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May 9, 2008
New Posts: Take Five, Cards-Cubs--First Place?!, Who's Lucky Today? (John Mozeliak)
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Cards Split with
Rockies, Travel to Milwaukee for Four-Game Series
After winning the first two games of their eight-game road trip, the Cardinals lost a heartbreaker Wednesday night and a laugher on Thursday afternoon. A misplayed ground ball by 3B Brendan Ryan was an important part of a four-run Colorado first inning, an inning in which all four runs were scored with two outs. Kyle Lohse was the losing pitcher (his second loss in succession). The loss leaves the Cardinals (22-14) in first place, two games in front of the second-place Cubs. Todd Wellemeyer and Manny Parra are the scheduled starters for Friday night's lidlifter in Milwaukee. WDBX Sunday Sports Review SSR Show Intro mp3 #1 (featuring Ozzie Smith, Tony La Russa, Bruce Weber, Jerry Kill, Rich Herrin and Charlie Spoonhour, and Joe Buck) SSR Show Intro mp3 #2 (featuring Jan Quarless, Rick Ankiel, Ron Caron, Walt Jocketty, Brian Jordan and Joe Buck) Listen Live on the 'net Mark Bausch hosts The Sunday Sports Review Sundays at 10 am on WDBX FM 91.1 stlsports.com Googling for St. Louis Sports? We're #2 on the List...out of 33,800,000 |
updated May 9 The stlsports.com List STL Rams 1st-Round Pix 2008 -
Chris Long (DE, Virginia)
2007 - Adam Carriker (DE, Nebraska) 2006 - Tye Hill (CB, Clemson) 2005 - Alex Barron (T, Florida State) 2004 - Steven Jackson (RB, Oregon State) 2003 - Jimmy Kennedy (DT, Penn State) 2002 - Robert Thomas (LB, UCLA) 2001 - Damione Lewis (DT, Miami-Florida), Adam Archuleta (S, Arizona State), Ryan Pickett (DT, Ohio State) 2000 - Trung Canidate (RB, Arizona) 1999 - Torry Holt (WR, North Carolina State) 1998 - Grant Wistrom (DE, Nebraska) 1997 - Orlando Pace (OT, Ohio State) 1996 - Lawrence Phillips (RB, Nebraska) Eddie Kennison (WR, LSU) 1995 - Kevin Carter (DE, Florida) |
stlsports.com Cover Story
Cards-Cubs--First
Place at Stake?!
Welcome
to May 2008, Cardinal Nation.
As we begin the second-third of the year 2008, I must admit I would have lost this bet: that the Cardinals would be in first place in the National League Central Division at the end of April 2008. But sure enough, thanks to a mostly Mother-Nature friendly month, loads of home games and soft opponents, the Red Birds parlayed their hand into eighteen April wins: a new franchise record. Yep, I would have lost that bet. But I’m also hard-headed and from Missouri Because I’m also betting May is likely not to be as successful as April. Although their results were surprisingly solid, I’m still not yet convinced the effectiveness of the starting pitching exhibited in April will continue at the same high level. You still have to wonder how long the Cardinals can continue to lead the National League in leaving runners on base and hitting into double plays, before it will catch up with them. You have to remain skeptical about the rotating gang of five outfielders and question whether they will continue their April pace offensively and defensively. Apparently I’m not alone with such questions. This week, SI.com did not offer much love for the Home Team as they wrote: “Just a hair behind the Cubs in what was expected to be a rebuilding year, the Cardinals are doing it by throwing strikes. No NL pitching staff has walked fewer men than their 74, leading to the third-fewest runs allowed and second-best ERA in the league. Without overpowering stuff -- 165 strikeouts, a mere 11th in the league -- Cards pitchers have been pounding the strike zone and taking their chances. They're winning this game of chance thanks to a strangely low home-run rate: just 19 allowed, third in the NL, in 243 1/3 innings. That number almost has to go up when you look at the pitchers on the staff. Just to pick on one guy, Kyle Lohse has thrown 34 1/3 innings without yielding a long ball. He has an ERA of 2.36 despite a 14/8 K/BB in that time. His G/F of 1.80 is out of whack with his career mark of 1.04. Lohse usually gives up a homer every seven or eight innings. Now, it's possible this is a mid-career reinvention; it's more likely that it's 30 strange innings, and that he'll go back to being Kyle Lohse shortly. The rest of the staff is similar -- Braden Looper has allowed one homer in 26 2/3 innings; Ryan Franklin, of all people, none in 13 1/3 innings; Brad Thompson, one in 17 1/3 innings. These rates are unsustainable. There's a reason beyond the pitching staff for these figures. The Cards have played the weakest schedule in baseball. It's weak largely because it's been populated by teams that can't hit. The Cards have played seven games against the Giants (.365 SLG, 14th in NL; 14 HR, last); six against the Astros (.410 SLG, seventh in NL); five against the Brewers (.385, 11th; almost all innings pitched by RHPs) and nine others against the Nationals, Rockies, Pirates, and Reds. The Cardinals have played 75 percent of their schedule against teams with below-average slugging percentages. When that changes, they'll allow more home runs, more runs, and slip away from the top of the NL Central.” Meanwhile, Cardinal Nation has still not totally given its stamp of approval on what their eyes saw in April. The “given” sellouts that were a standard at new Busch during 2006 and 2007 have been few and far between in April 2008. The Nation remains skeptical. So La Russa’s squad needs to make a strong statement in May to prove they belong and to prove their legitimacy. And what better way to make that statement but with a showdown weekend series with none other than the Chicago Cubs. Did I mention the Cubs share first place with the Red Birds? Oh, and did I mention these are the same Chicago Cubs that also posted a franchise number of wins in April and the same Cubs that were considered the favorites to repeat as NLCD Champs by many national pundits, publications and experts? These are not the same loveable losers that were everyone’s homecoming