Big D's BIG Ole' Bag of Mail

"Dave, would you put Izzy in the set up role, or Wainwright?" -jose canseco

I always love responding to anybody named Jose Canseco. I hope you're doing better financially, Jose. Your question was a great question, at the time, although now it's mostly irrelevant. With the Mariner's signing Jeff Weaver, you can pretty much bank on Adam Wainwright being in the rotation and not in the bullpen, at least once Jason Isringhausen gets back. However, let's talk what-ifs. IF Wainwright were to end up in the bullpen alongside Izzy, then I would put Wainwright in the set-up role for a number of reasons. The first being that Isringhausen is simply better when there is boatloads of pressure on him. And I understand many of you will argue that he's terrible with pressure, but you have to admit that once the bases get loaded in the ninth, and he's on the hill, he is a much more dominating pitcher than when the bases are empty. If he were to come in during the seventh or eighth innings, there just simply isn't enough pressure for him to perform. The second reason being that Wainwright's younger arm means more innings. If Izzy closed, then you'd have the luxury of bringing Wainwright in for two or three innings as opposed to one inning. With Izzy you aren't afforded that luxury, he's a one inning pitcher.

"Dave - I just wanted to know what you thought about the Cardinals not giving up the $dollas$ to sign Weaver and letting the Mariners steal him? Damn crooks." -PCU

In all honesty, I think a lot of this had to with Weaver's agent, Scott Boras. He's been pushing general managers around for years now and been getting away with it. And he struck once again in the Mariner's organization in terms of Weaver. However, he didn't get the best of BIG Walt. I understand the sentiment behind not nailing down a solid number two starter, but I'm also proud of Walt for sticking to his guns. Not to mention, who's to say that Jeff Weaver is, realistically, a number two starter? Or even a number five starter for that matter? Don't forget this dude was chop liver and cut from the Angels last year after posting a +9 era the first half of the season. Granted he pitched well when it counted for the 'Birds, the possibility of him keeping that sort of intensity throughout the season is questionable at best.

Or maybe the plan is to let the M's sign him for 8.3 million, let him pitch like Bill Pulispher for a couple months, drop him, and the Cardinals sweep him up from the floor, pay him the league minimum, and let him pitch us to another World Series run? Surely not.

The bottom line is that the Cardinals have been winning consistently on a tight, mature budget (much more consistently than any free-spending teams), why stray from this philosophy for a guy like Weaver, who obviously doesn't trust him himself as a great pitcher and wants to cash in now?

"Yo Dave. Blues. Buyers or Sellers? Subquestion: what's up the Minnesota hockey team being called the Wild? What a terrible hockey name?" -John C.

Don't really know the answer to the Wild being called the Wild. But I'll agree with you, it's stupid. But as of these words being typed, the Wild are one up on the Blues 8 minutes in. So they got that going for them, which is nice. For them, not us.

Man, what a good question. Buyers or sellers? These thing is so damn complicated it's almost self-deflating to try and sort it out in words. Personally, I have to say that our best chance of success for the longest period of time is to sell. The league is, in a big way, moving towards its youth and young teams are starting to rise up and compete with old teams. The Blues have many free agents who are going to be 35 years + at the end of the season, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin included. I'm not saying fire sell and dump the whole team, but I certainly think the Blues have to shop these two veteran studs for young scoring forwards. Tkachuk is on the decline, that's obvious, and most likely he's going to be looking to cash in on one more payday at the end of the season. Although it's also likely that he'll want to stay in St. Louis, are we willing to pay him as much as he's going to ask? Who knows? Guerin, on the other hand, as revived his career this season. How much money will he be asking for in the offseason? Who knows? If the Blues think they can resign these cats at a reasonable price, then lets play the rest of the season with this roster, make the playoffs, and see what happens. If they don't think they can resign them, then you have to trade. Bottom line. We can't lose two guys with that much trade value for nothing. Period.

