(Get) A Sporting Life

After some hard fought but predictable loses to, let us face it, better teams, the Billikens have beaten another team I wasn't exactly expecting them to beat : Kwamain Mitchell scored 22 points, including two 3-pointers during a key second-half run, to lead Saint Louis to a 71-61 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday night. Willie Reed added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Christian Salecich scored 10 points for Saint Louis (5-3), which ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-0 at home. Kevin Dillard had 23 points to lead Southern Illinois (3-2) Great win for the Bills. This means I'm revising my win prediction upwards, from 8 to 10 wins. The improved consistency of this team is starting to impress me.

There really is no other word to assign to French striker Thierry Henry anymore. In a moment Henry destroyed a career's worth of goodwill bought in blood, sweat, tear and good humor, with a blatant hand ball. And it isn't just that the ball went off of his hand and resulted in a goal. Sometimes that happens with no intent being involved. No, this was a case of a deliberate batting a ball which was heading for a goal kick back into play. It was the sort of play that, had a defender done it, would have merited a straight red card. It was cynical, sad, and a mockery of the FIFA "Fair Play" signs displayed at every World Cup match these days. Here is how Lee Dixon sees things : I played with Thierry Henry for six years at Arsenal and I can assure you he was as honest as the day is long. But people will look at his handball in the build-up to France's extra-time equaliser, which sent them to South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate victory, and say he's cheated. That'...

I really think any sportwriter who voted for Lincecum #1 AND who doesn't live in the Bay area should have their right to vote for the Cy Young taken away from them as they have the baseball IQ of a gerbil. I also think anyone who would defend this vote knows nothing, and I mean nothing about baseball . On Thursday, Lincecum became the only pitcher to capture the Cy Young Award in each of his first two full Major League seasons. The San Francisco Giants right-hander was named the National League's repeat winner Thursday in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "It's a tremendous honor for me," said Lincecum, 25. Fuck you Lincecum, you didn't earn it your little girly doped up asswipe. The fact Wainwright got 12 (the most) first place votes, but only 5 second place votes, and 15(!)third place votes means that way too many writers are stupid ass motherfuckers, who are more interested in sucking the cocks of folks living on the ...

The Billikens did it again: Billikens ride hot shooting St. Louis University has had trouble getting schools from big conferences to put it on their schedule, and games like Wednesday night's may show why. For the second straight season, SLU took on a team from a BCS conference early in the season at home and came away with a win. Last year, it was Boston College of the ACC. This year, it was Nebraska, which SLU handled easily in a 69-55 win at Chaifetz Arena. The Billikens (2-0) overwhelmed Nebraska on defense, holding it to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half, and draining a steady stream of 3-pointers that keyed an 11-0 run that gave SLU a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Kwamain Mitchell led SLU with 20 points, making seven of 10 field goal attempts. Willie Reed had nine rebounds and seven points. Kyle Cassity had a career-high seven rebounds and four assists. I'll admit I had this game down as loss when I looked through the Bills' schedule. Taking care of business...

I figure if I was gonna bitch about the Billikens before the season even began I should praise them when they put forward a good effort . Willie Reed scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds and Brian Conklin had 15 points to lead Saint Louis to a 59-41 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night. Kwamain Mitchell added 13 points for the Billikens (1-0), who helped coach Rick Majerus improve to 22-1 in season openers. It is particularly good to see Reed get off to such a good start. Not only did he go for 15 and 12, he also chipped in 3 blocks as well. The Bills will be a little undersized this year so it will be vital for Reed to contribute on a regular basis. I'm not ready to shift from season prediction yet (it was only SEMO after all and they only won 3 games last year), but they took care of business easily. It's a start.

You know, as a longtime fan of a mid-major college basketball program I don't think I have unreasonable expectations. There is no possibility of long term sustained success for a team like SLU and I accept that. Sure, UCLA or Duke or North Carolina can have such expectations with a clunker team only coming along once a decade or so. The Billikens will always be more of a roller coaster ride, or at least should be a roller coaster ride if things are progressing as they should. The one thing this team has not had since Majerus arrived is "progress". They've gone 16-15 and 18-14 the last two years, and now there are no upperclassmen to speak of, and this collection of Freshmen and Sophomores are predicted to get absolutely spanked. Maybe I should be more patient, but I really thought there would be better recruits in the pipeline by now. (Dwayne Evans, who will come in next year is a decent signing, but I'm hoping for more of this type of recruit.) I'm predicting...

Really, I've no time these days. It feels like I should have time, but every day I look up at the clock and, shit!, another day is in the books and I'm dragging my tired carcass off to bed. Oh, I wake up early enough in the morning but by the time I update my radio station, drink my morning tea and eat my morning bagel, I'm nearly late for work. Once I'm at work I've got my nose in a book prepping for class, or I'm studiously avoiding grading papers with office banter. As a result sports have fallen off the radar to an unusual degree for me. I'm still watching it a bit, but I'm not really following it. For example, I've no idea if the Cards have made any moves since the season ended. Not only am I not looking at the baseball blogs but I'm not even reading the P-D. I do miss it, most of the time, but I'm pretty sure there isn't much I can do about it right now. If only I was paid enough to be able to afford to hire a manservant...

