My fortnightly post

Still trying to figure out a blogging routine. This bi-weekly posting business isn’t going to get it done.

Anyway, Planet Cardinals continues to spin faster than I can keep up. Such as…

• You don’t go to Dennys, you only end up at Dennys. John Mozeliak’s bargain-shopping of left-handed relief pitching hasn’t really panned out this offseason. The troika of Charlie Manning, Ian Ostlund and the Asian Guy has been less than impressive this spring,  leading Mozeliak to Dennys Reyes’ doorstep. Actually, the bold-face lead-in might be an unfair characterization of Reyes. Once his managers finally figured out to limit his exposure only to hitters of his own kind, he’s been quite effective.
• Goold and Leach, kings of New Media. I only recently got on Twitter, and thanks to the fantastic reporting of Derrick Goold (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and Matthew Leach (MLB.com), I now realize what I’ve been missing. Both writers have been Tweeting from spring training, giving updates from games and other various tidbits as well as filing their regular stories. It’s a fantastic way for a fan to keep up with the goings-on in camp as well as for traditional media to retain their relevance in an increasingly non-print world.
• Cardinals blogosphere now a little less awesome. Erik Manning, proprietor of Future Redbirds, has decided to hang up his metaphorical cleats. FR was *the* place to go for information on the Cardinals’ minor-league system. Erik and his team of bloggers did a fantastic job of educating readers on the topic. He will be sorely missed.
• Shameless self-promotion. And finally I’d like to point you toward a magazine story I wrote about local folks who take vacations to spring training. It’s nothing groundbreaking other than being the first time I’d been paid to write about baseball. Also, be sure to check this out if you like photos of liturgical architecture.

Leach-style posting playlist:

“Box in Hand,” Ghostface Killah
“Plumskinzz,” KMD
“Magic Johnson,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Bong,” New Fast Automatic Daffodils
“Bakersfield,” Ween
“Footprints,” MadLib
“Endangered Species (remix),” Ice Cube
“Love on the Rocks,” Ween
“Smoke and Mirrors,” RJD2
“3s and 7s,” Queens of the Stone Age
“Take Your Time,” Al Green