile rolled into Springfield  to cheer up four-year-old Cy. Cy's had no idea the giant hot dog on wheels was coming.      Cy's dad, Sam, said the attention from the short video has been overwhelming after it was loaded onto YouTube; he just wanted to share it with family and friends.