| One of my top organizations is having a fundraiser and I hope you can attend. On Tuesday afternoon September 30 the Catholic Youth Apostolate of the Archidocese of St. Louis will be holding its first annual Golf Classic at the Norman K Probstein golf course in Forest Park. Registration and lunch will be at 12Noon. A shotgun start will be at 1:00PM. This four-person scramble costs $125 per golfer and that includes cart, lunch dinner and the silent auction. For more information please contact George Kerry at 314-792-7568 or via email at GeorgeKerry@archstl.org. Proceeds of this Gold Classic will assist the various programs sponsored by the Catholic Youth Apostolate. |
New Huss piece on the Cards in September
| St.
Louis Sports Online 99.9% Original Content--Since 1995--The Online Source for St. Louis Sports 'Pitcher Batting Eighth?'--(Aug 28)---> |
In 2008, the Brewers' won-loss record when
the pitcher bats eighth is an even .500: 21 wins and 21 losses. When
Yost's batting order features the pitcher in the #9 spot, the Brewers'
record is 55 wins and 29 losses. |
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| St.
Louis Sports Online stlsports.com ----- Since 1995 the online source for St. Louis sports 99.9% Original Content |
August 21 The
Cardinals' offense, while near the top of most statistical NL team
categories (second in runs, first in hits, second in total bases,
second-fewest in strikeouts)...the Cardinals' offense is streaky at
Busch (as pointed out by Joe Strauss in his P-D piece this a.m.)...
"averaging 6.1 runs in 34 wins and 2.2 runs with a .220 average in
their 29 local losses."
 Many point fingers at SS Cesar Izturis, in terms of reasons for sub-standard STL batsmanship. The facts? Izturis has appeared in 108 of the team's 132 games, compiling the following stats: .257 batting average; .319 on-base percentage; 25 walks; 84 hits and 101 total bases...with 10 doubles, 2 triples and 1 home run. Cesar Izturis as a primary culprit for the Cards' offensive woes? YOU MAKE THE CALL! |
The
stlsports.com Lists Top 10 MLB Road Records (August 1) 37-19 Angels 31-25 Cards 30-25 Phillies 28-26 Brewers 29-30 Rangers 26-27 Marlins 26-30 Mets 26-30 D'backs 26-30 Cubs 26-30 Royals NFL Stadium Leases --------------- expires
after
2008 season
San Diego Chargers ----- year-to-year Buffalo Bills ----- expires after 2010 season New Orleans Saints ----- expires after 2010 season Oakland Raiders ----- expires after 2011 season Minnesota Vikings ----- can expire after 2015 season St. Louis Rams |
stlsports.com Cover Story
Five Months Down and One to Go for the 'Birds... Welcome to September, Cardinal Nation.
In all likelihood, this is the last month of the 2008 baseball season. And that’s too bad and way too frustrating. Back in March, the experts (including this writer) predicted doom and gloom for the Home Team. The piling on was somewhat fierce with some of the national & local talking and writing heads anticipating not only a losing record for 2008, but a fourth place finish in the National League Central Division would be considered success. So if someone would have said to those experts (yes, including me) last Spring that on Labor Day morning, St. Louis would have a record of 74-63 and would have be within a reasonable striking distance of the NL Wild Card, we geniuses would have taken it in a heartbeat. Such is the case as we come down the stretch on the first day of September. But truth be told, Cardinal Nation knows that the guns are running out of bullets. A three-game sweep at Houston and a Labor Day loss in Arizona has all but knocked them out of playoff contention, even though they still are a respectable ten games over .500. The Nation knows they are helpless in watching this team fall out of favor. We’ve been seeing evidence of this over the past few weeks. Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan have done an exceptional job keeping this team in contention with a starting rotation of former relievers, journeymen pitchers, and career under-.500 performers. The Red Birds manager & pitching coach had these no-names overachieving: believing they are indeed better than their career numbers. Even after injuries to Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright and reoccurring pains to Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder, La Russa and company somehow found a way to keep the 2008 Cardinals in Wild Card contention. But as September arrives, so does the hard and cold truth. A hard-working but overworked Braden Looper is turning back into Braden Looper. An overachieving Kyle Lohse has returned as Kyle Lohse. Since the All Star Game, St. Louis is barely a .500 team. At this writing, the Cardinals have a losing record against their National League Central Division fraternity brothers. In this space our battle cry this summer has been “it’s the Wild Card, stupid”. But slowly and painfully that goal has diminished into a pipe dream. Once again we use the analogy that as General George Armstrong Custer found out in 1876 at Little Big Horn, you could only put up a fight against a more resourceful foe for so long. Sooner or later your limited resources will run out and your well-meaning resiliency will wear down. Unfortunately, this result was too predictable. In the end despite a gallant effort against tough odds, La Russa and his Red Birds were hung out to dry by those who sit in air-conditioned offices at 700 Clark Street. One can’t help but come to the conclusion that the mindset of these suits is that La Russa & Duncan can turn water into wine regardless of the pitching quality and/or quantity. And as such they refused to infuse additional capital by making a trade to support a team that had a legitimate shot at the 2008 playoffs. What a wasted opportunity Such is the case for the Home Team. The blame for this lies directly with the suits. The