Stan Musial is What Made St. Louis Sports

You hear it in every city. “We have the best baseball fans…” “We have the best football fans…” “We have the best hockey fans…” or my favorite “Home of the best sports fans…”

Well obviously one will never know who has the greatest baseball, hockey, basketball, or football fans. Nor will we know what town is home to the best sports fans, but one thing is for certain if you grow up in St. Louis it is hard to avoid the lunacy that is St. Louis sports.

St. Louis is a decent size city with a small town feel. If you go over on “The Hill” you will walk into shops where regulars are known by name, go to “the Landing” and there will be a beer sitting at a spot in a local establishment waiting for their regular 5 pm visit from a local. Walk into a gas station wearing a Blues, Cardinals, or Rams jersey and instantly a conversation will be struck about the latest news surrounding the team. This city loves its sports.

Opening Day in baseball should be considered a local holiday in St. Louis, because you can guarantee the city will be decked in red, Keiner Plaza will have the red dye in its fountains, and every radio station will be talking Cardinals.

Jump about month ahead to May, and the town will “Bleed Blue” if the Blues are in the playoffs. “Let’s Go Blues” will be chanted all over town, signs will be hung from buildings and businesses supporting the team. The buzz will be all about the city, with everyone asking “is this the year?”

And finally head north down Broadway, and listen to the screaming faithful every Sunday cheer on their Rams, and in times of struggle the paranoia of their beloved Blue and Gold leaving town in favor for a West Coast dream.

You can’t escape it; even if you don’t like sports in a town like this at one point in your life you will be consumed by it. Whether it is the dominating performance of “Mr. Goalie”, Glenn Hall between the pipes, the beloved Cardiac Cardinals, Whitey Ball, The Greatest Show on Turf, the heroics of a hometown hero David Freese, or the genuine loving nature of one of their own Stan “The Man” Musial, you WILL be consumed.

Athletes come and go in this town like many other, but one thing seems to be consistent…they all want to stay and call St. Louis home. Many athletes such as: Keith Tkachuk, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Ozzie Smith have all found St. Louis too good to move away after their playing career.

Why?

Because St. Louis embraces you, but the key is to embrace them back. St. Louis like many cities love athletes who will work hard, fight for their team, and of course win championships. But St. Louis is a city that expects more, they want to see you in the community, treating life outside your sport like a normal human being.

Stan Musial paved the path for athletes in St. Louis. Everyone you talk to that knew Stan will tell you, “he was kind, gentle, and genuinely cared for the people of St. Louis.” For that matter he cared for everyone he came in contact with, “you won’t meet a nicer person than Stan” is something that is stated all around town.

He was “The Man” for a reason, and no one will ever replace what he meant to this city. Likewise, no place could recreate what this town meant to Stan; it was a match made in heaven…baseball heaven!

Being too young to see Stan play, I can only go off what I’ve heard and learned over my years about Stan, and that is that Stan was and is everything that St. Louis sports embodies.

Growing up in this city, attending opening days with Stan in attendance, being involved in the many standing ovations Musial was showered with, there is one thing that is a fact after yesterday’s loss of an icon: St. Louis will never be the same.

I am blessed to have grown up in a town where the love of sports is impressed upon you, and where idols such as Stan Musial were present. Because of Stan “the Man” and the his unblemished persona, it has helped create what I call the World’s “Best” Sports Town.

The Sports Naughty and Not So Nice List

You better watch out you better not be sly, it’s better to be shy I’m telling you why because the media will get a hold of it and place you on the naughty list.

We are making our list we’re checking it twice, you we’re definitely finding out who’s naughty, but not so nice in the sports world.

The nice list that sports Santa put together are guys like Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, and yes even the betrayer Albert Pujols. These are all examples of prominent athletes with a foundation for a cause that reaches out to thousands upon thousands of less fortunate people.

But let’s face it…no one came here to read about the nice lists, am I right? So let’s get to the bad in 2011.

There are the obvious scandals at the college level, the Ohio State University, University of Miami, Syracuse University, and of course Penn State University. All of these establishments of “higher education” deserve a spot on this year’s naughty list, and those associated with these organizations include Jim Tressel, Nevin Shapiro, and the Miami coaching staff. However, none of these compare to the dispicable acts of Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Mike McQueary, and Syracuse’s Bernie Fine. These men deserve to be placed on Santa’s naughty list in permanent marker, never to be erased.

Now on to the lighter sports Santa naughty list, and starting the list with the most recent news of the alleged fail performance enhancing drug test of Ryan Braun. Just about a month removed from winning the MVP award in the National League, reports of Braun’s failed test were leaked. Of course as most athletes first do Braun has denied the allegations and the results of the test, saying that he has been wronged. He has gone as far as saying that he will be acquitted of all this once he wins his appeal process. Should we exclude him from Santa’s naughty list? It is innocent until proven guilty, but what’s the fun in that? Ryan you are on sports Santa’s naughty list.

Another very naughty sports athlete is Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher. Leake was arrested in early April shop lifting $60 worth of t-shirts from Cincinnati’s downtown Macy’s. Mike’s claim was he was just exchanging them for previous bought shirts, and the young pitcher couldn’t wait in the line to do it legally. Come on Mikey, you expect Santa to believe that? No way, you’re on Santa’s naughty list.

