Category: From My Seat

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From My Seat Sports

Redbird Reinforcements?

Alex Reyes (Courtesy Memphis Redbirds)

The 2019 Memphis Redbirds season began with Tommy Edman on the infield and ended with Dylan Carlson in the outfield. Two years and one pandemic later, both players can be found in the St. Louis Cardinals’ batting order on a daily basis, key components to any World Series aspirations for the Redbirds’ parent club. If we go back to 2018 — a season that ended with a second-straight Pacific Coast League championship for Memphis — we recall AutoZone Park memories of Randy Arozarena, Luke Voit, Adolis Garcia, Jack Flaherty, and Dakota Hudson, all now rising stars in the major leagues (though not all still in the St. Louis system).

Back to the present, though, and it’s hard to envision current Redbirds making the kind of impact so many of their predecessors have before, during, and now near the end of the worldwide health crisis. Among the Cardinals’ current top 20 prospects (as ranked by MLB.com), only two have been with Memphis since Opening Day in May, and both are pitchers: Matthew Liberatore (the number-one prospect) and Zack Thompson. Liberatore (acquired in a trade that sent Arozarena to Tampa Bay) has an especially high ceiling and could occupy a future spot in the Cardinals’ starting rotation, but he’s pitched in only six games above Class A. Remember, minor-league baseball went dark in 2020, a lost season of competition and development for rising stars like Liberatore. You might say he’s currently pitching on a “Double-A-plus” level, only in Triple-A stadiums.

Among position players, who among the 2021 Memphis Redbirds might enter the mix in St. Louis? Outfielder Lars Nootbaar missed 20 games with an injury to his right hand, but has put up an eye-popping slash line in his first season at Triple-A: .329/.430/.557 (through Sunday). With the Cardinals’ offensive numbers among the worst in baseball — among 30 teams, St. Louis ranks 27th in on-base percentage and 22nd in slugging percentage — any Memphis hitter with numbers like Nootbaar’s is like a peacock on parade amid a gaggle of geese.

 Jose Rondon leads the Redbirds with six home runs and this is telling, as the infielder has been with the Cardinals since being promoted on May 29th. The Memphis lineup is not stocked with bashers, and Rondon’s impact with St. Louis has been minimal (six hits in 13 games). As the season’s midpoint nears, the Cardinals (and Redbirds) need to maximize production from now-familiar faces. Until Double-A Springfield infuses the upper levels of the system with new blood, the I-55 pipeline may be traffic-free.

• The best story this season among former Redbirds on the current Cardinal roster is that of Alex Reyes. The 26-year-old pitcher made his big-league debut in 2016, when he struck out 93 hitters in 65 innings for Memphis as the system’s top-ranked prospect. But a series of injuries limited Reyes to a total of seven innings over the next three seasons. He pitched out of the Cardinals’ bullpen last year, but his workload was just shy of 20 innings in the abbreviated season.

Here in 2021, though, Reyes has assumed the role of closer for the Cardinals, walking the ninth-inning tightrope as though he’s been there before. Through Sunday, Reyes has posted a miniscule 0.82 ERA and earned 17 saves, good for fifth in the National League. The riddle for St. Louis, big picture, will be whether to keep Reyes in a role that limits him (typically) to one inning per game, or to return his powerful right arm to the starting rotation, an area that’s been compromised this season by the injury-related losses of Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas, and most significantly, ace Jack Flaherty. Whether in the ninth inning or the first, Reyes should be a difference-maker — if he can stay healthy — for many years to come.

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From My Seat Sports

Crowded Comforts

The pandemic began, for me, on March 10, 2020, when Harvard University announced it was shutting down its spring semester due to the coronavirus outbreak. Those folks in the Ivy League are (1) smart and (2) don’t cancel classes for the average flu scare. When we learned that baseball and softball seasons were not to be, that graduation ceremonies would be “virtual”. … the novel coronavirus became quite real. Mankind would adjust to accommodate this new contagion or die trying.

Fast-forward to May 26, 2021 — around and past the longest collective slog of our lifetimes — and I found myself sitting among hundreds of other people(!) on the grounds of Wesleyan University for an actual graduation ceremony. My daughter Sofia is among 700 members of a group Wesleyan president Michael Roth aptly described as “the mighty Class of 2021.” Roth opened his remarks with the following: “It’s so nice to see you all here, in person. Together.” Such a simple expression, a sentiment as easily understood by a child in her kindergarten class as a young adult capped and gowned for one of life’s turning points. (Already emotional having marched in as professors and administrators stood and clapped, Sofia had to catch her breath after the remark.)

