Opinion

The emergency surgery to remove Matt Holliday's appendix certainly harms the heart of the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. But with the advent of laparoscopic procedures, the Cardinals have yet to put the All-Star slugger on the DL.  

His absence and the early-season struggles of Albert Pujols have left St. Louis hurting for runs early this season. But it could be worse.

Chipper Jones, 3B Atlanta Braves—Here’s a salty veteran for you. Chipper has come flying out of the gates hitting .353 with two RBI and one run. I know it doesn’t look great, but if he can continue to open hot like he has in the past, the RBI and HR numbers will come. Jones is the type of player you ride a hot start with, then dump him as the season goes on and he starts battling injuries. Pick him up and ride out the production.

Last week I wrote about my hope for the 2011 Cubs. For the first time in a long time, I look at the Cubs organization and see reasons to be optimistic about their short and long-term future.

The best pitcher in New York Yankees history was Whitey Ford. The Yankees' little gamecock won 236 games during his illustrious career.

Andy Pettitte finished his career with 240 wins. Pettitte will always be identified as a Yankee, but the three seasons he spent with the Houston Astros cost him the chance to pass Ford as the Yankees' all-time leader in wins.

Four games into the Angels' season, there is a clamoring among fans for Fernando Rodney to be taken out of the closer role. Rodney struggled to record the save during Thursday's opener after allowing one hit, one walk and two strikeouts on 26 pitches in the ninth inning.

With the 2011 MLB season just starting, once again it’s time to see if fans will lose more interest.

With the NFL being the king of all American sports from a viewership standpoint and a new era of the NBA that has brought attention back to the sport, baseball has to find ways to keep the attention on their sport.

Apparently, Jim Edmonds didn't exactly have the time if his life after joining the Reds last season.

According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, in an interview with a St. Louis radio station, he opened up a bit about what he thought of the Reds organization and how he regrets coming to Cincinnati. He also throws a verbal jab at Brandon Phillips.

This hurts.

Born and raised in Madison, WI, I've been a Milwaukee Brewers fan my entire life. I remember my dad taking me to games at old County Stadium to see Robin Yount and Paul Molitor play, and it was so easy and "available" to stand outside after the game to fetch autographs from your favorite players or even to just see the team.

The scars of MLB's recent past are beginning to heal and fade. The Steroids Era is growing smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror.

It's been over six years since Major League Baseball was first embarrassed on Capitol Hill in the "steroids hearings" of March 2005. Over three years have passed since the release of the Mitchell Report.

Despite the march of time, there are still a handful of retired MLB stars who, well, we simply wish would just go away—Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens among them.

Being labeled as overrated is a stamp no player wants associated with his name. It is like a black list that we do not speak about. 

Some players reach greatness, while others fall short of the hype.

Some players have mediocre careers, but are talked about for decades because of their postseason exploits. 

Some players were so gifted in one facet of the game that their shortcomings are overlooked.

Whatever the reason is, all sports have these players—the overrated ones.