Rick Hummel - Hall of Famer

Someone at the paper got a hair up their ass about Hummel's work a few years ago and decided he wasn't being critical enough of the Cardinals. Yeah, gotta rip those teams that finish first on an $80 million payroll, right?

Anyway, nothing against Joe Strauss, who took the beat, but anyone who thinks readers weren't being served well by Hummel's coverage of the Cardinals is a fucking fool.

Hummel took the reassignment graciously and I think he even enjoys the new role. Full-time travel on the baseball beat is a bitch these days, and Hummel never took many days off. But there was no valid reason to beef about his coverage. Classic case of management not appreciating an asset. LaRussa isn't the only one needlessly over-managing in St. Louis.