Untitled Page

Matt Holliday News & Rumors

Holliday, Berkman will take on bigger roles
"It is called an intangible. But its presence within a clubhouse is almost tactile. Reliever Kyle McClellan believes its value can equate to five wins in a season, maybe more. Without it, a 162-game schedule may seem endless. With it, a team augments its resiliency. It is known as chemistry, or mix. Admittedly challenged in that department in 2010, the Cardinals rescued themselves last season by calling upon one another's pride and professionalism during a late August meeting that arguably came at the summer's low point. Less than a month shy of returning to Jupiter, Fla., in defense of an improbable World Series title, the club again wonders about its vibe. "When you look at 2010, we just"
Holliday's injury would have put him on DL
"Left fielder Matt Holliday sustained a right wrist sprain Thursday night that would have landed him on the disabled list during the season but instead took him off the Cardinals World Series roster for Game 7. The Cardinals received permission from the commissioner's office early Friday to replace Holliday with rookie outfielder Adron Chambers, who had been part of the active roster during the NL division series and championship series before ceding his spot to Skip Schumaker against the Texas Rangers. Holliday's wrist was placed in a soft cast Friday morning after he found it difficult to sleep. X-rays taken after his sixth-inning headfirst slide proved negative but the sprain proved"
Cards replace Holliday on World Series roster
"Matt Holliday's painful season and postseason continued on Thursday night with another unlikely injury, and on Friday, the Cardinals replaced him on the World Series roster with rookie outfielder Adron Chambers, announcing the slugger suffered a sprained right wrist. Holliday sustained what the Cardinals initially called a "severely bruised" right pinkie finger when he was picked off third base by Rangers catcher Mike Napoli in the sixth inning of Game 6. Holliday explained that third baseman Adrian Beltre stepped on the finger, causing some bleeding and leading him to worry initially that he might have a broken bone. Holliday was removed from the game in favor of Allen Craig."
Michael Young to be back at first base in Game 6; Hamilton will play left
"Rangers manager Ron Washington said Tuesday that Michael Young will start at first base in Game 6, ending Mitch Moreland's two-game run as the starter there."
Holliday might miss rest of series
"The likelihood of Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday returning to a starting role during the NL division series vs. Philadelphia appears to be diminishing rather than progressing as the club hoped when it placed him on the playoff roster. Manager Tony La Russa left Holliday out of the starting line for the second time in as many days Sunday, and the Silver Slugger outfielder will be examined further today upon the team's return to St. Louis. La Russa said he left Sunday's lineup card incomplete until speaking to Holliday and the team's trainers Sunday afternoon. Those conversations reinforced the notion that Holliday's nagging issues with tendon at the base of his right middle finger are"
Matt Holliday unavailable for Game 1 of NLDS
"Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday hasn't played since aggravating his injured right middle finger during Tuesday's game against the Astros. And he'll remain sidelined even as the postseason is set to begin. According to beat writer Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Holliday has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Cardinals' NLDS matchup with the Phillies due to ongoing middle finger discomfort."
