I’ve been meaning to write an Albert Pujols article for my own website. Since this website covers the Cardinals I figure I might as well use it as my weekly Royals column here at I70 Baseball. How does that work if this is supposed to be a Royals column? I’ll get there.

I am a Royals fan first. After that I am a baseball fan. I have enjoyed Pujols’ career from a distance. I remember when Mike MacDougal caught Pujols looking for a strike out with a sweeping 12-6 curveball to end a game in 2003. I remember his blast off Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS. Most recently; his three home-run game in Arlington in the 2011 World Series. My favorite Pujols story is how he came into the league. Some have criticized the Royals for letting Pujols out of their back yard. I think that’s a little unfair. After all, how many other teams passed up the opportunity to draft him? I especially like this story from Jonah Keri’s book The Extra 2% about Fernado Arango, the area scout for the Tampa Bay Rays who tried to get the Rays to draft Pujols. I wonder if Fernando Arango and Sir Albert touched base after he signed his deal.

Not living in St Louis I never heard about him off the field. As I read Cardinal fan reaction he must have been much more than a performer on the field. There wouldn’t be such a reaction to his departure to the Anaheim Angels if there wasn’t. I was disappointed to see Pujols sign with the Angels. Mostly because I thought it would have been cool to see a super-star play with one team his entire career. I get that it’s a business decision. I get that the weather is nicer in Southern California. I get that he was some how offended by the Cardinals front office. I get all that. But, the fans in Anaheim will not love you the way fans in St Louis did. How much money do you really need? With Pujols’ current salary you can afford to live any where anyway. Not many people have been in the Pujols Family’s situation so we cannot say for sure how we would make such a decision. I just know that looking at things the way I look at things I would have chosen to stay in St Louis.

Royals fans should take note of this situation. The Royals don’t have a good track record of hanging on to their big time free agents. Like I’ve said before, there are only a handful of teams that don’t have this problem. Royals fans can only hope there will come a day when one (more than one would be outstanding) of the Royals young stars has played well enough year, after year to warrant a $200 Million contact to finish out their career. Rest assured if the Royals ever have a Pujols Situation; that players is signing that big contract only to return to Kauffman Stadium (or Tightwad Bank Stadium if you believe rumors started by bloggers. wink, wink) as an opponent worthy of our boooing and being called a greedy money grubber on Kansas City’s fine Sports Talkosphere. It’ll sting a little. I might be upset for a few days. However, if such a player left after 7 play-off appearances, 5 ALCS appearances, and 2 World Series Titles they will have left this Royals fan with a smile. After all, players come and go; only the name on the front of the jersey remains year, after year, after year.

Ask a Cardinal fan about Carlos Beltran and one of two things usually come to mind. His 2004 NLCS performance, when he hit 4 home runs in seven games, or his 2006 NLCS-ending strikeout at the hands of Adam Wainwright‘s curveball. With Allen Craig possibly out for the first month of the season, St Louis appears to be in the market for another outfielder, and Beltran’s name keeps popping up. Would he be a fit in St Louis?

With Matt Holliday in left and Jon Jay in center, the Cardinals would slot Beltran in right. Beltran has spent the majority of his professional career patrolling center field, sliding over to right only last season. Whether he was a competent corner defender is somewhat ambiguous. He saved 1 run on the Dewan plus/minus scale, ranking 13th amongst right fielders, making him average. By UZR/150, on the other hand, he posted a -9.2, which would be below average. By way of comparison, Lance Berkman cost the Cardinals 10 runs in right per Dewan, and was -10.2 by UZR/150.

So should the Cardinals bring Beltran in they would get a defender not much better than Berkman was last season.

At this point of his career, however, St Louis would not be signing Beltran for his defense, but rather for his bat. Beltran is still an elite offensive player. He has not posted an OPS+ less than 100 since 2005. Last year he posted an OPS+ of 152 while splitting the season between pitcher-friendly Citi Field and pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. He’s hit the ball particularly well in limited action at Neo-Busch. Beltran has appeared in 12 games since the stadium opened in 2006, posting a .340/.407/.681 line. Granted, he wouldn’t have the luxury of facing Cardinal pitching anymore, but regardless he seems comfortable hitting in the ballpark.