Of course when talking naughty sports, the NBA and the NBA Players Association have to go on the list. They locked the league out missing parts of the season, delaying the anticipation of fans until Christmas. This allowed fans to become disgusted and possibly retaliate by not attending or supporting their sport, just as their revenue was starting to get to an all-time high. Sorry NBA and NBAPA on the naughty list you go better luck next year.

David Stern goes on that list as well, for vetoing a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Maybe it was for the better, maybe it was because of jealously, maybe it was because of something we all don’t understand, but Stern just stated basketball reasons? Really David sorry but on the naughty list you go!

Albert Pujols, yes you go on the naughty list! Sorry but here is why, YOU SAID IT WASN’T ABOUT THE MONEY! Santa Clause doesn’t like a liar. It was about the money and Santa doesn’t blame you for that, after all if Mars offered Santa a lot of money to go there he may leave the world. Hmmm a world without Santa? But then you allowed your wife to go public, and discuss contracts. Why? That got you no where, El Hombre, (El Diablo) you have been naughty this year. You did not stick to your word and stay a Cardinal, sorry but good luck explaining to Albert Jr. why you get a sack of coal from Santa this year.

Feeding off Albert Pujols the St. Louis Cardinals must go next of sports Santa naughty list. The Cardinals won their 11th World Series, their second in five years. They had the fans in their corner, they were on top of the world with the world’s best player. But suddenly the Cardinals laid back approach back fired, and now they are left with a void at 1st base, and Pujols is an Angel (well in baseball). An organization so rich in tradition allowed the best player in the game go out from under their grasp, there is no do-overs, there is no bargaining, it’s over and not finding away to mend a deal with the best player in baseball lands you a spot on the naughty list!

The tree topper of the naughty list and sports DUMMY of the year goes to Sam Hurd of the Chicago Bears. Mr. Hurd was the Scarface of the NFL, he made more money in drug sales than he did in a year of playing in the NFL, heck maybe his career. Sam Hurd was arrested on Wednesday December 14th, 2011 after making a drug deal with an undercover agent. The agent was working apart of  a drug sting that busted the NFL WR selling 20 pounds of Cocaine and 1,000 pounds of Marijuana. However, Sam’s lawyer did make a statement saying his client never sold any illegal drugs to fellow NFL players. Well thanks for clearing that up Sammie, but sorry not only will you end in the slammie, but you are the on top of the sports Santa naughty list.

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Is He Dunn?

By: Jon Peterlin

“ I would make the same move tomorrow again. ”

Those are the words of White Sox general manager Kenny Williams in regards to his slumping DH and his .158/.308/.316 batting line.

When it was announced that Adam Dunn would be leaving Washington and coming to the southside after inking a four year, 56 million dollar contract, the Sox proclaimed they were “all in.” With the 6-6 285 pound gigantic lefty in place, moving to one of the friendliest hitter ballparks in baseball at U.S. Cellular field, the Sox looked to take advantage of a weak AL central division.

The 31 year old showed no signs of slowing down after posting a good 2010 season knocking in 38 homeruns and 100 RBI’s for the fourth consecutive year. If Dunn was anything, it was consistent. Since 2004, it was a given he would hit around 40 homeruns, drive in close to 100, have a mediocre batting average hovering around .250 to .260 and strike out an alarming high 25-30 percent of the time.

This is nothing close to a consistent year for Dunn.

As the Sox take on the Royals tonight against rookie left hander Danny Duffy it didn’t take long for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to give Dunn the night off.

Even though Ozzie Guillen has been very vocal in stating he won’t sit Dunn at any point during this extended slump, Dunn’s stats against lefties make it easy, at least for tonight.

To say Dunn hasn’t hit lefties this year would be an understatement. Dunn has never fared well against southpaws hitting a career .224 against them, but in 2011 Dunn makes the mendoza line look good. Against lefties he’s hitting 2 for 64, his lone hits both being singles, to tally for a .031 batting average.

So he doesn’t hit lefties well, that’s okay right? He can make a Curtis Granderson-esque turn around and start hitting lefties with a minor tweak in his swing and everything will be okay.

If only it was that simple.

The fact of the matter is that he’s still below .200 on the year against righties as well. If Dunn continues at the pace he’s at striking out a whopping 124 times through 82 games, he could break Mark Reynold’s Major League record of 223 punchouts set in 2009.

So why is everyone in the White Sox organization so convinced he’ll turn it around in the second half? Are they wishful thinkers? Are they convinced that his past record would tell us that he’ll get on a streak and start contributing to the club?

I’d like to think so. Looking deeper into some of Dunn’s at bats, nothing suggests, except for the numbers themselves, he should be hitting this poorly. From fangraphs.com, here’s a look at his plate discipline numbers compared to his average numbers.

Z-Swing% – Percentage of pitches a batter swings at inside the strike zone.
2011 – 66.5% Career Average – 66.2%

Swing% – Total percentage of pitches a batter swings at.
2011 – 42.8% Career Average – 41.0%

Z-Contact% – Percentage of times a batter makes contact with the ball when swinging at pitches thrown within the strike zone.
2011 – 77.2% Career Average – 79.7%

Contact% – Percentage of contact made on all pitches.
2011 – 70.3% Career Average – 71.1%

SwStr% – Percentage of strikes that were swung at and missed.
2011 – 12.7% Career Average – 11.6%

All pretty similar to normal averages right? There’s one I left out that stands out the most and is the key to Adam Dunn’s failure at the plate this year.

