This story isn’t about that Carpenter. This story is about flat out disrespect to a teammate.

During Monday night’s game in Cincinnati, Carpenter showed up Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan. The St. Louis ace took Ryan aside in the dugout to scold him for delaying the game in the bottom of the first inning just as he was about to start pitching. Ryan was apparently late to the field and grabbed the wrong glove so he had the right one thrown out to him.

Instead of brushing it off and using the extra minute to relax, Carpenter chose to stare down his shortstop. As if that wasn’t enough, he made sure to give Ryan an earful when the inning ended.

ESPN caught it on one of there many cameras and Ryan looked like an idiot. Carpenter looked like a leader. Only that’s not what this was about. [...]

Ryan is not some rookie or minor league call-up. He is a major league ballplayer who has been a heck of a shortstop for St. Louis. Forget about the hitting woes this year. This incident is strictly about defense. And Ryan is one of the best in the game. For Carpenter to act so high and mighty is embarrassing. He isn’t perfect. No one is and baseball does a pretty good job proving that every night.

Does Ryan give Carpenter hell every start that he gets rocked? Or what about the time Carp takes his time in between an inning of a forgettable start (and yes, it’s had to have happened once in a career as long and with a fuse as short as Carpenter’s) does Ryan wait at the mound holding the ball in disgust?

The confrontation at the start of the game wasn’t nearly as bad as the one to end Carpenter’s night. With the Cardinals up 7-1, Juan Francisco hit a ground ball in between short and third. Ryan was shading the middle and then stutter-stepped towards the ball but never had a chance to make a play. It was a base hit and a meaningless run scored.

Carpenter screamed and shouted in frustration with Ryan as if he just lost a perfect game. It’s always someone else’s fault in sports. The star pitcher can’t handle that he threw some meatballs that resulted in two runs. Carpenter could learn a thing or two about respect and humility from some young pitchers around the league.

Armando Galarraga and Brandon Morrow both lost no-hitters (Galarraga had a perfecto) due to questionable plays. Galarraga thought he had a perfect game until an umpire took it away with a mistake – nothing more, nothing less. Remember, human beings make mistakes. Galarraga’s response was one of the best stories of the summer. He was a perfect model of class in a tough situation. Morrow had a no-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth yesterday on a play that some feel should have been made by Aaron Hill. He didn’t stare down Hill or call him out in his press conference. He smiled and said he was happy to get his first complete game shutout and 17 strikeouts because: hey, that’s pretty good.

Carpenter had nothing on the line. He pitched a solid game and kept the Reds off balance, but he wasn’t even close to perfect. He didn’t even have a shutout going. He should have been happy to have a nice seven-run cushion all night thanks to Skip Schumaker who never hits grand slams.

But Carpenter is too big to have fun. He’s too great to take a deep breath on an easy night. He wants all the credit.

Well, Chris, Monday’s win wasn’t about you. It was about Skip Schumaker and the Cards lineup in the fourth. They won the game and you benefited.

I love the competitive guys and the serious guys in sports, but this was beyond that. Carpenter was a jerk, plain and simple.

Ryan didn’t deserve the embarrassment the second time with his team enjoying a comfortable win. I wouldn’t have minded seeing the shortstop give it right back to Carpenter. But Ryan is above that; he understands the team concept. He may not be the best player and he may be struggling, but he’s still a key part of this team and its success.

He makes a lot of plays for Carpenter and the rest of the staff and they should all remember that.

There’s a fine line between leadership and disrespect in pro sports. These guys are all professionals and they’re all adults. They don’t need to be shown up by a teammate because his ERA went up a hundredth of a point.

Don’t worry Chris; it won’t hurt your Cy Young chances this year because you’re not even in the discussion. And after a mediocre career in Toronto and two missed seasons in St. Louis, your 130 wins aren’t taking you to Cooperstown.

So remember that the next time you play God and straighten someone out. The word today isn’t competitive, it’s classless.

Chris Carpenter has overcome injury and mechanical issues to become an elite pitcher in today's game.

Chris Carpenter was a force on the hill until June 28 when he was hit in the forearm by a line drive. He was 9-1 with a 2.63 ERA and well on his way to another Cy Young worthy season. Since the stroke of bad luck though, the loss column and ERA grew, while the win column remained stuck in neutral.

And so goes the story for Carpenter. It’s a story that we’ve seen before for the Cards ace. This season has been a microcosm of his career in St. Louis.

Spectacular when he’s healthy. But health has always been a concern. Injuries prevented him from pitching in 2007 and 2008 when the Chicago Cubs rose to prominence in the division. Before that Carpenter went 51-18 from 2004-2006, made two All-Star appearances, and won a Cy Young. Since he returned full-time and healthy in 2009, Carp is 26-7. He finished second in Cy Young voting last year.

And he is an All-Star this year for the third time in his career. [...]

His smooth start made him a clear pick to join the NL’s best in the Year of the Pitcher 2.0. Carpenter was mowing down hitters with his hard fastball and effective curve. But his torrid start was interrupted after taking a liner off his arm at the end of June.

