Cardinal Logo and Nickname Colerain, Louisville, St. Louis and State Bird

After getting the news of the day, which is Aroldis Chapman's move to the disabled list, Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker took a look at my jacket.  I am a graduate and former player at Colerain High School, the Cardinals.

After a contentious series sweep of the Cardinals of St. Louis, Baker wondered why I'd where the jacket.  I told him that the logo had nothing to do with his division rival, but it was the Colerain mascot.

It prompted a discussion of the Ohio state bird which is the Cardinal  Baker mentioned what a pretty bird it was and that he had recently seen one.  That discussion led to the following research.

The Cardinal  cardinalis cardinalis is found not in trees but in bushes and hedges.  It's habitat is on the periphery of woodlands.  When Ohio was settled in the early 1700's the state was 95 percent forested.  The bird began to appear on the edges of the forest as settlers cleared the woods for farming.  By the 1800's the bird was common in the state.  By mid-century it was found in all 88 counties of Ohio.

The state legislature made the Cardinal the state bird in 1933.

The Redbird, another commonly used name for the species, is also the state bird for Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, Virginia and North Carolina.  It is by far the most common among state birds.

So, how did the St. Louis team become the Cardinals?  Was the Cardinal the state bird in Missouri?

The state bird of Missouri is the Bluebird since 1927, the year after the St. Louis franchise won the World Series with Rogers Hornsby and Grover Cleveland Alexander over the New York Yankees with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

St. Louis baseball entry into the Major Leagues started in 1882 in the American Association.  At the time the city name was the only identification teams had.  As sportswriters and fans of the day desired to be more creative and less redundant, they came up with nicknames for the teams.  St. Louis was known as the Browns or Brown Stockings to signify the color of the uniform.  In 1899 the uniform color was changed to red by team owners.  The team was briefly called the Perfectos by the press.  The team owners came from Cleveland and stripped that team of its best players.  When the team failed to live up to expectations finishing fifth instead of winning the league title, William McHale of the St. Louis Republic started calling the team the Cardinals.  The uniform color matched the traditional vestments of the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.

Rogers Hornsby with Bird Logo

By 1900 the Cardinal nickname was widely used for the team.  St. Louis was written across the jersey or the STL that is interlocked.  The word Cardinal was first written on jerseys in 1918.  In 1922, the team put the logo with the Cardinal bird on the bat.

I was under the mistaken impression that Colerain's Cardinal connection was linked to the state bird but the school district was formed by five one-room school houses until 1924.

Now here is the rest of the story taken from the Colerain Alumni Association site.

Colerain Baseball Team 1925

Richard Joyce, Class of 1925, related in 1989 that an essay contest was held to name the school’s mascot.  At the time, there were three outstanding professional baseball teams: the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals.  Joyce submitted his essay stating that because the Cardinals were the best team at the time that Colerain should also be called the Cardinals because he felt that Colerain should be identified with the best as well.  His presentation was so convincing that the students, faculty, and administration overwhelmingly supported his proposal and Colerain has been the Cardinals ever since.


Sorry Dusty.

Before the Machine by Mark Schmetzer

Aroldis Chapman to the Disabled List Jordan Smith Recalled

The Reds put flame throwing Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman on the 15-day disabled list with inflamation in his left shoulder.

There was no MRI taken but an analysis of Chapman's shoulder by Dr. Timothy Kremchek revealed the injury that has affected his mechanics.  It is believed that Chapman's recent control problems were caused by the ailment.

Jordan Smith was recalled from Louisville.

"That leaves us with one lefty in the bullpen," Dusty Baker said.  "(Jose) Arredondo has historically done better against lefthanders than righthanders."

Chapman has felt the pain for two weeks but it was only a slight pain until recently.

"I felt it about two weeks ago but it was just a small pain.  I continued to do my work," Chapman said through interpreter, Tomas Vera.  "I couldn't make 100 percent effort that affected my command."

He had a similar problem with the Cuban National Team.

"A majority of the pitchers had it in Cuba.  They would pitch with it."

The culture is such that players under report injuries for fear of being replaced in Cuba.  This has caused Chapman problems in the US.  He was slow reporting fatigue while the Reds were in San Diego in April.  Teammate Ramon Hernandez had a stern talk with the 23-year old on the bench about it.

