Baseball is Back!

What does Carlos Beltran, David Freese, Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday and Shane Robinson have in common?

They all have at least one homerun (Freese, Beltran, Holliday & Molina have 2), which is one more than Albert Pujols has. Albert's first at bat as an Angel? Hit into a double play, which I couldn't help it, I laughed.

Albert won't be like that all season, he'll get back into true Albert form. But, part of the reason why the Cardinals lead the league in double plays last season was due to Albert. So it was a bit of poetic justice to see him hit into a DP after bailing on the Cards to join the Angels.

I know, as a Cardinals fan, I shouldn't really care about Albert. And I don't, really. However, it is nice to see that the Cardinals are doing just fine without him so far, and proving to the critics that this team is good and will do just fine without Albert.

The Cardinals have looked fantastic so far, sitting at the top of the NL Central at 4-1. Hitting, starting pitching and defense have all been solid. And this is without Carpenter and Craig. This is good news. Granted, it is still very early in the season and things will change. You never know what will happen with injuries, players get into slumps, etc.

I'm going to make a bold prediction here. This team reminds me a lot of the 2004 Cardinals so far, only this team seems to almost have a better vibe overall as far as the players getting along, working together and having fun. So, with that said...I think this team will get 100 wins. I think they win the NL Central but it will be a close race with the Brewers.

Really excited about the season and can't wait to see how things turn out this fall.

This week starts the NHL playoffs, which lasts about a millenia. At least it feels like it. The NHL playoffs lasts at least 2 months. Round 1 starts Wednesday and doesn't end until April 25th. Then there's 2 more rounds before the Stanley Cup. Baseball and Football both manage to get the playoffs done in about a month. The NBA is just as bad as the NHL when it comes to playoffs.

Oh well. The Blues have a a solid chance at making it far into the playoffs. They are the #2 seed and will face The Sharks, which won't be easy but they have home field advantage and hopefully get their first playoff win since...I think I heard 101 ESPN say this morning since 2002. Wow. That's a 10 year drought. Time to break that trend boys.

The NBA season is winding down too, and soon we'll be knee deep in NBA playoffs as well. The big talk seems to be about the Bulls, the Heat and the Thunder, but odds are the Lakers will make it to the playoffs and could be a potential contender. Both the Lakers and the Clippers are neck and neck right now. Should be interesting to see how it all turns out.

At least they aren't Charlotte, who I saw has only won 7 games. OUCH. Sometimes it's easy to take for granted what you have. The Lakers may not win a title this season, but fans still saw a lot of good basketball. If you live in Charlotte, or New Orleans for that matter, you probably aren't buying tickets to basketball games unless LeBron or Kobe is in town and you want to watch them, because the hometown team isn't going to do squat.

And that's all I have for now. Very excited about baseball. It's so nice to be able to listen and watch games again.

Manning's a Bronco, Tebow's a Jet, NCAA Brackets Bust

I know I'm a little behind on all the juicy sports news from this week, but better late than ever!

Peyton Manning is officially the new quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Wasn't surprised by this choice, I had a feeling it would be the Broncos or Tennessee. While there was a bit of speculation that he could end up on the Niners I had a feeling Peyton would stick to an AFC team. Peyton doesn't want to have to go up against his brother Eli any more than he has to, and plus Peyton knows the AFC a lot better than the NFC.

Plus it seems that Elway and Peyton are a good match. Elway is a former quarterback, and he must have reassured Peyton that he would accommodate the team to play Peyton's way of football. That meant of course, that Tebow would not be sticking around Denver.

Pretty much knew that Tebow would be traded if Peyton went to the Bronocs. Tebow can't really be a back-up to the type of football Peyton plays. The offense would have to completely switch gears if Tebow were to take over should Peyton be out, and that's not good.

So, immediately after Manning mania ended, Tebow mania started. Fortunately for us watching at home, it didn't last long. And now we can look forward to Tebow's future as...a New York Jet?

This move had many scratching their heads. The Jets had just signed QB Mark Sanchez to a 3 year extension. Does this mean Sanchez is in the hot seat? Will Tebow just be used for certain plays, or is the quarterback job up for grabs? The drama that is the New York Jets continues, and it will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out.

As for this Peyton fan, well...it was so awkward to see them roll out that bright orange #18 jersey, I admit. I will always prefer Peyton in Colts blue, but what's done is done and Peyton has a chance to start over and maybe win another championship. Good for him. I will continue to root for Peyton and I suppose be a temporary Bronco fan (as long as they aren't playing the Rams). As for the Colts...I was always a Peyton fan first. The Rams are my home team and I was a Rams fan LONG before I ever became a Colts fan. If Peyton hadn't been a Colt I might not have become a fan of the team, and it's the honest truth. The Colts have to win me over again with their rebuilding to remain my AFC team of choice.

The NCAA tourney did what it always does...feature surprising upsets and bracket busters. I had picked Missouri, Florida State, Georgetown and Kentucky in the final 4. Well, got 1 right. Even the president had Missouri in his final four. No one expected them to lose in the first round to Norfolk State. But that's the NCAA tourney. I will say I was impressed with the St. Louis Billikens. They played a very close and tough game against Michigan State but it ran away from them in the end. Hope this means good things in the future for them going forward and we'll see them in the tourney again next year.

This year's final four will be: Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio State. It's a Midwest thang, y'all. This final four really shouldn't surprise anyone. These are schools that have consistently had excellent basketball programs and are no strangers to the NCAA tourney. As to who wins? I honestly have no idea. These are going to be 2 excellent games and an excellent championship game. I cannot find it in me to root for Kansas as a Mizzou fan, so maybe I'll root for Louisville. They're the underdog of the 4 so I guess I can go for that.

