Even an evil Cardinal can have good taste in literature.

From the Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic comes this Scripps-Howard story:

Rolen can hit books and ball
By GORDON ENGELHARDT ~ Scripps Howard News Service

ST. LOUIS -- Reading is second nature to Scott Rolen, the son of two schoolteachers from Jasper, Ind. Long before he fell out of favor in Philadelphia, writers who covered the Phillies were impressed when they saw him reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. He said "The Fountainhead," also by Rand, was his favorite book.

"A lot of people make a big deal out of the fact that I read," said Rolen, who seemed incredulous that they can't comprehend that he can be an All-Star third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and a bookworm.

"I like to read. They play it like it's a big story. I play baseball and I like to read. What makes that odd? What's the matter? It's not crazy."

Not only is Rolen literate and cerebral, he's considered a throwback player who thinks about the Cardinals first, himself a distant second. He doesn't complain about the chronic stiffness in his left knee, which has become such a story in St. Louis that television cameras zoom in on him to see if he's grimacing when he lands on the bag with his left leg.

After a torrid first-half pace, Rolen cooled slightly in July but bounced back to go 14-for-34 (.412) with five home runs in the seven games before Wednesday night's meeting with Montreal. Overall, he has 25 home runs and is second in the majors with 96 runs batted in. His .335 batting average is 53 points higher than his career mark. He is close to his sixth 100-RBI season.

Rolen's defense is exceptional, too. A six-time Gold Glove winner, he already is regarded as the finest third baseman in Cardinals history. He also is a Most Valuable Player candidate.

He seems to have found a way to focus on every at-bat and works not to waste an at-bat no mater what the circumstance is.

It takes more than the raw kind of talent that the 6-foot-4 Rolen obviously possesses to succeed. "Focusing is one of the most important things to do and probably the hardest to do," he said. "If you're 0-for-2, you can't go up on your third at-bat thinking about your last at-bat. You have to think about trying to get a good pitch to hit. The mental part is so hard. The more pressure you put on yourself, the less chance you have of success.

"Hopefully, the results will take care of themself. If you go to the plate and say, 'I have to get a hit right now,' I believe that puts too much pressure on you."

Like many players, Rolen's father, Ed, was his Little League coach. But instead of an overzealous figure ranting and raving and trying to live vicarously through his son, Ed got out of coaching when the level of play became too competitive, Scott said.

"I had a pretty strong family environment," he said.

Despite his wealth, Rolen remains grounded because of his upbringing and didn't consider himself spoiled.

"We had everything we needed," he said. "We did not go without. My parents were both school teachers, middle-class school teachers in Jasper. We weren't rich. They bought us (the children) a car and they went without a new car."

The only words of advice Rolen offers to young players who look up to him is try and be a good person. "That's the only thing you have control over," Rolen said. "Help other people and work hard for what you get."