***I warned you that Bryan Burwell will play the race card at some point before, during, and probably after the Super Bowl. I'm a little surprised that it didn't come earlier than today. I don't mind sportswriters getting all uppity about race, I think its a good thing - a real good thing - for this country and for our sports. We need people, Burwell included, to bring all this to light. So most of the time I have no problem with reporters who play this card, but why does Burwell always have to go over the top with this stuff and start getting nasty. His article today on Tony Dungy can be found on stltoday.com, and for the first three quarters of it, I loved it. It was great, insightful, and fair. But I should have known...
"There are voices out there who still don't get this. You keep sending me angry e-mails telling me you see no color in Smith or Dungy or any other man, and that of course is a crock, because this is also what you say in your next breath in these "color-blind" e-mails:
"Blacks are doing well in the NFL as players because they are faster and can jump higher than white boys. The Almighty made them that way so they can outrun all the lions and tigers in the African jungles."
"I also know there are demagogues pandering to these sad people, whipping them into a pathetic, hateful froth. I understand that those vile-spewing members of the idiot fringe never will get it. But as long as these people exist and feel empowered to rip off these hate-filled missives, it reminds me that we've come a long way but still have a long way to go."
Ok, Bryan, true. But why the "vile-spewing members of the idiot fringe?" Is the phrase "pathetic, hateful froth" necessary? C'mon, aren't you being a little hypocritical? You're a sportswriter, write what you want and don't let the FEW critics make their way into your articles. This is not the public opinion section of the St. Louis Post.
***This Jeff Weaver/ Scott Boras/ Cardinals organization thing could get nasty. Boras blames it on the Cardinals, the Cardinals say Boras wasn't upfront with Weaver about their offer, Weaver says "he wants to be wanted," Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post says this:
"Remember, the Cards pulled Weaver off the scrap heap after the Angels cashiered him. The Cards patiently worked with him, helping him rebuild his mechanics -– even though he kept getting pounded on the mound.
"This team spent months rehabilitating Weaver’s career, resurrecting his market value. Then the club offered him a two-year deal with good guaranteed money and an opportunity to earn top dollar if he (gasp) stayed healthy and reasonably productive.
"The Cards offered him a rotation slot on the defending World Champions. They offered him the opportunity to continue his work with Dave Duncan and pitch in front of an outstanding defensive team.
"Tony La Russa personally assured Weaver he was wanted. He wanted to give the well-traveled Weaver an opportunity to move his career to the Next Level, as Chris Carpenter did here.
"Remember, Weaver has an 86-101 career record. He was 8-14 for the Cards and Angels last season. Since 2002, he has worked for the Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Cardinals and now Mariners.
"The Yankees got rid of him. The Dodgers let him walk. The Angels dumped him halfway into the season. The Dodgers did NOT want him back.The Cards took him in, cleaned him up, coaxed a couple of great weeks out of him during postseason play and gave his career second wind.So Weaver WAS welcome and wanted here."
*** A couple other quips from sportswriters across the country:
Dave Barry, Miami Herald, on Super Bowl media day: “There were also some actual sports journalists on hand; mostly they crowded around the stars of the two teams. I would say the biggest star for the Bears is linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is often described as ‘intimidating’ because he looks as though at any moment he will beat you to death with your own femur. The biggest star for the Colts is quarterback Peyton Manning, who football experts believe will eventually surpass both Dan Marino’s and Joe Montana’s records for most total career TV commercials. Manning can sell anything. He could do an ad for a feminine hygiene product, and guys all over America would be going, ‘Dang! I need that!’”
Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com: “Someone asked Bears offensive tackle John St. Clair, ‘Who would win a football game? The prisoners in The Longest Yard or the Cincinnati Bengals?’The reporter then laughed out loud at his own question. Nobody else found it funny at all. St. Clair didn’t answer.”
Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times: “So now, absurdly, it’s about racism. Given a chance to paint a remorseful self-portrait on a global stage, Tank Johnson again shamed himself, the Bears, the NFL and anyone who felt like giving him a second chance — no, fourth chance — in life. I thought he might apologize for the .44-caliber Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun, .45-caliber handgun, .308-caliber Winchester rifle, two assault-style rifles and more than 500 rounds of ammunition found in his home within sight of his two daughters. Instead, Tank dropped the R-bomb, bringing a sickening thud to what otherwise was a festive Super Bowl media day for the Bears. A man arrested three times in 18 months believes he isn’t the problem as much as critics he views as racist.”
T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times, failing to lament the passing of Barbaro: “Tell me the difference right now between the furry bump in the road that once was a squirrel and Barbaro today. Courage? You don’t think it takes courage to try and run across eight lanes of the I-5 only to get flattened three lanes shy? . . . Just what is the difference between a squirrel and a horse — discounting the fact you might’ve won money on the horse? . . . Like a dead deer on the side of the road, too bad for Barbaro, I guess, but how many people can name two horses other than Barbaro to die in the past year?”
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
MailBag Below
The mailbag portion of this blog, which answers all your recent questions, was posted below "'Birds resign Wilson, Weaver to Mariners" for some reason. I've been promising this to you guys, so I didn't want you to miss it. Check it out.
Redbirds Resign Wilson. Weaver to M's
***The Cardinals have reupped with utility outfielder Preston Wilson on a one year deal and an unknown amount of money.
The Redbirds acquired Wilson in August after the Astros released him, and the veteran provided a nice spark in part-time duty. In 33 games, he batted .243 with a .300 on-base percentage, but cranked eight homers and slugged .486. Wilson's home run total was just one shy of what he managed in 390 at-bats with Houston.
For his career, Wilson is a .264 hitter with a .330 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage. He's hit 188 Major League home runs while playing for the Mets, Marlins, Rockies, Nationals, Astros and Cardinals.
This is probably the final piece to the Cardinals winter shopping chores. He'll be another nice piece to the vulnerable outfield, especially if one of the starters goes down with injury.
***Jeff Weaver passed his physical on Monday and finalized his deal with the Seattle Mariners. Weaver's deal is good for one year and is worth &8,325,00 in guaranteed money plus another one million in performance incentives. He would earn $300,000 each for 180 innings or 28 starts, and 190 innings or 30 starts, and $400,000 for 200 innings or 32 starts.
Weaver also would receive $50,000 if he makes the All-Star team, $200,000 for winning the Cy Young Award and $50,000 for a Gold Glove award. Should the Mariners, who have finished last in the AL West for three consecutive seasons, have an astounding year, Weaver could get $50,000 for being the MVP of the AL championship series and $100,000 for being the World Series MVP.
The deal trumped what the Cardinals were willing to offer Weaver, which was one year and five mill guaranteed, plus performance incentives.
I wouldn't bank of Weaver getting much of that performance incentive money. He left St. Louis, where he pitched brillantly under pitching coach Dave Duncan for Seattle, and will return to the American League West, where he was tanked last season before getting released by the Angels. Weaver will be pitching his home games at Seattle's Safeco Field, where he has a 6.55 ERA in four career starts. He'll have regular assignments at Texas (6.23 ERA) and Oakland (6.94 ERA). And Weaver will get further exposure at the stadium in Anaheim, where he posted a 9.79 ERA last season.
Good decision, Jeff. Green in the eyes.
*Stlcardinals.com, yahoosports.com, and stltoday.com all contributed to this report.
Stay tuned later today for "Big D's Big Ole Bag of Mail."
The Redbirds acquired Wilson in August after the Astros released him, and the veteran provided a nice spark in part-time duty. In 33 games, he batted .243 with a .300 on-base percentage, but cranked eight homers and slugged .486. Wilson's home run total was just one shy of what he managed in 390 at-bats with Houston.
For his career, Wilson is a .264 hitter with a .330 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage. He's hit 188 Major League home runs while playing for the Mets, Marlins, Rockies, Nationals, Astros and Cardinals.
This is probably the final piece to the Cardinals winter shopping chores. He'll be another nice piece to the vulnerable outfield, especially if one of the starters goes down with injury.
***Jeff Weaver passed his physical on Monday and finalized his deal with the Seattle Mariners. Weaver's deal is good for one year and is worth &8,325,00 in guaranteed money plus another one million in performance incentives. He would earn $300,000 each for 180 innings or 28 starts, and 190 innings or 30 starts, and $400,000 for 200 innings or 32 starts.
Weaver also would receive $50,000 if he makes the All-Star team, $200,000 for winning the Cy Young Award and $50,000 for a Gold Glove award. Should the Mariners, who have finished last in the AL West for three consecutive seasons, have an astounding year, Weaver could get $50,000 for being the MVP of the AL championship series and $100,000 for being the World Series MVP.
The deal trumped what the Cardinals were willing to offer Weaver, which was one year and five mill guaranteed, plus performance incentives.
I wouldn't bank of Weaver getting much of that performance incentive money. He left St. Louis, where he pitched brillantly under pitching coach Dave Duncan for Seattle, and will return to the American League West, where he was tanked last season before getting released by the Angels. Weaver will be pitching his home games at Seattle's Safeco Field, where he has a 6.55 ERA in four career starts. He'll have regular assignments at Texas (6.23 ERA) and Oakland (6.94 ERA). And Weaver will get further exposure at the stadium in Anaheim, where he posted a 9.79 ERA last season.
Good decision, Jeff. Green in the eyes.
*Stlcardinals.com, yahoosports.com, and stltoday.com all contributed to this report.
Stay tuned later today for "Big D's Big Ole Bag of Mail."
