Monday Doubleheader

Two stories.  One Post.

1.     TIGERS SHOW HEART IN CLOSE CALL

 

When the clock finally struck triple zero on Saturday night at Faurot Field in Columbia, 65,401 fans were allowed to breath again.  Everyone had seen this story before.  On September 1, 2001, Coach Gary Pinkel made his home Tiger debut with a thud, losing to Bowling Green 20-13.  The next year when the Tigers visited Bowling Green the outcome remained the same.  Bowling Green 51 - Missouri 28.  Saturday appeared to be heading towards a similar outcome, as the Falcons lead the Tigers 20-6 halfway through the third quarter.

 

But these Tigers aren’t the 2001 or the 2002 Tigers.

 

After a hot start to his career against Illinois, it took Blaine Gabbert two and a half quarters to find his rhythm and start moving his offense downfield.  In the end he threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns, both coming after his team went down by 14 points.  Not the impressive numbers from the Arch Rivalry Game, but enough to get the job done. 

 

While Gabbert’s performance may appear underwhelming, he accomplished something that the Tigers hadn’t done since 2005:  Be down in the fourth quarter and come back to win the game.

 

After a rough start, Gabbert lead his Tigers to 21 unanswered points

The last time the Tigers accomplished a late, come-from-behind win was the 2005 Homecoming game against Iowa State.  In that game, Missouri went three quarters without recording a single offensive touchdown.  Down by ten points with a little over nine minutes left to play, the Tigers came back with a field goal and a touchdown pass with just twenty seconds left on the clock.  The Tigers went on to win the game in overtime by the score of 27-24.  This was Chase Daniel’s first real appearance wearing a Mizzou uniform and is credited as the game that saved Pinkel’s job.  Daniel came in to replace a hurt (and struggling) Brad Smith.  This would be the only time Daniel lead the Tigers to a late victory.  Since he didn’t get the start, Daniel also has the dubious record of never starting a game for Mizzou and leading his team to victory after trailing for three quarters.

 

While Gabbert’s late leadership was impressive, the story of this game was Derrick Washington and the play of the defense.  Washington ran for 124 yards on 23 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown.  While Gabbert figured out the Bowling Green defense, Washington kept the Tigers hopes alive by moving the ball and setting up Mizzou’s two second quarter field goals.

Washington realized the Tigers were playing Bowling Green before anyone else on the team, and played as though his opponent was Bowling Green

After a questionable first quarter, the Tiger defense played with more heart than it did in any game last year.  When the Mizzou offense fumbled within their own red zone twice, the defense held Bowling Green to just two field goals to keep the game within striking distance.  They also made the key stop at the end of the game to lock up the Mizzou victory. 

 

It was a telling win.  While this team showed it may not be as talented as team’s in recent memory, it certainly has the heart to have a great season.

 

Of course, this close call could have been avoided all together.  Pinkel may have learned his lesson to never schedule Bowling Green again.  Dating back to his days as the head coach of the Toledo Rockets, Pinkel is 6-7 against Bowling Green, including four straight losses to the Falcons from 1991-1994.  This team just has something against Pinkel, but it was nice to see him somewhat make up for his debut loss from eight years ago.

 

Maybe the smarter thing to do is just not schedule any teams at home that have a shade of orange as one of their primary colors.  Since Pinkel took over the job, Mizzou is 0-3 at home when playing teams with orange in their uniform.  These teams being Bowling Green and Oklahoma State.  Since Oklahoma State has to play the Tigers in Columbia once every four years per Big XII scheduling, Pinkel should not play against the color orange any more than he has to.

 

It was not a great game to witness, but in the end the Tigers got the job done.  Gabbert showed he can play through adversity and not lose his cool and the defense proved they are capable of keeping their team in the game when they are not running at full speed.  This was a wake up call to the young players to never overlook an opponent, no matter how beatable they appear.  Lesson learned.  Victory intact. 

 

FOOT NOTE:  The official attendance of 65,401 was the largest opening day crowd at Faurot Field since 1978. 

 This picture was taken immediately after my pre-game breakfast meeting with Coach Pinkel.  I offered him such pointers as, "Score more points than Bowling Green" and "Don't lose."  He used both of my game strategies. Both were successful

 

2.     CARDS COOLING OFF, BUT NOW’S THE TIME

 

It was an absolutely horrible three game set against the Braves this passed weekend.  The statistics don’t need to be repeated.  In essence, the offense sputtered (I’m sensing a theme for this season), Kyle Lohse doesn’t have the same stuff he did last year, and Chris Carpenter proved he’s human.  With the exception of Lohse, I’m not too concerned with the other two problems.  The Cards bats went silent for a series.  After two weeks of smacking the cover off the ball, they were bound to experience a setback.  Even after struggling this weekend, the offense is still averaging over 4.50 runs per game in the month of September.

 

What does concern me is the pitching of Ryan Franklin.  While the five days off this month helped him boost his velocity in his latest outing, he demonstrated the same lack of control that has plagued him this month.  So far, Franklin has walked five batters while pitching in 3.1 innings.  Last month, Franklin walked just six in eleven innings.  Since the All-Star Break, Franklin has actually walked more batters (12) than he has struck out (11).

