(Get) A Sporting Life

Signs of life from the Cardinals? A come from behind victory, including 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth? A win for Anthony Reyes?? Clutch hitting from Rolen?? WTF? Oh well, today is a Kip Wells start, against a pitcher the Cards haven't seen before. Uh oh. UPDATE: The "Uh oh" warranted as the Wells and the Cards went down 5-0. But the storming back to win 9-5 is something else. So they have won 4 of 5. A few more stretches like that and I might just post more often.

But between the farts and halitosis the layman could never tell the difference. I couldn't be less inspired on the sporting front. It's especially depressing given that I have just entered the 21st Century and have a new 40 inch LCD flat panel TV on which to watch all of the god awful shit that has passed for sport the past few weeks. For Christ's sake, Miss Marple and Simon Schama's Power of Art Series on PBS have been the highlight of my summer. The only good news is that I have yet to watch a Barry Bonds AB this season (or probably since 2005) and in the last 24 hours the Tour de France has melted down into a total doping fiasco. These two drug fueled comedies have been fun to watch. Sadly, Friday's Stage 18 passes through Domme, La Roque Gageac, St. Cyprien and Le Bugue. These are beautiful places I know very well and I had been looking forward to watching a real race pass through there. Oh well. On the plus side, in a few short weeks, the Illini football team w...

But I don't smell too good. Actually, the real world is doing a bit to kick my butt these days. Some of it is good as I am preparing new classes I'm to teach in the fall. Other things are more speculative. (I'll go into those things later...maybe.) In any event, I've had little time to devote to sport blogging although not much has changed. A) The Cardinals are still not good enough to be a .500 team. B) The NHL season is still too far away. C) I've seen DC United play maybe once in 8 weeks, which isn't enough to offer an even half-assed opinion. (I know, I know...like that has stopped me before.) D) I've seen no Aussie rules this season at all. E) The mere idea of Billiken basketball seems a far away promontory. (Ha! That high school English class finally payed off.) F) The Cards still cannot beat Zambrano. G) The Cards still make every AAA or AA rookie left-hander look like Cy Freakin' Young. H) Beckham still hasn't played a meaningful minute in ML...

From the Buffalo News : Recent speculation around the league had the Blues trying to unload former Sabres defenseman Jay McKee, whose first year in St. Louis was an injury-riddled disaster that prompted second-guessing all the way back to Buffalo. McKee played only 23 games for the Blues after suffering a sprained knee, a broken finger and a nagging pelvic injury after signing a four-year deal worth $16 million. It provided evidence for Sabres fans and front-office types to scoff at the contract. Yes, the Blues overpaid for McKee. You know that, the Sabres know that and presumably McKee knows that. Again, he was looking for a four-year deal worth $9.5 million from the Sabres, which would have been fair for both sides. McKee is considering junking his No. 74 sweater for something that brings him more luck, such as No. 77. Note to McKee: Don’t change a thing. It seems like a silly move by the Blues, who have been doing most everything right this off-season. Right now you would not get fa...

The line tonight? 1 IP, 8 hits, 6 runs, 4 earned runs, 1BB, 1K. My head hurts. Why doesn't Tony's?

From the BBC: Beckhams arrive in Los Angeles David Beckham has touched down in California to start his new job as a player for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The former England football captain arrived in the US with his wife Victoria, greeted by screaming fans. After a night's sleep, Beckham is due to appear at a news conference of the LA Galaxy, where he will be introduced to the world as their new star player. In a scene that resembled a Hollywood premiere, the Beckhams were welcomed by an army of TV crews and photographers. The football star walked with a big smile on his face through the airport. Barricades had to be set up to keep the crowd under control. Hmm...I wonder if Yao Ming got that sort of reception?

I hate the All-Star break.

The painting, titled A Hopeless Dawn, says it all about the Cards season. Every goddamn time I’ve written them off, I look at the standings and find they are still only six out in the lost column, whereupon they promptly drop the next couple of games. The painting hangs in The Tate Collection in London. According to their guide: The kneeling woman, comforted by her mother-in-law, realises that her husband is lost at sea, but the open Bible, altar-like table and print on the wall hint at the consolations of religion. Personally, I’d take a lot more consolation in a healthy Chris Carpenter and some production out of the five hole. But that’s just me.

