THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The St. Louis Blues’ recent success has put them in position to make a run at a playoff spot. It also has muddied the trade deadline waters. What do you think the Blues should do at the trade deadline: Be buyers, sellers or stand pat with the team that got them to this point? Is it worth trading off any of the youngsters for a veteran presence?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The Blues should stand pat. I was one who said that this team would not make the playoffs, but some way, somehow they’ve managed to put themselves in a good position. The bottom line is they can’t fool with the chemistry they’ve created. Regarding the question should the Blues trade a young player for veteran help, the answer is no. Even if the team should make the playoffs it is not a Stanley Cup contender. The Blues should continue following the same plan they’ve had all along.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Stay the course. Do not trade good young players or top prospects for short-term gain. The only way it would make sense to mortgage some of the future is if the Blues honestly believed they had a chance to win the Stanley Cup this season. And they don’t. They are playing very good hockey with what they have. There is no reason to bail out and become a seller. And there is no reason to mess with a bright future by making an impulsive, short-sighted move. Stay the course.

JEFF GORDON
The Blues should stand pat unless another team spits up a No. 1 pick to rent Keith Tkachuk. That would be too good to pass up. Otherwise, the team should skate with what it has. It is really playing well. I wouldn’t overpay hoping to make it better, though, because everything is overpriced at the deadline. The Blues have made that mistake before — and that is one reason why this franchise has never built a Cup winner.

DAN O’NEILL
Realistically, I don’t think the Blues are in a position to make a significant trade. What they need most right now is scoring help, and it’s hard to imagine they have the chips to get a player who would have much impact. Trading a scoring threat (Keith Tkachuk) for a scoring threat doesn’t make much sense, unless it is a player you can build with for the future.

That said, if there are no plans to resign Tkachuk, it would be crazy not to explore moving him, and in that regard it may behoove the team to make a deal. You hate to mess with the chemistry right now, and everyone hopes the team can make the playoffs. But realistically, is it going anywhere in the playoffs? Unlikely. So if you have a chance to help yourself by moving Tkachuk, it would make sense to do so. There is also the possibility they will find a team (Buffalo?) willing to deal for a veteran goaltender (Manny Legace). The former Blues starter has a shutout and has allowed 17 goals in eight games at Peoria.

In the big picture, the Blues should stick to their guns and keep their young players. I would hate to see them deal one of their promising newcomers (David Perron) for the purposes of making the playoffs. The goal should be to win in the playoffs, not make them.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Even if the Blues make the playoffs, no one should expect them to go past the first round. For the Blues, the victory will be getting into the postseason. If you can get a good price for a veteran like Tkachuk, you make that deal. But other than that, I think the core group of Blues has to stay intact. I don’t think this team is one player away from being significantly better. (Well, maybe if that one player was Crosby or Ovechkin, but not Pronger.) It’s not as if John Davidson is fine-tuning his roster for the stretch drive. Teams historically overpay at the trade deadline. The Blues are not in a position to overpay. The ideal kind of trade for the Blues was the one earlier this season where they got Steen and Colaiacovo for Stempniak, getting two contributors for the price of one. It’s hard to make those at the deadline. So at this point, “Standing Pat Except for Tkachuk” is probably the best course of action.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I would be aggressively looking to buy but also be more than happy to stand pat if the price of doing business isn’t agreeable. There is no need for a desperation move. If I could pull something off that made a significant difference I would do it. It’s almost unfair to even mention Chris Pronger’s name but since it’s already out there in the rumor mill I’ll go ahead and say that if I could get a player of that caliber I’d pull the trigger. I just wouldn’t move Backes, Berglund, Oshie, Johnson, Polak or any of the established forwards on the NHL roster to get it done.

The Blues have more than enough prospects for the future and, let’s be honest, you can’t possibly count on having 15-20 young, homegrown players on your team in the next year or two. There are two reasons professional sports franchises need a strong developmental system: to create cheap talent that you can add to your roster periodically and to have the ability to acquire established impact players via trade.

