2011: Final Grades

Here is how my sporting life averaged out to in 2011:

St. Louis Blues: Weight 30%

2010-11 season ended in complete frustration as the Blues failed to make the playoffs yet again. 2011-12 season begins with a bang.

Grade: C+ (23.7 weighted points)

St. Louis Cardinals: Weight 25%

Didn't win the Central, but grabbed the wild card on last day. Won World Series. Lost Pujols forever.

Grade: A-/A (The lowest possible grade after winning the WS. 23.25 weighted points)

DC United: Weight 20%

Didn't make the playoffs again. Played better after getting DeRo. Season undone by injuries. Team threatens to move to Baltimore.

Grade: D (13 weighted points)

St. Louis University Billikens: Weight 15%

Limp to finish in disspiriting 2010-11 season. Roar off to 12-1 start in 2011-12, and even crack Top 25.

Grade: B-/B (12.45 weighted points)

Missouri Tigers: Weight 5%

Uneven season finishes strong with four straight wins including a bowl victory. Moves to SEC against my wishes.

Grade: C (3.75 weighted points)

Notts County: Weight 5%

Stayed in Division 1 by skin of teeth in 2010-2011. Off to great start in 2011-12, but slowly falling apart.

Grade: C+ (3.95 weighted points)

GASL GRADE FOR 2011: B- (80.1%)

The Unprotected

D.C. United and the rest of MLS have announced their unprotected players for Wednesday's expansion draft. DC left available:

•Barklage, Brandon
•Boskovic, Branko
•Brettschneider, Blake
•Burch, Marc
•Cronin, Steve (GK)
•Da Luz, Austin
•King, Stephen
•McTavish, Devon
•Morsink, Kurt
•Ngwenya, Joseph
•Quaranta, Santino
•Zayner, Jed

Of these I would think Brettschneider and King would be the most attractive, though I wouldn't be surprised if Montreal selected Burch.

I'm Beginning Not To Care

This crap keeps getting worse: DC United may have to consider move

Winner of MLS titles in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004, D.C. United has explored building a venue in Baltimore near Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. For now, Garber said the team must have a lower rent next season.

“If that means that they can’t get a new improved lease in D.C., they’ve got to move to another facility in the region. I will be supportive of that, and in fact will help them do that,” he said. “And if it means they can’t find a solution in Baltimore, then we’ll have to go through a process as we did with San Jose to think about potentially moving the team. I believe that we’ll have to go through that process, as well.”

Unless someone wants to move them to the Twin Cities this will just suck. I will not support "Baltimore" United. Ever.

Not that I'll even have reason to care as Garber seems intent in NBA-ing the hell out of MLS.

Garber also said MLS will go to an unbalanced 34-game schedule next year

What a stupid fucking thing to do. Shit Garber, why not go to a league of ten two team divisions where the top two in every division make the playoffs? Dipshit.

I still cannot stand it. It is SOCCER fans that have made MLS as stable as it is. Football or basketball fans will NEVER support this league. So run the fucking league for SOCCER FANS ALREADY.

What bullshit.

The Season Of Sad Continues:

I must be getting old. It seems all the greats are leaving us: SLU great 'Easy Ed' Macauley dies

Ed Macauley, who led St. Louis University to the NIT basketball title in 1948, which remains the school's signature moment on the court, died Tuesday (Nov. 8, 2011). He was 83.

His SLU days, though, weren't the end of Macauley's basketball career. He went on to a 10-year career in the NBA, being named to the league's first team three times and eventually being inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.

The 6-foot-8 center played for the St. Louis Bombers and the Boston Celtics before being traded back to St. Louis to play for the Hawks in a deal that sent Bill Russell to the Celtics. The Celtics retired his uniform number, 22. He also coached the Hawks for two seasons.

Macauley went to St. Louis U. High before coming to SLU, where with a team made up entirely of St. Louis-area players, the Billikens won the NIT at a time when it, not the NCAA Tournament, was considered college basketball's premier event.

Macauley scored 24 points as SLU, which finished with a 24-3 record under first-year coach Ed Hickey, beat New York University in the final at Madison Square Garden. Three days later, the team arrived at Union Station by train and was greeted by 15,000 fans for a parade.

"It was like a fairy tale," Macauley once told the Post-Dispatch.

Macauley's playing career ended long before I was born, but just like Stan Musial, he represented the glorious past of a team I love with eminent class and grace. I see from news reports that "Easy" Ed's wife had passed away earlier this year. That is the way it is with some blessed couples. They are never seperated for long.

Rest in peace, Ed.

Bob Forsch

Sad news yesterday with the loss of Cardinals great Bob Forsch. Bernie Miklasz gets it just right:

This is just awful news. I know how much Bob Forsch meant to all Cardinals fans but especially a certain generation of Cardinals fans -- those who were coming of age in the mid-1970s and into the 1980s. Forsch was one of the players that created special memories for an untold number of young Cardinals fans who began to fall in love with baseball and the franchise during that time.

Yep. Forsch was Cardinals pitching in this era.

Thank you for being one of my heroes, Bob.

Rest in Peace.

Winding Up, Winding Down

You'd think, based upon how quiet I have been (excepting all the bitching of course), that I had no sports to follow of late.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Take tonight for instance. I've got three games going: the Blues are on the road against the Flyers; DC United is home for their season finale against KC; oh, and the Cards are playing game three of the World Series. Ho hum.

I feel really weird. In a lot of ways I'm more annoyed at United missing the playoffs yet again then I am happy about the success of the Cardinals. Maybe that is because the Cards making the Series was less unexpected to me than DC sucking so bad. Then again maybe I'm just happier with something to bitch about. (I'd hate for that to be true... it would seem too Cub-like for comfort.)

However, I *AM* pleased with the play of the Cards. The late season push was thrilling, and the playoff baseball they have been putting on the field has been of a very high caliber. It's been fun.

I just wish I was more excited. Hmmm... I'd hate to think I was maturing or anything.

If This Is The Best MLS Has To Offer...

...Then I may have to re-evaluate if I want to be wasting my time and money on this product.

It cannot be worth my time to watch this crap when it doesn't matter HOW WELL the players play the game on the field because the refs will simply undo everything to suit their personal whims.

I really should demand a refund for the Direct Kick package. I was promised real soccer action, what I got was a seasons worth of referees jerking off in public.

The hell with it.

Wow... I Mean... Wow

If you didn't watch baseball last night you missed it. There will never be another night like it while you or I are still breathing.

Granted, what made it even more special for me is that every team I wanted to win (Cards, Phillies, Orioles, and Rays) did so... but still, even if one of your teams lost you had to think last night was special.

The most thrilling night in baseball history

Generally I'm very much against instant proclamations of "best ever" — but Wednesday night was unquestionably the most thrilling night of baseball in my lifetime. It doesn't matter who you root for. I've just seen the pinnacle, and I'm going to savor it. I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep for a while.

I'm not going to try to sum up the night at length, you surely had an eye and an ear on the action. You saw Evan Longoria(notes) and Dan Johnson(notes) playing hero in Tampa Bay. You saw the scrappy Orioles breaking Jonathan Papelbon's(notes) heart. You saw the tired and weary Atlanta relievers finally give against Philadelphia.

There were four critical games on the MLB schedule Wednesday and three of them saw a blown save with two outs in the ninth inning. You can't script this type of thing; if you saw this story in a movie theatre, you'd walk out, ticked off and muttering to yourself. Sports are the ultimate reality show, nothing decided ahead of time. You have to watch for yourself, no one gets to know the conclusion ahead of time.

It is a point worth remembering, especially for myself. In many ways my view of the Cardinals this season was a lot like those fans in Tampa who started leaving in the 7th inning last night because the Rays were down seven runs. It was a big mistake. Lord knows I've made that same mistake about the Cards several times over this season.

Now it is time to just enjoy the ride.

Nothing Good Can Come Of This

I keep watching the disintegration of the Big 12 with a growing sense of horror. At this point the league is no longer tenable, though not everyone wants to admit it.

However, as far as I'm concerned, there are no other options that I am willing to live with as far as the fate of Missouri athletics are concerned. Move to the Big 10? Fuck that shit. I loathe and despise the Big 10. Always have. Always will. And this isn't the good kind of loathing and despising - like the way I loathe and despise Kansas for example - its the I'd rather have my eyes gouged out with a rusty spoon than watch Big 10 athletics kind of loathing and despising. You might as well ask me to become a Cubs fan. It simply ain't gonna happen.

