So long

This makes me sad. My beloved St. Louis Cardinals apparently have released So Taguchi:

Outfielder So Taguchi has been released by the St. Louis Cardinals after six seasons with the team, according to MLB.com.

By cutting the 38-year-old Taguchi, the Cardinals made room on their 40-man roster to allow them to make a selection in Thursday's Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in Nashville.

Sure, So never became the star he was in Japan, but Cards fans liked him. Heck, I liked him. Furthermore, he was a pretty good utility guy AND he seemed comfortable in that role. I'm not saying he should have been an everyday outfielder, but I doubt they'll do any better in replacing him.

On a related note, evidently Cards' manager, Tony LaRusa, is feuding again with 3rd baseman, Scott Rolen. I'll admit I'm biased in that I really like Rolen and I strongly dislike LaRusa, but this doesn't seem like appropriate manager behavior. Rolen's statement ["These are matters that I never discussed publicly and are matters that should have remained private," Rolen said. "I will not dignify Tony's comments with any response at this time."] seems much professional to me than LaRusa's sniping. Oh well.

Oh, I also see that Andruw Jones has signed with the Dodgers. I'm already hearing Braves fans complaining about their team letting Jones get away. I don't have a crystal ball, but I suspect NOT resigning Jones will be one of the smarter moves of the winter. I could be wrong, but I see Jones as a guy living on his past reputation -- both offensively and defensively. Again, that's just my opinion.

Well that's my take on news from baseball's winter meetings. Finals next week, then I'll be back to a more regular writing schedule -- maybe.