gasw: Thanks Jeff.

Do you think all this talk about Cy Young, MVP, ROTY, low era awards is just an uneeded distraction? Just win, guys. Let the awards take care of theirselves after the season.

What does Hal McRae do? This offence s/b so much better. And Ankiel. When he first came up, he was a real hitter. Then someone told him to be a spray hitter, and he is so lost he can't find the strike zone.

Jeff Gordon: Who told Ankiel to be a spray hitter? He is the same hitter he has been. Sadly, he has not made adjustments to what pitchers are doing with him. Rick washed out as a pitcher and he is on the verge of doing the same as a hitter.

These are the big leagues. Players must constantly pass tests.

Michael Kent: Jeff ...

A couple of questions:

1) In your mind, has Brendan Ryan adequately proven he's the long-term shortstop for the Cards?

2) What's gotten into this Memphis starting rotation during the playoffs? They've suddenly turned tough as nails! People can talk all they want about Jaime Garcia, but the guy who's really stepped up is Evan MacLane, another lefty. Two starts, 15+ innings, no runs, 14 Ks ... surely the Cards have to give MacLane a good, hard look next spring along with Garcia, no?

Thanks as always.

Jeff Gordon: MacLane was a nice pick-up. He bolstered that rotation when Mortensen, Boggs and Hawksworth moved out. He could be a depth guy for the Cards, but I'm not sure he is anything more than that.

Matt: Did Albert just need to punch Brendan Ryan in the face so they could start being friends? Where did this whole beat the heck out of the guy that just won the game thing come from? I halfway expected someone to start bludgeoning Ryan with their bat on Saturday.

Jeff Gordon: That's baseball, boys being boys. You're right -- somebody is going to need medical attention after one of these "celebrations."

Matt: Which pitching battery do you like better Tuesday night: Jaime Garcia to Matt Pagnozzi or Tim Robbins to Kevin Costner?

Jeff Gordon: Good one. This Garcia developing is huge for the Cards, given their obvious pitching hole. Too bad the organization believes that bringing him up could set back his recovery.

BillP.: Hey Jeff, I was able to go to the game against the Wild last Tuesday. I think Bell from Ottawa was a steal, I think he's going to be real good. I think Sydor is worth keeping on the team, he's still got some skill and he's a calming influence for the defense---doesn't panic on the ice at all. Pietrangelo looks great but I saw him go 1 on 1 in the corners with someone and he got knocked to his knees pretty good. I wonder if the Blues feel he his physically ready, or do they still have doubts? And it was good to see Bishop out there, but boy is that guy big. That's not a 5 hole, that's a 10 hole, if I was shooting on him I'd be going between those pads all the time. Who are the Blues higher on, Allen or Bishop? My guess is Allen, I just feel Ben is just a little too big. Thanks and Have a good week !

Jeff Gordon: I thought the same thing aboout Bishop, watching him in goal. But he closes that hole pretty well and he is surprisingly agile on his skates for a huge kid. He stays up well. Right now he is well ahead of Allen, who allows too many soft goals at this point.