Joe Strauss: Everybody up for the South Florida version of Joe Strauss Live!!! We were prepared to start a tad earlier until two events conspired against me: 1.) Bernard Miklasz phoned from 101.1 FM to discuss the Cardinals vanishing offense, and 2.) There is a lengthy photo shoot of one of the Marlins "Mermaids" taking place down the third-base line. What some organizations will try to boost attendance over 13,000 nightly. (Declining attendance apparently does have its benefits!!!) Plenty of draft talk, El Hombre angst and frothing for a deal. Without further delay, let's drop deep into the Tsunami that is JSL!!!

Matt: Thank you for taking my question. We as fans tend to go to the extremes in the heat of the moment, thus the cry that the Earth is falling while we are still in contention for 1st place in June. What concerns me most is not our current struggles but our past tendancies. Our FO has built up prospects, but generally no game changers thus far (though Colby looks like he could be good in the future). They have shown a tendancy to miss on evalutations (missing the K. Greene issue, the Glaus issue, passing on O. Hudson, the Barton trade, and pick any rehab project gone bad all being recent examples). And a propencity to misjudge asset management (e.g., failing to trade non-long term players at their peak such as Duncan, Ankiel, Anderson, etc.). Given our mid-market status, being economically effecient is vital to success. The above issues cost huge dollars and handcuff future options (see 30% of our payroll either injured or elsewhere this year). The FO focuses on home grown talent, but aren't the above issues equally important? In the long run, this is a serious concern. What are the main reasons we are seeing these issues and what needs to be done to address them? What were the biggest mistakes made that can be corrected?

Joe Strauss: So much for a bean bag opener. I'm not sure, but it sounds like you're down on the front office. There was some internal wrangling over a recent P-D piece that questioned the upside of the minor-league system. The fact that manager Tony La Russa weighed in defanged the predictable response that media agendas are somehow in play. There has been criticism/debate over how the organization evaluates and ranks its prospects. This forum has long alleged the Cardinals overvalue prospects who would be considered middle-tier in other organizations. The result is an unwillingness or inability to trade for present needs. It's true the previous regime developed few impact players other than Pujols, Molina and Morris (not a bad start), but it did manage to squeeze value from prospects before they became exposed. Since the stated desire of ownership is to develop from within, there seems a reluctance to deal drafted players. There are in-house allegations that prospects are advanced too rapidly and clung to too tightly for the same reason: to validate a new approach under a scouting and player development head imported to change the organization's culture. The organization wants badly to achieve the economic efficiency you site; however, injuries are often unpredictable. The ability to address unforeseen events is a better litmus test.

bh: Now that Khalil Greene is playing again. Once he comes back up to the majors, is that the same as acquiring the needed impact bat?

Joe Strauss: From this place, the answer is no.

Mark Giljum: Joe

A couple of observations simply crying out for the wise and objective analysis of the Chatmeister:

1. How likely that, as opposed to a horrific team-wide slump, this lineup is simply not very good? I say this given the relatively limited history of hitting success at the major league level of just about everyone but El Hombre. If this is the case, it would seem nearly impossible to improve sufficiently with mid-season trades.

2. Over the past couple of years, it seems the Cards pitchers give up an inordinate number of two-strike and/or two-out hits and runs (although I have no data to back this up). If true, is this an inevitable downside of the pitch-to-contact philosophy?

Thanks as always for your time, Joe

Mark

Joe Strauss: 1. TLR lobbied at last November's GM Meetings for the front office to get another bat to back Pujols. That was before Brian Fuentes became the No. 1 priority at the Winter Meetings. Matt Holliday was in play but the price considered exorbitant. Now that the A's are seeking similar value for Holliday, one can only assume the price still seems out of the Cardinals' reach. Remember, TLR advocated finding another bat BEFORE Troy Glaus was lost. The current malaise would seem to validate his opinion.

2. Partly. It is also due to a defense downgraded since last season.

Homesick: Hey Joe!!!

Has the water ever been rougher? I was wondering what you thought of the idea of inviting Larry Walker to accompany the Cards for a few weeks to try to teach all these left-handers how to actually hit a ball? I'm not necessarily suggesting dumping Hal McR., but if we have to have all these lefties, they have to hit better, and Walker knows more about hitting than most. Or am I just dancing the Desperation Samba? Thanks for your time.

Joe Strauss: Walker maintains a residence nearby but has not been spotted this week. Assistant hitting coach Mike Aldrete, like Walker, was a LH bat and is considered a solid asset. McRae came under scrutiny (fair or unfair) in 2006 before the team's remarkable World Series run. Hal McRae was an outstanding hitter as a player and carries a strong reputation as a hitting coach. It's natural that he would come under greater scrutiny, but it's also more accurate to say the Cardinals are competing with a fundamentally flawed lineup. I'll pass along the Desperation Samba idea to the Mermaids. Might make for a more interesting seventh-inning stretch.