(Get) A Sporting Life

Today in the PD: For Team Taguchi, Ankiel was the offense. The lefthanded-hitting left fielder smoked a home run off Martinez to the opposite field, clearing the left field fence for a two-out, solo shot in the second inning. He followed with a deep fly ball that was misplayed into a double. Chris Duncan, starting for Team Spiezio in left, circled and spun and backpedaled his way toward the ball, but a swirling wind kept him from catching it at the wall. Ugh..... I'd throw Duncan a bone if I thought there was the slighest chance he would catch it. Nice to see Ankiel getting some good swings.

Rumor has it D Dennis Wideman goes to Boston for RW/C Brad Boyes . I like Wideman a lot, but this deal is awesome for the Blues. Last year Boyes netted 26 goals and had 69 points, and this year although his production is down (13g 21a) it is still more than acceptable. Boyes has been hot of late, scoring 4 goals in his last three games. The PD reports a lot : Petr Cajanek cleared waivers, and McKee is expected back for the game tonight. The Blues also finalized a deal with Jamal Mayers. No word about Dvorak.

I'm sorry, but everytime I hear the conjuntion of the St. Louis Blues with the New Jersey Devils I expect to hear the Blues will have to send every draft pick for the next 30 years to Jersey. So, Guerin to the Sharks in a 3-way deal. Not too sure for what yet. Gotta look around. UPDATE: 12:21PM No details yet.....hmm.... UPDATE: 12:25PM Details courtesy of The Hockey News : The San Jose Sharks acquired right winger Bill Guerin from the St. Louis Blues for forward Ville Nieminen, forward Jay Barriball and first-round draft pick in 2007. What does it give the San Jose Sharks ? Guerin is a proven sniper with a history of playing well with No. 1 center Joe Thornton. This move gives the Sharks enough ammunition to compete with the Ducks, Predators and Red Wings in the Western Conference. An unrestricted free agent this summer, Guerin will probably leave in the off-season. If he stays, the future considerations may become a very good player. What does it give the St. Louis Blues ? T...

From Bernie Miklasz at the PD : In rebuilding Blues, there's one guy they can't afford to lose In the context of the new regime's build-a-Blue workshop philosophy and obvious swap-meet strategy of rounding up draft picks, Jarmo Kekalainen is emerging as the organization's most important person. Kekalainen is the assistant GM and director of scouting, and more than anyone else at Scottrade Center, he'll determine the success of JD's draft-pick pooling. Not only must Kekalainen and his scouts be able to identify young talent across the globe, but he must help plot a shrewd draft-day strategy to maximize their selections. And in the Blues' situation, that includes the possibility of bundling picks to move up in the draft to pluck the right player at the right moment. The Blues used this approach to maneuver their way to the 25th spot in the first round of the 2006 draft, and made a move for coveted Swedish center Patrik Berglund. The good news is, Kekalainen is...

Former Mizzou Tiger and current Denver Broncos player Damien Nash has died at the age of 24 in St. Louis . Damien Nash had just come home from a charity basketball game he'd organized in his brother's honor when he collapsed in front of his wife and 7-month-old girl. The Denver Broncos running back died Saturday and the cause remained unclear Sunday, but his grieving mother knows what she must do. After one son's death and a heart ailment that caused another son to require a transplant last year, Kim Nash is taking her daughter to a cardiologist next week. "My son," she told The Associated Press amid sobs, "is giving me the strength right now to talk." Damien Nash collapsed in his suburban St. Louis home after returning by limousine with his wife, Judy Nash, and their daughter from a game at his high school to benefit The Darris Nash Find a Heart Foundation. The organization raises money for heart transplant research. The 24-year-old player was taken by ...

Since I last discussed the Blues they have been busy, signing Eric Brewer to a four year deal and Manny Legace for a two year deal, and trading Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers for center Glen Metropolit, 1st and 3rd round selections in the 2007 draft and a 2nd round pick in the 2008. Eric Brewer : The Blues enticed him with a four year deal worth a reported $17 million dollar. This is perfect. Averaging a little over $4 million a yer for a player of Brewer's quality is not paying too much. The length of the contract is actually better for the Blues than I was expecting. I thought a three year deal was more likely, but maybe they were able to swap adding "no-trade" language in the contract for a fourth year. The end result is the same: The Blues are going to be strong on the blue line for years to come. Manny Legace : Manny gets a two year deal worth $4.3 million. once again, this is perfect. The Blues are stocked (overstocked?) with goal-tending prospects and, who ...

I suppose the good news is Notts came back down 2 goals to salvage a point against a side sitting fifth in the table. The bad news is more points thrown away at home. Notts now sitting in tenth. From the BBC : Stephen Hunt's injury-time diving header capped a battling comeback as Notts County drew with MK Dons. Izale McLeod and squared the ball for Lloyd Dyer to finish in fine style as the visitors went ahead on 26 minutes. Shortly afterwards, Dean Lewington curled in a free-kick with the help of a deflection to extend MK Dons' lead. But Jay Smith's penalty five minutes brevived County and after Junior Mendes and Ian Ross had hit the woodwork, Hunt headed in that superb equaliser.