O-Contact% – Percentage of times a batter makes contact with the ball when swinging at pitches thrown outside the strike zone.
2011 – 59.0% Career Average – 44.7%

As these numbers show it’s not even as if Dunn is receiving any unusual number of pitches outside the strike zone. Pitchers haven’t started solely attacking Dunn on the outside assuming he’ll swing at it and hit it into another embarrassing dribble back to the pitcher. American League pitchers haven’t exhausted themselves this way, Dunn has done it for them. When behind in the count 0-1 Dunn has gone 13-151 for a .086 batting average. When he’s down 0-2 in the count, they might as well stop the at bat right there, Dunn is just 1-73 on the year batting .014. It’s not rocket science, but his O-Contact% has resulted in too many weak grounders and a career low HR/FB rate hovering around 10% on the year.

As the Sox try to make a push in the division race trailing the Indians by 4.5 games entering Tuesday night in a division where they can make up ground, you have to wonder when will Dunn turn it around. With Alex Rios’s less than mediocre play, how long can Ozzie put up with two struggling performers? Only time will tell if Adam Dunn will turn it around, but for now the Sox still have confidence in their slugger, if only he had it in himself.

Twitter : @JPeterlin

The Race for the N.L. Central Crown

By Travis Green

As we sit here on July 18th, 2010 the Milwaukee Brewers lead the Cardinals and Pirates by a half of a game, the Reds trail by three and a half games, and well the rest of the division doesn’t have a chance!

The question around St. Louis is who is the biggest divisional threat to the Cardinals, but the question around the country is who will win the Central?

There are many factors that play into this discussion, many in which I will bring up, but of course the one element we can not include is injuries.

Of course these are all predictions, but many of them are backed by stats and other meaningful reasons.

Which brings me to contestant number one and a team we will discredit right away, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

An up and coming Team, but a few too many hurdles to clear this season

Pittsburgh it’s been fun, please keep showing up because you are on your way and with maturity and a few veterans to go along with a very good manager, the Pirates will be a very fun team and interesting team to watch in the next few years, but sorry not 2011.

The Pirates have too many hurdles in the way, including a low payroll brought about by very poor years in attendance, and ownership going cheap. Yes the Buccos will be in on a bats that could be shopped this trade deadline, but the Pirates will not surrender their farm system for a rental. So that takes them out of the running for a guy like Carlos Beltran, or Carlos Pena, in whom they reportedly have very little interest in.

There are a few other options such as Michael Cuddyer (if available), Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, all which are intriguing, but probably not enough to push them ahead in the Central.

However, there have been reports that two players who are on their radar are Hunter Pence, and Aramis Rameriz. Personally I discredit Rameriz, who has a option for 2012, and a no-trade clause. But Pence would be a great get, but will the Astros be will to trade a player whom they’d have to play against a lot up until at least 2013? This trade is highly unlikely, but if it did happen the Central would be that much closer.

The other question for the Pirates is “Are they buyers?” At this point you may say “Of Course!”, but not so fast. Ten of the next 13 games the Pirates play are against teams above .500, and the other three being against a division rival the Cincinnati Reds. The other three in order are the Cardinals, Braves, and Phillies, which coincidentally leads up to the July 31st trade deadline.

And further reason more to count out the Pirates: The Pirates are 11-17 against teams above .500 and the still 36 games against teams above .500. And 33 games against teams below .500 in which they a 38-27 record against this season. As I said this team has a lot going for them but this season and their remaining schedule is not one of them.

The next culprit on the list is the Milwaukee Brewers. The first place team in the N.L. Central. The team that struck first among all teams in baseball as far as the trading frenzy is concerned, and more importantly took the first swing in the N.L. Central title bout.

Will K-Rod Push Them To A Title?

The Brewers improved their bullpen drastically with the trade of Francisco Rodriguez, but of course everyone was so concerned about the game finished clause in K-Rods contract. If K-Rod were to finish 55 games on the season he would have gotten an $17.5 million option for next season. But if you noticed I said “would have.”

That clause is no longer in play as he and his agent Scott Boras have waived it for added compensation this season. So Milwaukee got a steal, however that does not solve their bullpen situation. The team is still weak from the left side, and can you get K-Rod to buy into being a set-up guy or can the two “closers” be merge into one, and still play nice?

Humans are egotistical, especially when they make a lot of money, and are brought on to do a certain job, if they feel threatened they become very territorial, will this cause more problems than it alleviates? That’s a question that will have to play itself out.

With the addition to the ‘pen, additional money being spent of K-Rod, and bleak farm system to make any more deal, are the Brewers finished making deals? If GM Doug Melvin has proven anything, the answer is no!

The Brewers will be in on a couple of guys, but do not expect them to go big. Yes they have kicked the tires on Beltran, but do they have the money or prospect needed for the big outfielder?

So expect the Brew Crew to look for infield help, nothing too big, but I would not count out Aramis Rameriz considering he could be had at a relatively cheap price and would waive his no trade. That would be the best option for the Brewers, however I do not expect a big name such as that. Look for a guy like Jamey Carroll, Wilson Betemit, or Ty Wiggington to be a solution to some problems at 3B or Shortstop. A few other SS could pop up on that list.

If the Brewers can add another average bat to the lineup, and take out Betancourt or a slumping Casey McGehee it would certainly help their cause.