opponent for the past century. Forget the Billy Goat and forget Steve Bartman. Thanks to a $300 million payroll makeover, Lou Piniella’s ball club is solid, armed and dangerous. I ask the same question posed a few months back: how many 2008 St. Louis Cardinal players can crack the 2008 Chicago Cubs’ regular starting eight? (For the record, I still say two.) For the Cardinals, this is not just a series against a primary Divisional rival, but it is a challenge to secure respect and credibility. To that end, veteran Chicago Tribune baseball writer Phil Rogers says the Cardinals shouldn’t be treated like Rodney Dangerfield. Rogers writes: “For a quarter-century now, one of the cardinal rules in Major League Baseball has been that you never let a Tony La Russa team pick up steam. Once those teams do, they quickly develop confidence, which after a while starts to look like the swagger of a bully. They can be awfully hard to stop once they reach that stage. Witness the 1983 White Sox, who went 61-28 after an 18-10 June that followed a stretch of winning seven of eight in late May and early June. Witness the 1988 Oakland A's: who broke from the gate 16-7 and rolled to 104 victories. Witness the 1996 St. Louis Cardinals, who were 17-26 on May 19 and went 71-48 the rest of the way. And, finally, witness the 2006 Cardinals, who stumbled into the playoffs with 83 wins but then plowed through the Padres, Mets and Tigers, routing heavily favored Detroit in the World Series. This season's Cardinals aren't quite there yet, but an 18-11 April signals that they aren't willing to go quietly, as they did behind a paper-thin pitching staff a year ago. This is in stark contrast to 2007, when the defending World Series champs unraveled after Chris Carpenter left an Opening Day start with an elbow injury that would require major surgery. They opened 10-14 and hung their hopes on getting Carpenter and Mark Mulder back for a second-half run that never materialized. Most analysts—yes, me too—discounted the Cardinals because of the long list of players they lost after 2007. That list included Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, David Eckstein, Preston Wilson and Kip Wells, with only Rolen being replaced by a known commodity ( Troy Glaus). Cubs versus Cardinals play for first place in the Division on May 2-4, 2008 Yep, I would have lost that bet But I’m also betting May is likely not to be as successful. Stay tuned. Welcome to May, Cardinal Nation. posted April 28 A Sports
Weekend in STL...
It was a textbook couch potato Saturday afternoon for Gateway City Sports Fans. Although the weather outside was sunny and a bit overcast and although Mother Nature offered a wonderful backdrop to perform lawn work, there were ample incentives to stay indoors and give the remote a good workout. Those clickers would be going full blast. Saturday proved to be a smorgasbord of sports: something for everyone. The Cardinals would be hosting Central Division rival Houston with an outstanding pitching duel: Adam Wainwright against Roy Oswalt. Meanwhile on the sports leader of cable television, that annual beauty contest/meat market of that rich and arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League draft would convene in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Yes, the same stage that features the Rockettes would welcome America’s newest millionaires. The baseball game would prove to be as good as advertised with Wainwright and Oswalt going toe-to-toe. The Red Bird hurler would go 9 innings. In the end, St. Louis would push across a run in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win. . This was truly great stuff: more proof that when God’s Most Perfect Game is played well, nothing trumps it when it comes to entertainment. Over on the ESPN side of the remote, it’s Draft Day. The annual beauty contest/meat market of that rich and arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League Draft has developed into quite a cult event: a made-for-TV spectacular. Two decades ago the Draft was quietly held on a Tuesday morning in a high-rise office in New York City. Now it’s beamed gavel-to-gavel across the fruited plain via ESPN the Mother Ship. On draft day football fans resemble hockey fans: wearing their licensed merchandise while awaiting the decision of their favorite team. So on this delightful Saturday, the Gateway City gridiron faithful huddled either around their TVs or together at some watering hole with Chris Berman, Mel Kiper, Jr. and friends. During their St. Louis tenure the Rams’ drafts have been quite good (Steven Jackson) predictable (Grant Wistrom), questionable (Lawrence Phillips), dramatic (Torry Holt), and frustrating (Daimione Lewis & Jimmy Kennedy). Up to and including Draft Day ’08, the local & adoring media through local scribes, radio gab-masters and TV talking heads narrowed its wish list to Defensive Tackle Glenn Dorsey and Defensive End Chris Long. So as Wainwright and Oswalt pitched downtown, the Rams made their top decision. With the second overall pick the Rams selected Long. The Virginia grad said all the right things in his first Gateway City interview. “I’m extremely excited to be here”, Long said.” It’s been a long weekend and the God’s honest truth is that I wouldn’t rather be anywhere but St. Louis. That’s where I was hoping to go I intend on proving that I am worth the pick, if that’s possible. I’m really excited to work for Coach Linehan and the entire organization. I look forward to getting to know the people in the city as well. I can’t wait to get back to football and get back to doing what I do best and that’s not being an NFL draft prospect, it’s being a football player.” Meanwhile Vice President Billy Devaney offered his thoughts: “We knew he was going to be a great fit but the more time we spent with the person we just saw what he brings to the organization. The energy, he fit the work ethic, it just adds to what we have here already. We think he is going to be a great addition for a long time to come. I can’t tell you how excited we are to have a guy of his playing ability and his work ethic and character.” Heck, he even wants to go to the Arch (I wonder how many local TV stations will be carrying that “event”?) Smiles all around Earth City: Still this bureau is always skeptical to rely, gage and/or put stock in the reactions of the local & adoring media regarding any Rams draft selection. 