The worst official in American professional sports strikes again ...again! Baldomero Toledo single-handedly destroyed what was shaping up to be the most entertaining game in MLS this year. Missed call followed hard upon missed call. True the PK called on Hejduk was probably correct, but multiple hand balls were missed (both outside and inside the box) and all of the missed calls hurt Columbus resulting in officiating that was horribly one-sided. (It doesn't matter what Toledo's intent was, the one-sidedness was the result .) Now, Salt Lake may have won this game anyway, but I hate the fact we will never know for sure. This isn't a case of a tight game with a lot of close calls where the refs are always dancing on a knife's edge to keep in under control. No! The problem here is Toledo is always nowhere near the play. Obviously the game moves way too fast for him to keep up, and the result is missed call after missed call. The average fan is let praying that the poor off...

D.C. United president fined for critical comments : D.C. United president Kevin Payne was fined $5,000 by Major League Soccer, then apologized on Thursday for criticizing the league and three teams. The MLS said Payne was punished for "public comments deemed detrimental to the public image of the league" and pointed to an item posted on The Washington Post's Web site this week. Payne was critical of the conservative playing style of Colorado, New England and Real Salt Lake in quotes posted on the site. Payne said the tactics create "a lot of games in our league that I can't watch." Payne is right. Colorado and Real Salt Lake almost always play the most negative game imaginable, and have for years. New England, once upon a time, could play attractive attacking soccer. This season they have been damn near unwatchable. For example, look at last night's nil-nil draw between Houston and Seattle. Sure there were no goals, but there was plenty of action. Action...

All I can say is the ALCS is unwatchable, if you like baseball. If you like watching the umpires (continuing) to give games to the Yankees, well enjoy.... but don't kid yourself that you are watching baseball. You are watching a corporate payday.

I really do...but life is kicking my ass in terms of free time (even if otherwise things are going well.) I simply haven't had the time to come on here and bitch about the inconsistent Blues, or the inconsistent DC United, or the shitty play of the Cards in the NLDS, or the shitty play of the Tigers in the second half of games... Oh, I'm bitching about all of those things. I just haven't had time to write about my bitching. Hopefully that will change on of these days.

Mizzou plays Furman today. It's 42-0 Missouri at the half. How does this help anybody?

Ho-Hum. Another GASL blogger against blogger showdown in St. Louis has ended with the inevitable drubbing : Reloading or rebuilding? That seemed a reasonable question for a Mizzou football program with numerous apparent X-factors entering its 2009 opener against Illinois on Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome. But by the time the Tigers had shredded Illinois 37-9, the tone of the questions already was changing radically: Might MU be as good, or better, than it has been the last few years? For all else that went so well as the Tigers beat Illinois for the fifth straight time, nothing was more promising and could have inspired more faith than the play of sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert from Parkway West. Actually...truth be told, I wasn't nearly so confident going into the game. I told my wife, in fact, that I expected Mizzou to get their asses handed to them. Oh, I knew the Illini had some defensive difficulties, but I expected the Mizzou offense to be mistake prone. Turns out mo...

...I know the Cards are playing great baseball these days. The pitching has been lights out. They are still hitting well since Holliday showed up. They are still catching the ball. I know we have caught the Dodgers for the best record in the NL. I know it. I know it. It's damn fun. (As I type this the Cards have the bases loaded with Albert up in the 7th, down 4-2. But, no! He grounds out! IS that allowed?)

Notts County keeps writing checks : Notts County have confirmed the signing of 34-year-old former England defender Sol Campbell on a five-year contract. Campbell was a free agent after leaving Portsmouth and has joined the League Two outfit, who were taken over this summer, in a purely playing capacity. "This club have got great ambition and I want to be a part of it," said the former Tottenham and Arsenal star. Campbell has 73 England caps and played for his country under Magpies director of football Sven-Goran Eriksson. Eriksson stunned the world of football when he arrived at Meadow Lane in July and in Campbell the club have now made their biggest on-field signing since being taken over by a Middle-East consortium. "Sven played a big role," said Campbell, whose move to Notts County was revealed by BBC Radio Nottingham earlier in the week. "He's a great man. He's managed all over the world and he knows his football, he's a proper guy. "He...

Even the ESPN broadcast crew has had enough of Baldomero Toledo. He single handedly destroyed the quality of last night's Sounders v. Revolution match, unless, of course, 32,000 Seattle fans actually paid good money to watch Toledo looking befuddled. MLS needs to get rid of this fool. He is making a mockery of the league. This leads me to my new (very old) joke: Person 1: How do you save a drowning Baldomero Toledo? Person 2: I don't know. Person 1: Good.

