While it is cold outside and the start of baseball season is still months away, the talk never dies in "Cardinal Country."

While I have been an Atlanta Braves fan since I was a little leaguer (yes middle America, there is one amongst you who does not live and die with the Cardinals), I do consider myself a Cardinal observer. I watch the Redbirds and invariably keep up with their moves through my religious pursuit of sports information. However, one thing that always amazes me about the Cardinals is their fans.

I am amazed when I walk into the stadium and see all of the fans decked out in red, especially when my precious Braves can't even sell out their stadium for a playoff game. But as everyone in Southeast Missouri knows, the loyalty of Cardinals fans goes well beyond the game itself.

For instance, recently the Cardinals auctioned off items from Busch Stadium before it was torn down to make room for the new and improved Busch Stadium.

Fans spent well over a million dollars on items, like $21,503 for Albert Pujols' locker and $12,730 for the locker used by Jim Edmonds. By far the strangest item was a urinal from the Cardinals locker room that was sold for $2,174.

Several things came to mind when I heard this bit of news, but first I realized that the Cardinal owners will sell anything to make a dollar, including dirt from the stadium which is being sold for $5 a bag. Of course, we all know that you have to get money any way you can to pay for the outrageous salaries today.

But you can only sell what people are willing to buy, which is even more amazing. I'm not saying that buying a urinal for $2,000 is stupid, but why would anybody be so stupid as to buy a urinal for that price?

One report said the man was a urologist who will use the urinal in his office.

Well, that says enough for me. If I ever need a urologist, and please say I never will, this is the doctor for me.

Can you imagine the advertising opportunity this man (who I will refer to as Dr. Peechecker from this point forward) has? "Having a problem going number one? Come visit Dr. Peechecker and while on your visit maybe you can relieve yourself in the urinal formerly used by your St. Louis Cardinals!"

But for $2,000 you don't want to hide your newly purchased memorabilia in a bathroom, so I would assume Dr. Peechecker will place the urinal in the waiting room for all to see.

You can come in for an appointment and while waiting for the typical 30 minutes to an hour just to get in to see Dr. Peechecker, you are able to stare at the wonderful piece of Cardinal history and wonder just how many Cardinals relieved themselves in the shapely piece of porcelain.

Maybe, if Dr. Peechecker is really bold, he can ask all the players who used the urinal to autograph it and then while sitting, staring at this attraction you will know exactly whose germs are in your presence.

And maybe, just maybe, if you're lucky, you will be able to leave your own mark on this wonderful piece of baseball history.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to have to see a man about a urinal.