“Who do I have to fuck around here to get an X rating?” According the good folks, er, dirty bastards, at Mingle2 , all GASL warrants is an R rating. After IM’s obscenity-laced screed against Brazil*, I thought we at least had a chance at an NC-17. Fuck all. I guess we’re all going to have to try a little harder. *I'll never look at truffle sauce in the same way again. UPDATE: (by the IM) Mingle 2 - Online Dating Well we did it, thanks in part to copious cocaine references. Thanks Keith!

So, Albert is to participate in the Home Run Derby ...I guess it could be worse. Edmonds could have said it wanted to do it. The PD has a very nice story on TJ Oshie and his decision to stay at North Dakota for his junior year. I particularly liked this bit: Oshie had not yet played a game for UND when the Blues surprisingly took him with the 24th overall pick in ’05. "A lot of fans were saying, ‘What are the Blues doing?" Schlosman said. "They went way off the board for this kid. But by the midway point of the (2005-06) season, a lot of those fans were saying, ‘OK, never mind.’" I see DC United lost to Houston one-nil today. This should surprise no one. Houston is clearly the best team in the league this season. Barring injury issues they should repeat without breaking too much of a sweat. United is playing for second best this year.

I'm tired of watching dick for brains soccer refs eat the shit that comes out of Brazil asses like it was truffle sauce. That is another way of saying I'm watching the U.S. v. Brazil under 20 World Cup game, and wishing I wasn't. First, Brazil flops around more than any 75 cent whore in Rio. Second, Edson should have been out with a red card. Any half way decent...no make that any ref with more than three functioning brain cells, gives him the second yellow he so fucking clearly deserved. Third, there is no way the U.S. keeper isn't fouled on the Brazil goal. But the FIFA fucks must have the fix in so Brazil can move on. (Big bucks don't you know.) Brazil is the absolute worst thing about international soccer. This type of garbage goes on all the time when a Brazilian team is involved, especially at the non-senior level. I remember an Olympic finals game between Brazil and some African side (Cameroon?) that was the single most embarrassing moment in FIFA history. Th...

From Reuters : Argentina and the United States both hit six goals, while Brazil hung on for a 3-2 win over South Korea in the Under-20 World Cup on Tuesday. Freddy Adu scored a superb hat-trick as the U.S hammered Poland 6-1 while Maximiliano Moralez and Sergio Aguero scored two each for Argentina as they destroyed Panama 6-0. The 18-year-old Adu, rated the brightest prospect in U.S soccer, put his side 2-1 up with a brilliant turn and shot on the edge of the area in the 20th minute and then made it 3-1 just before the break with a fierce drive 15 meters out. Poland, who enjoyed a shock win over Brazil on Saturday, had gone ahead through Dawid Janczyk in the fifth minute before Danny Sztela equalized four minutes later. Sztela made it 4-1 after the break, racing on to a long ball down the middle before Josmer Altidore added the fifth with a tap-in in the 70th minute. The outstanding Adu completed his hat-trick when he broke clear and rounded the keeper before slotting into the unguarde...

I saw this late, late last night and almost couldn't believe it: Blues get Kariya, sign Jackman After saying that the budget was tight and that the high-priced free-agent forwards were probably too costly, the Blues stretched out and landed one of the top veteran forwards available in left winger Paul Kariya. Kariya, 32, signed a three-year contract for $18 million with the Blues late Sunday night, giving the Blues' offense a drastically different look now with Keith Tkachuk and Kariya in the fold. "We hope so," said an exhausted John Davidson. "Put it this way: When you looked at the Blues a week ago, and then you look now, we're a little better hockey club. This should send vibrations through the organization that, 'Man we're getting better.'" ... Davidson said the Blues worked on the Kariya deal "all day." The team had Al MacInnis, Doug Weight, Tkachuk and owner Dave Checketts speak with Kariya. "I think he felt wanted,...