Any other Cards fans out there? Any thoughts? Is the rotation a disaster waiting to happen or will Reyes and Pineiro hold it together until Carpenter returns? What about Albert Pujols's shoulder? Roider Rick Ankiel's chances this year? Is the lineup competitive enough for its division? Should LaRussa have taken a hike after the World Series win a few years ago? Did cutting Spiezio after his DUI debacle signal a new attitude? Should Bill DeWitt and his partners have come up off the money and gotten a top pitcher? Will we be dreaming of the old Gussie Busch era, the Bob Gibson days, the Bob Forsch days, the Whity Herzog miracle decade of the 1980s, or even just the early 2000s, by the time the mid-season rolls around?

Not a real Cards fan but it sure looks like you guys are in for a long season. Luckily they're in a fairly weak division with the Pirates, Reds and Astros. But a playoff run seems very unlikely. And if the Pujols injury becomes an issue, well the cards won't be playing many meaningful games past August. Given the prospects for my Twins, I feel your pain. After so many years in the playoffs (or at least in the hunt), .500 would be a dream season for both of us!

It's really looking bad, but I read on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that since the Cards won the series a few years ago and the fans will fill the stadium even if they're really horrible, Bill DeWallet really doesn't feel pressed to make a major deal. I hope Pujols realizes he probably should get the Tommy John surgery and be done with it, but I'm picking up that he's scared or something about doing it, and his elbow is already full of spurs and mildly arthritic as a result.

I've already started allotting a certain amount of my interest to the Mets, in part because of Johan Santana, that cutie José Reyes, and the rest of their gang, including manager Willie Randolph. When they play the Cardinals, I'll just have to keep my eyes closed.