The Minnesota Twins came to Kauffman Stadium this week and were quickly swept aside in less than 24 hours. Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar looked like the 1 to 2 punch the Royals needed them to be back in June. Back when the Royals were in a free fall. Not to cheapen the wins the Royals got this week. They were wins, 62 and 63 which ensures that the Royals will not lose 100 games this season. Woo freaking Hoo! I would have rather had these wins when the Royals were still in the division race. But that is not what was sad about this series. What was sad, was how terrible the Twins were playing.

You see, the Twins are my favorite division rival. I have this perception that out of all the cities in the division Minneapolis is most like Kansas City. They are the most like Kansas City in market size, and from the visiting Twins fans I’ve met at Kauffman Stadium their fan base is similar to us in personality. It seems the Royals and Twins always play close games even though the Royals have a hard time winning a season series against them.

I think my affinity for the Twins as a rival began in 2003 when the Royals were actually competing for the division title. During that time the company I worked for had an office in Minneapolis and the guys there were big Twins fans. It seems we had a wager on every series that year. I even have a favorite game that year: This one. The Royals scored 12 runs in the bottom of the 6th. If you look at the box score you’ll notice it was against good pitching.

In August of that year the Vikings had a pre-season game at Arrowhead the same weekend the Twins had a three game series. Kauffman was invaded from the north with Minneapolis sports fans. I made a sign that said “Circle this Bert” depicting the Royals ahead of the Twins in the standings. I ran all kinds of smack at them when they were there. At the end of the game we smiled and shook hands.

I like the way the Twins organization came to prominence by building from within. The way the Royals are trying to. I enjoyed the Royals beating the Twins this week. But that was not Twins baseball. The team I saw this week looked like a wounded critter looking for a place to die. I guess in a way it was. They’ve had a rough season and the players are probably looking forward to the season being over. I hope the Twins get better this off-season. Next year when the Royals are better, I want them to beat the Twins when the Twins are good too.

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.

Our generation of sports fan has been influenced immensely by the players that can dial it up another notch and perform at a higher level when the spotlight falls directly on their shoulders. Football great Deion Sanders made a career out of it and introduced a nation of sports fans to the term “primetime” in a whole new way.

The St. Louis Cardinals will play tonight against the Colorado Rockies in St. Louis. The game will mark the eleventh time this season that the Cardinals will find themselves aired on ESPN as a featured game. The spotlight has burned bright on the team with only the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies having appeared more times on the national stage. Their Rockies will make their second appearance on the network this season, having lost in Philadelphia on May 18th.

The bright lights of center stage have not treated the Cardinals well, dealing them losses at home against the Padres on March 31, the Giants on June 1, the Phillies on June 22, and the rival Cubs on July 31. They have also lost road games in Chicago to the Cubs on May 11 and New York to the Mets on July 20. They have only managed to win four of the ten games broadcast by the sports network, all of which occurred at home, defeating the Reds on April 24, the Phillies on May 16, the Giants on May 31 and the Reds on July 5. Overall, the Cardinals are 4-6 when featured on the network with all four wins coming at home. Over the course of ten games, while it is a small sample size, we find much of the same story lines that have made up the Cardinals season.

Five different starters have taken the mound this season for the Cardinals in these situations with Jake Westbrook starting in half of them himself. Westbrook’s five starts have resulted in a 2-2 record with one no decision. To his credit, he has one start that lasted six innings of shutout ball and another that was seven innings with only one run crossing the plate for his wins. However, consistency has not been the Cardinals strong point this season and Westbrook has also put up a six inning-four run outing and a two and one third inning-six run debacle in his losses. In his no decision, he would give up three runs over five and a third innings.

Jaime Garcia holds the only other Cardinal victory for the starting rotation, having pitched well in the July 5 game against the Reds. Jaime would only go six innings in that game but would also only surrender one run, strike out four, and walk three gaining his eighth win of the season.