Does anybody have a good reason why video highlights from UK sporting events are only viewable by UK residents? God knows, highlights on ESPN or any other US based media are available to anyone in any country. I thought the BBC was supposed to be a news organization. I guess I was wrong.

End the season! Notts County 5 - 0 Bradford Lee Hughes scored a hat-trick as Sven-Goran Eriksson's era as director of football at Notts County began with a stunning win over sorry Bradford.... Notts County manager Ian McParland told BBC Radio Nottinghamshire: "We played some good football - like we did last year but today we stuck our chances in the back of the net. "It was a treat to watch. We've added more energy to the team this season. "We've won more tackles today than we did all last season." Yes, you read that right, ol' Sven has taken up residence with the Magpies . God only knows how this will impact the product on the field, but it should certainly be easier to convince potential signings that Notts is serious in moving up the ranks of English football. If we keep winning games 5 to nil, well, that would help too.

Everywhere I looked tonight I saw nothing but umpires convinced they are the reason people bought tickets. The Cards/Dodger game featured two primadonna. Home Plate umpire Jeff Kellogg is the worst kind of "Hey everybody!! Look at me!!!!!" umpire. You know the type. The kind of umpire that wants to make call, nay MUST make calls, even if the play didn't actually, you know, happen. Thus he says a player is hit by a pitch when they weren't, and he love to have his flamboyant strike out calls more then he likes to call strikes strikes and balls balls. But Kellogg was excellent compared to First Base umpire Rob Drake, who not only misses a tag that any non-blind first grader could call correctly 100% of the time as it wasn't even close, but who takes it upon himself to attempt to bait Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter. All Drake proved was he is a wuss of the highest order. Carpenter basically just told him to shut the hell up, and good for Chris. But, even Drake was ...

I'm sorry, but attempting to watch the Cards on TV when Wellemeyer is pitching is nothing short of a suicide attempt for me. I know its gonna end badly, but I watch anyway with the resulting blood pressure spike. The Cards are not on that often up here, and for some reason Wellemeyer seems to pitch every other game they show. (Literally. I've seen 10 Cards games on TV this season and I've seen Wellemeyer 5 times and Piniero, Wainwright, Lohse, Thompson and Carpenter once each.) When will the Cards wake up and realize Wellemeyer is this season's Kip Wells? He needs to go, and soon.

Jeezus H Christ. What should have been a red card against the Mexican asshole (I hestitate to call him a "player" as he's a fucking flopper and a cheater) for a flying elbow in the box is instead called as a penalty against the U.S. Welcome to bullshit 101.

Were there any justice in the world, this man would be fired from his job as an MLS ref, anally raped, and then shot. And I'm a DC United fan, not a Seattle fan. At least MLS should fine and suspend his amateur candy ass.

Oh my God....this could lead to something: Notts County takeover completed Munto Finance have completed their takeover of Notts County, reports BBC Radio Nottingham. Peter Trembling has been named as the club's new chairman and chief executive with Peter Willett alongside him on the board of directors. Former directors, including chairman John Armstrong-Holmes, have resigned. Trembling told BBC Radio Nottingham: "Our plans are very straightforward. We want to bring success back to Notts County Football Club." He added: "We have already voiced our plans for the next five years, and that's very clearly to get us into the Championship . You'll have to excuse me...I think I just soiled myself. Really, this is what I (and every other Magpie fanatic) have been waiting years for. If there is real financial backing put behind the team I'll just... Oops. I did it again.

I don't believe this shit : The USA and Mexico will play a World Cup qualifier on Wed., Aug. 12 at Azteca Stadium, a massive match that offers the Americans perhaps their best chance to end a lifetime of misery in Mexico City and an opportunity for El Tri to redeem itself after a wobbly start to the hexagonal. But if you are planning to watch the 4 p.m. ET match on the family of ESPN networks as you usually do for a USA qualifier, forget it. Telemundo has the U.S. rights to Mexican matches -- not just the Spanish rights, but the English rights as well. While the main network will carry the game in Spanish, Telemundo senior vice president for sports Jorge Hidalgo told the Insider today that his company will keep the English rights and show the match on mun2, an eight-year-old cable outlet geared toward a younger Latino audience that regularly shows programming with audio in English. The identity of the announcers, who will call the game in English, will be unveiled soon, Hidalgo sai...

It may be trendy to fall in love with the young hard throwing relievers coming up through the Cards system , but I thought we were doing the whole "build from within" thing in part because it allows us to make a move for immediate help, which DeRosa clearly is. We have no one on the farm who can really replace the missing production in the outfield and third base this season. That being the case, it makes sense to grab a DeRosa to fill in here and there. He is a plus bat and we need one right now. LaRussa has a good handle on how to use guys like this, and from what I read the in PD he's keen to have someone like DeRosa aboard. Yes, it would be great to keep Perez and see how he develops, but I never bought that whole "closer of the future" stuff. In my experience, if a kid is really ready to step in like that they do it right away (think of that ass Papelbon or Todd Worrell.) Now, some players do work their way into the position, but it usually takes a few yea...

