Happy New Year

At least this Blues/Cards fan hopes it will be happy. Neither team is doing much to boost my hopes however. Well, their is "hope" I guess...but little else.

Still, I'm not going to turn up my nose at hope when it is offered. Hope for the Cards comes via their farm system cracking the Top 10 list at Baseball America. Thank God they seem to have straightened out that mess. There is no way the St. Louis Cardinals should have the 30th ranked farm system.

For the Blues hope takes the form of prospects showing off at the World Juniors up in Canada. Granted, you don't get to play the likes of Kazakhstan every day, thus 12-0 scorelines are somewhat rare. But from all reports Aaron Palushaj, Ian Cole and Cade Fairchild are playing pretty well for team USA.

So, there may be no immediate help for the Cards rotation or on the Blues blueline, but there is always 2010.

A Night At The Theater

I swear to God, listening to the Blues these days is a little like going to a Broadway play for a Wednesday matinee.

Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, this afternoon the part of the St. Louis Blues will be played by the Peoria Rivermen.

Tonight we have Weaver, Junland, Winchester, Strachan, Bishop and Stasny playing "starring" roles against the Washington Caipitals.

Maybe Semin and Ovechkin will forget there is a game tonight.

Crap...no such luck.

UPDATE:

Well, that wasn't quite the gang enema I was expecting. It is amazing what being so shitty other teams won't "get up" to play you can do to even things out a bit. Oh, the Blues lost, of course, but 4-2 is acceptable really. Hell, we even outshot the Caps. (Will wonders ever cease?)

Still, I expect the Blues to get absolutely hammered by the Wild on Saturday. Yes, the Wild are playing terrible hockey right now, but they got that Gaborik guy back and I have a feeling they will be letting go of some pent up aggression at the Blues expense.

If Murray doesn't have Cam in the lineup on Saturday he should be fired outright.

I'm Officially Old Now

NOTE: I wrote this for elsewhere, but I thought its theme would translate here pretty easily. Enjoy, if you dare.

When I was a younger man and I would feel the pull of certain adult fashion symbols, I would push them out of my mind with the phrase, "I don't want to be some hipster doofus. I'll do that sort of thing when I'm old...you know, like 40."

Well, I turned 40 this year, and the first of these fashion impulses has successfully avoided all the warnings of my younger days and has landed squarely upon my head. Yes, I bought my first fedora.

Meet the Jaxon Iconoclast (Wool):



As far as hat purchases go, this one was not a matter of high finance. It set me back a grand total of $45 including shipping.

I must say....I like it....a lot. It is damn cold around here, and I'm not blessed with a full head of hair, so a hat is a necessity. Up until now I've only ever worn ballcaps or ski caps. I just didn't want to become "the old guy who wears nothing but ballcaps."

Still, this could be the start of something weird. I've already caught myself looking online at panamas, because, hey!, the Iconoclast is my fall/winter hat. I'll need something else to protect my poor bald head from the big bad sun too. That only makes sense, right?

Down this path lies madness...and quite possibly my taking up pipe smoking as well.

Hmmmm....pipe smoking....sounds good.

ADDING for GASL readers only:

OK...I've had the hat for about a week now and I must say, I'm in love. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago. For starters, it is a hell of a lot warmer than my Cards or Blues cap (and just as stylish.) Secondly, I get compliments left and right. Just the other day a rather stylishly dressed (male) student walked by and offered, "Whoa man, nice lid."

Nice lid, indeed.

Speaking of Sloppy Seconds

Sloppy second basemen to be precise. I finally decided to check back in and take a peek around. Between the Illini football collapse and the Cardinal middle infield saga, my will to follow sports lately has taken a hit. I more than share IM's concerns about Greene at SS for silly money.

Cin-cin passed on the following comment about Adam Kennedy. I am agreeing with way to many negatives these days. Normally I am such an upbeat guy:

Winning a pennant with Adam Kennedy in the lineup is like winning a 200 meter dash wearing ankle weights. It can be done, but you had better hope 14 other guys fall down.

That Angels World Series win seems sooooo long ago.

"Sloppy Seconds"

Just wanted to horrify the average hockey fan, who evidently can't abide such a term.

Oddly they abide this just fine:



(Actually, don't click that if you are squemish about blood.)

Hmm... I've Got A Bad Feeling About This

"He's too anemic to be paid $6.5 million."

In a deal that could have only happened after a night of tequila shots, the Cards have traded for Khalil Greene:

The Cardinals addressed their question at shortstop by acquiring one of the league’s largest enigmas.

Hours after formally agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent reliever Trever Miller, the Cardinals traded for San Diego Padres shortstop Khalil Greene on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals have yet to publicly confirm the deal for Greene, who has to take a physical exam.

Greene will cost the Cardinals organization two pitchers, neither of whom was on the major-league roster at the end of last season. The identity of the pitchers is not yet known.

Greene experienced a production meltdown last season, one year after crashing 27 home runs for the Padres. Greene batted .213 with just 10 home runs while striking out 100 times in 105 games in 2008.

Well, that's just spiffy. But wait there is more to indicate Greene is a head case.

A career .248 hitter, [ed. Oh, goody.] Greene appeared to lose confidence as a hitter last season, managing only 27 extra-base hits and 35 RBI after producing 74 extra-base hits and 97 RBI in 2007.

Greene is due $6.5 million next season. It is unknown whether the Padres assumed any of his remaining salary in the deal.

They better have. If the Cards decided to dump $6.5 million into Greene they are stupid and nuts.

Maybe the Cards are banking on Greene rebounding for this his final year before free agency. If they are, expect Cards management to be before Congress looking for bailout money this time next year.

Long Distance Relationships Kinda Suck

Working in academia does have its benefits. From 5 o' clock yesterday, I'm on Thanksgiving break already. I celebrated last night by watching the Blues beat Nashville in a less than stellar performance, and by drinking a 750ml bottle of Mauadite. (Yes, my night was full of things Canadian.)

So, I'm reading over the sports news online this morning, keeping tabs on the Blues and Cards in St. Louis (as well as the Billiken soccer team - who crashed out of the NCAA's again), DC United in our nations capital, and Notts county across the pond. While I was doing that it dawned on me just how much I miss having a local team to root for. Oh, don't get me wrong. I watch a lot of Twins baseball and Wild hockey. I love baseball and hockey and, hey, they are whats on TV. As a result, I know the players on those teams, and when they play anyone but one of MY teams in the sporting world I prefer them to win. But that is being a fan of the sport, and not a fan of the team.

I've toyed with the idea of adopting one of the NFL teams up here (Vikings or Packers), but it is hard for me to switch brand names to ones so well established as "enemy" in my mind. Were I living in an area with an expansion team it would have been easier. I've also thought about adopting a new college football team to support. Hell, I never attend the University of Missouri, so, in theory, it should be easy to switch. Trouble is I have an old bias against the Big 10, born of a childhood raised in Big 8 country, that will not allow me to cheer for a Wisconsin or a Minnesota. Besides, I've followed Mizzou for decades when they have been no good for anything, so I feel I deserve this era when they look to be a perennial Top 20 team.

I've also toyed with the idea of adopting the Minnesota Thunder, but the prospect of following a fourth soccer team (after DC United, Notts County, SLU Billikens) strikes even me as a little pathetic.

The Timberwolves are not an option as I loathe and despise the NBA. As for the college game, SLU is my team and has been since 1982.

I do follow college hockey, but I have a habit of rooting for teams that have prominent Blues prospects on them. Minnesota has been a good program in this respect since I've been up here. First they had Eric Johnson, and now they feature Jay Barriball and Cade Fairchild. Problem is, when they play another team that also has a Blues prospect, I don't care who wins. Last season, when TJ Oshie would come in with the Fighting Sioux I would be pleased by any result as long as the Blues prospects played well. I don't see that changing.