You never say “never” when it comes to the possibility of selling off a player or two, it just depends on what is offered. I would have to really “win” the trade to move anyone of significance off this team right now. Short of reaching the playoffs, which is the primary objective, this team needs a strong finish to give them a jumping off point for 2009-2010.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

PEAVY TALK STILL SWIRLS AROUND CUBS: For those who thought a Jake Peavy-to-the-Cubs deal was dead, it appears there still might be some life to it. The Chicago Tribune is reporting today that there are still plenty of reasons to believe a deal could be consumated before the start of the season. Peavy, 27, leads all National League pitchers with 1,256 strikeouts since his big-league debut in 2002. If the Cubs are able to somehow land Peavy, it would give the North Siders a starting rotation of five pitchers that would be considered No. 1-type pitchers for many clubs — not a Joel Pineiro to be found. Stay tuned.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT: Many Cardinal fans have questioned the club’s logic in not re-signing free agent pitcher Braden Looper. Perhaps the news that Looper suffered an oblique-strain after feeling a twinge while sneezing last week alters that perspective. As of now, the Brew Crew is unsure whether or not Looper will be available at season’s start. Can you imagine the gnashing of teeth in Cardinal Nation if fans here were not only holding their breath on Chris Carpenter’s return, but also had to worry about every time Looper sneezed? Ach-choo. Bless you.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

JUST HAVING SOME FUN: The folks at ESPN.com are having a little fun with NFL defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth’s new $100 million free agency contract. You just punch in your annual salary and they tell you how long it takes Haynewsorth to earn your wages. Check it out, it’s kind of fun and gives you some perspective on just what kind of money pro athletes make.

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STAT OF THE DAY

7,075 — Most offensive yards gained in an NFL season. The feat was accomplished by the 2000 St. Louis Rams. The 1984 Miami Dolphins are second with 6,936 yards and the 1998 San Francisco 49ers are third with 6,800 yards. (Source: NFL Fact and Record Book)

THE WATERCOOLER

Question of the day: Who did you select to win the Heisman Trophy?

(The following writers all have Heisman votes for the Post-Dispatch. The winner will be announced Saturday.)

BERNIE MIKLASZ
This is how I voted, in order: Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford. There is no right or wrong here. All three of these QBs are worthy of winning the Heisman. It’s an excellent threesome, maybe the best list of finalists I’ve seen since I’ve been voting. I think Bradford will win. And who can blame the voters if they go with his extraordinary passing statistics and winning touch for Oklahoma, the nation’s No. 1 ranked team? In a close call, I went with Tebow first on my ballot because he wins games with his passing, his running, his intelligence, and his fearless leadership. And in leading Florida to a spot in the national title game, Tebow had to subdue some very tough defenses in the SEC.

BRYAN BURWELL
I’ve been voting for the Heisman since 1980 and this was the toughest vote of all. I gave my pick by a slim margin to Colt McCoy, who I think was more important to his team than Sam Bradford or Tim Tebow were to their teams.

VAHE GREGORIAN
Even if Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell wasn’t invited to New York as a finalist, he is one of four absolutely legitimate choices for the Heisman. If I could, I’d probably split my vote between Texas’ Colt McCoy and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, though I really wouldn’t even argue against a vote for Harrell or defending Heisman winner Tim Tebow of Florida. In the end, though, I punched McCoy on my card. He shattered the major-college record for accuracy AND led his team in rushing and rallied Texas to what would have been the game-winning TD against Tech if not for a dropped interception and a Tech TD with one second left. I don’t put a ton of stock in this part, but his team also beat Bradford’s team head-to-head.

STU DURANDO
My vote went to Colt McCoy over Sam Bradford with Tim Tebow third. After analyzing and over-analyzing the statistics, I was swayed by his versatility. On a team where McCoy is the main offensive weapon, defenses still couldn’t find a way to stop him. He flourished despite the lack of a prominent running back. His passing numbers might not be as good as Bradford’s, but McCoy was also his team’s leading rusher by quite a distance. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry despite all of the yards he lost in sacks. His completion percentage is mind-boggling. And he beat Bradford and Oklahoma head-to-head, leading the Longhorns to 45 points, more than any team scored against the Sooners this season, by completing 21 of his final 24 passes.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

COMPETING AGAINST HISTORY: When you play for a storied franchise like the Boston Celtics, which has won an NBA best 17 titles, it can be hard when it comes to setting any new franchise records. But that’s what this year’s Celtics have done, after just winning the title last year. With a 122-88 shellacking of the Washington Wizards Thursday night, the Celtics have reeled off 13 straight wins. But that’s not a record. It’s their 21-2 start to the season that now stands as the best start in franchise history. And while there are many haters when it comes to the Celtics due to their historic success (and the fact it’s Boston), unlike many teams, Boston doesn’t really have any players that are easy to dislike. The Big Three produces, the role players do their parts, everyone stays out of trouble and the Green Machine just keeps rolling along.

