Greetings. My name is Mike Grabowski, and I’d like to welcome you all to my slice of the Cards Conclave – Red Birds, Yellow Bat. My singular qualification for being here is a short-lived blog entitled St. Louis Perfectos, where I once suggested the Cardinals provide Jaime Garcia sedatives before pitching on the road. It was a glorious three months of blogging anonymity, where I wrote with a bravado that is afforded only to those who know no one is reading. And as much as I reveled in that freedom, deep down, I felt empty. So when the passionate and talented writers you’ll find on the other pages here extended an invitation to join them in the Conclave, I solemnly accepted.
To fill in the back of my trading card for you, I currently live in the Chicago Suburbs and, as most English majors, hold a steady job in sales. I have a wonderful and supportive girlfriend that believes the baseball season should be cut in half. Family is important to me, so it’s a good thing that I have a great one. I’m a proud graduate of the University of Iowa and a casual New York Jets fan. I like music, especially obscure bands that Pitchfork recommends, and like to pluck at the guitar from time to time. I enjoy good beers and dabble in writing about them. Lastly, and the reason I’m here, I love the St. Louis Cardinals. That much should be obvious.
To sum up my thoughts on the analysis of the game, I’m a disciple of Sabermetrics, but I’m like one of those lesser Apostles that staggers behind and sometimes stops to appreciate heart and hustle, even when it’s originating from a replacement level source. As an aside, I’m not quite sure how many religious puns I’m supposed to work in here, so I’m going to keep going until someone tells me it’s ok to stop. Anyway, when I talk about what happens on the field, I like to work in metrics and pitch plots and try not to get too swayed by hot and cold streaks. Inevitably, though, we all get wrapped up in the moment.
So, that’s about it. I look forward to filling this page with Cardinal-related fodder each Tuesday for the foreseeable future. If you want to spew hateful comments at me or just shoot the breeze about sports and beer, look me up on Twitter: @RealGrabowski. Before I go, I need to give a shout out to my friend and Photoshop guru, Matt Steele. Whenever I need Carlos Beltran’s face superimposed on a picture of a chef, with the caption, “Get it while it’s hot!,” Matt is my guy. That post never saw daylight, but Matt made the visual happen, and you’ll undoubtedly see some of his work here in the near future.
Onward and Upward!