Congratulations to the St. Louis Blues to being the first team in the NHL to secure a playoff spot! Due to Manning-Tebow-NCAA madness I don't think this got much coverage outside of St. Louis sports. Other teams have since secured spots as well but it's quite an impressive year the Blues have had. I will look forward to following them in the playoffs, as long as baseball doesn't occupy most of my time.

Baseball. We are getting closer to opening day and I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to this season and getting the chance to go to some games. The Cardinals received a bit of bad news with pitching ace Chris Carpenter. He seems to be suffering from not only a bulging disk, but nerve issues. Not good. He is out indefinitely, no one can say for sure. Only good news is, he doesn't seem to need surgery. But he could be out for weeks or months, we just don't know.

Is it too much to ask to have Wainwright and Carpenter healthy together for a season? Please? Despite this set-up the Cardinals rotation seems to be doing pretty well in spring training. Wainwright has been stellar, and Lohse, Garcia, Lynn and Westbrook seem to be doing well also. I feel confident that it will be a good season for the Cardinals. They still have every bit of a chance to win the NL Central. Of course if Carp were in the mix that would make that chance just a little stronger but it's a long season. It's so hard to predict what teams will make it to the playoffs at the beginning of the season. Last August, no one thought the Cardinals would make it and they shocked everyone by gaining momentum at the end of the season to comeback and make the playoffs and eventually win the World Series. So, anything can happen.

I'm also kind of interested to see how Albert Pujols does with the Angels. I don't have any ill will towards him, I'm disappointed he couldn't stay a Cardinal but that doesn't mean that I wish bad things. It will be interesting to see how Angel fans embrace him and how he does this year. There are very high expectations for the Angels this season with all of the changes the organization made in the off season.

Well, that's it for this week's wrap up. More on my thoughts in the world of sports coming soon!

NCAA & Peyton Madness, MLB Spring Training

Hello sports fans!

I have not posted recently and I apologize. I will admit that the time period after the Super Bowl until the beginning of March Madness is what I consider the worst period in sports for me. I enjoy a good NBA game but it's not a big passion for me, there's no football, no baseball and hockey...I probably follow it more than the NBA because of the St. Louis Blues but it's not a big passion for me.

Lots of things have happened since my last post and there's no way that I'm going to address them all here.

First off, the Colts opted to release Peyton Manning and not pay him the $28 million bonus he was due last week. This should not have been a surprise to anyone, but it still...well for lack of better words, sucks. I understand the position Jim Irsay is in. How can he pass up the chance to draft Andrew Luck? And could he really afford to draft Luck, pay Manning and build a team that had a chance at competing? Probably not.

Both Irsay and Manning were tearful during the joint press conference held last week officially announcing the news. As much as I hate the thought of Peyton in a non-Colts uniform, it's probably the best thing that could happen to him.

The Colts are rebuilding. They have a brand new coaching and management staff. They have cleaned house with releasing players such as Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai and Melvin Bullitt, to name a few. The Colts are starting over.

Peyton doesn't have time to lead a starting over team. If Peyton is healthy and able to play at the level we all know and love he's got about 3-4 years best. The Colts may not reach elite status again for 3-4 years, based on the restructuring process. By then Peyton would be looking at retirement.

So Peyton has the chance to shop around and attempt to find another team that he can lead to greatness. The lead contenders seem to be the Broncos, the Cardinals and the Dolphins. Seattle and KC wanted to talk to Manning and he said, "not interested." Ouch. But I don't blame him on that. Seattle has been a total train wreck in recent years and KC has some stars like Dwayne Bowe, but KC is in the same division as Denver and the Broncos are better built to be a winning team at this moment with Manning at QB than KC. So I get it.

So where will he end up? I have some thoughts but who really knows? We all thought Albert Pujols was going to re-sign with the Cardinals until at the final hour the Angels came in and blew us all away with their offer. There could be several dark horse teams that throw out an offer last minute and when Peyton finally makes that announcement we'll all go "huh? Didn't see that one coming!"

I originally thought Miami, because Peyton already has a home there, they have decent offensive weapons and a relatively good defense, and adding him to the mix could help them win. However, if you think about it if you're in Miami, you're in the same division as the Patriots. Which means you have to play better than them to win your division and if you don't, you better hope you're good enough for the wild card. If you're Peyton, that's risky.

That's why at this point, I think it's between Denver and Arizona. Denver has a strong defense, and they do have some decent offensive weapons that Peyton could throw to. They are in a weak division that Tebow lead to victory last season and would certainly have a shot at the playoffs.

Arizona is about on the same level, except I don't think their defense is as strong as Denver. But they have Larry Fitzgerald, and as a fan of both Peyton and Larry, it would be fun to watch them play together. And the NFC Worst, I mean West is a weak division. Except for that whole 49'er effect.

As a Rams fan though, I'm praying Peyton ends up in Denver or Miami, not Arizona. I don't want the Rams to face Peyton twice a season and ruin the Rams' chances at a playoff run (laugh all you want, but the Rams could find themselves there soon).

All shall be revealed soon.

In other madness, it's March Madness, and the NCAA tourney is set. Both the Missouri Tigers and the St. Louis Bilikens made the tourney, which is nice representation for my home state. However, although Mizzou was 30-4 on the season, they did not receive a #1 seed. This after winning their conference tournament and teams like North Carolina lost theirs.

Strength of schedule seems to be the big factor here. Okay sure, I get it. Michigan State lost 7 games but their schedule was tougher. The NCAA is hard to figure out some times, but I'm not incredibly unhappy with the results. Mizzou ended up as the #2 seed in the West, and they have a VERY good shot at making the Final Four. I believe they are a better team than Michigan State and can beat them.