refusal of the front office to provide La Russa much needed reinforcements is glaring and speaks volumes. The results are painfully obvious. In a post-game press conference during the 4th of July weekend, La Russa practically screamed for reinforcements. But the only person that got the message was a veteran Chicago baseball reporter. Even as the summer drug out and the injuries mounted, the front office refused to budge to provide their manager the support he desperately needed. Instead of making a trade, the front office has chosen to retain to their Minor League prospects (of which very few will be called up to St. Louis in September): much like amateur fantasy baseball team owners hang on to their rosters. It’s frustrating because teams do not always get a chance to compete every year. Just place a call to fans in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle, Arlington and Kansas City for such feedback. To that end Milwaukee and the Cubs properly and correctly seized the moment when they recognized their teams had a legitimate playoff shot in 2008. And just look at the results. More on that later: But here in the Gateway City, everyone, especially the suits, has been spoiled. Just because La Russa’s St. Louis success rate has been exceptional, it is not automatic. Earlier this season we heard from John Mozeliak, the Red Birds first-year General Manager, that the team should enjoy an “abundance of pitching” later this season. That just proved to be just another first year mistake by a first year General Manger. Meanwhile, while the Red Bird Brass sat on their hands, let’s review the actions of their immediate competitors. First in Chicago: On May 15, 2008, the Cubs signed outfielder Jim Edmonds to a one-year contract. Since that acquisition the Northsiders are 60-36. Meanwhile Edmonds has hit 15 home runs and has driven in 43 RBIs in Cub Blue while continuing to make Gold Glove defensive plays that Rick Ankiel can only hope to make. Then on July 8, 2008 Chicago acquired pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, infielder Eric Patterson and catcher Josh Donaldson. At this writing, Harden is 4-1 with a 1.50 National League ERA. The bottom line: the Chicago Cubs not only lead the National League Central Division with a record of 85-52, but they own the best record in the Major League and have outscored their opponents by a difference of 189 (743 runs scored versus 554 runs against). Like it or not, the Cubs are favored to return to the World Series for the first time since the Truman administration. Now let’s head north to Milwaukee: On July 7, 2008, the Brewers acquired staring pitcher and former American League Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Matt LaPorta, pitchers Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson and a player to be named. Since Trade Milwaukee is 37-16. Meanwhile Sabathia has owned the National League. Since the trade the big southpaw has a National League record of 9-0 with six complete games. One of those complete games was a shutout at Busch Stadium as the Brewers swept the Red Birds in four straight. The bottom line: Milwaukee Brewers not only lead the National League Wild Card race with a record of 80-56, but they own the second best record in the National League and have outscored their opponents by a difference of 89 (656 runs scored versus 567 runs against). Like it or not, the Brewers are favored to return to the post-season for the first time since the Reagan administration. And the local bottom line: since the Cardinal Brass refused to act, the Cubs expanded their lead and the Brewers have not only caught them, but have lapped them. By their inaction, the Red Bird suits allowed their team to practically drop out of the playoff race. How bad is it? Assuming Milwaukee only plays .500 the rest of the way (yes, I realize a far stretch); the Brewers would finish with 93 wins. Said another way, St. Louis must to go 19-6 just to tie the Brewers: assuming Milwaukee plays .500 baseball the rest of the way. Meanwhile Cardinal Nation can only imagine what if the Front Office followed the Walt Jocketty method: making a late season trade to bolster the roster and improve the ballclub. Every year Jocketty made a late-season deal, the Red Birds made the playoffs. Yep, in all likelihood, this will the last month of the 2008 baseball season here in St. Louis. This blown season by the front office asks a legitimate, serious and fundamental question: is the Cardinal front office more interested in winning on the balance sheet than on the baseball diamond. To pick up a Sabathia or someone in that category would cost money: even though it would be a couple of months. By their non-action, the suits are sending a loud and clear message that the bottom line is really the bottom line. One can’t help but ask that if over three million tickets have been sold and that ticket revenue is comfortably in the bank earning interest, just how interested are the owners in adding more expenses to the bottom line: especially when the message has been subtly transmitted by their mouthpieces that 2008 would be a “rebuilding season”. Unfortunately, no one told that to La Russa and his staff as these underachievers stayed in playoff competition despite the non-action of their upper management. Yes, indeed: What a wasted opportunity. On September 1, teams can expand their rosters to forty players in order to bring to the Big Leagues minor league prospects. Perhaps we will get to see live and in person all these coveted prospects Mozeliak and Moneyball wannbe Jeff Luhnow refuse to trade. Yet, in all likelihood no significant Minor League prospect on the Mozeliak/Luhnow wish list will be headed to the Gateway City for a September visit. Meanwhile, I wonder just how many empty seats will watch that action in September. Welcome to September, Cardinal Nation.