Now, there is one more option. There is hockey at the university I teach at...Div. III hockey. I've not been to a game yet, but the option is always there. There is a lunatic fringe aspect at play here that I'm not sure I wish to embrace...but I might just do so anyway. (I treat them the same way St. Augustine treated the Lord...I'll embrace them, just not yet.)

So, I'm left with these long distance relationships (LDR's). Granted, it is easier to maintain these affections in an age of cable television and the internet, but I still notice that I didn't see the Blues play a game until November was almost over.

Here is a quick rundown of what my various LDR's are like:

St. Louis Cardinals- By far the easiest relationship to maintain. The Cards are shown at least 20-30 times a season on national television. Listening to the games via XM radio is perfectly satisfying, baseball being far and away the best sport for radio play by play. If the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is still good for anything it is covering the Cardinals.

St. Louis Blues- This is fairly easy to maintain. The Blues have far less exposure on TV however. I'll see the games against the Wild, and Versus will show maybe 3 Blues games a season. That will improve as the Blues improve, I guess. I listen to 30-40 games a year over XM, although hockey is not as radio friendly. The late great Dan Kelly was the best there ever was at giving you a mental picture of a game you couldn't see. We won't hear his like again. However, I really miss going to games. I would only catch 2 or 3 a year when I lived in St. Louis (as I was mostly broke at the time), but I haven't seen a game in the Drinkscotch center in maybe 4 years. Damn.

DC United- OK. This has suffered. My current cable package does not include Fox Soccer Channel, so I am dependent upon ESPN's soccer coverage which will net me 5 games a year. I bought the MLS online video package this season, but found I hardly ever used it. (I watched maybe three games that way.) They do offer an online radio service, which I might opt for next year. Soccer is not horrible on the radio, although soccer announcers tend to be much less experienced broadcasters. The lack of booth time shows. The best option, of course, would be to get the MLS cable package, which is affordable, but would require moving up to digital cable or getting a satellite dish...both things I've been resisting.

As for the college teams, whatever coverage I get is largely dependent upon their national profile. That will wax and wane, so there isn't much one can do about it. It would help if XM beefed up the breadth of their college sports coverage, but that probably won't happen to my satifaction. (Who would invest in expansive Atlantic 10 coverage really?)

Ah well...this is a hell of a lot of writing to reach the conclusion that I'll probably just be listening to the Blues vs. Avalanche tonight over XM. Like always.

So Long Lee

Shit.

Fuck.

Dammit.

Lee Stempniak may be the next piece in Toronto's rebuilding puzzle, and the Maple Leafs gave away two former prospects to get the rugged New York native.

Stempniak, who had 3 goals and 9 assists in his last eight games with the St. Louis Blues, was dealt Monday to Toronto in exchange for center Alex Steen and defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo. The trade is pending the outcome of physicals.

Well, I guess I'll have to pick a new "favorite Blue."

What really sucks is we get nothing back except multiple bodies. (The way Blues players are shattering into tiny pieces these days that isn't entirely a bad thing.) Neither Steen or Colaiacovo offer much upside; they are what they are, although Colaiacovo does have some offensive skill.

At best this move feels like the Blues treading water. At worst we seem to be slipping under the water.

Pujols: I Want My MLS

Watch out Collinsville...uh, I mean St. Louis *wink*... here comes Albert:

National League MVP Albert Pujols is trying to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis.

St. Louis Soccer United announced Tuesday that the Cardinals first baseman has joined the proposed ownership group, which is committed to bringing an MLS expansion franchise to the area in 2011.

The announcement came one day after Pujols was named the MVP for second time in four years.

“I am very proud and excited to join the effort to bring Major League Soccer to the St. Louis area,” Pujols said. “This means a lot to me and my family, as we all love soccer and we believe in MLS.

“This is something that will be great for our community, especially our youth. I strongly encourage St. Louis business leaders and sports fans to join me in this effort. St. Louis is an unbelievable sports town and we’ll be a great city for Major League Soccer.”

Ha! Take that Miami and Portland! What you got, eh? Nothing I tell you...NOTHING. Because, let's face it, Albert just won the MVP award, and everyone knows that the MVP award is really worth something... uh...

Never mind.

Bad Fucking Joke Wins AL MVP

I never want to hear another fucking word from Red Sux fans bitching about Scooter being in the Hall of Fame when he doesn't deserve it. Talk about not deserving something:

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has won the American League Most Valuable Player award.

Pedroia got 16 of the 28 first-place votes and easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau.

Pedroia became the first AL second baseman to win the award since Nellie Fox in 1959.

Five players drew first-place votes. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez got one of them and finished sixth overall.

Bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit.

Look at these two lines and tell me who more deserves the MVP:

Avg: .326 .321
OBP: .376 .436
SLG: .493 .563
OPS+: 122 163
HRs: 17 22
RBI: 83 77

Hmm... tough call, eh? Neither look like world beaters, really. But what if you knew the guy in the second column amasses those totals in only 126 games as opposed to 157 games for the guy in column one? Shit. Column two guy had a much better season than column one guy! Right?

Congratulations, you correctly picked Milton Bradley as a more viable MVP candidate than Dustin Pedroia. Bradley actually finished 17th in MVP balloting. When you cannot amass enough stats to differentiate yourself from a guy who missed a whole fucking month of the season, how are you the goddam MVP?

This isn't even one of those times where the choice sparks worthwhile controversy. All this pick does is shit all over everyone who legitimately earned the award. The fact is if Pedroia didn't play for Boston (or the Yankees) he never would have been seriously considered as MVP caliber.

What a fucking joke.

MVP - Updated

Well, well...look at what we have here: Pujols NL MVP

The National League's best player has also been named its most valuable.
Albert Pujols' magnificent season earned him his second NL Most Valuable Player Award. Pujols finished ahead of Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, who beat him out by a narrow margin to win the 2006 MVP.

Pujols has finished in the top 10 in the voting in every one of his eight Major League seasons, and has been fourth or better seven times. He is the 11th player to win two NL MVP awards.

...

Pujols had already been recognized with virtually every other major individual award for which he was eligible. He was named National League or Major League player of the year by the Sporting News, the MLB Players Association and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, as well as NL MVP in Baseball Prospectus' Internet Baseball Awards.

In the end, the Baseball Writers' Association of America joined the chorus, choosing not to penalize Pujols for his team's fourth-place finish. In fact, it's quite possible that quite the opposite happened -- that Pujols was rewarded for the Cardinals' place in the standings.

Though St. Louis ended the season 11 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central, the club exceeded many preseason expectations with an 86-win season. And much of the credit must go to Pujols

Considering how consistent Pujols was this season there really should have never been any doubt. Ryan Howard, a player I like immensely, took a bit of time to get rolling this season...and dammit he strikes out a whole hell of a lot. All told, he didn't have a better season than Pujols.

Neither did anyone else in baseball who swings a bat for a living.

Original Post Below:


Should be Pujols this year.

Should have been Pujols twice before when he didn't win it.

Breath not being held.

Announcement in 15 minutes.

Now This Pisses Me Off

Really it does:

Mark Parrish had his sixth career hat trick in his Dallas debut and the Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Friday night.

Parrish, who signed a one-year deal with Dallas on Wednesday, had two power-play goals and a breakaway tally in the first 26 minutes of play.

And the Blues? Oh, they have decided to play Yan Stasny on their number one line.

Sonofabitch.

Know what else pisses me off? Quotes like these:

"When your team is out there competing the way we did, you like being the coach standing behind them ... it's very gratifying," Blues coach Andy Murray said.

The Blues had leads of 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 and they lost them all, and the game. That's not "gratifying," that's shitty.

Somebody get Andy a hockey dictionary.

