Q: After reading the Los Angeles Times story on the Rams relocation suit, it seems outsiders could come away with the notion that this legal action was about sour-grapes fallout from the battle over the dome lease. Is that how outsiders view this?

A: While it鈥檚 nice to see folks in LA realize there鈥檚 a rather significant story going on with its favorite new football owner Stan Kroenke, my main thought is, who cares?

And that's not to be disrespectful to your question, at all.

But of all the reasons this lawsuit makes sense, one I never understood or peddled was that it would and could shape the perception of outsiders' view of St. Louis.

We overestimate how much people care.

That story from the Los Angeles Times you are referencing was, I think, the first one.

The first one!

I asked around about the interest level in it when I was out there for the Dodgers-Cardinals wild-card game.

People had no clue.

Out in Los Angeles or anywhere else, people are not sitting around talking about STL's status as an NFL city.

I wouldn't worry too much about how outsiders view this thing. They are caught up in the lease, which has nothing to do with the case, and that has been proven time and time again. They are convinced Judge Christopher McGraugh is anti-Rams, when anyone who has followed the case closely and been in his courtroom knows that's just not true.

There's no point in fighting mischaracterizations, just like there's no point in hoping the league comes out and says something on the record about the rules it broke and the lies it told. Would it be nice to hear? Heck yeah. Would it change things? Only if the lawsuit forces the league to do things differently in the future by punishing them hard via settlement or trial loss. That's the real meat on this bone, proving that the relocation guidelines the NFL twisted to the point of snapping in half time and time again can't be broken without host cities having a legitimate chance to hold them accountable. That should be St. Louis鈥� legacy in this.聽

Q: I don鈥檛 see how people are seriously talking about an expansion team being an option for the Rams relocation settlement. Do you?

A: Depends on who is defining serious. I have not heard anything about an expansion team from the folks I trust. The reports have come from national media members who are citing things like 鈥渓eague circles.鈥� I don鈥檛 trust the league much. I鈥檒l wait until I hear it from someone who has some real skin in the game. Right now, I think it鈥檚 mostly a distraction tactic used to divide, and it鈥檚 working to some degree.

Q: What two starters would top your wish list for the Cardinals?

A: Max Scherzer. A big space. Then Marcus Stroman. Nothing against Stroman, and he should be a great fit for STL because of his distaste for walks and his ability to produce groundballs, but Scherzer can do those things and he's Max freaking Scherzer, complete with a storyline here that compels. It's OK to think about the buzz factor when considering a player. He would move the needle and sell tickets here. It would be the closest thing the Cardinals could do to making up for the mistake of not signing him in the past. The Cardinals are seemingly talking themselves out of big-splash additions at shortstop and designated hitter. That should mean more money to spend on pitching.

Q: Does it look like the Blues who missed time due to COVID are getting their legs back? Can this team win big?

A: Just the time off alone can impact the conditioning, so I agree with the COVID patience that is required of guys who miss time. Things are looking better there. I think the Blues are going to need some sort of help in terms of a defenseman if they want to make a championship push this season. Blues GM Doug Armstrong believes a team doesn't really know what it has or needs until around Thanksgiving, and I think he's seeing he's got a pretty good team 鈥� one worth being aggressive to improve.

Q: A win against Arkansas would result in a successful Mizzou football season in my view, but a 6-6 finish before a bowl game is still disappointing and would be a letdown. A fair assessment?

A: With the expectations that were set before the season started, it's a fair read.

With the expectations that had to be adjusted a bit after the defense looked like it had never tackled before, it might be a little too tough.

When Mizzou got dismantled by Tennessee, I felt like a fool for thinking this team might win eight games. Steve Wilks looked like a one-and-done defensive coordinator, and a bowl game was a non-starter.

How Wilks has rebounded from that start and how well the defense has played dating back to the Georgia game is the big story, to me. I don't think he gets fired now, and that's significant. Drinkwitz won't have to hire a new DC in each of his seasons if so.

So, all things considered, I thought securing a bowl win Saturday against Florida was kind of a successful-season-clincher based on the ups and downs of this season.

It felt like, to me, the biggest win Drinkwitz has secured since he beat defending champion LSU last season. Certain wins mean more, and those two are ones that do. One secured a signature win against an LSU team we figured would be better聽鈥� turned out it wasn't, but that doesn't change the moment. The other was a takedown of the SEC East projected power that nudged Dan Mullens' career off the rails. Now Florida is searching again, which makes the opportunities better for its SEC East peers. Georgia stands alone, and Florida is not No. 2 like so many assumed.

