An Injured Chris Carpenter Puts The Cardinals Back In The Hot Seat

When the subject is baseball, there is always more than meets the eye. After a storied World Series Championship, the St. Louis Cardinals have had a very perplexing offseason. Before the celebration had even died down, the departure of both Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa hit the press. Now, just as the Cardinals felt like they were ready for Opening day, their ace pitcher Chris Carpenter has been placed on the disabled list with a nerve ailment that has significantly weakened his throwing shoulder.

Last season, Carpenter was less than stellar, yet he went 4-0 during the postseason to help boost the Cardinals to their second World Series Championship in six seasons. He has been their long-time ace and an invigorating presence. Before the issue is even completely addressed, months-old wounds are resurfacing. How can you lose both the best skipper and arguably the best player in Cardinals history, and then turn around and try to replace your best pitcher?

While the Cardinals are optimistic about Carpenter's return at some point during the season, there is no timetable just yet. Therefore, this leaves the ball club scrambling for a replacement. Three names that surfaced quickly are Roy Oswalt, Javier Vazquez, and Brandon Webb. All three have something different to offer the club, with Oswalt being the veteran ace, Vazquez bringing consistent mediocrity, and Webb being the former Cy Young winner in 2006 who hasn't pitched since 2009.

One thing this Cardinals fan takes solace in is belief in the club, and belief in one of the best Cardinals catchers ever as the team manager. Mike Matheny knows what the Cardinals are about, and at a time when it feels as though the face of the team has been ripped off, everything is going to be just fine. Baseball is an unpredictable game, but the Cardinals have a history of rising to any occasion. It is Cardinals Nation, where the team is what wins the hearts of the fans.