2002 was a classic illustration. Then the local scribes/TV talking heads/radio gab-masters were gushing then with glowing reviews of the St. Louis draft picks. But national pundits graded Mike Martz’ 2002 selections with C’s and D’s. (As it turned out the national guys were right.) Once again in ‘08 the local media was invited to lunch with the Rams brass a few days before the draft. As the media munched on the free buffet, Devaney and Scott Linehan recited the appropriate talking points to parrot. Once again, the strategy worked. The local adoring media dutifully fell right into line praising the Home Team’s selections So again to get a national and unobstructed perspective of the Rams draft selections while avoiding the spin from the local & adoring media, we offer commentary/analysis from several destinations. We start commentary from Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline, who issued the Rams selections a grade of B. Says Prisco: “Best pick: Defensive end Chris Long, the second player taken in the draft, will be a star. He was my top-rated player in the draft. Questionable move: Passing on Dorsey to take Long. Their careers are now tied together for as long as they play. Second-day gem: Cornerback Justin King is an athletic corner who didn't always play up to his ability. Maybe defensive coordinator Jim Haslett can get it out of him. Overall grade: B. I love Long and second-round receiver Donnie Avery is a perfect slot receiver for their offense.” Fox Sports.com’s John Czarnecki writes: ” “There is no question that some of the defensive coaches preferred LSU's Glenn Dorsey to first pick Chris Long, but it's really a debate over apples and oranges. Long should be the perfect complement to Leonard Little. Long has great upside, too, and has the ability to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme as well. Scott Linehan wanted a receiver who can also help in the return game and got that man in Donnie Avery of Houston. Toledo OT John Greco helped his cause with a solid Senior Bowl, and the position was also a need. The Rams weren't interested in Jake Long, considering the injury history of former #1 pick Orlando Pace. Cornerback Justin King left Penn State after his junior season, but did graduate. He could have been a first rounder next year, but gives the Rams a chance on the outside. Grade: B+” Finally, the Larry Weisman of USA Today offers his thoughts: “Grade C+: Much internal debate but they went with Chris Long, seeking some pressure from the edge, over DT Glenn Dorsey. Only got 5½ sacks from DEs last year and Leonard Little will soon be 34.years old. Looks like not only a safe pick, but a good one. WR Donnie Avery went too high but the Rams love the speed and have the positional need. CB Justin King should be the nickel back right away. They failed to address their O-line issues.” Bottom line, the Rams needed help on the defensive front and Long seems to have addressed that need. In addition, Long’s pedigree was a selling point. Do not underestimate the advantage of growing up in a professional athlete’s family. His upbringing should give the Rams’ top pick a certain level of maturity without being awe-struck. #2 selection Avery did not play in a major football conference, but his blazing speed motivated the Rams. The real question is whether Avery, like Az Hakim, can hold onto the football and whether or not he can take an open field hit. Stay tuned. Spring/summer 2008 continues to be important for this 3-13 football team. With a new Director of Player Personnel on board and Linehan in his final contract year, everyone is on the clock. This is a critical time for the Rams. No longer are sellouts a given at the facility formerly known as the Trans World Dome. Suddenly games at the end of the season blacked out on local television. Fan apathy is apparent and growing. They need to just inspire its base. Drafting Long is a good start: but is it enough? Again: Stay tuned. It was a textbook couch potato Saturday afternoon for Gateway City Sports Fans although it was delightful outside. Still it provided the needed motivation to stay indoors and give the remote a good workout. Skip Shumaker drives in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth and the Cardinals defeat Houston: Meanwhile, the Rams again are holding their breaths: hoping they have found the right mix to regain stature in that rich and arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League. All that was missing on this April Saturday afternoon was a Blues Stanley Cup playoff game. (Oh yeah, I forgot!). Regardless, it provided a wonderful reason to avoid lawn work. stlsports.com Cover Story posted April 19 How Good is Ryan Ludwick? With seventeen games under their
belts--just over ten percent of the 162 game season, the Cardinals are
in first place in the NL Central.
Ryan Ludwick has been a major contributor to the Redbirds' 12-5 won-loss record--his four HRs, eleven RBIs and seventeen hits rank T1, T2 and third (respectively) on the team, despite appearing in only fourteen of the seventeen games.  Ludwick, along with Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker and Chris Duncan, are beginning to answer the question marks posed in this space during spring training (and reprinted below). It is not at all impossible to imagine that the righthanded-hitting Ludwick will conclude the '08 season with 450-500 ABs...which would provide an answer to the question: How Good Is Ryan Ludwick? stlsports.com Cover Story posted March 22 The ’08
Outfield—A Series of Question Marks
So what is to be made of mid-March
Grapefruit League stats?
