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Thu Dec 25, 2008 6:22 am EST
Could Pujols become MLB's first $30-million per year man?
Five years ago the St. Louis Cardinals and the finest hitter of his generation were steaming toward what could have been a dicey and milestone arbitration hearing when, in the 11th hour, Albert Pujols agreed to the largest contract in franchise history. The deal, still active today, made Pujols the ninth $100-million man in baseball history and, at 24, the youngest ever to reach the salary threshold.
As the MVP enters the penultimate year of his guaranteed contract, one thing is clear: He's been a bargain, according to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
News of the New York Yankees inking first baseman Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180-million deal rippled through baseball and there were probably two interested parties who had little direct interest in where Teixeira signed. The Cardinals and Pujols' reps cared about what Teixeira signed for. The switch-hitting, Gold Glove-caliber Teixeira finalized a deal with the spree-spending Yankees that averages $22.5 million a year, according to reports. Does Teixeira's new deal hint at Pujols' next deal?
Both will be 29 during this coming season. Both hit in the middle of the order. Both play first.
Clearly, there is no way to calculate Pujols' worth using other players' salaries. He defies the market. Teixeira's new contract only underscores what was already apparent: Pujols is due a raise. A hefty one. If five years ago, he was the youngest $100-million man, then two years from now is he the first $30-million year man?
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
week 17:
Tampa Bay, do not cover, over, 42
Thanks
week 16: Denver
Thanks
week 15: Philadelphia
Thanks
It would be good news for the Cardinals if Carpenter is healthy next year.
Cards' Carpenter could be ready for spring training
St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak received some very encouraging news on Friday, finding out that ace Chris Carpenter is progressing well in his recovery from a nerve condition that struck him late in the '08 season. Mozeliak said that if the nerve continues to progress the way it has thus far, Carpenter should be able to begin a throwing program in mid-January and have a normal Spring Training, according to MLB.com.
Cardinals acquire SS Greene from Padres
3 hours, 34 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS (TICKER) —The St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday acquired shortstop Khalil Greene from the San Diego Padres for righthander Mark Worrell and a player to be named.
Greene, 29, appeared in 105 games for San Diego last season, batting a career-worst .213 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. The previous campaign, the 2002 first-round draft pick hit .254 with career highs of 27 homers and 97 RBI.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to have acquired a shortstop with the solid combination of offense and defense that Khalil Greene brings to our ballclub,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “The addition of Khalil to our lineup and the opportunity that he will now have to play in front of our great fans, and in Busch Stadium, is something that we see as a perfect match.”
The Padres’ franchise leader in homers among shortstops with 84, Greene is a career .248 hitter. His 82 blasts since 2004 ranks third among major league players at his position during that span.
“I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that I am both excited and honored to have a chance to play and contribute for such a storied franchise as the St. Louis Cardinals,” Greene said. “The tradition in St. Louis speaks for itself, and I am hopeful to be a strong contributor for the Cardinals. Also, I would like to thank the San Diego Padres, the city and fans of San Diego for the opportunity to play in San Diego for five-plus seasons.”
The 25-year-old Worrell made his major league debut with St. Louis last season, going 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA in four relief appearances. He spent the majority of the year at Class AAA Memphis, where he posted a 3-3 record with five saves and a 2.15 ERA in 53 games.
“We are happy to add Mark Worrell to our team,” San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said. “He’s a talented young pitcher who we are confident will contribute to our bullpen in 2009.
“I also want to thank Khalil for all he did for the Padres. He helped us win two division championships, and he leaves us with many great memories of his performance on the field.”
week 14: Indianapolis
Thanks
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Question: "What should be the focus of Christians on Thanksgiving?"
Answer: The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for corn, providing for their severe need. The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive.
These Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and opportunity in America, gave thanks to God for His provision for them in helping them find 20 acres of cleared land, for the fact that there were no hostile Indians in that area, for their newfound religious freedom, and for God’s provision of an interpreter to the Indians in Squanto. Along with the feasting and games involving the colonists and more than 80 friendly Indians (who added to the feast by bringing wild turkeys and venison), prayers, sermons, and songs of praise were important in the celebration. Three days were spent in feasting and prayer.
From that time forward, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day to give thanks to God for His gracious and sufficient provision. President Abraham Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November, in 1863, “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father.” In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.
Scripturally, we find things related to the issue of thanksgiving nearly from cover to cover. Individuals offered up sacrifices out of gratitude in the book of Genesis. The Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharaoh's army after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Later, the Mosaic Law set aside three times each year when the Israelites were to gather together. All three of these times [Unleavened Bread (also called the Feast of the Passover) (Exodus 12:15-20), Harvest or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-21), and the Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-36)] involved remembering God’s provision and grace. Harvest and Tabernacles took place specifically in relation to God’s provision in the harvest of various fruit trees and crops. The book of Psalms is packed full of songs of thanksgiving, both for God’s grace to the Israelite people as a whole through His mighty deeds, as well as for His individual graces to each of us.
In the New Testament, there are repeated admonitions to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is to always be a part of our prayers. Some of the most remembered passages on the giving of thanks are the following:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6).