Blues Get Early Start On Late Season Swoon

Ugh. At least the Blues are consistent. If you watched the Blues last season you know it doesn't matter how good they can look at times, a prolonged stumble is only a heartbeat away. There was some optimism that an influx of youthful talent could mitigate this trend somewhat, but a rash of injuries has underscored the lack of NHL ready depth in the organization.

I'm not surprised, but Gordo is:

Remember how the Blues blew out of the gates this fall, looking very much like a playoff contender?

Forget about it. Now this hybrid team -– an interesting mix of kids and hardened veterans -– faces a season-defining challenge.

The Blues lost four of the last five games on a seven-game homestand, then opened a five-game trip by losing in Anaheim.

Some how, some way, they must pull themselves together during the next few weeks and earn some points.

...

The Blues will need to:

* Maintain better defensive position and become stronger on the puck in their own zone. Opponents are converting Blues mistakes into goals, pouncing on loose pucks and picking off errant passes.

Agreed. Running around in your own end has never been a sign of a successful team, but that goes for every team.

* Get better goaltending from Mason. Legace is pushing himself back into the picture, but he played hurt too often last season. He needs to be 100 percent recovered from his hip injury before playing again.

The Blues are paying Mason top dollar and the club is not getting a top return. That must change.

I'll cut Mason some slack as obviously the appendicitis thing threw him off. Plus, when he has played well, the offense hasn't.

* Overcome injuries and generate more scoring at even strength. That means you, Lee Stempniak, and you, David Perron.

This is dead wrong. Both of these players need to work with other skilled players, and as we have had injuries and benchings that hasn't been possible. It is here that the lack of offensive talent is killing the Blues. Injuries are not the exception in the NHL, they are the rule. You need to have a roster that takes their inevitability into account.

That, of course, doesn't mean you have a spare Paul Kariya hanging around, but you need to be able to call on someone other than journeymen role players. Now, the Blues have evidently been waiting on the revival of Rip Van Shanahan, and he certainly could help. However, I'm not sure how long the Blues can stand by and do nothing.

Middle Infield Makeover v.360.0

And so the Cardinals begin their annual attempt to patch together a middle infield with Edgar Renteria on the list of SS possibilities. This will be exciting as hell to follow. Kennedy has his trade request in and Renteria could be returning....oh, who the fuck am I kidding? This has all the boner-inducing potential of Margaret Thatcher in fishnet stockings and pumps. Someone wake me when pitchers and catchers report.

UPDATE BY IM:

What? You are not enthralled by the "The Cards have no chance" Jake Peavey Sweepstakes?

What Should Happen To Kerry Fraser

Worst Umpiring Ever

My God, does MLB have egg on their faces. This World Series has been nothing short of a fiasco. This isn't a matter of one big blown call every once in awhile. There have been major mistakes in every game.

Of course it doesn't help matters when the umpire in an elimination game clearly has a different strike zone for Hamels then he has for Kazmir.

UPDATE:

Jeezus. The home plate ump is doing everything in his power to taint any Phillies victory.

Let's Not Pansify The NHL

There is lots of talk about Doug Weight (yes, THAT Doug Weight) absolutely pulverizing Carolina rookie Brandon Sutter with a clean open ice hit. Take a look for your self:



First, very clearly the kid had his head down, and that is always an invitation to get your bell rung.

Second, let's do the math here. Doug Weight is listed at 5' 11", Sutter at 6' 3". Now, you tell me how the kid's head gets hit by Weight's shoulder if he isn't leaning down into it? Also, its very clear Weight did not leave his feet to make that hit.

Third, Weight did nothing else wrong that could have contributed to an injury. For example, some players use the stick during a check. Weight didn't.

The real problem here is you have a 19 year old kid who hasn't yet learned to keep his head on a swivel, otherwise you'll get it knocked off in this league, and not only by accidental shots like Weight's. What the hell are we supposed to do, put training wheels on all the kids in the NHL these days. Or maybe they should all play with a sign announcing "WARNING: Student Skater."

I'm sorry the kid got hurt, but you play like a busher in a mens league and that is bound to happen. Just imagine what would have happened if someone who is known to be a big hitter got the shot on him?

Now That's Baseball

Ruiz' blocking of the plate tonight on the was lovely. Shockingly, Mrs. Southlandish was less than enthralled with my frame-by-frame dissection of his technique from multiple angles. My reference to an earlier blog post on the topic earned me more than a little pity and a pat on the head before she quickly wheeled and headed for bed.

Crap

I hate being forced to root for anything Chicago related. I mean anything. I see a web poll pitting New York Thin Crust Pizza vs. Chicago Deep Dish and I having a rooting interest in New York. That's just the way I am.

Tonight, however, I'm screwed. If DC United are to make the playoffs it would really help if Chicago can beat the Red Bulls. (MLS' ExtraTime is worth watching for a breakdown on the playoff possibilities.)

I'll admit, I'm skeptical that United can go into Columbus on Sunday and get the needed win...but if they can go in having a shot...

Go FIRE!!!!!

Crap. Now I need to take a shower.

Don't Buy The Dream House In Soulard, Dave

Goon alert!

The St. Louis Blues on Tuesday claimed left wing David Koci on waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Koci, 27, played in one game with Tampa Bay this season, posting four penalty minutes. The 6-6, 238-pounder has skated in 28 career NHL contests, recording 160 penalty minutes.

This guy hasn't scored a goal in organized hockey since the 2004-05 season of the AHL.

Koci strikes me as an affront to the hockey skills of DJ King whom he is supposed to replace, I think. Either that or we picked this guy up so he can beat the crap out of Henrik Zetterberg on Wednesday and get banned for life.

Hmmm...

In any event, I cannot imagine Koci will be a Blue long.

Fire Up The Stove

I know its a little early to get the real Hot Stove league going, but here is a nice piece on the Cards farm system to ease you into the Cardinals off season.

I particularly liked the sound of this:

The Cardinals one-two punch of third baseman Roberto De La Cruz and righthander Santo Franco ranks among the best duo of Latin American signings by a team this year. I’m quite high on De La Cruz (you may have also heard him referred to as Robert Pina) based on the reports I’ve heard from scouts, who say that his bat is about as good as anyone’s available in Latin America this year. I don’t know if he’ll stay at third base—maybe you’ve heard that about a Cardinals prospect before—but it sounds like his bat has the potential to be valuable at any position.

Dammit. Will March never come?

What? Too early again?

Gawd I Fucking Hate Boston

Just thought I'd share.

Why Is Ryan Hollweg Still In The NHL?

Ryan Hollweg is nothing but a talentless scumbag, whose idea of good hockey is to attempt to injure his opponents. He's played 200+ games in the NHL, has 5 goals, and has 300+ minutes in penalties. He's a career minus player to boot.

I bring this up because Hollweg has just picked up a boarding major and a game misconduct for attempting to injure Blues rookie Alex Pietrangelo. Hollweg was doing this kinda crap during the preseason. Get him out of the league and shoveling horse shit like he deserves.

On the plus side, the Blues used the power play time to erase Toronto's three goal lead. It's now 3-3 after the Blues netted all of their goals in the first 6 minutes of the second.

UPDATE:

Blues take the Leafs 5-4 via the shootout.

No. Really.

I kid you not.

Honestly.

I swear to God.

Thin

Sheesh. We are only two games into the season and the Blues' lack of depth is already being exposed:

Lee Stempniak's knee injury will force him to miss a second straight game today, and it will cause the Blues to alter their forward combinations again.

In Sunday's practice, T.J. Oshie was moved to the left wing on a line with center Andy McDonald and right wing Brad Boyes. Also, center Jay McClement will play in the middle of left winger Keith Tkachuk and right winger David Backes.

Oh, please. We gotta watch McClement try to act the playmaker he isn't, again? It isn't as if we had lost another center to injury.

