Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here. This week's questions will be answered below. Thanks, and please don't be shy about sending in any questions or comments you want to see tackled. Have a great rest of your week!Â
Got a question? Email me here (bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com) or find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at and hashtag your question with #BF5.
Happy Wednesday, folks. Before diving into your questions, here are my latest columns, in case you missed them . . .Â
People are also reading…
Got a question or comment for me? Let me know and I'll answer it here.
This week's spotlight goes to . . .
Alan, via email . . .Â
Q: Nice column on what we learned about Mizzou's SEC opponents in week one, but what about Boston College taking down Florida State?
µþ¹ó:ÌýThat game went final after the column was posted, and BC of course is not in the SEC, but it's definitely an interesting outcome. And maybe not that surprising, considering what a mess Florida State appears to be. It's possible the Seminoles got the wrong QB out of the transfer portal in DJ Uiagalelei. Bummer for them. But that's not very relevant to Mizzou. Boston College beating FSU is, and here's my take: It's a good thing. Texas A&M failing to upset Notre Dame softened Mizzou's already soft schedule. It's good that Vanderbilt beat Virginia Tech. It's good that Boston College beat Florida State. That means those teams' games against Mizzou should be a little more well thought in the eyes of the CFP decision makers when it comes time to review the Tigers' season at large. That's how you should think about it if you think Mizzou is a legitimate CFP threat. Because legitimate CFP threats take care of business at home against BC and Vandy, even if BC and Vandy are better than advertised. Bill O'Brien can coach, and he got Penn State trending in the right direction quickly when he got there years ago. The BC game is one of those sleepy morning kickoffs. The Tigers need to be ready; hopefully seeing BC take down the scattered Seminoles was a wake-up call weeks in advance.
And Dennis, via email . . .Â
Q: So, Paul Goldschmidt says he wants to play next season. Should the Cardinals bring him back?
BF: The numbers since August have been encouraging. In more than 100 at-bats since then, Goldy is averaging .302 and slugging .547. He's come up with some homers (five) and key clutch hits. Still, the undeniable downward trend since the final month of his MVP season in 2022 is hard to ignore. It all depends on how much of a pay cut Goldschmidt would be willing to take, and how the Cardinals decide to handle their offseason. A pivot toward youth should not include a Goldschmidt reunion. Not when Alec Burleson, Luken Baker, Brendan Donovan and maybe even Jordan Walker could play first base. I'd move on if it was my call, but we know how the Cardinals view Goldschmidt; they're not shy about saying they would love to see Goldschmidt finish his career in their uniform. A reunion would not surprise me. It would require putting emotions over evidence. The Cardinals do that for players they love.