No one will argue that the death of Max Gilpin was anything but tragic. He was the 15-year-old high school football player from Louisville, Ky., who collapsed at a practice last August and died three days later.

Now, his former coach is on trial, charged with reckless homicide. The trial of David Stinson may be the first time a coach faces criminal charges in such an incident.

The trial is already showing some interesting turns, with accusations of evidence withheld and questions of whether a prescription drug the player was taking may have had a role in his death.

But the issue that…

Unless you bury your head deep in the sand (and even then you might hear Mike Shannon’s voice) you know that today is Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals. The game is sold out, of course, and a few dozen people spent the night huddled in tents outside the stadium hoping to score tickets to today’s game against Pittsburgh — temperatures in the 30s be damned.

But take Opening Day and games against the Cubs out of the equation, and it seems like tickets will be easier to come by. The economy’s taking its toll everywhere, and baseball is no exception….