Probably not much, at least for veterans such as Albert Pujols (.400 average with five HRs in 50 ABs) and Troy Glaus (.375 average; 1 HR in 48 ABs). Pujols and Glaus, when healthy…are proven performers…and Cards’ manager Tony La Russa knows that his team’s two corner infielders must perform as expected if the ’08 Cards squad is to contend in an NL Central that is loaded with talent. Less certain, though, are the ’08 expectations regarding outfielders Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Brian Barton and Colby Rasmus. The spring numbers for this quartet of babes are shocking in their brilliance: Ankiel (.345 average; 3 HRs in 58 ABs); Schumaker (.340 average; 2 HRs in 53 ABs); Barton (.327 average; 2 HRs in 49 ABs); Rasmus (.300 average; 2 HRs in 40 ABs). Significantly, Ankiel, Schumaker, Barton and Rasmus rank in the top eleven as far as spring at-bats are concerned—a signal that La Russa has taken seriously the team’s ‘youth movement’…or whatever it is called. With Barton a Rule 5 guy from Cleveland (if he does not make the Cards’ 25 man roster that heads north in about a week, in the absence of a trade he must be returned to the Indians’ organization), the Cardinals are likely to bring him north for Opening Day.  Brian Barton Schumaker’s place on the roster seems secure as well; his speed makes him a likely candidate for a tryout as the team’s leadoff batter. Rasmus’ proper place is AAA Memphis—the young man needs more seasoning before testing his skills at the highest level. In several spring training at-bats, big league pitchers were able to find significant holes in his swing…holes that at least one scout believes can be patched with time--and diligence on the part of Rasmus. Ankiel. Ankiel?  Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus and Rick Ankiel As impossible as it seems to imagine, the massive amounts of talent that manager La Russa and former GM Walt Jocketty repeatedly refer[red] to have been on display on Florida’s Atlantic Coast for virtually the entire spring. In other words, the former pitcher Ankiel has literally been hitting on all cylinders…and few hurlers have thrown strikes that Ankiel has found unhittable. Experienced watchers of baseball believe that Rick Ankiel has a monster season in him… No mention yet has been made of ‘veteran’ outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Chris Duncan.  Ryan Ludwick -----
 Chris Duncan That’s right, in the ’08 scheme at Busch, OFers Ludwick and Duncan qualify as ‘veterans’. The spring numbers for both of these players pale in comparison to those posted by Ankiel, Schumaker, Barton and Rasmus. But the big-league stats put up by Ludwick and Duncan in the ’07 season enables both men to have carved out a place in manager La Russa’s brain as far as the ’08 OF rotation is concerned. Of some concern is Duncan's health—in addition to recovering from hernia surgery (September ’07), back problems have been cited as problems in spring ’08. A twenty-five man roster that features Ankiel, Barton, Duncan, Ludwick and Schumaker…is the likely roster that Tony La Russa will have to work with in the early weeks of the ’08 season. Who will see the most playing time? Who will put up All-Star quality numbers? La Russa can answer the first question…but not the second. In the meantime, as this is written (March 22), Padres’ CF Jim Edmonds (a four-time All Star) has six at-bats and has appeared in but four of the Padres’ twenty Cactus League games. Edmonds suffered a strain calf injury on March 6 and is likely to being the '08 season on the disabled list. This subject will be revisited on the July 4th weekend…
Mike Huss' Take Five posted May 7 <>
Random observations as the Cardinals
continue to spend time in first place in the National League Central
Division (and yes, much to my surprise & amazement)
In light of Mark Mulder’s recent Triple-A performance as well as his subsequent visit to the doctor, Anthony Reyes’ recent demotion and Brad Thompson’s recent trip to the disabled list, I wonder if Rookie General Manager John Mozeliak still thinks his team has an “abundance of pitching” You mean it’s THAT Dallas Drake that has been logging ice time in the NHL’s Western Conference Finals for the Detroit Red Wings? After listening to all of the over-the-top praise, bouquets & soliloquies by the local media (especially the Fox Sports Midwest crew) over the reported legend that is Rick Ankiel, I’m shocked the soon to be 28-year-old Wild Child hasn’t already won the title of American Idol solely from phone calls received from the 314 area code. For those future fantasy baseball geeks & amateur GMs out in cyberspace, here’s an update for your computing pleasure: at this writing, Cardinal outfielder-of-the-future Colby Rasmus is hitting .210 in Triple-A Memphis with 5 home runs, 14 runs batted in, and 23 strikeouts. AND FINALLY FROM THE “SPORTSCENTER IS NEXT” BUREAU: According to ESPN.com: “Don Cherry is heading south of the border. Cherry, a fixture on the CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada," will join ESPN's "SportsCenter" beginning Friday after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. "Pairing Don Cherry and Barry Melrose will provide NHL fans with two of the most respected and opinionated voices in hockey today," Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president of production, said in a statement. "'Sports Center' will be the place to turn for Stanley Cup analysis, debate and highlights." Cherry will offer live post-game reports on-site during the conference finals, and he will join Melrose and ESPN's Steve Levy for pre- and post-game analysis during the Stanley Cup finals.” Isn’t this typical of the National Hockey League: more fans will be able to see the pre and post-game shows instead of the actual playoff games. Comments? Contact Mike at: mike@stlsports.com
stlsports.com Cover Story
For Greater Minds than Mine... posted April 19 Now
that the taxes are finished & mailed for another year and now that
hopefully the ground has stopped shaking, perhaps this is a time to
offer up some discussion topics:
“For Greater Minds than Mine”: Thoughts to consider Despite taking two of three at home against Milwaukee and despite taking some ribbing from fellow media types, I am still not ready to buy Cardinal 2008 World Series tickets. The facts scream the loudest. The lion share of the Red Birds’ April competition remains in last place in the respective divisions. Speaking of the Brewers, the Red Birds are likely going to regret not winning Game 3 of that series. When you are winning 3-0 at home with only five out remaining, you have to get the job done. This St. Louis team does not have much room for error. This St. Louis team cannot afford to give away opportunities. If you crunch the numbers it is easy to find the key to the Cardinals early success. In their first sixteen games he Red Birds are 10-2 in games where they score first and have outscored their opponents 24-6 in the first three innings (scoring 8,6 and 10 runs, respectively in the first three innings). With all the continuing groupie-love Rick Ankiel is receiving from local Cardinal Fans and the local media, has anyone noticed Ryan Ludwick’s production numbers? To date Ludwick has hit as many home runs as Ankiel (4), driven in ten runs, has a higher batting average and unlike #24, does not lead the Red Birds in strikeouts. Recently the Cardinal General Manager was spinning on a local broadcast how shortly the team will have an “abundance of quality pitching”: meaning the return of Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder and Joel Piniero. Still, whenever you count on pitchers that are described by the words “If’ or “If Only” then I would not consider this is “abundance”. Any contribution those three make to the team in 2008 should be considered a bonus. This week the Cardinal cable telecast talking heads were mocking Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun as being an all-hit, no-field, third baseman. Perhaps a fair point: but can’t one make the same argument about Troy Glaus? Cardinal Nation remains skeptical and they are stating their point at the turnstiles. At this writing after 9 home games, five had announced attendance totals of under-40, 000. Speaking of promotions and such: I realize that I’m not a high-priced advertising/Public Relations guru, but this “Play Like a Cardinal” marketing campaign seems silly to me and I don’t get it. On the other hand, I don’t understand the attraction of American Idol. I had the opportunity to chat with a legend before Thursday’s day game: Busch Stadium Organist Ernie Hays. The Maestro looks and sounds great. When Ernie plays the organ at, it truly sounds like baseball. It’s like night and day when a second-stringer pounds the organ keys or when head-banging CDs are blared excessively over the loudspeakers. Ernie remains a legend at Red Bird games and is a vital part of the ballpark experience. Ernie should tickle those ivories as long as Ernie wants to: regardless of what any overpaid consultant or suit might recommend. We ask again: when will the Cardinals put up a statue and retire uniform #7 in honor of Hall of Famer Joe Medwick: the last National League Triple Crown winner? This week Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame radio announcer Marty Brennaman did not mince words about the faithful of the Chicago Cubs. Brennaman said: “This is what makes you want to see this Chicago Cubs team lose. Among all baseball fans -- I can't attest to the Yankees and Red Sox because we don't see them with any degree of regularity unless it's interleague play -- but far and away the most obnoxious fans in baseball in this league are those who follow this team right here. Throwing 15 or 18 balls on the field, there's absolutely no excuse for that and that is so typical of Chicago Cub fans. It's unbelievable.Throwing the ball back, that's great, that's a Chicago Cub tradition that other teams have picked up on, and that's fine. It's ridiculous, it really is ... You simply root against them. I've said all winter, people talk about this team winning the division, and my comment is they won't win it because at the end of the day, they're still the Chicago Cubs and they will figure out a way to screw this whole thing up.” So what is the over or under date this week for the completion of River De Witt: a.k.a.: the area we are told someday will become Ball Park Village? As long as George Boone or Mike Martz doesn’t make the selection, the Rams should with the #2 pick acquire a quality/impact player in this year’s edition of that rich & arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League’s meat market/beauty contest: the NFL Draft. But the Rams should hold onto the pick until draft day and wait to see if the phone rings. Anyone who has watched the draft coverage on the Chris Berman show knows that sometimes these NFL teams get greedy and do silly things on draft day: coveting a higher pick. A package of picks might be attractive to Earth City. It’s now been nine years since Marshall Faulk was traded to the Rams from Indianapolis. A lot (good & bad) has happened since that trade on Tax Day 1999, eh? When was the last time there has been this much enthusiasm for Spring Football at the University of Missouri? The Rams look at best like an 8-8 team in 2008 to me. Still, if this starts slowly, just how many local blackouts will there be for those home games after Thanksgiving? Memo to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: Why doesn’t your league televise your playoff games on a real cable network: one that most of North America can access? The World Leader in Cable Sports Programming is airing softball, billiards, and poker: while still clobbering the NHL playoffs in the ratings. The NHL should pay ESPN for airing their games. It’s another example why the NHL is taken seriously as a major sport. Rick Majerus’ recent thinning of the herd that is the Billikens basketball roster is another illustration there is a new mindset on Grand Avenue. Congratulations to one of our town’s unsung heroes: PHL Inc. PHL Inc has been recognized for their efforts by FOCUS-St Louis with the “2008 What’s Right with the Region” Award in the Promoting Stronger Communities category. The group will receive their honor on Wednesday May 7 at a ceremony at the Sheldon Concert Hall. PHL Inc are truly local heroes that are volunteering their time, talents and treasures for all the right reasons. This honor is richly deserved and I’m proud to promote their efforts. And finally more congratulations to Mr. Ed Hightower: referee extraordinaire. He recently was one of the three officials in the Kansas-Memphis NCAA Men’s basketball final. This is even more impressive when you considered that Hightower was one of the officials in the 1988 NCAA Men’s Championship in Kansas City. He is a man of lasting integrity, dedication and the ultimate role model. Besides, with Mr. Hightower in the stripes, at least there was some local presence in this year’s NCAA Tournament. “For Greater Minds than Mine”
TNP
posted February 16 Television
and Sports (II): Bob Knight and ‘Ballers’ When attending
middle
school basketball games, it is impossible not to see the effects of the
images and sounds of professional basketball, transmitted by
television, into the homes of young athletes and their families.
