My five best wishes for the Cardinals in the second half of the season:

1. Improved health. The news on rookie reliever Eduardo Sanchez is discouraging. Will this team ever catch a break? Will the baseball gods protect Lance Berkman?

2. More consistency from the starting pitchers. The rotation had a 3.42 ERA in the first month, a 4.00 ERA in May, a 4.15 ERA in June, and a 4.79 ERA in July before the All-Star Game break. The numbers are headed in the wrong direction.

3. A breakout by Colby Rasmus. Not a trade; a prolonged hot streak. This lineup is already second in the NL in runs per game, and No. 1 in onbase percentage and slugging. What could it do with a plugged-in Rasmus joining Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Berkman, David Freese and Yadier Molina in the No. 2 through No. 7 spots in the lineup?

4. That Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is able to come up with a power move to put the Cardinals over the top. But it won't be easy, given the $109 million payroll, highest among the four NL Central contenders, and a shortage of top prospects to dangle. (I'm not talking about "untouchable" prospects.)

5. Pujols: epic numbers, epic contract drive.

A Visit with TONY RASMUS

The father of Cardinals' center fielder Rasmus joined me on my WXOS (101.1 FM) radio show Friday. Some excerpts:

• Tony Rasmus said his involvement in coaching Colby has been overstated by the media.

He said all he did recently in St. Louis was throw batting practice to his son when Colby requested it. And Tony Rasmus insisted that Colby is happy to work with Cardinals batting coaches Mark McGwire and Mike Aldrete.

"He's never told me one bad thing about any of these guys," Tony Rasmus said. "When I arrived in St. Louis ... the thing was he had been talking to Mike Aldrete about some things, like separating his hands. He told me he was working on some things to improve and be more consistent, and he wanted me to throw some batting practice to him. So my impression of that is that he's listening to what they're saying. And they have to be clicking on some level if he's actually trying something that they're recommending."

• Tony Rasmus said that he'd stop making comments on Internet forums if asked to do so by Mozeliak or manager Tony La Russa. But Rasmus doesn't understand why his comments create such a fuss.

• Does Colby want to stay in St. Louis?

"Until this recent skirmish came up on stuff that never happened, I was beginning to think that he may want to be here forever," Tony Rasmus said. "He's absolutely loved this year. Don't get me wrong, the struggles have been tough but as far as the Cardinals, Tony La Russa, the coaching staff, my impression is that he loves it."

• On Colby's mental toughness:

"I've had nine kids drafted the last five years off of my team that are playing pro ball," said the elder Rasmus, an acclaimed high school baseball coach in Alabama. "And he's the toughest kid mentally that I've ever dealt with. He's never up, he's never down, he's always right down the middle. That doesn't seem to be appealing to people in St. Louis a lot of times because they feel like he doesn't care about what he does. But it's just his way, he doesn't get real emotional either way."

• On Colby's play in center field:

"I do believe he's too laid back," Tony Rasmus said. "I've had a few discussions with him with regards to center-field play. When he played for me I wanted him to catch everything that he could catch. If he had to run over the left fielder or right fielder I wanted him to do it, because he was our best outfielder. I've actually told him he looks terrible at times out there, giving way to the left fielder and the right fielder ... there's no doubt in my opinion that he needs to take charge."

• Does Tony Rasmus believe his son will be with the Cardinals beyond the July 31 trade deadline?

"My guess is that he'll probably be there the rest of the year," Tony said. "And if 'Mo' decided he wanted to get rid of him, and make improvement to the team in other areas by using him, it would probably be in the offseason."

Reading Time, Three Minutes:

Best wishes to our town's Cam Janssen as he leaves the Blues to sign a one-year deal to return to his original NHL team, the New Jersey Devils. You might have to go back to the days of Kelly Chase to find a Blues player who put in more time and effort in community good deeds than Janssen.

ESPN's Keith Law rated two future Cardinals among his top major-league prospects at midseason. Righthanded pitcher Shelby Miller came in at No. 3, just ahead of RHP Carlos Martinez at No. 4. Another RH Cardinals' pitching prospect, Tyrell Jenkins, was ranked No. 47.

And Law also put St. Louisan Jacob Turner — a righthanded pitcher in the Detroit Tigers' organization — at No. 13.

When Marshall Faulk is formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 6, he will be presented by our town's Rocky Arceneaux, his longtime agent and close friend. ... Rams first-round draft choice Robert Quinn, the pass rusher from North Carolina, will be hosting dinner for families at St. Louis Children's Hospital tonight in the Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Congratulations to Randy Covitz, a St. Louis native who was honored with the Joe McGuff Sports Journalist of the Year Award, presented at the Kansas City Sports Commission's annual banquet. Covitz has been a terrific all-around sportswriter for the Kansas City Star for the last 30 years. The Olivette native graduated from Ladue High in 1968.

Congrats to the St. Louis Scott Gallagher over-55 men's soccer team, which captured the national championship on July 10 in Sanford, Fla. Our locals beat a team from Texas 3-2 in the final, getting goals from Tim Champion, Gary Gaurino and Steve Cacciatore. Other team members were Steve Axmacher, Madjid Benchabane, Chris Cacciatore, Frank Caruso, Andy Gasparovic, Tom Neusel, Jim and Tom Simpson, Dave Trott, Jim Waldschmidt, Thom Champion, Brian McKee, Dave Cady, Ken Cooper, Mark Lewandowski, Gary Gaurino, Ty Keough, player-coach Don Doran and assistant coach Tim Ryan.

In an interview session during All-Star Game festivities in Phoenix, Cardinals left fielder Holliday said he "thought there was a chance" he'd sign with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent following the 2009 season.

"At one point they were trying to decide whether to try to sign me or (pitcher) John Lackey," Holliday told the Boston Herald. "They ended up signing Lackey. That was the money they had kind of earmarked for me." Holliday signed with the Cardinals for $120 million over seven years. The Red Sox "had everything I was looking for," Holliday said. "And so did St. Louis."

The Nice Section

• Tim Randazzo and family are putting together a trivia night to benefit the Red Cross in Joplin and are trying to sell tables and sponsorships to the event on Saturday, July 30 at St. Peter's Church Parish Center in St. Charles. Tables for eight sell for $160; sponsorships are $250. An auction will include items of Cardinals memorabilia donated by La Russa, plus autographed sheet music and signed lyrics from Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood and David Nail. For more info go to www.JoplinTrivia.org.