Carpenter lost his command and his record fell to 9-3. His ERA jumped to 3.29. Something wasn’t right. Whispers about injury floated over his struggles. But Carpenter never conceded. He continued to take his turn in the rotation to do his job. The competitor in Carpenter wouldn’t allow excuses and weakness to hinder his commitment to the team and winning.

Now, the Cardinals say Carpenter’s struggles are related to problems with his mechanics, not injury-related.

But the threat is always looming. An ultra-competitive player like Carpenter never wants to let his team down. He’ll never complain of injury if he can walk to that mound even if he knows something’s wrong.

All-Star second baseman Chase Utley has a similar make-up to Carpenter. Utley won’t play in the game because a thumb injury has him out for eight weeks. Utley has other plans, though. The hard-nosed Phillies star hopes to return in six weeks. He is determined to. His team needs him.

While Carpenter isn’t hurt, his current situation is one Utley is familiar with.

Whenever things are going wrong for No. 26 in Philadelphia, the media and the fans immediately begin to wonder, whisper about injury. Utley has to be hurt, they say, he’s too good to be struggling. The Phillies have heard plenty of whispers in 2010 as they can’t seem to find an identity while the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets sit atop the division.

Everyone on the Phillies has been in a rut this year, including Utley.

The sweet-swinging lefty’s problems were mechanical. Utley is a nut when it comes to preparation. He studies hours of film and takes hours of batting practice before every game. He expects a lot from himself. And the perfectionist puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform – to be perfect.

And sometimes in the grind of the season, the hyper-focused routine becomes draining physically and mentally. Especially mentally. Utley thinks too much and begins to look uncomfortable at the plate. And the slumps begin and the pressure only gets greater.

Chris Carpenter is going through the same thing right now. He is uncomfortable on the mound. He’s in a slump and he’s unhappy with his performance. Carpenter works so hard every season and holds himself to such high standards that a little burnout is bound to set in.

He demands that he is the best every time he toes the rubber. His fiery disposition is what makes him great. We’ve all seen it over the years. His competitive fire burns hotter and deeper than other players. He wants it so bad. And when he’s losing, it eats at him every day until he gets the chance to erase the memory with a win.

Carpenter will find his way. The wins will pile up again before season’s end and the pain of losing will go away.

He is a warrior of this game. And the pain of injury – of being helpless – hurts a lot more than the pain of losing. A loss is only around for five days. It serves as motivation. And the challenge to prove you’re still a winner the next time out is too great to ignore.

Chris Carpenter is a winner. And that’s why he’ll be in Los Angeles with the rest of baseball’s All-Stars.

The All-Star Game selections were a surprising highlight for this struggling Cardinals team. St. Louis tied the Atlanta Braves with five selections for the most in the National League. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina were voted in by the fans as starters. Pujols led the league in voting for the second straight year despite a ho-hum first half. It will be his ninth consecutive All-Star appearance. Molina, hitting .231, benefited from fan voting and his reputation. Honestly, he doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near Los Angeles for this game. This will be his second All-Star Game.

Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter will represent the Redbirds on the mound. The Cy Young candidates from a year ago have been outstanding again this year. Wainwright is in the mix with 12 wins and a 2.24 ERA. He was dominant yesterday in a battle with All-Star pitcher Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers. Waino fired a complete game for a 7-1 win, showcasing why he’s an All-Star and Cy Young candidate. It will be his first All-Star Game. His partner at the top of the rotation will be making his third stop at the Midsummer Classic. Carpenter’s latest start was his worst, but also an anomaly. He is 9-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Wainwright was picked through the players’ ballot and Carpenter was chosen by Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Matt Holliday rounds out the group. A surprising pick, Holliday was also chosen by the players. It will be his fourth appearance. He is hitting .298 with 11 home runs, but has only driven in 39 runs. Holliday has been good but he hasn’t come through in big situations for the Cards so far in 2010.

It seems that’s been the story with this team. Something just doesn’t feel right. Everything isn’t clicking as predicted before the season. Embarrassing as Bernie Miklasz put it in his grim column? No. That’s called overreacting. That’s called not understanding. The Cardinals haven’t lived up to expectation this year, but to call the team an embarrassment after one brutal game is embarrassing. Baseball is the one sport that requires a short memory and fighting attitude. Getting caught up in one game — win or loss — is the biggest mistake you can make.

The All-Star selections are a funny reminder that no one in the National League is that good. Do the Cards deserve five players? No, but they deserve three or four. The Braves have been great. But the Mets and Phillies are flawed. The Phillies, two-time defending National League champions, look awful. The NL Central is weak. The Cubs, Brewers, and Pirates are already dreaming about 2012. The NL West is a mystery of mediocrity with the San Diego Padres on top. The Padres are a riddle. They don’t have any talent and yet, they’re the best in the NL.

Baseball is unpredictable and humbling.

The Cardinals aren’t an embarrassment.

Maybe they just aren’t that good.