The Blues have built a solid developmental system. We're loaded with talented goalies and we have many young promising defensemen. However, the lack of young scoring forwards is glaring and it needs to be addressed. Now is a good time to address this need. And it could make for an exciting future.

On the other hand, the Blues are playing great hockey right now and it would be devastating to tear them apart. Attendance is up, the St. Louis Post is writing front page stories on them every single day, and there is an obvious bounce back within the organization and the team. Why hurt it? The Blues are 8 points out of the playoff race as of today, and four teams stand between them. It's not impossible. Will Checketts and Davidson risk losing their fan base by trading popular stars? I'd hate to be in their shoes right now. Even if the Blues crack the playoffs their chance of winning will be about zero, but so was the Cardinals.

I think the best idea is to trade now, be good later. The St. Louis fan base always comes back when the team is winning. If you trade Tkachuk now, they'll get over it. But it wouldn't bother me either if the front-office thinks they can win this year and we go for it. Unless they start trading away all kinds of young prospects for old talent. If we're going to do this, then it needs to be with the team we have RIGHT NOW. The guys who have been through the ups and downs together.

I want to win a Stanley Cup. I trust Checketts and Davidson to get me there, I'll back either decision. One thing you don't have to worry about, and one thing a lot of people are, is the Blues ruining their chance at a good draft pick. From the research I've done, there are no good draft picks this year. Most experts are saying that number 30 could potentially be as good as number 1. So don't root for the Blues to lose, root hard for them to win.

This entire question should be easier to answer in a few weeks when we see how the Blues play over the course of the next month.

"Can Tiger do it?" -GLH

Lets see. Hot wife. Killer stroke. Nickname Tiger. Wears red. If he can't do it, it can't be done.

"Dave, who you got in the pigskin bowl? And by how many? And if you were a betting man, does Lebron James score more points against the Pistons on Sunday than the Colts do against the Bears?" -Kevin B.

I'm taking the Colts. I dig Lovie, but I hate Chicago. And the more I see their lame fans in their ugly Bears gear walking around campus, the more I want them to suffer in infinite defeat. Their cocky, unreasonable, and stupid. Colts 176, Ditka 0.

Lebron puts up 32 against the Pistons Sunday. Obviously that's not enough.

Dear Dave - I have a problem completely unrelated to sports. I've recently come off another break up with another girlfriend. This is my sixth break-up with my sixth different girl in the past 8 months. And I swear every time I meet the new girl I think she is the one. She always seems so perfect and she always makes me smile and laugh and feel young again. But then a week, sometimes two, later I find a flaw in her. Sometimes I realize that I don't like her name. Other times it annoys me how many times she says "like." And yet other times I can't even pinpoint the problem, I just know there is one and I know that I'm not ready to settle down. When will I find the perfect girl?
Lost and Sincere, Pug."

Pug - This is a damn shame. I'm not "Ask Molly." I don't know what I am, but I'm sure as hell not "Ask Pam." Here's the deal, I'm going to answer your question, but don't ever ask me, or any other man, again. Man Law: Don't ask sympathetic questions to a guy who dreams about hockey. So, to answer your question, it sounds like you're the one with the problem. She can't help her name. It could always be worse, instead of Ellen it could be Nancy. Instead of Megan it could be Judith. You catch my drift? If you're with a Nancy or a Judith, then it's not your fault. It's their parents. And you can't do anything about that either. Stop searching for the perfect girl. Stop searching period. Wait until you're at a Blues game and some chick in a Bernie Ferderko jersey accidentally spills her beer all over your head from one aisle up because she's pissed about an obvious missed hooking call on Jordan Tootoo. Got it? There are no perfect girls, we don't have the technology yet. But if you come across a chick wearing a throwback Blues jersey and drinking a Budweiser, ask for her name. Until then, I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut.

keep the questions coming. rock out to Michael Franti. drink red bull. question everything. peaceout.