It's frustrating. The Blues obviously needed another scoring forward to fill in this season, yet they never landed anyone. Maybe they were interested in Brendan Shanahan, and then again maybe that was just the Blues brass blowing smoke. Either way the product on the ice is going to suffer without a little help. The saddest part is there are guys sitting around still waiting for offers. (I'm thinking Mark Parrish could be had pretty cheaply. A world-beater? Well, no. But the idea is to get some depth, and who else is out there who is only 31 and has six 20+ goal campaigns to his credit?)

If the Blues decide to just go with what they got, they will be shifting around constantly and any offensive cohesion will evaporate quickly.

The Cardinals' Way

Just wanted to point to the nice obit for Kissel in the Post today. Go read it all, but I'll give you the precis:

"There's only one way to play baseball," Kissell once said, "the Cardinals' way."

R.I.P.

George Kissell, RIP

One of the moments that gives my brother goose bumps to this day is recounting how, during a Spring Training visit to Jupiter a few years ago, he got to stand behind Kissell and Fernando Vina as they sat in a golf cart on the sideline talking animatedly about the finer points of playing second base. It was pure baseball porn to him and he'd have killed to have been able to pull up a chair next to them and take part.

I Thought About Writing Something Exactly Like This

Really, I did:

You know how I know STL is a baseball town? Last night at the gym, as many as 20-25 people let out a simultaneous yell when the Dodgers took the lead on a grand slam against the losers. Sorry Jayson Stark. So sad Rick Reilly. You’re rah-rah this is the year bullshit yesterday looks a bit more asinine today. God, I really do hate the Cubs. And so do many of you.

As I said to my wife the night the Dodgers swept the Cubs, "There is only one thing better then watching the Cardinals win a postseason series, and that is watching the Cubs lose one."

Now, if the Angels can come back to beat the Red Sox in five I'll almost be happy.

Extra Notts County Insight

Just what you were wanting, but were afraid to ask for, a Notts County player's blog. Self described "journeyman" Gavin Strachan is writing a blog for the BBC about his trials and tribulation with my beloved Magpies, effectively doubling the amount of reading I need to do weekly to follow them from afar. (Gavin...you rat bastard.)

But thanks to Gavin we can now all enjoy insights such as...

At this stage of the season it is amazing what just one win can do. We have now sneaked into the top half of the table and needless to say the mood around the camp is a lot better. That is all apart from our fitness coach who during our recovery swimming session on Monday somehow managed to end up in the swimming pool with us... fully clothed. I am not prepared to disclose the identity of the two people who pulled poor Sven into the pool but I have been informed that they will be made to pay come the next running session!

That crazy Sven!

I bet you all can't wait for more.

What To Do? What To Do?

Norm Sanders on the Blues blueline:

Losing Erik Johnson on defense for an entire season because of knee surgery has a ripple effect on the entire Blues organEYEzation.

The team was counting on Johnson to be its cannons shot from the point on the power play, the puck-moving defenseman the Blues have lacked ever since the team decided to allow Chris Pronger to leave via free-agency. He also was another source of offense on a team that needs all the goals it can get.

After making another round of roster cuts Tuesday, the Blues were left with 28 players. Three of those are injured (Johnson, Jeff Woywitka and Jonas Junland), so there are just 25 healthy skaters.

Johnson's injury opened up an opportunity for several players within the Blues' system, most notably Steve Wagner, Roman Polak, Jef Woywitka and Jonas Junland. Wagner and Junland are both offensive defensemen, while Polak has captured the coaching staff's attention with his skating speed, strength and decent offensive skills.

Woywitka was lost for at least a month with a cracked bone in his foot, the result of a blocked shot last Friday against Atlanta. It's the latest chapter in the team's incredible run of injuries on defense.

“What are you going to do?” Blues President John Davidson said. “It’s just part of sports and we’ve got to deal with it. It’s opportunity for other people — and we’ll see what they’ll do with that opportunity.”

Then there's the two wild cards to the equation — making a trade for an established power-play defenseman, or making a decision on whether or not to use 18-year-old recent No. 1 draft pick Alex Pietrangelo.

The Blues are taking a long, hard look at the talented rookie. Because of his age and status, Pietrangelo either would have to be kept on the NHL roster for at least a nine-game trial, or returned to his junior team.

As much as part of me would like to see Pietrangelo stay up, I really think it makes more sense for him to head to juniors another year. From early returns he doesn't seem to look out of place on the ice, but given the fact we probably won't be making the playoffs this year (if experts are to be believed) I think I'd rather focus on Polak, Wagner, Woywitka and Junland. We need to find out which of these can really be top six d-liners on this team. Given where he was drafted, we can assume that Pietro is going to be a top six guy one of these days, so he really doesn't need to be evaluated at this level at this time.

Pietrangelo staying up merely as a result of Johnson's going down doesn't strike me as good enough. Now, if he plays his way on, that can be a different story, but we would need it to be a situation where Murray will not just stop playing the kid come mid-season. Under Murray, I really cannot imagine such a situation coming about, thus I'd like to see him sent back to juniors.

Sorry to say it Blues fans, but the future is not now.

Pussies

It's the 2nd inning of the last game of the season between two teams not going anywhere, and the Reds intentionally walk Pujols.

Oh, for crying out loud....grow a pair.

Shit You Cannot Make Up

So I checked what the Game Of The Week on FOX was here in SW Florida, naturally expecting to find a key playoff-determining game - probably the Twins/Royals since the former train here (and for that matter the Royals used to ). Silly me. I forgot the Yanks and BoSox were playing a meaningless game, which means they have to be on my TV. Fuck. 

I guess it turned out that the game was postponed and I have no idea what they ended up broadcasting because by that time I had unenthusiastically cued up the Arsenal/Hull City match that I had recorded. What a game. A 2-1 Hull upset at The Emirates no less where the Gunners haven't lost in forever and haven't conceded a goal this season. Geovanni's strike for the equalizer was nothing short of magnificent and will make the EPL's highlight reel for the season, as will Myhill's save in extra time to preserve the win. So MLB (aka Bud Selig) can once again kiss my hairy ass.

And fuck me if my Illini didn't just hold on defense and shove it up Penn State's ass on their first drive. 

Prediction: Notts County 2 - 0 Aldershot Town

This is the week the Pies get into the win column, and in an emphatic fashion. Notts legend Jimmy Sirrel passed away during the week, so I'm expecting a solid performace all the way round.

Or not. What do I know?

UPDATE:

Well, I guess I know something after all! It wasn't 2-0, and it was damn close, but Notts gets a goal from Richard Butcher in the last minute of injury time to pick up its first win of the season, 2-1.

Imagine

Jeremy Rutherford believes he has spied Blues combinations that result in three scoring lines:

Kariya-Berglund-Perron

This is a classic training camp line that could very well die a quick death once the games mean anything. Perron was on an extremely short leash last year, and I don't see Murray loosening up with Berglund. The talent on this line is eye popping, but if they are on the ice for a few goals against all you are going to hear about it is "defensive responsibilities."

Tkachuk-Oshie-Backes

Anybody who watched Oshie in college playing with Jonathan Toews can see where this is coming from...and it does make sense. TJ's work rate meshes well with players who can bang around the net. The question will be how Oshie deals with having less time and space to work with.

Stempniak-McDonald-Boyes

I like the idea of Stempniak getting to play with more offensive minded linemates. Last year Lee played himself off of a scoring line, but I have to think a bounceback is possible. Breaking up Kariya and Boyes seems like a bit of a gamble, but with all the kids playing you need to spread the vets around. Long term, this line is only viable as long as Boyes nets consistently. If he struggles, the impulse is gonna be to reunite him with Kariya, which will lead to the reinsertion of various 4th line players. Speaking of which...

King-McClement-Porter

The arrival of Berglund and Oshie has marked the end of the pretensions that McClement was a possible offensive threat. Now, he's the reincarnation of Ryan Johnson. That's fine. Have him center a line with the likes of King, Hinote, Janssen, and Stastny, and don't think too much about it anymore. Sound good?