T.O. UPSET WITH QB … AGAIN: Appears there is tension brewing between Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens and QB Tony Romo. Let’s see, first T.O. had issues with QB Jeff Garcia in San Francisco, saying Garcia’s arm wasn’t strong enough to get him the deep ball. Then he questioned Donovan McNabb’s heart while with Philadelphia. Now he’s upset because he feels Romo is targeting tight end Jason Witten too much. Apparently Owens isn’t the only WR on the Cowboys that feels this way, but given the history you have to believe he’s the ringleader. But just to make sure everybody knows he’s a team player, Owens made the following statement to the Dallas Morning News: “I’m not jealous of Witten. I’m not jealous of nobody. I can take the approach that I got paid, so screw everything, but that’s not me.

No, Terrell, that’s not you.

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A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

WHY PEAVY’S NOT A CUB: Padres general manager Kevin Towers said from the beginning that he wasn’t going to just give away pitching sensation Jake Peavy. But a six-for-one deal? That price was a little steep even for the Chicago Cubs, particularly since it included a top prospect and a couple of promising young pitchers. Chicago Tribune baseball writer Phil Rogers tributes Cubs general manager Jim Hendry for sticking to his guns and refusing to sell the farm, regardless of how good Peavy would have looked in Cubbie blue.

SINGING THE BLUES: After a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Anaheim Wednesday night, the Blues seemed to just roll over against Los Angeles last night. The play looked lethargic from start to finish. One has to wonder if that Anaheim game didn’t take an emotional toll on the Blues … a game that was there to be won only to lose late. Regardless, no free passes in a 6-2 loss to the Kings, who are just 12-12-4 and playing at about the same clip as the Blues, particularly after being beaten by them earlier this season 4-0. And as to Chris Mason stating his case to be the team’s No. 1 goalie while Manny Legace is out with injury; well, giving up four goals on 24 shots and leaving after two periods isn’t much of a statement.

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STAT OF THE DAY

50 – It’s holiday shopping time, and ESPN’s Bill Simmons offers up his list of the 50 worst NFL gifts.

THE WATERCOOLER

(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: Did the Yankees overspend for CC Sabathia?

RICK HUMMEL
For anybody else, I would say yes. The Yankees, no. With a new ballpark and huge ticket prices (they will be sold out every game), the Yankees have almost unlimited resources. They also haven’t been to the World Series since 2003 and haven’t won it since 2000. And what better way to move the Mets and K-Rod off the back pages than to sign CC?

DERRICK GOOLD
Yes. But when has that ever stopped them? It’s like Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said here Monday: “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” That’s what the Yankees had to do.

BRYAN BURWELL
The Yanks probably did overspend on him, but when you’re basically negotiating against yourself, that usually happens. But here’s the bigger puzzle with the Sabathia deal. Does he really want to be in NY in the first place or is he only going because the money is so overwhelming? By all indications, that extra year at $20 million seems to be a NYC usage tax (he clearly was reluctant to go there and that extra money and length of contract was what it took to get him to sign). And that puts him in a delicate competitive predicament with Yankee fans, who are harsh and overly demanding anyway. It’s no exageration (well, a slight one) to believe that Sabathia will be expected by Yankee fans to produce nothing less than three Cy Youngs, three World Series rings and a couple World Series MVPs. I just hope he has the guts to deal with the ridiculous expectations that come with playing in the city. Not everyone can handle it.

JEFF GORDON
Yes, the Yankees overspent for Sabathia. The franchise can afford to overspend, but that doesn’t make it smart. CC is the ultimate workhorse, but he does NOT bring New York a classic shutdown postseason starter. New York could have purchased a couple of other high-end hurlers for that same price. And imagine what $161 million over seven years would yield through the traditional means of team building. For that kind of money, a franchise could clean up in Latin America and grab one of the Scott Boras pitching studs in each amateur draft (they usually drop to the big spenders). That money could allow a franchise to build the best-ever scouting network and flood its minor-league system with elite instructors.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

MARQUIS JAMMING UP MARQUEE DEAL: According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, former-Cardinal and current-Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis might be part of the holdup in the Cubs getting Jake Peavy from the Padres. Marquis, who has been on the trade block for weeks, “has been the hangup” to getting the Peavy talks moving, the paper reports. The Padres want the Cubs to pay more than half of Marquis’ salary if they take him. Other clubs also are asking for a large discount.