We've been seeing too much of Franklin holding his head down.  Time for him to get back on track, or for LaRussa to hand off the ninth to someone else

His control problems also feed another issue:  The number of base runners Franklin allows in an inning.  Franklin is averaging over one base runner per inning.  While this seems insignificant, one base runner could mean the tying run is on base or at the plate.  In his last save against the Pirates, he let his one base runner, acting as the tying run, reach third base until he recorded the third and final out in the ninth.  His save before that against Milwaukee, Franklin entered the game ahead by three runs.  Two hits, one walk and three hard outs later, the Cardinals won by one run. 

 

I’m not sounding the alarm yet, but these increasingly below par numbers are becoming more worrisome.  This team needs the ability to win close games in the postseason, and still needs to win close games in the regular season to finally close out the division.  If Franklin continues to struggle this way, there is no way you can allow him to close out games in the postseason (look at Billy Wagner in 2006 and his struggles to see how frustrating this possibility could be).  The good news is you have a veteran closer in John Smoltz who could fulfill the role the rest of the way (assuming he’s healthy and hopefully won’t be needed as a starter in the playoffs).

 

While this three game skid is alarming, it’s not completely bad.  It is better to slump in September than to slump in October.  The Cardinals are also a step ahead of their 2006 World Champion pace.  On this date three years ago, the Cardinals’ magic number stood at 12.  Today it stands at 11.  Going back further, in 2002, the Cardinals again stood at 24 games over .500 and still had a magic number of 7.  Slumps around this time are normal, especially when a team has a large division lead.  The key is getting your head back in the game and realizing you haven’t accomplished anything yet.  Tony LaRussa is good at reminding his players of this as he frequently chews out players that celebrate too early (see John Mabry during the 2004 season).

 

For now this team is right where it needs to be.  Carpenter will be fine and this offense won’t stay down for long.  If anything, it’s relieving to see the team struggle as it shrinks egos and makes players more cautious as they get closer to postseason play.  If Franklin can figure himself out, or is simply replaced before it gets out of hand, this team is right back to where we thought they were last Thursday.

 

But if they continue to struggle for the next week or so, get back to me.  Then we can start talking about panicking.

Don't cry Tony.  Your team is still in first place by 9.5 games

Awakening the Dome

February 3, 2002: A nation still recovering from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks turns to its most popular sporting event, the Super Bowl, as a chance to just forget about the world for a while and celebrate the conclusion to another NFL season.

It’s Super Bowl XXXVI and the Superdome in New Orleans is rocking.  People are waving flags and are filled with the American spirit as a singing ensemble made up of Barry Manilow, James Ingram, Wynonna, Yolanda Adams and Patti LaBelle sing, “Let Freedom Ring”. A video message of President George W. Bush, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton reading excerpts from the Declaration of Independence is played. People are screaming and shouting. People are crying. It is quite the spectacle leading up to the biggest stage in all of sports.

In the middle of all of this, there are the St. Louis Rams waiting to take the field for their second Super Bowl appearance in three years. After another record breaking 14-2 season, they are heavy favorites over their opponent, the aptly named New England Patriots. Lead by quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt, the Rams highly touted offense waits in the entrance tunnel to be introduced onto the field, on there way to the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory.

With flashbulbs going off left and right and the cheers getting louder with every name announced, Rams Wide Receiver Ricky Proehl looks into a television camera and bluntly states, “Tonight, a dynasty is born.”

Four hours later, the Patriots beat St. Louis 20-17 on a last minute 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

The launch of a dynasty...just not the one we expected.

Perhaps Proehl should have been a little clearer when he said that a dynasty would be born. After the Patriots upset the Rams, they went on to win two more Super Bowls in three years and have become a mainstay in the NFL Playoffs ever since, including a near perfect season in 2007.

The Rams have gone on to plunge into what seems like a never ending tailspin. Poor play on the field and poor management on the sidelines in the front office has frustrated the majority of a budding fan base to the point that the Edward Jones Dome has seen a decline in attendance every year since the 2001 season.

The disastrous Super Bowl loss was only the beginning. The next season, the Rams took the field expecting to repeat as NFC Champions. But Kurt Warner came out flat, starting his season with seven interceptions versus one touchdown pass before breaking his finger and missing a majority of the season. With Warner’s injury, St. Louis was introduced to Marc Bulger who helped dig the Rams out of an 0-5 hole and back to a .500 record and a shot at making the playoffs. But 5-5 was as close as the Rams would get as they finished the season with a 6-10 record. Fans began to turn on Kurt Warner and head coach Mike Martz for not giving the ball to Marshall Faulk more often. Both became the fan whipping boys for the Rams first losing season since 1998.

FINAL TOTAL FAN ATTENDANCE: 528, 498

Warner was out most of the 2002 season due to injury. Eventually he lost his starting job to Marc Bulger and was not resigned by the Rams. He has gone on to revive his career with Arizona.