Beltran probably won’t command $19 million like he did his last 3 seasons in New York, but it’s not unreasonable to think he’d at least command Rafael Furcal money ($6 or $7 million for next season). For that kind of salary, one has to wonder if the Cardinals would cede the starting RF position to him and relegate Craig back to the bench. That in and of itself would be a tragedy; for if Craig proved anything in the post-season, its that he is ready for a full-time job in the Majors.

So does Carlos Beltran fit on the Cardinals team? Probably not; not for the money it will take to sign him. No GM in their right mind is going to pay someone $7 million to be a bench player.

Mike Metzger is an I-70 contributing writer. He tries to blog about the San Diego Padres. Follow him on Twitter.

Last week, the Chicago Cubs brought their managerial search to an end, appointing Brewers’ hitting coach Dale Sveum to the position. For the most part, the baseball world shrugged and moved on. Not that Sveum was a bad choice, simply that it was not an impactful choice that struck a lot of fear in anyone. One thing it did do was create a possible scenario in the mind of those focused on free agency.

The prize free agent on the market, of course, is St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols. As free agency began, many people speculated who would be interested in the powerhouse that has patrollEd Busch Stadium for the past decade plus some. Names of franchises like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim surfaced quickly. The Seattle Mariners and Florida Marlins have both been rumored to have an interest, though no one is sure if they have the funding. The one franchise that has struck fear in the hearts of every Cardinal fan is the rumored interest the Cubs would have in the man famous for being a Cardinal.

Plenty of good reason were given for the interest of the Chicago-land Northsiders. With a new, high profile, man in charge of the front office and a new general manager and field manager in town, the Cubs may look to make a splash quickly. A player the caliber of Pujols can change the direction of an entire franchise almost immediately. The Cubs will need a first baseman and would like to put into place a player that they can build the franchise around.

The appointment of the manager leads to a new thought process, however. The other big prize on the market also plays first base, comes from a franchise that has developed quite the rivalry with Chicago, and now has an established relationship with the man in charge. Many would say that Prince Fielder does, in fact, make more sense for the Cubs at this point.

Fielder and Sveum had a solid working relationship and both men respect each other immensely. The Cubs do have the ability under newer ownership to make a big play on a payday for the free agent first baseman and Fielder fits the prototype of a game changing player worth building around. Sveum recently was reported as saying (via MLB Trade Rumors):

“I think me being here can only help the process.” – Sveum in regards to Fielder possibly coming to Chicago

In the long run, the Cubs managerial move may have had a positive impact on the Cardinals hopes to retain Albert. It may have limited the number of teams competing for him. It may have been just what the Cardinals needed.

Time will tell.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Michael Corleone must have been a Cardinal fan because he said it better than anyone. In excruciating agony the Cardinals toy with us. We love them in the begining and throughout the season. Then as has been the case the last six seasons, the August-September lull kicks in. Not the grind of the 162 game season, I am referring to the now annual late season Cardinal decline.

No one starts looking for their out quite yet, but the world outside of organized crime, rather baseball, becomes more and more appealing heading into Milwaukee August 1^st for a three game series the Cardinals were with 3.5 games of first place. August usually marks the official dog days of the season when the grind is in full effect. With 53 games remaining anything is still possible and a pennant race begins.

Entering the August series at Busch against the Brewers the Cards were 3.5 games out with a 57-52 record with a chance to pull within a half game. This would be their best chance to sniff first place since June 9^th when the Cardinals were a season best 12 games over .500 and had a 2.5 game division lead and promptly coughed up three in a row and the division.

In what was a crucial three game series the Birds had a chance to put some real distance between themselves and the Brewers. Instead they decided to go another direction. The Cardinals kicked off the dog days in spectacularly disappointing fashion losing all three to Milwaukee and the division lead in the process. One could hear a collective “here we go again” throughout Cardinal Nation.

Five years running the Birds had swooned big time come August and September and this season looked to be no different. Leaving Milwaukee the Cardinals nose dived to long time low of 10.5 games out of first on August 28^th. Now was time to panic, time to let go…time to move on.

