THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Most have assumed the Rams would grab either an offensive tackle like Eugene Monroe or linebacker Aaron Curry with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. However, with last week’s release of Orlando Pace and Torry Holt, the team is down to just three young WRs and face a draft class with a lot of talent at the top of the WR pool? Which direction do you believe this team needs to go in the draft: Offensive tackle, linebacker or wide receiver?

JIM THOMAS
Tackle. Tackle. Tackle. Alex Barron is the only player currently on the roster with substantial experience at the position. And his contract expires after this season. Assuming that he can make a seamless transition to left tackle and Jacob Bell can step right in at right tackle without a hitch goes a couple of steps beyond optimism.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Good question. I am planning to write a column on this subject. More than anything the Rams can’t afford to be prisoners of need. They have a new GM and coaching staff in place. This is the beginning of an era. This is the start of something new, and hopefully it will be built to last. The Rams have to draft with the next 10 years in mind. They can’t worry about immediate needs. They have to go with the player who will best help them win over the long haul. So I don’t care who they draft in terms of position. They have to rely on their scouting and trust the grades they give each prospect. If the top grade conclusively belongs to Aaron Curry, then draft the LB. The same principle applies to OT, WR or even QB. Trust your scouting. Go with the best player and you won’t go wrong.

BRYAN BURWELL
If only we could see what the Rams draft board looked like, it would make this an easier task. But I think you build your team from the offensive line because the ability to run and protect the quarterback is the most important key to having a functional offense. Go with a tackle in the first round, and I’d be tempted to get a block-out-the-sun guard like Duke Robinson in the second round if he’s the best player available, too.

BILL COATS
If the Lions don’t take Curry with the No. 1 pick, he’d be my choice. Otherwise, I’d target the offensive line. It’s so important, and the Rams really need to beef things up there. I don’t want to say wide receivers are a dime a dozen, but the Rams will be able to fill out that position without much difficulty.

JEFF GORDON
It appears that Curry is a cornerstone defensive player. Since Steve Spagnuolo wants to rebuild the Rams around its ground game and defense, Curry would be a great get. Crabtree is an attractive option, too, since he appears head and shoulders above the other WR prospects. There are lots of good tackles in this draft, but its debatable whether any merit a No. 2 overall pick and the huge money that comes with it.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I like the “best player available” theory. If the Lions take anyone not named Aaron Curry, the Wake Forest linebacker would be my selection. I’ve heard far too many NFL scouting types refer to Curry as the “cleanest” player on the board to think about passing him by, plus linebacker is an area of significant need.

Also of note, the offensive line and wide receiver positions are deeper in this year’s draft. There are several receivers that could be available at the top of the second round who are attractive to teams looking for bigger receivers. I’m a particular fan of Brian Robiskie of Ohio State — he’s got size (6’3”), good hands and great football sense.

Offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Jason Smith are excellent prospects but they’re not “the next big thing” at their position. Taking one of them at No. 2 would be fine with me as they seem to be solid players and people but neither is at the level Orlando Pace was coming out of college. Heck, a couple of months ago Andre Smith was viewed by many as the top tackle in this year’s draft class.

Ideally the team would add a little more free agent depth so they could follow the “best player available” strategy.

****

MIDDAY NEWS AND NOTES

CUTLER DESERVED BETTER: Sure, QB Jay Cutler may be a little over-sensitive right now about his situation in Denver, but coming off a Pro Bowl year, who can blame the guy for being upset after finding out his new head coach was trying to make backroom deals to ship him off for another (and in my opinion, inferior) quarterback in Matt Cassell? Perhaps this is what happens when you hire a 32-year-old wunderkind offensive coordinator to be your head coach, as it appears Josh McDaniels poked a stick in a beehive he has no hope of containing at this point. Cutler has now requested a trade and the Broncos may be left to move on with Chris Simms at QB, an underachieving sort who hasn’t thrown an NFL pass in two years. If I were a Bronco fan, I’d be spitting mad at McDaniels and team owner Pat Bowlen, who sat back and allowed this all to happen.

