drelboc: Hi Jeff;
It's looking more and more like the RED FLAGS that were hung up at the beginning of the season are beginning to blow. We can't hit with men on base and our pitching falls just short.
I have been a strong advocate to get an "impact bat" to protect Pujols for a long time. He, the team and the fans deserve that. Is not Busch getting great attendance again? It is just a tragedy that we do not have an impact bat to protect Pujols so he can see some good pitches.
If I sound frustrated it is because I am. Here we have one of the greatest hitters to ever step up to the plate and he rarely sees good strikes to swing at.
Your thoughts...

Thanks Gordo!

Jeff Gordon: Albert is batting .237 with runners in scoring position and .200 with RISP and two outs. So he needs to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. In an otherwise MVP-caliber year, he has been strangely unable to drop the hammer at key points in games.

By comparison. Troy Glaus is hitting .281 with RISP and .296 with RISP and two outs. He has just two homers, but otherwise has offered some heft to the middle of the batting order.

That said, the Cards would love to add an "impact bat" at some point. But until they have a serious pitching surplus, they won't have the leverage to make such a deal. In the meantime, the Cards need Glaus and, yes, Chris Duncan to drive the ball -- because Ludwick can't possibly keep this up!

Gil Mueller: Hi, Gordo

Again my thanks for your enjoyable forum. Do you see any market for Anthony Reyes? Related pitcher-value question - Can you speculate why TLR decided to use Izzy two days in a row? Surely that strategy was questionable - at best.

Jeff Gordon: Izzy pitched two days in a row because he is sturdy enough to do that and other relievers were fatigued. But he wasn't sharp, obviously, in the second outing.

If he turns out Jason can no longer throw on back-to-back days, then he will have to finish out his career here in middle relief. And would he really volunteer for that role?

Rich: I read Al Saunders wants to make Jackson the focal point of the offense which makes sense. However, I am concerned the Rams don't have a proven north-south runner on the roster to help share the load like Stephen Davis did in the 06 season.

Alexander was done in by too many carries and Larry Johnson and Tomlinson appear to be well on that path and I can see the same thing happening with Jackson in the next year or two especially considering his injury history.

Jeff Gordon: Davis was OK as a back-up, gaining 4.4 yards per carry. Neither Brian Leonard or Antonio Pittman were THAT effective last season, although the offensive line woes contributed to that. With Leonard seemingly ticketed for a bigger special teams role, that moves Pittman front and center in this discussion. He doesn't have the thunder thighs, but he could become an intriguing No. 2. It's hard to judge his '07 work because he came to the team on the fly and played in a chaotic situation.

He will get the ball a LOT during the preseason. If he doesn't step up, the Rams could be in the market for another big back as other teams make cuts. After all, that is how they got Pittman in the first place.

Fresno Ram Fan: Hey Gordo,

When is the F.O going to realize that Chavous isnt what he once was? I believe in order for this defense to get better, we need hard hitting safeties who will punish WR's when they come up the middle. Any word of any free agent cuts?

Jeff Gordon: Nothing sexy right now on the safety front, but I agree with you -- Chavous was OK, I suppose, but this defense could use a bigger playmaker in that spot.

Gabriel 2 Snow: Hey Gordo, Is the atmosphere & attitude among the Ram players & staff really much better than the previous 2 years? Or is this overblown?

Jeff Gordon: The mood was better -- but then again, anything would be better than how the team felt at the tail end of the 3-13 collapse. Saunders and the other new assistant coaches bring new life. Devaney is a positive guy, too. But are the players really buying in? We'll know more about halfway into training camp when the team is trying to improve for real.