Saying Goodbye To Scott Rolen

Even though the infighting between Scott Rolen and Tony LaRussa made the trade pretty much inevitable, we were still sad to see Scott Rolen traded to the Blue Jays for Troy Glaus. We like Glaus, don't get us wrong; the guy's a better hitter, younger, has a more reasonable contract and isn't afraid to take a steroid or two if production is starting to drop. That's our kind of player!

It's just that we had really come to love Rolen, in spite of everything. And you can't overstate how popular this guy is among small-town Midwesterners. He's exactly the type of player they love: He's not a showboat, he hustles all the time, he looks like he takes IVs of corn starch before every game and he's, of course, white. Not a bad combination for a Midwestern ballplayer.

Rolen will always be remembered fondly by Cardinals fans, but for the same reason Jim Edmonds, David Eckstein and, yes, Tony LaRussa will ultimately be remembered fondly: Because he finally won a World Series. Of that amazing 2004 team, from just three-plus years ago, of the big four of Albert Pujols, Larry Walker, Edmonds and Rolen, only Pujols remains. We get older, faster, every year.

Passing Glaus [Viva El Birdos]