Thanks To Everyone, Another Year To Come

I wanted to personally thank everyone who visits the site on a regular or whatever basis. Without you this would not be a great site. It was a long year especially when it peaked during the All-Star game, trade deadlines, playoffs, and winter meetings. I will tell you I did not get a whole lot of sleep during those periods. But don't worry, I am catching up now :). One thing that stuck out the most was the increased visits from people. That just proves that there is something special going on here and that word is spreading throughout the web. Please continue to tell others.

This coming year I expect to see an increase in viewers. I will stick to the same as always, bringing some of the best links from various sites here. All the St. Louis Cardinals news/rumors in one spot, what could be better? I promise to follow along on my own path to improve what goes on here, test the waters, and push many others to bring better content to the table. I don't plan to follow in line with many others. I have a job to do, not asses to kiss.

Also look for me to spend another year working with the great staff at The Cardinal Nation. There I plan to bring the daily Cardinals Minor League Notebook (which are recaps of minors games with occasional notes), the weekly DSL and VSL Reports, Cardinals Winter League Notebook (currently running, includes current and former Cardinals whereabouts during winter), and of course the occasional Hot News post.

-jrocke217

Blue Jays Hold Private Workout With Aroldis Chapman

A surprising bidder has emerged in the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes. The Toronto Blue Jays held a private workout for the touted Cuban pitcher Thursday morning in Florida, then met with his representatives, a source close to Chapman told ESPN The Magazine.

ESPN

Players A To Z: Kiko Calero

Kiko Calero pitched for the Florida Marlins in 2009. He currently seeks work as a free agent. At age 34, Calero post the best season of his career, pitching the most innings and recording his best single season ERA, 1.95. It was a fantastic recovery after being released by Oakland in 2008 and spending the rest of the season in the Rangers minor league system.

Baseball Musings

Marlins Willing To Spend Money On Aroldis Chapman

Joe Frisaro Twitter

Matt Holliday's Signing Would Make Cardinals Division Favorite

The difference between Matt Holliday hitting 4th every single day for the Cards and no Matt Holliday in the lineup because his services are being used somewhere else is the difference between the Cards being the heavy favorites in the NL Central and possibly being in the running for the title.

101 ESPN

Top 10 Cardinals Questions For 2010

As the new year dawns, it becomes more and more appropriate to look ahead to the 2010 season rather than looking back at the 2009 season. With that in mind, here are 10 of the most pressing questions facing the '10 Cardinals as they look to repeat as National League Central champions -- and some attempt at answering those questions.

Cardinals Official Site

The Cardinal Nation Blog Top Stories Of 2009 #14: Whitey Herzog To The Hall

Whitey Herzog, the leader of the 1980’s St. Louis Cardinals, was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Consider it the ultimate in respect for a baseball manager to be such an innovator that his club’s unique style of play is given its own descriptive term, one which has stood the test of time.

The Cardinal Nation Blog

2010 Cardinals Prospect #15: Tyler Greene

The shortstop’s very strong Memphis campaign was interrupted by a quiet MLB debut in 2009.

The Cardinal Nation

Fame Game: Picking Cooperstown's Class Of 2010

The easy part is voting for players deemed worthy of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The hard part is leaving some candidates out.

It is not blasphemy to leave a player off the ballot.

Fox Sports

A Look Back At The Decade Provides Glimpse Of Next 10 Years

Needless to say, a lot has happened to St. Louis’ major sports franchises during the past decade.

The St. Louis Rams appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one. The St. Louis Cardinals reached the World Series twice, also winning one. The St. Louis Blues compiled the NHL’s best record in 1999-2000, only to lose to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs.

STL Globe-Democrat

Cuban Prospect Aroldis Chapman Draws Angels' Interest

The Angels appear to be lining up an offer for Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman and they could have an inside edge when it comes to signing the hard-throwing left-hander.

ESPN

Phillies Sign Tagg Bozied

The Phillies signed Tagg Bozied today, MLBTR has learned. Bozied, 30, hit .288/.360/.447 in 240 plate appearances for the Pirates' Triple A club this year after starting the year in Taiwan. He mainly played first base and the outfield corners. Bozied hit .306/.382/.569 for the Marlins' Triple A club in '08.

MLB Trade Rumors

Seeing 2010: Storylines Abound In New Year

There is nothing better than 2010 vision.

It means you can see: the flight of an Albert Pujols home run from the moment it comes off the bat; the glimpse of a Mariano Rivera cutter as it eludes another abject failure of a swing; the gliding blur of Jacoby Ellsbury stealing second, third and home; the takeoff of Torii Hunter as he goes up and over a wall to bring back a potential home run.

MLB