QUESTION: The Blues are really struggling to win games and coach Andy Murray got the dreaded “vote of confidence” from owner Dave Checketts last week. Murray obviously did a great job getting this team to play well down the stretch last year to make a run to the playoffs, but do you believe he can take this current team to the next level?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD

Andy Murray proved last season that he could be a successful coach with this roster, taking the Blues from 15th place in the West to sixth place in two months time. However, what management wants to see is a “complete” season from a Murray-coached team.

It’s unfair to look back at the 2006-07 season because Murray didn’t arrive until Dec. 12, 2006. But let’s look at the last three seasons:

2007-08: 22-14-5 (49 points) in first half of season . . . 11-22-8 (30 points) in second half

2008-09: 16-22-3 (35 points) in first half of season . . . 25-9-7 (57 points) in second half.

2009-10: 6-8-4 (16 points) through 18 games . . .

There is no rhyme or reason as to why Murray’s teams are good for a half and bad for a half. Before he can coach the Blues to the “next level,” there has to be more consistency throughout the regular season.

JEFF GORDON

Right now Murray’s program has stalled out. So, at the moment, he doesn’t look like the right coach to move the program forward. He has to change that perception ASAP. This is one of those critical points that pop up from time to time in a coaching regime. If this team doesn’t produce a nice five- or six-game winning streak pretty soon, John Davidson will have to change things up. The veteran players are failing Murray at the offensive end — and such players are almost impossible to move in the salary cap era of the NHL. With rosters so difficult to overhaul these days, that really puts the pressure on coaches. That’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.

DAN O’NEILL

I don’t think Andy Murray will have any trouble taking this team to the next level, as long as David Backes (31 goals last season) scores more than once this season, as long as T. J. Oshie scores more than twice, as long as Paul Kariya gets another point – he hasn’t in 10 games, as long as Brad Boyes gets back the pace he’s shown the past couple of seasons, as long as Erik Johnson contributes more than one goal this season.

According to the most recent NHL stats, Murray hasn’t had a shot on goal all season. Only four teams in the league have a smaller goals-against average per game than the Blues’ average of 2.5. Coaching isn’t the problem.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)

At times Andy Murray can be his own worst enemy. If Murray is going to have a chance to take this team to the next level he’s going to have to make some adjustments, most importantly how he runs his bench. A wise hockey man once told me every coach has a shelf life and it doesn’t take long before fatigue and illness sets in with a coach. Fatigue and illness kicks in when management gets sick and tired of the coach. Are we there yet? Coaches get fired, it’s a way of life. Maybe the biggest issue with Murray is that he focuses way too much on the opposition during a hockey game. Sometimes it’s just best to pay more attention to your own team and force the opponent to react to what you do. At the end of the day you have to win to keep your job and if Dave Checketts is serious with the words he said last week, then Murray better kick it in high gear before it’s too late. Same goes with the players who most definitely have yet to live up to their end of the bargain. The fact the Blues picked up Murray’s option certainly works in his favor. The Blues do not want to be in a position where they’re paying two coaches. If the teams doesn’t start winning they may not have a choice. The Blues will let this thing breathe for a few more weeks before they rush into any major shakeup.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Last season’s late playoff push got Blues fans excited in a major way for this season. Then there was the dramatic trip to Sweden that brought two victories over the Red Wings. Lost in the excitement is the underlying fact that the Blues are still young and relatively inexperienced. Do you think fan expecations for this team are too high right now?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
This is a tough call, but, yes, expectations are probably too high. You have to look at what those expectations are based on: a playoff appearance last year, the potential of young players like T.J Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund, and the return of injured players like Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson. Although the Blues deserve a ton of credit for their second half, and they were in every playoff game against Vancouver, the postseason ended in a sweep. Moving on, no one can guarantee the youngsters will turn into the stars most think they will be. And meanwhile, Kariya and Johnson have some rust to knock off. The Blues should be a playoff team and those expectations are legitimate, but some folks have the incorrect impression that they should be a dominant club right out of the hop.

JEFF GORDON
With the return of Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya and the addition of Ty Conklin and Darryl Sydor, this team has an excellent talent base. I like this mix of young players and battle-tested veterans. This team has experience, leadership AND young legs. There are several helpful players at Peoria, too, which protects this team from major injury concerns. For a big chunk of Thursday’s game, we saw, again, what this team is capable of.

DAN O’NEILL
There is no question that fan expectation is too high right now. It’s simple mathematics. The fans expect the Blues to be a playoff team, maybe even one that goes deep into postseason play. In contrast, the Blues have won two of their first five games, a pace that definitely will not make the playoffs. So, you have a square peg and a round hole. But it is five games into the season, much too early to judge the Blues as underachievers. Players like Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya need time to find their game after missing an entire year. T.J. Oshie, Brad Boyes and David Backes are not rolling yet. Give it time.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
When you win expectations are increased. It’s a fact of life. There is no reason for Blues fans not to have placed heavy expectations on this club heading into the season. The Blues as an organization earned high expectations with their performance last season. It’s a new world for the Blues regime and this hockey team. No longer are the Blues able to rest on the idea that they are rebuilding. Keith Tkachuk told me prior to the season the team expects to contend. I’m not ready to categorize them as a Cup contender just yet, but if they were to fail to make the playoffs it would be a drastic step in the wrong direction. The Blues should be held to a high standard because they have good players and coaches they can win with. It’s perfectly acceptable for fans to expect this team to win a fair amount of hockey games. The days of the  Blues being just a feel-good story are in the rearview mirror.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Last week at this time hope sprang eternal as the Blues were about to kick off their first postseason series since 2004. One week later the team finds itself in a 3-0 hole facing Vancouver tonight in an elimination game. Has anything that has transpired in the past week changed your thoughts on this team overall? Have the playoffs revealed any major areas of need that the return of injured players next season cannot resolve?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Even though I predicted the Blues to win the series, I don’t think any differently about this team than I did a week ago. Vancouver has played great hockey and the Canuck players, with a ton of pressure on them, have silenced their critics. Meanwhile, no one could have predicted the Blues special teams would collapse and that’s what has happened. The one glaring hole on the Blues side has been their ineffectiveness to get the puck out of the zone. You can see by watching Vancouver how important good transition is. Next year, Erik johnson will be a big lift in that area.

