Dontrelle Willis was on the short list of pitchers Cardinals fans coveted during the offseason. The Marlins, they knew, were more than willing to sell him off.

But The D-Train ended up in Detroit as part of the blockbuster Miguel Cabrera deal and got a three-year, $29 million contract. Cardinal National can feel glad about that.

Willis has appeared in five games this season, four of them starts, around a stint on the disabled list. He lasted just 11 1/3 innings in those appearances, walking 21 batters in the process.

In his last start, he allowed three hits (two of them homers) and walked five batters while allowing eight runs in 1 1/3 innings. He threw 64 pitches and only 27 of them were strikes.

His earned-run average soared to 10.32. As he left the mound Monday night, he heard it from Tigers fans.

“I would boo me, too,” Willis told the Detroit Free-Press.

“Today was a day where I didn’t do anything right. Sometimes I try to be too fine. I was throwing my secondary pitch, my slider, better than my fastball. My rhythm was off today. Baseball is rhythm. I’ll work on that before my next start.”

Yeah, well, you better.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while Tony La Russa anxiously waits for Adam Wainwright’s finger to heal:

• Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Jason Isringhausen, Matt Clement . . . is this one of the greatest pitching staffs ever assembled on one team’s disabled list?
• Is Rick Ankiel 100 percent sure he doesn’t want to chip in and pitch a few innings here and there?
• So what becomes of Cedric Benson after his Bears release?
• Are Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol ready to step it up in the NBA Finals?

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE BELMONT

Syndicated columnist Norman Chad tried to put himself in the shoes of not-quite Triple Crown winner Big Brown by writing a make-believe journal from last week.

Here is an excerpt:

“Thursday: Part of me says I can’t lose, but another part of me — my hoof — says I need some time off my feet. . . . Blabbermouth Dutrow’s talking about the Travers Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but I’ve got a date with the ladies. . . . What’s with these predawn workouts? I like sleeping in. . . . In my next life, I’ll go to the whip on Kent Desormeaux every day and twice on Sunday. . . . What, there are no cute exercise riders in all of New York? . . . I have an itch behind my right ear that I just can’t get to. . . .My favorite Triple Crown winner of all time? Probably Joe Medwick.”

TIPSHEET TIP OF WEEK

Never go to a Los Angeles Lakers viewing party at Staples Center wearing a Celtics jersey. In fact, wearing your home colors in enemy territory is never a great idea.

Thanks to Deadspin.com for bringing this cautionary video to our attention.

QUIPS ‘R US

Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:

Bill Simmons, ESPN.com, on the Lakers’ Game 2 woes: “During the first quarter, there was one sequence when Kobe threw a bullet pass through Gasol’s hands for a turnover, then shot Gasol one of his patented Michael Corleone, ‘You disappointed me, don’t be surprised if I have you killed later’ glares, only Gasol fired right back and told Kobe that he should have thrown a bounce pass, followed by Kobe staring at Gasol intently and trying to make Gasol’s head actually explode on the court.”

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “U.S. runner Antonio Pettigrew admitted to doping, so three of the four members of the 2000 gold-medal-winning 1600-meter relay team have been tainted by drugs. Let this be a lesson to future relay runners: When you reach back for that handoff, make sure that what your teammate is passing you is a baton.”

Dan Daly, Washington Times: “Bills running back Marshawn Lynch is the ‘principal suspect,’ according to police, in a hit-and-run accident in Buffalo. If so, then Lynch is going to be almost impossible to beat this year in the Yards After Contact category.”

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Golf’s U.S. Open begins Thursday in San Diego, marking Tiger Woods‘ return from knee surgery. We know his PGA Tour rivals can’t beat Tiger. Let’s see if rust can.”

Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times: “He always seemed sad and spaced-out, like he wanted to be anywhere else but this planet, even if his employer was guaranteeing him $17 million to care about playing football. Problem was, such character deficiencies should have been detected in Cedric Benson before the Bears selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft. Know who was taken in the same slot, 30 years earlier? Walter Jerry Payton, greatest pound-for-pound football player ever, against whom all running backs will be judged in Chicago and beyond.”

MEGAPHONE

“I feel like a loser right now and I don’t know why. Usually when I get beat I can handle it the right way, and I’ve handled this the right way, but I just feel like something’s not right.”

Rick Dutrow Jr., Big Brown’s trainer.