These don't look so bad, but a problem looms. When people slump or get banged up, as they always do, who do you slide into the mix on the top three lines? Stastny or Hinote? Confidence is not the result. The Blues have some good pieces, but no depth to speak of offensively.

That is a detail that is gonna be a devil for this team.

Get The Fuck Out

So, I'm reading this Season Preview of the Blues on Puck Daddy when I come across the following:

AV Club (Media): The St. Louis Post Dispatch does a great job covering the Blues, offering a balanced if not scathing assessment of their team-building. Norm Sanders is another solid MSM option.

St. Louis Game Time is a great site for all-things Blues, with some comedy tossed in for good measure. (Get) A Sporting Life is a general blog with solid hockey coverage.

It's all very nice...but I can't help but feel a little disappointed. My blog is labelled as having "solid hockey coverage" when I've been shooting for "blog that will scream at you to 'get the hell off my lawn!'"

Ah...I'll take it.

Not Exactly What I Had In Mind

Hey! The Blues have signed a defenseman! Yep, they signed some 18 year old I've never heard of.

St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced that the club has signed defenseman Mark Cundari.

Cundari, 18, a native of Woodbridge, Ontario, registered 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) last season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The 5-10, 198-pound defenseman finished third on the Spitfires last season with 141 penalty minutes.

I bet his family is proud. (No, really...I'll lay money they are.)

For your edification here is Cundari beating the crap out of someone as a 16 year old.



Sweet.

Scary Things

A warning for the faint of heart. You may want to skip this one.

So, in the wake of the season ending injury to Erik Johnson the Blues are thinking about bringing in another defenseman. Well, of they want to go the route of free agency the pickings are mighty slim. At this point it is populated mainly by the old, the lame, and the damned.

For example, these strike me as the best of the available Free Agents:

1. Keith Carney - He's 38, but he was a plus player for Minnesota last year. He's in training camp with the Blackhawks right now. Would cost around $2m.

2. Alexi Zhitnik - He's 35, and his best hockey was played last century. He played 61 games last year for Atlanta and didn't disgrace himself. On the other hand he'd probably be closer to $2.5m to $3m.

3. Marek Malik - Shhhh... If Marek knows you are looking at him he falls over, gets injured, and sits for a week. This china doll will set you back $2m at most.

4. Richard Matvichuk - Didn't play in the NHL last year. Presently at camp with the Blue Jackets. Cost you around $1m.

After that you are only left with people that even if you signed you would pray to almighty God that you never needed to put them into an NHL game. Still, if you felt you had to buy something you could bring home a Brad Ference, a Mathieu Biron, or a (God forbid) Ian Moran.

Given these options I think I would wait for folks to hit the waiver wire.

Ah, the joys of bottom feeding.

Alright...This Isn't Good, But The World Isn't Ending

From STLToday:

Blues defenseman Erik Johnson has a torn ACL in his right knee and will undergo surgery in a couple of weeks, a source has told the Post-Dispatch.

Johnson, 20, is expected to be sidelined six to nine months after injuring his knee in a golf-cart incident last week at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Obviously, this sucks. But, the Blues were not gonna make a serious run at the playoffs based largely upon contributions from Johnson. We have depth on defense, and Johnson was gonna get injured like this sooner or later. I'd rather have it happen now when he's not the main cog on the blueline than in three years when we are poised for a deep playoff run.

Who knows, maybe Johnson being sidelined will allow a player like Junland to make the team. I mean, we already know Johnson's gonna be a stud in this league, if we get a couple more promising young players to step up life will only get better.

Bad News, Good News

Notts County has played seven games this season and hasn't won any of them.

Notts County has played seven games this season and has only lost one of them.

Good Lord, I guess this could go either way. The good thing is they are still 18 points away from the relegation zone. (You read that right...Rotherham, Bournemouth and Luton all had points deducted at season's start...for what exactly I don't know. Luton is still sitting at -20 points.)

It's Not Just Me!

Just saw this from Steve Goff's blog:

What was worse: United's collective defending, the officiating crew or the high-pitched squealing that serves as the Beckham soundtrack? Tough call. (Just don't let Terry Vaughn make it.)

A-fucking-men.

Here is what Goff wrote for the Washington Post:

United was certainly willing to dwell on the officiating by referee Terry Vaughn and linesmen C.J. Morgante and Sean Hurd, who appeared to miss several offside calls. The most devastating decision was made by Vaughn, who ejected Marc Burch for a sideline challenge on Beckham, leaving resurgent United a man short for the final 27 minutes.

Burch certainly made contact, contributing to Beckham's tumble into a sign board, but it was hardly a malicious tackle. After the match, Beckham said he had told Vaughn at the time that the ejection was not warranted. "The momentum took me over the line and I lost my balance," he said.

"I swung for the ball and hit the back of his leg," said Burch, who must sit out Sunday's game at Dallas. "I guess that comes with bringing him to the league."

When Vaughn showed the red card, "the Galaxy [coaching] staff looked at me and had no answers; it's just a soft card. It was terrible," United Coach Tom Soehn said. "We all saw it: It was an absolute travesty."

This isn't a story on some dipshit's blog (hey!), but in the Washington Post. If MLS isn't embarrassed by it than the league office is more screwed up then even I think.

The St. Louis Blues: Fashionistas

Alright. I admit it. I think the new third jersey looks fabulous!

Not that there is anything wrong with that....

Ruining The Game

Look, I don't think DC United should have won this game, but when you look at the highlights it becomes clear that the referees completely ruined what should have been a barn burner of a game.

1) The red card to Burch was a joke; a complete steaming pile of a call that no one who actually likes the game could support. If MLS turns Beckham into even more of a prissy boy, how is that helping the league exactly?

2) Donovan's last goal is offside by a country mile. It is so not close it beggars belief that it could have been an honest mistake.

Look, almost every league has shitty refs. The problem with MLS is the refs are beyond shitty. My God, what I wouldn't give for garden variety incompetence.

I've Seen This Movie Before

"Bet on Logan."
"I would, Butch, but who'd bet on you."

So Adam Kennedy wants to be traded. Sounds fine, but remind me again what the market is for a banjo-hitting part-timer with massive upper cut swing and a $3 million-plus salary?

Fall Training: Skaters & Goalies Report!

Good:

Training camp officially opens on Friday morning with player physicals. After the physicals are completed, the team will go through on-ice and off-ice testing. The Blues’ website lists practices at 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. at the Mills on Friday . . . they are open to the public but keep in mind they will be testing sessions and not scrimmages.

I just wish I was in St. Louis, but I don't think I could sell the university that they would be better off with me down there instead of in the classroom here.

Damn them all to hell.

Jeezus

Courage Blues fans:

Blues defenseman Erik Johnson injured his right knee in a golf-related incident on Wednesday and will miss the start of training camp, which begins Friday.

He will be re-evaluated before Tuesday's preseason game against Dallas, according to team president John Davidson.

"This is a hard one to believe, but it's the God's honest truth . . . he was playing golf and he pulled the golf cart up to where his ball was," Davidson said. "And he took his left leg and put it on the ground and the right leg, he sort of reached back and put it on the brake. A lot of us do it . . . I do it all the time myself. As he pushed the brake, he missed a little bit, his leg got caught under there and he slipped and that wrenched his knee.

". . . There's swelling there. We're not going to speculate on this thing because we don't know. And we're going to have everything hopefully cleared up by Tuesday as to what it is and if there's a length of time or not."

I guess I should be happy his leg dosn't need to be amputated.

Still, I liked this response from a reader over at STL Today:

Was he playing golf with Vince Coleman?