You know, if the US had just got outplayed by Brazil and lost 2-0 I wouldn't have minded. I could have said, "Hey boys, good job. You really proved yourself." But this????? This is a choke job of the first order and as dis-spiriting a loss for US fans as can be imaginable. Oh, I know the game isn't over yet. But, trust me, it most definitely is over.

OK, I've had a couple of hours to decompress from that surprisingly tense semi-final. And I say "surprisingly tense" because I really wasn't sure we were gonna be in this match for long. I know Spain didn't look great against Iraq (or South Africa for that matter), but I chalked that up to them taking it easy waiting for the knockout stages. Yes, the US played a great game against Egypt, but, c'mon it was Egypt. Don't get me wrong, they are a good side, but they are no Spain. Anyway, here are some of the highlights from the press roundups: New York Times : Unlike that loss to Brazil last week, though, the Americans were confident, not nervous, in the opening minutes Wednesday. They bothered Spain with early high pressure, and the defense remained alert and cohesive throughout. By kickoff, the temperature had dipped near freezing early in the Southern Hemisphere winter, and Spain’s attack immediately congealed. Tackling by the United States was superb, defe...

...but I know more about soccer then the motherfucking idiots that FIFA allows to ref international tournaments. There have been three offsides calls on the US that were obviously onside (by a yard or two in each instance.) Now there is yet another straight red card (to Bradley) that was complete and utter bullshit. (Not even a foul as Bradley won the ball fair and square...but hey, he's just a greasy American I guess.) It's a fucking joke. BTW, the US has played great, and they deserve the win against Spain. Yeah, I mean that.

Now FIFA is using legally blind New Zealanders (I presume) to ref US games. The asshole calls fouls (and gives yellow cards) against US players who NEVER TOUCH THE OTHER PLAYERS. Now, the asshole doesn't see a obvious hand ball used to deny a US goal. Goddammit.

Oh wow I wish that was a rhetorical question! Unfortunately, I can tell you exactly how bad the refs in MLS are. In today's Galaxy/Earthquakes match I've seen... A) A ref give a card to a player for not setting the wall on a free kick the required 20 yards away. What's that? They are only supposed to set up 10 yards away? Someone better tell the ref as he's convinced its 20. B) I just saw an offsides call on a throw in. What's that? There can be no offsides on a throw?? Once again, that would come as news to MLS officiating.

If FIFA cannot find refs who can call the game on the field and not just the names on the jerseys they should just give it up. The US has gotten two red cards now and both of them have been complete and utter bullshit. Really these refs should have bodily harm done to them. I for one wouldn't shed a tear.

Saw this today from the AP: U.S. phenom Adu told to start playing regularly With the hype largely behind him, Freddy Adu is being told he needs to start playing regular club football to continue his development as a key member of the United States' squad. A two-year spell in Europe with Benfica and Monaco, spent mostly on the bench, has helped dampen much of the spectacular fervor and unrealistic predictions of superstardom that greeted him as a 14-year-old professional athlete.... He played just 169 minutes over 10 matches on loan at Monaco this past season and is set to return to Portuguese side Benfica, which paid Major League Soccer $2 million for him in 2007. Even so, his one goal in 13 international matches would be more than respectable for most young strikers who rarely play at club level. But his immigrant background and precocious talent long since led sponsors and agents to see him as a perfect marketing figure and trumpet him as the United States' first true footbal...

There is no doubt that the US cannot get a fairly ref'd game in CONCACAF . I don't know if they are racist or its a political thing, but I'm tired of it. We should petition to get in UEFA . Sure we would never get to a World Cup final, but at least the games would be fair. UPDATE: Perfect example: Ball handled by the last defender as the ball would have fallen to a US player in the box. That is not only a no brainer penalty (which was NOT immediately called by the ref) but also a no brainer Red card (which was not given of course.) Typical. FURTHER UPDATE: More typical. Donovan gets a yellow card for tapping a guys leg. Only problem? Guy rolling on the ground holding the wrong leg. Oops. But, hey, it had to be a card! Players from a Spanish speaking country were demanding one. Stupid floppers.

Sheesh. Now we are down to Honduras early. I'm thinking Bradley needs to be fired, even if the US comes back in this game. This team is terrible and there is no reason ti should be. They certainly have seemed unprepared, and that falls on the coaching staff, like it or not. Besides, I think the USMNT has outgrown our domestic coaches. We may need to have an outsiders eye. At least they would be able to see that Mastroeni is not good enough.

Those are the only words one can use for the pro-Red Wing coverage on Versus. Stupid motherfuckers.