The 2003 season started with controversy as Mike Martz named Marc Bulger the Rams starting quarterback, relegating NFL and Super Bowl XXXIV M.V.P. Kurt Warner to the role of back-up. For some, it was a breathe of fresh air while others shook their heads in disgust. However, Bulger somewhat proved his critics wrong, leading the Rams to a 12-4 finish and a first round bye in the playoffs. But the good times would stop there as Martz’s poor coaching decisions lead to an overtime win for the Carolina Panthers on the Rams home turf in the divisional playoff round. It would also be the last season that St. Louis saw Kurt Warner in a Rams uniform.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 528, 456

Marc Bulger lead the Rams to a postseason appearance in his first year. He is yet to repeat the success he had in 2003.

The next season, the Rams were projected to repeat as NFC West Champions and got off on the right foot with a 17-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at home. However, the season proved to be an up-and-down season and dropped to 6-8 with two games left to play on the season. The Rams rallied to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-7 on Monday Night Football and won a thrilling overtime victory against the New York Jets at home to clinch a playoff spot. The team went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card game, but the good feelings were short lived as the Atlanta Falcons, lead by Michael Vick, steamrolled the Rams 47-17. Arguments between the front office and Mike Martz become very heated and both sides start using the local press to fuel the feud.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 527, 384

2005 was another season to forget. An injury to Marc Bulger kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season and health problems to Mike Martz kept him from coaching the team, leading to Assistant Coach, Joe Vitt being named interim head coach. The Rams finish the season with a 6-10 record and Martz is dismissed from his head coaching duties.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 523, 685

"Mad" Mike Martz quickly fell out of favor with fans with his perceived pass heavy offense. Eventually he was chased out of town by fans and dismissed as the head coach.

The 2006 off-season brought signs of change and optimism to Rams fans. But that quickly changed as Miami Dolphins Offensive Coordinator, Scott Linehan was hired to replace Mike Martz as head coach. The pick of Linehan did not resonate well with fans as they expected a new approach for the team and wanted a more defense oriented approach. However, fans were excited because there young running back, Steven Jackson, would get a shot at his first full season as fan favorite Marshall Faulk was out for the season with injury and was most likely going to retire. Things started off well as the Rams got off to a 4-1 start, but a close loss to the Seahawks at home lead to a five game losing streak. The team and the fan’s frustrations were summed up in a Monday night shelling to the Chicago Bears, a game in which Bear fans outnumbered Rams fans, leading to some nasty words from Steven Jackson towards the people of St. Louis. Later in the season, a Rams game is not classified as a sell out and for the first time since the Rams relocated to St. Louis, a home game is blacked out on local television.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 522, 610

After an 8-8 season and a breakout Pro Bowl season by Steven Jackson, the early projections were for the Rams to make the playoffs and potentially win the NFC West. However, any optimism went out the window very quickly as the Rams lost their first eight games on their way to the worst season since moving to St. Louis. The lowlight of the season came on a Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Dome, when the Rams retired Marshall Faulk’s number…in front of a dome full of Steelers fans. Once again, a Rams home game is blacked out. Fans begin calling for the heads of Team President John Shaw, General Manager Jay Zygmunt and Head Coach Scott Linehan for poor draft picks and for poor team leadership. Linehan’s feuds with team stars Bulger, Jackson and Torry Holt become very apparent.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 504, 354

On what should have been a special day for Rams fans, Marshall Faulk's number 28 was retired at the Dome on a Thursday night national broadcast. Unfortunately, Steelers fans clogged the dome and Faulk's number was raised to the rafters amidst a sea of black and yellow.

2008 brought more poor feelings towards the Rams. After starting 0-4 and losing control of his team, Scott Linehan was fired and replaced with Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett on an interim basis. The Rams would win their first two games under Haslett but would lose their last ten, on their way to setting a new low in St. Louis Rams history. This appeared to be a breaking point as the total attendance at the Dome fell under 500, 000 for the first time since 1998.

FINAL TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 479, 843

Scott Linehan's tenure with the Rams can be summed up in this picture: A lot of shouting and a lot of pointing fingers.

As the 2009 Rams season begins, the Dome looks to be as empty and as silent as it has ever been. The days of the Greatest Show on Turf are long gone and have been replaced with a losing, pessimistic culture that St. Louis football fans are all too familiar with. How could a franchise on the brink of starting the next NFL dynasty fall so hard so fast and how can the Dome start rattling with the sounds of roars and cheers again?

After several bad drafts and ignoring fan pleas, the organization quickly went into disarray. The fading health and eventual death of former team owner, Georgia Frontiere left stakeholders vying for power leaving the front office and coaching staff with no clear leader. The fight in the front office trickled down to the playing field and eventually, players started fighting with coaches and suddenly the game being played wasn’t nearly as important as everyone’s self interests. The more selfish people became, the more the Rams lost and the less fans that came through the turnstiles. This season looks to mark a new low in fan attendance as season tickets are near an all-time low and predicted attendance figures have the Rams having another blacked out home game, if not more.

While the years after Super Bowl XXXVI have been some of the darker years in recent memory, 2009 marks a season of change. With the resignations of both John Shaw and Jay Zygmunt, the front office appears to be taking shape under the direction of Chip Rosenbloom. While Rosenbloom is simply cleaning house for the impending sale of the Rams, it’s a good sign to see the franchise rebuilding itself and starting off on fresh ground and having everyone working together to build a true contender for the first time in years.