Matt Holliday exits with hand injury, won't start finale
"As the Cardinals continue to their run at the National League Wild Card, their degree of difficulty keeps getting higher. A day after losing Rafael Furcal to a hamstring injury, Matt Holliday was removed from Tuesday night's game against the Astros because of pain in his right hand. Manager Tony La Russa said that Holliday will not start Wednesday's series finale against Houston, but he would not speculate beyond that. The discomfort is apparently a recurrence of, or related to, an injury Holliday dealt with earlier this month. He missed nine games due to an inflamed tendon in his right hand. "I don't know what this means, beyond [Allen] Craig is playing left field [Wednesday]," manager"
Holliday and Furcal return to lineup for Cards
"Matt Holliday, who had been sidelined with a tendon injury in his right hand, was back in the Cardinals' lineup today for the first time since Sept. 13. But his baserunning form was not quite back. Holliday, after reaching base on a two-out error in the fourth, ran into an inning-ending out at third base as he challenged Chicago's Alfonso Soriano, not a defensive ace, on David Freese's single to left. The Cubs led, 1-0, after four innings. ***** SORIANO PUTSCUBSAHEAD Alfonso Soriano, who crushed the Cardinals with a three-run homer on Friday, got the Chicago Cubs off to a quick start today with a two-out, run-scoring single in the first inning off Cardinals starter Kyle"
Holliday sidelined with inflamed tendon in hand
"Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak received the news of the extent of left fielder Matt Holliday's right hand injury with only a modicum of surprise. "It's a microcosm of our season," Mozeliak said Wednesday in Pittsburgh. "You keep plugging away." Examined by doctors in St. Louis, Holliday was found to have an inflamed tendon on the third finger of his right hand, according to Mozeliak. Holliday will be re-evaluated next week, said Mozeliak, meaning he will miss at least the key series in Philadelphia Friday through Monday. Without Mozeliak saying so, it also is likely that Holliday would miss the rest of the season, which has just 13 games remaining. Hitting .295 with 22 homers and"
Matt Holliday injured waiting to bat
"Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday had to forfeit an at-bat in the ninth inning Tuesday night, having sprained the underside of his right hand swinging the bat in the on-deck circle. Holliday said he was going to return to St. Louis this morning to see a doctor. With just two weeks left in the season, the likelihood of him playing much the rest of the way seems slim. Holliday had to be replaced by Corey Patterson for his final at-bat. "I'm concerned. I've never done anything like this before," Holliday said. "We'll see what happens. You hope it's just a bruise or something and maybe it'll be a couple days or a day.""
Holliday reaches 200 career homers
"Left fielder Matt Holliday downplayed his 20th home run of the season, even if Thursday's fifth-inning shot to right field also represented No. 200 for his career. "I'm just glad to get it out of the way," he said. Despite Holliday's initial dismissal, the milestone actually carries deeper meaning to a player who never assumed stardom from himself as a prospect who required six full minor-league seasons before making his major-league debut with the Colorado Rockies. "If you told me in the minor leagues I'd get to 200 in the major leagues, I would have said that's pretty nice. It's not something you really anticipate for yourself. I'd like to do a lot more of it," he said. Holliday has hit"
Cards don't need to mothball Holliday
"In what certainly could be labeled a disjointed season for Matt Holliday, the moth dive-bombing incident in the eighth inning of Monday night's game here might have topped the list. "I'm not sure it could get any weirder," said Holliday, who also had to have an emergency appendectomy after he had played the first game of the season and who later hurt himself preparing to lift a weight, rather than lifting it. The Cardinals' left fielder was in good health and humor Tuesday as he relived the irritation of having a moth enter his space, i.e., his ear. "I knew it was a moth, by the sound of the flutter," said Holliday. "I was just standing there and all of a sudden there's a moth fluttering"
Holliday OK after having moth extracted from ear
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday had to leave Monday's game in the eighth inning after a moth flew into his right ear and became lodged in the canal. Holliday rushed off the field in clear pain and tugging at his right ear after the event. A team official who spoke with the Cardinals' trainers said the left fielder was taken into a dark room in hopes that the moth would "seek light" and fly out of the ear on its own. That did not work. A trainer then had to use tweezers to reach deep into Holliday's ear and remove the insect."
Holliday sits again, but not likely to go on DL
"Matt Holliday missed a second straight day on Thursday due to a lower back injury that he suffered on Wednesday afternoon. It remains somewhat unclear when Holliday will return to the Cardinals' lineup, but it could be as early as Friday against Colorado. "My understanding is he should be ready to go tomorrow," general manager John Mozeliak said on Thursday, "but I was also hopeful he'd be ready to go today. 'Day to day' is the phrase." The club does not expect Holliday to need to go on the 15-day disabled list. "I think the expectation is that he plays this weekend," manager Tony La Russa said after Thursday's 5-2 win over the Brewers. "But right now I don't know if that's tomorrow,"
Holliday out Wednesday after pre-game injury
"Cardinals All-Star left fielder Matt Holliday has been scratched from the lineup for Wednesday night's game against NL Central leader Milwaukee. Holliday was slated to hit fourth as usual, but injured his back during pre-game warmups. It's far too early to get any sort of severity on Holliday's injury, but general manager John Mozeliak reportedly said Holliday is day to day. Holliday, 31, is hitting .319 with 18 homers, 62 RBI and an NL-best .991 OPS."
