I like the mantra of cycle the puck that the Blues kids have going.

Thanks JR for the mini interview of the future franchise players. Roger thanks for posting it.

First of all I really enjoyed DG, Bernie, Joe and the Commish’s take on what you all think the Cards next priority should be. You all should huddle around more often in this kind of forum. You need to get Gordo in their with you though. I really enjoy all of you guys. St. Louis is blessed to have such a great group of sportswriters that you all are. Now with that said I will give you my opinion. With all the greatest, utmost respect to?????…;>) Bernie and the Commish, my heart leans toward Joe and DG for a starting pitcher…but, only if it is a bonafied #1/2 guy. The Cards put up some good team numbers offensively last year even with an unproctive lower third batting order and everyone pitching around Pujols. IMO the starters contributed to a bullpen meltdown because they could not get past the sixth inning most of the time. The bullpen has taken most of the heat for that meltdown, but if Carp alone had been in there all year the bullpen would have had that much more gas all year. I’d love to see an upgrade at 2nd in the likes of Hudson and as we all very well know it is needed. But like I said, my heart leaned toward pitching like it usually always will. The split differences of opinion between four of the best qualifed people to pass judgment simply tells that like a stove having two front burners to place the priority dishes up front the Cards have two more dish issues to deal with that require those two front burners. ;>) Thanks guys! This was fun!

I love watching those kids on the same line! While the offense is fun to watch, the D may be just as good. These kids are just as hungry to keep pucks out of the net as to put them in.

I can’t wait to see the Baby Blues line…there is a ton of potential for that line to hold the puck in all night. Perron and Berglund are showing lots of ability to play the possession game…TJ rounds that line out well.

Great article, especially the interviews with the new kid line.

I go with the starting pitching. One can never have enough. At best, Carp will not be available beginning in April. Last year, Cardinal starters had 50 games with 5.0 innings or less. That stresses even the deepest pen. An essential is another innings eater. Cardinals could go with a platoon of Miles, Ryan, (Freese ?) etc at second. Preferable to add Felipe. Can’t get by with another season of hope, and a mix of Parisi, Boggs, etc– especially if we lose Looper to free agency. Right now, we have Wainwright, Wellemeyer, Lohse, Piniero and hope Carp returns. That doesn’t cut it.

Hyperventilating prospect geeks? Why is it Joe always so belittling of the farm system????

Here’s a thought. To me, the Cardinals need another starting pitcher just as bad as we need an upgrade at second base. Why can’t we just say that the two positions share a co-priority status and merge the two into one big priority? I do like the thought of the Cards signing Orlando Hudson but I don’t relish losing our first round first year draft pick. My reason? It’s simple. You NEVER know whom you are losing. He could be the next Mitchell Boggs or Brett Wallace or Skip Schumaker. So for that very reason I would like to see Mr. Mozeliak explore the trade market before he explores the free agent market to fill these very important needs. On my secondary need list would be a closer. I do not relish the thought of Kerry Wood in Cardinal Red. He’s too much of a risk to take - too injury prone. Instead, I really would like to see Trevor Hoffman signed to be our closer. True, the future HOF’er is very near the end of his career but can still get the job done. Plus, he would be a priceless asset for Chris Perez and Jason Motte. Last, He (Hoffman) might be had cheaper now that we have his ex-teammate Khalil Greene at shortstop.

I’m tired of the Cards messing around! I’m tired of them going after pitchers Dunc might be able to squeeze 10 wins out of. Open De’wallet (thanks Bernie) and GO FOR IT!!!. C.C. Sabathia. He’s pitched in the Comedy Central, he knows that St. Louis is a great baseball town. Face it, Carp will never pitch again! They need to go after some big names. Pujols can’t do it by himself.

Hey rich on stat of the day, the Saints are 6-6 what would Brees do for the Chargers that Rivers isn’t doing. Rivers has 2 more touchdowns and 4 fewer Interceptions, this all throwing about 100 times less then Brees. SO do a little more research before you make these dumb comments, you are a sports journalist after all.

why is the Cards ticket prices are right at hte top, but their payroll is below middle? The Cards are milking this town to death

This shouldn’t even be a question. We need starting pitching and bullpen help before ANYTHING. Second base should be an afterthought, at this point. Without the pitching, we’ll be sitting here next October watching the Brewers and Cubs fight it out for another futile playoff run.

The Blues have not hand a decent “cycle” in years. The last Blues line that cycled the puck properly was Handzus, Demitra, Bartecko (the Slovak line). Those boy had it down, and were fun to watch. I hope these kids can come close. The team the Blues have had on the ice is hard to watch. They couldn’t control the puck if it were Tina and they were Ike. If these kids don’t come through within two or three years…say goodbye to hockey in St. Louis.

