READING TIME 5 MINUTES

* This will be my last blog for a while. It's time for our annual summer vacation. Plans? Two days in Washington D.C. and a tour of the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Then a week at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland. I'll be back at the end of the month. 

So let's go out with a final blitz...

* Good luck to Stan Kroenke next week when the NFL owners meet, presumably to vote on his ownership bid for the Rams. I've said it before and here it is one more time: the franchise cannot move forward in a significant and positive way until there's stable, long-term ownership in place. When the owners review Kroenke's case next week, I hope they realize that the future of the St. Louis franchise is at stake. They can help save it by approving Kroenke. Or, by rejecting Kroenke, the NFL owners will play a role in killing NFL football in this town. This is crucial.

* The Cardinals are so danged strange, so erratic and all over the place, that I have no idea what to expect from Team Psycho. By the time I return to St. Louis, they could have a 3-game lead in the division, or they could be 5 games out.

* One reasonable expectation is success when a game is started by Adam Wainwright or Chris Carpenter. Entering Waino's start Wednesday, the Cardinals were 36-15 in games started by the co-aces, and 39-37 and contests started by others.

* To update a stat I used in Monday's column: after Tuesday's inexplicable 3-2 loss to the Brewers and their illustrious starter Dave Bush, the Cardinals are 15-17 this season against the Brewers, Astros and Cubs. (I mean, really now: Dave Bush? You succumb to DAVE BUSH??? )

* The Cardinals have played some of their worst ball against the Brewers. The Cardinals were 6-5 vs. Milwaukee through Tuesday, and the carnage includes 10 errors that have led to 7 unearned runs for the Brewers. The Cardinals have pounded Milwaukee pitching for 17 homers, but are batting only .205 with runners in scoring position against the Brewers. (Again, these numbers do not include whatever will happen on Wednesday afternoon at Busch).

* Fetching and throwing the ball against the Astros hasn't come easy, either. Poor defense is among the primary reasons to explain the 5-7 STL record vs. Houston; the Cardinals have committed 10 errors in those games, setting up 14 unearned runs for the Astronauts. 

* Best comeback announcement ever: Two words, "I'm Back" from Michael Jordan in a fax just before he returned to the Chicago Bulls after his taking his baseball journey. Why can't Brett Favre do that? What is it about this guy that causes him to have such an insatiable need for attention, and a compulsion for theatrics? Why must ESPN slobber all over Favre every summer when he carries out his latest desperate quest to feel wanted?  This is really sick. Seriously, three teammates had to travel to Ol' Mississippi to beg Favre to come to Minnesota and save them from destruction? A phone call wouldn't have been sufficient? Can't the guy just kiss the wife goodbye, tell her it's time to go to work, and hop on an airplane to fly to Minnesota, just like any normal player would when he heads to camp? You seriously have to wonder about the state of Favre's mental health when all of this goes away, and he can no longer play, and ESPN people won't be there to serve as his personal valets, caddies, escorts, dishwashers, lawn boys, etc. What the heck will Favre do when the circus moves on and he's just an old QB living in a small town? This dude makes LeBron James look humble.

* Brendan Ryan entered Wednesday's game with a .352 batting average (.25 for 71) since July 24. Hope the dude keeps it up. He's playing superb defense, too. Ryan is up to a +27 in the John Dewan Fielding Bible ratings, which ties him for second-best among all MLB shortstops.

* Through Tuesday, Cardinals 3B, all of 'em, had committed 22 errors this season. In the majors, only the Cubs' 3B had made more errors (24). And those are charged errors. I'm sure there have been several other errors that were ruled hits.

* The 3B spot has been an area of diminishing returns offensively; since the start of the 2009 season here is where the Cardinals' collection of third basemen rank among the 30 MLB teams in some key offensive categories: 26th in OPS (.679); 26th in RBIs (119); 25th in HRs (22); 26th in batting average (.248); 25th in OBP (.313); 27th in slugging (27th.) No fewer than 12 Cardinals have taken at-bats as 3B over the last two seasons, the most ABs going to including David Freese (255 ABs), Mark DeRosa (222), Felipe Lopez (187), Joe Thurston (187), Brian Barden (78), Khalil Greene (41) and Tyler Greene (30.)