While some Denver columnists are pointing out there is plenty of blame to go around in this mess, the Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla says “good riddance” to Cutler today. I think he’s delusional, but that’s essentially his stance. He offers up three QBs he somehow thinks the Broncos can get now that will outperform Cutler. Good luck with that. You can check out Kiszla’s column here.

****

SOMETHING TO PONDER

BLUES FACE BIG WEEK: Heading to western Canada for a three-game road trip is never an easy task, but it’s one the Blues must face head-on this week. So far in recent weeks, this young Blues team has been up to the challenges it’s faced. Last week’s homestand featuring games against Dallas, San Jose, Detroit and Minnesota was vital before this team hit the road. The Blues came away with six of a possible eight points … very respectable. Canada can be a tough place to play for road teams given the raucous Canuck crowds, and the 9 p.m. starts can be tough on a team that is normally finishing up games by about 10 p.m. here in St. Louis. But the Blues must once again find a way to get two out of these three games — and it must start tonight in Edmonton. You just don’t want to start this road trip with a loss.

Coach Andy Murray has done a commendable job keeping the club focused solely on the game in front of them. If the team is able to do that tonight, and get out to a quick start, they should pocket the points this evening. And then it’s on to Vancouver …

Regardless, who among you would have believed near the end of December this team would be sitting just one point out of the playoffs on St. Patrick’s Day?

****

ON THIS DATE

March 17, 2005 — Mark McGwire goes before a Congressinal committee and repeatedly tells them, “I’m not here to talk about the past.” They are words that will live in infamy in baseball lore, and have permanently damaged McGwire’s reputation among most of the sporting public. In fact, that performance is the likely catalyst for keeping McGwire out of the Hall of Fame.

Hard to believe it’s been four years already since that testimony. Time flies.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Rams signed cornerback Ron Bartell to a 4-year, $28 million contract Monday. Is Bartell really a $7 million a year player?

JIM THOMAS
Any time you make a deal in the first week or so of free agency, expect to overpay. It’s just the way it works. And New Orleans was ready to step up with a very similar offer anyway. The Rams couldn’t afford to be left short at corner, a thin position depth-wise even with Bartell under contract.

BRYAN BURWELL
There is a very reliable standard in sports that determines if an athlete is worth it: Did he get it? If he did, he’s worth it. Bartell is an ascending player who deseerves the money he has gotten from the Rams.

BILL COATS
Maybe not. But when you’ve won just five games over two seasons, you’re often going to have to pay a bit more to lure — or in this case, retain — players during free agency. Bartell is the Rams’ best cover corner, and they really couldn’t afford to lose him. So, they had to pony up.

JEFF GORDON
Bartell is a very solid cornerback on a horrendous defense. He also became a free agent at just the right time — when the free-agent cornerback pool was shallow. So, sure, he is a $7 million player. The Rams had to overspend a bit to prevent another leak from forming in the team’s secondary. I don’t know if this guy will ever become an elite “shutdown” corner, but at least he had enough pride to play at a consistently good level on a team that tanked two years in a row. Not many of his teammates can say the same.

KATHLEEN NELSON
Bernie Miklasz used an impressive array of stats in Tuesday’s Post-Dispatch to prove that Bartell is in the upper echelon of cornerbacks. From that perspective, he’s worth it. I think the opposite of the hometown discount (would that be the Stay-At-Home Surcharge?) applies to the Rams. With a 5-27 record the last two years, maybe they have to pay a little more to keep talent, as well as lure talent.

TOM ACKERMAN (Sports anchor on “Total Information A.M.” on KMOX)
Bartell is a dependable cornerback, so he’s worth the market price for such a player. Domonique Foxworth, for example, recently signed with the Ravens for a similar number. Bartell’s contract is incentive-laden; he’ll have to prove that he’s a $28 million corner. I’ve always liked Bartell. He’s worked hard to develop into an NFL-caliber defensive back. He always seems to be around the ball, and that instinctive ability should help him flourish in Steve Spagnuolo’s structured defense.

