safer: Hi Gordo---LOT's of questions now about Wroten's status. Does the suspension end on June 1st? And will Spags give him a shot at making our team? That guy is custom made for Spag's D IF he would get his act together. Thanks! Rich

Jeff Gordon: I'd be surprised if the team took him back. He is a depth guy and his history goes against everything Spags is preaching.

Damian: Jeff,
I have been thinking of back-up options for Jackson. I keep coming to Rudi Johnson. I bet he is cheap and would serve a back up role perfectly. What do you think?

AZRAMSFAN

Jeff Gordon: Is there something left there? Would Rudi help the special teams? The idea of having a 1,000-yard back-up is appealing, given Jackson's injury history, but I would expect a younger guy to get this gig.

KENNETH MANNING JR.: WHY DID THE RAMS WAIT UNTIL ALL THE GOOD DRAFT PICKS WERE GONE TO START LETTING PPL GO? WHY DON'T THE RAMS WANT TO SIGN DERRICK BROOKS THE OLD TAMPA LB? HE CAN STILL GET THE JOB DONE AND WHY NOT TRADE FOR A WR? WHY DON'T RAMS WANT TO GET VICK? WHAT HE HAS DONE IN PAST IS OVER WITH THE GUY CAN TURN THIS AROUND LIKE HE DID THE STRUGGLING FALCONS. BULGER HAD HIS TIME AND TO ME HE'S A PROVEN BACK UP. I WAS HIS BIGGEST FAN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO NOW HE CAN'T THROW OVER 30 YARDS AND HE'S THE NEW JEFF GEORGE OF THE LEAGUE.

Jeff Gordon: Spagnuolo is retooling this team with youth. He is starting over. In start-overs, you don't bring in a bunch of older players off the pile. You get a guy here and there capable of filling in and setting a good work tone, but that's it.

Spags is also preaching character. That excludes the Vick Project. If Bulger bombs, then the Rams will start over at that position with a younger player.

George M.: Hi, Jeff. Last offseason, the Cardinals had positions to fill at shortstop and second base, after telling their four middle infielders all to take a hike. Most fans wanted Mo to sign Orlando Hudson (.335 batting average, .412 OBP, 16 doubles, 3HR) and to trade Rick Ankiel to Atlanta for Yunel Escobar (.289 batting average, .363 OBP, 10 doubles, 5HR). Instead, Mo traded for Khalil Green and at least bought into the plan to move Skip to second. Looking back from this point, who was right, all the fans or Mo? Looks to me like DeWitt would be better off going into a bar every Sunday night and yelling out "Who wants to be GM this week?". What's your take?

Jeff Gordon: Khalil flopped, obviously, but I'm fine with Ryan and Tyler Greene.

Schumaker is fine at second base. The Dodgers got Hudson for a song, which is good for them. the Cards later spent money on Dennys Reyes, which was a great move.

(A lot of Cards also clamored for Manny Ramirez. We saw how that all turned out.)

If the Cards weren't in the middle of the playoff race despite suffering simultaneous injuries to key players, there would be a lot more to complain about.

virginiatom: In terms of actual coaching, how does the activity of the team on the field for the mini camps and OTA's look under Spagnuolo and do you see any difference this year compared to the last 3? I know that every year the optimism is high at this point of year, but do you see the leadership and abilities of this coaching staff taking hold?

Jeff Gordon: The guys who track this stuff daily rave about the new atmosphere. Spags sets a great tone and lot of these young guys look like future leaders.

But we've heard this before after a coaching change. I remember how Vermeil's first season went, so I'll reserve judgment until the real games begin.

Between now and then, any talk of improvement is silly. Let's see how the Rams play once other teams start slapping guys around for real.