"He wasn't as reluctant to talk about it this time," Baker said.  "I'm confident that he will come back soon after the 15 days are up.  He will get some rest some and go back to work.  In this game you're rarely 100 percent.  Anybody who has played this game for awhile, has had pain to deal with.  Sometimes a physical problem turns mental."

Aroldis Chapman's 106 MPH Fastball on the Shelf

The Reds put flame throwing Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman on the 15-day disabled list with inflamation in his left shoulder.


There was no MRI taken but an analysis of Chapman's shoulder by Dr. Timothy Kremchek revealed the injury that has affected his mechanics.  It is believed that Chapman's recent control problems were caused by the ailment.


Jordan Smith was recalled from Louisville.


"That leaves us with one lefty in the bullpen," Dusty Baker said.  "(Jose) Arredondo has historically done better against lefthanders than righthanders."


Chapman has felt the pain for two weeks but it was only a slight pain until recently.


"I felt it about two weeks ago but it was just a small pain.  I continued to do my work," Chapman said through interpreter, Tomas Vera.  "I couldn't make 100 percent effort that affected my command."


He had a similar problem with the Cuban National Team.


"A majority of the pitchers had it in Cuba.  They would pitch with it."


The culture is such that players under report injuries for fear of being replaced in Cuba.  This has caused Chapman problems in the US.  He was slow reporting fatigue while the Reds were in San Diego in April.  Teammate Ramon Hernandez had a stern talk with the 23-year old on the bench about it.


"He wasn't as reluctant to talk about it this time," Baker said.  "I'm confident that he will come back soon after the 15 days are up.  He will get some rest some and go back to work.  In this game you're rarely 100 percent.  Anybody who has played this game for awhile, has had pain to deal with.  Sometimes a physical problem turns mental."






"

Breaking News The Cardinals and Reds Don't Like Each Other

Finger pointing and shouting followed the Reds sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals which took on a new dimension last August when Brandon Phillips put the WLB label on St. Louis.


Whiny Little Bitches.


The game was tense and one can only wonder what it would have been like had Tony La Russa not missed the series with shingles.


Francisco Cordero hit Albert Pujols, who represented the tying run with an 0-2 pitch. Bringing the major league's leading hitter, Matt Holliday, to the plate as the winning run.  Oh yeah Lance Berkman, who is new to this rivalry but has feasted on Reds pitching for over a decade, due to bat after him.


Cordero came up and in, hitting Pujols on the wrist.  Instead of heading to the showers, everyone was rushing to battle stations as if the alarm sounded on destroyer at sea.


Berkman is new to this particular rivalry but discovered what it meant.


"The teams don't like each other," Berkman said.  "It's good competition and with the history, it's part of the deal."


The Reds have long ago tired of getting beaten by the Cardinals and have been fed up by the gamesmanship of it's absent leader, La Russa.


Acting manager Joe Pettini explained, "One of our top players was hit with a pitch.  A lot of guys took offense to it, made some comments, yelled at some people.  That's the way baseball goes.  We don't like when someone like Albert's been hit, especially in that situation.  You pitch inside, you better have a clue when you come inside.  They took offense and we took offense.  The soap opera continues.  It's always something when you come in here."


"We are going to need someone like Albert in the long haul," Pettini said.


Cordero and backup catcher Gerald Laird played together three years with Texas.


Laird started yelling after it happened and continued after Berkman struck out, ending the game.


"It was just a little fun after the game," Cordero said of the shouting match.  "I have nothing against the Cardinals  I've been in this game long enough to know not to disrespect someone.  Gerald Laird was yelling, a catcher who didn't even play.  I was not trying to hit him.  I'm trying to get outs.  They don't pay me to hit people.  They pay me to get outs.  I don't want to hit him with an 0-2 pitch with Holliday and Berkman coming up."


Still Cordero and the winning pitcher from Saturday, Johnny Cueto were yelling into the Cardinals dugout.  By then several people were yelling at the same time that nobody knew what was actually said.


Laird played in Detroit last year and new to the rivalry.


"It's two good teams.  There are a lot of competitors on both teams.  I can see it (rivalry) now.  You've got two good ballclubs that play hard and both want to win.  There's only one division winner.  It's going to be a battle all year."


Then why yell?


"We know balls get away.  He (Pujols) is one of the big bats in our lineup. When you go up in that area, it's a major area.  He's our teammate.  We're going to back him. I caught Cordero in Texas.  I think it's just the heat of the moment. He's on their side.  I'm on this side."