Monday, January 29, 2007
Big D's BIG Ole' Bag of Mail
"Dave, would you put Izzy in the set up role, or Wainwright?" -jose canseco
I always love responding to anybody named Jose Canseco. I hope you're doing better financially, Jose. Your question was a great question, at the time, although now it's mostly irrelevant. With the Mariner's signing Jeff Weaver, you can pretty much bank on Adam Wainwright being in the rotation and not in the bullpen, at least once Jason Isringhausen gets back. However, let's talk what-ifs. IF Wainwright were to end up in the bullpen alongside Izzy, then I would put Wainwright in the set-up role for a number of reasons. The first being that Isringhausen is simply better when there is boatloads of pressure on him. And I understand many of you will argue that he's terrible with pressure, but you have to admit that once the bases get loaded in the ninth, and he's on the hill, he is a much more dominating pitcher than when the bases are empty. If he were to come in during the seventh or eighth innings, there just simply isn't enough pressure for him to perform. The second reason being that Wainwright's younger arm means more innings. If Izzy closed, then you'd have the luxury of bringing Wainwright in for two or three innings as opposed to one inning. With Izzy you aren't afforded that luxury, he's a one inning pitcher.
"Dave - I just wanted to know what you thought about the Cardinals not giving up the $dollas$ to sign Weaver and letting the Mariners steal him? Damn crooks." -PCU
In all honesty, I think a lot of this had to with Weaver's agent, Scott Boras. He's been pushing general managers around for years now and been getting away with it. And he struck once again in the Mariner's organization in terms of Weaver. However, he didn't get the best of BIG Walt. I understand the sentiment behind not nailing down a solid number two starter, but I'm also proud of Walt for sticking to his guns. Not to mention, who's to say that Jeff Weaver is, realistically, a number two starter? Or even a number five starter for that matter? Don't forget this dude was chop liver and cut from the Angels last year after posting a +9 era the first half of the season. Granted he pitched well when it counted for the 'Birds, the possibility of him keeping that sort of intensity throughout the season is questionable at best.
Or maybe the plan is to let the M's sign him for 8.3 million, let him pitch like Bill Pulispher for a couple months, drop him, and the Cardinals sweep him up from the floor, pay him the league minimum, and let him pitch us to another World Series run? Surely not.
The bottom line is that the Cardinals have been winning consistently on a tight, mature budget (much more consistently than any free-spending teams), why stray from this philosophy for a guy like Weaver, who obviously doesn't trust him himself as a great pitcher and wants to cash in now?
"Yo Dave. Blues. Buyers or Sellers? Subquestion: what's up the Minnesota hockey team being called the Wild? What a terrible hockey name?" -John C.
Don't really know the answer to the Wild being called the Wild. But I'll agree with you, it's stupid. But as of these words being typed, the Wild are one up on the Blues 8 minutes in. So they got that going for them, which is nice. For them, not us.
Man, what a good question. Buyers or sellers? These thing is so damn complicated it's almost self-deflating to try and sort it out in words. Personally, I have to say that our best chance of success for the longest period of time is to sell. The league is, in a big way, moving towards its youth and young teams are starting to rise up and compete with old teams. The Blues have many free agents who are going to be 35 years + at the end of the season, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin included. I'm not saying fire sell and dump the whole team, but I certainly think the Blues have to shop these two veteran studs for young scoring forwards. Tkachuk is on the decline, that's obvious, and most likely he's going to be looking to cash in on one more payday at the end of the season. Although it's also likely that he'll want to stay in St. Louis, are we willing to pay him as much as he's going to ask? Who knows? Guerin, on the other hand, as revived his career this season. How much money will he be asking for in the offseason? Who knows? If the Blues think they can resign these cats at a reasonable price, then lets play the rest of the season with this roster, make the playoffs, and see what happens. If they don't think they can resign them, then you have to trade. Bottom line. We can't lose two guys with that much trade value for nothing. Period.
The Blues have built a solid developmental system. We're loaded with talented goalies and we have many young promising defensemen. However, the lack of young scoring forwards is glaring and it needs to be addressed. Now is a good time to address this need. And it could make for an exciting future.
On the other hand, the Blues are playing great hockey right now and it would be devastating to tear them apart. Attendance is up, the St. Louis Post is writing front page stories on them every single day, and there is an obvious bounce back within the organization and the team. Why hurt it? The Blues are 8 points out of the playoff race as of today, and four teams stand between them. It's not impossible. Will Checketts and Davidson risk losing their fan base by trading popular stars? I'd hate to be in their shoes right now. Even if the Blues crack the playoffs their chance of winning will be about zero, but so was the Cardinals.
I think the best idea is to trade now, be good later. The St. Louis fan base always comes back when the team is winning. If you trade Tkachuk now, they'll get over it. But it wouldn't bother me either if the front-office thinks they can win this year and we go for it. Unless they start trading away all kinds of young prospects for old talent. If we're going to do this, then it needs to be with the team we have RIGHT NOW. The guys who have been through the ups and downs together.
I want to win a Stanley Cup. I trust Checketts and Davidson to get me there, I'll back either decision. One thing you don't have to worry about, and one thing a lot of people are, is the Blues ruining their chance at a good draft pick. From the research I've done, there are no good draft picks this year. Most experts are saying that number 30 could potentially be as good as number 1. So don't root for the Blues to lose, root hard for them to win.
This entire question should be easier to answer in a few weeks when we see how the Blues play over the course of the next month.
"Can Tiger do it?" -GLH
Lets see. Hot wife. Killer stroke. Nickname Tiger. Wears red. If he can't do it, it can't be done.
"Dave, who you got in the pigskin bowl? And by how many? And if you were a betting man, does Lebron James score more points against the Pistons on Sunday than the Colts do against the Bears?" -Kevin B.
I'm taking the Colts. I dig Lovie, but I hate Chicago. And the more I see their lame fans in their ugly Bears gear walking around campus, the more I want them to suffer in infinite defeat. Their cocky, unreasonable, and stupid. Colts 176, Ditka 0.
Lebron puts up 32 against the Pistons Sunday. Obviously that's not enough.
Dear Dave - I have a problem completely unrelated to sports. I've recently come off another break up with another girlfriend. This is my sixth break-up with my sixth different girl in the past 8 months. And I swear every time I meet the new girl I think she is the one. She always seems so perfect and she always makes me smile and laugh and feel young again. But then a week, sometimes two, later I find a flaw in her. Sometimes I realize that I don't like her name. Other times it annoys me how many times she says "like." And yet other times I can't even pinpoint the problem, I just know there is one and I know that I'm not ready to settle down. When will I find the perfect girl?
Lost and Sincere, Pug."
Pug - This is a damn shame. I'm not "Ask Molly." I don't know what I am, but I'm sure as hell not "Ask Pam." Here's the deal, I'm going to answer your question, but don't ever ask me, or any other man, again. Man Law: Don't ask sympathetic questions to a guy who dreams about hockey. So, to answer your question, it sounds like you're the one with the problem. She can't help her name. It could always be worse, instead of Ellen it could be Nancy. Instead of Megan it could be Judith. You catch my drift? If you're with a Nancy or a Judith, then it's not your fault. It's their parents. And you can't do anything about that either. Stop searching for the perfect girl. Stop searching period. Wait until you're at a Blues game and some chick in a Bernie Ferderko jersey accidentally spills her beer all over your head from one aisle up because she's pissed about an obvious missed hooking call on Jordan Tootoo. Got it? There are no perfect girls, we don't have the technology yet. But if you come across a chick wearing a throwback Blues jersey and drinking a Budweiser, ask for her name. Until then, I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut.
keep the questions coming. rock out to Michael Franti. drink red bull. question everything. peaceout.
I always love responding to anybody named Jose Canseco. I hope you're doing better financially, Jose. Your question was a great question, at the time, although now it's mostly irrelevant. With the Mariner's signing Jeff Weaver, you can pretty much bank on Adam Wainwright being in the rotation and not in the bullpen, at least once Jason Isringhausen gets back. However, let's talk what-ifs. IF Wainwright were to end up in the bullpen alongside Izzy, then I would put Wainwright in the set-up role for a number of reasons. The first being that Isringhausen is simply better when there is boatloads of pressure on him. And I understand many of you will argue that he's terrible with pressure, but you have to admit that once the bases get loaded in the ninth, and he's on the hill, he is a much more dominating pitcher than when the bases are empty. If he were to come in during the seventh or eighth innings, there just simply isn't enough pressure for him to perform. The second reason being that Wainwright's younger arm means more innings. If Izzy closed, then you'd have the luxury of bringing Wainwright in for two or three innings as opposed to one inning. With Izzy you aren't afforded that luxury, he's a one inning pitcher.
"Dave - I just wanted to know what you thought about the Cardinals not giving up the $dollas$ to sign Weaver and letting the Mariners steal him? Damn crooks." -PCU
In all honesty, I think a lot of this had to with Weaver's agent, Scott Boras. He's been pushing general managers around for years now and been getting away with it. And he struck once again in the Mariner's organization in terms of Weaver. However, he didn't get the best of BIG Walt. I understand the sentiment behind not nailing down a solid number two starter, but I'm also proud of Walt for sticking to his guns. Not to mention, who's to say that Jeff Weaver is, realistically, a number two starter? Or even a number five starter for that matter? Don't forget this dude was chop liver and cut from the Angels last year after posting a +9 era the first half of the season. Granted he pitched well when it counted for the 'Birds, the possibility of him keeping that sort of intensity throughout the season is questionable at best.
Or maybe the plan is to let the M's sign him for 8.3 million, let him pitch like Bill Pulispher for a couple months, drop him, and the Cardinals sweep him up from the floor, pay him the league minimum, and let him pitch us to another World Series run? Surely not.
The bottom line is that the Cardinals have been winning consistently on a tight, mature budget (much more consistently than any free-spending teams), why stray from this philosophy for a guy like Weaver, who obviously doesn't trust him himself as a great pitcher and wants to cash in now?
"Yo Dave. Blues. Buyers or Sellers? Subquestion: what's up the Minnesota hockey team being called the Wild? What a terrible hockey name?" -John C.
