Dave McFarland: Jeff, I think this past weekend was supposed to be the big one for recruits at Mizzou in football. Anything good or unexpected happen? Thanks.

Jeff Gordon: According to PowerMizzou.com, the Tigers didn't get any commitments over the weekend -- but the program made headway with top recruits Kenji Jackson, Will Compton and Josh Williams. Interesting that MU and KU are fighting over several top kids.

Tim: What Blues prospect are you most excited about and what do you think he will bring to the table stat wise?

Jeff Gordon: T.J. Oshie will be an instant impact player, perhaps the right fit for Keith Tkachuk. If McDonald stays with Boyes and Kariya, Walt will suffer without a great give-and-go linemate. Oshie had 15 points in his first 15 games for North Dakota this season and he ought to grow into a 60- to 80-point scorer in the NHL.

Tim: Do you think the Rams should get rid of Pace and sign someone in free agency like Faneca and then Draft a top OL in the draft

Jeff Gordon: Pace has put the Rams in a tough spot with his injuries. Earlier rumblings that he could retire proved untrue, but now management has to wonder how he will respond to missing another season. When he plays, he is so much better than most tackles -- so giving up on him will be tough. I'd keep him and draft another OT on the first day.

Dave: Lets look at some of the moves our 15 year old GM has made:

1. Let's Eckstein, an obvious lead off man and on base guy, get away for a one year 4.5 million dollar contract while signing Izturus, who cannot get on base, hit for average, and lately has been a liability on defense

2. Does not re-sign key bench players who can hit and deliever in the clutch such as Taguchi and Miles. Again, not very expesnive pieces for key results

3. Says that trading Edmonds was a pre emptive strike as to avoid confltic in July. Rasmus has never proven himself and Edmonds had one year left on his contract. So why not keep him around, hope he gets healthy and reverts to his old form and bring Rasmus up later. It seems this was a lot to give up for a Class A player. Mozeliak must have quickly developed some future telling skills for only being on the job for a couple months.

Is there ONE good move this guy has made so far? (Is there any moves he is going to make? Maybe get another left handed outfielder)

Jeff Gordon: So far, nothing great has happened for the Cards. The Rule 5 pickup was a good bet, but the big moves have yet to come. John Mozeliak now can buy a free-agent pitcher, at an admittedly inflated press. He hasn't done anything with Scott Rolen yet, so there is still hope that the Cards won't make a bad deal just to put an end to the soap opera.

Give "Mo" some time. He walked into a very difficult position. The worst thing he can do now is make a bad move that will hinder the team for years to come.

Dave: Southern Illinois is in a downward sprial this year. They got demolished on national television by USC and looked lathargic against Indiana. Couple that with recent loses to SLU and Charlotte, wouldn't this make Creighton the early favorite to capture the valley?

Jeff Gordon: SIU is definitely down a notch. Their overall guard play isn't good enough. But Drake (!) and Bradley scored some nice non-conference wins, so Creighton will have lots of competition.