Viva El Birdos

Well, we have a life--the Cardinals winning last night, even when Carp didn't pitch well, was huge-normus. And though some of his decisions drive me nuts (like bringing Tyler Johnson into to pitch to Delgado in the 9th instead of Beltran in the 8th), Tony's decisions all seem to work right now.

One thing, though--those who've read this blog know that I'm a big Scott Rolen fan. Everyone has noted that Rolen is hurt (which I believe) and that Spiezo needs to be playing (which is probably true). What no one has noted is how poorly Eckstein is playing--2 for 22 this post-season; he seems to be bothered by the oblique and hamstring injuries. If the Rolen logic holds true--i.e., the guy is killing the team, play the healthy player--then why isn't Aaron Miles playing in place of Eckstein? If the argument is that Eckstein is a better defender, then why doesn't that argument hold true for Rolen, who in the 9th inning last night saved a base hit when he came in as a defensive replacement?

In the light of that, I hope that what Bernie Miklasz noted in his column today--a deep rife between Tony and Rolen that may mean that the two can't work together next year--is not true (although it would be intriguing to think that the Cards could try to trade Rolen and a propsect to the Yankees for A-Rod; how would he look hitting behind El Hombre?).

btw--one of the best Cardinals blogs out there is Viva El Birdos, hence the HT title.