McGwire forgotten?

By Mike Howard

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently in first place in the National League Central division. They also own the second best record in the National League and earlier this season they rode a 10-game winning streak into their first place slot. And they have done all this without Mark McGwire, who has amassed only 21 at bats this season.

McGwire has been on the disabled list since April 18 with patella tendinitis in his right knee. The injury is a result of offseason knee surgery that McGwire had that was intended to repair the knee. However, he is still sitting on the disabled list because of a knee injury that limited him to only pinch hitting duties in last year's postseason.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have rolled along. After a poor start that saw them only 14-15 after 29 games, the Cardinals caught fire without their celebrated slugger to jump into first place. Now they are maintaining the lead, even as McGwire starts to rehabilitate his injured knee. According to one player that we spoke with, it is almost like the Cardinals have forgotten about the future Hall of Famer.

"You never want to say you have forgotten about a legend like that," said the player, who spoke with Fanstop.com on condition of anonymity. "However, we are out there winning and he isn't playing, so we are proving that we can do it without him. It is kind of like he has been discarded, but you never want to say that. But, again, we are winning."

The Cardinals are proving however that they can win without their biggest star. McGwire came to the team in 1998 as part of a trade with the Oakland Athletics, reforming the combination of McGwire with manager Tony La Russa. He was the centerpiece of a team that La Russa envisioned as a winner for years to come. While that has been true, the player we spoke with stated that not only is the team winning, but also they have established their own identity.

"For awhile, when you mentioned St. Louis Cardinals, he was all anyone talked about," he said. "It is nice that now when you mention us, they talk about J.D. (Drew) or one of the other great players that we have. A lot of our players have been able to establish themselves with him being out, by picking up the slack. That is going to pay off big in the long run. It is nice that people talk about the team now."

McGwire was hitting just .095 (2 for 21) in the games that he had played this season. He had just 1 home run and 1 run batted in before going on the disabled list. He is a .266 career hitter and has hammered out 555 home runs and 1,351 runs batted in. He currently stands fourth on the all time home run list with those 555. He trails only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. According to the player we spoke with, despite the winning, it will be a great thing for the Cardinals when he returns.

"The guy has phenomenal skills," he said. "There is no doubting that. We will be a better team when he gets back; there is no doubt in my mind. He is not only a tremendous leader for this team, but there are few players in Major League Baseball that can do what he can. We all are definitely looking forward to when he gets back."

The run the Cardinals have made without their biggest star is remarkable. However, whether they could have won a pennant or not is a question that is to be debated. Thankfully, they won't have to answer that question, as McGwire is due back in about one month's time. If they can win 10 in a row without him, just imagine how they are going to be with him.

Article courtesy of Fanstop.com