The SEC? I'm sorry, but what the fuck do I care about Auburn or fucking Mississippi? The only people in the state of Missouri who would care about a "rivalry" with Arkansas are Ozark hill people. Besides there is no way Missouri would amount to anything in the SEC. Who wants to be bastard step-child here? It would be like being Iowa State or something. No thank you.

But, the thing is, there are no other options.

Mizzou fans are indeed well and truly screwed.

And, yes, I'm talking about simply walking away from them as a fan. I can live without college athletics if it comes right down to it.

CONCACAF's Racism Problem

I hate the L.A. Galaxy. Loathe and despise them I do.

However, having just watched one of the more blantantly biased referring "jobs" I've ever seen, I have to say tonight I feel sorry for them. I've had it with CONCACAF. It is obvious they hate "gringos" down there, and U.S. teams are gonna get screwed no matter what.

Fuck 'em. We ought to try to join UEFA and they can have their rinky dink fucking backwater - no gringos allowed - and get one team in every World Cup.

I'm sick of their racist bullshit.

Liverpool Looks Pretty Damn Good (So Far)

It is early days yet in the EPL, but of the teams I've seen play so far its the Reds who have looked most impressive.

Today they are taking Bolton apart, though the real questions will be raised when they play the likes of Man U. and Chelsea. It has seemed the last couple of seasons that Liverpool didn't quite have the quality to challenge the top teams. I wouldn't be surprised if that changes this time around.

Peg O’ My Heart

Last evening I made something new for the Mrs. and myself called a “Peg O’ My Heart”. It went over real well with the wife, and I liked it pretty well too.

The recipe:

2 oz. dark rum

1 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. grenadine

Shake the ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

The drink is very fruit forward and more than a little sweet. This is in keeping with the time period of the drink. It pre-dates Prohibition when sweet drinks were far more common. In that it has more in common with 19th century cocktails than it does with the drinks of much of the 20th century. I personally didn’t find the sweetness cloying, but if you wanted to cut back on the sweetness making it with less grenadine (say two teaspoons) should work just fine.

I’ve seen on the net where some “Peg O’ My Heart” recipes call for 1 1/2 oz. of light rum instead of the larger amount of the dark.  This is a mistake, and may date from the time when Bacardi company was suing folks for making “Bacardi Cocktails” without using Bacardi rum. It very well could be some places got around that problem by tweaking the “Peg O’ My Heart” to bring it more in line with the “Bacardi Cocktail” (which consists of 1 1/2 oz. light Bacardi rum, 1 oz. lime juice, and 1 teaspoon grenadine.) The original “Peg O’ My Heart,” as far as I’m concerned, is simply the better drink.

I Like Football...

...but I'm starting to loathe the NFL.

The 365 days a year spent shoving it down my throat is beginning to grate.

I'm Tired Of MLS Ref That Don't Know The Rules Of The Game

Bill Hamid just got red carded on the worst call I've seen in years on a soccer field. A Toronto FC player lunged for a ball that as ultimately kicked into touch by a DC defender. The Toronto player, who never touched the ball, was subsequently run into by Hamid outside the area.

This isn't a red card. Period. If you think it IS a red card you a retarded dumbfuck who ought to be raped by wild dogs.

Why does MLS allow its product to be continually ruined in this manner?

I waqs going to watch this game, but now? The hell with it. MLS has shown repeatedly they don't give a flying fuck for its fans. So why should I give a shit about any of it?

Getting The Call

Cool story from Steve Goff:

D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid didn’t recognize the number when his cellphone rang Wednesday. So he let the call go to voice mail.

“I thought it was a telemarketer or something,” he said after Thursday’s practice at RFK Stadium.

Hamid ate lunch and then checked the message.

It was from Juergen Klinsmann, the new U.S. men’s national soccer team coach.

“I was shocked,” Hamid, 20, said. “As soon as I heard the voice, I knew it was him. I didn’t listen to the rest of the message. I put the phone down and was like staring into a far-off land. I started crying a little bit.”

Hamid had been chosen to join the national team ahead of next Wednesday’s friendly against Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia — the first senior call-up of his career.

Good for Hamid, and justly deserved.

And, good for Klinsmann. I didn't blog on his appointment before, but I must say I was pleased US Soccer finally ended the courtship and consummated this relationship. Bob Bradley did a fine job in his time at the helm, but you could just feel some sort of change was needed.

I'm particularly glad to see we didn't hire another American for the job. Sampson, Arena and Bradley were all good selections at the times they were hired, and an important step forward for soccer in this country. However, I've been wondering if we were not developing a little myopically, especially where the "American player" was involved. Maybe it is time for an outsiders view of the player pool. (Though, I must admit, Klinsmann's long association with soccer in the US makes him less than the ideal outside observer, he still coached in Germany relatively recently. He will be fine.)

I can't wait to see what happens now.

End The Season!

Here's hoping this is the start of someting good: Carlisle 0 - 3 Notts County

Notts County got their season off to a terrific start with a comfortable win at Carlisle.

The hosts started in lackadaisical fashion and fell behind when Jeff Hughes struck from close range.

Francois Zoko headed past his own keeper to double the Magpies' advantage before Lee Hughes capitalised on poor defending to make it 3-0 at half-time.

County had been pretty active this summer, so I had some optimism going into this season. Of course, last year the Magpies started brightly as well, so I won't be getting ahead of myself.

Just Because....

...we consider this the unofficial official Stubby Clapp blog:



You tell 'em Stubby!

Man, Skip Bayless Isn't Very Bright

He's outraged that Tony La Russa won't admit to a hectoring reporter he sent Motte out to drill Ryan Braun last night after Pujols nearly got drilled in the head by yet another foot inside pitch by a Brewers pitcher. Of course, La Russa isn't going to admit that. He'd be fined and/or suspended. Duh. The original reporter was a dumb fuck for pushing so hard in attempting to goad La Russa into getting himself in trouble with the league, and Bayliss is just as stupid for expecting La Russa to immolate himself.

I also loved when the original hectoring reporter starting whining how La Russa "sent out your hardest thrower!" to hit Braun. I wish La Russa had stopped and asked him of he needed his blanky or his mommy if he was going to cry so.

Rob Drake Should Be Retired

Turns out the piece of shit umpire from last night was Rob Drake. Evidently he wasn't satisfied interfering with the game last night and attempted to do so again tonight. First, he called Freese out on a pitch 6 inches inside (which he hadn't called a strike ALL NIGHT LONG) when the Cards were in a critical situation. Then in a similar situation in extra innings he called Yadier Molina out on a pitch just as far inside. Yadi, who had been catching for 9 innings already knew that hadn't been a strike, and Yadi went ballistic. As well he should have. Drake put the Cards in a materially disadvantageous position, and seemingly did so on purpose. (Just as his blown call at first base last night didn't seem accidental. The play at first wasn't close. Neither were the pitches to Freese or Molina.)

Yadi did bump Drake during the argument, a no-no which will cost him, but it was pathetic the way Drake pretended that Molina spit on him. Close ups on high definition television show Yadi did no such thing. Drake obviously has some sort of problem with the Cardinals. He should really grow a pair, or fuck off and die already.

This Is Just A Rant

Watching the Cards vs. Brewers game.... or should I say the Cards vs. the first base umpire & the Brewers game.

Cards just got screwed.... even the Brewers announcers stated "Not even close."

This shitty call has materially affected the game as the Cards would have cut the score to 5-3 in the 6th innings AND still had Yadier Molina up with 2 on.

That ump should be tied to a mound and devoured by ants. (And his bank accounts should be inspected to see if he is on the take. Yes, the call was that bad. It was not a bang-bang play.... Schumaker was nearly PAST THE BAG.)

La Russa made the situation worse by not backing up his players.

Really, there is no excuse for an umpire missing this call. None. I don't know who the fuck it is, and I don't care, all I know is he ought to not be an umpire... the thieving sack of shit.

Reality

Because the Cardinals refuse to do anything to improve the pitching on the major league ballclub the pitchers we do have are being used, well, incorrectly. Take Chris Carpenter. I love Carp. He has pitched his heart out for this team, but there is no denying it any longer: At this point in his career he is no longer a top of the rotation guy. He is a solid number three, but La Russa treats him like he is a number one. As a result he is left in the game routinely longer than he ought to left. The results are sadly predictable as he pitches well for five innings or so then goes out into a sixth or seventh inning and gets bombed.