For the first time since Dick Vermeil, the Rams appear to have a fairly uncontroversial coach in Steve Spagnuolo. The team appears to have rallied around Spagnuolo’s philosophy and posted their first winning record in the preseason since 2003. Spagnuolo faces a large task in getting the leaders on this team to be leaders and getting everyone to play team oriented football. He will need help from his top players in Bulger and Jackson. If Bulger can play the way everyone believes he’s capable of, that will be a start. If Jackson can keep his mouth closed and just run the football, that will be a start.

The keys to success for the franchise to move forward will be unselfish play, leaders fulfilling their rolls and players just getting back to playing the game of football.

This team will not win their division and will most likely miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year. But why not win five or six games? It won’t be a season to break records, but any improvement will work to show the fans the team is moving in the right direction. Any improvement will do to get them back in their favorite seat, wearing their favorite player’s jersey, sipping on their favorite beer. Any improvement to turn the Dome into the visitor’s house of horrors that it once was.

On February 3, 2002, a potential St. Louis dynasty came to a crumbling end.

On September 13, 2009, a new era in St. Louis begins. The fans will be slow to show, but every great season starts with one victory. The process of reawakening the cheers will take time. After all, the Dome wasn’t built in a day.

Steve Spagnuolo and company look to turn the entire Rams franchise around and win back the heart of St. Louis.

9/9/09 Sports Munchies

Today on Sports Munchies:

1.  We talk about how awesome Matt Holliday is and how 83 wins pretty much means a successful playoff run.

2.  We root for Old Mizzou.

3.  We talk about everything from hockey, to Kevin's lack of football knowledge.

GET MUNCHIES ON THE GO!  Right click here to download our podcast and listen to the intelligent sports talk that only Sports Munchies can provide.

Pinkel to Media: "Neener, Neener, Neener!"

The following quotes were overheard before the 2009 Arch Rivalry Game (paraphrased to help our analysts get to the point much faster)

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I just don’t see how Missouri will be able to handle that Illinois offense. Last year they allowed Juice Williams to pass for over 400 yards and gave up 42 points. This offense just isn’t the same that it was last year. Illinois hands the Tigers the first loss in this game since 1994.

LEE CORSO: Missouri just can’t handle that Illinois offense and Gabbert is unproven at running the spread. No question: Illinois takes it.

LOU HOLTZ: Blah, blah, blah, (insert something stupid about Notre Dame here), blah, blah, blah, Notre Dame could beat God in a hot dog eating contest, blah, blah, blah, blah, what do you mean there’s more than one team that plays college football?

"The great thing about Notre Dame is that Notre Dame is Notre Dame."

Okay, one of those quotes may have been exaggerated just a little bit, but you get the general idea. This year, the national media does not like the Tigers chances. Some prognosticators had the Tigers finishing as low as fourth place in the North Division of the Big XII. And for the first time since the Arch Rivalry was renewed, analysts across the board picked the Illinois Fighting Illini to beat Mizzou.

FINAL SCORE: Missouri 37 – Illinois 9.

I’m not one to say I told you so. Instead I will simply reference you to my previous post about the upcoming Tiger season. If it helps, please picture me waving my hands in the air and sticking my tongue out at you.

I understand the media’s pessimistic outlook on the Tigers. It’s hard to be positive about a team that just lost the most successful class in school history. Plus, it is simple protocol for national sports journalists to follow the formula of, “I know nothing about you, therefore, you are a bad team.” For example, look at the national coverage the Tigers received in 2007 before they entered the rankings. College Gameday did not even recognize their existence until the Tigers destroyed Nebraska 41-6 in Columbia, when players like Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin became household names.

Needless to say, several media outlets (including local Mizzou homers) were shocked at how Mizzou performed. Granted Illinois played a sloppy game, but nobody expected the largest Mizzou victory in this rivalry game since the Tigers won 31-3 in 1993, the last time the game was played at Faurot Field in Columbia.

Coach Pinkel wanted to say I told you so, but he couldn’t and is too much of a professional to say such a thing. Instead, he kept things in perspective.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do…Remember we are talking about one game,” Pinkel stressed in a post-game interview. This is fine. This is exactly what a fan wants and needs to hear, especially with the Tigers next game coming against frequent trouble maker, Bowling Green.

"YOU were wrong. And so were YOU and so were YOU!"

I don’t want to jog any bad memories so I will make this quick. In Gary Pinkel’s very first game as Mizzou’s head coach, The Bowling Green Falcon’s upset the Tigers on their home field and walked away with a 20-13 victory. The next year, the Falcons destroyed the Tigers at Bowling Green by the score of 51-28. The Tigers haven’t scheduled the Falcons ever since.

It’s easy to see why Pinkel is concentrating hard on next week. He doesn’t want his team to be overconfident and would really like to makeup for a rough start to his Mizzou career. But there are several things I would be smiling about if I were Gary Pinkel.

1. BLAINE GABBERT

It was one game, but what a way to make your presence known. Gabbert completed 25 of 33 passes, compiled 319 yards with three touchdown passes and topped it off with 39 yards rushing, including an 8-yard touchdown run. His quarterback rating of 186.96 was the highest QB rating of any Big XII quarterback playing last Saturday. It’s just one game, but Gabbert showed he can run the spread offense. The great thing is, Gabbert says he can get better.

