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Photo: Adam Wainwright Stopper? |
Brewers Beat
Cards, 5-3 Despite Ryan Ludwick's eighth HR of the year, the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3. Brewer OF Ryan Braun swatted two solo homers to aid in the demise of Cards' starter Braden Looper, whose record fell to 5-2. . The loss (four out of the last five) drops the Cards' record to 23-16; the Cards and the Cubs are in a virtual tie for first place as St. Louis aims to square the four-game series with the Brewers on Monday night: starting pitchers--Adam Wainwright (3-1) and Dave Bush (0-4). 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 |
New Posts: Take Five, Mike on Izzy
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St. Louis Sports Online stlsports.com ----- Since 1995 the online source for St. Louis sports 99.9% Original Content |
Chris Deluca's MLB Stadia Rankings (Chicago
Sun-Times)
1. Fenway Park - Boston Red Sox Green Monster, Yawkey Way, Pesky Pole -- it's tops. 2. Safeco Field - Seattle Mariners Best place to see baseball with a roof over your head. 3. Yankee Stadium - New York Yankees It's on its last legs, but the adrenaline still surges full blast. 4. Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City Royals Defied conventional wisdom of cookie-cutter era ballparks. 5. PNC Park - Pittsburgh Pirates Indelible image: Roberto Clemente bridge lit up at night. 6. Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles Dodgers Fans arrive late and leave early. Too bad for them. 7. AT&T Park - San Francisco Giants The character is manufactured, but McCovey Cove is genius. 8. Camden Yards - Baltimore Orioles It altered the course for the new ballparks and remains cool. 9. Progressive Field - Cleveland Indians They might boo Jim Thome, but the park is first-class. 10. Petco Park - San Diego Padres A little of everything: warehouses, bay and downtown. 14. U.S. Cellular Field - Chicago White Sox Recent improvements make big difference. 16. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs Breathtaking at first, then hold your breath. 19. Busch Stadium - St. Louis Cardinals Only a slight upgrade, but the food is better. |
updated May 12 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
...Mike
on Izzy
"I'm
just getting sick of embarrassing myself and letting my team down,"
Those words were spoken by St. Louis Cardinal relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch after the Red Birds loss to Milwaukee in game one of a four game series in Wisconsin. Isringhausen entered the game in the top of the ninth inning with a one run lead: but three hits and a walk later, St. Louis lost the lead and the game. For the Red Birds, it was their fifth straight loss. There is no job in professional sports with the possible exception of a place kicker in that rich & arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League that is more pressure-packed than a Major League Baseball Closer. These specialists come in with the game on the line and their job is to close the deal. Everyone watches him perform. Everyone knows when he succeeds. Everyone knows when he fails. That is why closers and place kickers are so exclusive and valuable. That is also why these specialists command a lot of money. Closers and kickers are an eccentric and quirky breed of cat. Isringhausen is in the final year of his St. Louis contract. At this writing Izzy has 291 career-saves. He currently leads the National League in saves with eleven: but #44 also has four losses and five blown saves. With a young closer honing his craft in Memphis, 2008 will likely be Isringhausen’s final year in a Red Bird uniform. There never has been nor there ever will be a closer that will be totally automatic. But the effectiveness rate puts these specialists in a unique category. Certainly the Cardinals are not the only National League Central Division team with closer issues. Kerry Wood is trying to close out games in Chicago with mixed results. In Milwaukee, the once-dominant Eric Gagne has also blown five games amid whispers of his ineffectiveness. But bringing the topic back home, shall we? There is still some question about Isringhausen’s health. These questions are growing louder. Last week before game one of the Cardinal/Cub series, I had the opportunity to chat in the media lunchroom with a couple of the Gateway City more prominent scribes. The topic of Isringhausen came up. Now it should be noted that none of us are doctors and none of us play doctors on television. Still, we three medical wannabes concluded something is just not right with #44. He appeared “hampered”: without the same spring in his step. Case in point: there was a play in a Cincinnati game played at Busch III were Isringhausen fell while fielding a ball back to the mound and it took a while for #44 to return to his feet. Isringhausen says he feels fine and he is the only one who knows for sure. But the real question is: what is Jason Isringhausen’s confidence level these days? Does he still have the swagger, the moxie, and/or the nastiness to be a Big League Closer? Confidence plays a huge part in a closer mentality in a Big League Closer or an NFL place kicker. These folks must come onto the field with the mindset that they are going to succeed in order to be effective for a long period of time. Isringhausen’s post-game comments to Strauss after the Milwaukee loss has you questioning whether #44 remains confident of his abilities. To wit: "I remember in '06, I had an explanation; I just wasn't telling anybody. Now, I don't have an explanation," he said. "I'm just pitching like a second grader." ”My curveball is an out pitch. It's not a throw-for-a-strike pitch," "It's just time for