THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With 23 games remaining, the St. Louis Blues are six points back in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. What must the Blues focus on performance-wise during this stretch run that will give them a shot of claiming a playoff spot?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Just being consistent. The Blues were competitive in both Nashville games, continuing to battle against a hot goaltender. For their effort, they earned three out of a possible four points and could have had four. But last week, they weren’t competitive for two periods against Columbus, and they got what they deserved. The Blues are going to lose a handful of games in the final 23, but if they want to have a chance at the playoffs, they have to be competitive in all 23. And that means making a play — whether it’s a scoring chance or a save — when it’s there. The Blues have had chances in several games recently, including Saturday’s game versus Nashville, to make one more play . . . and it would have made the difference. They need that one play.

TOM TIMMERMANN
The Blues need to come out fast, score early, take a lead and then win in regulation. Overtime games won’t cut it. Comeback wins or overtime wins may be great for drama and emotion, but the overtime games are of limited help when it comes to points. Some first period energy — and goals — are what they need.

DAN O’NEILL
Because there are so many teams ahead of them, because the teams involved play so many games with each other down the stretch, because someone is always picking up points, it will be very difficult for the Blues to move into a playoff spot. In terms of performance, the most important factor for the Blues is goaltending. Chris Mason has to be a difference-maker if the team is to have any chance of winning the number of games it will take to make the jump.

JEFF GORDON
I talked to Rick Wamslety today and he really liked what Chris Mason had done in goal the last two months. And the team’s five-on-five play is much better, too. Roman Polak’s return has solidified the D. Now the Blues just have to score more — as we saw Tuesday night.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
It goes without saying the Blues won’t win hockey games if they fail to score like we witnessed the other night against Nashville. The recipe for winning hockey doesn’t change here in the final 20-plus games left on the schedule. They need solid goaltending every night, which for the most part they have received as of late, to go along with a commitment to the defensive zone. The Blues are not going to scare anybody offensively during 5-on-5 play. This puts an even greater emphasis on the power play, which can’t let them down as it did on Saturday. Last but not least, the mentality must change in the 4-on-4 overtime. The Blues, to me, play too passively in OT, which is not a winning formula. I would like to see more urgency to play the best players, those who give your team the best chance to score and ultimately win the hockey game. The fact that Patrik Berglund, David Perron, and Carlo Colaiacovo didn’t even enter the ice Saturday during OT is inexcusable to me. How Jay McKee goes from not being able to crack the lineup a few days earlier to playing in OT is certainly a head scratcher.

ROGER HENSLEY
Remember when then-Kansas City Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil told running back Larry Johnson it was time to “take off the diapers?” Remember how Johnson responded by becoming one of the league’s premier RBs? I think it’s about time for this Blues team to be told to take off the diapers. There are just too many ready-made excuses — from the team’s youth to injuries that still have a few key players off the ice. Instead of focusing on that, however, it’s time to focus on what they do have. There is a stable of thoroughbreds over there at the Scottrade, guys plenty capable of getting the job done, and they’ve shown that against some elite teams. This team has been entertaining and hard-working all season. But now it’s time to finish the job … and that means finishing games. The Blues need to reel off a couple of mini-streaks to build the confidence and momentum they seem to lack. My message to this team would come from the Stuart Smalley collection: “You’re good enough, you’re skilled enough and, doggone it, people like you.”

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

THE WARNER MYSTERY: Arizona QB Kurt Warner completed the 2008 regular season ranked in the league’s top five in completion percentage, passing yards, TD passes and passer rating. He led the Cardinals to the only playoff success they’ve had in the desert, taking the team all the way to the Super Bowl. Warner, 37, says he wants to play for the Cardinals next season. The Cardinals say they want Warner back. So why is it Warner is without a contract just four days before free agency opens in the NFL? ESPN.com’s Mike Sando says it’s because it is hard to put a value on Warner. But you can see what a few scouts think Warner’s contract value should be in Sando’s story today.

I predict Warner will sign a contract with the Cardinals in the next four days for one season at about $10.5 to $11 million. But who knows, maybe Brenda is telling Kurt to hold out for more.

MACLIN MAKES HIS MARK: The Chicago Tribune’s Dan Pompei had this to say about Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin from the NFL combine: “While running routes and catching the ball, (Maclin) looked like the best player on the field—which he was supposed to be. He also showed his resiliency by not missing a drill after injuring his leg while trying to adjust to a poorly thrown ball.”

Pompei takes a look at the ups and downs from yesterday’s workouts in this article.

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SOMETHING TO PONDER

NO JOSHING AROUND: The remarkable story of Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has been well-chronicled. He broke free of addictions to crack, cocaine and alcohol in 2005 and has resurrected his career in a MVP fashion. This year, he went a step further, dropping his habit of chewing tobacco. That’s not an easy thing to do in a major league clubhouse, where so many of your buddies still reach for a can of dip. But Hamilton is used to doing things that aren’t easy. If you don’t know much about Hamilton, this story in today’s Dallas Morning News is an excellent way to catch up.

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NUMBER OF THE DAY

$4.4 million — Total compensation for USC football coach Pete Carroll, making him the highest-paid private university employee in the United States for the 2006-07 fiscal year, according to a report today in the L.A. Times. Carroll’s Trojans have won two national titles, seven consecutive Pac 10 titles and have played in seven consecutive BCS bowl games.

MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

GAUGING THE MARKET: As many in Cardinals National have been screeching about the team’s relative inactivity in the free agent market this offseason, others have started to voice a dissenting viewpoint, pointing out there are still many good free agents out there that may be scooped up later at cheaper prices.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the market for free agents is shaping up in the dissenters’ favor. In a blog today, Olney says: “It is evident that a lot of veteran players are coming to grips with the reality that there isn’t a lot of cash available for the middle class of players this winter. CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe fared well, but the dropoff, after that, gets steeper by the day.” He cites former Cardinal David Eckstein as the latest example. Eckstein earned $4.5 million with the Blue Jays last season, but just Thursday signed an $850,000 contract to play for the Padres this season.

This is not a free pass for the Cardinals to sit on their wallets, but perhaps general manager John Mozeliak has a much better read on this than the average fan. Afterall, he is being paid to be a big league GM.

And in case you missed it, Derrick Goold put together a complete lineup of all-stars that are now available on the free agent market. Take a look at his team in the Birdland Blog and convince me there’s not still plenty of options available. With no one clammering to snatch up these guys now, why not wait awhile until the clearance sale begins?

ON THE OTHER HAND: The Chicago Cubs apparently are not subscribing to the wait-and-see approach in free agency. And while the Cards are working on developing homegrown talent, the Cubs seem to be going in the other direction. In fact, the Chicago Sun Times reported today that, “On Opening Day 2009, only shortstop Ryan Theriot and catcher Geovany Soto figure to be true homegrown players in the Cubs’ starting lineup. That’s not a bad thing, either. The Cubs are spending money the way a big-market team should be, sprinkling in a few of their own along the way.”

One of those that won’t be sprinkled in is former super-prospect Felix Pie. The Cubs have loaded up in the outfield and it looks like this once-can’t-miss prospect will be shipped out.

ASK HIM YOURSELF: You can ask Mozeliak about how this team is shaping up and why he’s doing things the way he is next week when we host a live chat with the Cardinals general manager. Check in with him at 1 p.m. next Wednesday at STLtoday.com.

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THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: Do you think the Cardinals will top 3 million in attendance this summer?

JOE STRAUSS
While the economic angst is very appropriate, I believe the Cardinals will continue to receive strong support. I do think the economic climate makes them more vulnerable to a dramatic loss of walk-up sales should the team tank. Barring a meltdown season, I place the attendance over/under at 3.25 million.

DERRICK GOOLD
Selling 3 million tickets is different than drawing 3 million fans. I imagine the Cardinals will clear 3 million in tickets sales for the 11th time in 12 years, and they probably will inch past their budget-target of 3.2 million, even in this wicked economy. But the turnstile will have a different view. For the first time since the opening of the ballpark all of those tough sells — those Tuesday nights vs. Pittsburgh, for example — will really look the part. Empty seats. Empty boxes. No lines for garlic fries and red licorice. The same volunteers each night for the fifth-inning dance off. While the All-Star Game is a heck of an insurance policy for ticket sales, it won’t put red-clad butts in those red-painted seats when August comes unless the team is worth watching.

RICK HUMMEL
They’ll make three million if they start fast. If they’re not contending or interesting in April and early May, it won’t happen.

JEFF GORDON
Despite the terrible economy, I believe the Cards can still draw 3 million if they contend. And I believe they will contend in ’09, despite all the current naysaying. This team may have to do some ticket discounting on the fly, as the Blues have, but the team should get that number. It helps that the Rams have tanked and the Blues are struggling, too. More than ever, this is Cardinal Nation. Fans will quit a number of vices before they get to baseball.

TOM TIMMERMANN
I don’t think so. Even if the team was championship worthy, I think it would be a tough sell this summer. People are going to pull a DeWitt and play it close to the vest with their money. They’ll sit back, pop open a beer and listen to Dan and Al. Or Mike and John. Or read Joe and Derrick and Rick, though hopefully not drinking a beer over the morning paper.

MIKE SMITH
Signs of the times: The Smith family probably will have to dump its annual $5,500 contribution to DeWitt Care for two seats out in left field. And fan grousing seems to be at an unprecedented level for the 29 years I’ve worked in the P-D sports department. Still … if the Cards find a second baseman who at least looks like he wants to be on the field, then put their best lineup out there and ACTUALLY LEAVE IT OUT THERE more than one or two days a week (“Leading off and playing left field, Joe Thurston!”), you’ve got the makings of a season that could attract 3 million fans.

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THINGS TO PONDER

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: USC coach Pete Carroll got blistered today by L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke for how he’s handled the news that QB Mark Sanchez will enter the NFL draft early. Sanchez has already received his bachelor’s degree, and even though he has one year of eligibility remaining, the fact that he is ranked among the 10 best players in this year’s draft made the lure of the NFL just too much. Plaschke says Carroll handled Sanchez’s decision “with all the decorum of a jilted lover.”

Is it about the kid or is it about winning, Pete?

OK, THIS IS ONLY A JOKE: It’s a well-known fact that former NFL quarterback Archie Manning sired the last two Super Bowl winning QBs — Peyton and Eli Manning. But according to the satirical magazine The Onion, Archie may not yet be out of the running for a third consecutive Super Bowl in his family, even though Peyton’s Colts and Eli’s Giants have been eliminated from the playoffs. “Donovan McNabb Is Also My Son,” reads the headline. Check it out.

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NOW THAT’S SAYING SOMETHING

“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.”
— Mickey Mantle