Mr. Becota,

You make some valid points, but one can make the numbers say whatever one would like. Brees not only has passed for about 600 more yards than Rivers, but he also has a higher completion percentage (66 to 64), and as far as the INTs, because Brees throws more that raw number would be expected to be higher… though the two are very quite similar there with Brees throwing a pick about once every 34 attempts and Rivers once every 38 attempts. My point wasn’t really to compare Rivers to Brees, though I think Brees is the better QB because he does more with less talent around him. Still, the comparison wasn’t my point and in re-reading my post I didn’t make that clear. What I should have said is “do you think the Chargers regret letting Brees get away for nothing.” They had a franchise QB but rather than trade him and get anything, they let Brees walk away as a free agent only to continue his Pro Bowl performances. That’s a big loss. But I agree with you that Rivers is a very nice young QB.

I love the concept of the watercooler, that is, having several sportswriters offer their views and letting the readers compare the opinions. It’s a great way to see several angles of a single issue at one sitting. Also, thanks in general for the outstanding coverage provided. As a Cardinals fan living in the San Diego area, I check the P-D’s coverage daily. The age of the Internet sure beats the old days!

I’ve got to give full credit for the Watercooler idea to Cards writer Derrick Goold. I asked a number of my writers for ideas on things to do with the new Round Two blog, and it was Derrick that suggested having a number of writers weigh in on a subject. And so far it’s worked pretty well. Just want to make sure I give credit where credit is due.

Nice overview of the Cards’ needs, guys. There was, however, a bit of hyperbolic hyperventilatin’ from Mr. Strauss; I mean, comparing the prospective ‘09 rotation to that of 2007!?!

On Opening Day 2007, the Card rotation (Carp, Wainwright, Looper, Reyes, & Wells) contained exactly ONE guy who’d thrown more than 85 innings the year before. Even the “sixth starter”, Brad Thompson, only threw 57 innings in 2006. The 2009 Redbird rotation looks like the ‘54 Indians by comparison (ask your grandfather).

Moreover, in 2009, the Cards have multiple in-house options should Carp be unready come April. I’m talking about a pair of young starting pitchers who’ve each (1)had some success in AAA, (2)pitched more than 30 innings per month in both 2007 and 2008 without any breakdowns, and (3)been projected by presumably objective analysis (the highly-regarded ZiPS prediction system of baseball brainiacwonknerd Dan Szymborski) to post ERAs in 2009 just slightly higher than Braden Looper.

The pitchers I’m referring to are Jess Todd–who flew through the minors in one season, and posted a solid sub-4.00 ERA in AAA, after making the AA All-Star team with a 2.97 ERA–and P.J. Walters, who despite velocity doubters managed to strike out 122 batters in 122 AAA innings.

These two are younger than Mitch Boggs, and much younger than Mike Parisi. They are real prospects, with real talent, and if Carp is unready to go on Opening Day, either one would likely do a fine job at the back of the rotation.

First, another bullpen southpaw–someone more dominant than the just OK Trever Miller. (Rhodes will do.)

Then a 2nd baseman who can field *and* hit.

Then, if there’s dough left over, go for another starter. It’s a luxury more than necessity–because unlike the past several years, there really *are* multiple talented in-house guys to promote.

ERA is stupid.

Super job with this blog, Derrick. I honestly feel like McClellan should be given a shot. I know the big question with him, or other prospects in the system is: how many innings would they be able to deliver? The thought of going after “low-hanging fruit” makes my stomach queasy. If we’re going to make a splash, we need to go after a horse.

As for several of you commenting on Drew Brees. The difference between Brees and Rivers is, Brees is a leader. Brees is able to sustain drives, while Rivers is inconsistent at best. As for the Chargers letting Brees go? This is the same GM that fired Marty Schottenheimer following a 14-2 season and a trip to the AFC Championship game. How many coaches have been fired for that type of season? One, Marty. The Chargers would’ve gotten to the Super Bowl had they kept Brees around, instead of playing the rookie, Rivers.

I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want my team to do what the Yankees do. This was a silly assertion. I could go and be a Yankees fan any time I wanted to, thereby making myself into a fan of a team that can spend, spend, spend. If I liked that approach, I would be a Yankees fan. A large part of the reason that I am NOT a Yankees fan is because of the way the team spends money–it violates my sense of fair play. If I were a Yankees fan, I couldn’t help but feel that a World Series trophy was just a bit tainted. The point isn’t that the Yankees spend big money–it’s that they can, and do, spend so much that other teams have no hope of competing for the top free agents. Case in point is CC Sabathia. The Yanks came out of the gate with such a huge salary offer for Sabathia that nearly every other team in the game can’t come close to matching it. Not only that, but they artificially inflate the market for the top tier free agents, if not all free agents. The Steinbrenners have made it sound like they are determined to get two of the top free agent starters on the market this year. To do so, they will throw far more money and years at them than most other teams can manage. They know they are raising the salary requirements to a level that most teams can’t afford and that’s deliberate. It seems that whether a player is actually worth that much money/years is secondary to putting the player out of everyone else’s reach. Thank heavens for free will and the fact that not every player wants to play in New York, regardless of the salary offered! I, and many other baseball fans, actually think it’s really cool when a low-budget team can win it all by using really good scouting and player development. That’s special. There isn’t much that’s special about writing a big check.