Imagine that, Marquis finally doing something to help the Cardinals.

IT COULD BE WORSE: As Cardinal fans wait … and wait … and wait to see what GM John Mozeliak is able to get done at this week’s winter meetings, just remember that it could be worse. You could be a Brewers fan. Not only did the Brewers lose Sabathia to the Yankees via free agency, but they are likely to see the longtime pitching face of the club, Ben Sheets, walk away soon, too. That’s a heavy hit for any rotation. And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Yankees signing of Sabathia was the ulimate rude awakening for Brewers GM Doug Melvin.

I guess the Brewers got what they wanted out of their short-term “rental” of Sabathia — a playoff appearance. But for that brief postseason appearance the Brewers dealt über-prospect Matt LaPorta (coming to a Major League outfield near you soon) to Cleveland along with three other minor leaguers. On the flipside, as Class A free agents, Sabathia and Sheets will net the Brewers two high picks next June after they’ve both signed with other clubs. So there is that.

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A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

IF A TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST … If the Rams final two home games of the season (vs. Seattle Sunday and San Francisco Dec. 21) are blacked-out on TV because of an abundance of tickets remaining, will anyone notice? I don’t know how anyone can blame fans for not buying tickets. I’ve been to almost every home game this season and with the team often trailing by huge margins by halftime, the environment is miserable. And I’m getting paid to be there.

THE STEEN MACHINE: Folks let me know yesterday that they thought I was a little premature in judging Blues acquisition Alex Steen. Per my expectations, many of you correctly reminded me that Brad Boyes didn’t exactly burn it up upon his arrival with the Blues either. But that’s worked out OK. Then Tom Timmermann does an excellent piece on Steen in this morning’s paper that points out that the kid definitely has skills, but perhaps he just needs time to find his niche with his new team. Taking all of that into account, I’m calling myself out and taking a wait-and-see approach. And if he starts to light the lamp with some regularity at any point this season, feel free to remind me not to be so quick to pass judgment next time.

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STAT OF THE DAY

5.4 — That’s the yards-per-carry through 13 games this season for Carolina RB DeAngelo Williams. Questioned as an every-down back while splitting carries with DeShaun Foster the past two seasons, and still overlooked among the games’s elite runners, Williams has carried the ball 213 times for 1,144 yards and 13 TDs. For good measure, he’s tacked on two TDs receiving also. The scary thing is imagining Williams numbers if his teammate, rookie running back Jonathan Stewart, hadn’t siphoned off 141 carries (to the tune of 5.0 YPC and 8 TDs.)

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: With general manager Jim Hendry saying Monday that the Cubs will raise payroll again next season, what chances do the Cardinals have to stay competitive in the NL Central given their projected budget?

JOE STRAUSS
Acquiring a legitimate closer and depth for the rotation should give the Cardinals an expectation of 90 wins. That should compete next season within a division including a financially taxed Houston Astros, a Sheets-less and Sabathia-less Milwaukee Brewers and a still rebuilding Cincinnati Reds team. The Cardinals still appear dependent on the Cubs taking a step back. Budget is secondary to personnel decisions. Kyle Lohse last year proved a much better acquisition than, say, Carlos Silva.

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals still will be competitive — if they add starting pitching help themselves. Jake Peavy doesn’t help that Cubs’ offense any and, as you saw, any team with decent right-handed pitching (Los Angeles Dodgers, most recently) can carve up the Cubs’ right-handed hitters.

DERRICK GOOLD
The Cubs having a budget that could be $40 million more than the Cardinals gives them more ability to take risks and a larger margin of error, especially with their pitching. They can gamble on injury risks like Rich Harden and Jake Peavy at such high dollars because the gap in payroll gives them that option. The Cardinals don’t have that luxury and have to hinge their ability to contend on Chris Carpenter being healthy, filling in holes with cost-effective options (i.e., Trever Miller) and having more depth in place. The difference in payrolls comes down to this: Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs have the ability to paper-over their big-money import’s poor performance with another big-money outfielder. The Cardinals have to get big bangs for their bucks to contend. The Cubs can have a few busts from their bucks and still win the division.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
The spending isn’t the only issue, but clearly the Cubs have a tactical advantage over the Cardinals because of their aggressive expansion of payroll. That said, money isn’t everything. The Cubs have wasted plenty of it by signing the likes of Kosuke Fukudome. But the Cubs have gained the upper hand in this rivalry by putting so much emphasis on starting pitching. The rotation carries the North Siders and the edge will be even more pronounced if Jake Peavy lands at Wrigley. The Cardinals haven’t kept up in the arms race.