CONCACAF should outlaw World Cup qualifiers on astroturf. The surface in Costa Rica is a joke. Its clown soccer. And while, yes, Costa Rica is playing better clown soccer than the US...who gives a shit? Its clown soccer!

...and the US is down two to Costa Rica, and Pablo Mastroeni is quickly becoming my new least favorite USMNT player. The game has passed Pablo by. Way passed him by. My God this is ugly.

Time for some head shaking: Defending champ United top FC Dallas in Open Cup Fred and Brandon Barklage scored Wednesday night as defending champion D.C. United beat FC Dallas 2-0 in a play-in game in the U.S. Open Cup. Fred scored in the 21st minute, and 2009 third-round draft pick Barklage got his first career goal in the 66th as United coach Tom Soehn went with a younger lineup to keep his veterans fresh for this weekend's MLS game against New York. Another rookie, second-round draft choice Milos Kocic, made four saves to get the shutout in his United debut. Although United won the Cup a year ago, they were forced to play preliminary matches in this year's tournament because of their poor MLS record in 2008. Why should MLS teams take this tournament seriously if winning it doesn't even guarantee you are participating in it the next year? And if it isn't something they should take seriously, then why are they playing in the damn thing at all?

...but she's pretty damn good. So, this morning I'm really impatient with just about everything. I'm bugged by the amount of time it takes me to make sandwiches, the amount of time my wife takes to drink her coffee, the fact there isn't a parking spot right in front of the building, the wait for the elevator...I mean every freakin' thing. Well, I work in the same building and on the same floor as my wife so she is witness to all of this, and it dawns on me that she is looking pained and expectant because she can't figure out what the hell is wrong with me. "Oh, by the way," I say as she begins to head for her office, "I'm being such a dick because I'm nervous about the Blues game tonight." "You're kidding?" she says. "No. That's really it." She rolls her eyes, but doesn't say another word. I'll take it.

I know I've not posted anything about it, but I am well aware that the Blues clinched a play-off spot last night (with an assist from the Minnesota Wild, who finally discovered the point of the game is to put the puck in their opponents net.) I'll admit it, I'm a happy man. This team has been a lot of fun to watch, and this run from 15th and dead last to 7th or 8th in the conference has been one for the ages. What is especially rewarding about following this Blues team is you are not only seeing a team "come together" in the sense of developing chemistry, but you are also seeing home grown talent grow into impact players. I know that is normal for followers of other franchises, but it is a novelty if you have been following the Blues your entire life. When I hear seasoned fans saying things like "This is my favorite Blues team!" I know where they are coming from, although my favorite team will always be the Monday Night Miracle squad of 1986. It is grati...

I'm watching DC play Real Salt Lake in their new stadium. It looks nice, but I think they need to let the grass grow a little. It is playing like "field turf" (aka shitty astroturf.) Right now the pitch in Salt Lake is perfect if your favorite part of soccer is a bad first touch. So far, 25 minutes in, DC is holding their own but not looking very dangerous.

What's the worst thing that could happen? Oh, yeah.

I guess the US likes home cooking. Here is Steve Goff on the win over T&T : Three goals for Jozy Altidore. Three assists for Landon Donovan. And for the U.S. men's national soccer team, three more points in its continuing pursuit of a 2010 World Cup berth. Altidore, 19, became the youngest player in U.S. history to record a hat trick as the Americans responded from a sub-par performance over the weekend and defeated Trinidad and Tobago, 3-0, Wednesday night before 27,959 at LP Field. He staked the United States to a 13th-minute lead with a one-timer from six yards, blended power, precision and a clever touch in the 71st, and capped just his ninth international appearance with a shot from distance that slipped under a beleaguered goalkeeper in the 89th. Four days after scoring during a second-half comeback that resulted in a 2-2 tie at El Salvador, Altidore kept the Americans (2-0-1) atop the six-nation standings and on pace to earn one of three automatic berths in next summer...

Sad times indeed : Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor have been dropped for Scotland's World Cup qualifier tonight for being "too Scottish", the Scottish Football Association have confirmed. It is understood the Rangers duo were displaying their "blatant Scottishness" in a drinking session at Scotland's Loch Lomond base after they returned from Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Holland in Amsterdam. "It was shocking!" shrieked SFA spokesman I. Fellate Youngboys to the media on Wednesday. "We had no idea this sort of thing could happen. First these two borrowed 90 pounds from the head coach, and then they bought a bottle of that horrid 'Scotch'. And then, to make matters worse, they drank it!" Mr. Youngboys then preceded to squeal and stamp his feet. "It gives me the silly willies just thinking about it." It is alleged that Ferguson, 31, and McGregor, 27, carried on drinking and reciting Robert Burns' poetry in front of gue...

Don't you ? My favorite: Manager: "He's 'sneaky-quick'." Translation: There is no objective measure by which this guy can be said to have a fastball, yet sadly he still isn't the rag arm of our staff.