The week before the ceremony, Wesleyan announced that graduates could double their invited guests, from two people to four. And again with thoughts of that Harvard shutdown in mind, I felt like this was a dramatic step out of the pandemic ooze. Not only would this fine New England university allow a crowd to attend its commencement. … it would double that crowd. Both of Sofia’s grandmothers made the drive to Middletown, Connecticut, from central Vermont. If the return to “normal” has a symbolic image, it’s a hug between a grandparent and grandchild. I witnessed lots of those on May 26th.

The pandemic isn’t over, friends. Particularly in states (like Tennessee) where vaccination rates have plateaued too soon, cases of infection continue to emerge. People continue to die. If you want to boost your anxiety level a notch or two, read about the “Delta” variant of the virus. It seems our enemy in this battle didn’t exactly throw in the towel upon the mass distribution of a vaccine. But — and this is a significant but — as vaccination rates do increase, so do comfort levels in and around gatherings of a few hundred people, even a few thousand if you glance at the current state of things in NBA and NHL arenas or MLB stadiums.

On the subject of baseball stadiums, Wesleyan’s quad happens to be the university’s baseball field. (Yes, this is a perfect model.) I literally sat in centerfield as my favorite Wesleyan Cardinal marched to a platform in front of the school’s library to receive her bachelor’s degree. This obviously made me think of my home away from home here in Memphis: AutoZone Park. Upon returning from New England, my first outing was a Sunday matinee between the Redbirds and Toledo Mud Hens. The crowd at downtown’s diamond was around the same size — 3,000, give or take — as the one at Sofia’s graduation. Like at Wesleyan, people were maskless when outside, mankind’s current honor code firmly in place: no need to wear a mask anymore if you’ve been vaccinated. The atmosphere felt right, the cheering a boon for spirits rather than a threat to our health and well being. The Redbirds lost, but I left the ballpark knowing oxygen had reached deeper into my lungs than it had in several months.

Between Sofia’s graduation and the Redbirds game, I did some serious reuniting with family and friends in Vermont. So many hugs. Each one seemed a bit tighter than the previous, and some lasted longer than good-to-see-you-again hugs should. But those hugs now have curative powers, a reminder that “the human touch” is often better in actual form than virtual. I hugged Sofia tightly after her graduation ceremony, knowing that moment — and all those people that shared it with us — is for a lifetime. But I hugged her even tighter a few days later, before returning to Memphis. Because there is life, indeed, ahead for both of us. For all of us. Together again.

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From My Seat Sports

Redbirds Report

Lars Nootbaar (Courtesy Memphis Redbirds)

The Memphis Redbirds have completed their first three series of the season, having lost one (to Durham), split another (with Nashville), and won a third (over Louisville). A few observations as the summer heat approaches.

Cardiac Kids

Nothing builds clubhouse chemistry for the daily grind of a baseball season like a walk-off victory. And the Redbirds had three such wins over a four-day span last week. Wednesday afternoon, Jose Rondon was the hero, driving in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to complete a comeback from two runs down entering the frame. Then Thursday night, Irving Lopez got the happy ambush, only a few days after his promotion from Double-A Springfield. Saturday night, it was Evan Mendoza, the infielder who drove in the game-tying runs on Wednesday. When multiple players contribute to heart-pounding wins, sore muscles and achy joints tend to feel much better. Lots of baseball yet to be played, but the 2021 Redbirds have answered a dreadful first series against Durham (1-5) with a month’s worth of late-inning success packed into a single week.

That’s With Two A’s

Not since Jeremy Hazelbaker roamed the AutoZone Park outfield in 2015 have the Redbirds suited up a more delightfully named player than Lars Nootbaar. The 23-year-old outfielder was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8th round of the 2018 draft. He hit .264 in 101 games overall in 2019 (33 games at Double-A Springfield). Nootbaar hit a pair of home runs in Sunday’s loss to Louisville, each a line drive to right-center that simply ran out of ballpark. He has a comfortable swing from the left side of the plate and that can make for a long career. The California native drove in the tying run late in Saturday night’s comeback win and is second on the team with 14 RBIs.

Relief for Cardinals?

If you’re looking for a position group that may soon discover roles up I-55 at Busch Stadium, start with the Redbirds’ bullpen. The Cardinals have struggled to get outs from relievers not named Alex Reyes, Gio Gallegos, or Genesis Cabrera. Last Friday night, Memphis beat Louisville, 4-3, thanks in large part to three men out of the bullpen — Austin Warner, Jesus Cruz, and Junior Fernandez — tossing three-and-two-thirds hitless innings in relief of Johan Oviedo. Among the three, only Fernandez is currently on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster (and eligible for a promotion to St. Louis). If the St. Louis bullpen continues to implode, that may change.