Matt Holliday's wide slide sends Cubs' Quade into rage
"It probably won't affect their broken season, but the borderline play that turned the game Saturday against the Cubs — after turning their star shortstop upside down — could be one they don't soon forget. Whether that shows up today when team leader Ryan Dempster takes the mound in a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals or sometime down the road, how the Cubs respond to Matt Holliday's hard slide into Castro could be a telling sign of the fight left in them. ''He slid real hard. It's not clean,'' said Castro, who showed the red marks on his shin from Holliday's leg-whipping slide far wide of second base that broke up a potential inning-ending double play in the fifth"
Holliday bash at Busch
"Powerful trends continued unabated Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, where Jaime Garcia again constructed a cone of silence and the Cincinnati Reds once more found themselves upside down in a series. Garcia extended his two-sided season with six effective innings while his teammates bashed away at Reds starter Edinson Volquez for seven runs in an 8-1 win before a crowd of 36,090. On a night when the Cardinals activated Albert Pujols from the disabled list but never felt compelled to bring him off the bench, left fielder Matt Holliday crashed two 400-foot home runs and first baseman Lance Berkman crushed the longest blast in new Busch's six seasons. Holliday left with four RBIs. Berkman added"
Fielder picks Weeks, Kemp and Holiday for Home Run Derby
"The picks are in for Prince Fielder. The Milwaukee Brewers' first baseman, named National League captain for next week's Home Run Derby, announced his teammates before Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Two of the three weren't big surprises. Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the NL leader in homers entering Tuesday with 22, was one, as Fielder revealed on Sunday. Another was Fielder's teammate, second baseman Rickie Weeks, who will be making his first appearance in the All-Star Game. Fielder's third choice was Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals. There was some thought Fielder might choose Arizona's Justin Upton, since the game is being played at Chase Field in"
Berkman, Holliday, Molina make NL All-Star team
"After comically feigning astonishment when approached by reporters about his selection to this year's All-Star Game, Cardinals veteran Lance Berkman declined an opening to correct or chide the doubters who weren't so playful about his chances entering the season. He didn't have to. His manager did. "I think Lance, with what he had to prove wherever he played, has sent one hell of a message about what he's got left," manager Tony La Russa said after the Cardinals' 8-3 loss Sunday to Tampa Bay. "Which is a lot of the greatness he's had his whole career. That he did it for us has been fun to watch, and important." Berkman and teammates Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina were announced as the"
Holliday runs hard, feels ready to play
"Cardinals left fielder Matt Holilday engaged in an arduous session of pregame running Sunday. First, under the watchful eye of head athletic trainer Greg Hauck and strength coach Pete Prinzi, Holliday lined up in a three-point stance and did a series of sprints. Then, he ran hard from the batter's box to first base. And then he went hard from home to first, turned the corner and went just as hard to second. After Sunday's game, Holliday, who has been disabled by a left quadriceps injury that has bothered him for most of a month, said he was ready to play if there was a game today. There isn't, but Holliday, Hauck and Prinzi will be at Nationals Park in Washington working out. Holliday can"
Cards' gamble on Holliday didn't pay off
"For two weeks the disabled list tugged at Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday, a resistant customer who had dodged an earlier trip following an April 1 appendectomy. This time, on Thursday to be precise, the disabled list won, as Holliday reluctantly conceded that his strained left quadriceps would not sufficiently heal without at least two weeks' rest. Rather than lose Holliday for two weeks, however, the Cardinals will have missed him for most of four when he becomes eligible to return June 16. What general manager John Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa considered something of a gamble became a lost bet, cost still to be determined. A choice by the Cardinals and Holliday to attempt"