"Chase who?" (at least for one game)

If Gabbert can find a way to improve on a very complete game (for a quarterback), Mizzou fans should be salivating about now.


2. DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

Under new defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, the defense held Illinois to nine points; a 33 point improvement from last year. Steckel greatly simplified the Tigers’ defensive scheme and frequently had three pass rushers running down Illini quarterback, Juice Williams, making him rush throws and not giving him enough time to look down field for deep passes, which plagued the defense all of last year. Using three pass rushers is nothing new. In fact, this type of defense has already lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. In 2008, Steve Spagnuolo (then the New York Giants defensive coordinator) used this type of defense, often called a Scorpion defense, to contain Tom Brady and a very explosive New England Patriots offense. Granted it is just one game, but the defense looked much faster and much more responsive this year than it did last year when it gave up 42 points and allowed Juice Williams to throw for 451 yards.


3. STILL UNDER THE RADAR

Mizzou won’t be receiving much national attention this year, which is exactly what Pinkel wants. It allows the Tigers to sneak up on teams and to put a game away before their opponent realizes what just happened. In 2007, the Tigers very quietly got off to a 5-0 start. After gaining the spotlight with a win over Nebraska, the Tigers lost to the Oklahoma Sooners and fell off the national radar. Again, they quietly won five games in a row and rose to number four in the BCS rankings before beating the Kansas Jayhawks on the national stage. No media spotlight means Pinkel has an easier job of keeping his players focused purely on the next game to be played. He doesn’t have to worry about the distractions of frequent interviews and questions about a possible national championship or BCS bowl run. His players can live and play for right now. Just look at last season. The Tigers started off red hot, but with a nation watching and a possible number one ranking waiting, Mizzou stumbled against Oklahoma State and never fully recovered. No attention means no big head. Of course, if the Tigers rattle off the wins, this will all change. In which case, Pinkel will have some experience under his belt and be able to prepare his players better.

Pinkel was right when he said this was just one game and there is plenty of season left. But why not get excited? After all, it’s not everyday that you get to rub a victory in the face of the nation’s sportswriters.

Traverse City Game 1 Recap

Sure it's not really NHL hockey, but for guys like me who will stay up all night watching truncated versions of 2009 NHL Playoffs games on NHL network to pass the summer once St. Louis Cardinals games are over, it's a start. I'm of course referring the the twelfth annual Traverse City NHL Prospects tournament. For those in the very small minority I'm sure that don't know what the NHL Prospects tournament is all about, I'll fill you in (the rest of you bear with me and try not to laugh at our clueless fans). Every year, eight NHL franchises, including the Blues, organize a squad complete with the top prospects of the organization, as well as various unsigned and undrafted players who the respective franchises would like a longer look at. While officially the tournament doesn't give the prospects any advantage in training camp (which is just around the corner!!!!), it does give a coach another point of view if they still are having trouble placing a prospect in the system. However the tournament doesn't only make it easier for the franchises. As per NHL.com's Mike Morreale, Blues' standout T.J. Oshie says, "I think just the confidence you gain there by meeting new guys gives you a sense of the pro life and it makes you a little more comfortable for training camp."

Last night, the Baby Blues defeated the Baby Stars in game one of the 2010 tournament, winning 9-6 in a defense optional first game. The Blues' squad features notables such as, 2008's fourth overall pick Alex Pietrangelo,

University of Michigan and Team USA standout Aaron Palushaj (already anointed the next T.J. Oshie), unsigned St. Louisan Jack Combs (a flashy forward with a huge offensive upside), Goalie of the Future Jake Allen, WHL All Star Brett Sonne (who looks to make a big enough splash to stick with the big club this season, and CBC alum Phil McRae (who once could only watch helplessly as I dangled a puck between his legs then sniped it top cheese to take the lead in the 2005 MOIHA season opener)

In a 9-6 game the scoring was well spread out. Palushaj, McRae, Combs, and Sonne all had goals (Palushaj netting the pair). Pietrangelo remained absent from the scoresheet but from what I've heard he settled into a shutdown role, holding the Baby Stars' top two snipers scoreless. Despite letting in 6 goals, Jake Allen still made 31 saves for an .838 save percentage. Nerves plus the fact that tournaments like this are akin to all star games and feature less defense may have contributed to the skewed numbers. But numbers aside, this kid got the win in a western shootout type of game. I won't make a judgement on him til the end of the tournament.

For the complete scoresheet from game one visit, http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/gamesheet_full.html?gameid=1083428

Some thoughts following the first game:

1. The Blues have a very bright offensive future. Can you imagine a 2012 top 6 forward core consisting of David Perron, Brad Boyes, T.J. Oshie, Andy Macdonald, Patrik Berglund, and David Backes? Now look at a possible 2012 third line of Aaron Palushaj, Phil McRae (who in all seriousness could find a way to score on a nun), and Lars Eller, (who honestly belongs in the top 6)? Somewhere in the mix you expect to see Brett Sonne, Pat Combs, and depth guys like Jay McClement, and Alex Steen. Run the numbers Blues fans, all of these guys aren't going to ever fit on one team, and that's a good thing. Like the 2009 Cardinals, the 2010-2014 Blues will be able to make any deal necessary to fill any hole they have, and with the smart front office currently in place I doubt there will be that many holes to fill anyway.