them to figure out: we should have five more games in the win column, in my mind. So we should be out there in first place even more. They can't keep sending me out there when I'm pitching the way I'm pitching. We're going to have to figure out some kind of remedy. I'm sure that remedy will give me some time off from that role and we'll get somebody in who can do a better job right now." Isringhausen has always been an up-front, candid and no-nonsense person. He never ducked the media questioning after a poor performance: always willing to accept the blame for his shortcomings. But his comments in Milwaukee, although after a tough loss, are concerning and possibly revealing. Followers of the Tony La Russa/Dave Duncan era know the M.O. when the pitching staff is assembled in Florida. Everyone has a specific/defined role. There are starters. There are long relievers. There are set-up men. There are closers. These are their specific jobs. When all the components are in place, generally the pitching staff is an efficient machine. But when one or more of the parts either break down or need replacing, the ripple effect trickles down through the entire staff. Suddenly starters may have to pitch longer in games. Suddenly set-up men might have to close out games. Suddenly some pitchers are out of their “element”. Suddenly the house of cards (pardon the pun) pitching staff will be tumbling down. As we have said in this space previously, the margin of error for the 2008 Cardinals is razor-thin. They do not have the talent to give away games. If the Red Birds are leading with a three outs remaining, they must close the deal. That makes the closer role on this ball club, whatever his name is, vital for success. After concluding their trip to Milwaukee, the Red Birds return home for three with the Pirates and a weekend series with Tampa Bay. St. Louis then ventures to the West Coast before the Memorial Day holiday. La Russa, Duncan and the team’s rookie General Manager can’t let this thing get out of hand. To quote Barney Fife: “nip it in the bud”. Stay tuned: This is just the beginning. There will be much more to follow. Perhaps stated another way, (and in honor of Mothers' Day) the Closer situation, especially with these 2008 Red Birds might be best summarized is with the familiar melody of Howard Johnson's 1915 piece with amended lyrics: "M" is for the many games remaining "O" stands for making managers grow old "T" is for the tears when the bullpen isn't saving "H" is for the hope that leads will hold "E" means that every game’s important "R" is for the reliever that holds the key Put them all together they spell "MOTHER" Exactly what a Closer’s role should be. 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 13 Random dates & thoughts as we wait for
the Cardinal Closer position to appear on Monster.com
This date in St. Louis Sports History Take 1: May 12, 1966: The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in ten innings in the first game at Busch Memorial Stadium. Lou Brock’s single to center scored Curt Flood for the winning run. Atlanta’s Felipe Alou would hit the first home run in the new park his first of two on the night. Mike Shannon would hit the first Cardinal homer. Don Dennis picked up the win for St. Louis while Phil Niekro suffered the loss for Atlanta. This date in St. Louis Sports History Take 2: May 12, 1986: Monday Night Miracle: in Overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Semi-finals at the St. Louis Arena. Facing elimination, the Blues’ Greg Paslawski scored two third period goals: the second with about a minute left in regulation time to send the contest into overtime. Then Doug Wickenheiser scored the game winner at 7:30 of O T for a 6-5 St. Louis victory: forcing a 7th game in one of the franchise’s most memorable games. This date in St. Louis Sports History Take 3: May 13, 1958 Stan Musial got his 3000th hit in a pinch-hitting role as the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-3 at Wrigley Field. Hoping to get hit #3000 in St. Louis, Musial did not start this game: but came off the bench in the top of the 6th inning to pinch-hit. Batting for pitcher Sam Jones and against Chicago reliever Moe Drabowsky, Musial doubled to left center scoring Gene Green for an RBI. Recently National Hockey League Commissioner was crowing and trash-talking on how the television ratings for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs are up 55% from the previous year: despite being aired the illusive and hidden Versus Cable Network. Congrats, Commissioner Gary: but shouldn’t you also make note that the 2008 Final Four teams consist of the larger and more traditional hockey markets of Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, & Pittsburgh than those in 2007 (Anaheim Buffalo, Detroit & Ottawa)? AND FINALLY FROM THE “FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU, FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME” BUREAU: ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” report went into detail how USC basketball star O J Mayo allegedly received money & gifts before and during his one season with the Trojans. The findings could lead USC to the infamous death penalty. (Side note: wasn’t there another “O J” that once played for USC?). Still, insider/snitch Louis Johnson might have said it best: “I think after the Reggie Bush fiasco, (USC) would have definitely taken steps to prevent this type of thing from happening again. The ball is now in the NCAA’s court to administer the verdict: which could send shock waves throughout. Stay tuned. Comments? Contact Mike at: mike@stlsports.com
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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