"For an ace who has already pitched himself into Cardinals history as one of two to win the National League Cy Young Award, Chris Carpenter has a pragmatic view of his fifth opening day start for the franchise. "I just know that I get to go first," he joked. "That's pretty fun." Going first this season puts him into a tie for second all-time in Cardinals history. With five opening day assignments for the club, Carpenter ties Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean, who started five consecutive for the Gas House Gang club of the 1930s. The only Cardinals ace with more opening day starts than Carpenter is Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who has 10, including nine consecutive. Gibson is also the only other Cardinal to win a Cy Young. "To be a part of this organization and to be this on this team and be even spoken in the same sentence and conversation as any of those guys, I think, it's pretty neat," Carpenter said. "I think any pitcher, any starting pitcher throughout their career would like to start an opening day if they get an opportunity. It's still a fun thing for me." The Cardinals are 3-1 in Carpenter's opening day starts, including last year at Cincinnati. Their only loss was in 2007 when Carpenter made his only start of the season before needing elbow surgery." Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/base...cle_35b777fc-0950-5a1a-8268-42c367e485ef.html