This was fine with me. It is hard to let go when it’s five or six games. Start getting into double digits and my attention can justifiably turn elsewhere. The Cards dinked and dunked a bit and were still 10.5 out on September 5^th. The division was lost and the wild card well out of reach.

Still mathematically alive so much would have to happen for the Cardinals to make a serious run at the wild card. Well wouldn’t you know it all started to fall into place. The Cardinals found their pride while the Braves lost the ability to win.

Cue Michael Corleone and work on your best Al Pacino impression… “Just When I Thought I Was Out…They Pull Me Back In”.

As the Braves lost four in a row and seven of ten. The Cardinals, a team without a five game winning streak all season, won five in a row to pull within 4.5 games of the Wild Card with 15 games left to play. Dammit. I was done, seriously. With six games against Milwaukee and Atlanta sure to be the nail in the coffin it was over. Dammit.

I want off the roller coaster. Just win it all or stop all together. The odds are still heavily stacked against St. Louis but not out of reach. The Birds are back to 12 games over .500 and out of the 14 remaining games only four are against a team with a winning record. We have to accept that it could happen.

Just as I was ready to block Fox Sports Midwest and focus entirely on the Rams the Cardinals have pulled me back in and become must see TV once again. Dammit.

These are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

The St. Louis Cardinals hosted a special Guest of Honor at Busch Stadium Friday night for their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the process, they may have rekindled a debate that has been going on for the better part of a decade. And it involves arguably the best offensive player of the Whiteyball era.

On the night he was immortalized by his very own bobblehead figurine, Willie McGee returned to St. Louis to sign some autographs (with fellow Cardinal great Vince Coleman), be paraded around the warning track in a shiny new pickup truck, and throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Coleman while their teammate Ozzie Smith served as umpire.

McGee’s endearment to the Cardinal fan base is immeasurable and unshakable. He is easily one of the most popular players in Cardinal history. Fans were lining up outside Busch as early as noon on Friday to guarantee a spot in line to get the outfielder’s autograph and make sure they got their McGee bobblehead. By 5:00—still 15 minutes before the gates even open—the stadium was completely ringed with lines of fans. McGee #51 jerseys draped the backs of hundreds, maybe thousands in attendance. And McGee, a sheepish yet genuine smile permanently plastered on his face, looked almost embarrassed by all the love sent his way. No one expected any more or less.

That’s the emotional side of the story. Cardinal fans genuinely love Willie McGee. One almost universally used descriptor of McGee is humble…that has something to do with it. McGee never once gave off a single vibe of “me first” or taking his position in life for granted. And McGee never dogged it in any aspect of his game. He’s a perfect fit here, because St. Louis sports fans cannot get enough of the two H’s: humility and hustle.

But McGee also produced on the field. Everyone knows about the batting titles, the plays in the 1982 World Series, the 1985 MVP, gold gloves, etc. What may come as a surprise is just how good statistically McGee was during his time as a Cardinal from 1982-1990.

During that period, McGee had more hits (1,362) than any other Cardinal. He had the most singles (1,030) and triples (76), and finished second to Smith in doubles. He had the third-most stolen bases (274), behind Coleman and Smith. McGee also had the most RBI of any Cardinal in that period (545) and only Ozzie scored more runs. And the biggest surprise of all is that McGee’s home run total in that era (52) is only surpassed by Jack Clark‘s (66).

In the field, McGee may not have been a defensive wizard (pun intended) like Ozzie but he more than held his own. McGee won three Gold Gloves as a Cardinal, playing mostly center field. It may not have always looked pretty, but McGee had the range and athleticism to get the job done. And for that team in that time and playing in that stadium, his defensive skills were just fine.

McGee had all the tools necessary to make him the perfect Whiteyball player: speed, solid defense, timely hitting, and a little bit of power. His defense could never hold a candle to Ozzie; whose could? But it’s possible Willie McGee is a little underrated as an offensive player. He may have been the Cardinals’ best all-around hitter during the Whiteyball era. Think of the importance that title carries.