Don't really know the answer to the Wild being called the Wild. But I'll agree with you, it's stupid. But as of these words being typed, the Wild are one up on the Blues 8 minutes in. So they got that going for them, which is nice. For them, not us.
Man, what a good question. Buyers or sellers? These thing is so damn complicated it's almost self-deflating to try and sort it out in words. Personally, I have to say that our best chance of success for the longest period of time is to sell. The league is, in a big way, moving towards its youth and young teams are starting to rise up and compete with old teams. The Blues have many free agents who are going to be 35 years + at the end of the season, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin included. I'm not saying fire sell and dump the whole team, but I certainly think the Blues have to shop these two veteran studs for young scoring forwards. Tkachuk is on the decline, that's obvious, and most likely he's going to be looking to cash in on one more payday at the end of the season. Although it's also likely that he'll want to stay in St. Louis, are we willing to pay him as much as he's going to ask? Who knows? Guerin, on the other hand, as revived his career this season. How much money will he be asking for in the offseason? Who knows? If the Blues think they can resign these cats at a reasonable price, then lets play the rest of the season with this roster, make the playoffs, and see what happens. If they don't think they can resign them, then you have to trade. Bottom line. We can't lose two guys with that much trade value for nothing. Period.
The Blues have built a solid developmental system. We're loaded with talented goalies and we have many young promising defensemen. However, the lack of young scoring forwards is glaring and it needs to be addressed. Now is a good time to address this need. And it could make for an exciting future.
On the other hand, the Blues are playing great hockey right now and it would be devastating to tear them apart. Attendance is up, the St. Louis Post is writing front page stories on them every single day, and there is an obvious bounce back within the organization and the team. Why hurt it? The Blues are 8 points out of the playoff race as of today, and four teams stand between them. It's not impossible. Will Checketts and Davidson risk losing their fan base by trading popular stars? I'd hate to be in their shoes right now. Even if the Blues crack the playoffs their chance of winning will be about zero, but so was the Cardinals.
I think the best idea is to trade now, be good later. The St. Louis fan base always comes back when the team is winning. If you trade Tkachuk now, they'll get over it. But it wouldn't bother me either if the front-office thinks they can win this year and we go for it. Unless they start trading away all kinds of young prospects for old talent. If we're going to do this, then it needs to be with the team we have RIGHT NOW. The guys who have been through the ups and downs together.
I want to win a Stanley Cup. I trust Checketts and Davidson to get me there, I'll back either decision. One thing you don't have to worry about, and one thing a lot of people are, is the Blues ruining their chance at a good draft pick. From the research I've done, there are no good draft picks this year. Most experts are saying that number 30 could potentially be as good as number 1. So don't root for the Blues to lose, root hard for them to win.
This entire question should be easier to answer in a few weeks when we see how the Blues play over the course of the next month.
"Can Tiger do it?" -GLH
Lets see. Hot wife. Killer stroke. Nickname Tiger. Wears red. If he can't do it, it can't be done.
"Dave, who you got in the pigskin bowl? And by how many? And if you were a betting man, does Lebron James score more points against the Pistons on Sunday than the Colts do against the Bears?" -Kevin B.
I'm taking the Colts. I dig Lovie, but I hate Chicago. And the more I see their lame fans in their ugly Bears gear walking around campus, the more I want them to suffer in infinite defeat. Their cocky, unreasonable, and stupid. Colts 176, Ditka 0.
Lebron puts up 32 against the Pistons Sunday. Obviously that's not enough.
Dear Dave - I have a problem completely unrelated to sports. I've recently come off another break up with another girlfriend. This is my sixth break-up with my sixth different girl in the past 8 months. And I swear every time I meet the new girl I think she is the one. She always seems so perfect and she always makes me smile and laugh and feel young again. But then a week, sometimes two, later I find a flaw in her. Sometimes I realize that I don't like her name. Other times it annoys me how many times she says "like." And yet other times I can't even pinpoint the problem, I just know there is one and I know that I'm not ready to settle down. When will I find the perfect girl?
Lost and Sincere, Pug."
Pug - This is a damn shame. I'm not "Ask Molly." I don't know what I am, but I'm sure as hell not "Ask Pam." Here's the deal, I'm going to answer your question, but don't ever ask me, or any other man, again. Man Law: Don't ask sympathetic questions to a guy who dreams about hockey. So, to answer your question, it sounds like you're the one with the problem. She can't help her name. It could always be worse, instead of Ellen it could be Nancy. Instead of Megan it could be Judith. You catch my drift? If you're with a Nancy or a Judith, then it's not your fault. It's their parents. And you can't do anything about that either. Stop searching for the perfect girl. Stop searching period. Wait until you're at a Blues game and some chick in a Bernie Ferderko jersey accidentally spills her beer all over your head from one aisle up because she's pissed about an obvious missed hooking call on Jordan Tootoo. Got it? There are no perfect girls, we don't have the technology yet. But if you come across a chick wearing a throwback Blues jersey and drinking a Budweiser, ask for her name. Until then, I'd advise you to keep your mouth shut.
keep the questions coming. rock out to Michael Franti. drink red bull. question everything. peaceout.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Cards Working on Filling Final Hole
Well, things aren't completely set for the Cardinals quite yet, but we're getting close. It's certainly not too early to talk about them yet, it's never too early to talk about the defending World Series Champions. Let's get up and throw some dees at Cardinal baseball.
*The big question remaining is Jeff Weaver. Will the Cardinals sign up or not? I guess the thing that bothers me most about this situation is that if the Cardinals do sign him they claim he will be their number two starter. But if they don't sign him, they act like it's no big deal. This doesn't make much sense to me, if it's not a big deal to sign your number two starter then something is wrong.
I wish I could figure out which way this one is going. I'd like to see Weaver back in a red and white uniform, but I got this itchy feeling that Scotty Boras plans on making it difficult. I don't think we should, and I don't think we will, overpay for Weaver. I understand how impressive his post-season performance was, and I've raved about it in blogs since, but I question Weaver's ability to keep that intensity throughout. Rumors speculate that the Cardinals have offered him a two year deal, but the hold up is the third year. Weaver wants it, the Cardinals don't. I don't expect the 'Birds to budge on this one either, considering the only real competition right now is from the Mets.
Of course, whether we sign Weaver or not goes a long way in setting the rotation. With him, I can see Wainwright heading back to the bullpen and serving as a temporary closer until Izzy comes back. The question from there, of course, is whether or not Izzy ever gets his job back with Wainwright in the pen? Either way, it would be pretty nice to see a Wainwright/ Isringhausen set-up/closer situation late in games, no matter what order they come in. However, if we don't sign Weaver then I think it's a safe bet to say that Sir Adam will be in the rotation along with Carp, Kip, Anthony, and Mulder (once healthy).
Who knows how this is going to play out? We should know much more once Weaver makes his decision, hopefully by the end of the week.
*Whether you like it or not, I think the outfield is set. It goes Juan, Jimmy, Duncan across the board. There are questions here: 1) Jimmy BIG Time Baseball's health. 2) Encarnacion's health. 3) Duncan's youth, bat, and defense. If Edmonds and Encarnacion can stay healthy, and Young Dunc can continue hitting for power and solidify his defense then we should be ok.
I know there has been speculation concerning trading Duncan or Encarnacion, but I would consider that dead in the water. If the Cardinals are playing "content" with not having Weaver in their number two spot and going forward with what they have now, then I surely don't see them trading for another starter. Yes, the rotation is questionable but when was the last time it wasn't?
*Russ Springer, Adam Kennedy, AaronMiles, So Taguchi, Scott Spiezo, Gary Bennett, Kip Wells, and Mark Mulder all either signed or re-upped with the Cardinals this year.
*Preston Wilson is still a free agent and the Cardinals are expressing much interest in resigning him. If not, then expect a competition between Taguchi, John Rodriguez, Scott Spiezo, and Skip Schumaker for bench time in the bigs. Although it's really between Skip and J-Rod, Speezy and So are penciled in already.
*Names to miss: Timo Perez. Oh yea, and Jeff Suppan.
*Names to Remember: Ricardo Rincon, Larry Bigbie.
*I promised a minor league update so here it is:
Here are the final stats of St. Louis' AFL competitors, as well as updates on Cardinals farmhands honing their skills in the Dominican Winter, Venezuelan Winter and Mexican Pacific Leagues. After each caption, I've labeled in astericks** those who being considered potentials to play, at some point, on this year's squad.
Peoria Saguaros Squad
OF Amaury Cazana Marti -- Marti, a 32-year-old Cuban defector, raised a lot of eyebrows with his phenomenal AFL performance. The left fielder batted .345 (29-for-84) with four homers, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored. His homer during the Saguaros' season finale snapped a monthlong power drought. *Possible call-up*
RHP Dennis Dove -- Dove made six relief appearances for the Saguaros, allowing two runs over 9 1/3 innings. Opponents batted .129 against the 25-year-old. Not too shabby.
LHP Eric Haberer -- Haberer threw balls in seven games for the Saguaros and did not receive a decision. The Illinois native allowed five earned runs over 10 innings.
RHP Mike Parisi -- After allowing 14 runs over his first 11 innings, Parisi closed out the year by yielding one run in his final five frames. The 23-year-old finished with a 7.88 ERA, and opponents hit .265 against him. He's considered a top prospect, but after those numbers all that could be reconsidered.
RHP Stuart Pomeranz -- A pair of disastrous starting efforts inflated Pomeranz's ERA to 9.00, but he also had his share of dominant outings. The 21-year-old finished the season with a 15.58 ERA at home and a 2.16 mark at home.
SS Brendan Ryan -- Ryan was a regular in the Saguaros' starting lineup the entire season. He finished the season tied for the league lead in hits with 39, drove in 20 runs and scored 19. *Although not any time while Eckstein is around, Ryan is considered the shortstop of the future for the Cardinals.*
OF Nick Stavinoha -- A 24-year-old native of Texas, Stavinoha scuffled through a lackluster AFL season, hitting .218 (17-for-78) with a homer, eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Dominican Winter League
RHP Gustavo Martinez -- An 18-year-old native of Colombia, Martinez has allowed 10 runs -- eight earned -- over 10 innings for the Leones del Escogido.