But would the extra bat ignite an anemic offense which averages 3.5 runs on the road compared to 5.25 at home. They are a drastically different team away from their Brewery compared to the road, 33-14 at home and 18-31 on the road. ]

Breaking down the numbers would take hours, but they do have the advantage of playing two more home games than road games with their remaining schedule with 32 away from Miller Park and 34 in front of the home fans.

The Brewers are 19-18 against teams above .500 and have 33 games remaining against both teams below and above .500. So their record of 32-27 will help against the under .500 teams, but if they want to win the division they will need to improve on that.

We move on to the Cardinals. A team that by all means should have left the conversation months ago, with the injuries, and inconsistent starting pitching, and of course the most notable bullpen troubles.

How will the Cards answer the trade made by the Brewers, and heated contest of the division?

However the Birds on the bat sit just below the coop, at a half game out. How might you ask? Well Lance Berkman is the key, as well as some very good pitching from Kyle Lohse early, and Fernando Salas keeping there late it the games.

With all that being said, it’s still an uphill battle for the Redbirds. There is much speculation and many questions on what this team needs to push it back to their familiar territory on top of the division.

Defense, bullpen help, starting rotation help, and of course where in the world is Colby Rasmus? And will he be traded?

The Cardinals can improve defensively, as they have the sixth worse defense in the Majors, but if you improve the D, will you affect the O? The Cards purposely took a hit in D to add to the offense with acquiring Ryan Theriot. Many have questioned their unwillingness to move Theriot over to second, and keep his bat in the lineup, but with Skip Schumaker playing perhaps the best defense at 2B of his career why take a hit there too, while losing offense?

The Cardinals would love to have it both ways with defense and offense, but right now it just isn’t seemingly possible, so barring a Colby Rasmus trade, the lineup maybe the same come seasons end (well that is as close to the same as it can be with Tony La Russa.)

So where do the Cardinals improve on their pitching in the bullpen? Or remove Kyle McClellan and acquire a starter? It is good to have options such as that, but they are very risky options. Do you mess with K-Mac’s psyche and move him back to the ‘pen and hope he returns to last years form? Or do you trade for a relief pitch i.e. Heath Bell, Mike Adams, etc., and suffer with McClellan as your fifth starter?

I choose option one, because there are more options out there in my mind. The bullpen is a strange situation, guys such as Heath Bell and Mike Adams are questionable since they pitch in a pitcher friendly ballpark in San Diego, and trading for a closer is always a gutsy decision, because they are not machine a lot go into their makeup, and you take them from their surroundings and things could snow ball fast. Salas has not been horrible, Dunc and La Russa seem comfortable with him back there, and K-Mac would help guys settle into their roles, especially with the recent flare up of Eduardo Sanchez’s shoulder, and he helps the left handed batter situation.

Prime dealing options: Brett Myers, Barry Zito, Jon Garland, Carl Pavano, and Edwin Jackson are all options among Starting Pitching. Or hey maybe the Cardinals can finally get their guy Mark Buehrle from the White Sox? Doubtful.

As far as relief pitching is concerned the Cards could look to Toronto and their surplus of bullpen arms, or talk to a team who has apparently called the Redbirds about Rasmus in Washington and ask for Tyler Clippard or Drew Storen.

Sticking with the trading Rasmus idea, other teams such as Colorado and Tampa seem to have interest in the young star, and may be in play in the Cardinals could pry away either a Jeremy Hellickson or Ubaldo Jimenez, but the Cards GM John Mozeliak said a deal for Colby is “highly unlikely.”

The Redbirds need to acquire another starting pitcher to remain in this discussion for the title, and according to Paul Morosi of FOX Sports are one of the more aggressive teams in searching for a starter. Mo has been known to wheel and deal, so I’d be surprised to see him stand pat.

The Cardinals are in one of the more comfortable situations in the Central as far as remaining schedules are concerned, they have 35 games left with teams under .500 and have a 35-26 record thus far against those teams. They will however face 32 teams with records above .500 including a dangerous four game road trip to Philly in mid-September.

Finally the Reds will round out the discussion. They have had a tumultuous year to this point, but only find themselves 3.5 games back.

Under performance has killed them thus far but do they have a few moves up their sleeves?

This team probably has one of the better teams on paper, but under performance has been a problem.

With Zach Cozart taking over at Shortstop they look to put a few of the woes behind them, but with a slumping Scott Rolen, and Edgar Renteria they will need a lot more to help them out.

Those two players were being counted on to be leaders, in the nice mixed locker room of young and old, but how can you expect them to lead with batting averages below .245?

Walt Jocketty will need to pull off some magic as they look for another OF, possible starter, and more bullpen help.

Bullpen help has been a common theme among the Central division, and the Reds are keeping with the trend, and will most likely acquire small help like they did last season leading to the Central division berth. But this season they need more than just that.

The offense has been there most of the time for the Redlegs, but they are still in search of an Outfield bat and do not be surprised to see them talk about the CF from the Mets Carlos Beltran. The Mets are willing to deal Beltran and eat some of his contract if it means better prospects in return for the aging OF, and the Reds have the ammo to do it, but will they? Or do they save that for a starting pitcher?

Many have discussed the need of an ace for the Reds, I have been one of them but with Johnny Cueto emerging as possibly that guy they may not need to go all in on a possible ace such as Ubaldo Jimenez and come up slighted. So best case scenario for the Reds is Cueto becomes that guy, Bailey or Volquez fill in nicely as a number 5 and the Reds acquire a veteran type starter.

