When you see random and out of nowhere reports on a day like today, your first reaction is that it’s a bunch of malarkey. After all, today is April Fools Day, which by far and away is the dumbest of all the gimmick days in a year.

When the highly respected Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that St. Louis Cardinals’ OF Matt Holliday would be out four-to-six weeks following appendectomy surgery, I thought it was a cruel April Fools Day joke.

Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, his report was 100 percent true. Holliday will undergo appendectomy surgery today and will miss the next four-to-six weeks of the season.

I am beginning to think that 2011 won’t be the Cardinals’ season.

This is just as big a blow to the Cardinals as losing Adam Wainwright. Why would any team pitch to Albert Pujols now?

Until Holliday comes back, look for Tony LaRussa to use a combination of John Jay and Allen Craig in left.

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