RHP Ricardo Rodriguez -- Rodriguez has struggled for the Azucareros del Este. He is 0-4 with a 17.06 ERA over five relief appearances. Pretty much about the same stats Ricardo Rincon had for the Cardinals in the BIGS this year before he went down with an injury.
RHP Dennis Tankersley -- A 27-year-old Major League veteran, Tankersley is 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA over 27 2/3 innings for the Tigres del Licey. His name sounds familiar, doesn't it? Tankersley, 26, is a native of St. Charles, Mo., just outside of St. Louis, and he attended St. Louis Community College-Meramec. He went 9-8 with a 4.24 ERA in 136 innings for Triple-A Omaha in the Royals system in 2005, striking out 104 and walking 59. In parts of three Major League seasons, all with the Padres, Tankersley is 1-10 with a 7.61 ERA in 86 1/3 innings. However, his Minor League numbers are much more impressive. For his career, he's 51-39 with a 3.40 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning in the Minors. Following the 2002 season, Tankersley was ranked as the Padres' No. 2 prospect by Baseball America -- ahead of familiar names such as Jake Peavy, Oliver Perez and Xavier Nady.
Mexican Pacific League
RHP Andy Cavazos -- Cavazos, whose last appearance came on Nov. 15, is 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA and three saves for the Algodoneros de Guasave.
C Iker Franco -- The starting backstop for Yaquis de Obregon, Franco is batting .254 (30-for-118) over 39 games. He has seven homers, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored. *Impressive numbers, for sure, but don't expect him to be up any time soon. Yadi is the man for now.*
LHP Jaime Garcia -- A 20-year-old left-hander, Garcia is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA over three relief appearances for the Naranjeros de Hermosillo.
Venezuelan Winter League
RHP Jose Garcia -- Garcia is 0-1 with a 6.16 ERA over 19 innings for the Caribes de Oriente.
2B Rayner Laya -- A 26-year-old utilityman, Laya has appeared in 20 games for the Aguilas del Zulia. He is batting .178 (8-for-45) with six RBIs. *Can you say John Mabry? No.*
2B Juan Lucena -- After a three-week layoff, Lucena appeared in a game for the Tigres de Aragua on Nov. 24 and went 1-for-4. He is batting .241 (7-for-29) overall.
IF Jose Martinez -- Martinez, 20, has 31 at-bats over 19 games for the Tigres de Aragua and is batting .161.
*These are all names that may be unfamiliar to you. Other names you've heard much more about include:
CF Colby Rasmus -- Once life without Jimmy Baseball begins, so does life with Colby Rasmus. Dude's a stud, apparently, and all signs point to him roaming center come 2009. He even joined the Cardinals Caravan this year.Rasmus, the Cards' first pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, hit .310 with a .373 on-base percentage at Quad Cities while slugging .512. He hit 11 home runs and stole 17 bases, all after starting the season with a 1-for-24 slump. Rasmus slugged .626 in June. According to the most recent available rosters, Rasmus is the third-youngest player in the Florida State League. He will turn 21 in August.
RP Troy Cate -- You've heard his name a lot lately mentioned in talks for the upcoming season, but I wouldn't bank on it. Maybe in 2009. Cate, a 26-year-old southpaw who pitched most of last season in the Class A Advanced Florida State League, was recently added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster. Cate has been lights-out over three postseason starts for Venados de Mazatlan. The California native has allowed just three runs on eight hits over 21 innings of work while striking out 21. He has walked just five batters, and opponents are hitting a wasted .116 against him.
***Benjamin Hill contributed to the statistics compiled for this report.***
Peaceout.
*The big question remaining is Jeff Weaver. Will the Cardinals sign up or not? I guess the thing that bothers me most about this situation is that if the Cardinals do sign him they claim he will be their number two starter. But if they don't sign him, they act like it's no big deal. This doesn't make much sense to me, if it's not a big deal to sign your number two starter then something is wrong.
I wish I could figure out which way this one is going. I'd like to see Weaver back in a red and white uniform, but I got this itchy feeling that Scotty Boras plans on making it difficult. I don't think we should, and I don't think we will, overpay for Weaver. I understand how impressive his post-season performance was, and I've raved about it in blogs since, but I question Weaver's ability to keep that intensity throughout. Rumors speculate that the Cardinals have offered him a two year deal, but the hold up is the third year. Weaver wants it, the Cardinals don't. I don't expect the 'Birds to budge on this one either, considering the only real competition right now is from the Mets.
Of course, whether we sign Weaver or not goes a long way in setting the rotation. With him, I can see Wainwright heading back to the bullpen and serving as a temporary closer until Izzy comes back. The question from there, of course, is whether or not Izzy ever gets his job back with Wainwright in the pen? Either way, it would be pretty nice to see a Wainwright/ Isringhausen set-up/closer situation late in games, no matter what order they come in. However, if we don't sign Weaver then I think it's a safe bet to say that Sir Adam will be in the rotation along with Carp, Kip, Anthony, and Mulder (once healthy).
Who knows how this is going to play out? We should know much more once Weaver makes his decision, hopefully by the end of the week.
*Whether you like it or not, I think the outfield is set. It goes Juan, Jimmy, Duncan across the board. There are questions here: 1) Jimmy BIG Time Baseball's health. 2) Encarnacion's health. 3) Duncan's youth, bat, and defense. If Edmonds and Encarnacion can stay healthy, and Young Dunc can continue hitting for power and solidify his defense then we should be ok.
I know there has been speculation concerning trading Duncan or Encarnacion, but I would consider that dead in the water. If the Cardinals are playing "content" with not having Weaver in their number two spot and going forward with what they have now, then I surely don't see them trading for another starter. Yes, the rotation is questionable but when was the last time it wasn't?
*Russ Springer, Adam Kennedy, AaronMiles, So Taguchi, Scott Spiezo, Gary Bennett, Kip Wells, and Mark Mulder all either signed or re-upped with the Cardinals this year.
*Preston Wilson is still a free agent and the Cardinals are expressing much interest in resigning him. If not, then expect a competition between Taguchi, John Rodriguez, Scott Spiezo, and Skip Schumaker for bench time in the bigs. Although it's really between Skip and J-Rod, Speezy and So are penciled in already.
*Names to miss: Timo Perez. Oh yea, and Jeff Suppan.
*Names to Remember: Ricardo Rincon, Larry Bigbie.
*I promised a minor league update so here it is:
Here are the final stats of St. Louis' AFL competitors, as well as updates on Cardinals farmhands honing their skills in the Dominican Winter, Venezuelan Winter and Mexican Pacific Leagues. After each caption, I've labeled in astericks** those who being considered potentials to play, at some point, on this year's squad.
Peoria Saguaros Squad
OF Amaury Cazana Marti -- Marti, a 32-year-old Cuban defector, raised a lot of eyebrows with his phenomenal AFL performance. The left fielder batted .345 (29-for-84) with four homers, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored. His homer during the Saguaros' season finale snapped a monthlong power drought. *Possible call-up*
RHP Dennis Dove -- Dove made six relief appearances for the Saguaros, allowing two runs over 9 1/3 innings. Opponents batted .129 against the 25-year-old. Not too shabby.
LHP Eric Haberer -- Haberer threw balls in seven games for the Saguaros and did not receive a decision. The Illinois native allowed five earned runs over 10 innings.
RHP Mike Parisi -- After allowing 14 runs over his first 11 innings, Parisi closed out the year by yielding one run in his final five frames. The 23-year-old finished with a 7.88 ERA, and opponents hit .265 against him. He's considered a top prospect, but after those numbers all that could be reconsidered.
RHP Stuart Pomeranz -- A pair of disastrous starting efforts inflated Pomeranz's ERA to 9.00, but he also had his share of dominant outings. The 21-year-old finished the season with a 15.58 ERA at home and a 2.16 mark at home.
SS Brendan Ryan -- Ryan was a regular in the Saguaros' starting lineup the entire season. He finished the season tied for the league lead in hits with 39, drove in 20 runs and scored 19. *Although not any time while Eckstein is around, Ryan is considered the shortstop of the future for the Cardinals.*
OF Nick Stavinoha -- A 24-year-old native of Texas, Stavinoha scuffled through a lackluster AFL season, hitting .218 (17-for-78) with a homer, eight RBIs and four runs scored.
Dominican Winter League
RHP Gustavo Martinez -- An 18-year-old native of Colombia, Martinez has allowed 10 runs -- eight earned -- over 10 innings for the Leones del Escogido.
RHP Ricardo Rodriguez -- Rodriguez has struggled for the Azucareros del Este. He is 0-4 with a 17.06 ERA over five relief appearances. Pretty much about the same stats Ricardo Rincon had for the Cardinals in the BIGS this year before he went down with an injury.
RHP Dennis Tankersley -- A 27-year-old Major League veteran, Tankersley is 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA over 27 2/3 innings for the Tigres del Licey. His name sounds familiar, doesn't it? Tankersley, 26, is a native of St. Charles, Mo., just outside of St. Louis, and he attended St. Louis Community College-Meramec. He went 9-8 with a 4.24 ERA in 136 innings for Triple-A Omaha in the Royals system in 2005, striking out 104 and walking 59. In parts of three Major League seasons, all with the Padres, Tankersley is 1-10 with a 7.61 ERA in 86 1/3 innings. However, his Minor League numbers are much more impressive. For his career, he's 51-39 with a 3.40 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning in the Minors. Following the 2002 season, Tankersley was ranked as the Padres' No. 2 prospect by Baseball America -- ahead of familiar names such as Jake Peavy, Oliver Perez and Xavier Nady.