stlsports.com Cover Story Batting Order Chatter: PItcher Batting Eighth? posted August 28 Sometimes a
ballgame's box score says it all...and sometimes it does
not.
In the first game of the just-completed two-game series, the Milwaukee Brewers scored at least one run in every odd-numbered inning and defeated the Cardinals 12-0. The Brewers scored seven runs in the ninth inning after scoring single runs in innings 1,3 and 5, and two runs in inning #7. Cards' starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer allowed the game's first five runs, and was replaced by lefty Ron Villone after allowing a two-run home run to Ryan Braun in the top of the seventh inning. An important moment in the game transpired in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the Brewers had failed to score in the top of the fourth, Cards' catcher Yadier Molina (batting sixth) hammered a one-out single to center field. Molina advanced to second base after Brewers' starter Ben Sheets uncorked a wild pitch. SS Aaron Miles (batting seventh) then singled to right field; the slow-footed Molina stopped at third base--setting up a one out/first-and-third situation. Next batter? For the '08 Cards, the eighth position in the batting order is reserved for the pitcher...and in this particular situation, that pitcher (Wellemeyer) sported a .159 batting average (and four RBIs). At the time, Milwaukee led 2-0. A run-scoring out would have cut the lead in half, and perhaps changed the momentum of the game. I don't have to remind you that Tony La Russa is a big believer in momentum, and a big believer in the benefits of offensive pressure early in a baseball game. But eighth-place batter Todd Wellemeyer struck out, leaving the ninth batter (Adam Kennedy,.274 batting average, 26 RBIs) with the two-out assignment of driving in a run or two. Kennedy flied out to left--inning over--Milwaukee retained their two-run lead--and followed up by scoring another run in the top of the fifth. Baseball is baseball and there is no way of knowing what Adam Kennedy would have done had he listed as the game's eighth-place hitter for the Cards (with Wellemeyer batting ninth). But there is little doubt that Kennedy would have had a better chance of driving in Pujols, and changing the momentum of a game that, from the Cards' perspective, was in serious need of change. On a related note--Brewers' manager Ned Yost is a big believer in the methods of Tony La Russa...so much so that Yost emulated La Russa in toying with the pitcher-batting-eighth batting order. In 2008, the Brewers' won-loss record when the pitcher bats eighth is an even .500: 21 wins and 21 losses. When Yost's batting order features the pitcher in the #9 spot, the Brewers' record is 55 wins and 29 losses. Food for thought? 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 September 5 Random thoughts & questions as we wonder if it
ever going to stop raining OK,
I’ll be the first one to go on the record: when former Red Bird
shortstop David Eckstein returns to Busch Stadium later this month in
an Arizona uniform, he should receive a standing ovation from Cardinal
Nation before his first at-bat. I
wonder what the folks at 700 Clark Street thought when they saw
“disabled” pitcher Mark Mulder swinging a golf club and playing a few
rounds at Bellerieve for the BMW Pro-Am. Don’t
look now but at this writing the Houston Astros have won eight straight
and are only one game behind the Cardinals in the standings. That
collective loss of air you are feeling comes from the north side of
Chicago as Cub fans hold their breath on the diagnosis of pitcher
Carlos Zambrano posted
September 5 I
wonder how many of the Union members of our town’s professional sports
teams will be participating in this year’s Labor Day parade through the
streets of downtown St. Louis.
