I had to admit a terrible truth on Wednesday night. The St. Louis Cardinals are not a great ballclub.

Gone are the visions of grandeur that led us through the dogdays of summer.

Gone are the roars of triumph as the Birds swept the National League Central leading Cincinnati Reds. Gone are the rays of hope that we, the heir-apparent to the 2010 World Series, will rally from our slump.

All gone, thanks to the Chicago Cubs. But how?

How could a team comprising of the NL MVP candidate, and triple-crown threat Albert Pujols, NL Rookie of the Year candidate Jaime Garcia and NL Cy Young front-runner Adam Wainwright not be playing baseball after the first of October?

The answer is easy: great players do not make great teams.

The 2010 Cardinals are Exhibition A. After sweeping the Reds Aug. 9-11, the Cardinals have played an abysmal 9-21 ball since. The Reds, on the other hand, surged after the whipping and have never looked back.

You see, regardless of whom you have on your team, there’s still a key element, something so crucial to success it’s almost laughable how quickly owners, coaches and fans are to forget it. Ready to be clued in?

Teamwork.

Our coaches all told us “there’s no ‘I’ in team,” and most of us rolled our eyes. But there’s something special missing for my beloved Redbirds. The dynamic of “us” is not apparent on the field or in the clubhouse. The team is dysfunctional. While the Reds rallied around each other after the beat down, the Birds have flown the coop.

And it’s a shame; with talent like Pujols and Wainwright, the Birds would have been a dynamic team to watch in October.

These 2010 Cardinals provide a great example for another team just down the street. Sam Bradford, I hope you’re watching.