Mexican Pacific League
RHP Andy Cavazos -- Cavazos, whose last appearance came on Nov. 15, is 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA and three saves for the Algodoneros de Guasave.
C Iker Franco -- The starting backstop for Yaquis de Obregon, Franco is batting .254 (30-for-118) over 39 games. He has seven homers, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored. *Impressive numbers, for sure, but don't expect him to be up any time soon. Yadi is the man for now.*
LHP Jaime Garcia -- A 20-year-old left-hander, Garcia is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA over three relief appearances for the Naranjeros de Hermosillo.
Venezuelan Winter League
RHP Jose Garcia -- Garcia is 0-1 with a 6.16 ERA over 19 innings for the Caribes de Oriente.
2B Rayner Laya -- A 26-year-old utilityman, Laya has appeared in 20 games for the Aguilas del Zulia. He is batting .178 (8-for-45) with six RBIs. *Can you say John Mabry? No.*
2B Juan Lucena -- After a three-week layoff, Lucena appeared in a game for the Tigres de Aragua on Nov. 24 and went 1-for-4. He is batting .241 (7-for-29) overall.
IF Jose Martinez -- Martinez, 20, has 31 at-bats over 19 games for the Tigres de Aragua and is batting .161.
*These are all names that may be unfamiliar to you. Other names you've heard much more about include:
CF Colby Rasmus -- Once life without Jimmy Baseball begins, so does life with Colby Rasmus. Dude's a stud, apparently, and all signs point to him roaming center come 2009. He even joined the Cardinals Caravan this year.Rasmus, the Cards' first pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, hit .310 with a .373 on-base percentage at Quad Cities while slugging .512. He hit 11 home runs and stole 17 bases, all after starting the season with a 1-for-24 slump. Rasmus slugged .626 in June. According to the most recent available rosters, Rasmus is the third-youngest player in the Florida State League. He will turn 21 in August.
RP Troy Cate -- You've heard his name a lot lately mentioned in talks for the upcoming season, but I wouldn't bank on it. Maybe in 2009. Cate, a 26-year-old southpaw who pitched most of last season in the Class A Advanced Florida State League, was recently added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster. Cate has been lights-out over three postseason starts for Venados de Mazatlan. The California native has allowed just three runs on eight hits over 21 innings of work while striking out 21. He has walked just five batters, and opponents are hitting a wasted .116 against him.
***Benjamin Hill contributed to the statistics compiled for this report.***
Peaceout.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Two Minutes of Fun
Your weekly, quick-witted two minutes of pointless jabber. Featuring CChicago promises that won't be kept, non-conference schedules, and all-star games worth watching.
*Despite the Chicago Cubs being the worst team to ever grace the planet when it comes to postseason statistics, and finishing last season with 96 losses, they have made a complete overhaul to their major league club. Due to the countless millions of dollars they spent on extremely overpriced pitching and a "play-when-I-want" slugger getting paid 100 million dollars too much to be sliding out of his prime, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry had this to say to gathered fans at the Chicago Hilton this week: "I can promise you two things, we're going to be good, and we're going to stay good."
Ok, Jim. Sure.
*Apparently, some Rutgers assistant football coaches are getting double-digit percentage raises this year despite budget cuts that have forced the university to eliminate 825 jobs. This is outlandish, stupid, and criminal. A testament to a society that favors winning, sports, and money over a good, quality education. And people wonder why America can't crack the world's top 10 list when it comes to education? Please folks, be outraged and don't let this happen in Southeast Missouri. I understand how much this country loves its sports and I understand how much this country needs its sports, I understand it just as much as anybody. But I will not stand for universities cutting teacher's salaries and taking away educational opportunities in order to pay football coaches higher wages. 825 JOBS. Stupid.
*Speaking of College sports, the University of Missouri Hoops Squad has vowed to take on a tougher non-conference schedule next year after going 0-4 in the Big 12 since an 11-2 non-conference start. Wow, Mizzou. Good idea. Mike Anderson admitted that playing a cake schedule really screwed over the Tigers this year. Nine of their 11 non-conference home games were "guarantees," meaning that the university had to pay some small school to come play here so that the Tigers could beat them by an average of 18 points, boost their fan base, and once again let down Tiger faithful. At least they're figuring it out. Hopefully Mike Anderson's Tigers don't go down the same path as Quin Snyder's and Gary Pinkel's Tigers and I don't think they will if we give Anderson enough time (4 years), but he's not off to the best start. The biggest difference is that Snyder's Tigers could've played the same non-conference schedule as Anderson's Tigers this year and Snyder's squad would have been 6-7 instead of 11-2.
*It had slipped my mind before an article I read today in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, but Wednesday will be the first NHL All-Star game in three years. The lockout canceled the game two years ago, and the Olympics interfered last year. Sidney Crosby, a front-line starter in this year's game was 16 years old when the last NHL game was played. Speaking of Crosby, he will be on a front line with Alex Ovechkin and Daniel Briere - maybe the most explosive and excited line ever to step skate on an ice hockey rink...seriously. Whether your interested in hockey or not, you should really give this game a chance. It will be aired on versus (the old OLN) Wednesday night. I promised you won't be let down.
Fun Havin ya. Mizzou at Colorado Wednesday night. If the Tigers can't win this one (even though it's on the road) then pack it up and start cheering for your second favorite team. Seriously, Colorado is terrible.
*Despite the Chicago Cubs being the worst team to ever grace the planet when it comes to postseason statistics, and finishing last season with 96 losses, they have made a complete overhaul to their major league club. Due to the countless millions of dollars they spent on extremely overpriced pitching and a "play-when-I-want" slugger getting paid 100 million dollars too much to be sliding out of his prime, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry had this to say to gathered fans at the Chicago Hilton this week: "I can promise you two things, we're going to be good, and we're going to stay good."
Ok, Jim. Sure.
*Apparently, some Rutgers assistant football coaches are getting double-digit percentage raises this year despite budget cuts that have forced the university to eliminate 825 jobs. This is outlandish, stupid, and criminal. A testament to a society that favors winning, sports, and money over a good, quality education. And people wonder why America can't crack the world's top 10 list when it comes to education? Please folks, be outraged and don't let this happen in Southeast Missouri. I understand how much this country loves its sports and I understand how much this country needs its sports, I understand it just as much as anybody. But I will not stand for universities cutting teacher's salaries and taking away educational opportunities in order to pay football coaches higher wages. 825 JOBS. Stupid.
*Speaking of College sports, the University of Missouri Hoops Squad has vowed to take on a tougher non-conference schedule next year after going 0-4 in the Big 12 since an 11-2 non-conference start. Wow, Mizzou. Good idea. Mike Anderson admitted that playing a cake schedule really screwed over the Tigers this year. Nine of their 11 non-conference home games were "guarantees," meaning that the university had to pay some small school to come play here so that the Tigers could beat them by an average of 18 points, boost their fan base, and once again let down Tiger faithful. At least they're figuring it out. Hopefully Mike Anderson's Tigers don't go down the same path as Quin Snyder's and Gary Pinkel's Tigers and I don't think they will if we give Anderson enough time (4 years), but he's not off to the best start. The biggest difference is that Snyder's Tigers could've played the same non-conference schedule as Anderson's Tigers this year and Snyder's squad would have been 6-7 instead of 11-2.
*It had slipped my mind before an article I read today in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, but Wednesday will be the first NHL All-Star game in three years. The lockout canceled the game two years ago, and the Olympics interfered last year. Sidney Crosby, a front-line starter in this year's game was 16 years old when the last NHL game was played. Speaking of Crosby, he will be on a front line with Alex Ovechkin and Daniel Briere - maybe the most explosive and excited line ever to step skate on an ice hockey rink...seriously. Whether your interested in hockey or not, you should really give this game a chance. It will be aired on versus (the old OLN) Wednesday night. I promised you won't be let down.
Fun Havin ya. Mizzou at Colorado Wednesday night. If the Tigers can't win this one (even though it's on the road) then pack it up and start cheering for your second favorite team. Seriously, Colorado is terrible.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Picture Perfect Ending
*My two arms went straight up in the air in joyous relief this evening when Tom Brady threw the interception that sealed the deal for the Colts. Now only two more days of having to listen to the sports world talk about Tom Brady then finally they will move on to the Colts-Bears Super Bowl matchup. But surely the professional sports analysts will take their two days of mourning....
*Well, the first game turned out to be a bust. If New England wouldn't have blown their chance to go to another Super Bowl, then I would have sat down in front of my TV on Super Bowl Sunday and flipped the input button to VCR and watched the replay of game five of the World Series instead of watching the Bears and the Patriots play in the Super Bowl.
*To bad for the Saints, I was pulling for them. I always thought I was a big Bears fan, even up until this postseason. However, I found myself hating them more and more the closer they got to bringing a World Title to Chicago. Something about Chicago sports and world championships that don't go together (besides for the whole Michael Jordan era.)
*Two black coaches in the big game. It's nice to see, I'm happy for them both. I do think it says a lot about how far we've come in the world of sports. And I'd also bet that Bryan Burwell has a heyday this week in the post. This is the moment he's been waiting for.
I'm out. Read Burwell tomorrow. The Blues are on the break. Bill Guerin nets three points in the All-Star game. Mark it, dude.
*Well, the first game turned out to be a bust. If New England wouldn't have blown their chance to go to another Super Bowl, then I would have sat down in front of my TV on Super Bowl Sunday and flipped the input button to VCR and watched the replay of game five of the World Series instead of watching the Bears and the Patriots play in the Super Bowl.
*To bad for the Saints, I was pulling for them. I always thought I was a big Bears fan, even up until this postseason. However, I found myself hating them more and more the closer they got to bringing a World Title to Chicago. Something about Chicago sports and world championships that don't go together (besides for the whole Michael Jordan era.)
