VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

Your ticket to all things Cardinal. We'll talk about the goings on both on and off the field, from trade rumors to game analysis -- even the occasional heckle - Scott Wuerz.

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Comments

[Gary]

What the bad teams do, the ones that don't spend any money, is play their young arms. Then they lose them or trade them when they get good so the club doesn't have to pay them. I'm not giving the Cardinals' management a free pass on not spending any money this off-season, but maybe it's time we played some of our young arms and see what we've got.

[Tim]

Scott, please comment on the current impasse going on between Fox Sports Midwest and the two satellite companies, DirecTV and Dish Network. Fox has been blacking out thousands of Cardinal fans in central Illinois, Iowa and Kentucky who have been paying to watch the Cardinal games on the Dish since the start of the season. Fox wants the satellite services to offer these games for free and is withholding them. And you can't get them on the Extra Innings package either because MLB considers these areas to be part of the Cardinals' market. But we Cardinal fans just want the opportunity to watch the games whether we have to pay for them or not. Strangely enough, neither the Fox Sports Midwest, nor DirecTV, nor Dish Network nor Cardinal web sites have posted a peep over this situation. Many of us who live in rural areas don't have the option to go to cable. Is there nobody willing to stick up for the fans in this situation?

[Terry Smith]

I live in the Toledo area and Dish is doing the same thing to the Tiger fans. All of the Tiger games are blacked out on Dish. Directv reached a deal with FSN Detroit last week and the games are back on. Time Warner Cable does not offer FSN Detroit in NW Ohio, so the fans are really screwed!! I urge St. Louis fans to keep calling both satellite companies and demand they restore the games. I call Dish at least twice a day. I will probably have to switch to Directv eventually

[Susie]

Well how about those cardinals. The sports best baseball fans?? Really? I flipped back and forth from the cards/cubs game Sunday and the arrogant cards fans sat in their seats smug, looking like idiots. The Cubs fans are always on their feet; they are the best fans in baseball. Don't give me stats, I don't want them. However, I do have a remark. Why is it EVERY YEAR when the cards suck they have a million excuses, i.e., injuries, death from drunkedness, drugs, but when they start winning, NONE of that is mentioned? I'm actually a Yankee's fan, but if there is no other game on, i'll watch the bloopers (Chris Duncan is Horrible) and mute the TV because the announcers are the most annoying ever. Go Cubs...Best fans/Go Yankee's tops in everything.

[View From the Cheap Seats]

I can't remember when the last time the Cardinals sucked and needed to make excuses.

They've won the division every season in the 2000s except one. Sounds pretty good to me. I think it would be a better definition of "to suck" to lead the NL in most times finishing last in the league/division, or go the longest time without winning a championship.

Cubs fans are always boo hooing about Prior and Wood, so you are experts about excuses. But the biggest excuse of all time was that it was Steve Bartman's fault the Cubs didn't make it to the 2003 World Series, nevermind the eight runs you're little team gave up to CHOKE it all away.

This season the Cardinals had Chris Carpenter for one game, Mark Mulder for one game, their starting second baseman, right fielder and fourth outfielder are all out for the season -- and despite the fact that the Cubs spent $300 million on free agents -- the Cardinals are one game out of first and tied for first in the all important loss column. What's your excuse going to be this year? Global warming made Zambrano fall apart?

I believe that Bartman had to be escorted out of Wrigley Field by an army of police and that he couldn't go to work or leave his house because of death threats. So don't tell me that Cubs fans are the greatest.

If you were such a loyal fan, you wouldn't have to hedge you bets by trying to latch onto the Yankees.

[Eschman]

Bartman is a pathetic excuse for the Cubs' colossal choke in 03, but it's not the worst the Cubs abnoxious fans have come up with -- that prize would have to go the goat.

Everybody can get behind a lovable loser -- America loves the underdog. But there's nothing lovable about abusing visiting fans and pathetic and chronic excuse making (and if another Cubs fans feeds me "don't tell me about the stats...").

The absence of some redeeming quality makes the Cubs and their abnoxious fans just plain losers.

[ScoreboardGourmet]

hi
I'd love to hear about All Things Cardinal Food. Have a favorite stadium eat? or restaurant nearby?
Tell me: www.scoreboardgourmet.com
thanks,
Sara
p.s. somewhere in my many boxes of misc stuff I have a nearly complete 1987 set of Cardinals cards. maybe 1985. I am dying to find them. will let you know if I do, and will explain why.

[jtnotes]

Hi! Like the site. Question, ... why not allow a subscription for a daily email to subscribers with each days post?

jt

[View From the Cheap Seats]

JT,

The News-Democrat just a few days ago launched a new daily Cardinals newsletter that includes this blog as well as daily stories about the team.

To sign up for e-mailed delivery, just go to bnd.com, sign in, click on the member center in the sign in area, then sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the menu.

The newsletter includes daily cardinals stories and blogs, plus a section on other stories around the big leagues.

[chris s]

hey scottie, why dont u actually do some factual writing and quit ripping the cubs for every little thing they do (in reposnse to "snickers field") i snicker every f-n time i read ur dumb article becasue the cards r always right and never do anythting wrong, and the other team is always the one to blame for a cards failure (or the umps) yah im a die hard cubs fan but appreciate what STL does every yr and what larussa does as a manager. u must work closly with dan and al on FSN. theyre jerks too!

[View From the Cheap Seats]

Chris,

You must not read too often if you think I never say that the Cardinals do anything wrong...

[Andy Limper]

Top 20 Cardinals of all time (at least that you saw play) -- Man, if you saw Bob Gibson, you must have lived to see Lou Brock play -- arguably the best base runner anywhere period.....Brock Would Definitely Make My Top 20 --And I AGREE FULLY with the inclusion of Jose Oquendo -- what a versatile guy !!! It is Great to read my home town Belleville paper up here in the Great North -- Redbird Fan in MN

[View From the Cheap Seats]

Andy,

Thanks for reading. I know. It would make sense to remember Brock playing if I remember Gibson. But as hard as I jog my brain, the only thing I remember about Brock is his last few games before he retired.

I don't know why. I should have probably put him on the list because of his legend. But I was going strictly on my firsthand impression.

And something I must stress is that I'm not ranking how good they were. Just how much I liked them as a fan. And the best guy isn't always your favorite.

[Joe]

Is something wrong with the site? there are no headers to any of your blogs, no comments, and no links on the side to recent blogs or comments.