That’s the logical side of the story. Nearly every time McGee’s name is brought up, the debate about whether his #51 should be retired or not fires up right along with it. The Cardinals, officially, only retire uniform numbers when the player gets inducted into the Hall of Fame (Ken Boyer excepted). McGee’s career numbers are not good enough to earn him that distinction. Others argue that since the Cards already have 11 numbers taken out of rotation, the team must be prudent with future retirement or they’ll run out of digits for future players to wear. But many fans believe #51 should be retired. They believe McGee deserves the same team accolades that other key members of the Cards’ most successful eras have received. McGee was on two NL Championship teams and one World Series winner for the Cardinals in the 80s. And after being traded to the Oakland A’s in 1990, McGee returned to the Cards 5+ seasons later to help them make the playoffs again in 1996. But that time in the 80s, that Whiteyball era, was so special and so remarkable. Even now, as Cardinal fans witness the unprecedented career of Albert Pujols and the success Tony LaRussa-led squads have had here since 2000, there is still a very noticeable pining for that brand of baseball played in St. Louis more than two decades ago. And Willie McGee was as important to the success of those teams as any other player…even Ozzie Smith.

Maybe a professional team can’t retire a uniform number just because everyone loves that player. That would be especially dangerous in St. Louis, where half the team is, at the very least, treated like extended family. But when coupling the pinnacle of that popularity with top offensive and defensive stats in maybe the most franchise-defining era in team history, perhaps the real question is why wouldn’t the Cardinals retire Willie McGee’s #51?

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter at @birdbrained.

Cardinal fans and players alike know and understand the time period right after the All Star break perhaps more than most. In my time as a Cardinal fan this has always been an exciting and anxious time. That is mainly because the Cardinals have always been active participants in the rumor mill and trade deadline. Walt Jocketty created master pieces this time of year and John Mozeliak is creating quite a reputation for himself as well.

Believe it or not the trade deadline actually affects more than just the fans. I know…the realization blew my mind too. Apparently it actually has quite an impact on the players as well. And not just a fleeting thought here and there but it can actually creep into their psyche and linger as the deadline approaches. Of course it affects different players in different ways. Your Albert Pujols’, Matt Holliday’s and Yadier Molina’s of the world, we will call them Group A, approach the trade deadline much differently than say, Group B, your Skip Schumaker’s, Jon Jay’s, Alan Craig’s and even Colby Rasmus’s do this time of year.

The reasoning behind the different approaches is that Group A watches excitedly as they wait to see what is or will be taking place to strengthen the team around them with the end result being a run at a World Series. All the while Group B sits patiently, or anxiously and nervously, around waiting to see if they will be one of the chips in a deal made to strengthen the team around Group A. Again with the end result being a run at World Series, of course for the players in Group A.

Rarely do the Cardinals stand pat at this time of year. Granted some moves in some years are more reserved than others. See Ryan Ludwick for Jake Westbrook last season as compared to Brett Wallace and Co. for Matt Holliday in 2009. By the same token, some trades are less impactful and not as well received by Cardinal Nation as others. See exact same trades above.

Since 2000, a few of the notable names to come to the Cardinals mid-season (and make an impact) are Jeff Weaver, Scott Rolen, Matt Holiday, Julio Lugo, Chuck Finley, and who can forget the moves for Larry Walker, Woody Williams and Will Clark. Unfortunately for every name listed above there has been a Mike Maroth, Mark DeRosa, Jake Westbrook, Pedro Feliz and who can forget the dynamic trade in 2003 for Esteban Yan.

More often than not, however, the Cardinals have come out on top during the trade deadline. To be honest, more often than not the Cardinals, specifically Jocketty, downright stole an impact player for a pennant chase. Everyone remembers Ray Lankford for Woody Williams…yeah you do. Walt left big shoes behind for Mozeliak to fill and thus far Mo has done an admirable job. Matt Holliday coming to town in 2009 should have made the difference. The Cardinals choking it away to the Dodgers was not Mo’s fault.

Whether it has been Walt or Mo a deal always seem to get done. And I see no reason why the next two weeks of 2011 will be any different for this Cardinals team. The only question that remains is; who from Group B will still be here and how will that impact the World Series run for Group A?