But the NCAA tourney is always interesting. You never know what's going to happen. People seem to think that Kentucky, the #1 overall seed, is a lock. I don't think so. It's a tournament. Everyone is vulnerable. Is a 15-16 seed going to win overall? Probably not. But if Butler could make it to the Final Four 2 years in a row? Anything is possible.

Finally, Spring Training is upon us for MLB. Hard to believe, but we are less than a month from opening day. That's...kind of scary actually.

Albert Pujols did well in his Spring Training debut with the Angels, despite his disgust with the billboards the Angels put up around LA featuring his #5 Angel uniform and the words "El Hombre." Albert has vehemently stated that he is not "The Man," as that is Stan Musial and doesn't want to be associated as "El Hombre." Guess the Angels didn't do their research as anyone in Cardinal Nation would know that going that route for promos was not a good one.

But enough about Albert. He's not a Cardinal anymore so I don't care.

The Cardinals biggest concern right now is Chris Carpenter. He was having some discomfort so they had him checked out and he has a bulging disk in his neck. Sounds pleasant, doesn't it? Good news is that it isn't a nerve problem, which he has had in the past. But a bulging disk is not good by any means. There's no easy cure for a bulging disk. You learn how to live through the pain.

He won't be ready for opening day, so Adam Wainwright will likely take over the starting role. Not sure how long it will take Carpenter to get back to starting position but it could take awhile. This is not good news to Cardinals fans, who were hoping for the ace duo of Carpenter and Wainwright to lead the Cards to their 12th championship title.

It remains to be seen. The Cards could try to sign Oswalt. Things will start to unfold shortly as opening day creeps closer.

And...that's it for now. Guess I better go fill out my bracket!

Cardinals Win World Series, La Russa Retires

There's not much to say about game 7 of the World Series because, well, after the first inning the Cardinals shut Texas down and pulled off the win to emerge to their 11th World Series title (2nd highest titles in the MLB).

I'm writing this late, because well, maintaining a blog is harder than I thought and I have not been timely with my posts. But I will say that this World Series title is the most epic in my history. I barely even remember '82 and '06 was great but '11 had that just amazing game 6 game. I will remember the details of that game more than the errors Chris Duncan made in the outfield that could have cost the game in the series in '06 against Detroit but...oh wait I went there. Sorry Chris.

After the World Series parade and festivities on Sunday following the win, La Russa announced his retirement. I was not surprised, thought part of me hoped for one more year. But I understand where Tony is coming from. He had a rough season health wise, and his wife and he's reached the point where he wants to move on to the next chapter of his life. As long as I'm not seeing him in a Cubs uniform next year I'm okay with this. He should retire and enjoy his life. I honestly don't seem him back as a manager, but he will be involved in the MLB. Maybe he should be an announcer. I think he could provide more intriguing insight than Tim McCarver.

There have been many names thrown around for the new manager but my top 2? Oquendo and Matheny. Reason? Trust from the current players. This team is talented and good. They could repeat in 2012, especially with Wainwright healthy. So having a manager they trust and already know could be very good.

We shall see. On top of that Albert Pujols is officially a free agent. Let the bids begin...

Now that baseball is done, and the NBA season seems, well, N/A, it's all about the NFL and the NHL. Plus college sports of course. More soon.

*Edit* This should have published just after the WS. If it didn't, I blame blogspot.

Cardinals are in the World Series!

Okay, so this post is a couple of days late. But to my credit, I've been in a bit a shock about the whole thing. The St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series after winning game 6 of the NLCS.

The NLCS was not pretty by any means. In fact, the Cardinals relievers pitched more innings than their starters. That's...unnerving. But, at the same time, the bullpen really stepped up. However, one has to wonder how they'll manage the World Series. We could use some good outings from our starters, particularly Carpenter, Lohse and Garcia. Jackson was taken out of game 6 of the NLCS after 2 innings! Though to be fair, the Brewers had to pull Marcum after the 1st. Game 6 was pretty ugly when it came to pitching, the Cardinals just ended up pulling out more offense.

Also, the Brewers made a ton of mistakes. There were so many fielding errors in this series. While I'm happy to see my Cardinals in the series, I do feel bad for Milwaukee. They are a better team than the one we saw in the NLCS. But, as we seem to see every year, teams that get hot late in the season can be very dangerous. And if there is one thing I've learned from the 2011 Cardinals team, it's that they have heart, passion and drive to succeed.

So, here we are. Tomorrow is game 1 of the World Series, in St. Louis (thanks to the NL's win in the All-Star game) against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers don't scare me for some reason. I'm not saying they aren't good, they most definitely are. Nelson Cruz scares me a bit since he's been hot in the postseason. But the Rangers pitching has not exactly been lights out. They are beatable.

We'll see how it goes. I am just thrilled to see the Cardinals make it this far. Of course, I hope they win and if they lose I'll probably be in a bad mood for a few days (come on, there is nothing worse than seeing your team make it to the big game only to lose. Believe me, I know. Superbowls XXXVI and XLIV still hurt). But I will know that this was a team that was never expected to get this far, and they performed far better than I had hoped (at least as of August of this year. You never give up hope, but certainly in August I thought it was a total long shot).

So, let's do this Cardinals. Bring St. Louis that 11th World Series title. 11 in 2011!

Is This Thing On?

Remember when I thought it was an awesome idea to have a blog? Right. Last time I posted something in this blog the St. Louis Cardinals were thought to be completely done for the season. This week they just beat the Philadelphia Phillies in a nail biting game 5 of the NLDS to advance to the NLCS against division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Just goes to show you, never give up. I am truly amazed and proud of my hometown team. This team really pulled it together in the last month and half of the season and every day, there seems to be a new hero on the team. Sure, Pujols, Carpenter and Molina are still leaders. But did you see that amazing play bu Furcal in the game on Friday? And how about Theriot's hitting?