2. The Blues have a very bright defensive future. Erik Johnson, Alex Pietrangelo, Ian Cole, Carlo Colaiocovo, Roman Polak, David Rundblad, and Barret Jackman figure to be the 2012 starting seven. But let's not forget Brett Ponich, Cade Fairchild, and Jonas Junland. Damn it feels good to be a Blues fan.

3. Kind of a conclusion after reading the first two...How nice would this look traveling down Market Street for the first time (Hayden included)?

Friday Wrap-Up

As the calendar flips from August to September, baseball season begins to wind down and both the college and NFL football season starts to get under way. It’s also the time that I start realizing that college really is over and that I’m kind of an adult now. With all of that being said (and that last part having absolutely NOTHING to do with anything in this article) here are the three things we learned this week and the three things to look for in the days ahead.

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. THE CARDINALS CAN DEFINITELY WIN AT HOME

Traditionally, the formula for a team to make it to the playoffs is to dominate on their home field and to play .500 ball on the road. The Cardinals had done okay at home, but they definitely have made up for it on the road with a 36-30 record. Before this last nine game home stand, St. Louis was 36-24. To put that in perspective, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the best home record in the National League with a record of 40-25. After going 7-2 on the home stand, the Cards over took the Dodgers for the best home record by a full game. The Cards now stand at 43-26 at home with twelve games left to play at Busch. With the Cardinals able to dominate teams at home and take advantage of a full house every night, home field advantage in the playoffs becomes that much more important and the road to the World Series becomes that much easier.


2. THE OFFENSE IS CAPABLE OF PICKING UP THE PITCHING STAFF

Both Carpenter and Pineiro had off-nights this past week as they left their team trailing after one inning. For the majority of the season, if the Cardinals are trailing after just one inning, the game is usually over. Before this week, the Cards were 6-25 when their opponent took an early lead. But two nights in a row the Cardinals erased an early 3-0 deficit for Pineiro and an early 1-0 deficit for Carpenter. After about a two week stretch where the offense barely hit .230, it was nice to see the pitchers get a lift and not have to be perfect for nine innings. If both the pitching and offense can get rolling together come the playoffs, this team is looking unstoppable against anybody.



3. THE SCOTT LINEHAN FOOTBALL DRAFTS WERE JUST AWFUL

This fact was probably already known by many fans, but the trading of Tye Hill to the Falcons for a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft essentially just confirmed it. This was just a poor pick as Hill was drafted way too high. People forget that Hill’s pick in the draft by the Rams was actually acquired via a trade with the Broncos. The Rams traded their 11th overall pick to the Broncos for the 15th overall and the 68th overall. The Rams drafted Tye Hill with the 15th pick and defensive tackle Claude Wroten. The Broncos drafted quarterback Jay Cutler with the 11th pick (you may have heard of this guy). Cutler has gone on to have a productive and very promising career. Wroten missed four games in 2007 and the whole season in 2008 after he failed to comply with the NFL’s substance abuse policy three different times. He now plays with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ELIMINATED FROM THE PLAYOFFS

If the Cardinals sweep the Pirates this weekend, Pittsburgh will officially be eliminated from the playoffs and will clinch another losing season. While this may not seem significant, three more losses will break a Major League record. With their 82nd loss this season, the Pirates will break the Philadelphia Phillies record for consecutive losing seasons with 17. The Pirates have not had a winning season (or a trip to the playoffs) since 1992. The Phillies had 16 consecutive losing seasons from 1933-1948. Not only will this be a Major League Baseball record, but no team in any of the four major sports has ever had 17 consecutive losing seasons.

It’s amazing how such a historic franchise has become a minor league team to the rest of baseball. Does anyone realize how many great players have come up through the Pirates system? Here’s a look at a lineup the Pirates could have potentially fielded this year if they hadn’t traded away all of their players.

1B: Adam LaRoche
2B: Freddy Sanchez (2006 batting champion)
3B: Aramis Ramirez
SS: Jack Wilson (still leads the league in flashy plays)
LF: Jason Bay (3-time All-Star, 2004 Rookie of the Year)
CF: Xavier Nady
RF: Brian Giles
C: Jason Kendall (2,062 career hits, .290 career batting average)
SP: Ian Snell
CLOSER: Mike Gonzalez

That’s not the best lineup in the National League, but it’s definitely competitive and not an easy one for any starting pitcher to face.

2. WHO ARE THE MISSOURI TIGERS?

After two record setting seasons, the Tigers will take the field at the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday in the annual Arch Rivalry Game against the Illinois Fighting Illini. No team in the Big XII this year has more question marks this season than the Tigers. After losing superstars Chase Daniel, Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, William Moore, Ziggy Hood and Jeff Wolfert (who was the most accurate place kicker in the history of NCAA football), it’s hard to grade where the Tigers will be. The team will definitely look to improve on defense from last year, when they ranked 116th out of 118 teams. The biggest question of all is can Blaine Gabbert orchestrate the spread offense? He has one year under his belt and had the privilege of watching Chase Daniel (the master of the spread offense) run the spread almost to perfection. Illinois will prove to be a good team to read the Tigers as the Illini are ranked 27th nationally and the Tigers are ranked 47th. This season will also solidify Pinkel as either a one-hit wonder with recruiting classes or a recruiting genius. If this team ends up going to a bowl game, Pinkel will have officially changed the face of the Tiger program.