All Eyes On Liberatore

The Cardinals’ top-ranked prospect is 21-year-old Matthew Liberatore, a 6’4” starting pitcher who physically resembles the Adam Wainwright who pitched at AutoZone Park way back in 2004. (Just as lanky then, Wainwright has built a stellar career on his right arm.) Liberatore came to St. Louis in a 2020 trade with Tampa Bay Ray that sent Randy Arozarena to the Rays. Arozarena, of course, went on to earn MVP honors in the 2020 American League Championship Series and set a big-league postseason record with 10 home runs. So you could say the spotlight on Liberatore is not only bright, but hot. For the trade to approach long-term balance, Liberatore needs to be pitching in the Cardinals rotation, and soon.

The Arizona native is off to an uneven start at the Triple-A level. He keeps the ball around the strike zone (only five walks in 21 innings pitched) and reaches the mid-90s on the radar gun. But Liberatore has given up more than a hit per inning and has an 0-3 record to show for it with a 5.48 ERA. It’s a good time to remember that minor leaguers are in catch-up mode with their development, having lost an entire season of competitive baseball to the pandemic. Liberatore finds himself pitching to hitters one level below the big leagues without ever throwing a pitch in Double A. Major-league tools appear to be there. Some patience is required, no matter how many long balls Randy Arozarena hits this season.

The Redbirds play a six-game series at Gwinnett this week and return home to host the Toledo Mud Hens June 1-6.

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From My Seat Sports

Albert Pujols and His Memphis Throne

When news broke last Thursday that the Los Angeles Angels had released Albert Pujols — the Albert Pujols — my thoughts turned to a red seat at AutoZone Park. A solitary, some would say lonely red seat that rests (mounted on concrete) on the rightfield bluff of the ballpark, just inside a foul pole. On September 15, 2000, a 20-year-old Pujols — a late season promotion from Class A — laced a line drive just fair for a 13th-inning, walk-off home run that gave the Memphis Redbirds their first Pacific Coast League championship in the stadium’s inaugural season. Had the player who hit that baseball never reached the major leagues, it would be one of the greatest moments in Memphis sports history. The man who hit that baseball, of course, became the most accomplished player — to date — of the 21st century and an all-time great.

There’s no such thing as a quick review of the Albert Pujols Hall of Fame resumé. Having  played a total of 14 games above Class A (during that championship run with Memphis), Pujols made the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster in 2001 and ran away with National League Rookie of the Year honors, batting .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBIs. He  won the National League MVP award three times (and finished second in the voting four more). On the scale that matters most, he helped the Cardinals to the playoffs in seven of his 11 seasons with the franchise, earning three National League pennants and two World Series championships (in 2006 and 2011). 

As a Cardinal, Pujols hit the gold standard in the Triple Crown categories — a .300 batting average, 30 homers, 100 RBIs — 10 consecutive years. He remains the only baseball player to accomplish such a decade-long stretch of numerical greatness. Think of your favorite legends: Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson. None of them went .300/30/100 10 years in a row. More recent superstars who put up gargantuan numbers (with the help of performance enhancers), guys like Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez . . . they didn’t pull it off either. Over that decade with St. Louis (2001-10), Albert Pujols established a baseball statistical club of one.

Then came the L.A. years. Pujols shocked the baseball world by heading west after the 2011 season, signing a 10-year, $240 million contract with the team Vin Scully did not describe. While “The Machine” climbed various charts and hit major milestones — 600 home runs and 3,000 hits — with the Angels, his performance gradually faded, and his team never won so much as a single playoff game. After batting .328 with 445 home runs and 1,329 RBIs in 11 years with the Cardinals, Pujols hit .256 with 222 homers and 783 RBIs in a now-abbreviated 10 years with the Angels. Unable to crack the fabled Mendoza Line this season (.198 in 92 plate appearances), Pujols departed Los Angeles not with the ceremony worthy of a legend, but with a pink slip. The Angels will pay Pujols upwards of $30 million this year . . . not to play for them.

Speculation begins now. Has Pujols entered a batter’s box for the last time? Might another American League team — one that could use a designated hitter — sign Pujols and put him in the lineup on a daily basis? And the juiciest rumor of all: Might Pujols return to St. Louis for some form of limited action and a farewell tour that would, indeed, feature ceremony after ceremony, one ballpark after another?