The accusation of intent were muted but implied, except for the two that were involved.  One claimed innocent.  The other refused to accuse.


"Pujols was just sitting down, saying nothing," Cordero said.


"I am in a little pain right now.  It was a little scary when a guy throws 95 and throws at your face," Pujols said.  "I'm sure Francisco wasn't trying to do it on purpose.  Not with Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman coming up.  Nobody is swinging the bat better than Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman.  I will take my chances with them any day.  He doesn't want to face them."

Pujols is uncertain about his immediate playing future.

I can't tell you if I'll play tomorrow.  I'm not a doctor.  I will see how it feels tomorrow.  I think it will take more than that to keep me out."

Appropriately, St. Louis comes back to Cincinnati for the fireworks of the Fourth of July.

Cincinnati will play hostile hosts July 4,5,6

Change The Headline Reds Sweep Cards Over Carpenter 9-7

The headline in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday Read "Carpenter Owns Reds".  The editors need to change the tense.

The National Leagues best offense, aided by the Cardinals sluggish defense hung eight runs, seven earned on Carpenter, who won his last 10 decisions against Cincinnati.  The last time the Reds beat him was in 2006.

Travis Wood spotted the visitors two runs in the second inning.  Lance Berkman hit his 11th home run of the season and 50th career home run against Reds pitching.  Yadier Molina followed with a home run in response to boos that he's endured all weekend.

The Reds started in the bottom of the third inning.  Ramon Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his third home run in two games.

Cincinnati's offense continued as Wood caused the St. Louis offense to stagnate.

Jay Bruce singled with one out.  Scott Rolen singled to center.  As Bruce sprinted to third, Jon Jay's throw hit Bruce and bounded out of play.  Rolen was awarded third and scored on a ground out to secondbase.

The Reds scored again on a rare error by Albert Pujols and a rare triple by Rolen.

The Reds knocked Carpenter out in the seventh.

Former Cardinal Miguel Cairo hit for Big Logan Ondrusek and walked.  Drew Stubbs was awarded a single on a ground ball on which secondbaseman Nick Greene imitated the Ernie Lombardi statue outside Great American Ball Park to put runners on first and second.  Paul Janish laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt.  Pinch manager, Joe Pettini, ordered MVP Joey Votto walked intentionally, bringing the man whose picture is displayed in every post office in St. Louis, Brandon Phillips.  Phillips launched a fly deep to right over the head of Lance Berkman that landed 15 feet short of the warning track, scoring two runs. Carpenter was sent to the showers.  Jay Bruce greeted Trever Miller with a line drive two-run double.

The Reds took an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning.

"It seemed like the same Carpenter to me," Dusty Baker said.  "Nobody can keep beating you all the time.  It was just our turn.  They had a couple defensive plays that helped us out."

"It's just weird, Carpenter said..  "I feel good.  My command was good.  The ball was moving well and going where I wanted but it wasn't good enough."

As for the defense behind him, "It was a crappy day.  Balls were taking funny hops."

"Carpenter is a competitor," Stubbs said.  "Even when he doesn't have his best stuff.  I'm not saying that's the case but it's huge for us to beat them when he pitches.  The same as the game in St. Louis."

The Reds won the game that Carpenter pitched in St. Louis but was not charged with a loss.

Chris Heisey went in for defense to start the ninth inning.  He hit what appeared to be a meaningless home run off Mitchel Boggs but his fifth home run turned out to be meaningful.

Jose Arredondo had a routine 1-2-3 eighth inning.

It was a perfect opportunity to get Aroldis Chapman into the game with a 9-2 lead and the bottom of the order due up.  Chapman had sessions with the pitching coach, Bryan Price, to help him control his pitches.  Chapman's troubles continued.  He walked four batters with a fly out to deep center in between.

Nick Masset had to loosen up in a hurry.  Ryan Theriot doubled and the game began to get tense.  The score was now 9-5 with the top the order coming up.  Nick Punto was first but behind him was Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman.  Holliday is hitting nearly .400 and Pujols has the second most home runs against the Reds, next to Berkman.

Masset fell behind Punto and double home the two runners to make the score 9-7 with Pujols being the tying run.

Baker had to call in his closer, Francisco Cordero.

Cordero got two quick strikes on Pujols, then hit him on the left wrist.

Tempers and tension ran high.