There are a couple of positives to this scenario, the Reds will take one of the starters off the market from the Cardinals, they still have money, and prospects to acquire Beltran, and they get a Cardinal killer in Beltran. And as we know there’s nothing better the Reds love doing more than beating the Cardinals, this is evident when Brandon Phillips said he felt like Joe Carter in the ’92 World Series after he hit a walk-off home run against the Cards???

Maybe they should set their expectations a bit higher?

Moving along the Reds will be in contention with the list shown previously in the Cardinals section: Brett Myers, Barry Zito, Jon Garland, Carl Pavano, and Edwin Jackson.

Add to this list a guy named Ted Lilly something many may sneeze at, but if you can get Lilly to keep the ball in the park, which has been tough this year, and throughout his career, he is a very good late season option.

He adds stability, a veteran leadership, a left handed arm (once again to beat the Cardinals), and his second half numbers are night and day compared to his first half: 51-37 4.11 ERA compared to his career first half numbers of 68-69 4.29 ERA. And let’s not forget what he did for the Dodgers last year after be dealing by the Cubs: 7-4 with a 3.52 ERA.

No he’s not Jimenez or Pavano, but Lilly can be had for cheap, and still give you the prospects and money to acquire a bat such as Beltran or other outfield options like B.J. Upton, Carlos Lee, Alfonso Soriano, and Ryan Ludwick who may all be had at the right price.

The Reds are still the favorites, but a move by the Redbirds and Brewers could flip flop a few of these teams

In my overall review of the Central division I still like the Reds chances. They have the most in the farm to improve their team this season. Us Cards fans know Jocketty is never shy about making a move that catches his eye. They didn’t get near the production from Votto the first half that they did last year, and you can expect that to change, and if they acquire another bat, along with improving the pitching staff, they become the favorites.

The Cardinals have some decisions to make but are also in deal mode, and with John Mozeliak at the helm, anything is possible, and don’t believe the “highly unlikely” words from Mo on Colby if I am not mistaken Brett Wallace was deemed untouchable before Matt Holliday became available. The right deal comes along and the Centerfielder may be in new confines.

The Brew Crew improved first, but do they have the pieces to finish that improvement off? Or will they be like many things in America, left unfinished until further notice or more money and supplies become available?

And the Pirates, they say they’re willing to deal prospects for the right deal, and really interested in Pence, which if the Pirates are for real, that move would be great, but let’s wait until this current 15 game stretch is over to consider them 100% buyers.

Here are my projections:

Reds
Cardinals
Brewers
Pirates
Who cares where the other two finish?

I want to go with the Birds but I just have a sneaking suspicion the Reds may be the most active come the deadline, and we all know what Jocketty can do. Deplete a system for the future, for the now!

Finally the projections according to the first half stats if they were to continue into the 2nd half:

Brewers (86-76)
Cards (84-78)
Reds (83-79)
Pirates (82-80)

It shall be fun stuff the rest of the way out, with the Central division leaders playing meeting often down the stretch, hoping to stake claim on the title that earns them a spot in the 2011 MLB Playoffs.

(Please Note the numbers being used for .500 teams both below and above are based winning percentages as of July 18th, and not while the teams played, or after that.)

(Note: MLBTradeRumors.com, BaseballReference.com, STLToday.com, FOXSports.com, as well as the websites that the pictures are linked to were used in this article.)

McIlroy Not Playing Until British Open

By: Jon Peterlin

Redemption.

We all put the Sunday collapse of Northern Ireland’s favorite 22-year-old behind us. Rory McIlroy had put his early April meltdown at Augusta behind him. He was now the 2011 U.S. Open champion winning by a record 16-under-par. After the 18th at Congressional he made the nation melt as he thanked his father and said all the right things.

We were all smitten. He had charmed everyone watching in all the right ways. Then the realization of breaking twelve U.S. Open records set in, and like any golf talk it came full circle back to Tiger.
“I know how good Tiger was in 2000 to win by 15 at Pebble, I was trying to go at that today and emulate him in some way.” McIlroy said after his win.

Taking a page out of Tiger’s playbook, the curly-haired McIlroy opted to not play again until the British Open. Where does this leave us to believe McIlroy’s game is headed? He’s too young to only be focused on Majors like Tiger has for the better part of his career.

So what’s the reason?

Three weeks isn’t long enough where the wheels are going to fall off McIlroy’s game. In reality the only tournament he’d attend is this weekend’s AT&T National in Pennsylvania. Nothing to lose sleep over, but it was finishing 5th in tournaments like the Memorial that got him over the crushing meltdown at Augusta.

The pressure’s off McIlroy. After the Masters, golf critics were fast in labeling McIlroy as the next Colin Montgomerie or Lee Westwood. Not a bad comparison, except it was only for being players that have played great, but haven’t won a major.

So why lay off for the British Open? Some would say Mcllroy wants to ride the win at Congressional for as long as possible. He should relish in his accomplishments. He should take more pride than a little leaguer hitting his first home run. He should be happier than an architect constructing his first building or a lawyer passing the bar exam.

Wrong. All wrong.

Rory can’t take this mindset if he ever wants to be known as more than the 2011 U.S. Open winner. He has all the skills, but is too early in his career to be taking tournaments off after achieving goals.

He is not Tiger Woods.

