THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter so far has had no setbacks in camp. However, given his injury history, what would realistically constitute a successful season for Carpenter in 2009?

JOE STRAUSS
The Cardinals’ lack of depth does not allow for grading on a curve. (Mortensen and Todd are projected as major league relievers; Walters and Ottavino are projected for the rotation but not ready, despite the buzz created by some hyperventilating early reports; Boggs is behind due to shoulder stiffness that followed him into camp. The club does not promote Brad Thompson as an alternative.) Anything less than 28 starts by Carpenter represents a serious complication to the season.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I’d say about 25 starts. If the Cardinals have to take a conservative approach and back him off a couple of times this season, they can live with that. He’ll make a positive impact. Am I confident that Carpenter will hold up? Not really. His injury history is troubling and he isn’t getting any younger.

DERRICK GOOLD
Nothing short of 25 starts. Anything less could leave the Cardinals exposed. Anything more than 30 starts from a healthy and vintage Carpenter and the Cardinals have to be considered contenders. The current roster isn’t braced for an on-again, off-again Carpenter.

BRYAN BURWELL
The most realistic expectation for Chris Carpenter is to play a full season injury-free. If he makes all his starts, that means he will be the old Chris Carpenter and that makes him a successful 15-plus victory starter. I just want to see him stay healthy and make all his starts, it’s as simple as that.

JEFF GORDON
If Chris Carpenter can win 15 games and still be reasonably strong in October, Cards fans should throw a party. He is coming back from serious injuries. He is trying to rebuild his stamina. His body is pretty fresh after a year of relative inactivity, but he also is working to regain his long-haul endurance. Even if his arm and shoulder remain injury-free, Carpenter can expect to hit a couple of walls this season while trying to pitch every fifth day. He must manage his body very carefully.

RICK HUMMEL
Thirty starts. If he gets that many, which many would presume a longshot, the wins will take care of themselves. Say 15.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

SPLITSVILLE IN INDY? Football can be a cold and cruel game. Players sacrifice their bodies to compete year after year, yet there is very little security other than signing bonuses and yearly salaries. Long-term contracts in the NFL? Meaningless. A player can be cut tomorrow (or today) and that six-year deal he signed three years ago is worth nothing more than what his agent was able to secure in “guaranteed” money — usually just a fraction of the overall deal.

Courtesy of the Indianapolis Star, we hear today of a future Hall of Famer who likely is coming to an untimely end with the only franchise he’s ever known. Unless Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay can convince Marvin Harrision in a sitdown today to restructure his contract, it looks like the Peyton Manning-to-Harrison connection will be lost forever. Even though he’ll be 37 in August, it’s got to be hard on Harrison’s pride. Here’s a guy who is an eight-time Pro Bowler who ranks second in NFL history with 1,102 receptions, fourth with 14,580 receiving yards and fifth with 128 receiving touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Harrison is coming off his two least-productive seasons … age may be catching up with him. It’s just tough to watch one of the game’s best be put out to pasture (or just be sent away to another team.) But it’s nothing new to St. Louisans after watching Isaac Bruce get unceremoniously released last year, only to resurface in San Francisco. And it looks now like Torry Holt could be next.

It just shouldn’t happen with these guys who have been the faces of their franchise. Jerry Rice should have never suited up for anyone but the Niners. Bruce the same with the Rams and Harrison the same with the Colts. It’s just a shame the players and teams can’t come up with a way to make it end in a classy way. Even with a salary cap, it seems to me reasonable folks could look at it reasonably and weigh a player’s and a franchise’s legacies against the almighty dollar and come up with something in the middle. But that’s probably just naive on my part, unfortunately.

HE’S BACK: The golfing world is getting giddy over Tiger Woods return to play tomorrow in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. One ESPN report this morning estimates more than 100 media members were up early this morning to watch the world’s No. 1 golfer launch his first tee shot in his first practice round. And that doesn’t even take into account the number of spectators that began tracking Tiger from the first hole. Pretty amazing.

Woods, who has been out of action since he defeated Rocco Mediate in a playoff at last June’s U.S. Open — while playing on a knee with torn ligaments — reportedly missed only one fairway on the front nine. This weekend will prove to be just the latest in Tiger’s coronation march to becoming known as the greatest golfer to ever play the game. Stay tuned.

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STAT OF THE DAY

52 years, 11 days — The age of the oldest NHL player in history. His name? Gordie Howe. Incredibly, Howe played all 80 games of the 1979-80 schedule for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers at the age of 51, turning 52 just before the season’s end and then skating in three playoff matches. Howe’s career spanned 32 pro seasons and 2,421 NHL and WHA games. (Source: “Hockey’s Top 100: The Game’s Greatest Records”)