For now, I choose not to speculate for what remains in the sunset of Albert Pujols’s singular career. I like the memory of September 15, 2000, when upwards of 10,000 Memphis baseball fans got to know him before the world did. He wore number 6 when he hit the home run that spawned that red seat at AutoZone Park. (Redbirds management had the good sense to leave the seat in place when hundreds of others were removed during renovations a few years ago.) The number 6 has long been retired by the Cardinals in honor of the franchise’s greatest player, Stan Musial. No one in downtown Memphis 21 years ago knew that the streak across the sky we just witnessed was a baseball comet on his way to hitting more home runs as a Cardinal than anyone except Stan the Man. 

Legends tend to grow gradually, shaping time and space — sometimes a baseball diamond — with their mighty impact. But the birth of a legend? That’s an instant. Blink and you’ve missed it. The Albert Pujols legend was born in Memphis. It’s about time we recognize that red seat for what it’s become: a throne.

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From My Seat Sports Sports Feature

A First Pitch Like None Before

AutoZone Park (photo courtesy Memphis Redbirds)

We continue to fight for the proverbial “new normal.” Vaccines are entering American arms by the millions, even as this life-altering pandemic lingers, even as the coronavirus — and all its variants — continues to infect, hospitalize, and kill. Even by pandemic measures, life feels strange right now. Are we healing? Are we, in fact, getting better, closer to that shiny presence on the horizon — it can’t be a mirage, can it? — that “new normal?”

We each measure our steps toward the return to life as we knew it 15 months ago. Perhaps you went out for dinner at your favorite restaurant for the first time since two birthdays. Or maybe a return to the cinema. (I enjoyed everything about Godzilla vs. Kong, including my wife and I being two of only six people in the theater.) A considerable step forward for me personally — and for many others in this community — will happen Tuesday night when the Memphis Redbirds take the field at AutoZone Park for the first time in 609 days. Take me back to the ballgame. Please.

Whether or not you call it the “national pastime” anymore, baseball brings a quality to American culture and life that no other sport delivers. Because it’s daily, and it’s part of our lives for several months. Did your starting pitcher get shelled Tuesday night, game over before the seventh-inning stretch? Sleep it off. Your team plays again Wednesday. Did your favorite hitter slam one over the leftfield wall to give your team the lead on Saturday? You can see him play again on Sunday.

Sadly, there are likely Memphis Redbirds fans who saw their last game at AutoZone Park on August 25th, 2019.  (The Redbirds beat Omaha, 9-2.) There will be emptiness — literal and otherwise — when a limited-capacity crowd (no more than 3,000 fans) gathers at the ballpark Tuesday night for the franchise’s 23rd season opener. But we will, in fact, be there. Together. Whatever charms you find at the ballpark — sunset over the Peabody, barbecue nachos, Rockey on top of the dugout — will return after an agonizing absence of 20 months. There’s so much to be thankful for in that.

With the team’s mere presence a gift for the Memphis community, it seems almost trite to draw up a scouting report for the 2021 Redbirds. The St. Louis Cardinals have a slugger in their system, Nolan Gorman (“the other Nolan,” with Mr. Arenado now occupying third base in St. Louis). If Gorman doesn’t start the season here at the Triple-A level, look for his arrival soon. Still only 20 years old, Gorman may be learning new positions (second base?) at AutoZone Park, as Arenado is expected to block his natural spot for the next several years. But as the adage goes, if he hits, he’ll play.

A pair of starting pitchers — Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson — hope to be the next in line in what’s become a tradition of Memphis rubber-stamping strong arms for the big leagues. Going back a decade, consider the pitchers Memphis has sent up I-55 to help the Cardinals: Lance Lynn, Carlos Martinez, Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson. If AutoZone Park is a garden for baseball prospects, starting pitching is the ballpark’s prize-winning eggplant.

As for the landscape of baseball here in the minors, the Pacific Coast League is a thing of the past. The Redbirds now compete in the Southeast Division of Triple-A East. Instead of facing the likes of the Tacoma Rainiers, Memphis will battle regional foes: the Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves), Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers), Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Devil Rays; here for the opening series with baseball’s top prospect, Wander Franco), Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles), Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami Marlins), and Charlotte Knights (Chicago White Sox). Teams you’ll see at AutoZone Park from other Triple-A divisions: the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds), Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers), Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians), and Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates).

I hope — I truly hope — a few male fans wear dresses when the Mud Hens come to town (June 1-6). Corporal Max Klinger — you remember Toledo’s favorite son, from M*A*S*H, right? — would stand and salute. Such is life with baseball back, particularly here “in the bushes.” Savor every pitch. Cheer every home run. And stand up when a player hits a triple, for crying out loud. Baseball’s back. Let’s never again take it for granted.

