The Cardinal Nation, stlcardinals.scout.com and thecardinalnation.com, is the online leader for exclusive, objective and independent coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals and their minor league system, providing the ultimate fan experience through community interaction with our team of experts, writers and reporters.
In early 2005, we first joined the Scout.com network, the number one independent online sports network in the world. At that time, we also acquired the rights to FanHome, the popular Cardinals message board, which became an integral part of the site.
Our association with FOX Sports began in August 2005, when Fox Interactive Media acquired Scout. Among other initiatives, that led to a strong and growing partnership with Cardinals television rightsholder FOX Sports Midwest.
With new articles posted 365 days per year and a devoted subscriber base, The Cardinal Nation has been recognized as the leading content producer on the Scout.com MLB network.
Ray Mileur, founder of The Birdhouse, the original name of this site starting in 1998, retired in mid-2009. We thank him for his many contributions.
The Cardinal Nation Staff
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Paul Ivice Jupiter, Florida reporter |
ivpaul42@aol.com |
| A native of Chicago’s South Side, Paul has been a professional journalist since 1977 as a writer and editor. Currently, he is a self-employed sports writer for The Palm Beach Post and business writer for The Stuart News. Baseball, though, is his hobby and passion, so he has also been official scorer in the Southern League, Florida State League and Gulf Coast League, where he is the current scorer for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, and an umpire for high school girls’ fast-pitch softball. Paul joined The Cardinal Nation staff in 2011. | ||
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Josh Jones Caribbean Cardinals beat reporter |
jrocke217@yahoo.com |
| Josh is the expert on the Cardinals from Latin America, whether the Dominican Summer League, winter leagues or even ex-Cardinals. In addition to his weekly DSL Reports, Josh also pens our daily "Cardinals Minor League Notebook" during the season and runs the popular Cardinals Best News Links website, where readers can quickly scan all Cardinals-related news on the net each day. Josh first joined the team late in 2007. | ||
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Shawn Kerrick Johnson City beat reporter |
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| Shawn is the Birdhouse's beat reporter, covering St. Louis' Rookie - Appalachian League Affiliate, the Johnson City Cardinals. A graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and of the University of Illinois with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Shawn has been a regular attendee of Johnson City Cardinals games for approximately ten years and writes weekly reports about the club and serves as your link to Cardinal baseball in the Appy League. Shawn joined the Scout team in 2006. | ||
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Leonda Markee Minor League Writer |
behremarke@cox.net |
| Leonda Markee only follows winners. She is known on our message boards as “UConnCard,” honoring her other passion in addition to the Cardinals, University of Connecticut women's basketball. Other than Brian Walton, Leonda is the longest-serving member of The Cardinal Nation staff, having been contributing statistically-oriented analysis and commentary focused on Cardinals minor leaguers since 2005. | ||
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Dustin Mattison Senior Minor League Writer |
dustin@whiteyball.com |
| A graduate of Baseball University scouting course, Dustin is a lifelong Cardinal fan with a passion for minor league baseball, Mattison grew up watching and appreciating the style of play of the Whitey Herzog teams. Dustin started the popular Whiteyball.com blog at the beginning of 2007. His work has also been featured on the Ballpark Digest website and others. Dustin joined the Scout.com staff at the end of the 2007 season. | ||
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Jon Popham Quad Cities beat reporter |
jonwpopham@hotmail.com |
| Another local, on-site reporter is our Jon Popham, who covers the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits of the Midwest League. Look for Jon’s interviews and articles focusing on Quad Cities players all season long. Jon joined the Scout staff in 2006 but has been following the Quad Cities team for years. | ||
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Josh Thompson Springfield beat reporter |
joshthompsonusa@gmail.com |
| Josh Thompson is the number two radio broadcaster for the Springfield Cardinals as well as our on-site reporter. He is a 2010 graduate of Drury University, with degrees in Public Relations and Advertising. Thompson worked for the Springfield Cardinals for the 2008-10 seasons as an official scorer. He was in charge of the MiLB Gameday account before joining the home radio broadcasts in the second half of the 2010 season. A lifelong Cardinals fan and longtime subscriber here, Josh is excited to join The Cardinal Nation team starting with the 2011 season. | ||
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Brian Walton Publisher and editor |
brian@thecardinalnationblog.com |
| Brian Walton has closely followed the St. Louis Cardinals for over 40 years. Stoking that passion keeps him very busy year 'round running the St. Louis Cardinals presence here on Scout.com. Among the national sites where Brian’s work has appeared regularly include FOXSports.com and Yahoo.com. He authored a weekly column on Cardinals minor leaguers for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and now does the same at FOXSportsMidwest.com. His weekly radio segment, "Cardinal Talk," can be heard every Friday afternoon on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines. Perhaps the most notable story he broke was Albert Pujols’ $100 million contract with the Cardinals. Brian also pens regular columns at Mastersball.com and contributes to the Fantasy Baseball and Football Guides while competing in a number of fantasy expert baseball leagues. Brian joined this team in 2003. His more personal Cardinals writings appear daily on his blog "The Cardinal Nation blog". | ||
