(Get) A Sporting Life

For the second game day news story in a row Blues forward Lee Stempniak gets the first mention at the hockey Worlds. Lee Stempniak scored twice to lead the United States to a 5-1 victory over Belarus on Sunday that put it in the second round of the hockey world championships along with the Czech Republic, Finland and Russia. ... The Americans were 3-0 up by the end of the first period, with scores from defenseman Jack Johnson and forwards Stempniak and Chad Larose. Chris Clark added a fourth U.S. goal 4:30 into the second period, and Stempniak added the fifth -- on a two-man advantage-- for his third goal in two games. Belarus captain Oleg Antonenko ruined John Grahame's shutout bid, deking defenseman Brian Pothier to flick the puck in over Grahame's shoulder. "We wanted to give John the shutout so it's a pity," Clark said. "That will be tougher against the Czechs." The Americans and the Czechs play Tuesday.

I'd say the Cardinals were cursed if we hadn't just won a World Series. Cardinals relief pitcher Josh Hancock was killed early Sunday in an accident on Highway 40 (Interstate 64), just west of Compton Avenue, authorities said. Hancock's Ford Explorer slammed into the rear of a tow truck that was parked in the far left westbound lane shortly after 12:30 a.m. The tow truck driver, who was seated in the vehicle at the time, was unhurt. He told police that his emergency lights were on, and that he honked his horn when he saw the Explorer approaching in his rear view mirror, but that the Explorer didn't slow down or swerve to avoid the collision. At the time of the accident, the tow truck driver was assisting a motorist from an earlier accident. Hancock, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene. I've driven past that spot hundreds of times in my life, as have a lot of people coming back from a game at Busch Stadium. It is just too sad to even think about it. Rest In Peace...

Hmmm...what to think, what to think. Maybe it is better to be lucky than good. I don't think Biodi and company knew they could get someone of Rick Majerus' stature, but that's what has happened. From the PD : In what amounts to a major change in the way St. Louis University is approaching basketball, SLU has hired former Utah coach Rick Majerus to replace Brad Soderberg, who was fired on April 17. Majerus, one of the most successful coaches in college basketball in recent years, will be introduced at a news conference on Monday at 10 a.m. Majerus, 59, has been out of coaching since stepping down from Utah in the middle of the 2004 season due to health concerns. Since then, he has been working for ESPN as an analyst, though his name has surfaced with several other job openings. Majerus first met with Biondi last Saturday, and SLU and Majerus' agent spent the next five days negotiating. On Friday, Biondi and Majerus met face to face to hammer out the final details. An a...

Saw this from the Hockey World Championships going on in Russia : St. Louis Blues forward Lee Stempniak had a goal and an assist Friday to lead the United States past Austria 6-2 in the preliminary round Group B match at the world hockey championships. I thought it was a nice little perk for Stempniak to get selected to team USA. However, if Lee starts to emerge as an offensive leader on that team this might just be more significant. We shall see how things progress and the competition gets a little tougher, which won't happen in the next game (Belarus) but will come soon enough.

If you look past the erectile dysfunction, male pattern baldness and severe halitosis, I'm a sexual dynamo. Today's post by lboros over at Viva El Birdos paints a pretty dismal picture of the AAA Central: filter out the two sweeps at the hands of non-nl central foes, and the cardinals don't look half-bad...all along, the case for the cardinals as 2007 contenders has rested on the premise that they were no more flawed than the competition; they might be a mediocre club, but what nl central team stood poised to exploit them?...the early returns suggest that the cardinals, for all their very evident vulnerabilities, will still be able to compete within this group of 6 lousy teams. I can't disagree. The Cardinal's 2006 campaign was the sausage of World Championships. The result tasted great, but the manufacturing process was almost unbearable to watch. If we don't make the post-season this year, it will be more akin to a Busch Gardens brewery tour I recall from yea...

It might be easy to look at Albert's numbers (and Sunday's glorious finale) and say he's getting back on track. Despite his struggles, his HR and RBI numbers are good, doubly so if you consider his successful protection of Duncan in the lineup as part of his production. However, it worries me that he only seems to be hitting huge mistakes. What has always blown me away about him is his ability to beat the piss out of pitches that the hurler was trying to make. So many times over the past few years I almost felt sorry for the guy on the mound after Pujols has sent one over the boards or driven a base clearing double into the gap because you know he's sitting out there thinking, "Goddamn it! I just made exactly the pitch I wanted and he STILL sent my ERA trough the roof." That isn't happening this year. His Ks bear this out too, I think. Hopefully, Rolen's resurrection behind him will let him contract his strike zone and get him back to previous form soo...

