TOWER GROVE — The new St. Louis Cardinals hybrid fielder, Mark DeRosa, once wrote on his blog, “The Pulse”, that he was “the glue” of a team, “the bell curve,” the guy who could easily float from the elites at the top of a team’s food chain to the newcomer, just out of the taxi from the minors.

This was abundantly clear with the Chicago Cubs, was starting to happen with the Cleveland Indians, and won’t take long for him to assume that role with the Cardinals.

Before he ever took a swing as a Cardinal on Sunday, he was already exchanging laughs with a few of his teammates about the grin Jason Motte flashed him after a pitch a few weeks ago in Cleveland or what Chris Carpenter’s reaction might be like to having the guy who hit a home run off him now a teammate. Look no further than the comments multi-media magnate Bernie Miklasz harvested today for his column on DeRosa and the message sent by his acquisition.

DeRosa’s locker in the Cleveland clubhouse was on the far side as you entered from the main entrance. A few weeks ago, with the Cardinals in town, I approached DeRosa to talk about the reports swirling around him. It’s rare that a player and a reporter can dispense with the usual rumor poker and talk about a trade that seems so inevitable and a landing spot that seems so obvious. He’d heard the Cardinals were in the market for a player like him and he’d heard his name attached to the Cardinals — nothing official of course. And, sure, he’d thought about what it would be like after “playing against the Cardinals and knowing what they’re about for these past couple years.” But he didn’t want such thoughts to cloud his role with the Indians.

The 34-year-old infielder/outfielder doesn’t have the usual career curve. He played baseball and quarterback for the University of Pennsylvania, and he has a degree from the Wharton School of Business. He joked that he checks his Ivy League education at the clubhouse door, but it still comes through in his interviews. He was 31 when he had his first season of at least 400 plate appearances, and at 33 he had his career year but not without a fear first. Back in spring 2008, he had be rushed from the ballpark to the hospital because of an irregular heartbeat. The irregularity led to heart surgery that spring, but he recovered quickly and returned to set career highs with 21 homers and 87 RBIs for the Cubs. The surgery was the inspiration for his new-to-scene nickname, “Pulse”, and the name of the blog he kept last season for MLB.com. (It appears to have been erased.)

In his blog, he would sometimes interview teammates. Back a few weeks ago, he took some time after talking about the trade rumors to field The P-DQ. Seems like a good one to start off with as we dust off this Bird Land feature just in time for the rapidly approaching 80th All-Star Game.

***

Advice from a parent that stays with you …

My parents always used to say before you get upset about a comment someone makes, look at the person who is making the comment and see if it should bother you. That’s always stuck with me.

A memorable Christmas or holiday gift you received is …

A Doug Flutie Boston College jersey.

The word or phrase you use too often?

“I’m tired.”

Your favorite superhero?

Superman.

Best baseball movie?

“The Natural”

What is your greatest achievement?

My kid, Gabriella. She’s 5.

Your current state of mind?

Good. Good.

Your greatest extravagance or indulgence?

My golf club membership. That’s my indulgence.

Your favorite ballplayer growing up?

Don Mattingly.

First car?

Mazda 323. It was red.

Current car?

The S-63 Mercedes.

The place you’ve got to visit before you die is …

Italy. My parents have been a couple times. I’ve never been.

Who would be in your Fave Five?

Troy Aikman. Jon Bon Jovi. Bono. Obviously, my wife. Tiger Woods.

What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?

Probably a song from “High School Musical”.

The movie you’ll stop to watch whenever it comes on is …

“Hoosiers”.

Do you sing in the shower or in the car?

Everywhere. I sing everywhere.

You know you’re in the minors when …

You’re sleeping on a blow-up mattress and you’ve got a fan blowing in your face that’s hoisted up by a cinder block.

What is your greatest fear?

I don’t like flying.

What is your treasured possession?

Beside my kid I don’t have anything I couldn’t do without.

I tune out when people talk about …

My swing. My baseball swing. Everybody tells me what I’m doing wrong.

What do you value in a teammate?

I value the getting same thing everyday — consistency.

***

Previous P-DQs: Adam Wainwright … CC Sabathia … Skip Schumaker … David Wright … Brian Barton … Ryan Ludwick. … Ryan Franklin. … Brad Lidge … Chris Carpenter. … Brandon Phillips. … Todd Wellemeyer. … Dustin Pedroia. … Jason Isringhausen. … Chris Perez. … Matt Capps. … Evan Longoria. … Brian Barden. … Joe Thurston.

-30-