TOWER GROVE — A fascinating vote is underway today at MLB.com and around its 30 official sites, as the numerologists there have some fun with today’s date — Sept. 9, 2009 — and the statistically rich number of spots in a batting order. Mentioned this in today’s 10@10, but it’s too cool of a project not to take a look at deeper.

Especially, when you consider some of the seasons up for a vote.

Inspired by the…

JUPITER, Fla. — They’re calling it a campaign that focuses on a few “rising stars”, and representatives from Rawlings have made several surgical strikes into the Grapefruit League to film the four players selected to appear in docu-commercials. This morning, they visited Camp Cardinals.

Catcher Yadier Molina is one of the four. Have Gold Glove, will shine.

“His reaction upon receiving his first Gold Glove was really something that stood out,” said Lindsey Naber, a brand manager with…

TOWER GROVE — As I waded through various research projects this offseason, a fluke of clutter provided a jolt of inspiration. There, nosed up against one another in the flotsam of loose and scattered legal pads and books, was my scorecard from Opening Day 2001 at Coors Field and a Cardinals encyclopedia-of-sorts opened to Rogers Hornsby’s page.

As a sidebar jockey for The Rocky Mountain News in 2001, I was at Coors Field to cover Mike Hampton’s brilliant debut…

TOWER GROVE — Newest first-ballot Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson will speed into Cooperstown as the all-time man of steal (no one is close), the all-time leader in runs scored (the chief goal of the game) and arguably the finest leadoff hitter in history. He will not however reach the Hall as the best single-season power hitter of the rarest breed of ballplayer — the bats-right, throws-left big leaguer.

Ryan Ludwick saw to that.

This afternoon’s announcement that Henderson…

TOWER GROVE — The community ranking of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects takes up a lot of time and many entries during its run, leaving so many things unanswered or unexplored. With the end of the Bird Land Community Top 30 coming last week, the blog is freed up for that sprint toward Valentine’s Day and the moment pitchers/catchers report.

But before Jupiter — a mere month away — there are some loose ends…

DOWNTOWN — With National League MVP Albert Pujols topping the charts with a $175 autograph fee, the St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon the schedule and cost for the annual autograph pell mell that is Winter Warmup in downtown St. Louis. A total of 81 former or current Cardinals are schedule to attend the autograph sessions that are the headline event at the three-day fanfest, January 17-19.

Admission passes for the event are $40 for adults, $10…

TOWER GROVE — The list of players offered arbitration is in, with 24 free agents getting the notice from their former teams and not one St. Louis Cardinal. While the deadline revealed more about who won’t be a Cardinal in 2009 than who will be, the list of players not offered arbitration will expand the Cardinals’ shopping list.

Houston opted not to give Randy Wolf an arbitration offer and the Astros, with Mike Hampton on the way,…

TOWER GROVE — After more than 8,500 votes, 173 comments, dozens of spin-off threads, a few lively exchanges over at the Facebook page, and the hours of one talented Post-Dispatch illustrator, it is time to unveil the monument that you helped chisel:

The St. Louis Cardinals Mount Rushmore.

Back during the limbo between playoff series, Bird Land asked the simple question: What four members from Cardinals’ history would you carve into a Mount Rushmore of the franchise? We…

TOWER GROVE — When I found myself trying to decide between Miguel Batista and Aaron Cook as my No. 5 starter while others were wondering if Cy Young or Steve Carlton would fill out their rotation or whether Randy Johnson has a place in their bullpen, I knew I was out of my league.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have Opening Day of the Seamheads.com Historical Baseball League. Bill James’ all-time Boston Red Sox roster will face Curt…

TOWER GROVE — Former Cardinal Joe Torre, a Hall of Fame manager by any stretch of the definition, is one of 10 former players announced this afternoon as finalists for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the new veterans’ selection process.

Cooperstown announced the list Tuesday, and the 10 finalists will be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction in July 2009. They will need to get 75 percent of the vote from…

DOWNTOWN — Back in my early days at the P-D covering hockey, the selection of the “Three Stars” at each game was, loosely, my responsibility. Toward the end of the game, a quick straw poll was taken of the other writers in the box. Sometimes the selections were obvious. Sometimes they weren’t. Sometimes they drew compliments. A few times they sparked debate. My name was on the box score, so I took it seriously.

(Ask Chris Kerber…

JUPITER, Fla. — A year ago at the Civil Rights Game, a Cardinals fan — a man Adam Wainwright knew only through his father — approached the Cardinals righthander about giving him a gift. He wanted him to have a baseball, a prized ball, one of two he owned.

It was signed by Johnny Sain.

The phrase scrawled in Sain’s handwriting near his autograph says it all:

“First to pitch to Jackie Robinson. Last to pitch to Babe Ruth.”

“I…

JUPITER, Fla. — Todd Wellemeyer scored the 1 o’clock start, but the other two righthanders competing for a spot in the rotation set the tone for the day early. Mike Parisi and Brad Thompson both pitched well in the intrasquad scrimmage, combining with Russ Springer to throw a shutout.

At least according to the unofficial scoring.

Not that the score was the reason for their pickup starts.

“They had reasons for being out there,” pitching coach Dave Duncan…

JUPITER, Fla. — On the first day the sliding drill appeared at spring training and Hall of Fame base thief Lou Brock strolled onto the Cardinals campus, the club is still waiting to see if the stolen base shows up as an option for this season.

Last season, the Cardinals stole the third-fewest bases in the majors — 56, or only Yadier Molina’s one ahead of the San Diego Padres in the National League. Two players…

MURPHY PARK — At the urban baseball field that now bears his name, Cardinals’ Hall of Famer Lou Brock told the gathered kids this morning that he was once like them. He was once “introverted”, sitting there on the other side of the fence, shy and hesistant.

He watched others do until he decided do something, too.

“Once I was sitting behind a fence,” Brock said. “I was 7 years old. I was in ninth grade once….