Or maybe it's the rally squirrel. Have you all heard about this? A squirrel ran across home plate right as the pitch was being delivered. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsQYS5zS5u4. Brave squirrel, indeed.

It's very exciting, and I'm so happy to see my team have the chance to make the World Series. And strangely, enough, the last time the Cardinals were there they played the Detroit Tigers. Who are currently competing in the ALCS against the Rangers. Potential for a Cards-Tigers rematch? Perhaps.

The Brewers are good. This is going to be a very tough series, for both teams. The Cardinals have this amazing momentum though. Anyway, game 1 is tomorrow and I am looking forward to watching the series.

In football...my teams are both 0-4. The Rams had such promise going into the regular season. Sure, they've had to play the Eagles, the Giants and the Baltimore Ravens and haven't played a single division rival in the NFC Worst yet but wow, has it been ugly. They actually had a chance to beat the Redskins, but the offense is lacking. Not sure what's going on there but changes are needed.

In Colts land, they lost Peyton Manning for the season due to him having to have a 3rd neck surgery. Isray hasn't said he's out for the season, but he is. It's a 2-3 month recovery time, and since he had the surgery right before the start of the season, out for the season.

The Colts pulled Kerry Collins out of retirement to try and lead the team but it's been pretty disastrous. Collins got injured, and Curtis Painter, who looks more like the poster child for a surfing championship than a QB, had to step in. The Colts actually had some life last week against Tampa Bay. Painter threw 2 long TD passes to Pierre Garcon. But, LaGarette Blount was able to run through Indy's D and ultimately TB won. Was nice to see some life in the Colts offense, but it seems to be the "suck for Luck" sweepstakes.

Which isn't a bad idea for the Colts. Peyton is one of my all-time favorite players. But he's had 3 neck surgeries in the last year. That's very troubling, not just for fans, but for him as well. He needs to rest and take care of himself and hope that he's able to play next year.

But the fact remains that Painter is not the future of the Colts team, so taking advantage of this wash of a season to draft Luck? Smart investment. Peyton could come back and give another 3-4 years of greatness. Or, he could be completely done and have to retire. If it's between playing and risking paralysis or not, would you do it? Not saying it will happen but it's possible. 3 neck surgeries is serious.

I hope Peyton is back. I want to see more. Either way, he won't go away. Peyton will be a coach one day, I'm sure.

In other sports news, hockey is back, and the NBA may not happen. No NBA? But what will Ron Artest, excuse me, Metta World Peace do? Dancing with the Stars of course! Oh but wait, he was so terrible he was the first one voted off this season. Stick to basketball Metta.

That's all I have folks. Hope to update this a little more frequently. GO CARDINALS!

Football is Officially Back!

Hello sports fans!

Football pre-season has begun! I cannot tell you how exciting it is to actually watch an NFL game, even if it is just the pre-season.

My two NFL fan bases, the Rams and the Colts met up on Saturday night. Not surprising to me, the Rams won and did so by a really nice margin. I had predicted this, because the Rams played more of their potential starters, and the Colts? Well Manning and Freeney didn't play for one, and the rest of their main starters (Wayne, Garcon, Clark, Addai) didn't really get much play either. Also, the Colts are known to lose in the pre-season yet win in the regular season.

I'm glad it was a pre-season game because it is SO hard for me to choose between these 2 teams. Growing up, I had no allegiance to any team because the Cardinals moved to Arizona when I was 4, and the Rams moved to St. Louis when I was just starting high school. So I've always been a football fan first. We have a good family friend, Pat Leahy, who was the kicker for the NY Jets and we followed the Jets in the years he played. Also followed the 49'ers a bit since I have some family who live in the area and Green Bay, because my mom loves the cheesehat. And we had friends in Wisconsin.

In other words, it's hard for me to figure out who my long term favorite team is. The Rams are the first team I really followed regularly because they came to St. Louis at a time where my sports fanaticism peaked. Sure, they were terrible in the beginning. We had to endure Chris "the concussion king" Miller and Tony Banks as QB's. They were rough years but I got to go to live NFL games finally!

I always had been a fan of college football. My family just always had their favorites (Notre Dame, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Mizzou to name a few) and I used to get such a kick out of watching all of the bowl games back when they all were on or around the same day and you could watch several games at the same time (if you had multiple TV's, like my uncle, or went out to a bar/restaurant).

That's where the Peyton Manning love begins. He was so fun to watch at Tennessee (even if I wasn't rooting for the team, he was fun to watch). Then he chose to sign with the Colts, and I was going to college in Indiana at the time. I didn't want to become a Colts fan, because the Rams were my home team.

But as time went on, and I ended up living in Indianapolis for several years, my respect for Manning just kept increasing. And I found myself rooting for the Colts more and more. I then decided that the Rams would be my NFC team, the Colts my AFC team and should they ever meet in a Super Bowl I'd be totally screwed and would have no idea who to root for.

Anyway, that's just a bit of background of me. So the Colts and Rams pre-season game was obviously of strong interest to me.

I'm not worried about the Colts yet because this is what they do in pre-season. The Rams, however, impressed me a lot. Bradford looked sharp, Dahl, Mikell and Hines all got interceptions (okay, it was Painter and Orvlovsky, but still nice to see good defensive plays). Cadillac Williams ran for a TD and Bradford threw a TD pass. And how about Josh Brown kicking a 60 yard field goal? Did Brown's stock just go up in fantasy football after that? I think so.