Cardinals' gamble on Holliday failed to pay off
"For two weeks the disabled list tugged at Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday, a resistant customer who had dodged an earlier trip following an April 1 appendectomy. This time, on Thursday to be precise, the disabled list won, as Holliday reluctantly conceded that his strained left quadriceps would not sufficiently heal without at least two weeks' rest. Rather than lose Holliday for two weeks, however, the Cardinals will have missed him for most of four when he becomes eligible to return June 16. What general manager John Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa considered something of a gamble became a lost bet, cost still to be determined. A choice by the Cardinals and Holliday to attempt"
Cardinals' Holliday, McClellan headed to disabled list
"Cards GM John Mozeliak said the team will put left fielder Matt Holliday on the disabled list on Thursday, along with pitcher Kyle McClellan. Though Mozeliak used the word "probably" in connection with Holliday and the DL, there didn't seem to be much doubt. Mozeliak said that the key thing as Holliday battled with his persistent left quad strain was 72 hours of doing nothing. "The sooner we get the clock started on that the better," he said. Who will replace Holliday on the roster hasn't been determined, and Mozeliak said it could come from off the 40-man roster. Lance Lynn will take McClellan's place and will start on Thursday night. "There are a couple options (for replacing Holliday),""
Holliday likely to miss next two weeks
"The Cardinals constructed a 17-12 May despite losing third baseman David Freese to a broken left hand on the month's first day and contemplating Holliday's extended absence on its last one. Able to start only one of the last eight games, the Cardinals left fielder today will undergo an MRI to better evaluate a nagging condition the club has classified as a left quadriceps strain. Last week the club insisted Holliday would avoid a trip to the disabled list. The stance had changed Tuesday night."
Pujols heats up; Holliday returns
"Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols continued a Memorial Day tradition Monday when he ripped two RBIs with a two-out, third-inning single and an eighth-inning home run. Pujols' exploits came on the anniversary of his three-homer game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. That performance helped turn a relatively halting start into a season that left him second in balloting for NL MVP. Manager Tony La Russa knocked on wood for it to continue but also insisted that Pujols' production numbers — a .262 average, 30 RBIs and .329 on-base percentage among them — don't accurately reflect how he has swung the bat. "He made the same contact he's made a lot. He crushed the ball (an estimated"
La Russa's hands were tied with Garcia
"Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Sunday that he had no regrets about his handling of starter Jaime Garcia the night before. Garcia stayed in for 106 pitches in 3 1/3 innings, and admitted afterward that he was tired out by the end of his outing. The Cardinals had gotten four innings from their bullpen the day before, and they have more than a week before their next off-day. They were in a particularly tough position because one of their two primary long-relief candidates, Miguel Batista, had pitched two innings on Friday. "What can you do? Dave [Duncan, pitching coach] and I, we're not sitting there thinking, 'What are we going to eat on the plane?'" La Russa said. "You're sitting"
Holliday closer to return
"Matt Holliday has been used in both of the Cardinals' last two games against Colorado as a pinch hitter, but wasn't in the lineup on Sunday. Still, with the two at-bats, Holliday is close to returning to the lineup for the first time since May 22 because of a strained left quadriceps. "Make sure when we get him back, he's 100 percent," LaRussa told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Hopefully tomorrow. We'll get him back tomorrow or early [against] San Francisco." The Cardinals start a four-game series against the defending World Series champions on Monday at Busch Stadium."