After scoring a combined total of 94 points in Missouri’s 52-42 win over Illinois, just exactly when did the Tigers and the Illini join the WAC? Now I realize this will likely offend his groupies and the certainly Cardinals’ TV Cable announcers, but isn’t it obvious that Skip Shumaker is a much better defensive centerfielder than Rick Ankiel. Although he is not exceptional, Shumaker does not make the same fundamental fielding mistakes Ankiel has made this season: reacting to a hit ball to soon, not going directly to a fly ball when hit in the air, and not knowing where the warning track and/or outfield walls are located. On Labor Day September 1, the St. Louis Cardinals will play the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time in 2008. Am I the only one who thinks this is just not right? AND FINALLY FROM THE “HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED” BUREAU: Do anyone recall the last time a Cardinals’ game story was banished to page D-11 on a Sunday morning edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch? posted
August 25 Random
thoughts & questions as we wonder why that rich & arrogant
cartel better known as the National Football League schedules four
pre-season games per team: could it be money? Saturday morning I heard a replay
of an interview Rams’ running back Steven Jackson gave on the team’s
flagship station by the team’s play-by-play announcer and Channel 4
lead sports reader. Obviously this was a spin piece to welcome #39 back
into the fold and for damage control to appease the fans. But when
asked how Jackson would react to criticism by the average fan regarding
his holdout, #39 said in the middle of his response that “just a couple
of years ago, I too was an average fan”. Ouch! At this writing if the first
place Chicago Cubs plays .500-baseball the rest of the season, they
will finish the 2008 season with an overall record of 96-66. The appearance of the big ditch
beyond Busch Stadium left field’s wall, where we are told someday will
stand Ballpark Village, has changed this week. Instead of the quarry
appearance we’ve seen over the past months/years, it seems truckloads
of dirt have been dumped into the big ditch. Now, the site looks
similar to highway construction. Two points: first, the first heavy
rain will turn the site where Busch Stadium once stood into the biggest
mud puddle in town and secondly, filling the hole seems strange since
the suits assured us a ground-breaking ceremony would soon occur. As we approach the end of the
August, let’s review the results of a few former Cardinals. At this
writing: Scott Rolen has hit 7 home runs, 38 runs batted in and a .276
batting average in 88 games. David Eckstein has hit 1 home run with 22
Runs Batted In and a .274 batting average. Jim Edmonds is currently
hitting .231 with 16 home runs (15 in Cub Blue) and 48 RBIs. In 80
games, So Taguchi has no home runs, 6 RBIs and a .206 average. Finally
& new to our watch is Anthony Reyes: who is 3-1 with Cleveland and
with an American League earned run average of 2.22. AND FINALLY FROM THE “OVER-HYPED” BUREAU: KTVI-TV, the self-proclaimed “Home of the Rams” TV station was understandably excited about televising the Rams/Baltimore pre-season game. But don’t you think posting a “countdown to kick-off” clock that run down the time during their 9AM newscast was a tad over the top for a pre-season football game? posted August 21 Random thoughts & questions as the Cardinals wonder where all these off-days were a month ago...
Comments? Contact Mike at: mike@stlsports.com Cards Pound Cubs: StL 12 CHI 3
August 9 In
Friday night's first game of an oh-so-meaningful Cards-Cubs series at
Wrigley Field, Cards' starting pitcher Braden Looper and a cast of
relievers allowed only three runs.
But Cubs' lefty Ted Lilly and the relievers called upon by manager Lou Piniella only allowed two runs...and the Cubs defeated the Redbirds 3-2. In what Cards' manager Tony La Russa called a 'critical' game, Cards' starter Todd Wellemeyer (and three relievers) matched their fellow pitchers' Friday effort by allowing CHI only three runs. But Wellemeyer was the beneficiary of twelve STL tallies as the third-place Cardinals moved within six games of the first-place Cubs. The final score? StL 12 CHI 3. The Redbird offense featured the long ball, as Skip Schumaker and Albert Pujols both connected for solo HRs in the third inning, while Troy Glaus went long distance in the fourth (a two-run HR) AND fifth innings (a three-run HR). All four homers were served up by Cubs' starter Carlos Zambrano, who in his most recent start against STL was virtually unhittable (six shutout innings). But the Redbird offense was matched in quality and results by the pitching of Todd Wellemeyer, who improved his record to 9-4. Wellemeyer's effort was typified by his pitching in the game's third inning. After both Schumaker and Pujols homered in the top of the third, Cubs' pitcher Zambrano led off the bottom of the inning with a solo blast of his own, making the score 3-2 STL. After striking out Alfonso Soriano, Wellemeyer allowed singles to both Ryan Theriot and Derreck Lee. The situation: Cards ahead by one run...but Cubs coming back with runners on first and second (one out)...and clean-up hitter Aramis Ramirez batting. The situation resolved in favor of Wellemeyer and the Cardinals when the hurler, on his first pitch to Ramirez, induced the Cubs' third baseman to hit into a 5-4-3 around-the-horn double play. Premature to say that Wellemeyer's first-pitch sinker ball to Ramirez allowed the Cards to live another day, in their battle with the talent-laden Cubs? Not at all. Chris Carpenter resumes his comeback tonight at Wrigley. Check back for updates...
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--
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 total offensive contributions of the three outfield positions) probably results in the over-rating of Houston's three outfielders and the under-rating of Milwaukee's five 'infielders'. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
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