LaRussa mulling future as Cardinals' manager

Just a couple of days removed from the St. Louis Cardinals' exit from the 2009 Playoffs, talks of Tony LaRussa's future as manager are starting to emerge.

LaRussa said he's not sure whether he wants to return for a 15th season with the Cardinals, where has has won seven division titles, two National League Pennants and the Cardinals' 10th franchise World Championship in 2006.

After pondering his team's play in the final two weeks of the season, which carried over to the Playoffs, LaRussa said he's been questioning his effectiveness as a manager.

But the management says they fully expect LaRussa to be back, and would welcome him back if he chooses to stay.

"The formula is still the same," La Russa said to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. "Do the guys still respond to your leadership? You've got to think about it. If the answer is yes, then you go to the next steps. I don't know. We'll see. I just started thinking about it, so I can't give you an answer. I know what the formula is."

General Manager John Mozeliak said LaRussa has a job if he still wants it, but said he has not yet spoken with him about the future.

"We need to sit down and talk," Mozeliak said in a story on ESPN.com. "We don't need to do it today because it's still pretty fresh, the wound."

LaRussa isn't the only member of the Cardinal family who could possibly be on the move this off-season. In fact, quite a number of Cardinals could depart before next season.

It's been well documented that pitching coach Dave Duncan could be on his way out of St. Louis. To say Duncan was upset about his son's departure and the fan's reaction to the trade would be an understatement. Also, other organization problems were cited regarding Duncan's situation. However, Mozeliak said he felt confident that Duncan would return next season as the pitching coach.

If Duncan leaves, St. Louis would lose one of the best pitching coaches in the league. Duncan has single-handedly revived many pitchers careers once they arrived in St. Louis. The success of the 2006 World Series Championship team's pitching staff was very much due the to work of Duncan. Jeff Weaver, Jason Marquis, and Jeff Suppan all saw their stats improve drastically during their time in St. Louis. This year, John Smoltz has seen his career revived by Duncan's abilities.

Smoltz is also among the list of players who could possibly be moving elsewhere. He is joined by third baseman Mark DeRosa, Joel Pineiro, Matt Holliday, Rick Ankiel and Todd Wellemeyer.

Smoltz and the Cardinals seem to share mutual interest in a one-year contract. They would also like to resign Mark DeRosa, who is the epitome of a utility man and is a perfect fit for Tony LaRussa's style of baseball.

However, it's almost a given that they will depart with injury-stricken third baseman Troy Glaus, as well as shortstop turned third basemen Khalil Greene, who's had his own set of problems.

It's also very unlikely that they will resign pitcher Joel Pineiro as they will look for a cheaper option. Pitchers like Pineiro are a dime a dozen in the Majors, so his departure wouldn't have as much impact as that of Matt Holliday.

Resigning Holliday will be the primary focus of the off-season for Mozeliak and the Cardinals management. After trading away two of the top prospects in the farm system for Holliday, Cardinals fans would be very disappointed if a deal doesn't get done involving Holliday returning to the club.

He's consistently stayed undecisive when questioned about his plans for next season, but my guess is that he will not return to the Cardinals.

Holliday will want more money, but Albert Pujols is also looking for a contract extension and more money. So that willl make it tough to sign Holliday, who will likely be a hot commodity for many teams looking for a big bat in the middle of their lineup. Since the Cardinals don't have an expandable amount of money like many of the bigger markets, it's going to be a tough task for Mozeliak and his team to convince Holliday to stick around.

Outfielder Ryan Ludwick said he would like to see Holliday return in 2010.

"If they get something done, they get something done," Ludwick said. "I think he knows everyone likes him."

Nevertheless, it's looking like the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals could be a very different team than this year's, but it's all depends on the wonderful game that is free agency.

This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen

Browns' Edwards back at it again

Surprise, surprise. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards added to his long list of off the field problems this weekend.

Edwards allegedly punched a friend of Cavaliers star LeBron James at a Cleveland night club early Monday morning.