As usual these are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Follow me on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze or check out my thoughts on the Rams at RamsHerd.com

At some point Albert Pujols will bat tonight. He may start, or it might be during a pitching change in the 6^th inning. If the St. Louis Baseball Gods have their say it will be a pinch-hit AB in the 9^th with the game on the line. Regardless of the situation, more importantly regardless of the outcome, Pujols will receive a Hero’s welcome. From listening to local sports radio today it is as if El Hombre, The Mang, was returning home victorious from conquests afar. In similar fashion, local TV news outlets paint a picture of Pujols riding into Busch Stadium atop a magnificent steed with the head of a dragon in his saddle bag.

I am as happy as any Cardinal fan that Pujols’ return is coming much sooner than expected, but let’s pull back on the legendary-career-defining-moment talk. Pujols is a “Machine” yes, and has been very durable and tough throughout the first ten years of his career. The more likely explanation in this case however is that the injury is not as severe as originally diagnosed. Remember it took three X-Rays to find the fracture in the first place, so let’s not act as if his wrist was hanging on by the tendon. And strong as my feelings are as a fan, and blogger, about his early return and the positive message it sends to the team…especially the younger players. They are even stronger about the Cardinals and their medical staff’s mismanagement of player injuries.

If his injury is aggravated, wow…look out, this will be the biggest egg-in-the-face moment for a proud franchise. We have seen it too many times in recent years. See: Scott Rolen seeking out the opinion and aid from another team’s medical staff for his aching shoulder; Chris Carpenter pitching in only 1 game in 2007 while the fans were fed lines that he was coming back multiple times that season; or look no further than this year and the handling of Matt Holliday’s quad injury. Cases like these are too plentiful for my liking.

Pujols coming back early is not a sign of super human recovery but rather another example of misdiagnosing or misrepresenting an injury. This is not Willis Reed coming back for the Knicks, Ronnie Lott cutting off the end of his finger to come back into the game or Al Macinnis coming back in game 7 against the Canucks. In those games, in those situations, the players were still hurt and played through it and with it. If Pujols IS STILL hurt, then we have a new story to cover and one that I venture will cost people their jobs.

Pujols got hurt and got better. And now he is now going back to work. Nothing more…nothing less. Just like the rest of us who miss time at work. When we get better….we go back. So if you want to applaud Albert upon his return, please feel free. But understand you are applauding for nothing more than someone doing his job and getting paid A LOT to do it.

As usual these are just my thoughts…if you’re smart you’ll most likely agree. If not keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Follow me on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze or check out my thoughts on the Rams at RamsHerd.com

It was 1985 when I moved to Missouri. A magical season that captured my attention. Two teams from my new home state would reach the pinnacle of the game I loved.

Until that year, I was a baseball fan. I had liked various teams in my youth and followed others closely, even at my young age. I had baseball cards and favorite players. I played ball in my back yard imaging what it must be like to be on that field. I envisioned larger than life men playing that game along side of me. That year changed the way I saw the game. That year I became a consistent observer of the Royals and adopted them as my “step-team”. That year, I became a Cardinal fan.

I have been asked many times why I became a fan of this team? Why I write about this game? Why I do so many radio appearances and host my own show? All of those answers are remarkably answered with the same two words.

Jack Buck.

It was Jack that taught me how to see this game the right way. His voice over the airwaves, the smooth transition from play to interview and back again. The genuine excitement in his voice over the game he loved. I loved the game beyond belief but when I heard the voice of Jack Buck and the way he described the simple action before him, it became magical. It took on a trait that I never knew was possible. A ground ball to deep short was seemingly fielded in left field and would manage to appear in the first baseman’s glove before the runner could reach safely. Home runs were majestic moon shots that would all but disappear in the night sky. Line drives must have had fire coming off of them. The players themselves floated around the field.

While the game seemed full of magic as I got lost in his voice, the images in my mind were so real I could imagine sitting in the stands. The magical description translated into my mind into a film reel of exact science. I could picture right where Ozzie stood on the field when he unleashed a throw that most shortstops would never attempt and still get his man. I could picture the seat a home run landed in and how much beer was left in the cup being held by the guy who caught it.

Jack Buck began his career in St. Louis in 1954 along side Harry Carray after graduating from Ohio State. Prior to college, Buck was a decorated war veteran of World War II. His fifteen years with Harry Carray would become the launching pad of two hall of fame caliber careers and endless memories for a generation of baseball fans who relied on the radio to bring them their beloved game of baseball.