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From My Seat Sports Sports Feature

Q & A: Cardinals Farm Director Gary LaRocque

Gary LaRocque (Billy Hurst/St. Louis Cardinals)

Gary LaRocque is in his eighth season as the St. Louis Cardinals’ director of player development. With baseball returning to Memphis — the Durham Bulls visit AutoZone Park on May 4th — LaRocque shared some thoughts on the Cardinals’ farm system.

Flyer: There was some Major League Baseball in 2020, but with the minor leagues shut down, development was almost entirely behind closed doors. How have the Cardinals managed their farm system during the pandemic, with player growth still a priority?

LaRocque: During the last 12 months, the first thing we did was make sure conditioning was appropriate. We had weekly or bi-weekly calls to our players in May and June of last year, and we had the alternate [training] site for some of our players [in Springfield, Missouri]. But for the majority of players, we had to make sure they were doing their conditioning work. We were less concerned that a pitcher was throwing his innings at the time, because they didn’t have access to someone [to catch]. It wasn’t fair to ask them to go beyond [pandemic] protocols. Starting in October, we had a call process with every player, and we started a gradual build-up for what would be minor-league camp. Pitchers started throwing at the turn of the new year. The kids reported to camp in very good shape.

Player development in baseball is, literally, a day-to-day process. And game conditions are the best classroom. Have you seen a development gap of any kind among players in the Cardinals system after a lost 2020 season?

If I were a player, I would have preferred to have been playing [games] for six months last year, then winter ball. That said, we weren’t able to do it. We had to prepare for now. We decided what the next-best thing was, and that was conditioning. The kids are anxious. They’re ready, and they came very prepared. We won’t know [about a performance gap] until they get out and play a while. So far, so good.

A recent jewel of the Cardinals system is Dylan Carlson. He would have played much of 2020 in Memphis, but ended up starting games for the Cardinals in the postseason. What’s your take on his progress . . . again, with that lost minor-league season taken into consideration?

With most players, it’s what they did with the time. He was at the alternate site, he was in the big leagues. He’s a tremendous worker, very focused. He stepped into the big leagues this year, ready to contribute. For any player in our system, not being able to play last year . . . everyone was affected by it. But now we re-start. [Carlson’s success] is not unexpected. We look forward to his future. His work ethic is tremendous and he’s going to help the Cardinals.

Is there an organizational emphasis for the Cardinals when it comes to drafting and developing players? The late George Kissell played a huge role in the right (and wrong) way to learn and play the game.

Randy Flores and the scouting staff work really hard. We’ve always worked hard at bringing good athletes into the system. We weigh heavily on our baseball development department and our analytics to contribute to evaluations. It’s been a nice mix. 

The Cardinals’ outfield has been somewhat of a musical chairs in recent years. What’s your view of the current crop of outfielders, and what needs to happen to see more offensive production from that position group?

I focus on the minor-league development, and players getting there. I watch every day. Players need time to develop. When players get to the Double-A level and the Triple-A level, it’s all about performance. We accept that as part of the challenge for player development. We try to make sure players from the Class-A level understand that projection is something that allows them to be [in professional baseball]. The development process turns that into performance at Double-A and Triple-A. Then in the big leagues, ultimately, the idea is not to just get there, but contribute. [The current outfielders] need time. [Cardinal manager] Mike Shildt and his staff are tremendous. They’re very well prepared. The combination makes us anxious to see what the season-long results will be. Most of the Cardinals’ coaches came through our system. [In addition to Shildt, Cardinals first-base coach Stubby Clapp and third-base coach Pop Warner are former managers of the Memphis Redbirds.] There’s a lot of continuity there.

Has there been a player who surprised you with his rise through the Cardinal system? Someone who made the big-league roster ahead of schedule?

As a farm director, you’re extremely proud of the players who move their way through the system and ultimately contribute [in the major leagues]. I wouldn’t say I was surprised, but I was pleased to see that when they got there, they didn’t just stay, but they contributed. It’s taken a lot of factors. [Cardinals president] John Mozeliak and his staff have always trusted the minor leagues. We want to show them, continuously, that the kids that come up are prepared.

Who are some players Memphis fans should keep an eye on when baseball returns to AutoZone Park next month? The Redbirds appear to have a slugger (Nolan Gorman) and a few pitchers (Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson, to name two) worthy of attention.

Many of the players at our alternate site will be in Memphis, though some who have been training here [in Jupiter, Florida] will be there. Players who have been on the Cardinals’ taxi squad will be on the Memphis roster. We’re excited to get to May 4th. Like fans in Memphis, we’re excited to get things started.