Kyle Lohse is the only other starter that has taken a decision, having taken a heart breaking loss to the Phillies on June 22. Lohse, who holds the best earned run average and longest start of any Cardinals pitcher this year during ESPN games, would go eight innings and surrender three runs and be saddled with his fourth loss of the season as the Cardinals would get shut out 4-0.

The remaining three games would be split between the team’s ace, Chris Carpenter, who started in two of them and the man that has been relocated to the bullpen, Kyle McClellan, who has appeared as a starter and a reliever. Carpenter has pitched well, giving up two runs in each game, one over five innings and the other over seven. While he has not been lights out on national broadcasts, he has been very impressive for a guy that does not get a win in either game. McClellan’s start looks very similar to the majority of his starts this season having lasted six innings and allowing four runs while walking two and striking out two.

The bullpen has not been overly impressive but the also have not been overly disappointing in prime time games on ESPN. Due largely in part to solid performances from closer Fernando Salas and setup man Jason Motte, the bullpen has maintained a good presence when being showcased to the nation.

The offense has not exactly taken to the spotlight for a reason to break out of the funk fans have found it in all season long. Struggling superstars, surprising production elsewhere and mediocre numbers have littered the season and nationally broadcast ESPN games would be no different.

When you are on the big stage, you turn to your big stars to produce. There is little doubt who the big offensive stars of the St. Louis Cardinals are, the combination of Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols have had people talking off and on all season long. The biggest surprise of the season has been Lance Berkman. While his numbers on ESPN games are nothing to be laughed at, they are not quite as dominant as his season would suggest. He has managed a pair of home runs, five runs, five runs batted in, and a .265 batting average to go along with a disappointing 12 strikeouts. Albert Pujols has continued his frustrations in big spots this year and the national spotlight will show no difference. The best hitter in the game has only two extra base hits, both doubles, two runs scored, three runs batted in and an abysmal .207 batting average. The one stat that has seemed to haunt the big slugger this year rears its ugly head here as well, Albert has grounded into four double plays over the ten games in front of the world. Matt Holliday is the saving grace for the powerful trio, having hit .310 with a double, three home runs, seven runs, and eight runs batted in. Holliday went deep twice in the July 5 game with the Cincinnati Reds, driving in four runs in that game alone.

Sometimes, when faced with the big stage, players that are sometimes overlooked due to the stars on the team start to produce at a higher level. Sometimes they follow suit and under-perform themselves. David Freese, who was injured for much of the season during these games, has not been able to seize the opportunity to step out from the shadows a bit and show that he can be the clutch performer the Cardinals expect him to be. In seventeen at bats on ESPN this season, Freese has yet to notch a run batted in or a run scored and is hitting just .235. Yadier Molina has shown a consistent bat throughout this season and has managed to post a .344 batting average in front of the world this season. Add in three runs scored and four runs batted in to go with a home run and Molina seems to be enjoying the attention.

Delving deeper past the players considered to be stars and looking at the supporting staff finds a few guys that are performing well in the spotlight, namely, Ryan Theriot. Theriot has been very impressive on ESPN games this year, posting a .367 batting average while driving in five runs and scoring two more of his own. Meanwhile, his frequent partner in the middle infield Skip Schumaker has shown that he is not afraid of a little attention himself. Skip is hitting .304 during these games with a pair of doubles, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Finally, Jon Jay continues to try to break out of his shell and does well with a .286 batting average and three runs batted in of his own.

Overall, it is time for someone to step into the spotlight and claim their rightful spot in “Primetime” for the St. Louis Cardinals.

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.

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is approaching. The NFL is about to get it’s collective act together open up free agency before training camps open. These two things happening at the same time are going to make the coming week one of the most exciting for sports fans all over the country. Twitter will be busy. So will websites similar to www.flightaware.com. Where, if you know the tail number of your favorite player or general manager’s aircraft you can see where they are flying. I’ve never done this by the way.

It’s ironic that what makes me look forward to this next week doesn’t involve any action on the field in either sport. These battles will be won and lost on the phone, through texts, and in face to face negotiations. And really, we won’t know the winners and losers of many of these battles for several years. It’s a high stakes, high pressure game. And that’s why I’m kind of glad I’m an Arm Chair GM.