In the 1960′s Buck had left for a year to broadcast football but would return and continue his work for the mighty KMOX out of St. Louis. He would also miss a year in the 1970′s as he tried to launch his own show on CBS. Ultimately, it was his pairing with former Cardinals outfielder Mike Shannon in the 70′s that would lead to the team that many remember vividly.

While Jack called World Series (8), Super Bowls (17), and various other sports broadcasts, it was his calls of Kirk Gibson’s home run in the 1988 World Series and Ozzie Smith’s 1985 NLCS home run that are most remembered. Perhaps it was the magestic voice that told us after 34 years in the booth that he “can’t believe what I just saw” for Gibson. Maybe it was the 31 year veteran of the booth that showed that he too was a fan when Ozzie launched a home run into right field and all the golden voice could say was “Go crazy folks! Go crazy!”. He would again show that he respected, loved and was a fan of the game when Mark McGwire broke the single season home run record when he simply asked the audience “Pardon me while I stand and applaud.”

For many of us Cardinal fans, Jack is the voice in the background of our memories. He is the announcer in our memories of the team. He was the reason we took small radios to the baseball game. Personally, I fell asleep to the sound of Jack describing the game far more times than I fell asleep to a bed time story or reading a book. My father loved the game and he taught me to love it too. My father drew the picture, Jack filled it with enough color to last a lifetime.

In the early 2000′s it became public knowledge that Jack was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. It would keep him off the road and limit the number of games fans would hear him. It would turn him, physically, into a shell of the man he once was. When baseball returned to action after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, he stood on the field and delivered a poem that left very few dry eyes in the crowd. Very few people knew what to make of it. The sound of his voice saying “Should we be here? YES!” was a resounding call to all of America.

It was nine years ago today, June 18, 2002 that the world lost Jack Buck. The majestic voice was gone. The booth in St. Louis would find a new inhabitant soon. No one would ever compare. No one could even try.

In one of my first articles I wrote for Baseball Digest I wrote the phrase “I miss Jack Buck”. That phrase is as true today as it was then. Last year I had the privelage of visitng with his daughter, Christine, and you can read that here.

The game simply doesn’t sound the same anymore.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Troy Glaus, Brian Barden, Joe Thurston, Mark DeRosa, David Freese, Pedro Feliz. All these men have manned third base since the Cardinals traded away Scott Rolen before the 2008 season. Rolen’s trade (for the aforementioned Glaus) ended six years of stellar play, frustrating injury, and conflict with management. Let’s take a look back at the Rolen Years in St Louis.

Prologue. Rolen was a superstar in Philadelphia, the 1996 Rookie of the Year and widely seen as the heir to Philie great Michael Jack Schmidt. Scott had become increasingly frustrated with the Phillies’ lack of success on the diamond, and around 2000 began to complain Philadelphia was not committed to winning. He also started a verbal sparring match with Larry Bowa, his manager, over a variety of things. Before the 2002 season he was offered a 10-year/$140 million deal to stay with Philadelphia for the rest of his career. He signed a one-year deal for $8.6M instead, and made it clear he would become a free agent after that season.

Rolen,born in Jasper Indiana, was a Cardinal fan growing up. The Cardinal third sacker in 2002 was Placido Polanco, who was competent on both sides of the ball but didn’t possess the power Rolen did. With it now obvious Rolen would be moving on from The City of Brotherly Love speculation grew he was headed to St Louis. The Cardinals did indeed get him, trading Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith to Philadelphia on July 29, 2002. Rolen made his Cardinal debut the next day, and his St Louis debut on August 6 to a prolonged standing ovation.

2002-2004: Stellar Play. The Cardinals led the NL Central by 5 games on July 29, and were playing .569 ball. They played .650 ball after acquiring Rolen and won the Central title, finishing 13 games ahead of Houston. Rolen hit 14 HR and posted a .915 OPS in his 55 regular season games, solidifying an already dangerous lineup. In the playoffs, the Cardinals avenged their NLDS loss to Arizona the year before with a series sweep. In what was a harbinger of things to come, however, the club lost Rolen for the season in Game 2 when he and Diamondback Chad Moeller collided between second and third while Rolen was attempting to field a slow ground ball in the seventh inning. Rolen injured his left shoulder on the play.