Holliday hopes to avoid DL
"Though all parties insist a move to the disabled list unlikely, left fielder Matt Holliday remains uncertain for the Cardinals' weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. Holliday arrived at Petco Park on Wednesday morning still noticeably favoring the strained left quadriceps that has followed him for much of the last two weeks. He aggravated the condition while serving as designated hitter Sunday in Kansas City. He did not appear in the three-game series against the San Diego Padres and did not include sprint work in a Wednesday pre-game workout with strength-and-conditioning coach Pete Prinzi. "We'll see when we get there, but I hope to play in Colorado," Holliday said. Manager Tony"
Holliday hurt, Theriot sick
"Left fielder Matt Holliday, who was the designated hitter in Kansas City, came out for a pinch runner in the fifth when he felt a tug in his left quadriceps, which had cost him a game last week. He is doubtful for tonight's game in San Diego. Shortstop Ryan Theriot was kept out as he battled either the flu or food poisoning. Theriot said he wasn't sure if the hamburger he ate late Saturday had affected him or not. With Theriot ailing, La Russa gave rookie Pete Kozma his first start at shortstop. To complete a keystone combination he probably never thought he would be using, La Russa employed Allen Craig at second. "I'm a one-day-at-a-time guy," La Russa had said before the game. Besides"
Holliday might return tonight
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday could return to the lineup as soon as tonight in Kansas City after leaving Wednesday's game with soreness in his left leg, but fellow All-Star Lance Berkman isn't sure when he'll be comfortable swinging a bat because of the injury he sustained a few innings after Holliday's. Berkman had an MRI scan taken of his right wrist Thursday morning and was not available during the 4-2 victory against Houston. The MRI showed no tears and that the structure of his joint was not disheveled, he said, but he has a sprain that could limit his swing this weekend. "Swinging is definitely going to be the issue," Berkman said. "It's like spraining your ankle. As soon as it"
Cardinals' Rasmus returns; Holliday, Berkman out with injuries
"Left fielder Matt Holliday and right fielder Lance Berkman are missing from today's lineup against the Astros. But the outfield won't undergo a complete makeover as regular center fielder Colby Rasmus returns after sitting out (except for one pinch AB) the first three games of the homestand because of an abdominal strain."
Holliday, Berkman both leave early with injuries in Cards' win
"In a wild night at Busch Stadium that saw left fielder Matt Holliday and right fielder Lance Berkman both leave the game early with - the Cardinals hope - minor injuries, pitcher Kyle Lohse kept on doing what he's been doing all season. Lohse improved his record to 5-2 with a 5-1 victory over the Astros on Wednesday night. He allowed six hits and struck out three in eight innings as the Cardinals moved to a half-game in back of Cincinnati in the Central Division. Lohse had gone winless in his past three starts, though in the previoius two he gave up three runs total. Holliday left the game after the second inning as a precaution after feeling tightness in his left quadricep. Berkman left"
Hard work paying off for red-hot Holliday
"Lance Berkman's Lazarus-type first month of the season is among the several items — bullpen shuffles, angst over Albert Pujols' slow start, Chris Carpenter's failure to win — that might have overshadowed what Matt Holliday has done for the Cardinals since March 31. That was the day Holliday started the season by going three for four with a home run while playing with pain so severe that he would have to have an appendectomy the next day. Somewhat remarkably, he came back after missing just seven games. "Honestly, I could have played a couple of days before I did," Holliday said. Since his return, Holliday, even though he says he still feels a cramp in his left side, has acted as if he"
Holliday on torrid pace since operation
"Apparently you can take the appendix out of Matt Holliday, but you can't take the pop out of his bat. A roll that began with a solid spring training - he hit .345 with a .623 slugging percentage - and a torrid opening day - three for four with a homer - was not slowed at all by his appendectomy and the loss of about half a pound from his insides. The Cardinals' left fielder went into Friday night's rain-delayed series-opening game with Cincinnati with a .455 batting average, which would lead the majors if he had the requisite number of plate appearances. (As of Friday, he needed 59 plate appearances to be eligible and he had 54, so he'll need another week to get caught up.) His .705"
Matt Holliday geared up to return to starting lineup today
"Left fielder Matt Holliday pronounced himself fit for duty and said he fully expects to be part of the Cardinals' starting lineup Sunday against San Francisco Giants lefthander Barry Zito. "It's what they told you. I'm ready to go," Holliday said before the Cardinals played the Giants on Saturday night. Actually, manager Tony La Russa might have been more blunt with Holliday than he was with media. La Russa described Holliday as available to pinch-hit Saturday night and a possibility to start Sunday, nine days after Holliday underwent an appendectomy. "We'll see how he feels (Sunday)," La Russa said. "I think it's 50-50 he may be able to play." Holliday has missed seven starts since"