My prediction: 8-4 with a trip to the Sun Bowl (Sorry. I’m a Homer when it comes to the Tigers and sometimes I’m blindly optimistic).

3. WAINWRIGHT TRIES TO SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM THE PACK

Cy Young or not, Adam Wainwright will end up having one of the best seasons by a Cardinal pitcher since Chris Carpenter in 2005. Right now, Wainwright and San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum are neck and neck for the NL Cy Young. Last night, Lincecum lost to the Phillies in a pitcher’s duel, 2-1. However, he still struck out eleven batters. While Wainwright can’t possibly pass Lincecum in total strikeouts, he can extend his Major League lead with his 17th win tonight against the Pirates. Depending on how well and how deep Wainwright goes into the game, Wainwright can overtake Lincecum for the 2nd lowest ERA in the National League and only trail the Cardinals other ace, Chris Carpenter.

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute opinion.

Cardinals on the Brink of History

Chris Carpenter recorded his 15th win last night by defeating the Brewers

With the Cardinals win last night, their magic number shrunk to 20. Barring a New York Mets-like collapse, it is almost a certainty that this team will be playing in the eight team playoff bracket in October. While there is still a month’s worth of games to play, there is a buzz about the city again, a buzz that hasn’t been heard since October of 2006. I use the word “since” very loosely as the Cards’ two year playoff drought is tied for the second shortest in Major League Baseball. The longest playoff drought belongs to the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos, who last saw playoff baseball in 1981 when the then Expos lost in the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cardinals in the playoffs has been commonplace this decade. If the Cardinals clinch a playoff spot, it will be the franchise’s seventh trip to the postseason this decade and the club’s 27th appearance overall. Assuming that the Dodgers maintain their lead in the NL West, the Cardinals will keep pace with the Dodgers and stay one playoff appearance behind them with the third most playoff appearances in Major League Baseball history. Below is the complete list of playoff appearances for all 30 teams (not including projected appearances for 2009).

1. New York Yankees (47)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (27)
3. St. Louis Cardinals (26)
4. San Francisco Giants (24)
5. Atlanta Braves (23)
5. Oakland Athletics (23)
7. Boston Red Sox (19)
8. Chicago Cubs (18)
9. Cincinnati Reds (12)
9. Detroit Tigers (12)
9. Minnesota Twins (12)
9. Pittsburgh Pirates (12)
13. Baltimore Orioles (11)
13. Philadelphia Phillies (11)
15. Cleveland Indians (10)
16. Chicago White Sox (9)
16. Houston Astros (9)
18. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (8)
19. Kansas City Royals (7)
19. New York Mets (7)
21. San Diego Padres (5)
21. Toronto Blue Jays (5)
23. Arizona Diamondbacks (4)
23. Seattle Mariners (4)
25. Milwaukee Brewers (3)
25. Texas Rangers (3)
27. Colorado Rockies (2)
27. Florida Marlins (2)
29. Tampa Bay Rays (1)
29. Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (1)

A playoff appearance in 2009 would add to a franchise record. In no other decade has a Cardinal team been to the playoffs more than in the years 2000 thru 2009. This year would be the Cards’ seventh trip to the playoffs in 10 years. Before this decade, the previous Cardinal record was four, which had been achieved twice: Once in the 1880s (when the Cardinals were known as the St. Louis Browns in the old American Association League) and again in the 1940s. This is just one franchise record that this team is chasing. Here now are some possible records that the 2009 Cardinals can tie or break.

1. FIRST TEAM TO CLOSE OUT A DECADE IN THE PLAYOFFS

It’s weird, but no Cardinal team has ever closed out a decade with a trip to the playoffs. The closest any Cardinal team came was in 1949, when St. Louis finished one game behind the Brooklyn Dodgers with a record of 96-58. The 1949 squad was close to making the postseason, leading the National League by 1.5 games with five left to play. However, the team stumbled down the stretch, losing four out of those five games, allowing the Dodgers to take over first place. The worst Cardinal team to close out a decade was the 1909 squad, who finished seventh in the National League with a record of 54-98.

The 1949 Cardinals finished one game behind the Dodgers and missed the World Series. Stan Musial is the last person on the left.

2. ANOTHER 100 WIN SEASON

This team has a lot of games left to play, but at 79-55, the Cardinals have a legitimate shot at being the 9th team in franchise history to reach the 100 win mark. The Cardinals previously reached the mark in 2005 and are currently the last team in Major League History to reach 100 wins (a title that will most likely be stripped by the 2009 New York Yankees). If the Cardinals reach 100 wins, it will be the second decade in Cardinal history to sport three teams with 100-plus wins. In the 1940s (arguably the Cardinals’ most successful decade), St. Louis had 100 win teams in 1942 (club record 106 wins), 1943 (105 wins) and 1944 (105 wins). In order for this team to reach the century mark, they will need to win 21 of their remaining 28 games, which is a winning percentage of .750. While this isn’t entirely out of the question, it could be difficult. History is also not on the Cardinals side. Since 2000, the Cardinals are 144-110 in games played in September and October; a winning percentage of .567. If the Cards are able to maintain a .567 winning percentage over their last 28 games, it will put them at 95 wins on the season.