Of course it doesn't help that the Cards refuse to get an established arm for the bullpen either. You can understand why La Russa might hope to sneak another inning or two out of Carp given the unsteady work by the guys we've got.

How many leads do we have to lose before we try a different approach?

Cards Draft: Day Two

Since Day One was so wildly successful, I'll stick around until the Cards' second round pick.

Daniel Norris is still out there. Evidently he will cost some money to sign, but I think we have a bit of cash.

I'll also look out for Jorge Lopez, RHP out of Puerto Rico.

UPDATE X2:

I'll also put out Alex Dickerson, OF Indiana U., potential big bat.

UPDATE X3:

Brewers took Lopez. Are those asshats reading this blog?

UPDATE X4:

Looking for another pitcher. If the Cards can be patient maybe Matt Purke, LHP TCU. He's been injured, but he's a high upside selection.

UPDATE X5:

Norris finally taken, by the Blue Jays. Possible steal if they can get him to sign.

UPDATE X6:

Cards selection Charlie Tilson, OF HS New Trier, IL

MLB says:

The Chicago-area high school product was known in the region for a while, but really helped his stock with a tremendous performance at the Area Code Games last summer.

Tilson isn't the biggest guy in the world, reminding some of a Brett Gardner or Jacoby Ellsbury, both of whom had more of a track record as college performers. He has been a two-sport athlete in high school, and that athleticism does play well on the diamond. He has some quick-twitch actions and has a good first step down the line. Overall, his speed grades out as above average -- he's not a true burner -- but he could be a solid leadoff hitter or No. 2 type in the future, thanks to his contact and on-base skills.

Tilson has a smooth swing and is quick to the ball, tending to shoot the ball in the gap with an opposite-field approach. He has below-average power and does need to gain some strength.

He plays center field right now and could be an average defender there in the future. The accuracy of his fringe-average arm should allow him to play center or left field capably. His size and strength might deter some, as could a strong commitment to college, but any Gardner or Ellsbury fans out there might give Tilson a try.

UPDATE X7:

Dickerson was taken by the Pirates with the first pick in Round Three.

I'm gonna wait to see who takes Purke, then I'm outta here!

UPDATE X8:

The Nats select Purke @ #96. MLB doesn't think they will be able to sign him as he can go back to school and hope to improve his draft standing.

Cards Draft

I've no idea what will happen, but I'm rooting for the Cards being able to get Jed Bradley, LHP Georgia Tech. They are on pick 12 and the Cards pick at 22.

There is a chance!

UPDATE:

Crap. The Brewers took Bradley @ #15.

I'm switching to Daniel Norris, LHP, HS Johnson City, TN (Where the Cards have a minor league team. WOuld be a nice story!)

UPDATE X2:

Only one pick to go and Norris is still there. If they go position player I would think SS Levi Michael or 2B Kolten Wong.

UPDATE X3:

Cards are up!

UPDATE X4:

Kolten Wong is the pick.



UPDATE X5:

In terms of "name" picks this draft will be a little slim for the Cards. We don't pick again until #79.

UPDATE X6:

More on Wong from MLB.COM:

There aren't that many pure college bats in this year's Draft class, but Wong has one of them. He gets overlooked because of his size, his position and the fact he plays in Hawaii. But, drawing comparisons to Carlos Baerga, Wong can really hit.

He's got a professional approach at the plate, with a little power, and is the kind of hitter who should not take a long time to get to the big leagues. He's an above-average runner, and while he may not be a Gold Glover, he's a solid defender at second base. There tends to be a knock against guys who enter the Draft already at second, but Wong is a much better all-around player than perhaps he gets credit for.

Even if he's underappreciated, he's still going to come off the board at some point in the first round.

Doesn't sound like a sexy pick, but I'm OK with this.

UPDATE X7:

If Cincy picks Norris here, I'll be pissed.

UPDATE X8:

I'm not pissed.

UPDATE X9:

Levi Michael wound up going to the Twins. Good for them. Norris still on the board. He will probably become a Ray selection soon.

Silly Season Opens In Baseball

The only thing I can call this is nonsense on stilts: Posey's injury stirs debate on baseball collisions

Ray Fosse watched the crushing blow to Giants star Buster Posey and wondered why after all these years there are still few rules to protect catchers at the plate.

If there's anybody who knows about collisions, it's Fosse.

He was at the center of one of the most iconic hits in baseball history, when Pete Rose barreled over him to score the winning run in the 1970 All-Star game. Fosse's right shoulder was permanently rearranged, and while he briefly rebounded from the injury, it started a downward slide to a career that was ultimately cut short.

"After Rose hit me in '70, I had two guys that blind-sided me, guys who hit me standing up," said Fosse, who stopped short of asking baseball to rewrite the rule book. "There's never anybody ejected for that."

The clean but cringe-inducing crash between Posey and Florida's Scott Cousins this week has still reignited the decades-old debate over plays at the plate.

Posey, the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and one of the game's brightest young stars, fractured a bone in his lower left leg and tore three ligaments in his ankle. His season is likely over.

In the past few years, the NFL has cracked down on violent hits and increased fines with an eye on player safety. The league also announced this week a policy of "club accountability" for teams whose players repeatedly are fined for flagrant hits.

Some in baseball are asking for similar action in the wake of Posey's injury. Others argue home plate collisions are as much a part of baseball tradition as peanuts and Cracker Jacks and the seventh-inning stretch.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy, a former catcher who had multiple head injuries in his playing days, called on Major League Baseball to explore ideas to protect players.

"I think we do need to consider changing the rules here a little bit because the catcher is so vulnerable and there's so many who have gotten hurt," Bochy said. "And not just a little bit, had their careers ended or shortened."

Even with advances in technology and improved gear, collisions at the plate still cause lasting injuries.

Bullshit. There is nothing inherently more dangerous for the catcher at home plate than any other player making a tag at another base. The reason catchers get banged into like they are blocking dummies is because they set themselves in the position to be run over like a blocking dummy. The way the game is officiated encourages this as well. Baseball allows the catcher to block the plate even when they do not have the ball, even though that is technically a no-no.

If you really want to cut down on the collisions you will have to call interference on the catcher EVERY TIME they make a baserunner alter their course when they do not have the ball.

This will never happen. So why are we bothering with this pointless conversation?

I Have No Dog In The Cardiff v. Reading Match...

..but my goodness does it looked fixed in favor of Reading.

Way fixed.

It All Comes Down To This

Last day of the season finds Notts County fending off relegation by the skin of its teeth. After 59 minutes Notts is level with top of the table Brighton 1-1 thanks to a vital own goal.

Elsewhere Notts needs Dang & Red or Walsall to drop points. Dag & Red are down 0-1 to Peterborough, and Walsall is down 1-2 to Southampton.

That would be enough to stay up. I'll be biting nails for the next 30 minutes.

Dismal Doings At DC United

Things are looking dire in my MLS world:

The 2011 season is beginning to look, feel and sound like 2010.

The crestfallen expressions in the locker room.

The coach questioning the commitment of the players.

The shambolic state of the defense.

The goals conceded on set pieces (and throw-ins!).

The overreliance on inexperienced players.

The misguided international signings.

The long-term injuries.

To this litany of woe should be added the glaringly obvious fact that as a head coach Ben Olsen is hopelessly out of his depth.

No one wants to admit this fact as Bennie has been such a huge part of United's history and everyone wants him to succeed. But there is little doubt this team is poorly organized, and that reflects more on the coaching than anything else.

Pathetic

Would someone please put Ryan Franklin out of my misery?

He isn't a major league closer. He's barely a major league quality pitcher. That the organization even began the season with him slated for this important a role is criminally negligent.

Omen?

All I can say is if this is the baseball IQ and the "effort" the Cardinals are content to go with this is gonna be a hell of a long season.

Ugly

It's about half way through the first game of the NCAA Men's Hockey tournament. All I can say if this is the standard of officiating we have to look forward to its gonna be a long couple of weeks.

In the game Union might be better than Minnesota-Duluth but is hard to say for sure since Union has been on the powerplay for roughly half the game so far.

I can just hear the fans chanting, "Let's go you Fighting Referees!!"

Probably For The Best

Search for new coach begins at Missouri

The search has begun for the new coach at Missouri.

Missouri has hired an outside firm to assist in the search. It did the same thing before hiring Mike Anderson, who left the school after five seasons Wednesday to take the open job at Arkansas.