The minor leagues have been completely restructured, with MLB franchises now limited to four farm teams. How has this impacted your job and the jobs of Cardinal scouts?

We continue to help players with “the grind to get there.” We focus on what May looks like, focus on today’s schedule. If you help players with short-term focus and long-term vision of where they’ll be as the season progresses, that’s something they work toward. We’ve lost some clubs, as you mention. But for April, we’re where we want to be: healthy, playing, getting our work in.

Only four Triple-A franchises have been affiliated with their parent clubs longer than Memphis and St. Louis. What’s kept this partnership so strong for two decades?

We’ve really enjoyed being in Memphis. This is my 14th year [in the Cardinals system], and I’ve really enjoyed my time in Memphis. It’s a wonderful match. Fan support has been tremendous. The ballpark’s great, the city’s great. We’re fortunate. We have Memphis, Springfield, and Peoria [in our farm system]. Regionally, that helps us. We’ve worked closely with the Memphis front office and everyone’s been super.

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From My Seat Sports Sports Feature

Transfer Nation

Penny Hardaway (U of M Athletics / Joe Murphy)

Let’s be glad there’s no such thing as an NIT championship parade. How awkward would that have been? Before Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers could deliver their 2021 trophy to the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center, nearly half of Hardaway’s nine-man rotation announced their intentions to leave the program. Sophomores Boogie Ellis, D.J. Jeffries, and Damion Baugh will transfer and freshman Moussa Cisse is dipping his toes into the NBA draft waters, though not hiring an agent just yet. Even one of Hardaway’s two four-star recruits for next season — Jordan Nesbitt — departed for Saint Louis University after enrolling at the U of M for the spring semester. Exhale. And deep breaths. The 2020-21 Tiger season is over . . . and so is that team, with an exclamation point.

Such is life in college basketball today. Forget the players; teams themselves are one-and-done. All of them. Something we’ve come to know as the transfer portal has created all-but-unfettered free agency in the sport, with more than 1,000 players “entering the portal” this offseason. And yes, two of those players — swingmen Davion Warren and Earl Timberlake — are already headed to Memphis. So if you’re doing the math, Memphis has subtracted five players (should Cisse actually enter the NBA draft) and added two for year four of the Coach Penny era.

There’s no need for grinding teeth or screaming into the Twitterverse over the roster volatility. The NCAA has, for generations, exploited talented athletes for financial gain, most glaringly the “March Madness” telethon each spring that crowns basketball’s champion. If we’ve reached the point where players can at least choose — without penalty — their program(s) of choice after actually experiencing life as a cash cow, it’s a better, more honest world. Makes the job of a coach and his recruiting staff a fiery gauntlet, but hey, that’s why they’re paid the big bucks.

• Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game would have been a nice look in Atlanta this summer. Scheduled to be played six months after the great Hank Aaron’s passing, the Midsummer Classic would have made for an uplifting salute to an American legend and a warm welcome-back as vaccinations allow more and more fans to actually enter stadiums. And considering Georgia voters changed the legislative branch of our government by sending two Democrats to the U.S. Senate, the showcase sporting event might have been seen as a “thank you” from an under-represented segment of our population. Aaron would have appreciated that.

Alas, the All-Star Game will not be going down to Georgia. With those new Senators still decorating their offices, the Peach State’s legislature enacted bills that serve as restrictions on voting. (Don’t you dare provide a voter a bottle of water!) So MLB yanked the All-Star Game and will stage the event in Denver. The decision was made quickly by commissioner Rob Manfred, but surely with loud whispers in his ears from corporate sponsors not thrilled about pouring millions of dollars into a state so bold-faced in its anti-democratic legislation.

Get used to this. The most powerful force in the United States of America is money. No man or woman, no voice or column, no march or protest will get things done in this country like the mighty dollar. It’s the one variable that can swing, yes, legislation. Piss off the “liberal media,” that’s fine. Only so many ears (and wallets) CNN (an Atlanta company!) can reach. But find yourself on the wrong side of the table from Coca-Cola (an Atlanta company!) or Budweiser, with millions of baseball fans in the mix? Those campaign donations will drop like a batter with a fastball to the chin.

No one wants politics mixed with their sports entertainment. But sports entertainment breathes the oxygen of American business. The mix has already been made. Major League Baseball simply used its All-Star Game as the most recent — sorry for this — hammer for change.