JEFF GORDON
The big Blues weakness is the lack of offense on defense. This team lacks scoring threats from the point. The Blue seldom make the home-run outlet pass and rushing the puck out of their zone against good fore-checking is difficult. The return of Erik Johnson will help fix this. If Eric Brewer makes it back from his neck injury, that will help too. So will the development of 2008 top pick Alex Pietrangelo.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Coming in, I saw this series as a bonus, a chance for the Blues kids to get their feet wet in the postseason, but not much else. Vancouver was a hot team and just a bad matchup. This was not a Blues team that had the look of one making a long postseason run. So T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund and David Backes and all those guys can get the feel for the postseason and get those jitters out of the way. Next year, if they make the playoffs, it will be familiar for them. Better to have the team do an early playoff exit this year than next year, when the team should be substantially better. The Canucks series hasn’t changed my thoughts on the team, but reinforced them: This is a young inexperienced team that needs to learn some lessons. They are being learned.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
After they closed out the regular season on such a strong note I thought for sure the Blues would make a strong showing in this series. The frustrating thing is that this young team hasn’t played nearly as well as it can and yet the club has still been right there in every game. Close but no cigar.

What this series has done is put a spotlight on something most people following the Blues have talked about for a couple of years now — they don’t have enough skilled, puck-moving defensemen. That will eventually change with the return of Erik Johnson and the development of Alex Pietrangelo, but for now it’s just not there.

With a little more maturity and development from the young guys, and clean bills of health for EJ and Paul Kariya, the Blues should be just fine going forward. I don’t see any “major” areas of weakness going forward, just areas that will improve with time and experience.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
We all know the Blues have been a great story here in 2009. It wasn’t too long ago that nobody, including the media, cared about pucks. So at the very least the Blues have put themselves back on the map in terms of relevance and there’s something to be said for that. The reality is the regular season is done and a new season has begun.

This is not the time to sit around and pat the Blues on the back for taking the city on a joyful 12-week ride. That time will come once the club has cleaned out their stalls. In the meantime the Blues have been disappointing to date in the playoffs. This doesn’t mean we turn our backs on what took place during the regular season. The goal in the playoffs though is to win and the Blues haven’t gotten the job done. The Canucks have more players on their bench who have elevated their game this series compared to St. Louis.

Sure having Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya would help, that’s obvious, but the Blues — in my opinion — don’t have enough natural scoring and that area could use some upgrading. The defense has been exposed for what it is and will be better adding Johnson, Eric Brewer, and potentially Alex Pietrangelo. In reality this is a learning process for the Blues and this playoff experience will only help them moving forward. In the meantime Blues fans deserve better than what they’ve seen this playoff series.

A look at one Vancouver columnist’s take on Game 1:

By Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun

Horns and rock music blared outside the arena an hour before faceoff. There was a deafening ovation when the Vancouver Canucks skated on to the ice and a choir of 18,000 belted out O Canada.

It was a playoff atmosphere and playoff hockey. Game 1 playoff hockey. The Vancouver Canucks beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 to open the Stanley Cup tournament.

“You can’t beat this,” former Blue Ryan Johnson said after his first playoff game in Vancouver. “When I came out before the game and everyone was standing and waving towels, I said to myself: This is why you play the game, right here.”

The Canucks looked nervous at the start, overwound at times and occasionally undisciplined. And they were the more “experienced” playoff team, as 11 of 18 skaters on the Blues had never set foot in the National Hockey League playoffs until Wednesday.

Friday, they’ll double their playoff experience in Game 2, trailing 1-0.

The Canucks got better as the game went on, dominated the third period and won 2-1 to move within 15 wins of the Stanley Cup.

Okay, let’s not get carried away. The Canucks did what they had to do, making the Blues’ young stars disappear, limiting St. Louis scoring chances and surviving seven disadvantages well enough to win.

“It’s hard work and winning one-on-one battles,” Canuck Henrik Sedin said. “I thought we played really well. You always like to start well in the playoffs. You get on a roll. . . and we know what confidence can do.”

The process hardly matters now. After listening to daily sermons from coaches all season about systems and execution and preparedness, the process is suddenly secondary to the score. Just win.

There are no points for beauty, no pictures on the scorecard. Doesn’t matter how or by how much. Doesn’t matter whether it was earned or stolen. Just win. Worry about the flaws another day.

The Canucks can play a lot better than they did Wednesday. So, too, it’s safe to say, can the Blues.

The St. Louis organization, in the post-season for the first time since 2004, has been reborn under coach Andy Murray and president John Davidson. But the baby Blues weren’t very good in Game 1.

