I wanted take some time today to talk about a player that I respect ... and respect a lot. That would be Willson Contreras, the erstwhile catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who has moved to first base for 2025.

It is a wise move that will give Contreras more at-bats -- while also creating more at-bats for the impressive young hitter, Ivan Herrera, at the catcher position.

I'm glad that Willson Contreras is still a Cardinal. After the was so unfairly treated and benched when manager Oli Marmol capitulated to mewling pitchers early in 2023 -- blaming the catcher for their own failures -- my respect for Contreras grew. He handled this shabbiness with grace, class and a spirit of forgiveness.

You can always count on him to play hard and care about doing as much as he can to help the Cardinals win. Oh, and he's one of the top right-handed hitting batters in the majors.

Near the end of this video, I included 3 random "Bernie Bits" notes for some bonus content. Thank you.