Missouri never quite became a must-see team under Anderson. It made the NCAA tournament three years in a row, but seemed to regress this season after briefly cracking the Top 10. Missouri was 23-11, but only 1-7 in Big 12 road games.

Athletic director Mike Alden has a history of hiring coaches from mid-major schools who've been assistants at the Division I level.

I was never quite sure why Mizzou was interested in extending the contract with Anderson. I just don't view him as an elite level coach. (Anyone who saw how completely out coached he was in the Georgetown debacle could see that.) His teams played hard, but it seemed more frenetic than controlled at times. Truly talented teams had no difficulty picking the Tigers apart.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but I'm not expecting much.

Murray Chass, Nearly As Bad A Human Being As Hitler

Just because it needed to be reiterated.

Go here for details.

How Bad Is NHL Officiating?

On a morning when all the sports talk shows are buzzing about a blown call(s) at the end of the St. Johns v. Rutgeers basketball game, it must be said the talk shows are missing a much worse call last night. That call happened in the Blues v. Blue Jackets game. Dan O'Neil of the St. Louis agrees with me:

Ian Cole appeared to get his first NHL goal, but it is disallowed. Cracknell carried in, passed to Cam Janssen, who taps it to Cole. The puck went past the Columbus goal. Janssen is then tripped from behind by Jared Boll, and makes contact with the goalie as he falls. Cole shoots the puck in from a bad angle.

But they disallow the goal on the grounds of goalie interference on Janssen. Yet another absolutely ridiculous call by an NHL official, impacting a game.

There simply is no worse officiating in sports than in the NHL.

Yep.

Luckily the hockey gods were also appalled by the crappy officiating. Cole got his first goal later on and the Blues won the game. However, its kind of awful to require the Blues to beat not only Columbus but also the officials.

Bye Bye Billikens

Tom Timmermann nicely sums up the state of the Bills after their final game of the season: Billikens take familiar path to defeat

The final game of the St. Louis University basketball season turned out to look a whole lot like other games and, when you get down to it, SLU’s season as a whole: A slow start, followed by signs of progress, followed by another drought followed by a late rally that was too little and too late.

Along the way, the problems SLU faced were the ones it has faced all season. The Billikens made their first shot of the second half, then missed 11 straight, many right at the rim.

“It was a microcosm of the season,” SLU coach Rick Majerus said.

The Billikens fell to Rhode Island 70-61 in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament to bring a close to a season that was ill-fated from the start.

Just before the season began, the team lost its two best players — Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed — to suspension and the squad was thrown into difficult situations the rest of the season that it never could fully sort out.

While Rhode Island, the A-10’s No. 6 seed, moves on to Atlantic City, N.J., to face Richmond, SLU heads home with a 12-19 record, its fewest wins since the 2004-05 team went 9-21.

The future, though, is bright. Everyone is back, and with Mitchell definitely returning and Reed potentially back — the school still has to rule on his reinstatement to the team — the Billikens figure to be one of the best-stocked teams in the league next season.

All in all its been a very weird season. The Mitchell and Reed suspensions; a bunch of new frosh playing important minutes; a never-ending series of injuries both small and substantial; all of it added up to a season to forget. I only saw them on television once and that was to get ripped apart by Duke, so it wasn't as if I was living and dying with every result...the way I was expecting to when last season ended. Ever since the Majerus years began I've been waiting for momentum to build in this program, but it hasn't happened yet.

Maybe next year the stars will align. Or, maybe it will be as weird a season as this one and success will be once again delayed. Sadly, the latter seems more likely given SLU's track record.

Points From Safety - Update No. 2

The string of away fixtures is beginning to catch up with Notts County as they dropped a 2-nil decision to Orient yesterday. Luckily for Notts, lots of other teams dropped points as well.

As of right now the magic number of points needed by Notts County to avoid relegation is: 30 (down 2!)

The teams most in danger of making the drop are:

Plymouth
Bristol Rovers
Walsall
Swindon

It's Gonna Be One Of Those Days...

...one of those shitty shitty days that makes you question why anyone would ever want to have a rooting interest in sports.

It's only 1:24PM and already:

Notts County has lost 2-0 to Leyton Orient.

The Blues are down 3-0 to the Islanders, and look somnambulant.

Missouri lost (again) to Kansas.

SLU is down seven to Xavier halfway thru the first half. (Prelude to an ass kicking?)

Hell, even the West Coast Eagle got beat down by Collingwood.

Oh well...

It Nice To Be Wanted

There is nothing more exciting in sports than ownership news!

With Dave Checketts' efforts to replace the Blues' major investor still unresolved, an offer has been made to purchase the team outright from Checketts, multiple sources have told the Post-Dispatch.

St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman, who is already a minority owner, is part of a group that presented a formal bid to Checketts' company, SCP Worldwide, to take control of the club. This is the only known offer for the team, an offer sources said was far less than the estimated value of the franchise.

In 2010, Forbes Magazine valued the Blues at $165 million, approximately $15 million more than Checketts paid for the team and the lease on Scottrade Center in 2006.

SCP has rejected the bid from Stillman's group and will continue seeking financial support to replace the Blues' major investor, TowerBrook Capital Partners, and maintain control of the club. It's believed by sources that Checketts would step aside if he was offered his asking price, which is not known at this time, but based on the recent bid he is not ready to sell.

Given that we have had times when the Blues were for sale and no potential local owners were even on the radar, this isn't that bad. Sure there is some uncertainty here, but there is time to get this all sorted out before any more big money decisions need to be made.

Checketts, who possibly kept the Blues from relocating when he took control of the franchise in 2006, has been seen as a loyal and engaging owner.

However, with the Blues in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, a fan base that has sold out 33 consecutive home games is now questioning the viability of an ownership group that couldn't afford to keep the club afloat during a rash of injuries to key players.

I think this is pretty much wrong. Knowledgeable fans are aware of how this team is being built, through player development. So many teams were within striking distance of the playoffs this year there were fewer sellers, so there was a much smaller pool of add-on players available. When you look at the crazy price the Kings paid for Justin Penner I for one am glad the Blues didn't try to make that kind of move.

That being said if the Blues are not willing to make a move during the free agency days of the summer rumbles will increase. But, generally Blues fans are willing to stick with the plan, as long as there continues to be a plan.

This Is A Little Bit Of Bullshit

Isles’ Gillies given 10-game ban by NHL for hit

Islanders forward Trevor Gillies(notes) has been hit hard by the NHL again, getting a 10-game ban Friday for a dangerous shot from behind in his first game back from a nine-game suspension.

Gillies, one of the key combatants in New York’s fight-filled win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 11, played only four shifts Wednesday night before he was ejected for hitting Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck(notes) from behind 2:23 into the second period of the Islanders’ 4-1 home win.

In retaliation for Clutterbuck’s hit on Islanders rookie Justin DiBenedetto(notes), that drew a boarding penalty, Gillies drilled Clutterbuck and was given a major penalty for checking from behind and ejected. Clutterbuck stayed in the game and then played Thursday at the New York Rangers.

It is a pet peeve of mine the way the NHL officials and the league office speaks so inaccurately when describing on-ice incidents. Whatever Gillies did he did not hit Clutterbuck from behind, nor did he elbow him. He did blindside a guy who was totally unprepared to be hit. (Clutterbuck's head hit the glass which is what made him woozy, not an elbow. See the video below.)



You also have to ignore the idiots who call the Wild games. Clutterbuck's original hit was not "clean." It was boarding pure and simple, and the Isles player was lucky to escape without injury himself. Clutterbuck is also lucky to have escaped without a fine of some sort. Not being a repeat offender helped.

Repeat offender is exactly what Gillies is, but that is also my issue with this suspension. Clutterbuck's hit put the Isles player in danger and its the job of Gillies to stand up for his teammate just hit face first into the boards and lying in a heap on the ice. Don't get me wrong, Gillies hit was a penalty. If we are gonna stick to the fiction that play wasn't stopped when Clutterbuck got hit (which is the NHL's story) you could certainly call Gillies for a five minutes interference penalty AND give him the gate. However, contributing factors for Clutterbuck getting his bell rung were:

A) Clutterbuck's illegal hit on Justin DiBenedetto, and

B) Clutterbuck's standing around like no one could possibly take umbrage with his hit and being totally unprepared for a hit less than one second after the whistle blew.