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From My Seat Sports

2021 St. Louis Cardinals Preview

Nolan Arenado (Billy Hurst / St. Louis Cardinals)

While the Memphis Redbirds must wait another excruciating month for their first Opening Day in two years, the team’s parent club takes the field — with a significant new addition — this Thursday in Cincinnati. Few “lid-lifters” in St. Louis Cardinals history have been as eagerly anticipated as this one, a broad fan base desperate for the daily version of normality baseball has delivered for well over a century now.

His name is Nolan Arenado, should you not happen upon baseball-related media, social or otherwise. The Cardinals acquired Arenado — one of the ten best players in the sport — in a January trade with the Colorado Rockies that cost St. Louis little more than a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher named Austin Gomber. Arenado’s contract is massive ($214 million over seven years), and he has opt-out clauses after this season and again after the 2022 campaign. But the Rockies agreed to pay $50 million of the contract (in order to “save” more than $150 million), and the general impression is that Arenado fits St. Louis in much the same way Mark McGwire (1997) and Matt Holliday (2009) did upon arriving in trades prior to free agency. Arenado’s resume is staggering, considering he turns just 30 on April 16th: 235 home runs, eight Gold Gloves at third base, and four Silver Sluggers. He’s the kind of player who transforms a team’s batting order while, at the same time, dramatically improves a defensive position that’s been a Cardinal Achilles heel for more than a decade.

While the Cardinals gain a Gold Glove third-baseman, they’ve lost one at second base, Kolten Wong having departed for Milwaukee after St. Louis chose not to pick up the option on his contract. Another former Memphis Redbird, Tommy Edman, takes over at second after playing a utility role the last two seasons. With Paul Goldschmidt (three Gold Gloves) manning first base and Paul DeJong back for his fifth season at shortstop, the Cardinals are fortified on the infield, with a pair of sluggers at each corner, both in the prime of their careers.

The Cardinals’ outfield is more complicated, with several one-time prospects expected to shoulder a larger load offensively. Tyler O’Neill won a Gold Glove in leftfield last season, but batted only .173 with a .360 slugging percentage in the abbreviated campaign. He’s hit the ball hard this spring, though, and would be a difference-maker if he could raise that slug average about 150 points. The franchise’s top prospect, 22-year-old Dylan Carlson, is expected to play every day, either in rightfield or, as he will on Opening Day, centerfield. (The team’s incumbent centerfielder, Harrison Bader, will start the season on the injured list with arm discomfort.) Justin Williams, Lane Thomas, and John Nogowski are three more outfield candidates Memphis fans will recall seeing at AutoZone Park as recently as 2019.

At a time with so much uncertain, two players will make the 2021 Cardinals feel much the way they felt in, oh, 2015 . . . or 2006 (when the franchise won its first World Series in 24 years). Catcher Yadier Molina is back for his 18th season with the franchise and pitcher Adam Wainwright is back for his 17th. The two men are 26 starts shy of becoming only the fourth battery in baseball history to start 300 games. (They’re scheduled to start the Cardinals’ home opener on April 8th.) And this is no farewell tour for either player. Wainwright led St. Louis in wins last season and no Cardinal starter performed better this year in the Grapefruit League. Jack Flaherty is classified as the team’s ace, but the 25-year-old needs to flash his 2019 form (2.75 ERA, 231 strikeouts) and confirm 2020 (4.91 ERA) was a pandemic-muddled aberration.

A loaded bullpen — headlined by flame-thrower Jordan Hicks and former top-prospect Alex Reyes — will be relied upon to counterbalance a shaky starting rotation for St. Louis, with Carlos Martinez, Kwang Hyun Kim, John Gant, and Daniel Ponce de Leon among the men expected to support Flaherty and Wainwright. A pair of starting pitchers will headline the Memphis roster: Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson. If the Cards’ rotation cracks, one or both could make the trip north this summer.

Baseball is back. The crowds will be limited to start the season. (No more than 15,000 at Busch Stadium.) But as vaccination efforts expand and temperatures warm, here’s to a healthy dose of the National Pastime to help bring the rest of us back, too.

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From My Seat Sports

All-Stars and Errrbody

CREDIT: Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy

Ja Morant will play in All-Star games. Several of them. He’s that kind of NBA talent, both by the numbers and (more importantly) the eye test for what makes a professional basketball star: game-changing talent, distinctive style of play, and heavy on the charisma factor. He just won’t play in this Sunday’s All-Star Game, not at age 21 in what could be his senior season at Murray State University. It’s disappointing for Memphis fans, but it’s a time for patience.

