DENVER — Not too far from where Coors Field is now, just down the Boulder Turnpike headed toward Boulder Valley and the mountains is the “Scenic Overlook” that was a landmark of my youth. It’s a quick pull off Highway 36 and it offers a panaromic view of the signature Flatirons and the valley.

It’s also high enough to be one of several places you could tune in KMOX.

Had the phrase existed years ago…

DOWNTOWN – Not too often the Cardinals wake up on the last day of April with a chance to make a little franchise history. But that’s the case today.

The Cardinals won their 17th game of April last night against the Reds. It came in a 7-2 victory that saw manager Tony La Russa tinker just enough with his lineup to add depth of power and watch it work. That win tied a franchise record for…

SOUTH GRAND — Starting with a possible trade partner that probably doesn’t have what the Cardinals are looking for and ending with a question about the chances of a fan-favorite outfielder trying on an infielder’s glove, this week’s edition of the mailbag is loaded with all manner of things middle infield.

Oh, and there is also an advocacy of a four-man rotation.

Reliever Russ Springer is back. Rico Washington gave everyone a great story. And…

TOWER GROVE — As if being etched into the Cardinals’ future as their undisputed No. 1 prospect wasn’t enough, now Colby Rasmus’ potential as a big leaguer is being burned into his bats.

Venerable bat-maker Louisville Slugger announced this morning the signing of 10 players to bat contracts, and there listed among the likes of rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia, (should have been rookie of the year) Troy Tulowitzki, and Chris Duncan’s brother Shelley Duncan is the…

DOWNTOWN — After the blog entry earlier this month about Stan Musial’s “lost” home run and possible rained-out Triple Crown, an army of eager researchers joined the quest for documenting the existence of the weather-erased homer or bust this local myth. My inbox was loaded with tips, suggestions, information, questions (did I think to check the New York papers?), offers to help and links. Many, many links.

And then, one day, I received this email…

DOWNTOWN — In the eighth inning of a rather usual July game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen stepped into the box and faced Bucs lefty Joe Beimel. Isringhausen had come in to close out what was a 9-6 ballgame, but a turn of the lineup had put a bat in his hand with the bases loaded.

So, naturally he ripped a triple, and the box score reads: 

Rolen Scores; Renteria Scores; Matheny…

GRAND CENTER — Settling in here at the FSN Midwest studios (read: Channel 9), and an early-game excerise, courtesy of producer Max Leinwand, is inspired by the 75th anniversary of prohibition’s repeal. What Major League Baseball rule, Leinwand wonders, should be repealed. Soberly, of course.

Some initial suggestions:

• The designated hitter.
• The All-Star Game determining home-field advantage in World Series.
• The Division Series being a best-of-five.

Any others? Tal’s Hill, maybe?

One that has been discussed on the blog and around the…

TOWER GROVE — Manager Tony La Russa did not bemoan his team’s lost five runs or even the possibility that rain washed away a potential victory for the Cardinals on Monday night. Nor did Albert Pujols seem particularly miffed that weather stole a solo home run from him. It happens, both said. Rules of the game, they said.

Mother Nature is an unforgiving official scorer.

Ask The Man.

In 1948, Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial…

JUPITER, Fla. — The news that George Kissell was making a visit to Roger Dean Stadium this past week, prompted a quick Google search just to see what, if anything, Kissell had been up to recently. It was while Googling that I came upon this quote from Kissell, which ran in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

“As far as consistency and durability goes, (Albert Pujols) has been like a righthanded Stan Musial,” longtime Cardinals coach and instructor…

JUPITER, Fla. — As manager Tony La Russa was quick to point out the other day when asked about his team’s annual difficulty against lefthanded pitchers, it’s going to take more than Troy Glaus to turn that trend around.

Ryan Ludwick, for example.

As discussed in a lineup posting earlier this spring here at the B-Land blog, the Cardinals seem to have the bats on hand to make a difference in their performance against lefties this…