*Two black coaches in the big game. It's nice to see, I'm happy for them both. I do think it says a lot about how far we've come in the world of sports. And I'd also bet that Bryan Burwell has a heyday this week in the post. This is the moment he's been waiting for.
I'm out. Read Burwell tomorrow. The Blues are on the break. Bill Guerin nets three points in the All-Star game. Mark it, dude.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Two Minutes of Questions
A few questions to think about over the weekend.
*Are the wives of ESPN analysts losing sleep while wondering if their husbands are having an affair with Tom Brady?
*From here on out, will there be a NCAA mens hoops squad that can mantain the number one spot for more than one week?
*Are the Blues starting to wonder if they'd have the best record in the league right now if it weren't for the Mike Kitchen era?
*Follow-Up Question* Is Larry Pleau prepared to offer whatever amount of money Andy Murray wants in the offseason in order to keep him on board?
*If the Cardinals sign Jeff Weaver, what will be going through Jason Isringhausen's head knowing that Adam Wainwright will most likely be back in the bullpen?
*What in the world is Mike Vick thinking? If you're Mike Vick and you're making millions of dollars a day, why not just wait and buy marijuana when you get to your destination instead of trying to sneak some past the most detailed airport security ever?
*In the offseason, are the Rams trying to figure out how get Alex Barron energy for more than one set of downs?
*Follow-Up Question* Is Red Bull the answer?
And Finally...
*Are the local athletes featured in semosportsweb.com's "gimme 5" feature wondering why they ever posted their questionable favorite love, gangsta-rap, and beer-drinkin songs on their myspace account?
*Follow-Up Question* Do you think they think we're wondering what kind of people they really are? And didn't their parents ever tell them that whatever you post on the internet can be read by anybody? I kind of feel bad for a few of them, but I'll be nice.
I'm out. Blues-Sharks. Get some.
*Are the wives of ESPN analysts losing sleep while wondering if their husbands are having an affair with Tom Brady?
*From here on out, will there be a NCAA mens hoops squad that can mantain the number one spot for more than one week?
*Are the Blues starting to wonder if they'd have the best record in the league right now if it weren't for the Mike Kitchen era?
*Follow-Up Question* Is Larry Pleau prepared to offer whatever amount of money Andy Murray wants in the offseason in order to keep him on board?
*If the Cardinals sign Jeff Weaver, what will be going through Jason Isringhausen's head knowing that Adam Wainwright will most likely be back in the bullpen?
*What in the world is Mike Vick thinking? If you're Mike Vick and you're making millions of dollars a day, why not just wait and buy marijuana when you get to your destination instead of trying to sneak some past the most detailed airport security ever?
*In the offseason, are the Rams trying to figure out how get Alex Barron energy for more than one set of downs?
*Follow-Up Question* Is Red Bull the answer?
And Finally...
*Are the local athletes featured in semosportsweb.com's "gimme 5" feature wondering why they ever posted their questionable favorite love, gangsta-rap, and beer-drinkin songs on their myspace account?
*Follow-Up Question* Do you think they think we're wondering what kind of people they really are? And didn't their parents ever tell them that whatever you post on the internet can be read by anybody? I kind of feel bad for a few of them, but I'll be nice.
I'm out. Blues-Sharks. Get some.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Hockey first, Football Second, and Last but OBVIOUSLY not Least.....Steroids!!!
Here's how it breaks down. Give me just a few minutes to praise the Bluenotes for their splendid play of late. Then let me throw out a few things I'd like to hear comments on about the football games this weekend. And Finally (and please don't scroll all the way to the bottom just to see this and miss the hockey and football), we'll say a few more things about steroids. Deal?
BLUES ARE DARN TOOTIN'! Looks who's hot, grab that net and catch those beautiful butterflies baby! The Blues are scoring goals, stopping goals, winning games, and puttin' a slober-knockin lickin on the best teams in the league. The Blues are 10-4-4 under new coach Andy Murray, and 10-2-2 in their last 14 games. They're playing well on the road and at home. They've got two games before the break, one tonight against the Murray's old boy's in Los Angeles County, and then again Saturday night. After the break, they will play 11 of 15 on home ice in front of a revitalized St. Louis fan base.
So what does this mean? Well, mainly it means that the Blues could be buyers instead of sellers come trade deadline (Feb. 27). It also means that we're tied for the third best point total since December 12, and that as of right now the current difference between the Blues and the final playoff spot is nine points. It won't be easy for the Blues by any means, on average in recent years the final playoff spot is earned at 93 points, so that would mean that the Blues would have to get 51 of the final 70 points remaining in the season. Not easy, but can be done.
Can I witness myself for a moment? Is that cool? At the beginning of the season, I allowed myself to make a few predictions in a blog titled "New Additions Should Solidify Blues." Here where some of my predictions that many good friends laughed at foolishly: Martin Rucincsky 20 goals, 40 assist (two games from the break: 11 goals, 19 assists), Billy Guerin 30 goals, 30 assists (two games from the break: 18 goals, 15 assists) and also that he would regain his All-Star form (he was elected to the All-Star team.) I also suggested that someone would knock the Detroit Red Wings off their "proverbial tower" at the top of the conference, and as of now the Nashville Predators are atop the Wings by two points. I praised the signing of Manny Legace and mentioned that the Blues need to go down to a one goalie system instead of platooning three goalies in Mike Kitchen Era. Since Legace was handed the starting reigns he's been stellar (credit to Sanford for his great performance the other night as well.) I will admit that I mentioned The Dominator wouldn't really be The Dominator this year in net for the Red Wings, but he has. So I was wrong there.
TOM BRADY FEST otherwise known as the NFL Playoffs, although you wouldn't know that there are actually other teams besides the TOM BRADY led New England Patriots. That's all I hear about these days. TOM BRADY this, TOM BRADY that. Yea, he's good. And as Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post pointed out today he should be swell again this week, "Just so you know, Tom Brady likes carpet more than a puppy on a bathroom break. Dude is 23-1 career on the fake stuff.” Maybe we'll get to hear about TOM BRADY for a couple more weeks, wouldn't it be great?
What are my Predictions? Well, since you asked. I'm taking the Saints over the Bears. I just don't think Sexy Rexy can get the job done this week. He was clutch for one week, I think that's all he's got in him. I dig both teams, I really dig Lovie Smith but I think the Saints are goin' do it. They got America behind them, and I'd love to see them win for that reason. Plus, Drew Brees is a stud, and Reggie Bush is just downright sick. He's a pleasure to watch, and since my boy LT is gone for the season I hope I get to watch Reggie as long as I can.
The other game? I hate both these teams. I'm so sick of Peyton Manning. But I do love him. I think he's a great example for youngsters as to how to be a good, admired athlete. But I still hate seeing him everywhere. But I don't hate him near as much as I hate TOM BRADY and the TOM BRADY led New England Patriots. I hope the game is a good one, I hope it goes extra minutes and I hope that TOM BRADY leads the Patriots 80 yards on the opening overtime drive and then their rook kicker shanks the field goal. Then I hope the Colts march right down on New England's defense (which is so well rested because TOM BRADY has been doing such a great job of clock management and keeping his offense on the field and the defense off the field), and the Kicker from Clutch City known as Adam drills a game winning 54 yarder.
Saints over Colts in the BIG Bowl.
ALRIGHT FINE....STEROIDS. Listen closely, thanks for all the interest in the recent blogs. I'm glad you guys are diggin 'em. Keep it up. Just don't hurt any fellow bloggers. And I was also wondering where my blog fits in on the morning routine for those 5 a.m. bloggers? Do you read mine first?
I'm sticking with my opinion, I don't think Big Mac should be let in. I still think we need to draw the line somewhere, and I think now is the best time. However, I have been reflecting a lot on this issue and I do remember watching that record breaking game and I remember how awesome it was to see him give mad ups to the Maris family that day. As Bob Costas was qouted in the St. Louis Post this morning: "I had to appreciate the circumstances surrounding the home run race of '98...I was in the ballpark that night in St. Louis in September of '98, and I saw the grace and decency with which McGwire carried himself. In a time of crassness and exhibitionism, he showed a real sign of the game's history. Now I realize there's an irony there because he and others who have excelled in that era have, whether it was their intention or not, distorted that history." He goes on to say, "He was more than respectful of Roger Maris, a man whom history had treated wrongly up until that point. The way that evening played out in St. Louis, even down to the groundskeeper...it captured the whole spirit, not just of that home run chase, but just the way people relate to baseball in St. Louis."
I'm with Bob. I'll never forget lying down in front of the TV in my living room, feet propped up on the TV stand and watching that happen. When Big Mac took a moment out of his celebration to stop, point at the Maris family, then tap his chest, and point to the sky in honor of Roger, that was truly incredible and it truly showed what a classy guy McGwire was.
However class or not, I still think he's out. And I think Bonds is out. And I think Sammy is out. And I think Raphy is out. Sorry. BUT WAIT...did you see what Bonds said yesterday, "I think McGwire and Pete Rose should be in Cooperstown." UHMMMMMM...I wonder if Barry is starting to realize that if MAC can't get in, then he sure as hell ain't gettin in.
The Bid for Jeff Weaver is on...by the way. I'm thinking we get him. You guys?
And I do like the idea behind having current Hall of Famers vote on the Hall of Fame Ballot. Although I also don't think sportswriters are as dumb as some people apparently think they are. They're around the game day in and day out, and simply by being around the game they've come to a great understanding of how the game should be played. Give them some credit.
I'm out. Blues and Kings tonight!
BLUES ARE DARN TOOTIN'! Looks who's hot, grab that net and catch those beautiful butterflies baby! The Blues are scoring goals, stopping goals, winning games, and puttin' a slober-knockin lickin on the best teams in the league. The Blues are 10-4-4 under new coach Andy Murray, and 10-2-2 in their last 14 games. They're playing well on the road and at home. They've got two games before the break, one tonight against the Murray's old boy's in Los Angeles County, and then again Saturday night. After the break, they will play 11 of 15 on home ice in front of a revitalized St. Louis fan base.