David Backes was dropped from the first line, replaced by veteran warhorse Keith Tkachuk. T.J. Oshie had only fleeting glimpses of the flair he displayed against the Canucks two weeks ago. Patrik Berglund was invisible, and so was David Perron except when he was taking penalties.

As St. Louis pressed in the final minute for a tying goal, still only one down because netminder Chris Mason elevated his game in the final period, it was the more experienced Blues who were on the ice: Tkachuk, Andy McDonald, Brad Boyes and Alex Steen.

The Canucks were better. Henrik and Daniel Sedin were able to create chances with Alex Burrows. Ryan Kesler was effective. Pavol Demitra and Kyle Wellwood delivered body checks. On purpose.

The Canuck defence was solid and unspectacular, as usual. Mats Sundin was terrible, but that happens some nights. Maybe he’ll be great on Friday.

“It’s not pretty, but we get a lot of wins playing this way,” Wellwood said. “It’s just nice that we played well. We didn’t have to rely too much on Louie. Our style is to play good defensively.”

Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 25 of 26 shots, but except for a couple of power-play saves against McDonald, was not required to be spectacular. He did, however, have to be alert.

On their first shift, Canuck defencemen Shane O’Brien and Kevin Bieksa, without pressure, managed to squeeze the puck dangerously across the Vancouver goalmouth.

That was indicative of the jitters coursing through players on both teams in the playoff-opener. Even the referees looked nervous, as veteran Dan O’Halloran and junior partner Chris Lee seemed determined to put their stamp on the game. There were 13 power plays.

The Blues scored on one of their seven, but were blanked during a two-man advantage that lasted 1:39 in the first period. Canuck Ryan Kesler blocked a pair of shots by Brad Boyes.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Kesler said.

Mission accomplished. Hopefully that slogan won’t haunt the Canucks the way it did George Bush.

“It’s going to be a tough series,” Henrik Sedin said. “It’s 1-0. Nothing’s over.”

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blues were still sitting in 15th place in the Western Conference as recently as early February. How remarkable was this team’s ascent to the No. 6 seed in the playoffs and what were the keys to getting it done?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
To go from No. 15 in the Western Conference to No. 6 in exactly two months (Feb. 12-April 12) is absolutely astonishing. Here’s how they did it:

• Still on the outside looking in heading into their game March 20 against Calgary, the Blues won 3-2 over the Flames with a strong third period, igniting a 9-1-1 finish in their final 11 games.

• In those 11 games, the Blues’ offense was led by its veterans: Brad Boyes (4 goals, 8 assists), David Backes (seven goals, three assists), Keith Tkachuk (four goals, six assists) and Andy McDonald (4 goals, 5 assists).

• The penalty-kill unit allowed just three goals on 43 power plays against in the last 11 games. The Blues’ PK erased 14 of 14 power plays against opponents at home and killed off 26 of 29 on the road.

• The Blues went 5-1-1 in their final seven road games to finish the regular season with a record of 18-18-5 on the road this season.

• Chris Mason started in goal the final 33 games of the regular season. His numbers in that stretch, dating back to Feb. 3: 21-7-5 overall with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .919 save-percentage.

DAN O’NEILL
It was especially remarkable with the number of young players in the lineup. Contrast the team’s finish this year with last year — night and day. The keys to the Blues’ second-half success was the emergence of Chris Mason in net, and the contributions of the “Kid Line.” Other than Mason, perhaps no one was more responsible for energizing the club than T.J. Oshie, who just seemed to change the landscape once he got healthy and got comfortable.

JEFF GORDON
In this forum and elsewhere, I predicted the Blues would not make the playoffs. How could they? There were too many teams to pass. Most of those Western Conference teams were playing pretty good hockey. The competitive balance on this side of the league was strong. For this team to climb from 15th to sixth and finish 10 games over .500 is one of the greater St. Louis sports stories ever. Even if it doesn’t carry through, this will stand as one of the greater team runs we will ever see.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
The obvious answer as to how the Blues got it done is that they got the saves that weren’t there in the first three months of the season, but it’s more than that. For example:

• The fact the Blues have had a power play that has ranked in the top ten in the league for pretty much the entire year has allowed this team to be an effective offensive club.

• The team has size … Bringing in players like Brad Winchester, B.J. Crombeen, and Alex Steen, combined with the impact David Backes has had since moving to center, has made this club a physical team that wears down the opposition.

• The Blues PK unit has been incredible over the last several weeks and that can be chalked up to Chris Mason’s ability to stop the puck.

• The Blues are about as good as it gets when it comes to D-zone execution. I have said this numerous times, but how often do you see the Blues give up odd-man rushes or breakaways against?

• Carlo Colaiacovo has given this club a defenseman who can push the offense, something this club didn’t have before he got here.

• The team has tremendous skill up front and can throw out four lines that have the ability to play in the offensive end.

• The players genuinely play for one another and that chemistry took awhile to develop.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Nashville’s come-from-behind shootout victory over the Red Wings Thursday night has made tonight’s Blues-Columbus game all the more important. The Blues need a win. Assuming the Note can pull this one out, who needs to be the team’s three stars tonight and why?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD

Keith Tkachuk: A lot of eyes will be on ‘Big Walt’ tonight, and I am talking about guys in the locker room, not fans. The target of much postseason criticism, Tkachuk must be a leader tonight in a pressure-packed situation. He may not finish with two goals and two assists but his presence better be felt.