To me this should be handled the same way a player skating across the crease with his head down who gets pulverized. If you don't have your head up and on a swivel you deserve to get your bell rung. Sure, keep Gillies on a short leash, but don't penalize him for Clutterbuck's cluelessness.

Ouch. I Mean OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I turned on the Blues/Capitals game a little late last night. At one point I heard John Kelly say something like "Strachan and Bradley squared off earlier when Bradley had the upper hand."

Then I saw the video today.


(Thanks to HockeyFights.com)

To say Bradley "had the upper hand" in this fight is a little like saying "After its last trip to New Jersey the Hindenburg lacked a bit of airworthiness."

The Blues Race To The Bottom

All I can say is thank God the Blues made the first round draft choice they sent to Colorado in the Stewart/Shattenkirk trade conditional. Right now we would own the #9 selection in the draft, and I have every reason to believe the Blues will be in "competition" for a top five pick when all is said and done.

Right on cue, the Blues dropped another two points tonight when veteran defenseman Barret Jackman forgot how to defend a two-on-one break. Instead of making the puck handler shoot the puck while giving the goalie a clean look at it, Jackman decided the situation was best defended by genuflecting the way a 10 year old Catholic school boy does before the altar when he knows Sister Mary Severity is looking on.

Well done, Mr. Jackman. Well done.

More Late Season Heroics

I'm not sure what it is with the Billikens, but even in their down years with Majerus they seem to put things together late. Tonight in Dayton was no exception:

Mike McCall scored 17 points to lead Saint Louis over Dayton 69-51 on Wednesday night.

The Billikens (12-17, 6-9 Atlantic 10 Conference) shot 58.3 percent (14 of 24), including 60 percent from 3-point range (6 of 10) in the first half. The Flyers made just 8 of 29 from the field before halftime as Saint Louis took a 35-19 lead at the break.

The Billikens trailed 4-3 early, but scored nine straight and weren’t threatened the rest of the way.

Saint Louis expanded its lead to as many as 26 points, 69-43, on Rob Loe’s jumper with 5:47 to play.

On the road against a 19 win team with a RPI in the 60's? That is something beyond this SLU team a month ago. If we could only get the NCAA to allow the Billikens to start their season a month earlier. In any event they will be crying into their bowls of Skyline 5-ways in Dayton tonight.

Maybe, just maybe, the A-10 tourney will be interesting to watch!

Painful

Thank God I dropped hard earned cash to watch the Blues during this "drive for the playoffs." Tonight they lost 6-0 to a mediocre Calgary team.

Would that we were mediocre.

Points From Safety - Update No. 1

Notts County drew 1-1 at Brentford today, which isn't a terrible result particularly when you learn the Pies had not one, but two players sent off during the match AND gave up a penalty in injury time which Brentford missed. Not ideal, but I'll take it. The results from today lead us to...

As of right now the magic number of points needed by Notts County to avoid relegation is: 32 (down 3!)

The teams most in danger of making the drop are:

Plymouth
Bristol Rovers
Walsall
Swindon

The Post-Trade Deadline Blues

Now that the NHL trade deadline has passed it is time to assess where the Blues stand going forward.

What to think... what to think...

Well, I suppose there is always next season.

The playoffs are a little too far out of reach this year. Even if the Blues get red hot they would still need to leap-frog 5 teams in the span of 20 games. I just don't see all of those teams cooling off, and all you need is for one of them to get hot themselves to doom the Blues.

No, it is time to build for next season, which is exactly what the Blues have been doing. They have cleared the books of a couple big contracts, gotten a couple draft picks for unrestricted free agents they were not going to re-sign anyway, and picked up a couple top drawer young NHLers and a decent prospect.

Meanwhile, this edition of the Note is going to have to get by with the Porters and Reaves of the world, which is fine for the most part. Replacing Brad Winchester is not the hardest thing in the world to do. McRae is banged up a little and on the shelf, which is a shame. The more games he could get at this level now the sooner he will be able to contribute consistently.

As for other players in the organization, the only one I could see making a brief debut appearance by year's end is Cade Fairchild presently with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, though it is more likely if he signs he will get some games in Peoria (who at least have a shot of making the playoffs.) Part of me would also like to see Mark Cundari get a cup of coffee with the big club, but he should get his chance next season to take the Peoria shuttle.

I'd be happier if there were a couple more forward prospects threatening to make the leap, but beyond Tarasenko no one even seems remotely possible to crack the lineup. This means we will need to look outside the organization. We should have the cap space to do just that.

But, do we have the will in the front office?

Points From Safety

As of right now the magic number of points needed by Notts County to avoid relegation is: 35

The teams most in danger of making the drop are:

Plymouth
Walsall
Swindon
Bristol Rovers

The Magpies could still have something to say about the promotion races if they can win their games in hand.

Bye Bye Winchester

Just heard on NHL Radio, Brad Winchester to Anaheim for a third round pick.

I'm pleased we got back a third rounder for Brad. Actually, I'm shocked by the third rounder.

Hmmm...do we have enough bodies left for four lines?

Bye Bye Boyes

Well, you cannot say the Blues are standing pat: Blues deal Boyes to Buffalo

The Buffalo Sabres came calling about Brad Boyes, and with an abundance of right wingers, the Blues were ready to listen.

Late Sunday night, they sent Boyes to the Sabres for a second-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft.

The Blues' recent acquisition of Chris Stewart from Colorado created a logjam on the right side, and with Boyes' drop in goal-scoring the past two seasons, general manager Doug Armstrong pulled off the swap less than 24 hours before today's 2 p.m. trading deadline.

"When we got a call on Brad, I looked at our roster today and also looked at it moving forward," Armstrong said. "With the addition of Stewart and knowing (David) Perron is coming back at some point (from a concussion), it was necessary to make the move now while it was available.

"You just have to manage your assets. With Stewart, Perron and T.J. Oshie (on the right side), we had to create space. We had too many right wingers."

Not to mention this gives the Blues approximately a gazillion dollars worth of cap space next season, which could come in handy dealing with restricted free agents like Oshie and Berglund.

Still, Boyes has been a good warrior and I'll be sorry to see him go. I thought something might have been up as Boyes has been getting a few shifts of the top line of late. Yes, they have needed to shuffle things up as the Blues have had a punishing schedule of late, but it still felt like they were showcasing Brad. Good luck to him in Buffalo.

The Blues acquired Buffalo's second-round pick, which could give them as many as three second-round picks in 2011.

The team received a conditional second-round pick from Colorado in the Erik Johnson trade, but that might not be used until 2012, depending on where the Blues finish in this year's standings. The club also has two third-round picks, after receiving one from Tampa Bay in the trade involving Eric Brewer.

Armstrong said the accumulation of draft picks doesn't mean the Blues will take all of those selections to the draft in June. He indicated that the picks could be used in trades.

"Part of getting these draft picks is that it gives us good options to move draft picks for NHL players," Armstrong said. "The potential allows us to maybe do some of that tomorrow. Now we have picks in play that we didn't have. There's not a 100 guarantee we will use these picks at the draft."

It's funny. The Blues and Armstrong have gone from "I think we are done" after the trades of Brewer, Johnson and McClement, to "LET'S MAKE A DEAL!"

Today could be interesting.

Words That Go Well Together: "Card's Pitching Prospect" & "Wow"

Encouraging words from Cardinals camp:

Saturday's most significant moment for the Cardinals front office may have taken place on a rear field while the intrasquad was going on inside the main stadium.

Righthanded pitcher Carlos Martinez, the most promising arm the club has signed since renewing its commitment to scouting and player development in the Caribbean, threw for the first time before general manager John Mozeliak and farm director John Vuch...

...Martinez's fastball 'sits" in the mid-90s, with the ability to touch 98-99 miles per hour. The teenager exhibited a loose but hurried arm action Saturday in a somewhat pressurized setting. At one point Cardinals bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist told Martinez to slow down. At another point Martinez interrupted his session to gulp water. "You could tell he was amped up," Vuch said. "But he was good."

Until Saturday, Mozeliak's exposure to Martinez had been limited to video. But even before Martinez took the mound, Mozeliak saw the new man in camp throwing in the outfield and uttered "wow."

A lot of the pitching prospects coming out of the Cardinals farm system the last few years have lacked that "wow" factor, so it is nice to get some sizzle there. Scouts seem to think highly of Shelby Miller as well, so maybe this isn't a fluke.

A boy can dream.

