by W.H.

With one swing of the bat every back-seat GM's secret fantasy came to fruition. Chris Carpenter went on the shelf, and the Cardinals' budget frugality led to management becoming fallible in the eyes of fans. There was no back up plan. No bargain deal for Brad Penny. Only mildly experienced minor league call-ups. No supporter wanted this outcome for the Redbirds, but surely some do revel in satisfaction at their omnipotence. Unless John Mozeliak has constructed a backup plan involving a DeLorean equipped with a flux-capacitor, the second-guessing that predominated the off-season could tarnish the regular season as well.

As the message boards flood with fears of NL Central failure, the absolute assessments follow. “Carpenter is done”, “Boggs is a failure”, “Mozeliak is cheap”, the sky has fallen and the end result of 2009 will be more embarrassing than the outcome of Ballpark Village. As if anything could be more embarrassing than Ballpark Village.

For potentially the next 4-8 weeks, Mitchell Boggs and P.J. Walters hold their individual major league destinies in their hands. The pressure will undoubtedly mount as they realize the fallacy of youth movements. Every fan wants young players to become stars for their team. As long as those kids become stars immediately or can be purchased from the Royals at a bargain price. Due to his struggles as a rookie, in some corners of Cardinal Nation Boggs has already been branded mediocre.

2 Wins, 4 Losses, 5.52 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 5.8 K/9

Those are not Michell Boggs's statistics from last season. Neither are these.

2 Wins, 3 Losses, 6.49 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 6.7 K/9

The first set belong to Greg Maddux, the second to Johann Santana. Both were younger than Boggs upon their first call-ups, however they struggled similarly. I do not intend to compare Boggs with either of those players. I think I can say with great certainty, and with no malice towards the young man, that his career will not arc as triumphantly as those Cy Young collectors. But there is hope in this line:

3 Wins, 2 Losses, 7.41 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 3.4 K/9

Not many great players, and even fewer good players, start their careers with success. And many who do explode onto the scene, find it hard to replicate their initial impact: Rick Ankiel (the pitcher), Chris Shelton, Zach Duke, Damian Moss, Jason Jennings, Josh Phelps.

The Cardinals couldn't stay old forever. Youth movements yield great rewards, and great risk is inherent since very few wash-outs can reconstruct their career as successfully as Mr. Ankiel. The point of investing in your development system is for times when the best laid plans go to waste. Or when your #1 starter is unsuccessful at swinging a bat without hurting himself.

Perhaps Boggs and Walters succeed, and perhaps they do not. Is it worth the financial impact for an experienced pitcher who could break down or struggle just as easily? Any franchise could potentially buy one World Series trophy, but building a dynasty requires organizational development. And developing quality talent sometimes requires fielding inexperience.  The sky has not fallen... yet.  Just pray that Pujols stays healthy