Cordero rose to the occasion.  He induced a hard ground ball to short that appeared like a game ending double play.  Pujols slid into Phillips hard and the throw was low.  Votto couldn't come up with it. 

Now Berkman had a chance to tie the game or win it for St. Louis.

Cordero struck Berkman out swinging

"Cordero is tough on me.  I think I'm 0-for-15 against him.  He made good pitches," Berkman said.

Cordero went to celebrate but ended up pointing to someone yelling from the St. Louis dugout before the Reds enjoyed a 9-7 win that put them 1 1/2 games ahead of its arch rivals.

Former Cardinal Miguel Cairo hit for Big Logan Ondrusek and walked.  Drew Stubbs was awarded a single on a ball that secondbaseman Nick Greene imitated the Ernie Lombardi statue outside Great American Ball Park to put runners on first and second.  Paul Janish laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt.  Pinch manager, Joe Pettini, order MVP Joey Votto walked intentionally, bringing the man whose picture is up in every post office in St. Louis, Brandon Phillips.  Phillips launched a fly deep to right over the head of Lance Berkman that landed 15 feet short of the warning track, scoring two runs. Carpenter was sent to the showers.  Jay Bruce greeted Trever Miller with a line drive two-run double.

The Reds take an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning.
Former Cardinal Miguel Cairo hit for Big Logan Ondrusek and walked.  Drew Stubbs was awarded a single on a ball that secondbaseman Nick Greene imitated the Ernie Lombardi statue outside Great American Ball Park to put runners on first and second.  Paul Janish laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt.  Pinch manager, Joe Pettini, order MVP Joey Votto walked intentionally, bringing the man whose picture is up in every post office in St. Louis, Brandon Phillips.  Phillips launched a fly deep to right over the head of Lance Berkman that landed 15 feet short of the warning track, scoring two runs. Carpenter was sent to the showers.  Jay Bruce greeted Trever Miller with a line drive two-run double.

The Reds take an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning.

Reds Chase Carpenter With Four Runs In The Seventh

The Reds gave Chris Carpenter something to really whine about, putting four runs up against the Cardinal ace.

Former Cardinal Miguel Cairo hit for Big Logan Ondrusek and walked.  Drew Stubbs was awarded a single on a ball that secondbaseman Nick Greene imitated the Ernie Lombardi statue outside Great American Ball Park to put runners on first and second.  Paul Janish laid down a two-strike sacrifice bunt.  Pinch manager, Joe Pettini, order MVP Joey Votto walked intentionally, bringing the man whose picture is up in every post office in St. Louis, Brandon Phillips.  Phillips launched a fly deep to right over the head of Lance Berkman that landed 15 feet short of the warning track, scoring two runs. Carpenter was sent to the showers.  Jay Bruce greeted Trever Miller with a line drive two-run double.

The Reds take an 8-2 lead into the eighth inning.

Home Run Hernandez Extends Streak to 10 Games

After "Reds killer" Lance Berkman hit his 11th home run of the season and his 50th career home run against the Reds. Yadier "Boo" Molina followed with a line drive home run of his own.

But Ramon Hernandez hit a blast off Chris Carpenter, his third in two days to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and cut the Cardinals lead in half.

"Monie's" home run prompted the customary fireworks display but the wind conditions are such that the smoke lingered over the field of play.

Carpenter, who always finds something to complain about, had already fumed about the mound conditions, complained about the fumes as well.

Dusty Baker Going to Matchups in Leftfield

Two years ago Jonny Gomes was a castoff from the Tampa Bay organization.

The Reds signed him to a minor league contract in January 2009 and invited him to spring training.  Gomes did not make the opening day roster, starting the 2009 season in Louisville.

The Reds brought him up on May 22 to use him in spot duty and to pinch hit.  He responded with a .267 average with 20 home runs and 51 RBI in 98 games.   Baker matched him against certain pitchers.

He started the season with the Reds and played a lot more, 148 games with a .266 average, 18 home runs and 86 RBI.

Baker penciled in the 30 year old as a starter but Gomes has struggled.  After hitting six home runs in the first couple weeks of the season, Gomes has struggled.  In 36 games, Gomes is hitting .186 with six home runs and 17 RBI.

The Reds brought Fred Lewis into the organization under similar circumstances, although he signed a major league contract.  Lewis strained an oblique muscle late in spring training.  He was placed on the disabled list and completed a long rehab assignment.