I distinctly remember the first time I groaned at a sporting event. Several years ago, our youngest child played on a rec-league basketball team…and the very best player on the team (a) would not pass the ball to our child; and (b) did not seem to care about whether his team won or lost…each game was all about him. Cut to the chase—late in a close game, the young man decided that it was the right time for him to mimic moves that he and his father had seen on an And1 mix tape. How did I know this? I had overheard this sixth-grader and his father talking about what they had seen on the And1 tape a week or so earlier. As the youngster crossed the half-court line, ball in hand, he looked up and made eye contact with his father. Never mind that the sequence of (a) a high, mocking dribble; (b) a between-the-legs and crossover dribble; and (c) a step-back-and-shoot move…failed. The shot was a brick…but as the young man ran back on defense he looked up at his father and grinned broadly. His father (a nice enough fellow) pumped his fist in response—a gesture that prompted my groan. Youngsters at all levels of youth basketball do only mimic tje And1 mix tape; many baskeball players also imitate Allen Iverson’s style of play. There is a lot to admire about the courageous play of Iverson, who, as a six-footer, regularly drives the lane and takes on men much taller and heavier than himself. But the next time Iverson’s Nuggets are on television, watch what happens when the Nuggets are in an offensive set and ‘AI’ does not have the ball—he usually stands in one place and more-or-less waits to run back on defense. It is no wonder that Iverson’s coaches and general managers have churned through dozens of teammates…in their endless efforts to find players capable of playing with AI. To be sure, though, the style of play exemplified by the street-wise Iverson is emulated throughout the playgrounds of North America. It is television that brings the wonder of Allen Iverson’s play into our homes…warts and all. So what does all of this have to do with Bob Knight, who a week or so ago resigned as head basketball coach at Texas Tech? Think about this for a minute. In countless interviews (some long before his Texas Tech resignation), Bob Knight has not been not shy when it comes to defining what is wrong with the current state of college basketball. In private, you can bet that Bob Knight has nothing good to say about the And1 tapes, in terms of their effect on today’s youngest players. You can also bet that Allen Iverson would not be Bob Knight’s first, second or tenth choice to serve as point guard for a national team of his choosing. Finally, rest assured that Knight is not a fan of Iverson’s effects on America’s young ballers. You can also be sure that Bob Knight did not smile if one of his players uttered the word ‘ballers’. To summarize: Bob Knight does not look favorably upon the trickle-down effects that have resulted from the endless broadcasts and rebroadcasts of the And1 tapes and various on-court exploits of Allen Iverson. But how does Bob Knight feel about the trickle-down effects that have resulted from the endless broadcasts and rebroadcasts of his own on- and off-court exploits? A ‘Top Seven’ Bob Knight list (courtesy of si.com) is found below: 1. Sept. 10, 1979: Knight is sentenced in absentia to six months in jail after being convicted of hitting Puerto Rican police officer Juan de Silva before a July practice at the Pan American Games. The U.S. team had won the gold medal five days after the incident. The government of Puerto Rico decides in 1987 to drop efforts to extradite Knight. 2. Feb. 23, 1985: Knight tosses a chair onto the Assembly Hall floor while Purdue's Steve Reid attempts to shoot technical free throws. Knight is ejected from the game and later suspended for one game by Duke. Knight makes a formal apology. 3. Jan. 25, 1986: Receives a technical foul for shouting at the officials during a game against Illinois. He then kicks a megaphone and chews out the Indiana cheerleaders for disrupting a free-throw attempt by Steve Alford. 4. Nov. 22, 1987: With 15:05 remaining and Indiana down 66-43, Knight refuses to let his team finish an exhibition game against the Soviet Union after he is ejected for arguing with referee Jim Burr. He apologizes and is later reprimanded by the university. 5. June 7, 1999: Knight is investigated for possible battery after allegedly choking restaurant patron Christopher Foster, who said he overheard Knight making racist remarks. Monroe County prosecutors later announce that no charges will be filed against Knight or Foster. 6. Oct. 12, 1999: Knight accidentally shoots friend Thomas Mikunda in the back and upper shoulder while hunting, causing wounds that were not life-threatening. Knight is later cited for failing to report an accident and hunting without a license. 7. March 17 - May 14, 2000: Indiana University investigates Knight after former player Neil Reed claims the coach choked him during a 1997 practice. A videotape appearing to support Reed's claim appears in April. Other reports that have followed: Knight attacked a former Indiana sports information director, attacked former assistant coach Ron Felling shortly before his 1999 termination and once threw a threw a vase near an athletic department secretary. These and countless other unfortunate examples have dogged Bob Knight throughout his Hall of Fame college basketball coaching career. Knight and his defenders take pains to point out that Knight’s awkward behavioral traits stand in marked contrast to less-publicized beneficial effects that he has had on his players, fellow coaches, and even the entire sport. It is a fact of life in the high-risk/high-reward world of professional and college sports… that all-sports television and news networks demand programming on a 24/7 basis. Indeed, if it were not for television revenue, the financial rewards and status offered to both Bob Knight and Allen Iverson would be a fraction of what they are today. So the exploits of Allen Iverson AND Bob Knight are a staple of the telecasts on those networks—and the exploits of both, overall, have significant plusses and minuses, plusses and minuses that are magnified by television. Bob Knight and his defenders cannot have it both ways—it is television that illuminates “The General” and “The Answer”…for all to see. TNP
posted February 10 On the
Impact of Television and Sports I: The
telecast of last Sunday’s Super Bowl was viewed by more Americans than
any
previous Super Bowl. The
Giants-Patriots matchup proved to be worthy of the 120-inch diagonal
image that
twenty-or-so visitors enjoyed at the TNP home. Since the FOX network
signal
included high-definition video as well as surround-sound audio, the
combination
of first-rate electronics and first-rate football meant that even the
non-footballers in our annual get-together gathered to watch the entire
game—idle
chit-chat was at a minimum for what seemed like an eternity. The As
for the game itself, since much of the pre-game hype surrounding Super
Bowl
XLII concerned the Patriots and their quest for a perfect 19-0 season,
the fact
that the Giants prevailed 17-14 provided a primary story line for the
post-game
coverage. Even
after winning eighteen games in succession (a single-season NFL
record),
several electronic and print reports described the Pats’ season as ‘a
failure’! The
media were joined by Pats’ fans and players in these analyses. Consider
