Hello once again from Busch Stadium. I feel the month of August is going to be a great one offensively and most importantly right now defensively. The Cardinals recently picked up Jake Westbrook who I feel is going to be a great pitcher. Westbrook has one of the best pitching coaches in the business, Dave Duncan who will help shape him into a stronger pitcher. With Westbrook in the starting rotation and with Kyle Lohse returning hopefully by mid-August, the Cardinals will have a solid five man rotation for the first time in quite some time. This will also relieve the additional pressure put on Carpenter, Wainwright, and Garcia. I wish Ryan Ludwick the best of luck in San Diego. He will be a great addition to the Padre club, but at this time the trade was the right move to acquire another arm in the rotation to stay on top and hopefully bring home number eleven for Cardinal Nation.
Nice to see Jon Jay back at the ballpark. He hit .400 in the month of July. Brendan Ryan seems to have turned over a new leaf; he is fielding and hitting well, and Skip Schumaker is hitting like we all know he can. The big boys, Holliday and Pujols, are looking better than ever, Rasmus is on a good streak and our catcher, Yadier Molina, found his hitting shoes. It will be an exciting finish in the Central division this year. Let me tell you it is going to go down to the wire, so order your Cardinal tickets today and support the ballclub.
I would once again like to congratulate my good friend Whitey Herzog for being inducted into the Hall of Fame. What an exciting weekend here in St. Louis. It was great seeing some of Whitey's old players in town, I really enjoyed having Vince Coleman on the radio along with all the other guests throughout the festive weekend.
Congratulations to my long-time friend General "Buster" Hagenbeck, a three-star Lieutenant General, who has recently retired from the Army. I consider myself lucky to know Buster and wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement. General Hagenbeck has done a tremendous job serving the country for all of us and it was my pleasure hosting his retirement party at Shannon's over the weekend.
Don't forget to join me this February for my fishing trip through the Panama Canal. We depart from Los Angeles on February 8th on the Princess Cruise Line and arrive in Fort Lauderdale 15 days later. For more information on this trip, go to 1destinationtravel.com or call 217-223-8747. I'm excited about this trip and look forward to you're joining me.
I look forward to seeing you down at Shannon's before or after the game. Don't forget to call and make your reservations today.