T.J. Oshie: You could pick any one of the three kids, but I picked Oshie because of the way the crowd feeds off him. If the “kid line” has success, the Blues will have success.

Chris Mason: Simple … if Mason isn’t one of the Blues’ 3 stars, the team’s chances of winning are tremendously diminished.

BERNIE MIKLASZ

Chris Mason: Do we really need to explain why? The goaltender has been the Blues’ firewall during the team’s comeback charge, starting 31 consecutive games and posting a .916 save percentage through that stretch. He’s 3-1 vs. the Blue Jackets since taking over as STL’s No. 1 goalie. Mason has to be stingy tonight.

David Backes: For as well as he’s played, Backes has missed a chance to really shine against the Blue Jackets this season. He has one goal and is a minus-2 against them in five games. The thing is, Backes has had plenty of scoring opportunities against Columbus; his 17 shots on goal are the most by a Blues player vs. the CBJ this season. Backes has to cash in tonight. When he scores goals, the impact is obvious; the Blues are 15-6-6 this season when they get a goal from their future captain.

Jay McClement: He’s probably the most underrated Blue. Usually assigned to shadow the other team’s top line, McClement has done a fine job of limiting the potential damage inflicted by the top guns. He’s played well against CBJ this season. It’s imperative that the Blues get a stellar performance from the McClement, Alex Steen and B.J. Crombeen checking line.

There’s also that Oshie fellow. Rick Nash has heard of him.

DAN O’NEILL

Chris Mason needs to be the No. 1 star because, bottom line, the Blues can’t win without stout goaltending. Mason bounced back with a good performance against Phoenix, but he has been a little vulnerable to the soft goal in recent games.

T.J. Oshie needs to be the No. 2 star because he simply has been the team’s best player for the past several games. Oshie is the straw the stirs the drink, to put it in Reggie Jackson terms.

Jay McClement needs to be the No. 3 star. The McClement line was the Blues’ best in Phoenix and McClement has been a two-way star down the stretch. He will need to win key faceoffs and keep the Rick Nash-Manny Malhotra line under wraps.

JEFF GORDON

Chris Mason needs to be the first star, obviously. Goaltending is everything at this time of year. Mason sprung a few leaks in recent games, but now it’s time to get into playoff form. This game offers that opportunity.

The atmosphere at Scottrade will be highly charged. Since Barret Jackman figures to be on the ice against Rick Nash much of the night, he needs to be a star.

And T.J. Oshie will have a target on his back, again, so he must be ready to play a great (and alert) game.

TOM TIMMERMANN

Repeating a theme, the Blues can’t have a bad game by Chris Mason. In a game like this, you need your goalie to be your best player.

As for the other two people who need to step up …

A good game for Brad Boyes, who despite having three goals and two assists for the Blues against Columbus is even in plus-minus, would bode well for here and down the line.

And another big game for David Backes would mean he’s staying hot. The Blues caught a break that Columbus clinched its playoff spot the other night. This would be a much tougher game if Columbus was playing to clinch its first playoff spot. Now the Blues will have a big edge in emotion.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)

I’m not sure if this will be as adventurous as when they actually pick the three stars down at the Scotttrade Center, but I‘ll give it a try.

My gut tells me to pick Cam Janssen only because that would mean he’s in the lineup — but we know that’s not going to happen. The team shouldn’t need him to get the building rocking tonight anyway. With the way the Blues have lacked intensity in the opening period of recent games though, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw him in there.

Since he’s excluded here’s my 3 stars for tonight. Maybe a little off the cuff, but c’mon, I can’t be that predictable.

Carlo Colaiacovo: I have a felling this guy will have a strong game tonight and will bury at least one PP goal. He’s rested after sitting out practice yesterday and I know he’s fired up to be in this position. This kid is driven and I expect him to deliver this evening.

Keith Tkachuk: As the leader of the Blues he needs to step up tonight and do just that … Lead! The playoffs are so close to being a reality for this club and I feel it would only be fitting if it was Big Walt who stepped up and had his biggest game of the year in the most important game. Wait, didn’t we say the last game was the most important? And the one before that?

Patrik Berglund: He’s due! The trend as of late is that Berglund shows up big once every four or five nights. Something tells me he’s in for a big game. The Blues will ask the youth to rise up and I have a feeling the Friday Night Lights will shine the brightest on this kid. Wasn’t it Columbus netminder Steve Mason who stole this kid’s Calder Trophy?

Bonus Round … T.J. Oshie gets the Hard Hat!

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)

The first name that comes to mind is Chris Mason. The team’s surge in the standings has directly coincided with his taking over as the #1 goalie, so it is impossible to overstate how important his play is to the team. The Blues need him to come up big again tonight.

You know T.J. Oshie will have a great big bullseye on his back tonight as Rick Nash will certainly try to get some payback for Oshie’s big hits on him in the last two games between these teams. The Blue Jackets might be better off just not going there because Oshie feeds off that kind of stuff. He’ll have a big game on both sides of the ice tonight.

David Backes needs to be the Blues’ version of Rick Nash tonight, providing consistent offensive pressure against Jackets’ goalie Steve Mason and bringing a physical presence, as well. He’s been amazing down the stretch and, like Oshie, he feeds on these big moments.

Columbus can lock up the 6th spot in the West with a win tonight and the Blues can clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help from Minnesota in their game against Nashville, so both teams will be breathing fire when they hit the ice. Game on.