the comments of Hall-of-Fame WR Randy Moss, who, after the loss to the
Giants,
described the Pats’ 2007 season in less-than-glowing terms: “Nothing
we accomplished this year was positive because we didn't finish up on a
good
note," Moss said. "Basically, we didn't do anything this season.” Moss’
comments were echoed by several of his teammates—and replayed countless
times
on the four-letter network and other media outlets. Randy
Moss and his observations rattled around in the TNP brain for several
days
before the figurative light bulb went off in the balloon above the ol’
head, in
terms of what is wrong with Moss’ comments. Moss,
Tom Brady, Junior Seau…these men are free to think and say whatever
they wish,
when asked about the impact of their loss to the Giants. Professional
athletes
should be entitled to define success and failure however they see fit. And
the television networks, they are allowed (required?!) to report on the
observations of the event’s participants, and broadcast them to whoever
will
listen. The
problem is that a significant portion of the consumers of these
observations,
the viewers and listeners, are teen-aged athletes…youngsters who would
have to
be mentally challenged not to see that the entire nation places its
superlative
athletes on a pedestal, a pedestal that is placed artificially high (in
part
because of the ubiquitousness of television). In
other words, the words of Randy Moss carry weight. It is correct to
state that well-adjusted
young people would find it impossible not to consider Randy Moss a role
model,
at least in terms of what he has to say in the wake of a Super Bowl
loss. But
the definition of success, for participants and their parents, in
extra-curricular sports such as middle-school basketball, does not only
include
a perfect won-loss record. In fact, the primary focus of middle-school
basketball should be the development of good team concepts as they
pertain to
winning basketball. A
middle school basketball team that displays improvement throughout the
season…all the while developing young people as basketball players, and
young
basketball players as people…such a team is successful...regardless of
its
won-loss record. TNP
witnessed such a team this year; and the good feelings all around were
obvious.
And while Randy Moss is free to speak his mind about anything, the
nationwide
broadcasting of his post-Super Bowl comments do not make the job of
coaching a
diverse group of youngsters any easier. COMMENTARY:
Who Are You Going to Believe, Me or Your Lying Eyes? ...and a Picture for Your Viewing Pleasure posted September 13 A
couple of weeks ago, the Rick Ankiel
feel-good party was crashed when the Cardinals outfielder suffered a
brain cramp while playing right field.
But it wasn't the fact that Ankiel, who, with one out and a runner on first base in the ninth inning of the September 2nd Cards-Reds game at Busch Stadium, made a nice back-to-the-infield running catch in deep right-center field, but then lost track of how many outs there were...no, that was not eye-opening. Heck, 21st century ballplayers forget how many outs there are, seemingly, once a month or so! What was memorable was not what happened on the field. Instead, the real news was generated during the post-game press conference, where Cards manager Tony La Russa, when asked about the play, stated that Ankiel told him that the reason he (Ankiel) continued running toward the right-center field wall after making the catch was because he was 'afraid of slipping' and was simply being 'careful about his footwork'. Never mind the fact that replays showed Cards centerfielder Jim Edmonds, after Ankiel made the catch, shouting and gesturing in the direction of a still-running Ankiel, in a successful attempt to remind his teammate that he needed to throw the ball back toward the infield (in an effort to keep Scott Hattieburg at first base, with two outs in the ninth inning of a one-run game). The famous Groucho Marx line--'who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes' came to mind as the well-intentioned La Russa did what he does best: protect his star players. Because if there is one stone-cold lock that remains in today's sporting world, it is that you can count on Tony La Russa, in his meetings with media, to protect his star players. Regular stlsports.com readers do not need to be reminded of the Rick Ankiel saga, a sad story that reached epic proportions after La Russa appointed Cardinals P Daryl Kile to face the national media as the putative starting pitcher for Game One of the Division Series...all the while knowing that Ankiel was going to take the mound (instead of Kile). It was as if La Russa believed that the then-twenty year-old lefthander needed protection from those carrying pens, notebooks, microphones, and cameras. Regular stlsports.com readers also probably recall the March, 2001 scene in Jupiter, Florida, when Ankiel, while throwing pitches from a practice pitching mound under the watchful eye of Cards pitching coach Dave Duncan, was attempting to find home plate in the spring training after the 2000 post-season meltdown. The strange image of the well-meaning Duncan, shifting left-and-right in an effort to shield Ankiel from the cameras of St. Louis-area television stations sent to transmit video images of the young phenom back to the midwest...remains etched in this reporter's brain. The obvious conclusion here is that baseball men La Russa and Duncan believed then, and apparently believe now...that Rick Ankiel needs to be protected. But there is additional recent evidence that the Cards braintrust still believes in the protection of Rick Ankiel. During the third inning of the first game of the Cards-Reds three-game series in Cincinnati (September 11, 2007), Ankiel was a part of two plays in right-center field that led (in part) to six runs scoring, and the demise of starting pitcher Mark Mulder. Without going into detail, Ankiel could have...and should have...caught both balls. Manager La Russa's post-game comments? "Jimmy [Edmonds] should have caught the first one; the centerfielder is supposed to take charge..." and... "the second one, the wind did something to it, and he muffed it." Then, in his pre-game show the next day, La Russa, when asked by Cards broadcaster Mike Shannon, was forthright in his opinion that the first of the two plays was not Ankiel's responsibility, and that the veteran centerfielder Edmonds should have made the play. Fast-forward to today (September 13, 2007). Rick Ankiel, in the wake of the news reports that he was the recipient, in 2004, of a year's supply of human growth hormone (HGH)...has but two singles in 21 at-bats, and appears to have lost his mojo in the outfield as well. Now...let's put on our Doctor Phil cap for a moment and pose a sensitive-guy question or two. Has the protection of Rick Ankiel had positive effects on his baseball career? And when does the action of protecting a player transform into the enabling of that same player? ----- Finally, the pix we post at stlsports.com are our own. We occasionally come across an image that we would like to 'rent'...in those cases we generally post the link...and not the actual image. Has Rick Ankiel used performance enhancing substances? You make the call: Rick Ankiel, September 2007 Commentary--
What in the World Is Going on in College Sports? posted September 10 A
year or so ago, the sports world was
shocked when five Duquesne University basketball players were shot
after an on-campus dance.