Craig has a hot bat in place of Holliday
"Whether he was readying himself for an everyday role or the sporadic life of a pinch hitter, Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig found a formula this past offseason to improve his swing for any at-bat made available. Drive two hours for every one hour in the batting cage. Repeat as needed. A few weeks after the end of last season, Craig texted hitting coach Mark McGwire to see if he could join him for batting instruction. Craig commuted three times a week, an hour each way, to spend 60 minutes refining his swing. "It's not easy to break old habits," Craig said. "That's why I drove there. I wanted to be with him just to get his eyes on me and get his immediate input as much as possible." The"
Holliday won't go on disabled list
"Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday, who has begun baseball activities after having had an appendectomy Friday, will not go on the 15-day disabled list, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said this afternoon. This means Holliday likely will be appearing at some point during the Cardinals' 10-game trip to San Francisco, Arizona and Los Angeles, which begins Friday. Holliday played catch and ran sprints this evening and expects to take batting practice on Wednesday."
Holliday says recovery is going well
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, speaking for the first time Monday afternoon about his appendectomy of last Friday, said he felt significantly better than he had in previous days since the surgery. But, he added, "I haven't really done anything" relative to baseball conditioning, since he still has stitches from his incisions. There is no timetable yet for Holliday's return, although he said he told Cardinals management, "I would not like to go on the DL. "I can play in 15 days if they can do without me for a few games," Holliday said. Manager Tony La Russa, deferring the analysis to the medical staff, did note that "we'll get a couple of lefthanders in San Francisco (this weekend) ..."
Holliday: 'I would like to stay off the DL'
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday will not be cleared for any physical activities for another several days as he recovers from an emergency appendectomy, but he plans to stay off the disabled list if at all possible. "I told them I would like to not go on the DL," Holliday said Monday afternoon in his first public comments since having surgery to remove his appendix Friday. "I can play in 15 days, if they can do without me for a few games." The Cardinals have not made a call on whether they plan to make a roster move. GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa have agreed to wait until Tuesday, at the latest, to determine whether they could go without Holliday for another week or if"
Holliday feeling better Sunday, still no verdict on DL decision
"Cards general manager John Mozeliak said no verdict had been rendered about whether Holliday will be placed on the disabled list. Holliday was in the clubhouse but declined to comment Sunday. La Russa, who spoke to Holliday, said, "He was more sore yesterday. He feels improved today. I'm not sure what all that means except that he's got less discomfort today.""
Cardinals to wait a few days on Holliday move
"The Cardinals have postponed a potential roster move until later this week to better determine if left fielder Matt Holliday might avoid a trip to the disabled list altogether following a Friday appendectomy. Holliday was discharged from Barnes-Jewish West on Saturday morning after undergoing a laproscopic procedure made necessary when he experienced mounting pain after the team's opening-day loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday. Holliday contributed three hits in the 11-inning game but by early Friday morning was in acute pain. General manager John Mozeliak said the club hoped to make a determination during the upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. "That will be a much"
Holliday out after having appendectomy
"The Cardinals hope to determine no later than Sunday whether to put left fielder and cleanup hitter Matt Holliday, who underwent an appendectomy Friday afternoon, on the disabled list. Holliday, 31, experienced increased lower abdominal discomfort hours after contributing three hits and two RBIs in the Cardinals' 11-inning opening-day loss Thursday to the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium. "We'll make a determination. It could be something like six or seven days, or it could be more," general manager John Mozeliak said shortly before Holliday entered surgery. "We don't know at this point. We certainly will know more later." Holliday complained of minor discomfort before the opener but"
Matt Holliday to undergo appendectomy
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday will undergo an appendectomy today. Holliday, who hit a solo home run in the opener, went home after the 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Padres and began feeling pain. General manager John Mozeliak said the club will not make any roster moves in the next 24 hours, preferring to hear first from doctors about how the surgery went and the extent of the procedure necessary. "We'll make a determination. It could be something like six or seven days, it could be more," Mozeliak said. "We don't know at this point. We certainly will know more later." The procedure will be performed this afternoon by Dr. Chris Eagon of the Washington University medical staff."