Basically what happened was Edwards showed up to this club with some teammates and saw James' friend Edward Givens and began degrading him.

Givens was quoted in a story on ESPN.com by saying "He said if it wasn't for LeBron [James] or the Four Horsemen [James' friends and business partners], I wouldn't have what I have, nor would I be able to get girls. Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron."

James called Edwards "childish" for his actions. Quite frankly, James is right.

"I've never crossed paths with Braylon before, but it seems like there's a little jealousy going on with Braylon and me and my friends," James said on the ESPN.com story. "I have no idea why. I've never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It's like hitting one of my kids. It doesn't make sense."

Apparently Edwards had one too many Five Hour Energy drinks and decided to be up late after one of his worst performances in his career. If you recall, Edwards was also with Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth when Stallworth killed a man while driving drunk in Miami.

At least Edwards was sincere in his apology, tweeting that He has no problems with LeBron and admires and respects him. Yeah, right.

Come on Braylon. You just punched a guy who is probably 100 pounds lighter than you and several inches, and you're going to tweet the apology? You're pathetic. Man up, issue a statement, and admit that you messed up.

The Best All-Time College Basketball Programs

ESPN has released its new "ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia," and by all accounts it's an incredible read. But at the end is a listing by Jeff Sagarin of the greatest college basketball programs of all time and that ranking has prompted heated debate throughout the college basketball world.

For those unaware, Jeff Sagarin is arguably the most well-known sports statistician in the nation. His methodology uses only wins and losses, and teams gain higher ratings within the Sagarin system by winning games against stronger opponents, factoring in such things as home-venue advantage. Sagarin resides in Bloomington, Indiana and his rankings regularly appear in USA Today. His statistical rankings are considered so good that gamblers use them as a source of "Power Rankings," traditionally used as a way to determine the spread between two teams.

Thus, within each season Sagarin's rankings carry a fair amount of weight and should be respected as one of the most unbiased ranking systems. However, in turning his statistical expertise to the best college basketball programs of all-time, Sagarin has stirred up controversy. Pat Forde explains why in a well-reasoned column at ESPN.com.

(Indiana clocks in at 5th place, with Western Kentucky placing at a respectable 44th.)

Fantasy Watch: Week 4

Welcome back to my blog!

What better way to come back than to talk some Fantasy Football?

By now, it's easy to see who the key producers are so far this season Fantasy wise. However, there are still a few guys out there who are productive and may be going unnoticed.

Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee has been one of the most consistent kickers in the league in recent years and isn't slowing down this year.

I know what you're thinking. Why put too much thought in your kicker, right? Well, if you were smart enough to pick up Scobee as your kicker (like I was) at the beginning of the season, you would be the beneficiary of 10 extra point and seven field goals, including two over 50 yards.

If you have a kicker who can score you a lot of points each week (much like Scobee did today vs. Tennessee) it could mean the difference between a win and loss. And who wants to lose a game by just a few points? Not me.

Denver running back Correll Buckhalter has been pleasantly productive in filling in for rookie Knowshon Moreno when he was dealing with his injury at the beginning of the season. He has rushed for 230 yards and touchdown so far and is averaging 76.7 yards a game, a pretty respectable number. He can be trusted in deeper league's if you are in need of running back help.

With Moreno back, he'll likely split carries but still put up decent fantasy numbers

Jacksonville has another hidden gem in wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. He has 19 catches for 278 yards so far, including a break-out week against the Titans where he caught seven passes for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sims-Walker appears to be the No. 1 targer it Jacksonville and is a tremendous young talent with a lot of upside.

If he's still available in your league, pick him up now.

Red Sox in the middle of active day in trading

It's been a rather busy day for the Boston Red Sox, to say the least.

Early Wednesday morning the Sox acquired 1B Adam LaRoche from the Pirates for Double-A shortstop Argenis Diaz and Class-A right-hander Hunter Strickland, an 18th-round draft pick two years ago.