World Cup qualifying continues for the USMNT tonight when they take on T&T in that well known soccer hotbed Nashville, Tennessee. All I can say is I hope we look better then we did over the weekend against El Salvador ("The Fighting Floppers"). Nothing is more frustrating then watching the national team struggle because they do not have the right players out there. For example, how many sub-par performances do we need to sit through before Bradley realizes that Brian Ching is not up to the standard of the international game? I know, in general, you can get away with starting Ching in games against CONCACAF competition, but shouldn't we be building towards a higher level of play? I'm sorry, but Ching is not "the poor man's Brian McBride." Ching is Ching, and that simply isn't good enough. Also, Bradley's decision to start Guzan last time out was a poor one. This is nothing against Guzan really, but he hasn't been playing for his club side ...

You might have thought, being a Blues fan for the largest part of my life, I would be used to the whole playoff chase thing. After all they made the playoffs every year from 1979 until they finally missed one in 2006. They were rarely threats to win it all, but making the playoffs was expected. Oh, once or twice they were close to missing the cut but it never really seemed all that likely. No, it took a season finishing dead last in the league to make missing the playoffs a reality. However, since that dead last finish the Blues have looked just as unlikely of ever earning their way into the playoff again. The NHL was no longer the league where nearly everyone made the playoffs every year. It was possible to be lost in the wilderness for considerable periods of time. (Witness the fruitless seasons in Columbus since 2000.) Given the state of the roster, the ownership situation, and the lack of any sure-fire talent in college/juniors, a lengthy basement dwelling period was inevitable. D...

Evidently, Billikens are just like potato chips; you just can't have one. United acquire M DiRaimondo in waiver draft D.C. United on Friday acquired midfielder John DiRaimondo via the waiver draft. DiRaimondo spent the last two seasons with the Colorado Rapids before being released on Wednesday. He made his MLS debut with Colorado in March 2008 after being drafted the previous year and appeared in a total of 11 games with the Rapids, scoring one goal. A native of St. Louis, DiRaimondo spent his collegiate career at the University of St. Louis, where he was named to the NSCAA All-American third team and was a Hermann Trophy finalist as both a junior and senior. I wonder what this "University of St. Louis" is, and if it is related to St. Louis University. Actually, I think this is a decent pick-up by DC. I can certainly view him as an improvement over Dyachenko.

I did the following for a comment thread at St. Louis Game Time (where I go by the name Rich of GASL), and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share. Rich of GASL : Oh, would that we had one of those superstars in St. Louis that will do no skating today! Andy Murray : What’s he that wishes so? My cousin Rich of GASL? No, my fair cousin: If we are mark’d to die, we are enow To do the Blues loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one injured superstar more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; (Unless it be those bastards of the Winged Wheel) Such outward things dwell not in my desires: But if it be a sin to covet a playoff spot, I am the most offending soul alive. No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from the IR list: God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour As one Kariya or Johnson more, methinks, would share from me For the best hope I ha...

Referee Sends Off An Entire Team In Argentina Violence in Argentinian football is not exactly an uncommon occurrence at the moment but last Saturday a situation erupted that was far from normal. Days after clashes in the game between Godoy Cruz and San Martin, an encounter in Primera C ended with one team having all their players sent off, including substitutes. Barracas Bolivar and General Lamadrid were the two teams involved, and when the incident occurred the home side were leading 3-0. However, with 60 minutes gone the game had to be abandoned after what can only be described as an extraordinary series of events. It started when three players and four staff from Lamadrid became involved in a dispute between the local fans of Bolivar. The incident soon escalated and within moments all the players from the away side came over to defend their team-mates and staff, clashing with the supporters. Plenty of punches were thrown and the violence had to be broken up by some of those present ...

Good fucking God almighty. I worried going into this season that referees might "magically" give a boat load of breaks to the Galaxy so that when Beckham returns he would be "playing for something." Look at this " penalty " and tell me what you think. DC was robbed pure and simple. So, was this a case of mind-blowing incompetence or a mandate from the league office? Time will tell. (Really that is the worst penalty call I've ever seen.)

Yours truly is not in tip-top condition these days. I woke up yesterday, went to take a leak and it felt like I was pissing glass shards. Because of my keen powers of observation I was able to helpfully point out "this hurts like hell!" A quick trip to the doctor later, with the accompanying examination of my prostate ("Moon RIVER!), it was deemed I had an infection and not a stone. The upshot is I've got meds and I still feel mostly like shit...though I'm not pissing blood anymore so I'll take that as improvement. (Those keen powers at work again.) I'm glad I'm feeling a little better because this is opening day for DC United. Things have been so screwy around the home front that I've had little time to keep up on MLS matters, though it may not have mattered much where DC is concerned. But here are some random thoughts as we go into the 2009 season: 1) My, but DC seems a little long in the tooth. Everything I read seems to be counting upon positi...