Despite claims by golf critics, he hasn’t replaced anyone as the next great young golf superstar. There are too many Ricky Fowler’s, Dustin Johnson’s, and Anthony Kim’s who are relishing in Mcllroy’s time off looking to be golf’s next great one.

His time is now. The more dominant he can be during this time period, the more proof we have in labeling him as the next big thing. He has a chance that everyone in the game has been trying to get to; the next Tiger Woods. In anticipation for Mcllroy’s visit, ticket sales for July 14-17th British Open is up 20 percent since it was last played at Royal St. George’s eight years ago. His stock is high right now and a good showing at the AT&T National would only increase it.

A sprained knee and strained Achilles tendon has sidelined Tiger without a timetable on his return. With Tiger out of the picture golf nation needs someone to take his slot and they are desperately hoping Mcllroy steps up. Golf nation has all but shoved it down the 22 year old’s throat, why doesn’t he embrace it?

We’ll find out if the time off hinders Mcllroy’s performance at the British Open. All eyes will be waiting to see if he is over his fourth round collapses. One thing’s for certain: We’ll all be rooting for Mcllroy, let’s just hope we’re not rooting for redemption after someone else hoists the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Time For The Fireworks

The heat of summer is upon us, Lord Stanley’s Cup has been lifted, and Independence day is almost here.

And for many NHL teams tomorrow the fireworks will start early.

July 1st is the official opening of NHL free agency, and team will look to start off with a bang! Last 46 signing were made on the first of July, some resigning with their team of the past season, such as Alex Steen did with the Blues, and others high tailing it out-of-town in search for green pastures, such as Olli Jokinen moving from Calgary to New York.

This year I don’t expect to see as much action, however I see the Blues being a bit more active than last year.

I know this may seem a little crazy especially with recent reports of a dull market, and the franchise being for sale, but look for the Blues to see a few situations they like and go after them.

With the blue note only losing a few players from last year, mainly Ty Conklin, Cam Janssen and possibly Matt D’ Agostini if he chooses to play hockey elsewhere, it may seem as if the Blues don’t have a lot of holes to fill. However, you add in the loss of Winchester and Boyes to trades last season, the Blues have more holes to fill.

Players such as Scatchard, Cracknell, and Porter are not everyday players as they were forced to be last year, especially towards the end. So the Blues will look fill those voids.

Does that mean players such as Brad Richards, a trade for Zach Parise, or another high valued player is in the cards for the Blues? No, not even close, but the note will be looking for diamonds in the rough like they have found before with D’ Agostini.

Matt D' Agostini will hit the open market Friday.

Assessing the Blues is a tough task, as it has been for the last few years. The questions you must ask include: Is David Backes that elite forward, and presence that can score you 25-30 goals? Can T.J. Oshie be a second line contributor? Is Andy McDonald going to play like he did last year, and cease all the worries that have haunted him for years? Chris Stewart is he for real? Will we see the return of a healthy David Perron?

Those are just a few of the offensive questions, not counting a young defensive core, and a goalie who’s inconsistencies hurt him last year.

As decipher through the questions it leaves me with a few conclusions, the Blues will add at least one middle of the road offensive player with a nice ceiling, they will look but not quickly and actively pursue a defenseman. And finally the Blues will talk to some agents for a few NHL goaltenders.

The Blues have to find something on the offense, with the arrival of Stewart the Blues offense soared at the end of last season, but they still need a guy who can put the puck in the net around 20 times a year, especially if Dags is gone. They will have guys such as Phillip McRae and Evgeny Grachev competing for a spot on the roster but for management to expect that kind of production from those players would be foolish.

A few names to look for on the offensive side:
Ville Leino – He may be a bit of a hot commodity, especially with the down market. Don’t know what kind of deal his agent is looking for so it may be a long shot for the Blues, but I love his grit and determination to get to the net, and put the puck where it belongs.

Michael Ryder – Another possible long shot, but he is someone who could jump on the ice and fill in the number two-line. Would be a perfect replacement for Perron, if you are without him for a while. Plus brings that veteran leadership, and Stanley Cup presence to the team.

Andrew Burnette – This is a very realistic choice. He brings a veteran leadership to the team, a very smart player who can put the puck in the back of the net and find the stick of other players. A good second or third liner.

Tyler Kennedy – The Penguins are continuing to work on a deal with Kennedy, but I could see Kennedy being a player that would like to see more ice time, and the Blues have that for him here. Last year Kennedy saw more ice with the Malkin and Crosby injuries, and he put up some respectable numbers with 21 goals and 24 assists.

Ville Leino I believe would be one of the best options for the Blues

Those are some of the big candidates I see the Blues making a run after, a few honorable mentions are Chris Higgins, Michal Handzus, and the Doug Armstrong connection to Jamie Langenbrunner.

Notice there is no Thomas Fleishmann on there, and that is because his stock much like Leino’s stock is rising, and I believe he will sign a lucrative deal elsewhere.

As for D-men, I am not as sold on the fact that the Blues need a defenseman on this team. As I look at the roster the Blues already have seven legitimate contenders for six defensive slots, adding a veteran to the mix would be cheating guys like Nikita Nikitin and Ian Cole out of a chance. Unless the Blues are looking for another Darryl Sydor type signing. Names being bantered about are Jan Hedja, Steve Montador, or even Andreas Lilja.

