Hello again.

The vacation was good, but too short. Knowing that I was on a limited holiday, I tried to eat as many crabcakes as possible. But I miss my Mom and brother already. Anyone who lives away from family -- in my case 900 miles -- knows what I'm talking about. And the older that you and your loved ones get, the more difficult it becomes to say goodbye. I was really sad for much of the drive home. But it was great to spend a week with them. I savored the experience. 

Since I failed to win the lotto while away, I have no choice; it's time to resume work. 

* Tony La Russa and Colby Rasmus: I have no idea what's going on between them. But to repeat something Joe Strauss said in his STLtoday.com chat the other day: you just get the feeling that one of these guys won't be back in 2011. It just isn't working very well, or smoothly. TLR's explanation for scratching Rasmus from the Sunday lineup a few minutes before first pitch did not make sense. TLR said it himself earlier on Sunday: Rasmus was physically ready to play after missing so much time with a calf injury.  And the alternate theory -- that Rasmus was removed because La Russa didn't like having Rasmus playing with umpire Rob Drake behind the plate -- borders on howl-at-the-moon crazy. Even if Drake doesn't like Rasmus, so what? You think that every umpire loves every player? This is all very strange, and I have to believe that there's a lot more going on here, a lot more than La Russa or Rasmus are willing to share publicly.

* In TLR, you have a hard-driving, demanding manager who can be caustic behind the scenes when irritated by a player. And for whatever reasons, Rasmus bugs the manager, even though the manager would dispute that. Rasmus is a gifted athlete and natural talent who doesn't consistently apply his skills. That was his rep in the minors, and we've seen signs of that in the majors. As good as Rasmus is -- and he could be great -- he throws away too many at-bats, and he doesn't always get after balls as aggressively as he should in center field. In other comments Sunday, La Russa made it clear that he believes outfielder Jon Jay has a better feel for playing the game than does Rasmus. That Jay will change his approach based on the scoreboard, the situation -- and that he doesn't always go up there looking to yank a pitch out of the park for a home run, as Rasmus does (at least in the manager's opinion.) I'm not sure why TLR deemed it necessary to praise Jay by taking a swipe at Rasmus. And so it goes ...

* In a tweet Sunday, author Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the La Russa-based "3 Nights in August," said La Russa thinks Rasmus is "lazy." If that's the reality, perhaps La Russa believes he's doing Rasmus a favor by administering tough love, by pushing hard to get the second-year player to lock in and realize his full potential. Rasmus, however, is a sensitive kid who doesn't respond well to hardcore tactics. And then you have Colby's seeming dependence on his father, the other Tony, as a personal coach. This particular web seems to be quite tangled. And if TLR and Rasmus declare that all is swell, and that their relationship is dandy, then just remember this: the offseason usually delivers the truth. Just ask Tino Martinez.

* Bissinger has also tweeted that he believes La Russa "has lost his interest in baseball. And his team reflects it. No one lasts forever."

* Here's the bottom line on this mysterious nonsense: the Cardinals are five games behind the first-place Reds with 34 games remaining. (And 3 games out on the wild card side.) They're tanking in a humiliating way. And during this horrible stretch, Rasmus has been a non-factor on a team that desperately needs his offense. There was the Rasmus calf strain, which took an unusually long time to mend. Did Rasmus lose points with the manager and in the clubhouse by taking so long to declare his readiness to return? And then there was La Russa's reluctance to use Rasmus Sunday, which delayed the comeback yet another day. And the Cardinals offense went in the toilet again. With the Cardinals in a free fall, the Free Bird (Rasmus) has been mostly spectating from the dugout. Since smashing that epic grand-slam in Cincinnati on Aug. 11, Rasmus has started one game. He's had 14 plate appearances. He's 0 for 8 with six walks. For whatever his flaws, missing Rasmus has been a significant minus and an important factor in the team's slide. Remember, this is a guy who has an .840 OPS when playing center field. That's the third-best in the majors this season behind Andres Torres (.898) and Torii Hunter (.878.) When that onbase/slugging combo is removed from the lineup, it's a blow.  

* As many others have pointed out, one of the motivations for trading right fielder Ryan Ludwick was to clear the decks for Rasmus and install him as a core player who'd be in the lineup every day. The other motivation (besides wanting pitcher Jake Westbrook of course) was to give Jon Jay a chance to play regularly in right field. If the Cardinals are to pull out of this malaise, they'll need Rasmus and Jay to come through, and in a big way. This isn't an either/or choice. Both Rasmus and Jay have to be plus factors down the stretch. And if La Russa wants to save this season -- and we're assuming he does, of course -- then Rasmus has to be the CF. And Rasmus should make it a point to give his max and excel in every phase of the game.

*

MOVING ON .... 

* About TLR, Albert Pujols and Glenn Beck: A lot of fuss, a lot of anger, a lot of people taking sides. But if you're clear-headed about this, you'll realize that it didn't turn out to be all that much. La Russa offered a standard introduction of Pujols -- great player, heck of a man, etc. -- and Pujols did what he said he would do. He praised God. He gave thanks. He collected another award.  And then the manager and first basemen got out of there. But there are two things about this that bother me: (1) I can't stand seeing the Cardinals' fan base polarized over something that has nothing to do with baseball or winning or their common interest of loving this team. In that regard, I wonder if La Russa and Pujols understood how their appearance would be received among fans -- well, at least the fans that don't support Beck or his beliefs. Obviously, there are plenty of Beck supporters among Cardinals fans too. But this kicked up quite a storm for a couple of days, and I wonder if it was worth it. Athletes and sports figures are free to speak out, free to align themselves with any group of their choosing. But fans who are offended by these matters also have the right to be disappointed. That's the way it works out. Example: a lot of you know that I'm a Bruce Springsteen fan. But I'm turned off when he starts talking about politics in the middle of the concert. I'm there for the music. So that's the risk that entertainers and athletes take when they venture outside of their professional zones. If they want to take the risk of alienating fans, it's their choice. But they also have to understand that they could lose popularity points because of it. As long as they are comfortable with the trade-off, then it's their business. (2) More than anything, I was surprised by the timing of such a showy, high-profile appearance.  The Cardinals are playing terrible baseball. The chaos is escalating. This was a bad time to be stepping out onto a big stage. Did this create a distraction within the team? I wasn't in D.C. so I have no idea. But it didn't look good.

* While on vacation, I got word that the Cardinals had acquired Pedro Feliz to solve the 3B problem. I thought it was ludicrous, because at the time of the trade you could make a strong case that Feliz was one of the worst players in MLB in 2010. Offensively, he's been better than I anticipated. And he has certainly settled down the 3B area for now. But playing well for 10 days or two weeks doesn't close the books. Feliz has to keep this up for another month. If Feliz regresses, then the problem will remain unsolved. In the team's hideous 2-5 swings through Pittsburgh and Washington, Feliz went 8 for 30 (.267) with a .292 OBP. I'd suggest that we hold off for a little while on ordering that Feliz statue -- but so far, no real complaints.

* Somewhere, Brandon Phillips is smiling: Since the Cardinals went into Cincinnati and angrily stormed the place during a three-game sweep, they've gone 5-10. The Reds have responded rather spectacularly, winning 11 of 15 since being pushed into second place (by a game) by that St. Louis sweep. The Reds have had only one problem this season: beating the Cardinals. The Reds are 5-10 against STL, and 70-45 against everyone else. The Cardinals are 10-5 against the Reds, and 59-54 against all others.

I have much more to say -- and Sam Bradford is at the top of the list -- but didn't want to write a 90-inch blog the first day back, so ...that's a wrap for now.

 

Thanks for reading.

--Bernie