Later on in the afternoon, after much speculation, the Cardinals and Red Sox agreed on deal that sent struggling OF/1B Chris Duncan and a player to be named later to Boston for aging SS Julio Lugo.

Everyone knew the Red Sox were going to add a bat, it was just a question as to who it would be and when. Adrian Gonzalez was also mentioned as a candidate.

I like the LaRoche deal for the Sox. They get an everyday guy who can hit and play very solid defense. His average is struggling a little bit this year, hitting just .247, but he's hit 12 HR and 40 RBI. Mike Lowell is coming off an injury, so he can't be trusted everyday just yet. This move will allow Kevin Youkilis to spend some time at third base and LaRoche get some time at first base. Also, they now have a bat that can slip in to the DH hole if David Ortiz needs a day off.

It was also reported that the Red Sox are still scouting Victor Martinez. Cleveland has shown a great interest in pitching prospect Clay Buchholz, so keep your eyes on that situation as something may unfold in days to come.

However, I don't understand the Duncan/Lugo deal at all. I don't see what either of these two teams gain from it. Duncan has struggled all season and has seen his playing time decrease significantly from Opening Day and was designated for assignment just before this trade went down . He's hitting a measely .227 with just 5 HR and 32 RBI. That's not at all the kind of production Tony LaRussa and the Cardinals were expecting out of him this season.

Boston is more than happy to part ways with Lugo, but I don't understand why any team would be interested in him at all. He's struggled in just about every opportunity he got this year in Boston, and though his average is high, he doesn't hit for power and doesn't have much speed. Also, his defense has been a little suspect at times.

The thing that sticks out in my mind most of all is that the Cardinals already have two young shortstops that are playing very well. Brendan Ryan is slowly becoming one of the best defensive shortstops in the National League, and is also hitting near .300. Also, Tyler Greene has shown positive signs on the defensive end.

The Cardinals made it clear that they wanted to add another bat, but if they thing Lugo is the answer, my gut feeling is that they will be thoroughly disappointed.

If they were that eager to trade Duncan, it would have made more sense for their team to go after a LHP of some sort, be it a reliever, or a starter. Todd Wellemeyer has to be the next guy out given his constant inconsistency throughout the course of this season.

Cardinals don't need Halladay

The Cardinals are among the list of teams that are interested in Roy Halladay.

However, they simply don't need him.

The Blue Jays have made it very clear what they want in return: A set of star prospects. In the case of the Cardinals that would likely mean Rookie of the Year candidate Colby Rasmus, future closer Jason Motte, and minor league star and future third baseman Brett Wallace, who is ranked the No. 21 best prospect by Baseball America.

In my opinion, giving up those guys for Halladay would possibly be one of the worst moves in Cardinals history.

Think about it.

These guys are the future of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. We all know what Rasmus is capable of, and he can only go up from here. Motte is arguably the next Eric Gagne (when he was good, of course), and Brett Wallace is simply a stud.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said "there's always a chance to make a deal." He also said he would call the Blue Jays, but suggests some in the organization would not consider dealing Wallace, a guy the Blue Jays wanted in last year's draft.

I'd rather see the Cardinals go after a low-end lefty, something they need in their all right handed rotation. Todd Wellemeyer might be the streakiest pitcher in baseball, and Chris Duncan doesn't bring much to the table when he's in the game. That being said, those two guys have to be the top guys to be traded as the deadline approaches.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis has been rumored as a possible target for the Cardinals. However, I'd rather see them go after Jarrod Washburn of Seattle, or Paul Maholm of Pittsburgh. Washburn was rumored to be on the block, and since Pittsburgh is pretty much cleaning house, I don't see why Mozeliak wouldn't go after Maholm, a solid lefty who just needs a good offense to back him up.

The Cardinals will likely make at least one more move before the deadline, but dealing for Halladay should not be one of them. The asking price is just too high and in my opinion, the Cardinals would lose more than they would gain.