Okay, it wasn't just the Rams and the Colts this weekend. Cam Newton made his debut in Carolina and looked good, and so did the Brown's Colt McCoy (one of the best football names, BTW) . The Patriots has a field day with the Jags, Mizzou alum Blaine Gabbert didn't have the best outing but there's time still.

Am looking forward to watching how the pre-season unfolds.

There is this thing called baseball going on. The Cardinals are currently 5.5 games behind Milwaukee, and at this point if they want any hope of making the postseason, they have to win the division. That's going to be really tough. Have to hand it to the Brewers, they've been playing spectacular lately. The Cardinals trade of Colby Rasmus for Edwin Jackson isn't panning out so well so far. If Colby were here would the Cards be in a better position? Doubtful. The pitching is a big problem, so I don't think Rasmus is a factor. However, am sort of feeling like the Cards jumped the gun on that trade and we should have gotten more for him.

We're almost to mid-August, so about a month and half of regular season left. Still a lot of games to play and anything can happen. It'll be interesting to see how it all ends.

I think Philly takes the east, the west? Arizona is in the lead at the moment but I think the Giants will pull off another division win. The Yankees and BoSox? One of them will win the division and the other will be the wild card. The Rangers and the Angels race has been fun to watch. I'd like to see the Angels pull it off. The central? Still could go to Detroit, the White Sox or Cleveland. Nice to see a close race to keep the competition going.

And...that was a long sports rant for me, so I'm going to leave it there. Happy NFL is back, disappointed in the Cardinals but still hoping! More in the world of sports soon!

Free Agency Madness

It was certainly interesting to see all of the moves that were quickly made once a deal was made and the NFL was up and running again. On top of that, the trade deadline for MLB was on July 31st and with the NFL back and running free agency signings seemed to happen every hour. I'll admit, it does make me VERY excited about the NFL season this year.

Quick baseball update...so the Cardinals traded Rasmus, which only time will tell if it's a good deal or not. On top of that, Cards signed former Dodger Rafael Furcal. Furcal is certainly an upgrade at shortstop. I was trying to think of the last time the Cardinals really had a strong shortstop. David Eckstein was really more of a 2B guy than a shortstop (though he does get an A+ for effort. There is a reason why he won MVP in the 2006 World Series), and Edgar Renteria was decent. It was probably back to Royce Clayton, who took over after Ozzie Smith retired in the mid 90's. Wow.

We'll see how he does, if he stays healthy, he can be a big benefit to the team through the end of this season. Would be surprised to see him re-signed next year though. Think he is a short term fix.

Cardinals are currently 3 games behind Milwaukee. They are hanging in there, but I'd really like to see the Cards take the division. It's August, so the time to buckle down and really play like you're playoff potential is now. The Cards have a shot at a wild card spot but I'd rather see them win the division. I'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

So much craziness in the NFL. Where even to start?

The Colts signed Peyton. I have to admit, I've always had a lot of respect and admiration for Peyton, but he really upped the ante with how he handled his signing. He made it clear he wanted to stay with the Colts but also wanted the team to have the money to keep the team competitive. After signing Manning the team was quick to sign Joseph Addai (who, IMO isn't the best running back out there but he is a great blocker on the field) and get some other players set. The Colts haven't made a ton of moves in free agency, so I'm not sure how they are going to fare this season. The biggest problem is their run defense. They'll have to figure out some way to get the defense together to stay competitive. I still think the Colts are the best in their division, but Houston may end up giving them a good run for the division title.

As for the NFC Worst, I mean West...like a lot of the changes the Rams have made, and think they are definitely positioned to be a better team, though they are going to have a tough time this season. They do not have the easiest schedule. Their home opener is against the Eagles and boy are the Eagles looking scary.

The Rams have signed Walker as a receiver, who I like and just recently signed Cadillac Williams as a potential back-up running back to Steven Jackson, which is a move I also like. Seattle managed to grab Rice, but who is going to throw to him? The Cardinals got Kolb, which means Fitzgerald will have someone to throw to him but the Cards also lost some key players. And the 49er's? Well, they didn't do much. So who do I think has the best chance of winning the NFC West? The Rams. The Rams have amped up their defense and offensive line, they have Bradford coming off of a pretty amazing rookie season, and quite frankly, the competition in the NFC West, as it has been, is still not that high.

There were a lot of interesting moves, of course. Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson is a Patriot. I suppose of all people to possible keep Chad in line, Bill Belichick is the one. They also picked up Albert Haynesworth, 'nuff said. Randy Moss decided to retire (or at least, that's the last I heard). Plaxico signed with the Jets. Personally, I'm just glad he's not in St. Louis. Plax can see if he can find a rhythm with the Jets but he was too much of a gamble. I like that the Rams signed Sims-Walker, he's young and I think he could be great with Bradford.

Other important news? My second favorite NFL player of all time, Marshall Faulk, was entered into the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend. What an amazing and humble athlete he is. He's had an amazing career, and I'll admit, until Marshall came around, I couldn't name a Rams running back. Quarterback? Wide Receiver? Of course. RB? Nope. Faulk made me appreciate the skill and importance of a RB and boy, was he fun to watch. He deserves this honor, so happy for him. He's the first St. Louis Ram to enter the hall (I said St. Louis, not Ram) and I know he's going to be followed by other greats like Bruce, Warner and Holt. I have so much respect for him. Thank you Marshall, for what you brought to the game, and for being an awesome person inside and out.

I'd talk about Tiger Woods golf news but I honestly don't care. Is that bad? Perhaps. I'm anxious for NFL to start and for the Cardinals to gain some games on the Brewers so they can get back into first place.

And that's it for now sports fans. More of my thoughts on the sports world to come soon!

Talkin' Baseball...

The All Star Break is over, so we are more than half way through baseball season. The Cardinals are still hanging in there, right now it's a 3 way race for the NL Central between the Cardinals, the Pirates and the Brewers. However, pitching is still a major problem.

