(Get) A Sporting Life

Banjo hitters galore It is almost as unbearable to look at the bottom of our lineup today as it is to watch that awful, iconic scene from Deliverance. LaRue .067, Miles .250, Lohse .111, Izturis .182. If the 6-9 slots get 10 ABs and muster a HBP, a sac bunt and a ground ball that advances a runner, it'll be a sterling offensive performance that will leave me squealing in delight.... ... 9th Inning Update : Well, smack my ass and call me Judy. The banjos are 6-15, 1 BB, 0K, 3R, 3 RBI and Izturis even added the ever crucial HBP I was hoping for.

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 Mulde...

From the PD : The Cardinals addressed an innings-short starting rotation Thursday by reaching agreement with durable free agent righthander Kyle Lohse on a one-year, $4.25 million contract, pending Lohse's passing a team physical this morning. The move occurred three days after the Cardinals said four of the five pitchers projected as starters during the season could be unavailable for the March 31 opener. Loshe is a poor man's Jeff Suppan. (Just allow that to sink in for a moment.) Adding Lohse will improve this rotation. (Just allow that to sink in for a moment.) Digested that? I'll wait while you attempt to choke down some Pepto Bismol. Lohse, 29, amassed a 9-12 record and 4.62 ERA while splitting last season between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies. Just as important, he made 34 starts and worked 192 2/3 innings. The Cardinals investigated trading for him in 2006 before the Minnesota Twins shipped him to the Reds. "He's got a really good arsen...