Goaltending is the interesting topic. Many thought with the departure of Ty Conklin the Blues would hand the job to Ben Bishop, but in the last previous days and weeks that has become less obvious. I see the Blues pursuing a goaltender to help backup and possibly start in case of an injury or mishaps by starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak. So with that being said many like the possibility of a Josh Harding, but I believe he is headed to a place in need of a goalie split. Two goalies I see as legit contenders for the backup job Mathieu Garon, and my gut feeling Mike Smith.

As many begin to wind up their work week and get ready for an extended weekend with fireworks, NHL GMs will be working their free night

s and weekend minutes up as they look to set off a few fireworks of their own.

Cards Savior? Not Quite, But Better Than Other Options

The St. Louis Cardinals have been openly discussing their involvement in the waiver wires. As they continued to look for a move that would “address a need.” They may have found part of their solution on Thursday afternoon.

The Cardinals acquired veteran 3rd baseman, Pedro Feliz, 35, from the Houston Astros in exchange for prospect David Carpenter. Carpenter is a 24-year-old relief pitcher who has yet to make it out of High A ball, but has electric stuff with averaging more than a strikeout per inning.

Feliz is not a long-term solution for the Cardinals, and may not be a home run for the Cardinals, but right now the Cards need a stop-gap and that’s something Feliz can do.

When looking at Feliz compared to the other options at 3rd, he is a much better option providing more range and a fielding percentage that is on par with the rest of the league. (.950)

Feliz at times has shown himself to be an above average fielder while handling the bat, this year as GM of the Astros Ed Wade said, “It’s been a tough year for him.” Tough year is an under statement .031 points below his career average of .252. His power numbers are down as well, with only 4 dingers to his name, in limited action.

Yes, those are tough numbers to fathom, but when you look at it this way, no one has lived up to their averages for the Astros this year: Carlos Lee, a lifetime .288 hitter, with an average of 30 Home Runs a year, has seen his average dip to .248 and only seen 15 balls leave the yard this year, while still hitting at the hitter friendly, Minute Maid Park.

It doesn’t stop there: Lance Berkman before being traded was batting a mind numbing .245 which came in .051 points below his normal average. He has also seen a decline in power as well seeing only 13 Home Runs this year compared to his average 33 HR in his career.

Now yes you can say that “all these guys are aging”, and there is no argument there, but these guys don’t just fall into oblivion over night. This is a result of being on a bad team, even Roy Oswalt struggled in his last few months as an Astro.

I am not here to tell you Pedro Feliz is the man to carry the Cardinals down Market, with another World Series in hand, but I am saying he’s the best option.

The Good:
He hits lefties well, batting .260 against them with 40 HR and 160 RBIs
He gets runs in, when they’re in scoring position…he has 443 RBI’s with a .260 average.
He puts the ball in play, averaging only 84 strikeouts per season
He like Busch Stadium, .288 average is his 3rd highest avg. in a ballpark with at least 60 plate appearances in

The Bad:
He doesn’t take a lot of pitches, which leads to not as many walks taken either..just over 3.3 pitches per AB
Power has decreased in each of the last 5 seasons
Career .244 average after the 7th inning

The Ugly:
He doesn’t hit well after the start of September…it is his worse statistical month…batting .235, but his power does increase in Sept./Oct.
He has batted .228 dating back to last August 18th

The displeasure of many fans with this team performance is warranted, but let’s not let that affect your opinion of Pedro Feliz, let this play out, they need a 3rd baseman. They got one.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Pedro Feliz has a career batting average of .263 with 78 HR’s and 351 RBI’s against the remaining teams on the Cards schedule….That’s more than half his career RBI and HR totals, while batting .011 points better than his career average. AND the Rockies is a team he has been most successful against batting .287 with 20 HR and 80 RBI, they just so happen to be the Cards last series of the season.

The Time Has Passed Ya By

The San Diego Chargers at one time held the leagues best running back, which led to one of the leagues best offenses. But has the time come and gone?

In 2006 the Chargers finished with a 14-2 much improved from a 9-7 record in 2005. All the drafts were finally beginning to pay off and it looked like all the predictions for the Chargers to be the break out team were coming true.

The team led the NFL in points, was in the top half of the league in passing yards with a QB who was pretty much a rookie in Phillip Rivers, and was 2nd in the league in rushing trailing only the Michael Vick led Falcons.

In 2006 the stats and awards were limitless. The team had 11 players elected for the Pro-Bowl. This list included MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, who had a record shedding season, which included scoring 14 TD in a 4 game span and 16 TD’s in a 5 game span, and once again 19 in a span of 6 games. LT also set franchise records including scoring 4 TD’s in 3 games as well as scoring 3 TD’s in 3 straight games.

The 2006 season brought much joy to fans of Tomlinson and the Chargers, but then it happened. Coach Marty Schottenheimer struck again, as his team locked up the first round bye and now awaited an opponent. And that opponent happen to be the New England Patriots, a team who had won their division and were on a mission for a 4th Superbowl Championship of the decade.

The defeat went down in heart breaking fashion as Nate Kaeding missed a last second field goal, leading the way to Marty Schottenheimers firing. This was the second time in two years the had posted at least 12 wins in the regular season and failed to win a playoff game, so Marty took the fall.

After a hectic offseason filled with departing coordinators, fired head coaches, and suspended players (Shawne Merriman – Steroids) the headed into the new season with a QB of the future, a RB in his prime, a rising WR core and what was percieved to be the coach that would get them to the next level in place the Chargers were ready to make the run.