Behold! The Power Of The Blog!

Tremble mere mortals!

Tonight the Blues are playing the Edmonton Oilers, a minor league hockey team from someplace in Canada. The Blues are featuring these are their top two lines:

First Line: Steen - McDonald - Backes
Second Line: Stewart - Berglund - Oshie

OK, it isn't exactly the lines I put forward, but Stewart and Backes were indeed broken up. Just as I suggested.

The result? With 4 minutes left the Blues are up 4-0.

A Friendly Piece Of Advice For The Blues

I've watched the pairing up of David Backes and Chris Stewart (centered by Andy McDonalad) on our top line for four games now and, while it works just fine, it is a luxury we cannot afford. Our second line, Oshie and Steen centered by Berglund, lacks a little muscle. My suggestion is for Steen and Backes to swap spots.

This would give us:

First Line: Steen - McDonald - Stewart
Second Line: Backes - Berglund - Oshie
Third Line: D'Agostini - Sobotka - Boyes (This line has been excellent.)
Fourth Line: Three of the various other guys.

Now, this won't help us win games this year as our defense is simply too young to keep pucks out of the net consistently, but we should be better offensively.

And maybe, just maybe, we could be fun to watch. I don't think that is too much to ask considering we will not be watching the Blues in the playoffs. Again.

Confirming What We Already Knew

The Cards are screwed: Wainwright set for Tommy John surgery

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow and he will miss the entire 2011 season, the club confirmed this morning.

General manager John Mozeliak made the announcement at about 10 a.m. St. Louis time after a discussion with the pitcher and the team physician. All parties had been waiting on the results of a second opinion requested Wednesday evening from Dr. Lewis Yocum in the Los Angeles area.

"We have confirmed that Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery. So obviously, he'll be out for the year," Mozeliak said. "Not a real surprise to us, but certainly a disappointment and a finality to this process. As we look to the future now we certainly beleive that we have a strong starting rotation on this club. And now we're going to have to try and fill it in terms of a fifth spot."

The surgery date has not been set, but Wainwright will have the procedure done in St. Louis by Cardinals physician George Paletta.

Mozeliak said that the recovery is usually 12 to 15 months.

"You're losing an ace," Mozeliak said. "It's not something you can replace over night."

Or in a week, or a month, or a season... We get the picture.

I never thought I'd say this, but will we end up missing Blake Hawksworth?

Maybe...

Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa both repeated Wednesday's opinion that their first step will be to fill the spot from within. Kyle McClellan shifted into the starters' workout group on Wednesday, and other candidates have been identified, from Raul Valdes to Lance Lynn. La Russa said he has six or seven candidates in mind for the opening, and it's possible that a committee could form to fill that spot through the season until one seizes the job.

McClellan and Ian Snell are two of the pitchers with starting intent or starting experience who will throw to hitters today at camp.

*sniff* Can you smell the rash of under three inning starts? Hint: it smells like a mix between urine and desperation.

Alright, I may be overreacting here, but we are one more injury to the starting pitching away from panic mode.

Roster-itis

Steve Goff has been going over the roster possibilities for DC United:

GoalkeepersIn camp: Steve Cronin, Bill Hamid, Chase Harrison, Pat Onstad, Joe Willis....

If the season began today, the starter would be: Onstad. He's fit and carries decades of experience. He didn't have a great 2010 in Houston, but until Hamid is cleared and regains match rhythm, Onstad is the most realistic option.

My take: This is worrying. Onstad should be a steadying influence, but you cannot like to see DC's Plan A discarded so early. Cronin's injury could be a killer in the early season, particularly if Hamid isn't 100%.

Defenders
In camp: Rodrigo Brasesco, Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic, Perry Kitchen, Chris Korb, Devon McTavish, Ethan White, Daniel Woolard, Jed Zayner....

If the season began today, the starters would be: Zayner on the right, Jakovic and the Kitchen -- whom the club has fallen head over heels in love with -- and Burch on the left.

My take: It's good to hear they like Kitchen so much. Hopefully there is good reason to be besotted. I'm not sure about our depth here. If we pick up an injury or two will we be wanting Julius James back?

Midfielders
In camp: Branko Boskovic, Fred, Junior Carreiro, Stephen King, Dax McCarty, Kurt Morsink, Andy Najar, Santino Quaranta, Conor Shanosky, Clyde Simms, Brandon Barklage....

If the season started today, the starters would be: In a four-man midfield with two deep central midfielders, it would be Simms and McCarty, with Najar and Boskovic on the flanks, or McCarty and Boskovic centrally, with Najar and Quaranta wide. With five in midfield, you could see Simms and McCarty supporting Boskovic or Najar, and then Boskovic or Najar and Quaranta on the wings. Morsink is the first option off the bench in a holding role, and Fred, in his second stint with DCU, promises an element of flair in attack.

A good solid group which should represent the strength of the tem going forward. I'm hoping that Barklage gets to stick. He looked pretty good last year before he got banged up, but the influx of talent will make it an uphill battle for him.

Forwards
In camp: Blake Brettschneider, Charlie Davies, Joseph Ngwenya, Chris Pontius, Josh Wolff, Sergio Villarreal....

If the season started today, the starters would be: Davies is on his way to a starting job. Today? Perhaps not. Three weeks from now, yes, probably. If Olsen goes with five in midfield, Davies would serve as the front-runner. In a four-man alignment, a Davies-Pontius partnership carries promise. Quaranta and Najar are also options up front.

My take: Could be better, but, since Davies signed, could be a hell of a lot worse.

It's weird to have 30 man rosters in MLS. I'm used to bare bones skeleton crews. Real depth will be novel!

Game Over

And, no, this is not a post about the truly woeful (and damn near unwatchable) Blues. (I'm so pissed I cannot speak rationally about them.)

Nope. This time it's the Cardinals whose chance for a successful season has just vanished. Read and weep:

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has flown back to St. Louis this morning to have his right elbow examined this afternoon after he experienced discomfort in the joint.

General manager John Mozeliak said he believes it is a "significant injury" and the early word is "not encouraging."

Tommy John surgery is one alternative to repair the damage for which Wainwright is being checked.

"After his bullpen on Monday, he did feel something in his right elbow," Mozeliak said. "I can say just based on the initial evaluation from our training staff, things do not look encouraging. But before we jump to any conclusions, we'll just wait until the re-evaluation this afternoon."

Mozeliak said there would be an update Wednesday afternoon.

It won't be an "update," it will be a confirmation. In all the years I've followed baseball I've never once seen this set-up not lead to season ending surgery.

Wainwright only has himself to blame, really. He jinxed himself:

A checkup in November, however, assured him and the Cardinals of the joint's stability and structure, and even a few weeks ago, as spring training started, Wainwright insisted that he wasn't concerned about the joint.

"My ligament is intact and strong," Wainwright said in a Feb. 10 Post-Dispatch story. "It's not like it's ready to pop."

Great.

The Cardinals will not actively suck, but their margin for real success is razor thin. It will mostly depend on people like Ian Snell, but the reality of the matter is neither Wainwright or Chris Carpenter are replaceable.

Depressing for fans (and I'm sure no picnic for Waino.)

FA Cup: Manchester City v. Notts County

I suppose I should just be thankful this is a game I get to see. It isn't too often any League One side finds itself on American television. That it is a match the Pies have almost no chance of winning should probably be beside the point.

Not that that will be a comfort if City thumps them well and good.

Still, the game is 43 minutes old and Notts is playing great. They are down 1 nil, but it could easily be 1-1 (Notts hit the post early on, and they just had a glorious chance in the 44th minute as I type this.) Gow, in particular, looks great.

Keep it up you Pies!

UPDATE:

After 62 minutes: Man City 2 - 0 Notts County

Notts is still playing pretty well, but set pieces have killed them. I'm just hoping they can find the back of the net at least once.

UPDATE:

The bottom has fallen out. Man City 5 - 0 Notts County

Its too bad, the score line in no way reflects the actual game. It really flatters Man City.

Well, That Was Fun

In a reverse Airplane! moment, I think I picked the right time to buy the Center Ice package, about 5 minutes before last night's Blues game. Goals galore as Stewart has 2 in debut:

There was an obvious purpose behind the personnel moves management made before the Blues played host to Anaheim on Saturday at the Scot - What's the Latest - trade Center. You might wrap it up in one word: offense.

And the early results can be trusted, the desired effect was accomplished. Put it this way: if the Blues had generated any more offense, "Towel Man" would have needed shoulder surgery.