"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1).
Of all of God’s gifts, the greatest one He has given is the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus paid our sin debt, so a holy and just Judge could forgive us our sins and give us eternal life as a free gift. This gift is available to those who will call on Christ to save them from their sin in simple but sincere faith (John 3:16; Romans 3:19-26; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8-10). For this gift of His Son, the gift which meets our greatest need, the Apostle Paul says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
We, like the Pilgrims, have a choice. In life there will always be those things that we can complain about (the Pilgrims had lost many loved ones), but there will also be much to be thankful for. As our society becomes increasingly secular, the actual “giving of thanks to God” during our annual Thanksgiving holiday is being overlooked, leaving only the feasting. May God grant that He may find us grateful every day for all of His gifts, spiritual and material. God is good, and every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good (Romans 8:28-30). May He find us to be His grateful children.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
week 13: Tennessee Titans to win
Thanks
"Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society."
George Washington
Thanks for the list. I'll avoid the companies that are against Christmas. No more Best Buy or Kroger.
week 12: Dallas
Thanks
Pujols powers way to 2nd NL MVP award
By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP)—St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won his second NL MVP award, powering past Philadelphia star Ryan Howard by a comfortable margin Monday.
Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow. He was rewarded despite the Cardinals’ fourth-place finish in the NL Central.
week 11: Miami
Thanks
11/05/08 4:25 PM EST
Molina honored with first Gold Glove
Catcher's long-recognized defense finally nabs top NL award
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- Maybe Yadier Molina just needed to hit .300.
Molina -- long considered one of the best defensive catchers in the National League, if not the best -- was finally officially recognized as such Wednesday when he received his first Rawlings Gold Glove. Molina was the only Cardinals player to be honored.
It was, ironically, something of a down year for Molina behind the plate, though he remains elite after four-plus big league seasons. He threw out 18-of-52 basestealers for a 34.6 percentage, and he committed a career-high 10 errors
However, Molina was charged with just five passed balls, his lowest total in any full season. He also guided a Cardinals pitching staff that exceeded many expectations by posting a 4.20 ERA, good for seventh in the National League.
"You look at what he's done with our pitchers and our pitching staff over the last few years, and when you look at what he's done as a pure catcher, he ranks up there at the top -- if not in the top two," general manager John Mozeliak said earlier this year. "So with that said, he's definitely a cornerstone of this club moving forward. I really think he has been the last couple years as well."
Molina has been a viable Gold Glove candidate in each of his four full big league seasons. However, it's possible that he benefited this year from putting up career-best offensive numbers. Molina batted .304 with a .349 on-base percentage, a .392 slugging percentage and 56 RBIs -- all career highs.
Molina becomes the third Cardinals catcher to win a Gold Glove, and his honor makes it seven times in 18 years for St. Louis backstops. Tom Pagnozzi won in 1991, '92 and '94, and Mike Matheny won in '00, '03 and '04.
St. Louis believed it had two, or perhaps even three, other legitimate Gold Glove candidates this year, including 2006 NL first-base winner Albert Pujols. But Pujols, third baseman Troy Glaus and shortstop Cesar Izturis all fell short.
Nonetheless, even scoring one Gold Glove was a sweet return to form for the Cardinals. Last year, the team was shut out of the voting for the first time since 1999.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Cardinals RHP Carpenter undergoes surgery
1 hour, 52 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS (TICKER) —St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter underwent surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday.
The surgery, which included decompression and transposition of the ulnar nerve, was the same procedure Albert Pujols had last month.
The 33-year-old Carpenter has experienced a variety of injuries to his throwing arm over the past two seasons, making just four starts over that stretch.
The National League Cy Young Award winner in 2005, Carpenter went 0-1 with a 1.76 ERA and seven strikeouts over 15 1/3 innings in four games - three starts - this past season.
week 10: Arizona
Thanks
Hey excel. It's neat having my name in the I-box. :)
Thanks for having the contest and thanks SKILLZ1 for keeping the stats. Congratulations to all the Phillies fans on the board.
Good for Jamie Moyer. And congratulations to the Phillie fans. Great to see a NL team win the World Series. :)
I agree with you tenac.
week 9: Chicago
Thanks
week 8: NY Jets
Thanks
Mr. Wirt:
Do you believe that the use of filth and obscenity is necessary in order to establish a realistic atmosphere in contemporary literature?
C.S. Lewis
I do not. I treat this development as a symptom, a sign of a culture that has lost it's faith. Moral collapse follows upon spiritual collapse. I look upon the immediate future with great apprehension.
From an interview with C.S. Lewis by Sherwood E. Wirt of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on May 7, 1963.
Yea, he's alright. I remember when he managed the Phillies a few years ago.
AMEN!
I'm sure Tim McCarver and the people at FOX are mournful at the loss of their favorite team. :)
Thanks excel, that's good advice.
I have often found that this website has the lowest price on Christian books. But it's always smart to shop around.
http://www.christianbook.com/
I was looking through his list of books at Amazon and he's got quite a few I'd like to read. I always enjoy reading him on this board.
