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More Lohse

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The Goat e-mailed me a dissenting view of the Lohse deal:

I really have to disagree with IM's post regarding the Lohse
signing. Yes, the Cardinals suck this year and everyone knows we're going to suck but we are a far cry from the Kansas City Royals. Having two top of the rotation starters (Carpenter and Mulder) injured doesn't make you the Kansas City Royals. If Carpenter doesn't go down at the beginning of last season we're in it until the end (and possibly win the division). You can't possibly prepare for that kind of injury especially when you don't have the payroll flexibility or farm system of the Yankees or Red Sox.

All we can hope for is to somehow keep our heads above water until those two guys (and Clement) are healthy and that's what the Lohse signing is all about. All I have to do is look ahead one season and I have a pretty big smile on my face when I think about the possibility of having a healthy Carpenter, Wainwright, a healthy Mulder (we still hold an option), and a healthy Clement anchoring the rotation with a talent like Colby Rasmus waiting in the wings.

2008 will be a long season and I have been fully expecting that since we lost 9 straight and fell out of the race last September. But something tells me that Royals fans are NOT looking ahead to the 2009 season with a great deal of excitement.

I wish I had more optimism that Mulder and Carpenter will return to even some pale imitation of top form. But I am ever the pessimist and the Illini proved me wrong in the Big Ten Tourney. I didn't see that one coming.
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