With three players enjoying two-goal games, including newly acquired forward Chris Stewart, the Blues overwhelmed the Ducks 9-3 in front of a sellout crowd.

"The last nine-goal game I was in, we lost 9-1 in Colorado," said a smiling Stewart. "It's definitely good to be on the other side."

Considering the Avs went out last night, with Johnson and McClement on the ice for them for the first time, and tamely submitted 4-0 to the Sharks, I have to believe there are some unhappy fans in Colorado today. They should probably relax. The trade was meant to benefit them in the long term. There is little doubt they otherwise are sending up the white flag this season.

On the other hand, the Blues did get immediate help, and it showed. Even when the Blues have played well this season they have rarely been able to open up a lead on anyone. Granted, it helped last night that Anaheim had their goaltending provided by Girl Scout Troop #3156 (hey gals, I want my Samoas!), but there is little doubt Stewart provides much needed firepower.

We shall see how things go. Blackhawks next on Monday.

United Roster Moves

The brain trust in D.C. is keeping busy.

Julius James has been waived.

Pat Onstad has un-retired to take a place in the United net.

Fred has been reacquired for a draft pick.

Of these moves only the James release makes me slightly uneasy. I'll be the first to admit James is not the first name that leaps to mind when you think of stalwart central defenders. That being said, he did play the best in that position of the players we had around last season. It's good that D.C. is confident in their new signings, but we have all seen players new to MLS struggle.

Fingers crossed.

Bye Bye EJ

Sheesh. This is getting to be a habit with the Blues:

Jay McClement and Erik Johnson are going to Colorado.

Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk are coming to St. Louis.

Fans of both teams think they got screwed.

Well, I don't know about screwed, but it certainly seems it the Blues who have taken the far bigger risk here. Of the four players involved only Johnson has the potential to be a dominant player in this league. If he develops into what the Blues originally saw in him we may be kicking ourselves for years.

In Stewart the Blues finally have added some offensive help. He's a big strong kid who has feasted on the Blues in the past. I will be interested in getting more of a look at him. Shattenkirk is a rookie who is having the customary ups and downs rookies have in this league. Still, after moving EJ and Brewer in consecutive days the Blues were smart in adding a D-man.

Losing McClement hurts me. Silent Jay was my favorite Blue in this group, a role he took over when Stempniak was traded. (Note: If you are a Blues player who would liked to be shipped out just drop me a line and I will make you my new favorite player. A call from the GM will quickly follow I'm sure.)

I sure hope this works.

Bye Bye Brewer

Eric Brewer has been traded to Tampa:

The Boston Bruins weren't the only contender in the Eastern Conference to beef up on the blue line Friday.

Tampa Bay acquired defenseman Eric Brewer from the St. Louis Blues for prospect Brock Beukeboom and a third-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. Brewer, who has been captain in St. Louis since the 2007-08 season, had 8 goals and 14 points in 54 games for the Blues.

The 31-year-old Brewer is averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per game this season, a total he has achieved in seven of the previous eight seasons.

Brewer was going to be a free agent after this season, and the Blues have more than enough defense in the organization already, so it makes some sense to get something for him if you can. Beukeboom is only 18 and a long way from suiting up for any NHL team, but he does extend our prospect depth at the position.

Now, if this signals the Blues are giving up the ghost this year I'm not sure. All the talk had been moving some of our defensive depth in order to get some scoring help. This move obviously didn't do that. Wait and see seems to be the order of the day.

Arsenal v. Barcelona

Thoughts after 30 minutes, Barca up 1 nil:

• Barcelona looks to be in a different class from Arsenal.
• Nasri needs to be subbed off sooner rather than later.
• Arsenal looks to be not only outclassed but frightened.
• Messi missed an easy chance. He won't miss a second.

We shall see what the next half hour will bring.

It's Official: Charlie Davies To United

Things continue to look up on my soccer front:

After several days of negotiations, the MLS club announced Wednesday that it has acquired the former U.S. national team starter from French club Sochaux on a one-year loan. United will also have the option to purchase his contract at the end of the season.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources close to the situation said United agreed to pay Davies about $300,000 [UPDATE: I'm now told it's around $180,000] and include several incentives. To claim him, United exercised its position at the top of the MLS allocation order, which is utilized when prominent U.S. players decide to play in the league.

United will formally introduce the 24-year-old forward at a 2 p.m. news conference at RFK Stadium (live video on the team's Web site). Davies, who has been practicing with the club for the past two weeks, will then fly to Oxnard, Calif., for the third stage of training camp. He will wear uniform No. 9, his national team designation.

Before agreeing to the deal, United spent two weeks evaluating Davies, who 16 months ago was severely injured in a car accident in the Washington area while on national team duty. He has not played in a first-division game since, spending the first half of this French season with Sochaux's reserve squad.

"He simply looks terrific," United General Manager Dave Kasper said.

This is a crucial singing for DC. When you looked at how the roster was set up without Davies on it, there was little sense anyone would be troubled by it. A healthy Davies, however, changes everything. Finally Quaranta and Najar will have someone they can link up with consistently. Last year watching Allsopp and Cristman flail about was disheartening. It was reverse alchemy. Solid gold chances were reduced to half-chances, and half-chances never materialized at all. Getting Ngwenya and Wolff may have been a baby step in the right direction, they at least have some MLS track-record, but Davies represents a huge leap forward.

If Pontius and Najar can remain healthy and each continues his progression United could be dramatically improved.

Just To Have Some Good News On Here

Well, not everything is lost:

Notts County eased any relegation fears with a comfortable win over Colchester.

The U's David Mooney went close early on as his 25-yard chip beat Magpies goalkeeper Stuart Nelson, only to clip the post and bounce wide.

Notts then wrested control of the game and went ahead when Alan Gow set free Craig Westcarr, who poked the ball past Mark Cousins and tapped home.

It was 2-0 soon afterwards when Nathan Clarke deflected Connor Clifford's corner into his own net.

It wasn't that there was a credible relegation fear really, but there were a couple poor performances of late. The Pies may be only 4 points above the drop zone, but because of all the crappy weather this winter they have four games in hand on both Swindon and Walsall. Notts have only one game in hand on Dag & Red, but they are 7 points back. As for Bristol Rovers, the less said the better.

Next up is the FA Cup replay at Manchester City. That could get ugly, but the payday should be a nice one and I will get to watch it on TV.

Now, if they could just get into the promotion hunt...

Great...Just Fucking Great

There will be no Pujols deal. Sounds like Albert got the ten years, but wanted more cash.

We haven't played a single game, but the season is lost already.

AND, Albert will most likely walk at season's end.

St. Louis Cardinals = St. Louis Zoo

At least potentially:

The countdown to Albertageddon has reached its final hours. The build-up yielded some excitement Tuesday night, when SI.com reported that Cardinals management had upped its contract offer to Albert Pujols – to eight years and more than $200 million.

Other reporters, including Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, reported that the Cards had extended no such offer – yet.

I hate trying to read tea leaves, but that is all the fan has with the negotiations having been placed into super secret agent mode. Not hearing any real news makes it easy for the excitable fan (like me) to fear the worst:

Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports: “Baseball is about to get its version of The Decision. Barring a dramatic change, Albert Pujols’ noon deadline Wednesday to work out a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals will pass without an agreement. Which turns the next nine months into a frenzy without the histrionics of LeBron James’ free agency but with every bit the far-reaching implications: the sport’s best player choosing his next destination and perhaps crushing the city that so loves him. Pujols won’t let the process turn into the charade in which James indulged, of course. He’s not that myopic. What happens around him, however, is not under his control...

Great. That is all we need, for this to drag on and loom over the entire season being a non-stop distraction. I know plenty of players play out the last year of their contract no problem. Does anyone really believe Albert Pujols could do so without it descending into a chaotic mess?

Brought To You By The No. 7

Blues to honor those who have worn No. 7

The Blues finally have figured a way to recognize the most significant sweater number in their history, No. 7, and some of the players who wore it.

Because the number has been shared by more than one such prominent player, No. 7 has never been retired. But the franchise will honor four of its most prominent players, and the No. 7 they shared, on March 7, appropriately enough, at Scottrade Center.

In a ceremony before a game with Columbus, the Blues will recognize Red Berenson, Garry Unger, Joe Mullen and Keith Tkachuk for their accomplishments.