Still, it was an auspicious start with the Cardinals. In 2003 he carried his .910 OPS pace for the entire season, hitting 49 doubles, 28 HR, and posting a .286/.382/.528 line in 154 games. He also led the majors in UZR and was second by 0.1 point in UZR/150.

In 2004 the Cardinals were picked to finish third in their division, behind the defending champion Cubs, and Houston. Things did not quite work out that way. Leading the early charge was Rolen, who got off to an absolutely blistering start. As of Memorial Day he was hitting .348, with an 1.032 OPS and 13 HR. At the break he’d slowed down a little bit, having only added 5 more homers, but he was still slugging .600 and was the leading candidate for NL MVP.

Assisted by his MV3 (as they later came to be called) compadres Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds, the Cardinals took over first place on 11 June, and after a memorable comeback win at Wrigley on July 20 simultaneously led the Division by 9.5 games and broke the Cubs. Their lead eventually ballooned to 17 games on 7 September.

Three days after their divisional lead reached its zenith, the Cardinals were in Los Angeles to start a 3-game set with the NL West leading Dodgers. In the top of the third Rolen fouled a ball off his shin. Innocuous enough. He then hit a bases-clearing double to give the Cardinals the lead. In actuality he had severely bruised the shin with the foul, and running out the double aggravated it. Rolen came out of the game the next half-inning and missed 18-games in September.

He struggled to get his timing back the last 6 games of the regular season and went oh for 12 against those same Dodgers in the NLDS. MVP-Rolen returned against the Astros in the NLCS, where he hit 3 HR, including an epic 2-run shot off Roger Clemens to give the Cardinals the lead for good in Game 7. Sadly that was his last hit of the year, as he went 0-15 in the World Series while the Cardinals got swept by Boston.

Still, in the 2+ years after the trade St Louis had advanced to the NLCS twice and the World Series once, and Scott Rolen was key to that success.

2005-2007: Frustration. 2005 started very slowly for Rolen. He hit only 4 HR in his first 30 games, and although his OBP was still high he was only slugging .453. On 10 May while running out a slow grounder to the pitcher, Rolen collided with Dodger first baseman Hee-Seop Choi on the first base line. While bracing for the collision Rolen turned his shoulder into Choi, and although no obvious injury could be seen on the replay it did significant damage. The Cardinals placed him on the DL after the game, and he had surgery on the ailing shoulder. Rolen returned to the lineup on 18 June, but over the next 26 games he hit no home runs, only 5 doubles, and looked lost at the plate. The Cardinals shut down Rolen for the season on July 21, and he underwent a second surgery to repair the shoulder.

As 2006 unfolded, it appeared the surgeries had worked. Rolen rebounded in 2006 from the 2005 setbacks, and looked like his old self. After homering on July 2, he had 12 HR on the year and was chugging along with a .992 OPS. He hit 10 more homers the rest of the way, but began to struggle driving the ball, as his OPS fell over 200 points from that 2 July high. More ominously, the first signs of problems between himself and manager Tony LaRussa began to appear in the media. LaRussa sat Rolen for a 21 Sept game against the Astros, which Rolen characterized as ‘a benching’. The feud continued to simmer through the Cardinals’ improbable run to the World Series Championship.

In that post-season, he again struggled in the NLDS, only getting one hit against the San Diego Padres. He went 0-3 in Game 1 of the NLCS and did not start in Game 2. After that, he caught fire. Rolen ended with a 10-game hitting streak, slugged .541, and homered in Game 1 of the World Series.

Whatever mistrust and hard feelings existed between he and LaRussa continued to fester, and the weakness that surfaced in Rolen’s shoulder the second half of 2006 continued to linger. He got off to a slow start in 2007 and never really got going. He only hit 8 home runs on the year, and after 112 games with a .265/.331/.398 he finally came out of the lineup and was placed on the DL 2 September. He underwent the knife for a third time on 11 Sept, which cleared out scar tissue that had built up, among other things. Most observers began to doubt Scott Rolen would play much longer for the Cardinals. The end came faster than expected.

