There have been rumblings in recent weeks that they could return to their former radio home of five decades in 2011, but they might be making a cameo appearance there much sooner.

ESPN Radio has the rights to the national broadcasts of postseason baseball, and its local affiliate, WXOS (101.1 FM) is carrying the games.

However, WXOS also is the flagship station for the Rams radio network and has those games locked in on Sunday afternoons.

So it will place baseball that overlaps with Rams coverage on another local station. The Rams play at noon, and WXOS also is obligated to a least an hour of postgame programming, effectively blocking out baseball until at least 4 p.m.

And because the starting time of Sunday's Cardinals game, should it be necessary, has not been set, WXOS general manager Jason Barrett would have to move the Cards elsewhere if they play in that block.

Could that be to KMOX (1120 AM), the station the club left in 2006 in favor of KTRS (550 AM)?

"We're exploring options,'' Barrett said.

KMOX director of programming and operations Steve Moore is intrigued about the possibility.

"From time to time games get moved, and if it makes sense from a programming standpoint and a (logistical) standpoint, we would certainly look at this,'' he said.

Either way, Mike Shannon and John Rooney would be providing the local angle on KTRS. Jon Sciambi and Aaron Boone are broadcasting the series for ESPN Radio.

Meanwhile, kudos to WXOS for pre-empting its local programming to clear the way for the broadcasts of all postseason games.

That's a great move for fans, who is some years past had to struggle to find broadcasts on stations with limited signal range — if they were carried at all.