Several sources are reporting that Ronnie Belliard will be traded to the Cardinals if he comes through the Indians’ game healthy. No word yet on who the Cards will be giving up, but there is also talk about the Cardinals also getting reliever Guillermo Motta. However, since the Indians are reportedly still in negotiations with other clubs about the pitcher, that would probably be a seperate deal if that happens at all.

So much for not wanting to spend much on the second base position huh? I think not signing Grudz in the offseason turned out to be a mistake that we’re trying to remedy now. Belliard is batting .289 with 44 RBI in 93 games for the Indians this year which should be an upgrade over Miles and Luna. I’d still like to see another trade (or two) that nets us a legit outfielder or starting pitcher but the options are dwindling. I’d be VERY interested in making a serious offer for Erik Bedard of Baltimore or possible Jason Schmidt out of San Fran but if Jockety is serious about not trading Reyes or Wainwright we might not have the chips to get either of those guys. I’ve got a hunch that we’ll pull off something surprising that hasn’t been reported on any of these rumor mills. Lets just say I won’t be far from a TV or computer until the deadline passes.

In other news: JRod looks to have merely sprained his ankle which is good news for the Cards. That sure looked ugly when he went down.

UPDATE: It appears that Hector Luna is the player we’re trading to the Indians. To this I say HOORAY! If you’ve read the blog for a while you’ll know that I have never been a big fan of Luna. Even though Belliard is going to be a free agent at the end of the year I love this trade. Keep ‘em coming Jockety!

The Boss has bought himself a few more players it appears. Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle have been traded from the Phillies for two minor league prospects, a draft pick and reliever Matt Smith. This is basically a contract dump for the Phils who are ridding themselves of Abreu, who is due roughly $37 million and Lidle who is making $3.3 million this year. The Yankees are getting another power bat and a mediocre pitcher. The Yanks have been looking for offense since the injuries to Matsui and Sheffield.

This seems to be quite the deal for the Yankees who get to hang on to their prized prospect Phillip Hughes. Hughes was pretty much the only other bargaining chip the Yankees had aside from cash and it had seemed as though Cashman and Steinbrenner weren’t being able to simply buy the players on their deadline wish list. However, the Phils apparently decided this was the best deal they’d get with the trade deadline fast approaching.

Abreu is yet one more bat that the Cardinals have lost out on in their attempt to bolster their lineup. Jockety has repeatedly proclaimed that he would not trade either of the promising young pitchers, Reyes and Wainwright, that come up in most trade discussions. I’m all for not needlessly mortgaging the future but I think its obvious that some sort of move needs to be made. Lets hope Walt pulls off another late July miracle trade.

And I don’t want to talk about it…

There’s no bright side to this one. If there is I don’t care. The Cardinals lost…to the Cubs… again.

ToonRefugee.com summed it up pretty well:

or maybe you prefer this:

Look I don’t know what it is but we have got to get our act together in Chicago. Now I realize its only been two games, but its the CUBS!

Not to mention the fact that Marquis’ little Jeckyll and Hyde performance has continued for another week. Marquis lasted only 3 and 2/3rds today giving up 6 runs (only three earned). Not quite the 8 inning shut out performance we saw in LA.

One of these players has given up only 7 earned runs over his last 5 games lasting 27 and 2/3rds innings. The other has given up 39 earned runs over 5 games while lasting 26 and 2/3rds innings. Can you tell which is which? Neither can the Cardinals. All I’m saying is that at this point if Marquis doesn’t end up on the DL for “demon possession” I’ll consider it a moral victory.

Oh and before you start, yes I take full responsibility for Johnny Mabes’ home run today. I talked about how much I liked him on the CubsCast and look what happens. A quick program note: please make sure all torches are properly lit and pitchforks sharpened before joining the angry mob, thanks.

We’ve got Reyes and Carp going for the next two games. Lets hope our kid and ace can restore order to the baseball universe.

I don’t however take any blame for the recent spat of errors the Cards have been making. They are uncharacteristic of this ball club and they’ve been costing us. Basically I think we look like a team that could use a few days off.

P.S. Here’s a link to that CubsCast interview: Enjoy!

