In the 1980's, Country Music Singer/Songwriter Kenny Rogers took his solo hit "The Gambler" to the top of the music charts. The refrain of that tune is legendary and has been sung in some of the finest drinking established throughout the fruited plain:

"You got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em".

Nearly twenty years later, St. Louis sports fans are watching as two of their professional teams perform their year 2000 rendition of The Gambler. Both the Cardinals and the Blues were faced with the gamble of trading or not trading personnel to improve their clubs. Each team went in a different direction.

As with any personnel move, reaction is mixed. Some fans are happy. Many fans are not.

At this writing, the St. Louis Blues have the best record in the entire National Hockey League with 101 points. This marks only the third time in franchise history, that our Blue and Gold hockey heroes will end their regular season with a triple digit point total. This is more striking as the Blues have ten regular season games remaining.

It has been tremendous seventy-two game ride for the Blues. They are currently twenty-nine games over .500. The Blues have scored 221 goals while allowing only 144 goals against. The team enjoys a 22-8-6 record at the Kiel Center and a 24-9-3 record on the road. There are currently eight players on the Blues roster that have at least a plus 20 rating in the league's 1999-2000 plus/minus standings: including Hart Trophy candidate Chris Pronger at Plus 45 and Pavol Demitra at Plus 33.

So with these numbers, why tinker with success? You know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yet, there are still supporters in the Blues nation and hockey media alike that can not understand why the team did not make a trade. You can't fault these folks. Historically, this franchise has treated the NHL trading deadline like a holy day of obligation.

Garth Butcher and Petr Nedved were two of many of those infamous last minute trades that the Blues made in order to find that elusive missing piece for their Stanley Cup run.

Despite each acquisition, St. Louis was eliminated by the second round.

So here it is Spring, 2000 and the Blues have the best record in the league. It now is clear that St. Louis had their sights on only one player for a deal. They were unsuccessful in their quest as that player kept traveling down I-70 all the way to Denver.

So as the clock struck 2PM on the Ides of March Eve the Blues did not make a trade. Hockey fans screamed their disappointment throughout the squawk radio airways. One of my WGNU colleagues is "holding Larry Pleau personally responsible" should the Blues not make it to the Conference Finals this season. Even, the Post Dispatch hockey scribes are split-as one writer indicated that the Blues were content with their organizational depth, while another scribe wrote how the lack of prospects prevented the team to make a deal. (Don't you just love this hockey crowd?)

If we have learned anything over these three plus years, it should be that the Blues management will not over-react to fan or media hysteria. What we have also learned this season, trust the instincts of Joel Quenneville. He has (and should have) the final word.

Coach Q is stubborn with his system and team chemistry is vital. I have to think that the Coach feels very satisfied with the make-up of his current team. Those out on the trading market could not produce any significant upgrades in the Coach's mind.

How can you argue with their logic? Look at the standings and statistics. So far, these guys have not needed lifelines to make their final answers correct.

The Blues have decided to "hold 'em". We'll know in three months if they are right.

Meanwhile, the Baseball Cardinals decided to shuffle the deck. In so doing, they traded one of the team's most popular players to New York.

Fan favorite Joe Mc Ewing was traded Saturday to the Mets for the veteran left-handed pitcher Jesse Orosco. Not only does "Little Mac" head to Gotham, but also in return the Red Birds obtain a member of the Pond Scum hating New Yorkers of the mid to late 1980's. What's next, the return of Mike Keenan, Don Denkinger or Bill Bidwill?

Many fans are upset with the trading one of their favorites for a pitcher who was born in the Eisenhower administration. On one talk show Mc Ewing was called a role model while other callers canonized him for sainthood.

Still, Walt Jocketty decided to shuffle. His logic does make sense.

Although I admired his passion for baseball and his work ethic, it became obvious that Mc Ewing was not going to make the St. Louis big club this spring. The trades for Fernando Vina, the signings of Shawon Dunston and Brian Mc Rae, as well as the play of Craig Paquette and Thomas Howard made "Super Joe" the odd man out.

Orosco's trade may not be as outlandish as first thought. The acquisition of the soon to be 43 year old pitcher (who will now pitch in four different decades) does speak volumes on the Cardinals fear of their 2000 bullpen. The rehabilitation of Scott Radinsky and ineffectiveness of Paul Spoljaric forced Jocketty's to pull the trigger with the Mets.

In Orosco, the Red Birds hope they have their Year 2000 version of Rick Hunnicutt and Tony Fossas. In the division-winning season of 1996, those two Jurassic southpaws were used effectively by Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan. In the same manner, Orosco should come in to face one or two tough left handed batters in the late innings.

With Ken Griffey, Jr., Sean Casey and Jeremy Burnitz in the Central Division, as well as Barry Bonds and Tony Gwynn in the National League, the need for a left-handed pitcher became painfully obvious to the Red Bird brass.

Just like the Blues, we will know in three months if Jocketty and the Cards are right.

Perception means everything. If you are a sports executive or sports writer you have to be going nuts. The Blues do not make a deal, and many of their fans disapprove. The Cardinals do make a trade, and many of their fans disapprove.

"Any Gambler knows, that the secret to surviving, is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep."

Only time will tell to see which, if either, of these franchises will find an ace that they can keep and make it to the top of their respective charts.