All of us are Arm Chair GM’s. If you’ve ever made an opinion about who should be called up, sent down, franchised or traded you know what I’m talking about. Most of us do this every day. Some of us take to Twitter to tell the world what an awesome General Manager we would be, me included. However, I was faced with a certain irony last night while listening to the Royals game.

Many of us, including some very smart baseball people, have been screaming for Johnny Giavotella to be called up to replace Chris Getz at Second Base. Giavotella has been destroying PCL pitching, going .394/.485/.879. Meanwhile, Chris Getz has gone .256/.312/.598. If I take these numbers out of context and slap them beside each other it’s easy to see why this argument is made. But this article is not why Giavotella should be brought up. I just use the situation as an example. Besides Kyle Davies still being in the rotation this seems to be the biggest point of discussion among Royals fans.

This example is no new or unique. It’s happened before. Remember Kila Ka’aihue? Kila destroyed PCL pitching. The cries for him to be on the major league roster went on for a couple years. Yet, Dayton Moore kept in him down in Omaha. He got a cup of coffee in 2008 and did good enough for the rest of us to scream for more. Yet, in 2009 the Royals were Kilaless the entire season while we suffered through the Mike Jacobs experiment. Yet, in late 2010, and early part of this season Kila mostly struggled. Turns out the Royals front office did know what they were talking about.

Not to say front offices don’t deserve criticism. After all, a really good reliever was surrendered for Mike Jacobs. Kyle Davies is still pitching. You don’t have to be a sabrematircian, scout, or “baseball guy” to know these two players are terrible. There is this continual debate among fans of baseball between the “eye test”, and the statistics test. Like most things. The answer is somewhere in the middle. Most of us only see the numbers put up by minor leaguers. On top of that, even if we see video, we’re not watching in real life. And even if we are, most of us are not baseball scouts.

So, remember the next time we’re playing Arm Chair GM, that the front office of our favorite team might have access to better, and more information than we have. But that shouldn’t ever stop us from being an Arm Chair GM.

Most sports fans love to second-guess coaches and managers. We love to do it, especially when things go completely wrong for our team. Dare I say it can be therapeutic to help get over a tough loss by burying the manager’s decision making.

“Had we only done this, we would’ve won.”

It doesn’t happen every time the team losses, and when it does happen, it usually comes down to one or two decisions made in crunch time that completely backfire. But there was one big exception to that rule during the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2010 season, because on April 17^th, “crunch time” lasted 11 innings longer than usual.

Forget the walk-off wins, comebacks, and that oh so glorious mid-August sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. For me, the most memorable game of the season was that crazy, dramatic, exhausting 20 inning loss to the New York Mets.

Tony LaRussa is no stranger to criticism and second-guessing. This is a man who has regularly batted the pitcher eighth in the lineup, rests his best players if his team is in position for to sweep a series, platoons middle-infielders and corner-outfielders like a little league team, and benched All-Star Scott Rolen in the 2006 NLCS, and decided that with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 9^th inning in an All-Star game with his team trailing by 1 run to keep Albert Pujols on the bench “just in case it went into extras.” What?!

But on this day… in this game… LaRussa outdid himself.

Let me set the stage for you. It was a Saturday afternoon, and an epic pitchers’ duel was taking place. Mets ace Johan Santana had shutout the Cardinals through 7 innings, and Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia had held the Mets to just 1 hit. To this point, the Cardinals have all five of their bench players remaining, and all seven of their relief pitchers rested and in the bullpen.

Heading into the top of the 8^th, LaRussa decides he’s seen enough from his young pitcher, and brings in Kyle McClellan to try and keep the Mets at bay. Garcia’s pitch count was up to 97, and he was due to lead off the bottom of the 8^th. It’s an understandable move, probably the right one. LaRussa goes ahead and makes it a double switch, putting Brendan Ryan into the nine-hole, McClellan into the 6-spot in the order, and David Freese comes out of the game. The Cardinals are left with 4 bench players, 6 relievers.

