Michael Kent: Jeff ...

Thank you for responding to my earlier question about whether to extend Kyle Lohse's contract or deal him. However, you overlooked the one part of the question I'm most interested in ... that is, by when on the calendar do you think the Cards will feel compelled to make a decision on Lohse, assuming you believe Boras will advise Lohse to hold out for more later? After all, Boras' advice to Lohse to roll the dice could end up with the Cards losing the opportunity to trade him if they don't extend his contract before the July 31 trade deadline.

Jeff Gordon: Yeah, July would the operative time to decide on him. Lohse could have big trade value to a contender. He has a relocation bonus, I believe, so he knows the deal could come. If he keeps pitching like this, however, the Cards ought to go him with a nice offer in July. Good pitching is hard to find, as you know.

Kevin Reynolds: Jeff,

I'll give you that Pujols' slide could be called "out of line" - and, in fact, I was one of those saying "Wow, Towles was way off the plate...what was that for?" - but I think the Cardinals' point of teaching Towles (I use the word "teaching" loosely) that it doesn't pay to stand in the way at this level is a valid one. Watch Towles consistently...although I believe he really does intend to get out of the way, he ends up in the way quite a bit.

As an example, take the picture in the GAME PHOTOS link for yesterday's game...on the "Pujols jump slide" pics, Towles is fielding the ball down the line 5 - 10 feet off the plate, but smack dab in the middle of the basepath...that's a situation he needs to learn to recognize and step forward to field the ball - not to let the guy at the plate, but to avoid a situation where he and another player could get seriously injured. You watch other major league catchers and most of them have learned to step up and field that ball out of the basepath to avoid a pointless collision (he wasn't going to make the play)...then, if they still have a shot when they catch it, they use the sweep tag.

Pujols did him a favor by not lowering his shoulder on him. IN FACT - Glauss could have EASILY been injured in a similar play when he crashed into Towles the game before Pujols' infamous slide because Towles (or Ausmus) was doing the same thing - sitting in the basepath fielding the ball.

I think Pujols' ill-advised slide was one he regretted...I think he went in thinking "If the kid blocks the plate, and I can do it, I'm going to take him out to teach him to get out of the way before he hurts one of us..." but after he did it, he realized he was farther off the plate than he initially thought...

Bottom line...the young Towles has to learn that at this level, you have to get out of the way or someone gets hurt. Calling Pujols' slide out of line without first addressing Towles' habit of inadvertantly being in the way is taking the slide out of context

Jeff Gordon: I thought the same thing on the play up the line. That was nearly very dangerous. But the Glaus play seemed to be a standard baseball play. I thought the ball arrived on time in that case, justifying the block.

AP: Jeff,

Taking a "run" at the last playoff spot, with no hope of actually competing for a championship, is a bad idea in any sport. The Rams draft class looks OK to me overall, but I wish they would have developed a better long-term plan. Unfortunately the most likely result now is a 6-10 record, or thereabouts, and then it's just a year lost before we commit to building the right way.

Jeff Gordon: But, again, the Rams have big money tied up in Bulger, Pace and Little. Jackson will likely get a new deal soon. Holt is making nice jack. With all those vets, there has to be more focus on '08. And this is the Not-For-Long league. Turnarounds are common.

ramcat: Peter King reported the Rams turned down a few minutes before the draft from Balt. their 1st, 2nd, 4th and 3rd next year to move up. I know it's Mon. QB, but sure would have been tempting, to do something like, Harvey, Groves and Fabian Washington, to keep it simple, and still had a third next year, as well as the rest of the Rams draft, maybe minus king. You could have thrown in instead of King, Beau Bell, Steltz, Booty, Will Franklin etc...

Jeff Gordon: But the Rams liked Long a LOT better than the DEs ranked below Gholston, so that wasn't going to happen.

Karen: I saw the Rams picked up Vince Hall and Michael Magro, both linebackers from the undrafted free agent pool. I am happy that someone from my alma mater, Va. Tech was drafted but I think there were some much better undrafted linebacker talent out there:

Erin Henderson, MD OLB
Ali Highsmith, LSU OLB
Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky OLB
Jo-Lonn Dunbar, BC ILB
J Leman, ILL OLB (did he go undrafted?)

Did Henderson end up getting drafted? If not, he would be a HUGE value pickup for the Rams.

Jeff Gordon: Henderson went to the Vikes and joined his brother there.

That is it for this week. Thanks for all the questions.