And unfortunately not to the Cardinals. Apparently the Brewers are sending a package of Lee, Nelson Cruz, and the proverbial player to be named later to the Texas Rangers for Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix. On the surface it looks like a pretty decent deal for both teams. Personally I’d rather be on Texas’ end than the Brewers but with Lee getting ready to bolt in the offseason they didn’t have a whole lot of choices. I just wish the Cards could have put together an offer to bring Lee to St. Louis.

The deal also no doubt increases the trade value of Alfonso Soriano. I’d expect all the teams who missed out on Lee to jam the Washington Nationals’ phone lines this morning. I figure a team with a loaded farm system, such as the Angles, will end up blinking first and giving the Nationals their outlandish asking price. Soriano’s been on fire lately and he’d be a great addition to any team. We’ll keep an eye on all the trades as they happen so check back often.

Look, when you lose to the Cubs you have to try to look on the bright side. Either that or you drink… a lot. If you focus on the fact that the Cards left a flock on base you’ll be instinctively led to a bar. If you think about how the Cards have committed more errors lately than Herold Reynolds with ESPN interns, you’re bound to end up staring at the bottom of a shot glass. Since tomorrow still involves going to work, I’m going to try and look on the bright side.

First of all, we got to a pitcher who really should probably be in AA ball… Hill had a 9 something ERA coming into the game tonight so had we turned him into a 2 hit ace like we did for Francis the other night I think I’d have lost it.

Second of all, Eckstein and Encarnacion had good nights. Eck had been struggling as of late but went 2 for 4 tonight. Encarnacion went 3 for 5 with a homer and 3 RBIs. Chris Duncan also racked up another couple of hits which was good to see. As long as Encarnacion and the young Duncan continue to produce, they make Walt Jockety’s job that much easier.

While it would still be nice to add an impact bat to the lineup, its no longer the pressing need it was before Duncan’s emergence in left. That leaves Walt free to seek out pitching help to either bolster the bullpen or perhaps land a top shelf starter. I could go on and on about the trade rumors floating around but when have we ever been able to guess what Walt the Wizard was up to? Never… exactly.

So, the only bright point left to mention is that we still get to play the next three games against the Cubs, a team with one of the worst records in the league. Let’s hope this phenomenon of Cub wins gets brought back to reality and we take the final three games of the series.

In other news: Look for that interview I mentioned yesterday tomorrow on CubsCast.com. It was a lot of fun to record and I’m sure you all will enjoy it as well… even if they are Cubs fans.

Alright Cubs fans, I’m giving a few of your ranks the opportunity to talk with me about FanForHire.com. The guys from CubsCast.com will be interviewing me for their podcast. Click on over to their site in the next few days to check it out.

Also, be sure to read the update on the home page. All you angry fans can now donate to a good cause and still make me root for the Cubs. I’ve switched the donate buttons over to donate to the Pujols Family Foundation with FanForHire.com in the memo field. This was never about the money it was the principle of the matter (I’ll write more about this soon) and now the money will go to a great cause. Go ahead, DONATE!

Breaking News: Reports coming out now say that Barry Bonds will NOT be indicted on charges today but that the grand jury will continue to investigate the perjury and tax evasion charges.

Let’s hope they get it right eventually. If Bonds escapes from this situation unscathed, this will go down along side OJ’s acquittal as obviously guilty athletes getting away with their crimes.

Well the Grand Jury is entering its final day of hearings on Barry Bonds. Many people expect, and even more hope, that Bonds will be indicted today on charges of perjury, and possibly tax evasion. In honor of this possibly sacred day, here is the top ten list of thoughts running through Bonds’ head today.

5. I wonder if its too late to say “I’m not here to talk about the past”…

4. Did I take my flaxseed oil today?

3. If I demand a trade to the Brewers, I bet Selig would let me off the hook.

2. I wonder if OJ’s lawyers are still available..
.

1. When I get asked to play for the California Penal League their talking about baseball right?

I can’t take this anymore. I’ll blog during a different game. This children’s programming is killin me. I guess we’ve got a lot of 4 year old fans… Alright Cardinal fans until next time Go Cards!