We talk about the undeniable start to spring for Dylan Carlson. Does he tie the Cardinals hands? Also, will we revisit the Ozuna loss if they don’t bring Carlson north. Lineup construction is a toss up at this stage. Wong at lead off in Ben Fred’s mind but who is number two? Also, how do you protect Paul Goldschmidt?

The Astros are getting pegged with pitches and it’s not getting better any time soon. Is there anything Manfred can or will do to prevent this all season?

Ben treats us to a few intriguing stories he plans to cover this spring. Is Matt Carpenter’s swing any better and what is with the back tightness? Also, in regards to outfield competition- is it only left or how much of center and right are up for grabs? Lastly, how and where do you play Tommy Edman?

We saw a sobering press conference from St. Louis Blues, Jay Bouwmeester this week. Ben felt “aww and relief” from the conference because it happened in a place where staff and care were available immediately. In the off season, he may not have been so lucky.

This time, it seems that fans of one St. Louis team are ok with them staying put at the trade deadline. Sanford has emerged and the speed of Kyrou is fun to watch. The pre-deadline pick up of Scandella was the right fit and none of the Blues competition made big moves either.

SLU, despite a season without a lot of fanfare, is still a good team. Technically, this has been a successful year and next year should only get better. It looks fairly certain that Ford will be the coach going forward unless he’s poached. Dayton will be tough to beat in the A10, but stranger things have happened. Are they close to being in the at-large discussion?

The XFL and Battlehawks have made a huge splash in the city. The league probably wishes every city was like St. Louis but one city is not enough for the entire league to survive. The Battlehawks have done an awesome job building relations in the community. Ben fills us in on the experience at the home opener last Sunday. We also talk about the things that the NFL can take away from the success of the Battlehawks.

Finally, MLS fans can expect a name, jersey, colors etc. sometime in early April. Ben tells us the names it won’t be, although he doesn’t know any for sure. Listen here: