"There would have been a lot of animosity from the fans. But Bry shouldn't have caused the trade to happen."

Hernandez said his major impression of Smith was that he was "a 100 percent player, a hustler. He plays every day. He doesn't mess up."

Other Cardinals have been interviewed through the period when the trade was obvious. Here is a cross-section of their remarks:

Second baseman Tom Herr said, "I'm sorry to see Tempy go. Personally, I liked the guy. I thought any problems he had were behind him. I was looking forward to that double-play combination being together for many more years.

"You always feel a little bit of remorse when a guy is with you and then moves on. Maybe that feeling isn't mutual. I don't know if Tempy wanted to leave because of me. I know he was unhappy when I was batting leadoff and he wasn't. And he's been wanting to go to the West Coast for years. But if he's happy, that's good."

Pitcher Bob Forsch said, "I personally think he'd be better off out there. It would give him a new lease.

"Tempy did some things wrong in St. Louis. They were things that the players can forget, but I don't think the fans will. As soon as stuff started going bad, something would have happened."