OK, I’ll admit I’m having a little Bernie Miklasz syndrome tonight; I’m up writing a blog at an ungodly hour. But unpleasant dreams woke me up at 2 a.m., I tossed and turned for an hour trying to get back to sleep, so I just decided to come downstairs, get on the computer and let my mind cool off awhile before heading back to bed.

So … in that time, I decided to do a little research on a topic that I’ve been wondering about — when on the ice, which St. Louis Blues players have been most productive in scoring points? Sure, there are many more variables that figure into what makes a valuable hockey player than just points, but that’s the specific thing I wanted to know … who’s putting the most points on the board with the time they are given on the ice (TOI)?

Here’s the methodology I used. First, I looked at the top 8 scorers on the team. They were all forwards with the exception of Carlo Colaiacovo, but since his TOI included a considerable portion of the season with Toronto, I removed him from the equation and focused on the seven forwards.

How I did the equation: First, I looked up each player’s average TOI per game (I took the liberty of rounding off the number of seconds … e.g. 9.4 seconds or below rounded off to to 9; 9.5 seconds or above rounded off to 10 seconds. Not scientifically exact, but we’re talking milliseconds here. I did NOT round off minutes.) I then multiplied that individual average ice time per game by the numbers of games each forward had played to give me their total time on the ice this season. After that it was easy, I just took that total ice time and divided it by the number of points each player has on the season.

This equation allowed me to figure out how much ice time it has taken our top seven forwards to score a point. Here are the results, in descending order:

1. Andy McDonald averages a point every 18:20 of ice time

2. Brad Boyes averages a point every 22:30.

3. (Tie) Patrik Berglund and David Perron average a point every 23:55.

5. T.J. Oshie averages a point every 28:20.

6. David Backes averages a point every 29:20.

7. Keith Tkachuk averages a point every 29:40

These numbers in no way indicate the overall value of a player. Like I said earlier, there are many variables that go into the value of player … faceoffs won, situational defense even from forwards, the ability and willingness to work the boards and venture into the dark corners, etc. But what I believe it does clearly illustrate is who the most prolific point-scorers are on this team at this time.

Do with this information what you will. The question had just been nagging at me given all of the discussion about David Perron not getting enough ice time (his 14:53 minute average per game was the lowest of all seven of these players, though his scoring touch ranked in the top 3.) I don’t know that this means Perron deserves more ice time, perhaps the coach believes he doesn’t provide enough in other areas. I don’t know, I’m not a coach. But it does tell me that if this team needs a point in any given game, Perron should be shuttling in regularly.

The biggest surprise for me? Andy McDonald scoring a point in four minutes less ice time, on average, than any other player. Kudos to the club for re-signing McDonald, keeping him around for awhile.

Well there you have it. I hope the number-crunching wasn’t a terrible bore.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Good or bad, what St. Louis Cardinal player has surprised you the most so far this spring with his performance?

JOE STRAUSS
I think Ryan Ludwick’s early struggles have caught the attention of many, but Ludwick dealt with a similar slow start last March. My guess is he’ll loosen up by camp’s end and current concerns will prove a bit overblown.

My selection isn’t a flashy one: Allen Craig (24) doesn’t project for this organization because he doesn’t have a position other than first base. (Third base proved a poor fit the last couple seasons, though Craig led Texas League 3B in fielding pct. last season.) That said, Craig has a live RH bat. He hit 21 home runs in the Florida Coast League two years ago while amassing a .312 average. He smoked 22 HR at Springfield last season while hitting .304. He likely will be Memphis’ starting 1B this year. He was third in his league in HR in ’07 and fifth in ’08. Like many Cardinal farm hands, he projects as “a bat.” I wonder what he might do as somebody’s LF. This organization may not be his best fit but a strong year at Memphis may make him attractive to an AL club.

If you want hyperventilating, flowerly over-talk about what’s in the system, you can head down the cyber-block. But this guy intrigues me. Entering today’s Grapefruit League game vs. Boston, Craig is batting .500 with three long hits and 7 RBI. He doesn’t scare.

DERRICK GOOLD
Tyler Greene. Here was a first-round pick from 2005 who scuffled from the moment he got a million-dollar bonus all the way up the ladder of the minor-league system. He was raw. He was gangly. He was hampered by serious injury. And then things clicked in 2008. Greene became a more refined player in the field and showed vast improvement at the plate — even beyond his numbers. Last July, he could have been a prospect whose promise was flickering out. Today he’s playing well enough to vie for a major-league job.

RICK HUMMEL
Joe Mather has surprised me with his agility at third base. He looks more comfortable than I had thought he would.

JEFF GORDON
I would say Jason Motte. We all knew he could throw hard. But he looks polished this spring, working off-speed and breaking pitches into his repertoire. From what I saw in Jupiter, he looked capable of handling at least a chunk of the closing role. He seems to have the make-up for the job, too. He does not appear to be a fretful lad. He is just the opposite, actually.

TOM ACKERMAN (Sports anchor on “Total Information A.M.” on KMOX)
I’ll go with Chris Duncan. After recovering from major surgery, all he’s done in spring training is hit .370 with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 27 at-bats. The home run he hit on Tuesday against Detroit’s Zach Miner was a soaring blast over the right-center field wall, into the wind. So far, the swing is back — and a lot sooner than I expected.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
It was a tough call between Chris Duncan and Khalil Greene but I’ll go with Greene as the player who has surprised me the most. First of all, nobody is talking about him. That’s a very good thing. The only reason there would be something to talk about would be if he were struggling. With all the questions about second and third base this spring, it’s nice to see that Greene, at least for now, has been a stabilizing force.