The Kyles, Lohse and McClellan have struggled lately. The last 14 games started by either Kyle? Cards are 1-13. Ouch. Bernie Miklasz has a great article about this here.

As the trade deadline looms it is clear that Mozeliak needs to focus on finding some pitching or else the Cardinals are really going to struggle down the stretch and any hope of playoff contention may be out the window.

There has been lots of talk about the possibility of trading Colby Rasmus. I have mixed feelings about this. For one, the Cards have invested a lot in him and it would be a shame to trade him only to see him succeed elsewhere. On the other hand, there is the drama of the Tonys. Tony Rasmus, Colby's dad, and Tony LaRussa, Cards manager. Colby has been struggling lately at bat, certainly not at the level that Cards staff or fans hoped. Bernie thinks that it might be wise to send him back to AAA Memphis for awhile, if the Cards decide to keep him. Perhaps that may help. They have to do something. Can't let him continue to slump and just watch him fail.

If they do trade, they can't trade low, it would have to be a great deal, and my personal opinion is unless there's some top notch pitcher out there that we can get and possibly sign at the end of the season to a longer term deal, I don't know if trading him is the best idea. I'd hate to see Colby traded for a short term fix that may or may not pan out.

Many professional players are sent back to the minors to help them focus on things they are having problems with and they come back stronger and better players. So that is my hope for Colby. If the Cards really want to keep him, then let's find a way to help him get back on track so he can be the player we all know he can be.

NFL news...the owners have come to an agreement to end the lockout. Now, the players have to come to a decision. That's going to take a lot longer, and it looks like the opening preseason game featuring the Rams and the Bears is going to be cancelled, which is a total shame. I was really looking forward to the Rams getting some high profile coverage, it being the first game of the NFL season (and televised nationally) but things were going to be postponed or cancelled, we all knew it.

I just hope a deal is put in place soon. I don't know how I would survive the fall without NFL football. I'm already reading to start planning my fantasy football teams.

At least, I know for sure, college football will be in full gear shortly.

Cards Owning It in the West

The Cardinals have suddenly got hot. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but I'm not complaining. Lance Berkman has 6 home runs already this season. And it's...April 17th. Outstanding.

I had the opportunity to go to the game on Friday. Yes, I went into Dodger Stadium wearing my Cardinals gear (not obnoxious about it, just wearing the Cards stuff) and did not get beat up or hounded at all. Of course, the Cards won that game 11-2. Dodger fans didn't really have much ground to give me trouble. Plus, security is AMPED UP. Everywhere I looked there was a security officer.

Glad to see the Cards hitting. We've had excellent pitching for the most part so far, but the offense has been awful. Keep it going boys.

In other news, basketball playoffs have started. And won't end until sometime this summer. No really, basketball won't end until like late June. It's fun to watch but wow, still a lot of games left to play.

Cards May Need a New Closer...

The Cardinals went to San Francisco today to take on the World Champion Giants. Despite the fact that the Cards came back to pull off a lead in the top of the 9th, once again, Ryan Franklin has two outs, men on base and boom! Gives up a hit that ties the game in the 9th. The Cards ended up losing in the 12th.

Manny Ramirez announced his retirement today after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Are there any players left in baseball who aren't taking any drugs? Not really surprised by this news, but disappointed nonetheless.

In other news, Peyton Manning and his wife Ashley apparently gave birth to twins. The Manning dynasty could continue through Marshall, baby boy Manning. No one knew the Mannings were expecting, they kept it very private. Good to know that celebs can live a private life in a world where Lindsay Lohan's home is on constant watch.

Congrats to Peyton and Ashley. Now if the NFL can just reach an agreement with the players so the Colts can sign Peyton to a long term contract. That would make me happy.

Sports Madness

The NCAA Championship Game was on Monday, and unfortunately, my Butler Bulldogs did not pull off the win. They had a very tough opponent in UConn, and in the end, UConn was able to break through Butler's defense and once they had a 10 point lead, Butler had no chance.

Both teams played hard, and in the beginning the defense on both teams was very strong. But Butler kept missing shots that they shouldn't. Matt Howard had an awful day, and when he has a bad day that is not good for Butler.

Congratulations to UConn, they played a great game. And congrats to Butler and coach Brad Stevens. They made it to the championship game 2 years in a row. They didn't win, but that's still impressive to get to the final game both years. I think Butler will be a contender for a long time as long as Stevens is still around.

Baseball season has begun and the Cardinals look...well, scary. They had a chance to win the home opener and our closer, Ryan Franklin, gives up a home run with 2 outs in the 9th. *Head desk* It's going to be a long season, I'm afraid.

A lot can happen, there's many more months to go. I'm going to a Cardinals-Dodgers game next week, it may be the only chance I get to see the Cards live this season. Hope they look stronger next week than they have so far. Of course, it would help to get Matt Holliday back in the lineup. Word is, he is not going to be placed on the DL. Hope he heals fast and is back on the field soon.

In Lakers news, they have been on fire since the All Star game. They have already clinched their division, so playoffs are inevitable. Can they three-peat? I think they have a solid chance. Not sure what exactly changed after the All Star game but the Lakers need to keep at it. I'm happy to see them doing well and would love to see them three-peat.

What else...I've sort of lost interest in hockey since the Blues aren't going anywhere. The NFL is still on lockdown and we have the draft coming up. That should be interesting. Not sure what's going to happen here. Teams will make their picks but won't be able to sign them until a deal is done. With this in mind, it'll be interesting to see how teams approach their picks. As it looks right now, a ruling may not happen before the draft.

One thing's for sure, the world of sports is never dull!