With only 24 roster spots (12 per conference), NBA All-Star is an exclusive club unlike many in professional sports. Once established, an All-Star typically hangs on to his “membership” for several years. Among the 24 players originally selected for this year’s team, fully half of them would be playing in at least their fourth All-Star Game. (Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant will miss his 11th showcase with an injury and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis will miss his eighth.) Four players — only four — will make their All-Star debuts Sunday night: New York’s Julius Randle, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Boston’s Jaylen Brown, and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans. You’ll notice only one of these players (Williamson) is from the Western Conference, and he’s a forward.

Being a guard, Morant’s challenge is to take the seat of one of the following Western Conference stars: Steph Curry (a two-time MVP), Luka Doncic (first-team All-NBA), Damian Lillard (averaging 29.8 points per game), Donovan Mitchell (24.5 ppg), Chris Paul (11-time All-Star, exclusive “membership”), or Devin Booker (25.5 ppg; replaced Davis on the squad). Those are not the six guys you want in the lobby as you await a job interview. But Morant’s day will come. He has time (21 years old) and an abundance of talent on his side.

• The American Athletic Conference twisted the pandemic knife by moving the Memphis Tigers’ regular-season finale (this Sunday) from FedExForum to the Fertitta Center in Houston. The team Memphis most needs to beat for NCAA tournament consideration now gets to host the Tigers in what will be their only meeting of the regular season. (The teams’ originally scheduled game in Houston was the second of four postponements due to Covid-19 exposure in the Tiger program.) Memphis is essentially being punished by the AAC for exposure to the coronavirus at the wrong time of their season.
Memphis Athletics / Joe Murphy

Penny Hardaway

But here’s the thing: Win the game. Memphis would have needed a win in Houston anyway (on Valentine’s Day) to attract NCAA tournament eyes. Coach Penny Hardaway needs to emphasize to his team that Sunday’s game is merely that game three weeks later. Maybe it will be a steeper hill to climb on the road. But maybe a road-warrior mentality would be healthy for a Tiger team that will play deep into March only if properly motivated. Remember “Memphis vs. Errrbody”? It applies this week for the Tigers, and with much to gain.

• Steve Selby is among my favorite Memphis sports figures of the last two decades. The longtime play-by-play voice of the Memphis Redbirds announced his retirement last week after 34 years behind the microphone, all in the minor leagues. He is a pro’s pro, as careful with the pronunciation of Albuquerque’s third relief pitcher as he is reflecting on the stardom of past Redbird greats like Adam Wainwright or David Freese. And man, can Selby tell a story (a must for a good baseball broadcaster). Willie Mays hit a home run in the first big-league game Selby attended, in 1962 at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. He found it easy to fall in love with baseball.

Selby was broadcasting games for the Durham Bulls when Hollywood showed up and made one of the most popular sports movies in history. (Bull Durham hit the screen in 1988.) It was filmed during the winter, when Selby was home in Alabama, so he didn’t appear in the movie . . . but he was part of why the movie was made. He’s minor-league baseball, only with big-league talent, which anyone who’s listened to a Redbirds broadcast knows well. Whatever form Memphis Redbirds media takes (and live streaming has changed the industry), it will miss Steve Selby. 

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From My Seat Sports

Tigers 61, Tulane 46

CREDIT: Memphis Athletics / joe Murphy

The Tigers returned to action Wednesday night at FedExForum after an 18-day shutdown due to positive Covid cases in the Memphis program. With four postponed games still in the hands of American Athletic Conference scheduling officials, the Tigers made easy work of the Tulane Green Wave and cruised to their seventh win in eight games. Memphis improves to 13-6 (9-3 in the AAC) while Tulane drops to 9-10 (4-10).

Memphis Athletics / joe Murphy

Moussa Cisse

Sophomore guard Boogie Ellis hit three treys in the first half and led the Tigers with 13 points. No other Memphis player scored as many as 10. Six was the night’s magic numbers as six Tigers finished with precisely that number of points: DeAndre Williams, Moussa Cisse (despite early foul trouble), Landers Nolley, D.J. Jeffries, Malcolm Dandridge, and Alex Lomax. Williams led Memphis with 11 rebounds and five assists.

Sophomore guard Lester Quinones was ejected midway through the second half when he left the bench during a verbal altercation between the teams. He’s not expected to be suspended for the Tigers’ next contest, as no punches were thrown. Tulane’s Jadan Coleman was also ejected.

Jordan Walker led the Green Wave with 16 points, but Tulane shot merely 26 percent from the field and missed 17 of 19 attempts from three-point range. Memphis won the battle of the boards, pulling down 54 rebounds to Tulane’s 34.

The Tigers travel to longtime rival Cincinnati for their next game Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for noon and the game will be televised on ESPN.