Part of my “surprise” with Greene’s performance has to do with how he looked in the first week of full-squad workouts. His swing was a bit out of whack and he seemed to lack that trademark Cardinals intensity. Khalil just didn’t fit in at the time. Who knows, maybe that was just a natural phenomenon because it was the first time he’d switched teams as a pro.

Spring training numbers shouldn’t be counted for much, especially not for veterans, but Greene only whiffed once in his first 10 games down in Florida. For a guy who has problems with over-swinging and striking out that’s a good sign. Let’s hope the improved approach carries over into the regular season.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

THE WAY TO (BEAT) SAN JOSE: A huge game for the Note tonight against Western Conference beast San Jose. A loss tonight just two days before Detroit’s Red Army arrives could spell the end of playoff hopes by the weekend. A win tonight guarantees a split of the two games against the Conference’s top two teams, and perhaps even gives the Blues an emotional lift that carries over in the form of momentum Saturday night. Needless to say … a whole lot on the line.

Jeremy Rutherford tells me coach Andy Murray this morning highlighted three keys to victory tonight. They are:

1. Blues have a “big-body” game.
2. Good puck protection.
3. Keep the puck on the offensive end.

So, assuming all three of these things get accomplished and the Blues win the game, here’s who I’m picking as the top 3 stars based on the three keys above.

1. Big body game … David Backes muscles, hits and contributes a couple points.
2. Good puck protection … Carlo Colaiacovo provides it on both ends this evening.
3. Keep puck in offensive zone … Gotta go T.J. Oshie on this one. If anyone out there does “whatever it takes” to get that puck and keep it in the zone, I say it’s Oshie.

There you have it. If the Blues win, those are my three stars. Who would be yours, based on Murray’s keys to the game?

YOUNG, FIERY AND AS GOOD AS THEY GET: Young Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has to be mentioned in the same breath as Mariano Rivera and Francisco Rodriguez as being among the game’s top firemen. Papelbon has done everything asked of him by the Red Sox and he’s already sewn up a World Series clinching 9th inning. But for the most part, Papelbon flies under the radar and you don’t hear much about him outside of Boston … until now, that is.

Papelbon recently opened up in an interview with Esquire magazine (many great details, like his dog chewing up a million-dollar baseball and Curt Schilling suggesting Papelbon is not the sharpest tool in the shed by saying Papelbon is “not exactly a charter member of Mensa”) and in that interview the thing that will garner all the headlines in Boston is that Papelbon just came out and said what many others have danced around for months: Papelbon says Manny Ramirez was a “cancer” on the Red Sox last year.

Here’s an excerpt from the Esquire article: “The beautiful thing about our team is, we don’t let anybody get above the team. (Manny) wasn’t on the same train as the rest of us.” And here Papelbon starts banging his kitchen table for emphasis, the punctuation marks in his sentences changing: “He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him. … You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ball game, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening. Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work.”

Papelbon … firing strikes, like always. You can read the full article here.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

L.T.’s BACK AND TAKING AIM AT RECORD BOOKS: After a tumultuous offseason where Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson’s future with the club became uncertain, the player and team reached accord yesterday on a restructured deal that should keep LT in the powdered blue for at least a few more years. Those who read this space regularly know I felt it would have been a mistake had the Chargers let LT skip town. Now, with everyone in the family happy again, LT is setting his sights on loftier goals.

According to San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan, “After years of artful evasions and smooth sidesteps, the Chargers’ reunited-and-it-feels-so-good running back officially took aim at Emmitt Smith yesterday. LT declared his desire for the National Football League’s career records for rushing and rushing touchdowns, both presently in Smith’s possession, and says he is now prepared to pursue them longer than he had previously planned on playing.”

Tomlinson currently has 11,670 rushing yards, which leaves him 6,595 yards behind Smith’s 18,355. Smith leads Tomlinson 164-126 in rushing TDs.

I don’t know that a RB who turns 30 years old in June has enough in his legs to gain 6,595 or punch in another 38 TDs, but I’m happy to see he’ll be attempting it with the only NFL team he’s every played for.

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STAT OF THE DAY

9 — Most consecutive 50-goal seasons. The feat was accomplished by Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders from the 1977-78 season to 1985-86. Bossy tallied 53 goals in his rookie season, making him the first NHL rookie to hit the 50-goal mark. He then continued the streak for his first nine seasons in the league, including 50 goals in his first 50 games in 1980-81 to tie Maurice Richard’s 36-year-old record. Chronic back pain caused Bossy to miss 17 games the year his streak ended, and he ended up with 38 goals that season. The back ailment ultimately led to Bossy’s retirement at age 30. (Source: “Hockey’s Top 100: The Game’s Greatest Records”)

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Do you think Missouri or Illinois has the better chance of winning its conference tournament this weekend?

VAHE GREGORIAN

I think Illinois has a better chance of getting to championship game, and if so anything can happen there. Still, can’t quite see the Illini getting by Michigan State if that’s their opponent. Meanwhile, just hard to believe MU can beat Oklahoma for a second time — in Oklahoma City — and then beat Kansas again. 