NCAA Madness

I have been very lax in updating this. Been quite the busy month, much to catch up on!

So the best thing about March is...the NCAA tournament of course. And this year it definitely delivered when it comes to crazy upsets, underdogs making it and screwing up everyone's brackets.

I had picked Kansas to win in my bracket. I'm not a fan of Kansas, as I'm a Mizzou fan and well, Mizzou fans are anti-Kansas. However, I felt that watching the team the season they seemed like the team to beat.

Well, they got knocked out of the tournament by VCU. Um, yeah. Who predicted that one? I'm okay with it messing up my bracket though because I am so happy to see the teams that made it to the final 4 duke it out.

My favorite? Butler. Coach Brad Stevens went to my alma mater, DePauw University. So I am thrilled to see his team doing so well. I hope they win the whole thing. I think they have a real shot. If there's one thing this team had proven, it's that they do not give up. At DePauw we have a saying. It goes like this: DePauw never quits. Perhaps that bit of wisdom has been passed from Coach Stevens to his team.

Also in basketball news, Matt Painter turned down the Mizzou job offer and is staying at Purdue. I hope I'm not the only one surprised by this. I just couldn't see him leaving Purdue. So, the search continues for a new coach for Mizzou. Did see some mumblings on stltoday.com's message boards about Brad Stevens. Ha. He's not leaving Butler any time soon, I can guarantee you that!

In other big news, tomorrow is THE day. Opening day, that is. Baseball is finally here and ready to go. I'm nervous about the Cardinals season but am optimistic. The great thing right now is that everyone starts at 0. And there's a long season of baseball. You never know who will step up as a hero or what casualties you might endure. Playing this season without Adam Wainwright is going to be super tough for the redbirds. But, the Cardinals have one of the best pitching coaches with Duncan and Kyle McClellan has looked sharp in spring training as a starter so we'll see how that goes.

Either way, I'm excited for baseball season to begin. It's just one of the best sports there is, and there's nothing like going to a baseball game. I will be watching my Cards take on the Dodgers in a couple weeks as the Cards head to LA early this season. Might be the last time I see Pujols in a Cards uniform (I hope not).

Speaking of Albert, check out this awesome site if you want to keep Albert as a Cardinals: http://www.stlwantspujols.com/. May not make a difference in Albert's ultimate decision, but it can't hurt!

Boyes Traded to Buffalo

My favorite Blues player, forward Brady Boyes has been traded to Buffalo. Granted Boyes production in the past 2 years hasn't been nearly as good as his first two seasons but he was still my favorite. In return, the Blues will receive a 2nd round draft pick in 2011. Not a bad deal at all from the Blues organization standpoint, but it's still going to be sad to not say "yeah Boyes!" at Blues games.

In Manning news, talk are ongoing about signing him to a new contract but no deal seems imminent. I'm sure the Colts will be able to find an agreement with Peyton, but it's not going to be a quick progress.

As a follow up to my last post, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is out for the season. He needs Tommy John surgery. Major blow to the Cardinals. Now they are going to have to struggle to try and make up for one of their ace pitchers. Don't write them out though. As Bernie Miklaz, pointed out so perfectly in his recent article for the Post, the Cardinals still have a great chance at winning the NL Central.

Let's hope so, because if the Cards hope to keep Pujols come the end of the season, being a winning team will certainly tip the odds in their favor. Pujols wants money, but he also wants to play for a team with a chance to win.

So the Cardinals still have to try and find a way to win. Without Wainwright.

NBA All Star Game and More

I'm a bit late on posting about the NBA All Star Game. I did watch the game, at least, most of it. I have to say that it was a fun game to watch. It's nice to see the players out there having fun and showing off their talent.

Kobe Bryant had a big day. Just mere hours after Kobe became the first non-actor to land a spot in cement at Graumann's Chinese Theatre, Kobe became the MVP of the All Star Game. In the end, the game ended up being somewhat close by Kobe and the West ended up with the win. Congrats to Kobe on both his permanence at Mann's and for his MVP performance in the game. Was very fun to watch.

Have been a bit distracted today as a major issue arose in Cardinal Nation today. Adam Wainwright, one of the team's ace starting pitchers, left spring training with an elbow injury. The team is waiting on a second opinion before making any announcements but it looks like Wainwright may need Tommy John surgery, and if that's the case, bye Waino. Maybe we'll see you next year. Obviously I want what's best for Adam and wish him well but if he's out for the season, wow, what a blow to the Cardinals. First they don't sign Albert, then they lose Waino? Not a good start to the season. And it the regular season hasn't even started yet!

In NFL news, mediated talks continued today between the NFL and the NFLPA. The news? Well, nothing yet. They're still talking. At least there is movement forward to get a resolution. Plan is to reconvene on Friday, so we'll see how that goes.

The Colts organizations says they are making progress towards signing Peyton Manning to a long term deal. Signing Manning has been stated at the team's top offseason priority. Manning will likely end up as the top paid quarterback in the league, and I can't really argue with that. Though I am a bit biased, anyone who knows me knows that Peyton is my favorite NFL player, and has been for a long time.

That's all for today. More updates soon!

Edmonds Retires, Colts Drop Sanders

I have a special place in my heart for Jim "Jimmy Baseball" Edmonds. During his tenure as a Cardinal, he was one of my favorite players on the team. He is perhaps, one of the greatest centerfielders the Cardinals have ever had, and I can still remember going to games and watching his amazing ability on the field.

He also was an excellent power hitter in his prime, and I will always think fondly of the days when the Cardinals had the Power 3: Edmonds, Rolen and Pujols. They were on the team that made it to the World Series in 2004 and should have won. Yes, I'm still bitter about that one.