The score remained tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the 9^th. McClellan was due up second in the inning, so naturally LaRussa sends in a pinch-hitter, Nick Stavinoha. He singles up the middle, but that’s immediately wiped out by Felipe Lopez’s inning ending double play. With Stavinoha still 8 spots away from hitting next, LaRussa decides to plug Mitchell Boggs into the game in his place: 6^th in the order. The Cardinals are now down to 3 bench players and 5 relievers as we head into extra innings.

The bottom of the 10^th inning is what really set the stage for all the second-guessing to begin. The Mets bring in left-hander Pedro Feliciano with Colby Rasmus due up first. LaRussa counters with a right-handed batter, Joe Mather. Mather grounds out, but eventually Matt Holliday comes up the bases loaded and 2 outs. He fouls out to the first baseman, sending the game into the 11^th inning. With the pitcher’s spot due up 2^nd in the bottom of the 11^th, LaRussa makes a big gamble, taking Holliday out of the game. After the top half of the 11^th, LaRussa would plug in new reliever Trevor Miller into the cleanup spot, and inserting Allen Craig into the 6^th spot where Boggs was scheduled to bat. So if you’re keeping track, that’s now 1 remaining bench player (rookie catcher Bryan Anderson), and 4 relievers.

In the top of the 12^th, Trevor Miller retires lefty Jose Reyes and is immediately pulled from the game. Say it will me: 1 bench player, 3 relievers, and still no runs for either side. Now Jason Motte is in the game…and consequently in the cleanup spot.

Fast-forward to the bottom of the 12^th, and the Cardinals have 2 on and 2 out with Albert Pujols at the plate. The Mets decide to walk Pujols, and everyone in the stadium is expecting Bryan Anderson to come walking out of the dugout. But it was not to be. LaRussa sent reliever Jason Motte up to the dish, and to his credit, he did foul off a couple pitches, but was eventually overmatched and struck out swinging.

LaRussa keeps Motte in the game to face three more hitters, but yanks him in favor of Dennys Reyes when John Maine reached with no one on and 2 out in the 13^th. One bench player, and now just two relievers remaining.

In the 14^th, LaRussa inexplicably lifts Reyes with no one on and two outs. Blake Hawksworth comes into the game and it looks like things are going to completely unravel. The first two batters he faces reach base, but he manages to get Jason Bay to bounce into a fielder’s choice to end the threat. One bench player, 1 relief pitcher.

The Cardinals looked like they had the game won in the bottom half of the inning: runners at second and third, no one out, and the top of the order coming to bat. But after Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick both struck out, it was decision time again for Tony LaRussa. Albert Pujols watched on as the Mets intentionally walked him for the third straight time, and LaRussa had Blake Hawksworth on deck. With one reliever left in the bullpen, it seemed like it was definitely time to go for the win with Bryan Anderson. In 6 minor league seasons, he hit .294 with 236 RBIs. But Tony decides to let Hawksworth hit for himself…and like Motte, he fails to deliver under the improbable circumstances.

Hawksworth manages to shut the Mets out for 2 more innings, bringing us to the bottom of the 16^th. After Schumaker flied out, Ludwick and Pujols stroke back to back singles…setting the stage for the cleanup spot…again. But with one out this time instead of two, it will at least give the pitcher an opportunity to sacrifice the runners to second and third, right? Wrong. LaRussa decides that now is the time to let Bryan Anderson come off the bench and hit. Not in the 12^th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, not in the 14^th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, but right here in this situation. Stunning. LaRussa admitted after the game that he was saving Anderson in case of an injury/fatigue situation, which is fair, but 1) neither of those options come into play if he delivers a game winning hit, and 2) if that was the case, then why not send Adam Wainwright up to pinch hit and fool the Mets into a situation where maybe he shows bunt, draws back, and slaps the ball through an open hole in the infield. Wainwright is a good hitting pitcher after all, and Hawksworth was coming out of the game regardless with 3 innings under his belt. As it turns out, Bryan Anderson hits into a bizarre inning-ending double play, where the second baseman flips a groundball to the shortstop for a fielder’s choice…who then guns down Ludwick trying to take home all the way from second and catch the infielders napping.