Butch: Maybe there's a way to make a profit in this? Bet on Logan. Sundance: I would, but who'd bet on you? Regarding my last post, in one of the most shocking upsets in recent memory, willpower prevailed in San Antonio. I arrived early and sober for dinner with my wife’s colleagues. Who says no good deed goes unpunished? I was rewarded with a happy hour and dinner with several lovely young women. While my luck is running this good, maybe I should put $100 on Looper to pick up his 4th win tonight. Tomorrow’s post preview: “Good Judgment fell to the .500 mark with a humiliating defeat Wednesday night….”

These internets and satellite TV are great things indeed. A man can do worse than spending an afternoon sitting in an Irish pub along San Antonio’ Riverwalk District drinking Guinness, smoking cigars, e-mailing clients, blogging, chatting up a lovely Irish bartender and watching West Brom/Burnley live. And the closest I’ve gotten to the Spurs and the loathsome NBA during my three days here was watching the Tottenham Hotspurs/Arsenal match in this same pub on Saturday. I have to give San Antonio two thumbs up (at least the city center). The Riverwalk is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the States. Google it for a sense of what it’s like. Of course my opinion could be clouded by the high I am still on from watching Albert go deep in extra innings for Sunday’s win over the Cubs. Alas, all good things must come to an end. My lovely bride just called. Her conference meetings are breaking up and in 90 minutes I'm supposed to be ready to go out to dinner with a group of her colleagues (d...

I hate fucking moronic drivel, espoused as some sort of "idea" because there is always some asshole who will take it seriously. Case in point is this silly little exercise by The Sporting News's Kara Yorio : And here they come for the fifth overtime. Aren't they warriors? Aren't they courageous? Isn't this the best part about the NHL playoffs? No, no and no. Hockey players are not warriors, and they are not courageous. They are incredibly skilled, strong-willed, athletic professionals who can make their bodies do outrageous things, such as play 140 minutes of hockey or more in a night. But they shouldn't have to show us that mental and physical strength. It shouldn't be allowed. End it now. OK, next playoffs, to be fair. But end it, already. Give the teams two 20-minute overtime periods, then go to the shootout. Even two extra periods might be too much, but this is called a compromise. The shootout isn't real hockey, you say? The bastardization of ...

There are plenty of names that pop to mind when you hear the words "hatchet man" and "NHL" in close proximity. Until last night former Blue and current Calgary Flame Jamie McLennan wasn't one of them. Last night McLennan had quite a performance . McLennan was on the ice for only 18 seconds because he was penalized for slashing and removed from the game with a match penalty and game misconduct. The Flames were upset (and rightly so) by the near constant running of Flames starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Of course this is par for the course for the Red Wings who get some sort of special dispensation from the league every year to run goalies and interfere off the puck with impunity while they make their yearly play-off run. That being said, McLennan was a menace to society out there, and I would have to think a several game ban is forthcoming. The only good thing you can say about his outburst was that he didn't swing for anyone's head. (Talk about damning...

The PD is reporting that Erik Johnson will sign and be introduced tomorrow. This is good news as he will definitely help this team. Of course, it is also helpful to rein in those expectations. Remember what happened to Pronger in Hartford. Blues fans have to think four and five seasons down the line. The missteps he takes during his first year or two are necessary. And if he finds himself in Peoria for part of the year that is not the end of the world.

No, I'm not talking about the Cards everyday lineup (although at this point even National's fans are looking at it and sending condolences). No, I'm talking about the public relations disaster that is the Brad Soderberg firing. In a crowded sports town like St. Louis where the Billikens can be a distant afterthought behind the Cards, Rams and Blues, destroying what goodwill feelings folks have about the program is nearly suicidal. It wasn't all that long ago when SLU was a top 10 program in terms of the crowds they could draw to the Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade center. Back then they were the squeaky clean program that had high aspirations but were intent on doing things the right way. Today SLU looks like a tawdry three-ring circus. Three takes on this from the PD : On Tuesday morning, Soderberg met with athletics director Cheryl Levick and was told he was fired. There was no official comment on the change, other than a five-paragraph statement, which, perhaps tellingly, did ...

Hmmm...wait a sec...I'll come up with something ...

"...the old man looked ruefully at his grandson, shook his head and in a trembling voice said, 'I wanted to give them to you, my boy, but it was a long, cold winter and in the end desperation demanded we burn all of my Pete Falcone Fleer collection just to stay warm.' The boy turned away, unable to bear the sight of his grandfather's tears and devasted by the loss of his 32¢ legacy...." - from John Feinstein's inevitable baseball book, The Most Over-Wrought Story Of Our National Pastime Ever Told Continuing with the theme of lefties in my last two posts, I couldn't resist taking a look at Carlton's vaunted splits against the Cards. I idolized him as a kid (when he wasn't throwing against StL) and I still think his slider at the knees is the most consistently devastating pitch I've ever seen out of a starter, though Pedro's change in the late 90s probably...