So, I was very excited to hear that the Cardinals organization had signed Edmonds back to the team in January, even if it was to the minors with odds of him actually playing being slim. Why? Edmonds wanted to stay in St. Louis and be a Cardinal. But the Cards released him and he still wanted to play, so he played for other teams. But I will always think of him as a Cardinal and am happy to hear that he has opted to retire and therefore will retire as a Cardinal. Thanks for the memories Jimmy. Wish you all of the best in retirement. Maybe you can come back to the Cards as a coach someday?

In other big news, Jim Isray, owner of the Indianapolis Colts announced that they have dropped safety Bob Sanders. Sanders is known for his hard hitting on defense (I saw him many times dive head first to get a tackle), but that hard hitting has left him to be injury-prone in recent years. So while some may be surprised by this move, I am not. The Colts have had a lot of new defensive players step up in Sanders absences due to injury, and if you look at the Colts season this year defense wasn't really their biggest problem. Injuries on offense and lack of a solid running game played more of a factor. Freeney and Bullitt were on fire many games this season. Sanders who?

I'm sure Sanders will find another team to sign with. The Colts have a lot to think about right now, and some of that is opening their payroll so that they can sign Peyton Manning into contract. No doubt this will happen. Unlike the Cardinals situation with Albert, Isray will do whatever it takes to keep Manning, and is prepared to pay top dollar.

The NFL Draft will be coming up shortly, and it will be interesting to see how it turns out. The Colts need a running game, that's for sure. The Rams need a wide receiver. I can see them drafting Julio Jones from Alabama, and most of the mock drafts seem to agree. Sam Bradford is the real deal, and the Rams need to focus on building a team around him by giving him strong receivers to throw to. If Donnie Avery is back and healthy, that will help a lot. But I think they will still draft a WR.

Will post more NFL draft thoughts as it gets closer.

Albert Pujols, Part Deux

So a deal won't happen (if he happens) between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols until the end of the season. Not really that surprising. There have been many rumors about what the Cardinals organization offered, but no one really knows what went down.

When you really think about it though, it's sort of smart on both parties to wait until the end of the season. What if the Cardinals offered the $30/10 deal and Pujols has a down season and they could have signed him for less? On Pujols side, he wants to be the highest paid player in baseball. So, why not wait and see if free agency gives him that chance? Even if he wants to stay a Cardinal, it forces the Cardinals to compete with the market.

Pujols is dedicated to the team and has made it clear that he plans to do what he has always done. Work hard, be the best player he can be and hopefully help the Cardinals win a championship.

He arrived in Jupiter today to start spring training. The Post Dispatch quotes him as saying the following: "It's part of negotiations with the Cardinals," Pujols said. "I have so much respect for this organization. They gave me the opportunity to play 11 years ago. No matter what went down yesterday because of the deadline, it doesn't mean I don't want to be a Cardinal."

I say, take the man's word for it. I don't for one minute believe the Cardinals don't have a significant chance of signing Albert beyond 2011. It's just not going to happen right now.

Good news? Baseball is almost here! I hate the time of the year after football ends and baseball begins. It's the worst time for sports. I like hockey and basketball, don't get me wrong. But football and baseball are my primary loves.

Cardinal Nation, you may be upset that "El Hombre" is not a guaranteed Cardinal after this season but the good news? You have him now. And the team has a great shot of having a decent season this year. Bring it boys. Let's Go Cardinals!

Albert Pujols

This week is a big week in the world of Major League Baseball. Spring training officially begins for the 2011 season!

Oh, and this guy named Albert Pujols has a deadline for negotiations with the Cardinals on the possibility of re-signing and ultimately finishing out his career as a Cardinal.

Reports thus far about how contract negotiations are going? No one really knows. Pujols and the Cardinals front office agreed to postpone today's original deadline to noon EST tomorrow in order let Stan "The Man" Musial have his day today. For those of you who don't know, Stan Musial received The Presidential Medal of Freedom today from President Obama. Check out the Post Dispatch's article on the festivities here.

I truly hope that Albert re-signs with the Cardinals and retires as a Cardinal. If this happens, he will be remembered as one of the greatest Cardinal players in history, on a par with Stan Musial.

But I can't blame him for wanting to test the free agency market. There's nothing wrong with seeing what you can get. It doesn't mean he can't still sign with the Cardinals. It just means he can explore his options. But I shudder at the thought of Albert in a Cubs uniform just because they were willing to pay just a bit more than the Cardinals. Hell, I shudder at the thought of Albert in a Cubs uniform PERIOD.

Albert has said repeatedly how much he respects the Cardinals organization, and how much he'd like to stay and retire a Cardinal...I hope that he really means that. The Cardinals need to pay him. Maybe not what he wants, but come close. He's earned it. Do you really want the best player in baseball to walk off and become a Cub? Yankee? Angel?

There are only a few teams that have the pockets to afford Pujols, and some of those teams have already signed first base players to high paying contracts (Yankees, Red Sox). It doesn't make sense for those teams to dish out the money for Albert, it would be only for the sake of having signed the best player in baseball.

I hope that Albert and the Cardinals shock us all by announcing tomorrow that the deal is signed, sealed delivered and Albert is officially a Cardinal long term.

If not, it's going to be a long season with constant whispers and theories on when/if Albert will sign with the Cardinals, or what other teams might approach him. Though Albert has said once spring training starts he doesn't want to think or talk contracts, do you really think he and his agent are not going to look at a significant deal if the Cards pitch one to him? I think they would be incredibly stupid not to.

Either way, if a deal isn't announced tomorrow, it's still far from over and it's going to be a long season of speculation. The Cardinals have to focus on the 2011 season and hopefully getting to the post-season. And Pujols will be there to help lead the way. At least until the end of 2011.