Drinkwitz is recruiting well and has already shown a willingness to be bold. He's coming up with some last-second wins that go against the familiar and tired Mizzou narrative that the Tigers are always just waiting to catch a kick to the groin. His patience with Wilks should be discussed, too. Could have made the move to fire him. Changed defensive line coaches instead. Looks smart for those decisions at the moment.

A win against Arkansas and a bowl win would be eight wins, and that's what I figured would be a great season.

One more win聽鈥� either against Arkansas or in the bowl game聽鈥� would certainly grab good.

Q: You鈥檝e said it鈥檚 too early for people to call for a dismissal of men鈥檚 basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, but is that even a possible or realistic outcome for Mizzou if his team struggles this season? What鈥檚 the buyout situation?

A: I think I said $3 million buyout in a previous chat, but that was wrong because the Tigers have been to two NCAA tournaments under Martin, and that fact makes it $6 million to end the contract through May instead of the previously mentioned $3 million. Sorry for the error there.

A $6 million buyout is a big ask. Mizzou had fewer than 7,000 people at the home opener, before the frustrating UMKC loss. There are different levels of patience at different kinds of programs, and Martin's contract had a lot of patience baked into it because the state of things was so bad when he came to take the job. If the team keeps playing like it did against Florida State, lacking defense and not finding ways to score, some big spenders may get motivated to make a change. Boosters can change discussions quickly with cold, hard cash.

It's hard for me to imagine Mizzou buying Martin out on his own. Nothing will likely happen this season, during the season. If this team shows no real signs of getting better over the course of the season, that's a concern, because these guys are all going to be back. So, that should be factored into the conversation. If the team gels and starts playing better, there are reasons to think next season should be better. And he鈥檚 got a big recruit in Aidan Shaw coming in. I'd like to see more, but it's a disappointing start to year five for sure.

Q: Thanks for your column on Mizzou running back Tyler Badie. Not bad for a three-star recruit, huh?

A: Thanks. Badie knows he could have been used more earlier, and it almost seems automatic these days to assume a guy will transfer when there is a head coaching change. He stayed despite both challenges and now reaps the rewards. Barry Odom gets roughed up in these chats often but he recruited Badie. He recruited a lot of the guys on that field Saturday, including Connor Bazelak and Daniel Parker Jr., who combined for the game-winning two-point conversion. Also Niko Hea, who caught the only Tigers TD in regulation. He also recruited Larry Borom, who is being celebrated by the Chicago Bears as a prime tackle for years to come. So, maybe Odom was a little bit better of a recruiter than some thought? Just saying.

Q: Is the best thing about Mizzou playing in a bowl game the extra practices it secures for Drinkwitz and his players?

A: It helps, sure, but more than anything it's just a nice reward for the players. Linebacker Blaze Alldredge has never been to a bowl game. Same for center Mike Maietti. Mizzou has not won a bowl game since the 2014 Citrus Bowl, can you believe it? It would be a good boost for the program, and help make up for last season's COVID-caused cancellation against Iowa.

Q: Say Wander Franco shot his way up through the Cardinals鈥� system. Would they give him a forward-thinking deal like the Rays, or lowball him so he wanted to leave when he got the chance as a free agent?

A: The Cardinals have been pretty good at keeping their in-house talent in-house. Paul DeJong is an example that has not turned out like they hoped. Multiple pitchers fit the bill, including the old Carlos Martinez extension that looks similar to the one being floated to former Cardinals prospect turned Marlines ace Sandy Alcantara. Jack Flaherty will be an interesting test in the near future. I'm not one who assumes he's just going to bolt for free agency. Albert Pujols got a big extension from the Cardinals before he departed via free agency. The Cardinals would love to have another position player that commands a big extension early. It would mean their quest for a superstar position player who was internally produced has paid off.

Q: I know everyone likes to bash on the Cardinals for low-cost moves, but they should remember pickups like McFarland and Garcia salvaged last season. Happ and Lester, too.

A: Well said. No one should be beating up on the Cardinals for finding low-priced fixes. That's smart.

The Cardinals' biggest whiffs, lately, have come from swinging and missing on additions from that middle-to-upper part of the shelf, where Dexter Fowler, Mike Leake, Brett Cecil and Luke Gregerson were sitting. The Cardinals have done well finding bargain value, and they have done well going big for guys like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. That could and probably should inform their pitching search this offseason, right? Find some diamonds in the rough. And buy a diamond.