Morons

Following a Cards club that was quit after a season long glut of injuries and dashed hopes is bad enough...but at least I'm not a Brewers fan:

The Milwaukee Brewers fired manager Ned Yost on Monday in the midst of a late-season slump that has jeopardized the team's chances of making the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

Third-base coach Dale Sveum will become interim manager for the remainder of the season. Bench coach Ted Simmons was reassigned to an advisory role.

"This was a very difficult move to make, and we appreciate all of the work that Ned has done to develop this team into a contender," general manager Doug Melvin said. "In the end, this was a collaborative decision made to put our club in the best position for the final two weeks of the season."

The Brewers share the NL wild-card lead with Philadelphia despite losing 11 of 14 in September, including seven of their last eight. Milwaukee was idle Monday.

Whatever the problems with the Brewers were, Yost wasn't one of them. (Is Doug Melvin the problem? Probably, but the success of the Sabathia deal is his "get out of jail free" card, at least temporarily.) I cannot imagine how such a shakeup at such a point in the season will lead to positive results, and I would certainly be happy today were I a Phillies or Astros fan.

There will be no joy in Mader's this season. (Unless you order the schnitzel.)

Our Enthusiasm?

You know things are bad when even last night, watching the Cards come back and beat the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth, isn't enough to get the competitive juices flowing. (Which are nothing like "vaginal juices" BTW.)

I'm seriously in need of a hockey infusion. An open ice hit that sends some sorry dipshit flying ass over tea kettle should get me in a proper frame of mind. (Not that I wouldn't accept a sweep of the Cubs too.)

Uh...Timing Is Everything

There is a time and a place to say just about everything, the key is picking the right time. This isn't a good example of that maxim:

England captain John Terry says that the players are underperforming because of a lack of confidence.

...

Terry said: "There's a fear of failure, speaking honestly. It's been like that for the last couple of years.

"I don't think we will be able to go out there and completely change it overnight. At club level, the lads feel free and can express themselves."

Maybe a good and important thing to say. But is it really what you want to say today? Really?

He will lead his nation in a World Cup qualifier with Andorra in the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on Saturday.

"Fear of failure" and "England v. Andorra" are two phrases you dont want to read in the same story.

It's That Time Of Year Again

Oskee Wow-Wow and we're off!

How sweet is it not to have an Illini-Mizzou match-up where the their respective national rankings do not tally up to triple digits. That said, I predict my Illini will fall 35-24. Even with Mizzou's offensive line concerns, I suspect Daniels will pick up apart.

FIRST HALF UPDATE: Wow. Mizzou looks like a team with a few games under its belt. On the other hand, the Illini defense was shambolic, the offense incoherent and yet the special teams still managed to be the lowlight.

LATE 3rd Q UPDATE: What a train wreck. The only positive the Illini can take from this is that complacency was a concern. No more. With the upcoming schedule this club is going to be fighting hard to get seven wins and a bowl bid.

4th QTR UPDATE: Why I love Mrs. Southlandish (also an Illini alum). "We've got them right where we want them. We've worn out their offense."

It's Midnight And I'm Not Famous Yet...

I've rarely slept so soundly as in this bed.

...but I still have the world by the balls. I'm back from a couple of weeks in Illinois and the report is superb. My godson grew up in a household of heathen Cubs and Bears fans. Yet, as this photo shows, he is safely in the arms of angels. Being a cruel bastard, few things have given me more pleasure in life than knowing that a Cubs/Bears fan cousin (whom I adore) has seen her beloved spawn grow sensibly into a Cards and Packers fans like his dear ole godfather. The Illini garnish is just the icing on the cake, seeing as that is the one loyalty the family shares.

Good News, Bad News

Contrary to the IM's speculation, Ludwick spared the streets of STL a weeping Southandish. As happy as I was it gave us a win, I was even happier it gave us an excuse to get Mrs. Southlandish home. She happily signs up for nine innings. After that she gets even crankier than a Mr. Southlandish who is watching Izzy meltdown two innings after beer sales have ended.*

The Goat and I realized that of the dozen or so games we have seen Pujols play live, this was his first homer. Damn, I just realized that I have seen him play at Fenway, Joe Robbie, Wrigley, Old Busch and New Busch. I am getting old.

The ride home on Tuesday was better than this afternoon. On the way down the Goat predicted one run on three hits and was only one shy on the latter. Thankfully, everything else about the day was stellar.

*advice to InBev: you want to win over St. Louis? Negotiate beer sales through the end of the game. Or at least full until 10:00. I'm not saying that I had a vendor shut me off at 9:58, thus forcing me to sprint across the deck to another more liberal vendor who brought me in with eyes that were like orange flourescent beams to a jet and upon arrival said, "It's 9:59. You're my last customer of the evening. What can I get you?" Rather, that those with a more anarchist, socially libertarian bent might appreciate it...

Cards Intent In Shitting All Over Their Fans

Here is the run down of the (still ongoing) bottom of the 9th inning:

- R. Villone relieved K. McClellan

- A. Jones hit for R. Troncoso

- A. Jones homered to deep left

- J. Isringhausen relieved R. Villone

- M. Kemp grounded out to second

- A. Ethier singled to center

- R. Martin singled to right, A. Ethier to second

- M. Ramirez walked, A. Ethier to third, R. Martin to second

- J. Loney singled to pitcher, A. Ethier scored, R. Martin to third, M. Ramirez to second

- J. Kent singled to right, R. Martin scored, M. Ramirez to third, J. Loney to second

This is the team that had no need of relief pitching.

UPDATE:

Isringhausen finally pulled, but Franklin gives up the tying run on a sac fly.

Izzy should be released.

FURTHER UPDATE:

Just realized Southlandish is at this game.

If you see a man in his forties weeping uncontrollably on the street of St. Louis tonight you will know why.

Summer in St. Louis

Heard Shannon say on the radio that it could hit triple digits tomorrow. Lovely. I'm going to the ballpark on both Tuesday and Thursday. Hopefully the Thursday afternoon forecast of 86 for a high will hold. That would be lovely. 

What Kind Of A Moron Do You Have To Be...

...to keep batting a slow of foot rookie in front of Albert Pujols? How many rally killing doubles plays does Mather have to hit into before LaRussa decides its a stupid idea?

Evidently the answer to that second question is "a whole hell of a lot of em."

Oh, joy.

Bizzaro World Cont.

The USA Today coaches poll was released today. GASL notables:

Mizzou #7
Illini #19

I still find this too weird for words.

Uh, O.K.

I thought Dan Hinote was supposed to be a "character guy." Dan Hinote's wedding: Featuring Playboy playmates, transvestitism and Jim Carrey dressed as Fidel Castro

It's the transvestite I'm worried about:

Hinote pointed out in his groom's speech: "You must be a bunch of screwed up people to dress up like the '50s, right? I have a teammate dressed as a woman."

That teammate would be St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay McKee. Who showed up to the wedding in "a blond wig, 'Seven Year Itch' white dress and heels." As Marilyn Monroe.

It was reported McKee wrenched his knee on the dance floor and will be out until mid-January.

Where's The Screed?

When I read the following on STLToday,

Political talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh said if the St. Louis Rams came up for sale, he might be interested in buying the team.

I was expecting much wailing and gnashing of teeth from Automaticagainsayer.

I'm kinda disappointed.

The GASL National Anthem

This is preternatural. Go here and listen to "I'm Watching The Game."

It's like they were in my house.

I think I'm having an aneyuresem.

The Start Of Something?

Last evening I did something I had been threatening to do for some time; I went to a Minnesota Thunder game. The Thunder is the Twin Cities representative in the USL First Division (former A-League), so, according to my way of thinking, it is alright to begin to follow them as they represent a different level of soccer compared to DC United and MLS.