"I've liked what I've seen from Lewis so far.  I am  trying to match him up in situation that he's most likely to succeed like I did Jonny Gomes two years ago," Baker said.  "Some guys are high ball hitters of low ball hitters. I thought that Jonny might be ready to play against anybody but maybe that's not the case yet.  I try to play guys against certain pitchers.  There are regular guys that you hope can hit anybody, then there are guys that you spot against certain pitchers."

"I am in a situation where I'm going to try to figure out when to use Freddie, against whom and give him the best chance.  The same with (Chris) Heisey and Jonny Gomes.  There was a point where everybody wanted Jonny Gomes to play everyday.  Then there was a point where everybody wanted Laynce Nix to play everyday.  Then they wanted Heisey to play everyday.  Those guys are more matchup guys at this point in their career than everyday guys.  The requests change on who's hot.  But if you do that only, the cold guys never get the chance to get their strokes back."

Dan Osterbrock Former Colerain and UC Pitcher Getting Shoulder Re-examined.

Dan Osterbrock is heading to Minnesota on Monday to have his aching left shoulder re-examined.  The lefthander drafted in the seventh round by the Twins, stayed in extended spring after months of intense rehab.

He appeared to be making headway after a couple good starts for the Ft. Myers Miracle and was promoted to Double A, New Britain.

Osterbrock had two rough starts and the Twins decided to shut him down for awhile.

After his examination, they plan to send him back to Ft. Myers and the warm weather to help him recover.

Reds Snatch First Place From Cardinals in 7-3 Win

Johnny Cueto pitched a scoreless inning for every game he was suspended last year for his role in a brawl against the Cardinals in Cincinnati last August.

Brandon Phillips homered and drove in three runs and Ramon Hernandez provided more offense with two home runs to provide more than enough offense to make Cueto the winning pitcher.

The Reds downplayed the importance of taking the one-game lead over it's arch rival minutes after insuring a winning series, taking over first place and dispelling the notion that the team couldn't handle Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and the Cardinals.

Kyle McClellan started the game 5-0 but his mind may have been elsewhere, since his wife is expecting their first child.  He rushed off to Missouri minutes after being removed from the game trailing 4-0.  McClellan filled the rotation void left from Adam Wainwright's season ending injury that was discovered early in spring training.

Phillips started the Reds with a home run leading off the second inning.  It broke a string of eight games in which Cardinal pitching avoided the long ball.

"I saw he was trying to get me out with breaking balls so I told myself to wait for something slow," Phillips said.  "I just wanted to drive the ball.  I'm more happy with the single."

After reigning MVP, Joey Votto, ruined the Cardinals night with a game winning hit last night, they elected to walk Votto intentionally twice.  Phillips, hitting cleanup because Scott Rolen was injured, made them pay.  Phillips singled home a run in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh following walks to Votto.

"I'm just trying to show how versatile I am, Phillips said.  "They should walk Joey.  It motivates me.  I am trying to do my job and get us the 'W".

Hernandez continued the home run barrage, while extending his hitting streak to nine games with two 400 foot home runs off McClellan.

"He's a good pitcher," Hernandez said.  "I was looking for a pitch early in the count because he is tough if he gets ahead of you.  I don't think his command was a good as it's been in other games.  I was lucky to get good pitches to hit."

Cueto was another story.

The righthander signed a contract this winter and was disappointed to be disabled to start the season.  He wanted to show he was worth the investment.

Since returning, Cueto has not allowed an earned run in 13 2/3 innings, though he allowed a home run to Jon Jay after Paul Janish and Scott Rolen made errors on consecutive plays.

"Johnny had great command of his fastball," Dusty Baker said.  "He was getting quick outs because he was using the corners.  He got a couple breaking balls up and got hurt but he had electric stuff.  There were a couple miscues by guys that rarely make miscues.  Johnny ran out of gas a little bit.  It looks like we made the right decision to have him sit out awhile to get better."

Logan "Big" Ondrusek relieved Cueto and got the hot hitting Matt Holliday to pop up to with the tying runs on base to close out the eighth.

The Reds lost 12 of 18 games to St. Louis last season.

"The only thing better than a win is more winning," Phillips said.  "What's the standings?  I don't even look at that until the All-Star Break.  Winning is sweet regardless of who its against.  The thing from last year is in the past."