Opening day is more relaxed for Holliday
"Almost one year and another 100-RBI season removed from a hesitant start to life as a franchise fixture, Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday has a better understanding of the weight he felt from his contract and the nausea that came with such increased expectations. Even opening day feels different this time. "I think I feel like I'm not the new guy anymore," Holliday said after Wednesday's workout at Busch Stadium. "I don't feel as much of that expectation. What I'm trying to say is I probably won't try to hit two or three homers (this time) hoping the fans climb aboard. Hopefully, I can treat it a little more normal." Normal, like how last season ended. Fresh from signing a seven-year,"
Holliday talks about helping to re-sign Pujols
"Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, who signed the largest contract in club history last year, told an ESPN radio program this morning that he'd defer additional money from his salary if that's what it would take to sign Albert Pujols. Holliday appeared on "Mike and Mike", ESPN's signature morning show that is broadcast locally in St. Louis on 101.1 FM ESPN/WXOS. He was asked by the host, his friend Doug Gottlieb, if he would defer additional money from his contract to fit Pujols into the Cardinals' payroll. The question provided the answer as much as Holliday did. "I would be willing if they came to me and said, 'Hey this is what it's going to take to get Albert done. Would you do it"
Holliday in the cage and on the path to St. Louis
"When outfielder Matt Holliday declined the Colorado Rockies offer of a four-year, $72-million extension a few years ago, he set in motion a domino rally that, last week, brought him to a coffee shop in West County to talk about his briefly nomadic career. Since leaving his house in Denver at the end of the 2008 season, Holliday and his family have set up camp in the following areas: Orange County for an offseason, Austin for a moment, Arizona for spring training, Oakland for half a season, St. Louis for two months, Austin for an offseason, Florida for spring training, a new home in St. Louis, and then back to Austin for a few months. For him, relief was settling into one address, which he"
Holliday puts down roots in St. Louis
"The framed photo of Matt Holliday holding his oldest son, Jackson, from the night he received the 2007 National League Championship Series MVP award has made the journey north, relocating to St. Louis. The finished basement is starting to come together. Boxes are so last month. The question Tom Holliday heard his son Matt ask persistently around Christmas — "Is the treadmill here yet?" — finally has an answer. It arrived on New Year's. After all, home is where the treadmill is. "It's the little things like the basement, finding that grocery store you can make a quick run to, Jackson picking a school — all the little things that make a home a home, you know," Tom Holliday said after his"
Four Cardinals to be honored at writers' dinner
"Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Tony La Russa will be recognized at the 2011 St. Louis Baseball Writers' Dinner, which is set for Sunday, Jan. 16, in downtown St. Louis. The annual event has been moved up from its usual Monday night to a Sunday evening in 2011, the day before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It takes place over the same weekend as the annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up. The dinner will once again be held at the Millennium Hotel, very close to the Hyatt Regency, which hosts the Winter Warm-Up. Wainwright and Pujols will share recognition as the St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year, recognizing their superb seasons. Holliday will be honored with the"
Berkman's arrival may mean change for Holliday
"Matt Holliday told Cardinals management and manager Tony La Russa last June that he would be willing to move from left field to right field if the club acquired a bat better suited for his current position. The Cardinals never took Holliday up on his offer — until now. General manager John Mozeliak and La Russa met at length Sunday night, and among the topics discussed was whether newly signed Lance Berkman represents a better fit in left field after playing fewer than 80 games in the outfield during the last five seasons. "Matt's made it clear if we got somebody who had a preference (for left field) we could move him around. It's not absolutely necessary that we decide now. But when we"