DisCard: Good Afternoon,

Am I reading too much into the reports? It sounds to me like the 2nd base competition is already over.

Thanks,

Jeff Gordon: It sounds like La Russa has already penciled Schumaker into the lead-off spot. But can he play second base? That hasn't been determined. As John Mozeliak notes, the team has six weeks to assess the situation.

I could see Brendan Ryan and Joe Thurston both making the team as back-up infielders -- especially if Mather proves he can play third base.

drelboc: Hey Gordo;

Hey Gordo, have you migrated down to Florida yet? If you have what are you seeing down there that is an intriguing, intrigue? If you have not migrated, when are you going and what is it that intrigues you most that you are going to seek out for yourself?

Jeff Gordon: I'll be there next week. It will be fun to see how things shake down when the games start.

Aside from Schumaker's work at second base, the most interesting things to watch will be:

--Can any of these lefty relievers do the job? Right now, there is no reason to believe the current cast will be sufficient. I'm shocked the Cards haven't added a legit lefty reliever yet.

--Does Mather have the bat to fill in at third? Does Freese have the bat to replace Glaus for a month or more?

--Can Chris Perez gain the needed the command to close? Or must the Cards find a way to bring in, say, Chris Perez?

Brett: Alot of people talk about our OF surplus. I for one don't see it. We have a lot of quality OFers, but not many project as starters. I wonder if this thinking is what has stopped the team from pursuing an impact bat, likely an outfielder? Jon Jay, Shane Robinson, Brian Barton, etc. I think would be good 4th or 5th OFers, but they don't really impress. I do like Darryl Jones. What do you think of all this?

Jeff Gordon: Ludwick's 113 RBIs make him a starter. Rasmus is universally rated as a Top 10 prospect, so he will be a starter. Ankiel's 38 homers and 119 RBI in 672 at bats make him a starter, too. That's three, assuming that Skip stays at second base. Otherwise, the team has four starters plus the supporting cast.

Duncan, Mather, Jay, Barton, Daryl Jones, Robinson . . . that's a pretty good list, and don't forget Wallace as a potential OF. That is why outfield is the absolute last position the Cards should go outside for.

Flotrain: I had a quick thought while reading the article on stltoday.com and everything else about Skip and his move to 2B... To me, it just doesn't make sense that they would wait until right before Spring Training to move him there and to cut Kennedy after the whole deal with him last year, going into this year.. Seriously, TLR is one of the best managers EVER and always puts his team in a position to win, regardless of the talent level. Logic states building your team from C to SS and 2B to CF, or through the very middle of the D. Why would you take such a "risk" taking a gamble on such an important spot?
My feeling now is, this was in the works since the season ENDED. Coming out publicly now instead of October buys Skip some time to adjust. Think about it, with anybody starting something new, who wouldn't want a 5 month head start at a new job or position?... I'm in sales and I would LOVE to be 5 months ahead of when I had to actually make my monthly budgets!!!
I see this as more of a "crazy like a fox" move by the Cardinals...... I agree with your article last week about Skip at 2B makes this lineup even more dangerous because it opens a spot for Duncan or Rasmus, assuming Ankiel and Ludwick both are starters... AND you have to keep Duncan. With Glaus out, who spells Albert at first who has competent defense there?

Jeff Gordon: I see this as a worthy experiment, given Schumaker's offensive potential as a leadoff guy. But the "decision" appears to be the awkward by-product of La Russa's unwillingness to keep Kennedy and DeWitt's payroll scaleback.

IF Skip holds up in the field, all will be well. Even Aaron Miles' exit won't sting as much, since Ryan and/or Thurston could be OK in the utility role. Miles didn't steal bases or produce a lot of runs, although he did hit consistently well.

Taylor: Will you tell Mo to just sign Grudzy already? A great one year option for us if Shu doesn't pan out at 2B.

Jeff Gordon: Mozeliak sees no reason to rush. Remember, other teams will be looking to move surplus infielders if the Cards get deep into March and still have questions about Skip's D.