For shits and giggles I looked up Steve Trout's numbers against the Cards. Sure enough. His career numbers were 88-92 with a 4.18 ERA. Facing Whitey's 1983-87 Cards, he was 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA. Not quite Carltonesque, but still.

After watching yet another gruesome performance against a no-name lefty (or lot of name-lefty in the case of Gorzelanny) one has to wonder when the rest of the NL Central skippers are going to wise up and promote their three crappiest southpaw farmhands to pitch every Cards series. I wouldn't even waste my good lefties on us. We always seems to pound guys like The Big Unit. It's their performances against the Steve Trouts of the world that make me tear my hair out. "My last linescore against the Cards was 8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 11 K.

Greg Lalas at Sports Illustrated obviously knows what's to ask when it comes to Guillermo Barros Schelotto's move to the Crew. Has anyone warned him that Columbus isn't quite Buenos Aires? Relax. Somebody get Schelotto a chili 5-way from Skyline and he will be fine.

Even when they do something right they do it wrong. Soderberg fired at St. Louis U. St. Louis University basketball coach Brad Soderberg was fired Tuesday after five seasons with the school. The school announced the move in a statement that said the success of its new campus arena, scheduled to open for the 2008-09 season, was contingent on a men's basketball program that could contend for conference championships. SLU was 20-13 last season, the school's first 20-win season since 1997-98, and finished in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic-10 Conference. But the Billikens haven't made it to the NCAA tournament since 2000. Soderberg produced NIT bids in his first two seasons at SLU, but the school did not make it to the postseason his final three seasons. He's 80-74 overall with a career record of 211-147. The school said it will begin the search for a replacement immediately. It said Soderberg was fired after an "extensive review of the state of the men's ba...

As in Missing Interesting Action. I can live with the fact that I will not be able to see Notts County (losers 2-1 to Walsall on Saturday) as they are languishing in the lower leagues, but I really want to see my Aussie rules. I especially want to see games like the flogging of Freemantle . WEST Coast broke their run of defeats by Fremantle and extended the Dockers' miserable start to the season with a 14.17 (101) to 11.4 (70) victory at Subiaco. Leading at every change, West Coast was always the better team without having a huge advantage on the scoreboard, leading by just 13 points at the final change. But with the game on the line, West Coast delivered with Steven Armstrong capping an impressive game with his third goal and Michael Braun's industry earning him the Ross Glendinning medal for best-on-ground. I'm gonna have to see if I can make nice at a sports bar in town, but I'm not sure if I can get the college kids here to go along with my peculiar sporting habits....

The international signings are coming fast and furious...but why couldn't these be dome on the January signing window? hmmm... Aston Villa's club-record signing Juan Pablo Angel is on the verge of completing a move to the New York Red Bulls . Former Queens Park Rangers striker Danny Dichio has joined Toronto FC of MLS . Guillermo Barros Schelotto is on his way to Major League Soccer. The Argentine superstar will join the Columbus Crew on a one-year deal that will be announced on Tuesday, according to his representative . Of course a lot will have to be seen before we can say how good these moves are, but from a notoriety perspective it sure makes DC United's signing seem a little pedestrian (to say the least.) Toronto and New York pluck players from England, Columbus gets a player from the Argentine league, and United raids the Honduran and Australian leagues. Just doesn't have the same sort of impact does it?

Based on what we have all seen so far this season, is there any reason Chris Duncan shouldn't be in the everyday lineup? I don't think so.

From the PD : Blues prospect T.J. Oshie informed the club on Wednesday that he will stay at the University of North Dakota for another season. Oshie, 20, had the option of signing with the Blues just a week after his sophomore season ended in St. Louis at the NCAA Frozen Four. But the club's first-round pick from 2005 chose another year of college hockey. "It's pretty hard to turn down the money and my dream to play in the NHL," Oshie said. "But I felt it was best for me to stay in school.'' Oshie becomes the third player from UND this week to announce he's staying in school. Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan and Taylor Chorney said they would return to the Fighting Sioux, who lost in the NCAA semifinals to Boston College. "That loss definitely kind of left a bad feeling,'' Oshie said. "I think with the loss, it made me realize I want a national championship. It's not guaranteed, but we'd have a shot." This is a littl...

So, I'm just trying to enjoy a little playoff hockey tonight. My team doesn't make the playoffs so I don't have a rooting interest as such, I just want to see a good game. Well, the NHL, as usual, just tells the fans to go fuck themselves. I'm watching the Senators-Penguin game and 14 seconds after Ottawa scores to go up 4-1 Sidney Crosby scores to cut it to 4-2. It wasn't the prettiest goal in the world, but it was very clearly a goal. There is no controversy about that. If you think otherwise you are a god damned idiot. Well, the dipshits in the NHL say it isn't a goal after review. Now, these are the same assholes that got goal calls wrong TWICE in a single Blues game, so I'm not sure why I'm surprised. But it just pisses me off. I like HOCKEY. I don't really want to be on my blog bitching about the officiating. I don't give a shit about either of these teams. I just like hockey. THE NHL IS RUINING HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to...