Into the game comes closer Ryan Franklin in the top of the 17^th, and with that, the Cardinals have no one left on the bench… and no relievers in the bullpen. The scoreboard also showed 0-0. Franklin shutout the Mets in the 17^th, but that was all he could give the team coming off a save the night before (remember, this began as a day game, so he had less than 20 hours to rest). The Cardinals went down in order in the bottom half of the inning, and that’s when things got really interesting.

With no other options other than to try and use a starter in relief in week three of the new season, LaRussa sends Felipe Lopez to the mound. In turn, the defense shifts around, and starting pitch Kyle Lohse enters the game to play in left field (also making him the 3^rd pitcher of the game to bat cleanup behind Albert Pujols). Honestly, with as crazy as everything was going and as frustrated as I was watching this game… seeing Lopez on the mound was actually pretty entertaining. I was, after all, just one game out of 162, and most of the Cardinals’ players got a chuckle out of it. Lopez got Henry Blanco to pop out to short… the smiles got bigger. The Mets next batter actually reached on an infield single…but a wild throw to first actually allowed Albert Pujols to throw out the runner as he tried to take second. The crowd went wild…I went wild. It was a great moment in an epic game. The Cardinals were 1 out away from sending a position player to the mound in a tie ballgame and getting away with it. And get away with it, they did. After walking the next batter, Lopez got a fly-out to end the inning.

The Cardinals went down in order again in the bottom half of the inning, setting the stage for Joe Mather to try his hand at pitching. Mather walked Jose Reyes to lead off the inning. Surprisingly, the Mets elected to sacrifice him to second, giving the Cardinals backup outfielder a free out in his first trip to the mound as a big leaguer. After another walk and a hit batter, Jeff Francoeur comes up. He launches a hanging, 55 mile-an-hour pitch into deep left field, missing a homerun by inches…but getting home the game’s first run by way of a sacrifice fly (Kyle Lohse makes the catch). 1-0 Mets, top of the 19^th. After Mather’s third free-pass of the inning, he retired Raul Valdez to end the threat.

The bottom of the 19^th came with yet another chance to second guess Tony LaRussa. Ryan Ludwick leads off the frame with a walk. At this point, the game is more than 5 hours old, the bench and bullpen are depleted, and the Cardinals will send a position player to the mound for a third straight inning if they fail to win the game right here. In other words: they need to go for the win. But LaRussa allows Ludwick to try and steal second base. That’s right, stealing with Albert Pujols at the plate when you need two runs, not just one. Ludwick, not known for his speed, is thrown out. Albert drives the next pitch off the center field wall for a double. Of course he does. Now instead of 2 on with no outs, the Cardinals are left with a runner on second and 1 out. Kyle Lohse, you might recall, is batting cleanup. He grounds out to short… Pujols takes third. Molina comes up as the Cardinals’ final hope. He gets a pitch in on his fists…puts and inside-out swing on the pitch… and wills it just over the outstretched glove of Mets second baseman Luis Castillo. The crowd erupts. Tie game…again. This time, it’s 1-1. Allen Craig strikes out and we head to the twentieth inning.

And that’s when the fun came to an end for the Cardinals.

Joe Mather was able to hold the Mets to just one more run, but that was enough to get the unforgettable 2-1 victory for the Mets.

So take your pick on the second guessing. Was it the liberal use of relievers and pinch hitters in the late innings and early extra innings that gets you? Maybe sending Ryan Ludwick to steal second base in the 19^th inning with Albert Pujols at the plate? How about making a double-switch involving cleanup hitter Matt Holliday, opening the door for three pitchers and a rookie catcher to provide “protection” for Albert Pujols.

How about all of the above.