The Chargers didn’t start Coach Norv Turner’s term off the way many expected them to, losing 3 of their first 4 games, but immediately turning it around. They won 6 in a row and eventually ended the season with an 11-5 record, including a top ranked offense.

The 2007 year was a balanced team having both a top 5 offense and defense. The defense had a fiery leader in 3 time Pro-Bowler Shawne Merriman.

The new Chargers had done something they failed to do even once under Coach Schottenheimer and that’s win a playoff game, as they defeated the Titans 17-6 in the Wild Card Round.

It didn’t stop there as they were on a mission, and not even Peyton Manning’s Colts could stop them as they were handed a 28-24 defeat in the divisional round, leaving only one team in their way the undefeated New England Patriots.

This is the game as a Chargers fan I will always remember and think what might have been, this was the beginning of the end for LT and the Chargers. Phillip Rivers played through a torn ACL and Tomlinson left the game in the 1st quarter never to set foot on the field again.

The sight of LT sitting on the sideline with his helmet on cover in a huge sideline jacket, nursing a bruised left knee. No team support sitting there with his hands crossed was Tomlinson clearly upset but showing no emotion for his battling team. The team eventually lost the game 21-12 in a game that could have gone the other way.

Following a run to the conference championship San Diego along with New England were the favorites in 2o08. 

But a surprising surgery by leading LB Shawne Merriman that put him out for the entire season the team wasn’t off to a good start. The struggles continued right on into the regular season, as nagging injuries slowed down the NFL’s best running back.

With the limping LT the Chargers limped to a 4-8 record before turning it on late and finishing the season with an 8-8 AFC West Division Championship. The Chargers have always had the flare for the dramatic and this season was nothing different, as they followed up with a HUGE upset win over Indianapolis on the road for the second year in a row.

The team stopped there as once again all-star running back LaDainian Tomlinson stood and watched from the sidelines, as his team battled through 4 quarters with the Pittsburg Steelers only to come up 11 points short.

2009 started the same way ’08 started ROUGH!

With a plan to give aging running back Tomlinson fewer reps to save him for the stretch the team got off to another horrendous start as they watch their rivals the Denver Broncos go out “guns a blazin'”

But after a poor start the Chargers quickly turned it around with 11 straight victories to end the season with a 13-3 record and a first round bye.

The team struggled on defense at times as Merriman seemed to have lost a step, the running game not near as effective, but still the team with another 12+ win season. The offense again finished in the top 5, but this time because of the fantastic play of QB Phillip Rivers.

So now with a fresh RB, a mature QB, and an excellent Wide Receiving core this team was ready to make that step.

Or not the Chargers once again choked it away in the divisional round to a Wild Card team in the New York Jets, as they got blitzed and hurried all day long. And with no running game to speak of and the kicking game failing them the Jets made relatively easy work of the Chargers, leaving fans to ask “What if?”

What if Nate Kaeding hits that field goal against the Pats in 2006?

What if LT never gets hurt?

What if Drew Brees stays as QB for the Chargers?

What if Marty was still at the helm?

What if Merriman had never gotten caught with the ‘roids and had never blown out his knee?

What if the Chargers would have won the Superbowl? All the questions are fun to talk about but all of those things did happen, and the Chargers wasted valuable years of NFL Pro Bowler’s such as Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, and Lorenzo Neal.

Every year the critics called it San Diego’s year and every year the Chargers found a way to prove them wrong. Team are always out to prove the media wrong but this time it just didn’t work in their favor.  

A Passion For Sports

Sports are supposed to be an event that you sit back and watch just to relax. When your team plays yeah you may get excited and you may just sit and relax with your beverage of choice, playing your favorite hand-held game of Yathzee. But for me I am a total different beast.

Passion is as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. That describes me to the tee when it comes to St. Louis sports. The St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis are the two teams I am most passionate about. This is often a problem though.

When watching a game I do rituals, if I wear my jersey the game before and we won then I wear it again. If I drink out of a certain cup and we win that is the cup of choice for the next few days. I have even gone as far as shaving everything but a mustache in support of the Cardstache.  Passions is the word I use most call it crazy.

I scream with excitement when my team wins, I moan with disapproval when my team loses. A loss puts me in a disgusting attitude, even though I realize that you can’t win all 162, 82 or 16 games in a team respective sports. My television does not go near ESPN on a night of a loss, but I can’t get enough Sportscenter when my team wins.

Like every fan, well maybe not everyone, I have broken things because of a loss, I have yelled at my brothers, and have just stayed in my room declined invites to parties because my team has lost.

No matter how low my team gets I am there to support them, I may take crap for it but I back my team to the fullest, and as weird as it sounds I have jersey loaded up in my closet with my favorite players on it and also hold my ticket stubs in a box that I keep in a safe play.

As far as the high points of my team. Well you can’t enough of those:

These days are the days you smile about the most! You are a fan of WORLD CHAMPIONS! You now can brag to every other non-fan for a whole season. I probably have $300 worth of memorabilia and clothes from the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals World Series Championship.

In the famous words of my father, “Why does it matter if your team loses, you don’t gain anything from it either way. You still got to wake up tomorrow and go to school or work, and live life the way you are today”, but I am a fan and my life revolves around the world of Travis Green’s sports team.