That winter LaRussa sent Rolen a letter detailing what he expected out of the former All-Star in 2008. The contents of the letter are not known even today, but whatever was said did not sit well with Scott. It became clear the two men could not c0-exist in the same locker room. Faced with the choice of removing his manager or trading his now 0ft-injured third baseman, the Cardinals GM John Mozeliak opted for the trade. The Scott Rolen Era ended on 14 Jan 2008, when he was traded to Toronto for Glaus in a straight-up swap of third basemen recovering from injury.

Epilogue. Rolen played only 88 games for Toronto before being dealt to Cincinnati at the 2009 trade deadline. Walt Jocketty, who had been the Cardinals GM that traded for Rolen in 2002, was now the Reds GM and willing to try again. Rolen played 40 games for the Reds in 2009, then resurrected his career in 2010. His 129 OPS+ last season was his highest since 2004, and his veteran leadership was again key to a team’s success as the Reds made a surprise run to the NL Central championship. Scott will again man third for the Reds in 2011.

Rolen should be remembered as the second-best third baseman to date to play for St Louis. In his 6 seasons with the Cardinals he won 3 Gold Gloves and was an All-Star 4 times. Rolen had his highest career OPS while with the team (.879), he hit 111 home runs, and was the pre-eminent defensive third baseman of the time. Only injuries were able to slow him down. If he had not lost 2.5 seasons fighting the shoulder issues, he may well have passed Ken Boyer and become the best third baseman ever to play for St Louis.

On Thursday the Cardinals officially announced Adam Wainwright will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2011 season. Is the loss of Wainwright the death knell for St Louis’ 2011 season before the first spring training game is played?

Not necessarily, although the road to the playoffs just went unpaved and became much more mountainous. Wainwright was #4 in pitcher value according to Baseball Reference, #7 per Fangraphs, in 2010. The Cardinals will not be able to replace him with one man, because men possessing similar skills are seldom available via trade in spring training. So the remaining starters will have to pick some of the slack, and the Cardinals will probably both utilize several players in the #5 starter slot and skip that spot when the schedule allows it.

Many a Cardinal fan has descended into a foggy place of low expectations – the ‘Wainwright Daze’, let’s call it – since news of his elbow trouble broke. One Adam Wainwright, however, does not a team make. So use these tidbits to help ease your pain and clear your mind.

1. Lance Berkman will hit fifth. Lance had a down year in 2010 after having knee surgery, but even so his season OPS+ of 114 (combined with Houston and the Yankees) beat every Cardinal RF not named Ryan Ludwick. Berkman is a year further from surgery and from all indications he is hungry in 2011. He will help the offense.
2. David Freese is back. Freese is healthy to start the season, and we all saw what he is capable of in 2010 when healthy. Freese will play more than 70 games at 3B, even if the Cardinals have to place him in stasis and cover his capsule in bubble-wrap between games to do it. He will help both the offense and defense.
3. Molina and Schumaker are due. Offensively they will leave 2010 behind and return to their career norms.
4. Bullpen remains a strength. Even if Kyle McClellan shifts into the rotation, stalwarts Ryan Franklin, Mitchell Boggs, and Jason Motte return to anchor the back of the bullpen. Trever Miller is once again the LOOGY, and he has been competent there for 2 years. Mix in Fernando Salas and P.J. Walters, and this group could rival the 2004 ‘pen in terms of efficiency.
5. Jamie Garcia and Colby Rasmus are still under 25. Garcia finished 3rd in the ROY voting and will be better now that he has a full major league season under his belt. Rasmus slugged .859 despite only hitting 7 HR after July 1; look for him to finish stronger in 2011. And, they both will be on the club (barring trade) until after the 2014 season.

Still don’t feel better? Then simply remember this one thing:

• Albert Pujols still wears Birds on the Bat. No team with the Game’s Best Player is out of contention from the get-go. In AP’s 10 seasons with the Cardinals, the team has made the playoffs six times, and been in the thick of the pennant chase in two other seasons (2003, 2010). No way losing Wainwright makes this a sub-.500 team, something that has only happened in 2007 with AP on the roster.

I can see clearly now the Daze is gone…