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.

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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.

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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’.

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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)

Leave it to the Rams to make some big moves on Christmas Eve with John Shaw stepping down and the promotion of Billy Devaney. Maybe Christmas Day will be a little quieter at Rams Park although it looks like San Francisco 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary is having a better holiday than Rams interim Jim Haslett. The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Singletary will be retained although his offensive coordinator Mike Martz will not return. And in respect to the holiday, we’ll refrain from comment on Charlie Weis managing to get Notre Dame past Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

The Water Cooler
An abbreviated version today as we continue to look at Post-Dispatch reporters and their thoughts on some of the top stories of the year:

Tom Timmermann
The top story of the year was anything to do with the Rams, whose dreadfulness was worse than the Blues and more noteworthy than the surprising legs the Cardinals showed. The owner died, setting the stage for a sale — and possible departure — of the franchise and the team stunk, leading to the firing of the coach and the overhauling of the front office. In a year, we may not recognize the Rams. And in a few more, they might not be here.

Jeff Gordon
The demise of A-B. This will have a huge and unfortunate impact on local sports. Combine the adverse impact on the economy and the potential loss of long-term sponsorship and you have a catastrophe.