Hello again, folks! It's Ryan here and I'm about to hit you with my take on some of the recent happenings in baseball. We are going to start with one of my favorite subjects.

Brad Lidge Demoted as Astros Closer

Let's face it, folks, Albert Pujols ruined this guy's career. He has never been the same. Scott Podsednik may have helped him out a little, but the one that really damaged him was the fastball that he grooved down the middle of the plate to lose Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. Even though the Astros ended up beating the Cards in 6 that year, Lidge apparently now has what they call in baseball circles as, "The Thing." It is that "thing" that is stuck in your mind and will not allow you to do your job.

Rick Ankiel was the same after throwing several wild pitches in Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS. He could never get the ball over the plate the same after that. He is now in the Cardinals minor league system trying to latch on as an outfielder. He's a superb athlete and he is doing really well for a position change that far into his career.

But back to Lidge. Yesterday, the Astros were down 5-0 in the 9th against the Cardinals. Albert Pujols came up to face Lidge with runners on first and second and one out. Pujols grounds to short, but Adam Everett booted the ball and instead of an inning ending double play, the bases were loaded with Scott Rolen coming to the plate. Lidge then surrenders a bases clearing double to Rolen, as the 'Stros defecit increased to 8.

Why Phil Garner did not pull Lidge here, I don't know. But he left him in and allowed another batter to reach base before Yadier Molina came to the plate. At one point in the at-bat, Lidge threw a high fastball that almost caught Molina in the head, knocking him to the ground. The very next pitch, Molina doubled in two more runs to increase the score to 10-0.

At this point, Garner finally pulled Lidge, who left to boos. Of course he did. Fans were calling for his head after he blew a save in the season opening game against the Pirates.

You have to wonder how things would have changed if Everett wouldn't have booted the sure double play ball. Lidge would still be the closer. And who knows? Maybe his psyche would be slightly repaired by getting Pujols out.

But like so many times in baseball, the error was costly. Not only did it officially put the game out of reach, but it cost Lidge his job. For a man who has great stuff, Lidge has lost the ability to get out of the 9th inning regularly.

The closer is baseball's most unpredictable position. The career life of a closer is often short and usually ends in a very ugly fashion. Ask Mark Wohlers or Mitch Williams, among others. Some can bounce back. Just look at Dennis Eckersly. Giving up one of the most famous home runs to Kirk Gibson could have derailed his career. But he had the mental makeup to bounce back and finish off his Hall of Fame career. The closer position is a crapshoot.

Brad Lidge was on his way to being the next Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, etc. But instead, with one pitch, Lidge's career came crashing down for everyone to see. Now he will be stuck in 6th and 7th inning duty for the Astros, instead of one of the best closers in the game. Amazing how one pitch can change things.

Tribute to Jackie Robinson

I think it is absolutely fantastic the way the MLB is handling the Jackie Robinson tribute. For a league and a sport that has been under the microscope for the steroid scandal, they've shoved all of that aside by handling themselves in a classy way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of one of the game's most important players entering the league.

Without Robinson, who knows where the game would be? He handled all of the pressure of being the first African-American in the league, as well as the racism that came with it, in a way that most of us may not have been able to. He was an amazing player and person.

Now the league is letting players, and in some cases, entire teams wear the league-wide retired #42 on Sunday April 15, in tribute. Banding together players of all races, creeds, and beliefs to pay homage to Jackie Robinson is a fantastic tribute. The league hit a home run with this one.

And Finally, My Thoughts on the Cardinals...

Yeah, I have to do it. The Cards had a rough start but have rebounded to win their last two and they are now 3-4. The Cardinals were in quite a funk in their first series against the Mets, in which they were swept. But their offense is coming around, and after Sir Albert busted out of his early slump with a 2 run home run, it was a sign that things are starting to come together.

But the real story has been the pitching of the Cardinals. Yesterday, Kip Wells got the W in a game in which his stat line looked like this: 7.0 IP, H, 7K. Wow.

Braden Looper, career reliever, got his first win as a starter today against the Pirates going 7 innings, giving up 2 hits, and striking out 3.

Adam Wainwright had a great start the other night against the Astros, as well, to get his first win as a big league starter. He's been a career starter every year he's played professionally, except for last year. So this is not a surprise, but it is a good thing to get that first win out of the way, especially at the worst park in the league for pitchers.

The only concern with the starting rotation is Chris Carpenter. After his opening night loss, his arm swelled up and had fluid in the elbow. Not a good sign. Hoewver, things were looking up near the end of the week, as the swelling went down. Carpy threw a bullpen session on Friday or Saturday, but his arm swelled back up. He did not make the trip to Pittsburgh, as he is back in St. Louis having an MRI today. The Cardinals called up Randy Kiesler from AAA Memphis to start in place of Carpenter tomorrow night.

As a fan, I'd like to see Carpenter get back as soon as possible. But I also know that if they rush him back, his history of arm problems could catch up to him and force him to miss a big chunk of the season.

For now, I think the Cardinals will be fine with the rotation they have. As long as their offense keeps warming up, the Cardinals may get back to their winning ways.

I also want to give props to Yadier Molina, who has carried over his hot hitting from the postseason (in which he led the Cardinals in hits) and spring training to the regular season. That is good news from a guy who hit .216 last year. Molina in quite possibly the best defensive catcher in the game, and if not, he will be. He is only 24 years old and a future Gold Glove winner, as well as a future All-Star. Adding offense to his phenomenal command behind the plate, Yadi is rounding himself into a complete catcher.

That is all for me today. Great baseball action in the first week and I hope it keeps up so we have an enjoyable 2007 season. Enjoy the games, folks!