So what does this mean? Well, mainly it means that the Blues could be buyers instead of sellers come trade deadline (Feb. 27). It also means that we're tied for the third best point total since December 12, and that as of right now the current difference between the Blues and the final playoff spot is nine points. It won't be easy for the Blues by any means, on average in recent years the final playoff spot is earned at 93 points, so that would mean that the Blues would have to get 51 of the final 70 points remaining in the season. Not easy, but can be done.
Can I witness myself for a moment? Is that cool? At the beginning of the season, I allowed myself to make a few predictions in a blog titled "New Additions Should Solidify Blues." Here where some of my predictions that many good friends laughed at foolishly: Martin Rucincsky 20 goals, 40 assist (two games from the break: 11 goals, 19 assists), Billy Guerin 30 goals, 30 assists (two games from the break: 18 goals, 15 assists) and also that he would regain his All-Star form (he was elected to the All-Star team.) I also suggested that someone would knock the Detroit Red Wings off their "proverbial tower" at the top of the conference, and as of now the Nashville Predators are atop the Wings by two points. I praised the signing of Manny Legace and mentioned that the Blues need to go down to a one goalie system instead of platooning three goalies in Mike Kitchen Era. Since Legace was handed the starting reigns he's been stellar (credit to Sanford for his great performance the other night as well.) I will admit that I mentioned The Dominator wouldn't really be The Dominator this year in net for the Red Wings, but he has. So I was wrong there.
TOM BRADY FEST otherwise known as the NFL Playoffs, although you wouldn't know that there are actually other teams besides the TOM BRADY led New England Patriots. That's all I hear about these days. TOM BRADY this, TOM BRADY that. Yea, he's good. And as Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post pointed out today he should be swell again this week, "Just so you know, Tom Brady likes carpet more than a puppy on a bathroom break. Dude is 23-1 career on the fake stuff.” Maybe we'll get to hear about TOM BRADY for a couple more weeks, wouldn't it be great?
What are my Predictions? Well, since you asked. I'm taking the Saints over the Bears. I just don't think Sexy Rexy can get the job done this week. He was clutch for one week, I think that's all he's got in him. I dig both teams, I really dig Lovie Smith but I think the Saints are goin' do it. They got America behind them, and I'd love to see them win for that reason. Plus, Drew Brees is a stud, and Reggie Bush is just downright sick. He's a pleasure to watch, and since my boy LT is gone for the season I hope I get to watch Reggie as long as I can.
The other game? I hate both these teams. I'm so sick of Peyton Manning. But I do love him. I think he's a great example for youngsters as to how to be a good, admired athlete. But I still hate seeing him everywhere. But I don't hate him near as much as I hate TOM BRADY and the TOM BRADY led New England Patriots. I hope the game is a good one, I hope it goes extra minutes and I hope that TOM BRADY leads the Patriots 80 yards on the opening overtime drive and then their rook kicker shanks the field goal. Then I hope the Colts march right down on New England's defense (which is so well rested because TOM BRADY has been doing such a great job of clock management and keeping his offense on the field and the defense off the field), and the Kicker from Clutch City known as Adam drills a game winning 54 yarder.
Saints over Colts in the BIG Bowl.
ALRIGHT FINE....STEROIDS. Listen closely, thanks for all the interest in the recent blogs. I'm glad you guys are diggin 'em. Keep it up. Just don't hurt any fellow bloggers. And I was also wondering where my blog fits in on the morning routine for those 5 a.m. bloggers? Do you read mine first?
I'm sticking with my opinion, I don't think Big Mac should be let in. I still think we need to draw the line somewhere, and I think now is the best time. However, I have been reflecting a lot on this issue and I do remember watching that record breaking game and I remember how awesome it was to see him give mad ups to the Maris family that day. As Bob Costas was qouted in the St. Louis Post this morning: "I had to appreciate the circumstances surrounding the home run race of '98...I was in the ballpark that night in St. Louis in September of '98, and I saw the grace and decency with which McGwire carried himself. In a time of crassness and exhibitionism, he showed a real sign of the game's history. Now I realize there's an irony there because he and others who have excelled in that era have, whether it was their intention or not, distorted that history." He goes on to say, "He was more than respectful of Roger Maris, a man whom history had treated wrongly up until that point. The way that evening played out in St. Louis, even down to the groundskeeper...it captured the whole spirit, not just of that home run chase, but just the way people relate to baseball in St. Louis."
I'm with Bob. I'll never forget lying down in front of the TV in my living room, feet propped up on the TV stand and watching that happen. When Big Mac took a moment out of his celebration to stop, point at the Maris family, then tap his chest, and point to the sky in honor of Roger, that was truly incredible and it truly showed what a classy guy McGwire was.
However class or not, I still think he's out. And I think Bonds is out. And I think Sammy is out. And I think Raphy is out. Sorry. BUT WAIT...did you see what Bonds said yesterday, "I think McGwire and Pete Rose should be in Cooperstown." UHMMMMMM...I wonder if Barry is starting to realize that if MAC can't get in, then he sure as hell ain't gettin in.
The Bid for Jeff Weaver is on...by the way. I'm thinking we get him. You guys?
And I do like the idea behind having current Hall of Famers vote on the Hall of Fame Ballot. Although I also don't think sportswriters are as dumb as some people apparently think they are. They're around the game day in and day out, and simply by being around the game they've come to a great understanding of how the game should be played. Give them some credit.
I'm out. Blues and Kings tonight!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Hall of Fame Debate Heats Up!
It seems that most of you are stuck on the steroid issue involved in "Or So My Pizza Told Me," so it seems to me that we should put a stretch blog in to cover a more broad area of steroids, instead of just focusing on Mark McGwire.
So to answer some questions brought up in responses to the blog.
There is a difference between Pete Rose and the Steroid Sluggers. Pete Rose didn't cheat to make himself a better ballplayer. He cheated ON the game, not IN the game. He deserves a spot.
On your other point, GOSSIPKING, you're probably right. I'm sure there are many players in the Hall of Fame right now who used steroids. But that doesn't mean we should continue to promote cheating in baseball by allowing other steroid users entry. We need to fix the problem NOW, not worry about mistakes voters have made in the past. They are making the right decision now, that decision being to send the message to all the anklebiting sluggers and high school sluggers and college sluggers who will one day be confronted with a choice: Take steroids or don't take steriods. It is MANDATORY in order to save the game of baseball that the message we send to these young players is WE WILL NOT STAND FOR STEROIDS. Not as Hall of Fame voters, not as fans, and not as true supporters of the game.
Just because people have gotten into the Hall in the past with the help of illegal substances doesn't mean we should let everybody who ever used steroids in. At some point, the line must be drawn and that time is now. And what a better way to send the message. Baseball has everybody's attention since 1995. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are household names, all the way up from parents and grandparents and all the way down to four year olds who were watching and listening to Mac and Slammin' with their dad. Barry Bonds could possibly break the all-time Homerun record (a feat many people thought would never be accomplished.) This accomplishment will bring about world-wide attention. ESPN will stop their boring, miserable Poker Tour and cheesy reality TV programs to show you every at-bat. Sportswriters and sportscasters from all over the world will be in the press boxes trying to get the news back to their countries. Every sports page in America will have front page coverage for a week.
EVERYBODY WILL KNOW THE NAME OF BARRY BONDS.
What better way to send the message to kids, an important message (one that could potentially add years to their lives), then to slap on the front page, six years later:
"Bonds Banned from Hall of Fame due to Past Steroid Use."
"McGwire Misses Hall. Steroids to Blame."
"Sosa Voted Out. Steroids to Blame."
"Canseco Gets 1%. Steroids to Blame."
Palmiero Misses Hall despite Apology: Steroids to Blame."
Kids see this. High schoolers see this. College Athletes see this. And all of a sudden they start thinking, "Hey, these guys are serious. Steroids won't stand."
Or it could go the other way:
"Bonds In, Despite Steroid Use."
"McGwire Voted In, Steroids Forgiven."
"Sosa Lands Spot in Hall: Corked Bat and Steroid Use all but Forgotten."
"Canseco Finds Himself in CoopersTown, despite Putting Steroid Needles in other Men's Butts."
Kid see this. High schoolers see this. College Athletes see this. And all of a sudden they start thinking, "you mean I can cheat and harm my body and still get away with it. Nice."
You decide which direction you want American Baseball to go.
This is the time, folks. The pivotal moment in baseball history. It has to happen now. We have to put our foot down while we have everybody's attention. Sorry it had to be a St. Louis favorite to take the fall.
So to answer some questions brought up in responses to the blog.
There is a difference between Pete Rose and the Steroid Sluggers. Pete Rose didn't cheat to make himself a better ballplayer. He cheated ON the game, not IN the game. He deserves a spot.
On your other point, GOSSIPKING, you're probably right. I'm sure there are many players in the Hall of Fame right now who used steroids. But that doesn't mean we should continue to promote cheating in baseball by allowing other steroid users entry. We need to fix the problem NOW, not worry about mistakes voters have made in the past. They are making the right decision now, that decision being to send the message to all the anklebiting sluggers and high school sluggers and college sluggers who will one day be confronted with a choice: Take steroids or don't take steriods. It is MANDATORY in order to save the game of baseball that the message we send to these young players is WE WILL NOT STAND FOR STEROIDS. Not as Hall of Fame voters, not as fans, and not as true supporters of the game.
