When Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan first approached Braden Looper about the possibility of becoming a starting pitcher, Looper had the same reaction that many fans, media members and other observers likely did. He wasn't entirely sure someone wasn't pulling his leg. "He talked to me, I don't remember exactly when it was," Looper said. "It was either towards the end of the year or right at the beginning of the playoffs. And he just kind of mentioned it to me. "We were kind of just joking around with each other and I thought he was playing a little bit, and he was like, 'No, seriously, you never know what will happen. Start thinking about it.' That type of thing."