A chemist and God
Science: Henry Schaefer sees a natural nexus between faith and science | S. Joshua Swamidass and Shoba Spencer
Which sounds more interesting: a technical talk on "Lesions in DNA Subunits" or one on "The Big Bang, Stephen Hawking and God"?
Henry Schaefer, 64, a long-time University of Georgia professor and a pioneer in theoretical chemistry—he's in the top 10 of all researchers cited in recent years in chemistry publications—gives both. But when organizers of Techfest 2008 asked him to speak at their major technology conference in Mumbai, India, they wanted the Big Bang speech, which Schaefer was happy to give.
People in every land want to hear about God, and Schaefer is willing to speak: He mentions that he has presented over 500 nontechnical talks on the compatibility of Christianity and science at over 300 universities around the world, in the process communicating with "perhaps 100,000 students who would not have been interested in a conventional presentation of the gospel." He's made 20 trips to India and China, "where the harvest is very rich." Typically, he presents a straight chemistry lecture at the same university where he gives these general interest lectures.
From teaching Molecular Quantum Mechanics at the University of Georgia to studying the Bible during mid-week church fellowships, Schaefer sees cohesion between "secular" science and his Christian faith. He became a Christian as a young professor at the University of California, Berkeley in 1973: He concluded that the historical evidence for belief in Jesus was too compelling to ignore, and that the physical resurrection of Jesus was the most rational way to understand the stories recorded in the Gospels and by ancient historians.
Schaefer never felt that Christianity and science were in opposition to one another, but after becoming a Christian he was surprised to find that many others found science and faith in conflict: "It was a problem for so many people that finally I decided to do a little research on whether it was true that scientists were not Christians. I discovered pretty quickly that essentially all the pioneers of the modern physical sciences were Christians. It was encouraging to me, and I think even more encouraging to others."
On a typical non-travel day earlier this year Schaefer was sitting at his computer at 6 a.m., scrolling through his packed inbox and emailing his students advice and support in their research. "Part of the success in science is to inspire the people around you," he says. "Almost everybody I work with is less than 25 years of age. They're the ones that are really doing the heavy lifting." He enjoys encouraging others: "The greatest professional satisfaction one gets in my business is to see former students doing outstanding science."
In Schaefer's view, a natural nexus exists between Christianity and science: "In many respects [Christians] are not different than anybody else in science, but we do have a deep-seated trust that God is a God of order and that by following rational methods we will find truth in the scientific sense." Those scientists who speak definitively about how the universe began, though, are going beyond science: "When you read or hear anything about the birth of the universe, someone is making it up—we are in the realm of philosophy. Only God knows what happened at the very beginning."
Schaefer has authored over 1,000 peer-reviewed journal articles, but his ultimate pursuit in life has more to do with his faith than it does with solving problems in the world of science: "My passion is to share Jesus with university students and professors. The main issue is Jesus, and what He accomplished."
—S. Joshua Swamidass is a scientist in bioinformatics; Shoba Spencer recently graduated from law school
I'd like to read that book.
Here I Am to Worship
words and music by Tim Hughes
Light of the world, You stepped down to darkness,
opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You,
hope of a life spent with You.
chorus
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God.
You're altogether lovely,
altogether worthy,
altogether wonderful to me.
I'll never know how much it cost
to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost
to see my sin upon that cross
King of all days, oh, so highly exalted,
glorious in heaven above;
Humbly You came to the earth You created,
all for love's sake became poor.
repeat chorus
3Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3 (NASB)
I like the way The Message puts it too
3 God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.
There are no boundaries to his greatness.
Psalm 145:3 (The Message)
week 7: NY Giants
Thanks
ST. LOUIS (TICKER) —St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols underwent surgery on his right elbow Monday.
The surgery, which was performed by Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta, included decompression and transposition of the ulnar nerve. The procedure did not require reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament.
Pujols, who will begin his rehabilitation this week, is expected to be ready for spring training in March.
Pujols, 28, showed no signs of the injury this season, and is a leading candidate to win his second MVP award after hitting .357 with 37 homers and 116 RBI in 148 games.
15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Luke 12:15-21 (NIV)
I think most Americans today would see the rich man as having lived a very successful life. He put himself first in life and built up great wealth. But in God's eyes he was a fool.
lol
Now someone who in spite of his past sins honestly wants to become reconciled to God may cautiously inquire, "If i come to God, how will He act toward me? What Kind of disposition has he? What will I find Him to be like?"
The answer is that He will be found to be exactly like Jesus. "He that hath seen me," said Jesus, "hath seen the Father." Christ walked with men on earth that He might show them what God is like and make known the true nature of God to a race that had wrong ideas about Him. This was only one of the things He did while here in the flesh, but this He did with beautiful perfection.
From Him we learn how God acts toward people. The hypocritical, the basically insincere, will find Him cold and aloof, as they once found Jesus; but the penitent will find Him merciful; the self-condemned will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly, to the poor in spirit He is forgiving, to the ignorant, considerate; to the weak, gentle; to the stranger, hospitable.
from "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer
47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 6:47-49 (KJV)