* Unless GM John Mozeliak can import a glove man for 3B, it appears that the Cardinals will be turning their lonely eyes to Tyler Greene. We're up on Greene's natural talent and skill set. In the majors this season, he's has a .359 OBP and a .412 SLG in limited action, numbers that were in line with the considerable improvement he's shown at the Class AAA level this season. However: can Greene play an adequate third base? He's put in 82 innings at the position in the bigs -- which really isn't enough to go on -- and was a minus 4 defender in those limited trials, according to Fielding Bible. And T. Greene tends to put a lot of pressure on himself.

* Kudos to St. Louisan Max Scherzer; he's rolling for the Detroit Tigers. After going to the minors for a couple of weeks in May to sharpen his mechanics, Scherzer has been outstanding, going 7-5 with a 2.35 ERA, and 100 strikeouts in 95 innings. In his most recent start, Monday, Scherzer pitched shutout innings to beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. His parents were there to see it. Great stuff.

* You may not like the Cincinnati Reds or their second baseman. But in this corner we believe in tipping the cap to the opposition when warranted. And the Reds have responded admirably from the embarrassing three-game smackdown delivered by the Cardinals last week in Cincinnati. The Reds haven't lost, going 4-0 through Tuesday night's 6-2 win at Arizona. After going 0 for 10 against the Cardinals, Reds 3B Scott Rolen got a couple of days off and it seemes to have rejuvenated him; Rolen is 7 for 11 with 6 RBIs in his last three games. And Reds starting pitchers Edinson Volquez, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo allowed 6 earned runs in 25.1 innings (2.13 ERA) during the four-game streak. Leake, by the way, has been sent to the bullpen. The Reds are concerned about the rookie's innings load. For now, Cincinnati is going with a five-man rotation of Arroyo, Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Bailey and rookie Travis Wood.

* The Philadelphia Phillies had a cruel run of injuries but survived and are getting their guys back. Beware.  Shane Victorino and Chase Utley have been restored to the lineup, and Ryan Howard is almost back. When the Phillies lost three in a row in St. Louis after the All-Star break, they fell to 48-46. Then they beat the Cardinals in the final game of the four-game set, and have won 19 of 25. Starting pitching has been the key; over the last 25 games the Phillies' rotation has a 2.82 ERA.

* Derrick Goold has written some good stuff on Wainwright over the last couple of days, but I just wanted to add this piece, and once again, the numbers do not include Waino's start against the Brewers Wednesday. But going into that assignment, Wainwright has put together a resume that makes him the NL's best starting pitcher over the last two seasons.

Consider these Wainwright rankings since the start of the 2009 season, minimum of 40 starts:

-- 1st in ERA, 2.35

-- 1st in innings, 409.1

-- 1st in wins,  36

-- 2nd in strikeouts, 370.

-- 2nd in winning percentage, .720

-- 2nd in base runners per nine innings, 10.11

-- 3rd in complete games, 6

-- 3rd in opponents OPS, .612

-- 3rd in fielding independent ERA, .310

And to think it's entirely possible that Wainwright will finish these two excellent seasons without winning a Cy Young award.

Finally ...

Before I go, here's my one list for the Rams over the next couple of weeks: Please play Sam Bradford as much as possible. The young gun needs to get ready. He needs a lot of snaps in practice, in preseason games. He has to work on his drop backs after lining up under center. He has to get on the same page with his receivers. He has to develop a rhythm with his offensive line. I don't care about the 3rd quarterback, and who will win that job. This summer should be dedicated to getting Bradford ready. Because if the Rams have to play their third QB this season, it means one thing: the coaching staff failed to get the line ready, or Bradford ready, and that could cost them their jobs after the season. It's especially important for Bradford and the starting O-line to work together as much as possible.

I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for reading...

-Bernie