BRYAN BURWELL

Both Missouri and Illinois will face a tough challenge winning their respective conference tournaments, but I give the edge to Illinois for one reason: In order for the Tigers to win the Big 12, they will likely face Oklahoma in the semifinals and that will essentially be a home game for the Sooners in Oklahoma City.

STU DURANDO

Missouri already has beaten the two biggest threats in Kansas and Oklahoma and that could give the Tigers a mental edge. But the possibility of having to beat those teams on consecutive days might be too much to ask. Illinois has proven capable of beating most anyone in the Big Ten but was not up to the task against Michigan State, either at home or on the road. So, I don’t see either team winning their tournament.

TOM TIMMERMANN

I think Missouri has a better shot. They have shown they can beat the top teams in the Big 12 and I think it’s more likely to see top teams cleared out of the way in the Big 12. Mizzou might only have to play one of the league’s heavyweights. (Of course, they could also lose their first game, but we’re dealing with percentages here.) Meanwhile, Illinois fails my 35-point test: No team can win its conference tournament if it scores less than 35 points in a game.

JEFF GORDON

Neither is a great candidate to win their conference tournament. But Illinois has to have a better chance because Missouri can REALLY struggle away from home. The Tigers are totally different outside of Mizzou Arena. At home, the Tigers feed off their crowd and exploit that advantage. On the road, their opponents do a much better job keeping their composure in the face of pressure. At a neutral site, I don’t see the Tigers beating Oklahoma or Kansas.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

GIVE ME THE FRENCH-CANADIAN: It’s definitely true that sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make. And I think the Blues made the right decision not packaging David Perron in any trade deadline deals. And this is not a knee-jerk reaction to the kid’s two goals last night. It’s based on what I see his long-term potential being for this club.

Let’s face it, the Blues currently are not ready for an open-ice style of play, which is a style that will work to Perron’s benefit someday. There’s just too much inexperience (youth) among the forwards and the club does not currently have its full arsenal of puck-moving defensemen to consistently start clean breaks out of their zone.

But it’s coming. Carlo Colaiacovo has shown he’s got very good offensive skills for a defenseman (a trade well made), and Roman Polak has surprised most of us with what he’s brought to the parent club this year. And next year, of course, the Blues will welcome back “The Franchise,” defenseman Erik Johnson, who may develop into one of the top puck-moving defensemen in the league.

Furthermore, next season David Backes becomes a de facto veteran and one that has shown a very good all-around game this year. Jay McClement has the speed to move and offers just enough of a threat to keep team’s honest. Alex Steen is showing promise. And, T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund will be a year older and a year better. That’s a pretty good corps to build a team that offers more speed, without giving up any real grit.

Which brings me back to David Perron. This kid may be the best stick handler on the team. He’s got mad moves and a nose for the net. With so many other weapons more seasoned and gelling next season, I would expect Perron to lift his game to another level. (Not that his 11 goals and 29 assists are anything to scoff at.)

Keep in mind Perron is just 20 years old. There is a lot of room for growth remaining for this guy. I would expect a closer correlation of goals-to-assists in the near future. Is he a bit cocky? Sure. But I like it. He knows he can play. As long as Perron doesn’t become a divisive presence on the team (which there’s been no indication of), he can be as cock-sure as his stick will allow him, in my opinion.

Last night’s first goal by Perron showed a kid who is growing up. The play not only had sizzle, but the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Perron also showed his heart, outmuscling (yeah, I said it, Perron outmuscled) 6-3, 214-pound Nicklas Grossman around the corner before moving the puck to his forehand and banging home a top-shelfer.

The St. Louis Blues have asked fans this year to “Come Grow With Us.” The fans have complied and bought in. Dealing away a young asset like Perron would have sent the wrong message. Sit back and enjoy watching him grow up … along with a host of other young talents on this team. When Perron hits 22, 23, 24 years old, if he’s playing in any sweater not displaying the Blue Note, fans here will be sorry.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

THIS BILLS FAN HAS HAD ENOUGH: Everyone has got their own opinion about Terrell Owens joining the Buffalo Bills, but this video someone sent me from the Dallas Morning News website takes the cake. Be forewarned, it’s a little off-color, but as long as you’re not too easily offended, it’s hilarious. Check it out.

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DID YOU KNOW?

HOCKEY WITHOUT ICE: Octopush is an underwater hockey game that was introduced in South Africa in the 1960. The players wear skin-diving equipment, use mini-hockey sticks and a regular puck. Other than that, they follow all the rules of hockey … on the floor of a pool.

MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

MY LAST HOLT RANT: For the life of me I cannot understand why the new Rams’ regime is so eager to see Torry Holt go. They haven’t said so, but new coach Steve Spagnuolo has made his position clear with his silence concerning Holt. Yes, Holt was disenchanted at the end of last season as he seemed to get phased out of the offense, but who on that Rams team wasn’t disenchanted last season?

Holt, who has caught more passes (817) for more yards (11,872) than any receiver in the NFL this decade, is not done yet. Sure, he’s 32 years old and is coming off his worst season as a pro (64 receptions, 796 yards with three TDs.) But how much of last season’s production can be laid at the feet of Holt? Consider this:

1. The patterns Holt was asked to run in offensive coordinator Al Saunders’ offense last year did not match up with Holt’s skills — not when he was 32, not when he was 22. Where were the slants and hot reads that were Holt’s bread and butter over the years?