We shall speak no more of it.

Man, the Minnesota Thunder is going all out to get me as a fan. First there was this : The Minnesota Thunder announced today the signing of former D.C. United forward Quavas Kirk and former Seattle Sounders midfielder, Youssouf Kante pending USSF approval. Kirk has signed a two-year contract with one option year, and Kante has signed a three year contract. Then there was this : The Minnesota Thunder announced today the signing of former DC United midfielder Rodion Dyachenko and Maryland Terrapins defender Rich Costanzo. Dyachenko has signed a two year contract with one option year and Costanzo has signed a three year contract. Both players will join the Thunder when they start preseason training on March 13. Dyachenko, born in Russia, finished his third season with DC United in 2008, playing in 42 games and logging 1,452 minutes with one goal and three assists. He was selected 31st overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft out of UNLV. Shit, they are signing so many DC United cast-offs I hal...

Nice to see my evil thoughts about AC Milan and David Beckham are bearing fruit . AC Milan was knocked out of the UEFA Cup on away goals Thursday after surrendering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen. Andrea Pirlo put a Milan team including David Beckham ahead with a 27th-minute penalty and Alexandre Pato made it 2-0 six minutes later, but Peru striker Claudio Pizarro scored twice to eliminate the seven-time European champions and set up a meeting with Saint-Etienne in the round of 16. Ha. Go Inter.

Last nights Blues-Stars game was for all intents and purposes a playoff game. The hitting, especially on the Stars part, was what you'd expect from a team with everything to play for. However, the Blues played a near perfect road game and got out with the vital regulation win. Oh yeah. Dammit. There is no reason why this Blues team, the one on the ice this year , cannot make the playoffs. I want it, and I want to get San Jose in the first round. We owe those bastards from 1999-2000. Never would a table-turning scenario be sweeter. But, first things first...we got to keep winning. We are sitting three points out and there is still a lot of hockey to play. Here's to hoping the Coyotes phone in the game on Saturday.

Don't worry fans, this is a supplemental gig, and not a replacement for GASL. But, I've been invited to write a weekly column for St. Louis Game Time, the best St. Louis Blues blog... ever. There was no way I could say no. Not when the prospect of having this much fun was in the offing. So, every Friday I will be posting over there. Come along for a read .

Blues in Dallas. What the Blues do tonight will say a lot about what the rest of this season looks like. If fighting for that last playoff spot in really in the offing then a win tonight (and Saturday in Phoenix) is a necessity. Ideally, this would be a regulation win as the stupid three point games are just killing the Blues. Anything less, I fear, my result in the Blues looking to next season. In one sense that wouldn't be so bad, as I think the Blues will be pretty good next year, but I would love to get Oshie, Backes, Perron and Berglund a taste of the playoffs this year. Plus, I just miss it. GO BLUES!

Really big: Red Wings GM says season-opener tix gone in Sweden The Swedes are excited to watch some of their countrymen open the NHL season in Stockholm, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said Wednesday that tickets for their season-opening games against the St. Louis Blues sold out in less than an hour. Then again, maybe it wasn't Berglund that was the cause. What could inspire taciturn Swedes more than the chance of seeing Brad Winchester on the ice?

and... Florida 5, St. Louis 5 Preview - Box Score - Recap Line Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - FLORIDA 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 5 10 ST LOUIS 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 5 12 (END BOTTOM 9)

AC Milan...what a bunch of idiots . The vice president of AC Milan says the club's offer of $3 million for David Beckham was the market rate and it won't be increased. The Los Angeles Galaxy recently turned down the offer, calling it 'ridiculous.' Adriano Galliani said in Saturday editions of La Gazzetta dello Sport there won't be another offer. Good. I certainly hope they crash out of all competitions without winning a thing this season. If they don't realize that LA and MLS couldn't possibly sell Beckham for anything less than the per year amount they brought him into the league for, then there is no hope for them. And why Beckham would want to tie himself to such a team is beyond me. (Oh yeah, on AC Milan Beckham can be the 11th best player on his side and no one would notice.... sorry I forgot. When he weekly is only the 4th or 5th best player on the pitch for the Galaxy it's pretty fucking obvious.)

That makes a grand total of one sports commishes I can say that about. Here is why : MLS Commissioner Don Garber is getting fed up with the David Beckham issue and whether the English superstar will remain with the Galaxy or move permanently to AC Milan. In an exclusive interview with the Insider, he set a Friday deadline to finalize a deal. Beckham, who has played two seasons with Los Angeles, is currently on loan to the Italian power. "By Friday, he is either coming back or he is transferred," Garber said. "If it is not resolved by Friday, I will not approve the transfer. This has been going on too long. I understand Milan needs to come to some conclusion on their own and I understand from David's comments that he would like to find a way to stay. The only way that happens is if Milan makes an offer to buy him out of his contract that makes sense for MLS and makes sense for the Galaxy. We've got tickets to sell, games to schedule, sponsors have programs, we hav...