And, yikes, what a different level it is! The wife and I were part of the teeming throng of 3176 people who witnessed the clash against the Rochester Raging Rhinos. The Thunder lacked some qualities, it must be said. So did Rochester. Former Wycombe Wanderer/Leicester City (and, briefly, DC United) winger Steve Guppy featured for the Rhinos, while the home side included former DC United hand Steven deRoux, so here is a little cross over to grab my attention at least. The play, however, was pretty lackluster. Minnesota started brightly enough and looked more likely to score in the first 12 minutes or so, but after a freekick from Ricardo Sanchez whistled by the post, the Thunder never really threatened again.

Not that Rochester was peppering the goal either. Still, when Menyonger one timed a cross into the back of the Thunder net in the 19th minute (by far the most stylish play of the match), you never got the feel that this was going to get away from Minnesota. The rest of the match was rather uneventful. The Thunder goalkeeper made two nice saves, and the Thunder cleared two balls off their goal line...which resulted in the loudest cheers of the entire match....never a good sign. The Rhino goalies made one save, according to the stats, but I don't remember it.

This is not to say the Thunder is a complete lost cause. They have some nice pieces. Melvin Tarley can play the center forward back-to-goal role pretty well, but he got zero help up front. Luchi Gonzalez has a great soccer name (and bright red shoes) and if he ever felt like actually playing the wing he was assigned to, he might be able to whip in some useful crosses. He spent most of the game ducking inside to display a variety of useless one-on-one moves that left me groaning. DeRoux is a useful little player, but he was manhandled by a bigger and stronger Rochester right back. Still, he never quit. Ricardo Sanchez obviously has a little bit of class, but he got frustrated early and wasn't nearly as effective after the first half hour. (I think he also got tired of watching Gonzalez run into the middle to get dispossessed.)

No other Thunder player made a noticeable impact upon the game. Kyle Altman made one promising run from the midfield, and would have been through to the keeper but for a wrongly decided offside call. That was it.

Still...the stadium was pretty good, the parking was free, the popcorn and soda were not terribly overpriced...so things could have been worse. However, they didn't have beer on sale because the beer truck "got held up." Unfortunately, they didn't mean by armed men looking for some hoppy refreshment. No, they meant the beer truck was doing too much business elsewhere to be bothered to serve 3000 soccer fans (of whom only about 1000 could legally drink, I must admit.) Bush league!

I'll have to wait and see if the USL soccer thing will catch on with me.

What A Sporting Night

A man waiting for his Jack Ruby.

Occasionally, the stars do align or worlds collide or perfect storms occur...or something... and serendipity hands you a perfect evening. With absolutely no forethought, this evening started with a great workout at the gym, an hour of fun on the tennis courts with friends who have moved back into town and then seared, mustard-marinated lamb chops on the grill washed down with a .750L of Chimay Cinq Cents. Hell, that was perfect without even trying.

But is gets better. At the last minute I recorded the KC/Columbus MLS match and am now watching the second half of a cracking match while tracking the Cards game online. In ten minutes I will switch over to VS. and watch the end of Stage 12 of the Tour de France and an hour later catch the recap of the first round of The Open.

Then The Goat just sent a great e-mail:

It really does baffle me how an All-Star who is leading the team in RBI can be on the bench the first day back after the break and fucking Chris Duncan is in the line-up. Surely Jeff Gillooly could use some work these days.

Oh, did I mention I have another bottle of Chimay Rouge chilled in reserve? And Joe Mather homered just as I was getting ready to hit PUBLISH POST. I am one sexual favor away from Nirvana at the moment.

Well Done, Again

As I was watching the Card's disgraceful melt down against the Pirates, I was also trying to keep an eye on the last 30 minutes of the Chicago/Toronto MLS match. Once again, it looked like a helluva lot of good attacking soccer was on display. It has been very hit and miss for me getting to watch the MLS this year, but what I have seen has been damned exciting and the parity has to put a smile on the face of league officials.

The Worst Thing About The Post-Dispatch

Without a doubt the worst thing about the sports coverage of St. Louis' major daily newspaper is the incessant moralizing of Bryan Burwell, who seems to consider himself some sort of Pope capable of dealing out final judgements at the drop of a hat. There is a "good" example of this in his column about Mark Mulder:

So for all the stupid and irrelevant angst the chat room grumblers and call-in nitpickers claim they are experiencing, none of it measures up to what Mulder has suffered. "I just keep getting let down. I don't know really what to do," Mulder told the Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss after Wednesday's crash and burn.

I can't tell you how annoying it gets to read the narrow-minded stupidity of "fans" who claim some sort of victimization from Mulder's medical misfortune.

Oh, give me a break. Do some fans get a little too emotionally involved? Sure. Do they take some ill-considered positions about players or managers? Undoubtedly.

But, that is the fucking point of being a fan. (Which reinforces my belief that Burwell has no real connection to the St. Louis teams. Someone like Jeff Gordon keeps his professional detachment, to a point, but you can tell the Blues missing the playoffs bugs the crap out of him.)

These "stupid" and "annoying" fans are not getting paid to follow these teams, in fact it usually costs them money to do so. They are literally "invested" in the team/players in a way Burwell isn't. So Burwell could easily keep his bitching about fans to himself, since he isn't one of them.

Well Done

It wasn't always pretty but tonight's Chivas/Galaxy match was balls-to-the-wall fun. In the past couple of years I've seen countless matches among the top four in the EPL. While they are not technically derbies, they are hyped to the max as the matches that matter, whether they are EPL, FA Cup, League Cup or Champions League. They almost always disappoint as defensive (not in a good way), tentative, shitty soccer. Invariably, the soccer punditry in England bitch about how worthless these matches are, lament that none of the teams are willing to play an open go-for-a-win game and someone points to the lower leagues as the proper example.

Nonetheless, whenever the MLS is mentioned to these same types, it is ridiculed as a lower English league. Yep. And tonight they proved the point by playing some damned enjoyable soccer. And Razov's goal was an absolute gem.

A Lack Of Conviction

I like trying new beers. When I hit the local liquor store I'm more likely to pick up a six of something I've never heard of rather than go with an old favorite. It isn't that I think there is anything wrong with the beers I already like, I'm just always open to having "new" favorites. When I peruse the shelves and see nothing interesting then it is always nice to "fall back" on a trusty old friend.

Well, it's my turn to bring the booze for the weekly wargaming night, so I hit the store this afternoon. In addition to the brew I picked out for this evening (Old Peculiar) I also picked up something new (to me at least.) Colonial Pub Pints come in four packs of draught cans, which I've grown to like immensely thanks to Boddington's and (especially) Belhaven's. I picked up their Brown Ale and headed home for a tasting.

When you open it, the first aroma that hits you is reminiscent of home brew...that's not entirely a good or bad thing...but it pours easily, with just the right amount of carbonation, by American standards at least. The color is just right for a Brown Ale, and after it is in the glass you can detect hints of toasted malt and caramel in the nose.

So far so good. In fact, I really got my hopes up. The packaging has prose playing up the English origins of the ale style and I thought for a brief moment that the brewers (from Minnesota) had actually made an English style Brown Ale.

No such luck. When you drink it you are hit by their very aggressive hopping. I know this isn't uncommon among American Style Brown Ales, but its all wrong for something selling itself as British inspired. It simply is too close in flavor to a Pale Ale for my tastes. If you want to make something that hoppy, why not stick with Pale Ale, so maybe an Extra Special Bitters? The beauty of a nice English Brown Ale is the toasty, nutty quality of the malt, where the hops add only a hint of bite.

Putting my disappointment side for the moment, I have to admit this is a pretty nice beer if you like American Brown. Despite the home brew smell at the outset, there is nothing of that in the finish. The only aftertaste is a slightly bitter hoppiness, that is actually quite pleasant. The ale holds up nicely as it warms as well. It actually mellows a little bit as it warms to a more English like serving temp.

I entitled this "A Lack of Conviction" because I fear the brewers had actually wanted to make an English style beer, but decided they didn't want to go against American expectations. Its a shame because the American habit of hopping every beer to within an inch of its life is getting kinda old. As is, this is a good beer and worth a pour. But it misses being a great beer by a very small margin.