2. The team’s quarterback had a terrible year. Marc Bulger’s 71.4 QB rating ranks him 27th in the league among QBs who threw at least 300 passes. (That puts Bulger just ahead of former Rams’ third-string QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had a 70.0 QB rating for the woeful Bengals.) Also, Bulger’s 57% completion percentage ranks him 27th among NFL quarterbacks last year. Remember, folks, there are only 32 teams in the NFL … so how well are your WRs going to do when your quarterback ranks in the league’s cellar in QB rating and completion percentage?

3. Without a respected threat like Isaac Bruce on the field to complement Holt, team’s could easily roll their coverage onto him like a blanket. Who was there to relieve the pressure, the so-called “teen” squad? Puh-leeze. Rookie Donnie Avery had a decent year, but his stat line of 53 catches, 674 yards and 3 TDs ranked below Holt across the board (and he had the advantage of Holt drawing the coverage away from him.) Keenan Burton? 13 catches, 172 yards, 1 TD. Nice. Oh, and then there’s the always consistent, always pedestrian numbers of Dane Looker — 23-271-2. And, the team even lost it’s tight end threat when Randy McMichael went down after only 11 catches for 139 yards. I’m not even going to mention Drew Bennett. Bottom line … Holt had no real protection against consistent double coverage.

4. If a 35-year-old Terrell Owens can shuffle off to Buffalo and still be a wide receiver, you cannot convince me that a 32-year-0ld Torry Holt doesn’t have a few good years left in those legs. And he’ll do it without always stirring up stuff, belittling teammates and coaches or blaming his plight on the QB.

Bottom line, as I asked at the beginning of this rant, why exactly are the Rams so eager to send Holt packing? Yes, Holt has asked to be released. But I believe that’s mostly because he’s been made to feel unwanted. Here’s a guy who was the team’s No. 6 overall pick in the 1999 draft and who gave the team 10 great years, in which time he established historial NFL rankings of 11th overall in career receptions (869) and 14th in career receiving yards (12,660). And I don’t believe he’s done yet. If I thought that, I would say, “Go ahead and release him.” This is not a sentimental argument.

I understand the Rams could save some salary cap money if they release Holt. But chances are, as soon as they do, another team will step up and pay Holt that same money. And are you telling me you don’t think Holt could have an excellent season catching passes from Tony Romo down in Dallas while lined up on the field with WR Roy Williams and TE Jason Witten?

And therein lies my main point: I do not believe Torry Holt is done. I believe his one bad season is a byproduct of a dysfunctional team that had bad leadership and a bad QB in 2008. This guy is not ready to be put out to pasture.

And if I’ve totally swung and missed on this one come the end of the 2009 NFL season, you can let me hear about it. But if I’m right, I’m going to re-run this little rant just to remind the haters what they so eagerly chased out of town.

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THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: If you were coaching the Blues, what would you be focusing on right now to help increase scoring for this team?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Shoot the puck and keep the lines together as much as possible. The Blues are 26th in the NHL in shots per game with 27.8. That’s only a smidge better than the last-place team in the league, Minnesota, with 27.6. Blues coach Andy Murray has conducted entire practices with the theme of shooting the puck, and they do in practice. But when game time comes, the Blues are often hesitant to shoot the puck . . . 5 on 5 and on the power play. I don’t know what else you can do as a coach except take away ice time from those who pass up shots. Also, I would keep the same guys playing together. In private, most players will tell you that they would prefer to play with the same linemates for an extended period of time, more than three or four games. Sometimes it’s been out of necessity, but Murray has mixed up the lines more than a lot of players would like.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Shooting the puck. Yeah, it seems simplistic but so what? It may also be an easy answer because it’s something Andy Murray has talked about, but it is most certainly true. Keeping things simple is the right way to go here. Even with a couple of bad performances in the past week the Blues are still 15-10-5 in their last 30 games, so I don’t think it’s necessary to overthink the situation. That’s a 98-point pace since Christmas and even though there are some things Coach would like to see his team do more consistently I’d have to say things are going pretty well.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
Even though the Blues are far from being considered an explosive offensive hockey club, I don’t look at scoring as being the major issue. It’s not like the Blues are getting shutout or losing games 2-1 night in and night out. Everyone’s familiar with the saying “you can’t score if you don’t shoot” and I think the Blues at times over-pass and fail to direct pucks on net when the opportunity presents itself.

With that being said … The Blues style of play is not conducive for a team looking to open up the game and doesn’t emphasize an attacking aggressive forecheck. The Blues, in my opinion, would generate more scoring chances if the club generated more speed through the neutral zone and played more on their toes as opposed to allowing the opposition (on many nights) to initiate the play. The Blues rely heavily on their shutdown players who don’t spend a lot of time in the offensive end and therefore don’t create a whole lot offensively. We’ve recently seen players who the Blues need to rely on for offense such as David Perron, Patrik Berglund, and David Backes taken out of their element and placed in a fourth-line role. It doesn’t help when Keith Tkachuk is struggling offensively and when Brad Boyes goes nearly ten games without a goal. The Blues need more offensive consistency from their “top players” and, oh, by the way, the club receives virtually no offense from the back end. That certainly doesn’t help.

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ON THIS DATE

MARCH 10, 1995 — After hitting .202 in Double A ball, former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan announces that he is leaving baseball behind and returning to pro basketball. Jordan had been playing with a White Sox affiliate. (Source: “This Day in Baseball” by David Nemec and Scott Flatow)