The wife and I took a little drive yesterday about 2 1/2 hours south of here to Decorah, Iowa (nickname "The Decorah, Iowa of Iowa") so I missed the humongous pile of crapola that constituted my rooting interests on Saturday. I had my choice of 5-1 drubbings suffered by the Blues and Cardinals. As an alternative I could have watched the pathetic display offered by DC United. (I actually taped this and watched the first 15 minutes. I could tell how it was going to end so I turned it off. They looked dreadful) I could have turned my teams off and watched the NCAA Hockey final, but there was Michigan State playing the least fan friendly style of hockey imaginable. Sure its effective, but it is horrible and boring television. So I spent the day watching my wife buy vegetable and flower seeds, and we took a little hike and visited some cows. It's too bad when that makes for a far more pleasant day than following my teams.

Saw this headline in the PD: Edmonds is surprised he's not in the lineup When the Cardinals' center fielder arrived at Minute Maid Park, Edmonds was so certain he was in the starting lineup against Houston Astros lefthander Wandy Rodriguez that he didn't check the card manager Tony La Russa posted on the clubhouse wall. So Taguchi, not Edmonds, received the assignment, prompting Edmonds to offer, "You're kidding." Obviously Jimmy doesn't Tivo the games. Sitting him against left-handers the way he is swinging is the least surprising thing on earth.

I watched every painful minute of the drubbing the Cards took last night, and there is very little good to say about this team. Looper did a pretty good job, although I really wonder if trying to "jam" Beltran with an 88mph fastball up in the zone is ever a good idea. Offensively this club looks awful. And there doesn't seem to be much room for optimism that it can improve all that much. Edmonds simply does not look ready to play the game. He hasn't had a single decent swing at the ball. That he was walked twice is a miracle of productivity given how bad he looks at the plate. The only player who has been getting consistently good swings has been Molina. Not good enough.

I'd write a longer post on Carpenter's elbow trouble, but I don't know how much insight I add by repeating FUCK! a couple of hundred times.

You learn something new every other day. No such thing as Zamboni DWI NEWARK, N.J. - It's not drunken driving in New Jersey if it involves a Zamboni. A judge ruled the four-ton ice rink-grooming machines aren't motor vehicles because they aren't useable on highways and can't carry passengers. Zamboni operator John Peragallo had been charged with drunken driving in 2005 after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown told police the machine was speeding and nearly crashed into the boards. Police said Peragallo's blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent. A level of 0.08 is considered legally drunk in New Jersey. Peragallo appealed, and Superior Court Judge Joseph Falcone on Monday overturned his license revocation and penalties. "It's a vindication for my client," Peragallo attorney James Porfido said after the hearing. "It's the right decision." Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph D'Onofrio said no decision had be...

This is the sort of game the Blues have been playing the second half of the season that have Blues' fans wildly optimistic. Last night the blues were simply the better team. Every aspect of the game was solid. OK, they gave up another power play goal but it was of the fluky variety. Sometimes that is just the way the puck bounces. Goaltending : Sanford had a solid game. He was picking up pucks easily even when they were coming through traffic. He gave up a couple of juicy rebounds but his defense cleaned up for him. Defense : A number of Blues had strong games. I thought Backman and Brewer in particular had fine games. Both had been a little hit and miss over the last few so it was good to see them get back on form. Jackman is right on that agression line, which is right where he needs to be to be most effective. He is fun to watch. The kids played well and you can see Woywitka get more and more comfortable with every game he plays. Walker had his best game as a Blues. Offense : Th...

Anybody else worried about the future of this outfield? Bernie Millasz had the following to say after last night's display : And So Taguchi's play in left field was inept. The pride of Hyogo Prefecture couldn't get to a catchable ball that went for a two-run double by Carlos Delgado, and later dropped a routine fly hit straight at him by Jose Reyes. The fielding was So poor, you wanted to demand that manager Tony La Russa insert Chris Duncan as a defensive replacement. Certainly, there is no shame in losing to Glavine, a 291-game winner who is headed to Cooperstown. When he's on, Glavine still has the goods, the touch, to make any lineup look foolish. And any lineup that has Yadier Molina batting fifth — which was on La Russa's card Sunday — is even more vulnerable. But let's be candid here: In the recent history of baseball, has any defending champion ever started an outfield as bad as the one sent into the first game by the Cardinals on Sunday? I wrote last mo...