At that time, Duquesne University rallied around the victims of the shooting...with announcements describing events such as prayer vigils for the most seriously injured plastered all over campus: "Tonight there will be a prayer vigil at 9 pm for the five students who were shot here at Duquesne. Our prayers and thoughts are with everyone, especially Sam Ashaolu and Stuard Baldonado." But life is complicated...and in April of this year, Mr. Baldonado filed a lawsuit against Duquesne that aimed to recover damages from the University for failing to provide proper security at the on-campus dance. If you must, read that sentence again...'Mr. Baldanado filed a lawsuit against Duquesne...' No...there was no lawsuit filed against the alleged perpetrators of the shootings. Instead, in April of 2007 Mr. Baldonado filed suit against Duquesne...and the thinking goes like this: because the school did not provide the security that would have prevented the shooting, Baldonado's NBA earning potential has been reduced...and Duquesne U should pay! Now, move ahead a month...in May 2007 Baldonado was charged with aggravated battery and false imprisonment in a domestic violence case in south Florida, where Baldonado has a girl friend and one child. Finally, fast forward to September 2007. Dateline Pittsburgh (September 9, 2007): Stuart Baldanado 'was suspended from the school after he was arrested by Pittsburgh police Friday night and charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance. Although police did not find any drugs on Baldonado, they observed him standing with a man who was allegedly making a drug transaction.' In the wake of suspending Baldanado, Duquesne coach Ron Everhart sounded...well, you be the judge of how he sounded as he addressed the situation: "We take a lot of pride in using our best instincts and gut feelings in recruiting a kid and really bringing in good character guys," he said Thursday. "God knows we all, as coaches, have families and we want good kids in our programs to be good role models for our children as well as the children in our community. That's why situations like this are so disappointing and they really do hurt." St. Louis
Sports News
 by Mike Rainey stltoday.com Rainey on the Blues' Moves: Mike Says 'Things Are Looking Up' posted July 5 read
it here
TNP posted March 1 Fantasy?
Let's Discuss and Utilize... There are three evils of 21st-century
baseball. First there's 'Moneyball', the term popularized by author Michael Lewis, whose best-selling book of the same title basically expropriated much of what stat guru Bill James started nearly three decades ago. Second in the evil line is rotisserie baseball...a 'fantasy game' played by baseball fans that is based solely on the offensive and pitching statistics of players that said fans draft at the beginning of the season and trade throughout the season. Third? Think Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. This article is not about those gentlemen...and their issues with organic molecules injected via syringe. Rather, ESPN's roto staff has put together their 2008 player rankings...and we'd like to play Bill James and see how their numbers stack up as far as predicting the outcome of the 2008 National League Central division race. The result of our interpretation of the ESPN player rankings is shown in the Table below. To illustrate--there were 24 catchers rated (as always, roto data ignore defense). Cards' catcher Yadier Molina was NOT ranked among the top 24 offensive performers in 2008. Therefore the catcher's entry for STL is 25 (ditto for CIN and MIL since no Red or Brewer was listed among the top 24, either). Albert Pujols was ranked as the top offensive first baseman in all of baseball; therefore, the STL 1B entry is 1. In terms of offensive production, no Cardinal was ranked among the top second basemen (30) or shortstops (21); therefore, the STL entries for these positions are 31 and 22, respectively. Finally, Troy Glaus was ranked as the fifteenth-highest performing third baseman; as a result the STL 3B entry is 15. The INF sum for STL is 94 (25 + 1 + 31 + 22 + 15). The highest possible score for these five positions (cumulatively) is 144: a team with a score of 144 would mean that ESPN did not rate any of that team's players among the top offensive performers at their position. The Cards' INF quotient (94/144) is therefore equal to 0.65; reiterating: quotients closer to 1 (higher values) reflect poorer ratings. The three outfield positions as well as four starting and three relief pitching positions were treated in a similar fashion. There are therefore four separate quotients (INF, OF, SP and RP). All four are summed and then averaged (averages found in the sum of all fractions/4 row). Treatment of the data in this fashion 'normalizes' all four categories (INF, OUT, SP and RP) to be of equal value (25%). The results are in BLUE...with smaller 'fractions' suggestive of better performance. The Cubs are predicted to finish first, followed by the Astros in second place. The Brewers and Reds are predicted to vie for third place, closely behind the Astros...followed by the Cardinals and Pirates (in fifth and sixth place, respectively), with the Buccos nipping at the heels of the Redbirds. These estimate appear about right here from the TNP desk, with the possible exception that Milwaukee is likely to finish higher than Houston. Note that he normalization of the offensive data (where the total offensive contributions of four infield positions + catcher are 'equal' [in a relative sense] to the | ||||||||||||||
