Back in business

That's what the end of the high school basketball season and the week-long marathon that is the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship can do to you...sorta make you disappear for awhile. I was quite proud of my self this time around for not falling asleep in the hospitality lounge. Walsh (Ohio) won their first NAIA title, due in large part (pun intended) to the play of 6-foot-10, 260-something pound center Robert Whaley - a former University of Missouri-Columbia signee. He's quite a load. He said he's been invited to the Portsmouth Camp and is serious about finding his way into the NBA.



Interesting information in the Springfield News-Leader today - written by Kary Booher - regarding the Springfield Cardinals' roster - which will be taking shape rapidly. First cuts were to be made today (no word on those yet). The roster limit is 24, with seven of those spots taken up by the bullpen.

Booher raises the possibility of Rick Ankiel spending some time in Springfield this summer. Ankiel has given up on pitching and now wants to make it as an outfielder. He will have to start somewhere - if he clears waivers - and that could be in A ball somewhere. That's a storyline to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Gabe Johnson is a possibility at catcher for the 'Birds (I refuse to call them the "Baby Cardinals"). Johnson played 113 games at 3rd base for Double-A Tennessee last season and 18 at catcher. Booher wrote that Johnson played third for the Triple-A team Sunday, but should head behind the plate soon. The right-handed Johnson hit .267 last year, hit 18 home runs and knocked in 66 runs. He hit 27 doubles, 0 triples and stole seven bases. Johnson walked 43 times against 118 strikeouts.

Two candidates mentioned at shortstop are Kevin Estrada and Milko Jaramillo.

Estrada helped his case by going 2-for-3 with a single, homer and stolen base in a 4-2 win Sunday. Drafted in 2002 out of Pepperdine - after playing at Florida - Estrada appeared in 91 games at High-A Palm Beach last season, batting .263 with 82 hits (19 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers) and an OBP of .326. The switch hitter was hitless in four at-bats at Tennessee, striking out once.

Jaramillo played at Peoria and Palm Beach before getting into 69 games with Tennessee last season. The right-handed Venezuelan hit .223-5-29 with the Smokies.

There was also a photo of Andy Schutzenhofer in the News-Leader. Schutzenhofer is trying to make it to Springfield as a first baseman. He played that position in 108 games at Palm Beach last year, batting .292-3-56. He slugged .367 with a .386 OBP and 36 K's to 51 walks.

There will be much more information on the Cardinals' AA roster in the next few days.

I made it out to Hammons Field for most of the SMS Bears' 3-2, 14-inning win over Middle Tennessee State Sunday. There have been several changes made to the yard since the last time I was there, with several more in progress. I have a lot of thoughts on these and will get to those soon...