The season starts soon...

I was home this past weekend so if I was light on posting, that's why.

Are there some nagging issues as we head into the start of the 2006 season? It seems like everyone is picking the Cardinals to win the NL pennant.

The Cardinals lost 6-5 to the Fish this past Wednesday. The Mets beat the Cardinals 6-1 on Thursday. Pujols' 3 home runs on Friday led the Cards to a 9-6 victory against the Mets. The Mets beat St. Louis 2-1 on Saturday. The Cardinals finish spring training with a 15-14-1 record in the Grapefruit League.

Baseball.com previews the Cardinals this season.

Tony LaRussa opens up his second decade with St. Louis as the team moves into a new stadium.

What's the deal with Junior Spivey? Did St. Louis spivey it's way to a mistake by picking him up in the off-season? They are now going with Aaron Miles at second base.

More tickets are expected this season now that five sections have been finished. So that means 45,000 seats go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m.

J-Rod has injured himself.

Well, if St. Louis gets into any legal trouble in Florida, I expect that Tony will defend them.

There was a nice turnout at Savvis Center Thursday night when nearly 2,000 Blues season-ticket holders got a chance to meet the players, coaches and team executives and take a private tour of the locker room. ... Former Mizzou infielder Ian Kinsler has won the starting second baseman job for the Texas Rangers and is being touted as a candidate for AL rookie of the year.

Please keep former Cardinals third baseman Ken Oberkfell, 49, in your thoughts and prayers. Oberkfell, a native of nearby Maryville, is struggling in the intensive-care unit at Lawnwood Regional Medical in Fort Pierce, Fla. Oberkfell, manager of the NY Mets' Class AAA affiliate in Norfolk, Va., had surgery in mid-February to treat blood clots in his leg. Then a staph infection set in, requiring two additional operations.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told legendary Atlanta columnist Furman Bisher that he (La Russa) still renews his law license in Florida each year and is still listed as a member of a law firm in Sarasota. La Russa still carries a card identifying him as "Anthony La Russa Jr., Florida Bar Association."

Is this year the year? Only Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols, and Jim Edmonds remain from 2002.

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play...