That is all well and good, but why must we discriminate? If we are gonna celebrate some number 7 wearers, let's celebrate them all!

Such as:

Ricard Persson and his one career playoff goal scored while he was a Blue, or

Cliff Ronning who successfully lied about his height for almost four full seasons with the Blues, or

Nelson Emerson who was memorably outscored by Denny Felsner in the 92-93 playoffs.

Good times. Good times.

Rabid Milanese

Tottenham beats AC Milan 1-0 at San Siro

Peter Crouch's late goal gave Tottenham Hotspur a 1-0 win at Serie A leader AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday.

Crouch scored with 10 minutes remaining after Aaron Lennon had broken clear from his own half.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic thought he scored an injury time equalizer, but his overhead kick was ruled out for a push on Spurs captain Michael Dawson.

The Milan players' frustration boiled over at the final whistle and Genaro Gattuso appeared to headbutt Tottenham assistant coach Joe Jordan - a former Milan player - before both sets of players began scuffling.

Milan captain Gattuso, who had earlier shoved Jordan during the match, was also booked in the 75th minute and will miss the return leg at White Hart Lane.

It was an unseemly end to a match in which Tottenham again impressed at the San Siro, having recovered from 4-0 down to 4-3 against Inter Milan in the group stage earlier in the season.

This writeup is decidedly kind to Gattuso who throughout the second half was a raving maniac. By my count Gattuso could (should) have picked up two red cards and two yellow cards over the course of 25 minutes of play. Even if the red's were made yellow he still could have been sent off twice over. It was a joke that he was allowed to finish the match on the pitch.

However, the ref set the tone when he didn't red card Flamini for his flying two-footed studs up "tackle" on Vedran Corluka. Corluka was knocked out of the game by the play and can count himself lucky if his leg isn't broken.

After that, Gattuso seemed to decide it was a no-holds-barred encounter. Elbows flew, temper tantrums were thrown, players were pushed, coaches were pushed, and Gattuso flopped around like a landed guppy whenever the mood struck him. It was an embarrassing performance. To top it off for Milan it was Gattuso who was dispossessed of the ball which led to the Tottenham goal. Gattuso barely broke into a jog to try to get back in the play. He obviously was saving up his energy to assault nearly 60-year old bench coach Joe Jordan after the match.

The only good thing is Gattuso did pick up a yellow which will keep him out of the second leg. Maybe Milan will be allowed to play soccer.

One can hope.

Stan Is Still The Man

Our once and future King: Musial receives Medal of Freedom in White House ceremony

The greatest St. Louis Cardinal of all time today accepted the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, who called Stan Musial "an icon, untarnished, a beloved pillar of the communty, a gentleman you would want your kids to emulate."

Obama cited Musial's great career statistics and added, "Stan matched his hustle with humility."

"He was the first player to make, get this, $100,000, even more shocking was that he asked for a pay cut when he didn't perform to his own expectations," the president said.

"You can imagine that happening today."

Obama also said that Musial was "worthy of one of the great nicknames in sports -- Stan the Man."

Well done Mr. Musial.

Frustration With The Blues

Great post over at Thrashing The Blues:

Saturday night's loss to the Minnesota Wild(s) was mortifying in so much that the team didn't even appear to put forth an effort until the end of the game. That's been the case often this season; or, possibly worse, the Blues forget that they have to play three periods of hockey and blow good games in the third period. You know, like they did on Friday night, again to the Wild(s).

The Blues are 3-4-3 over their last ten games, a record only surpassed in badness by the slumping Dallas Stars (3-6-1) and the free-falling Colorado Avalanche (1-9-0). Their away record is 8-13-5; teams aren't intimidated by the Blues, despite the fact that they're third in the league in fighting majors. Of course, why should teams be intimidated - most of these fighting majors seem to come in the final seconds of games that the Blues have already lost. No one's intimidated by frustration. No one cares if, after you've lost a game, you want to rough up some guys from the opposition's team to "send a message." Heck, the only message that sends is one of "hey, we can't bring it when we need to, but by God, we will jump you when it doesn't matter!" Ooooooooo. Scary.

I was so disgusted by the turn of events on Friday I couldn't even bring myself to watch the game on Saturday. That means I had it bad. I never get to see the Blues being up here in fucking Wild territory, so I usually never miss the chance. However, Friday pissed me off so badly I simply wasn't recovered enough to put myself through it again the very next night.

"But, what if the Blues had won? Wouldn't that have put things right?"

Theoretically, yes. But the reality of the situation is this Blues team had zero chance on Saturday.

Thrashing points us to the reason why:

I love my team. I love the fact that the Blues don't back down, and that they're rough and tumble. I love David "All that is man" Backes, and Barret Jackman, and Cam Janssen, and everyone on the team who plays a good blue-collar brand of game. This is why I'm a Western Conference girl, and I can't stand Eastern Conference teams. I've always felt that they lack grit and character, and only throw down when things get out of control - look at last week's Habs/Bruins game, or the Pens/Islanders brawl. The teams only fought when they didn't need to anymore. That's what the Blues are starting to do, and it's embarrassing.

All true, but it is even worse then that. In Friday's game Mikko Koivu went after the head of recently concussed Andy MacDonald away from the puck, and right in front of a blind official who pulled off his best Sgt. Schulz impression instead of doing his job. However, officials being asshats is to be expected. It happens to (most) every team. What Blues fans shouldn't have expected was for Koivu to be unmolested for the rest of the game.

This team seems to lack accountability amongst themselves. As a result you get more brawls brought on by frustration. You also get more losses.

Prelude To A Signing?

This could be interpreted in a good way for Cards's fans: Cardinals, Pujols extend contract deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals and representatives for Albert Pujols(notes) have agreed to a 24-hour extension to reach a new contract out of respect for Stan Musial.

The Cardinals Hall of Famer will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Washington on Tuesday and general manager John Mozeliak said Monday the club did not want to distract from Musial's special day. Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and Mozeliak will accompany the 90-year-old Musial to Washington.

Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, originally set a Tuesday deadline, the first workout day for pitchers and catchers in Jupiter, Fla. Mozeliak said the new deadline is noon ET Wednesday.

It sounds like they didn't want the news of a new deal for Pujols to compete with, and more than likely overwhelm, Stan the Man's big day in Washington.

Or is that just wishful thinking?

A Modest Proposal For A Pujols Contract

I know it is a scary proposition, but I believe the Cards should give Albert a 10 year deal. However, the deal has to make financial sense for the team in 2018-2022. Here is how I would break it down:

Year: Salary: Running Total:

2012 - $35m - $35m
2013 - $35m - $70m
2014- $25m - $95m
2015- $25m - $120m
2016- $20m - $140m
2017- $18m - $158m
2018- $16m - $174m
2019- $14m - $188m
2020- $12m - $200m
2021- $10m - $210m

If something like that isn't good enough... well, it makes being a fan of any team not named New York or Boston an exercise in futility to the point of being retarded.

Getting Their Shit Together

When it comes to the sporting world no one has ever confused me for an optimist. Where some see the glass half full, I see dangerous glass shards which will be used to rip out the eyes of the high scoring winger carrying my favorite team. So, as you can imagine, my choosing to write a sports blog is more like therapy than anything else. It gives me a chance to vent, or hyperventilate, depending on my mood of course.

However, every so often one or more of the teams I follow begins to put things together. Right now I have the good fortune to have two teams doing that, which is sort of difficult for a curmudgeon.

The Blues have won five in a row, and have generally played real well since their defensive corps all got healthy. Obviously, Roman Polak is a huge part of the Blues success. The Blues are 9-2-2 this season when Polak is in the lineup. When you compare that to the record when the Blues' seventh defenseman (Tyson Strachan) plays (9-8-2) the difference is remarkable. With Polak in the lineup the Blues are on a pace to get 126 points, without him only 86 points.

Welcome back Roman. Please stay healthy.

However, the Blues are not the only team I follow moving in the right direction. After their usual share of early season turmoil Notts County is really starting to string together some results. Since they lost at home to Tranmere on Nov. 20th the Pies are undefeated in 5, going 3-0-1 in the league and advancing in the FA Cup in the other game. I didn't know what to expect when Paul Ince was made manager, but the team certainly seems to have responded. The table in League One is so bunched up right now, a playoff spot for Notts is not out of the question, though neither is the relegation zone if they begin to slip.

See? I'm starting to fret about relegation already.

Everything's back to normal for me.