(Get) A Sporting Life

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...

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.

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...

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 mu...

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 fourt...

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.

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...

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?