JEFF GORDON
This is an interesting scenario. The Cubs will have new ownership soon. So the current regime wants to win in 2009. Why worry about the future? The next owner may want his own guys. The Cardinals are taking a longer view. Bill DeWitt is stressing player development and John Mozeliak is managing his assets for the long haul. These two aren’t going anywhere. But that doesn’t mean the Cards can’t compete in ’09. Thanks to the influx of Chris Perez, Kyle McClellan, Colby Rasmus, Jason Motte, etc, Mozeliak will be able to assemble a playoff contender for $100 million or less. And thanks to the wild-card rule, the Cards don’t have to fret the Cubs winning 110 games with the Best Team Money Can Buy.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

HAVE BATS, WILL TRADE: Joe Strauss reported in this morning’s paper that the Cardinals are poised to deal from a surplus of left-handed hitters created by Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Chris Duncan and top prospect Colby Rasmus. Is there any question which one of those guys Cardinal fans would most like to see go? But you have to know if all the fans see it, other teams see it, also. If John Mozeliak can pull off a trade involving a quality pitcher for Chris Duncan, I say the Cardinals just go ahead and make him GM for life. No, if the team deals, I think it has to involve one of the other outfielders if you want quality in return. More on this situation in our winter meetings blog.

CRY ME A RIVER: Former Cubbie Ron Santo, who was bypassed for election to the Hall of Fame yesterday, says the voting process needs to be changed. “It’s a travesty,” Santo told the Chicago Sun-Times. “When I saw nobody got in again, I go, ‘Whoa, this is wrong.’ They can’t keep going the way they’re going. They’ve got to put a [different] committee out there.”

That’s it, Mr. Santo. Let’s get a different committee. Obviously all 64 living members of the Hall of Fame who make up the Veterans Committee do not understand what it takes to make the Hall. Santo says he’s not just speaking up for himself but for other players also. However, one has to wonder if Santo would be saying anything at all if he were already in the exclusive club. Santo was a nine-time All-Star, won five Gold Gloves and finished his career with 342 home runs and a .277 lifetime batting average. Is that enough to get you in the Hall of Fame? The Veterans Committee says no. End of story.

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A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

IT’S ALL GOOD: Yesterday in this forum I lamented the fact that I wasn’t going to get to see T.J. Oshie play alongside the other Baby Blues at the Scotty last night. While I didn’t get to see Oshie, I did see history in the making. Three things you’ll never again see happen in the same night at a Blues game: 1) The Blues score 6 goals; 2) B.J. Crombeen corrals a hat trick; and, 3) Alex Steen is on the ice and actually does something (goal and assist.) I know, I know, why do I have to say something negative the day after the Blues finally climb above .500? Perhaps it’s because I expected Steen to have a Brad Boyes-like transformation once he arrived in St. Louis and, up until last night, he seemed to be a total non-factor since coming over in the Lee Stempniak trade. But let me put a positive spin on it and say: Here’s hoping last night was the beginning of a good run for Steen.

(By the way, Blues fans, Jeremy Rutherford is feeling a bit threatened by the deluge of traffic the new Round Two blog is getting. So in the holiday spirit, I implore you to visit his Morning Skate blog to get him more “hits” than Round Two.)

STICKING IT TO THE LITTLE GUY: The NFL announced today that it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation’s economy. That’s about 150 jobs lost. I’m thinking if you took the salaries of guys like Pacman Jones and Plaxico Burress and gave it to the league, not only could you save those 150 jobs, but you could probably go on a hiring binge. Perhaps I’m just edgy because of all the jobs being lost at A-B and around the country in general, but the huge salaries paid to some guys who don’t care about all of “us” who actually pay their salaries just peeves me. I thought you were supposed to become more conservative as you got older, and here I am talking like Karl Marx. But I’m just sayin’ …

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STAT OF THE DAY

3.18 – Assuming the Cubs land Jake Peavy, that would be the combined 2008 ERA of the team’s rotation. That’s a lower team ERA than any individual ERA on the Cardinals’ staff not named Carpenter … who threw only 15.1 innings last season. By pursuing Peavy, the Cubs are clearly climbing the ladder to the top of the tree, bypassing all the low-hanging fruit.