First it was Manny Legace shitting all over the Blues season... now it is Chris Mason throwing games away with crappy play. For everything the Blues organization has done right with their skaters, they have done nothing to supply the Blues with NHL quality goal keeping. Not a fucking thing. Oh, there are lots of shitty back-ups and "prospects" that all turn out to be failed "projects," but there is never anyone the team can count on game in and game out. Given the importance of the position this failure is inexcusable. And it is getting old really fast.

Four more years! Four more years ! In sports, it can take a while to close a book on a trade, whether it was good or bad for a team. In the case of the Blues' move in December 2007, which brought in Andy McDonald and sent Doug Weight to Anaheim, the book was reopened again on Monday. McDonald, 31, signed a four-year, $18.8 million contract extension with the Blues, a signature that without the trade might have been unlikely this summer in free agency. But after playing 49 games with the Blues last season, and 16 more this year before fracturing his ankle, McDonald said he became comfortable with the idea of being in St. Louis. "There's a number of things you have to consider when you are negotiating a contract and certainly (the young talent in St. Louis) was one of the biggest," McDonald said. "You look at the team, and the potential for success down the road, even this year, and that was a big reason. "I'm really happy here. I've been treated well,...

I have to say it....Legace deserved to get benched in favor of Mason. Manny played so poorly of late it is hard to argue that a demotion wasn't warranted too. To that end : The Blues placed goaltender Manny Legace on waivers this morning, and they will know this weekend whether Legace has been claimed by another National Hockey League team. If he is not, Legace -- who turned 36 on Wednesday -- will be sent to Peoria. Well, maybe Manny can turn this into a good thing. Get down to Peoria, get a lot of ice time, and get back into the groove. The important thing is to have the right attitude about the situation. Or not. "It's extremely tough," Legace said. "You play your heart out for a team, and the minute you hit a little bit of a rough patch, they dump on you.... WTF? Whose game tapes has been watching? Manny's play this year has been so poor I've been longing for the return of Roman Turek, and that's just sad. Really Manny, take it from all of us Blu...

Alright, you tell me. Is the following by Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle the sign of thoughtful analysis or morning drinking? Cards’ kids could trump Cubs’ vets for division title I still like the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Who cares if the Cubs have spent like drunken sailors? The Cubs have thrown money around the last three winters, and all it has gotten them is more disappointment. Does anyone think Milton Bradley is going to decide a division race? Besides, the Cardinals have something the Cubs don’t: depth in the minor league system. Hmmm... minor league system depth as trump card. I'm not sure I buy it completely. for example, the Minnesota Twins have traditionally had a pretty good farm system which has largely kept them respectable (or more than respectable), but I'm not sure any of the teams in their division have the deep pockets the Cubs are showing off. The main division rivals of the Twins (the White Sox, Indians and Tigers) basi...

And the officials. And fuck senile prick John Madden. They can't even call a forward pass correctly. All NFL officials should be executed by gang rape.

Oh those poor, poor picked upon Detroit Red Wings fan.... they have it so fucking tough . In the aftermath of losing a game in OT while two players were forced it sit because they violated NHL rules for lying about "injuries" that would magically keep them from skating in the ice dancing exhibition that is the NHL All Star game but would allow them to play for real the moment the season started back up, we are all treated with this whine: Even if the Red Wings won 8-0 instead of losing 3-2 in OT, the dislike and possibly out-and-out hatred pointed in Gary Bettman's direction would have reached firestorm status. Given that the Wings lost the services of Henrik Zetterberg and were able to eke out a point without their top two forwards, top defenceman, their rock-steady second-pair defenceman (Brad Stuart), but lost thanks to a series of bizarre bounces and some penalty calls that will spout new conspiracy theories, given all the "hugging" that was going on...This...

Saw this over at Game Time . And I'm not even a Hullie hater. Its funny 'cause its true.

Word is tennis pro Nicole Vaidasova is having some emotional difficulties that are affecting her game. I just wanted to let her know, if she needs me, I'm here for her.

Jeezus H. Christ. What exactly does it take to write for Slate ? Charles Pierce (who is NOT, I repeat NOT to be confused with Charles P ei rce) single handed proves it doesn't take a whole hell of a lot. The Cardinals' presence in the Super Bowl is fluky and disgraceful. [W]e are going to be inundated with mendacious swill over the next two weeks on the subject of what a great story the Arizona Cardinals are.... We're going to hear about how they magically transformed themselves at the end of the season. We're going to hear about the remarkable comeback of Kurt Warner. We're going to hear about how marvelous it is for the National Football League that a Super Bowl championship is within the grasp of a team so thickly dripping with obvious mediocrity that it's a wonder Charlie Sheen isn't playing left guard. We are going to hear all of this because the NFL and its broadcast partners operate on the very simple premise that everybody who reports—or follows—thei...