Just because people have gotten into the Hall in the past with the help of illegal substances doesn't mean we should let everybody who ever used steroids in. At some point, the line must be drawn and that time is now. And what a better way to send the message. Baseball has everybody's attention since 1995. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are household names, all the way up from parents and grandparents and all the way down to four year olds who were watching and listening to Mac and Slammin' with their dad. Barry Bonds could possibly break the all-time Homerun record (a feat many people thought would never be accomplished.) This accomplishment will bring about world-wide attention. ESPN will stop their boring, miserable Poker Tour and cheesy reality TV programs to show you every at-bat. Sportswriters and sportscasters from all over the world will be in the press boxes trying to get the news back to their countries. Every sports page in America will have front page coverage for a week.
EVERYBODY WILL KNOW THE NAME OF BARRY BONDS.
What better way to send the message to kids, an important message (one that could potentially add years to their lives), then to slap on the front page, six years later:
"Bonds Banned from Hall of Fame due to Past Steroid Use."
"McGwire Misses Hall. Steroids to Blame."
"Sosa Voted Out. Steroids to Blame."
"Canseco Gets 1%. Steroids to Blame."
Palmiero Misses Hall despite Apology: Steroids to Blame."
Kids see this. High schoolers see this. College Athletes see this. And all of a sudden they start thinking, "Hey, these guys are serious. Steroids won't stand."
Or it could go the other way:
"Bonds In, Despite Steroid Use."
"McGwire Voted In, Steroids Forgiven."
"Sosa Lands Spot in Hall: Corked Bat and Steroid Use all but Forgotten."
"Canseco Finds Himself in CoopersTown, despite Putting Steroid Needles in other Men's Butts."
Kid see this. High schoolers see this. College Athletes see this. And all of a sudden they start thinking, "you mean I can cheat and harm my body and still get away with it. Nice."
You decide which direction you want American Baseball to go.
This is the time, folks. The pivotal moment in baseball history. It has to happen now. We have to put our foot down while we have everybody's attention. Sorry it had to be a St. Louis favorite to take the fall.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Or So My Pizza Told Me...
This Two Minutes ain't really two minutes. It's more like Two Minutes and a Bag of Chips.
I got things to say:
I went to the store this evening with two purposes. Number one being to get a box of Ritz Crackers to go with my block of cheese and stick of deer sausage. The second to grab a couple cans of cat food.
I came home with a frozen pizza. That's it.
Let's start with politics......and sports -
*THANKS FOR SENDING MONEY AMERICA.
I got things to say:
I went to the store this evening with two purposes. Number one being to get a box of Ritz Crackers to go with my block of cheese and stick of deer sausage. The second to grab a couple cans of cat food.
I came home with a frozen pizza. That's it.
Let's start with politics......and sports -
*THANKS FOR SENDING MONEY AMERICA.
-This is a big THANK YOU to all of you who sent money, or thought of sending money, or prayed, or even so much as thought of praying for all of those who struggled through the unfortunate event in New Orleans. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Tell your kids, if and when you have them, that you won your local Monday night second place trophy in your local Monday night Golf League. Tell them you played a stellar shortstop for the Cape Girardeau Golden Bears when you were in high school. Tell them how you starred as a left fielder for your mens Softball league once you went over the hill. But right before they go to bed, please tell them of all the help you've given to those stricken with unfortunate events. That's what they really need to hear.
*Here's to all those who helped revive New Orleans*
If you haven't guessed already, I'm on the Saints bandwagon. And I wasn't until Saturday afternoon when I saw a sign in the crowd that read "THANKS FOR SENDING MONEY AMERICA." Whether you believe in "America's Team" or not, believe in this: The Healing Power of PEOPLE. Get behind the Saints, they must be underdogs, AND they are truly an amazing story.
IN OTHER NEWS:
MISSOURI vs. Kansas: BORDER WAR!!!
*Uhm....I had all kinds of cool things I was going to say about Kansas until about two minutes left in the game. NOW....?
I feel sick. Listen, you can't win the close ones unless you do the small things. And MU never seems to do the small things.
*However, I do like the look of Mike Anderson on the MU sideline. He presents a sort of confidence that hasn't been a part of Missouri Basketball since Stormin' Normin' Stew. Give Anderson five years. Fire Pinkel.
HOCKEY: Do you really think I would include the BLUES in the TWO MINUTES section?
NO. They're too good for that. STAY TUNED for tomorrow's edition of BLUES ARE HOT! - complete with Braggin' rights for myself, semi-midseason predictions, and straight love for MANNY, MANNY,MANNY!
*The Birds signed Mark Mulder. I think I remember last season driving home from a Cardinals game and listening to the radio and hearing fans speak of nailing Mulder to a tree. Not so bad now, is he? Listen, I've always been a fan of Mulder. I've always believed he was hurt and that was excuse for his poor pitching. And I've always been vocal about that (check past blogs.) It seemed like it was me against the world. All of a sudden though......all of a sudden....all my Columbia friends are acting like they never said a bad thing about Marky Mark. All of a sudden he's back to being "the most winning left hander in the last five years."All of a sudden he's back to being "oh, he was just injured. He'll be fine." All of a sudden there is nobody left and the Cardinals had to sign Mark Mulder, and now everybody is acting like they loved him all along. *Another example of fair weather St. Louis fans*
*OH NO!!! BIG MAC didn't make it into the Hall of Fame. GOOD. He Cheated. Somebody please post a response on this blog saying that BIG Mac should make it, and Barry Bonds shouldn't. Because it would make no sense, and I would make fun of you. Yes, Bonds is a Jackass. Mac is not. Yes Bonds is a punk to the media. Mac is not. Yes Bonds doesn't play for the Cardinals. Mac did. It doesn't matter, they both cheated. There is no getting around that. Neither deserve to get in.
Congrats to Cal and Tony. They played the game right.
*St.Louis gets the All-Star game for 2009. That's the most exciting thing since MU football's hot start (didn't turn out so well,) MU's basketball's hot start (now 0-4 in the conference,) and semosportsweb.com "the buzz" comment about banging Tara Reid (really just a good idea all around.)
*Later This Week: Cardinal Baseball and Heavy D's Breakdown of the offseason. Including offseason signings, minor league going-abouts, David Eckstein, Chris Duncan, PHAT ALBERT, Adam Wainwright, and what to do about all that pitching. STARTING ROTATION: Franklin in, Wainwright out???
*Fun Havin' Ya. Pizza es Bueno.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Your Last Fill...
Your weekly quick witted two minutes of fun for the last time in a little while. I'm going on Vaca on the Hills of the Wa-Wa for some Pow-pow. BUT FOR NOW, I got G-Love and the Juice on the Juke Box and a Brett Hull poster on the wall, here it comes:
My Two Minute Wish List, plus a few old school names, and a brief summary of What's Happenin':
*Will Bogan to sign with Memphis
*The Cardinals to get Mulder.
*The Blues to beat the skates and gloves and sticks off Nashville on Saturday. My mother says it's not nice to hate, but I HATE Nashville.
*Trung Canidate to come back and back up Jackson and The Marshall next season.
*The Rams to hold a single opponent rusher to under a 100 yards before 2010.
*Adam Wainwright had a kid one week before the Cardinals named him closer and he became absolutely unhittable. Therefore, I want to have a kid. (I'm joking, mom. I just really want to be Adam Wainwright).
*Milt Thompson, Trung Canidate, Jack Youngblood, Wally Moon, Alexander Khavanov, Chris Pronger, Kurt Warner, Fred Miller, Bud Smith, Jose Jimenez, Bob Forsch, SIMO' tachi, Mike Martz, John Tudor, Ken Hill, Darren Oliver, Daniel Brummer, The Old Joe, The Old Busch, The Old Sportsman, John Gall,
Hey Buddy....
*The Blues are hot (forget about their 4-1 spanking by Chicago on Tuesday night). Get on their bandwagon now.
*The Rams are down and out. We all expected it, now it's here. Cheer for the Chargers, because LT is the most fun player to watch EVER. Ask Jay, he'll tell ya.
*The Tigers beat Mississippi State, which means they beat Ben Hansborogough (oh........ our New Year's Resolution was to spell that right, write?)
*And the Football Tigers...well, remember in high school when you had that chant that went: "nuts and bolts..............." You get the idea.
The World Series Trophy came to Columbia on Wednesday. I touched it. You're jealous.
Love,
Dave
My Two Minute Wish List, plus a few old school names, and a brief summary of What's Happenin':
*Will Bogan to sign with Memphis
*The Cardinals to get Mulder.
*The Blues to beat the skates and gloves and sticks off Nashville on Saturday. My mother says it's not nice to hate, but I HATE Nashville.
*Trung Canidate to come back and back up Jackson and The Marshall next season.
*The Rams to hold a single opponent rusher to under a 100 yards before 2010.
*Adam Wainwright had a kid one week before the Cardinals named him closer and he became absolutely unhittable. Therefore, I want to have a kid. (I'm joking, mom. I just really want to be Adam Wainwright).
*Milt Thompson, Trung Canidate, Jack Youngblood, Wally Moon, Alexander Khavanov, Chris Pronger, Kurt Warner, Fred Miller, Bud Smith, Jose Jimenez, Bob Forsch, SIMO' tachi, Mike Martz, John Tudor, Ken Hill, Darren Oliver, Daniel Brummer, The Old Joe, The Old Busch, The Old Sportsman, John Gall,
Hey Buddy....
*The Blues are hot (forget about their 4-1 spanking by Chicago on Tuesday night). Get on their bandwagon now.
*The Rams are down and out. We all expected it, now it's here. Cheer for the Chargers, because LT is the most fun player to watch EVER. Ask Jay, he'll tell ya.
*The Tigers beat Mississippi State, which means they beat Ben Hansborogough (oh........ our New Year's Resolution was to spell that right, write?)
*And the Football Tigers...well, remember in high school when you had that chant that went: "nuts and bolts..............." You get the idea.
The World Series Trophy came to Columbia on Wednesday. I touched it. You're jealous.
Love,
Dave
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