****

MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

A MILE HIGH, OR JUST HIGH? Can someone please explain to me why the Denver Broncos are so eager to kick QB Jay Cutler to the curb? All the former first-round draft pick did this past season — his third in the league — was pass for 4,526 yards, 25 TDs with only 18 INTs. Oh, and he was named to his first Pro Bowl. Still, Denver totally screwed up this past weekend by including Cutler’s name in a three-team trade involving New England and Tampa Bay that would have shipped Cutler to Tampa and brought Patriots QB Matt Cassell to Denver … where he could work with new head coach and former Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel.

Personally, I wouldn’t trade Cutler and his rocket arm straight up for the dink-and-dunk quarterbacking of Cassell, who by the way hadn’t started a game since high school before taking over for Tom Brady when he went down last year. And if including Cutler’s name in those trade talks wasn’t insult enough for the young QB, now word from the Minneapolis Star Tribune is that the Vikings are interested in attaining Cutler and talks are believed to be ongoing.

I just don’t get it. If the Broncos were to deal Cutler, their QB depth chart would consist of Patrick Ramsey (failure everywhere he’s been) and Darrell Hackney (really, Darrell Hackney?) As a rookie head coach, McDaniels made a major blunder causing this fissure with his 25-year-old franchise QB so soon after his arrival in Denver. Perhaps they’ll kiss and make up for P.R. reasons, but you can’t tell me Cutler’s now not going to want to take the first train out of Denver asap … and who can blame him?

If I’m missing something here, I’d love to have someone explain it to me.

SPEAKING OF QBS: Former St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is getting the red-carpet treatment from the San Francisco 49ers as they try to lure him to yet another NFC West division rival. Warner reportedly has been offered a two-year, $20 million contract to return to the Cardinals, but according to the San Francisco Chronicle is seeking closer to $30 million for two years, a salary cap number the Niners could easily accommodate. How much is a two-time MVP and Super Bowl winning quarterback worth? Stay tuned to find out. Meanwhile, check out the royal treatment Kurt and Brenda received in San Francisco.

****

SOMETHING TO PONDER

BLUES, WINGS AND THE TRADE DEADLINE: I’ve read and heard a lot lately saying the decision of whether the Blues are buyers or sellers at tomorrow’s trade deadline depends largely on how they perform tonight against Detroit. I don’t really understand that rationale, and frankly, hope it’s not true. With 19 games remaining after tonight, why would this one game against the Wings carry such import? Are the Blues supposed to prove tonight they can hang with the likes of Detroit? Well maybe they can for one night, but I don’t think that necessarily signals this is a playoff team, and it certainly isn’t an indicator of whether or not they could actually contend if they were to make the playoffs. All year long we’ve heard coach Andy Murray say to not look forward, don’t watch the standings and the only thing that’s important is that the team gets two points in their next game. So why would emotions run so high for tonight’s game that one would make club-altering decisions based on this singular outcome? Makes no sense to me. But as I’ve said before, I’m no GM, so perhaps the “experts” see something here that I don’t.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be at the Scotty tonight and am looking forward to a rowdy crowd and great game. And who wouldn’t want to see the Blues pull one off under such circumstances? I just don’t see the logic in basing anything about the club’s future on the outcome of this one game. I’m just sayin’.

****

STAT OF THE DAY

38 — Most home runs hit by a player in his first season. That distinction is held by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger — both hit 38 home runs in their first seasons. Many folks mistakenly think it’s Mark McGwire, who belted 49 HRs during his rookie season in 1987. However, while McGwire holds the rookie record, 1987 wasn’t his first season. He had 53 at-bats in 1986.

Here’s a look at the top 10 players who hit the most home runs in their “first” season:

Player/HRs/Year

1. Frank Robinson/38/1956
2. Wally Berger/38/1930
3. ALBERT PUJOLS/37/2001
4. Ryan Braun/34/2007
5. Jimmie Hall/33/1963
6. Ted Williams/31/1939
7. Pete Incaviglia/30/1986
8. Joe DiMaggio/29/1936
9. Evan Longoria/27/2008
10. Dan Uggla/27/2006
(Source: Baseballreference.com)