Shitfuck

Fuckshit.

IMW Adds:

I don't know...by this point isn't there a "death & taxes" finality about Mulder? The only thing more certain than an eventual Mulder breakdown is the inevitability of every rag-armed minor league lefthander being treated like Cy Young by Cardinals hitters.

It's A Home Run Or Nothing Here On Home Run Derby

Paging the Nothing Party.

Joe Strauss:

PUJOLS IN DERBY?
Seven-time All-Star Albert Pujols says nobody has asked him, but he's ready, willing and able to participate in next week's Home Run Derby at All-Star Game festivities at Yankee Stadium.

In the Pantheon of Stupid MLB Ideas, the Home Run Derby deserves its own special wall - a long endless one.

Did you hear the one about the guy who died in the Pantheon?

He ran himself to death looking for a corner to shit in.*

*I hope we can all overlook the odd dangling preposition in a poop joke. Somehow, "he ran himself to death while searching for a corner in which to defecate" just didn't have the same ring to it.

Six One, Half Dozen The Other

From the BBC:

New Zealand rugby fans watching a regular sports programme found themselves viewing hardcore pornography instead on Sunday afternoon.

Four minutes of pornography interrupted sports coverage on the Prime Television channel, after what a spokesman described as a distribution mix up.

Good thing it wasn't gay porn, otherwise no one may have noticed the difference.

Fucking Cubs...Again

"Let me just drop trow and perform a little colon blow on all you baseball fans again."

Once again, MLB has fucked me over. I got to see Friday night's Cards/Cubs game on WGN and Sunday's on TBS (their broadcasts are a pleasure to watch compared to pretty much everything else out there). Of course, the lone victory in between was blocked out here on FOX so we could see the Yanks/Red Sox play for the 1,267th time in four years.

It is wonderful to see this Cardinal team playing so hard and winning some exciting games. Still, I'm growing weary of announcers who constantly extol the team's grit and determination for want of much else to praise. All in all, I'd happily return to the days of yore when they were slack-jawed at our offensive production and a staff that was piling up quality start after quality start. I think it is safe to say that one World Series title from a shitty division and post-season overachievers is the quota and we're more likely to get our next pennant and/or championship from teams of the 2000-2005 ilk. I'm afraid I don't see the horses on this team to pull it off. As one friend put it to me this morning: "Playing from behind at home against your arch rivals all Fourth of July weekend is a crime."

Oh well, I promised not to bitch about this club. It's hard to believe we're 10 over .500 and still within 4 games in the loss column a week ahead of the All-Star break. If we can manage to hang around within six or eight games until September when we have two series with the Cubs, this will be one helluva season.

¡Viva España!

Spain wins Euro2008, Alejandro Valverde wins the opening stage of the Tour de France and Raphael Nadal takes the Wimbledon men's title. Not a bad week. Add paella and the fact that the women of Barcelona are among the most gorgeous, stylish creatures in the world and you have an embarrassment of riches.

Since Valverde is one of the favorites (4.5 to 1, I believe), I guess I wouldn't be betting against him standing on the podium in Paris on July 27th. In the meantime, I might also put a few bucks on Sergio García to win his first major at Royal Birkdale next Sunday.

Cautious Optimism

I'm not holding my breath, especially since we won't be seeing these kids for a while, but it sounds like Weber may have a chance to get the "can't recruit" monkey off his back. ESPN is pretty high on his recruits from the Class o' 2009.

H/T to Chin-Chin for the link.

Euro2008 Predictions, Sort Of

What the fuck do I know about soccer? Well, actually more than this Southlandish guy.

Time for a prediction for the last Euro2008 semi-final. Why not. I'm in a masochistic mood, having just returned from the Disney area of Orlando. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to accompany Mrs. Southlandish to a conference. There are five days of my life I'll never get back. The vile, venomous vitriol I spewed describing the area in e-mails, shocked even some of my hardened friends. The English language is bereft of words to describe just how much I loathe that fucking place.* A single day's experience at Epcot a dozen years ago was enough to tell me that Disney should be avoided at all costs and for 18-plus years I successfully dodged it. As hot, muggy shitholes go, it is worse than in my nightmares. The whole place looks like an architect eating Skittles puked on the plans and some genius declared, BUILD IT! Think of Houston and East St. Louis producing a Technicolor urban love child, minus their respective culture and style. Add $14 hamburgers and $15 martinis. Worst of all, the whole sweltering cesspool is teeming with humanity. The experience left me yearning for a holiday in the slums of Calcutta.**

A water view and penny a pint local grog, you say? I'll take it.
It's already better than the Disney crap heap where I last stayed.

OK, enough of that rant. On to the inevitably wrong predictions. Spain will bring the Russian train to a halt with a 2-1 win. With that established, I'm going to leap ahead and predict a Russian victory over the Germans on Sunday.

*It was appropriate that George Carlin died while I was in Orlando. In his honor, for 120 hours I failed to utter a single sentence that did not include a combination of his infamous seven words.

**Since I am so clearly a glass-half-full kind of guy, I'm always looking for silver linings. In this case, it is safe to say Mrs. Southlandish will not me requesting my presence at Orlando conferences in the near future. Mission Accomplished.

Blues Draft Review

Well...in some ways it went as I expected. The Blues wound up taking one of the highly touted defensemen (and quite clearly the best one available at #4), and, as I had thought they might, the Blues took a goaltender with a second round pick. In neither case did the Blues get the player I would have preferred (I would have liked Bogosian over Pietrangelo, and Pickard over Allen), but I like the approach.

The Blues had three third round picks which they used on forwards, which makes a lot of sense for a franchise that is so set on the blueline. If one or more of them turn into useful pros, then the Blues will have something.

The one thing missing is that one winger with real goal scoring upside. Maybe this is something the Blues feel they can address in free agency (I doubt), or via the trade route (possibly.) A part of me was pained to see someone in our division pick up Filatov. If he pans out we may have a pain in the ass in Columbus for years to come.

Still, on balance the Blues did well. Picking up Mason from Nashville also fills a hole at backup goalie, which will be helpful. I was sort of sad to see long time Blues forward Jamal Mayers go in a trade...but we do have a surplus of 3rd line forwards. Jamal bled Blue, but we needed to go in a different direction.

Apropos Of A Crazy Euro2008 Match

The BBC's That Mitchell & Webb Look is one of my favorites and I've been meaning to post a few videos lately so tonight's the night. Even Mrs. Southlandish stops what she is doing to laugh at these two:





And then, just because to me this is the best play-by-play duo since Statler and Waldorf:

Filatov

Based upon my continued reading leading up to this NHL Entry Draft, I have to make a slight alteration in the GASL Draft Board for the Blues. I listed the probability of Nikita Filatov being around at #4 as 90%, but the more I read from him, the more it becomes clear that he really wants to play in the NHL. If NHL teams are sold on that, then the only issue that comes up with him is if he will ever fill out his skinny six foot frame to survive the rigors of North American hockey. Most scouts believe he will.

Given this, I will have to revise my estimate. This will also alter chance that a couple of other players on the GASL board would still be around.

The Changes:

#2) Zach Bogosian, RD: Was 15%. Now, make that 25%.
#3) Nikita Filatov, LW: Was 90%. Now, 50%.
#5) Alex Pietrangelo, RD: Was 90%. Now, 100%.
#6) Colin Wilson, C: Was 98%. Now, 100%.
#7) Drew Doughty, RD: Was 85%. Now 90%.

If the Blues don't decide to trade the pick, I increasingly get the feeling Doughty will get selected. This is reinforced by the rumors I hear that the Blues have been talking up Luke Schenn. That has the feel of trying to discourage teams in the Top Ten from attempting to trade up to #3.