The 1942 Worl Champion Cardinals set a franchise record with 106 regular season victories

3. THREE 20-GAME WINNERS

This one is a long-shot as the Cardinals will need several things to fall in place. However, if this one does happen, it most likely means the Cards have won 100 regular season games. Adam Wainwright (16 wins), Chris Carpenter (15 wins) and Joel Pineiro (14 wins) all have a shot at becoming 20 game winners. In order for this to happen, both Carpenter and Pineiro will most likely have to receive the winning decision in the rest of their starts (both most likely have five to seven more starts this season). Wainwright, obviously, has a little more leeway. If all three make it to 20 wins, it would be the first time since 1973 that a pitching staff would have three 20 game winners, when the Oakland Athletics pitching trio of Catfish Hunter (21 wins), Ken Holtzman (21 wins) and Vida Blue (20 wins) accomplished the feat. Overall, only 24 teams in baseball history have had three 20-game winners.

Jim "Catfish" Hunter was a part of the 1973 Athletics trio to win 20 games, the last team in Major League history to have three 20 game winners

If the Cardinals reach this milestone, they won’t be the first St. Louis Major League team to have a 20-game trio. Hall of Famer Eddie Plank (21-11), Dave Davenport (22-18) and Doc Erandall (21-15) accomplished the feat for the 1915 St. Louis Terriers of the now defunct Federal League. For Plank, it was the last of his eight 20 win seasons.

Eddie Plank won 21 games for the St. Louis Terriers. It was the last time in his Hall of Fame career he would win 20 games

The 1915 St. Louis Terriers are the only St. Louis team in history to sport three 20 game winners.

4. 50 HOME RUNS FOR PUJOLS

Not a team record, but 50 home runs would be quite a sight for St. Louis fans. If Albert reaches the mark he will only be the second Cardinal in history to join the 50 Home Run Club. The lone Cardinal Representative is, of course, Mark McGwire who hit 58 home runs in 1997 with the Athletics and the Cardinals. McGwire hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999.

Mark McGwire: The only Cardinal to ever have 50 or more home runs in a single season.

While these occurrences (with the exception of the first) are pure “what if” situations, I think St. Louis will be alright if they remain “what ifs”, because the leaves are changing colors, the temperature is dropping and football is about to begin. But the only thing people are thinking about is closing out the decade with another red October.

Pinkel Shows NFL How It's Done

March 16, 2008: A domestic disturbance at Gateway Apartments in Columbia, Missouri escalates when it’s revealed that the man involved has a loaded 9-millimeter Ruger handgun beneath the front seat of his car. The man is identified as Marquis Booker, a reserve linebacker for the Missouri Tigers football team.


Acting swiftly, Coach Gary Pinkel dismisses Booker from the team just two days after the incident.

April 30, 2009: Blaine Dalton, freshman quarterback for the Missouri Tigers football team is charged with possession of drugs and possession of alcohol by a minor. Eventually the charges were dismissed.

Coach Pinkel suspends Dalton after the incident, but reinstates him under the condition that Dalton clean up his act.

August 28, 2009: Dalton is arrested for driving while intoxicated and possession of alcohol by a minor. This time, Pinkel is not as forgiving as he kicks Dalton off the team later that day.




The NFL could learn a lesson from Gary Pinkel. Pinkel stopped problems before they became hazardous to others and showed the type of justice that has evaded NFL players several different times. Too often players are being scrutinized for misbehaviors that only harm them selves while some players have gotten away with murder. Not that I condone actions on either side of the spectrum, but the NFL needs to start handing out the proper punishment and showing a zero tolerance policy like Coach Pinkel when it comes to the safety of other players and everyday citizens and maybe giving the offending player a wake-up call before it’s too late.

Take the case of St. Louis Rams defensive end, Leonard Little. Little was a third round draft pick by the Rams in the 1998 NFL Draft. On October 20th of the same year, Little was driving home intoxicated after celebrating his birthday in St. Louis. With a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 (more than double the legal limit), Little crashed into driver Susan Gutweiler, killing her. Little was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 90 days in jail and 1000 hours of community service.



The NFL found this so outrageous that they suspended Little for eight games. He has since gone on to have a fairly complete career.

A similar case has come up more recently. On March 14th of this year, Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Donte Stallworth struck and killed pedestrian, Mario Reyes while driving intoxicated in Miami, Florida. Stallworth was four points over the legal alcohol limit and was driving 50 miles per hour in a 40mph zone. Stallworth was charged with involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 30 days of prison, two years of house arrest, 1,000 hours of community service, eight years probation, and his Florida driver’s license was revoked for a lifetime. Stallworth only served 24 days of his 30 day prison sentence.




Again, the NFL was angry. So angry that Stallworth was suspended for a whole season. He is scheduled to be reinstated upon the completion of Super Bowl XLIV.

While Stallworth is in the limelight still because his incident is much more recent, Little’s manslaughter is vastly overlooked. The fact that both of these men are allowed to continue to play professional football is beyond me.

What’s even worse is the coverage and scrutiny the estranged Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick, receives for his involvement in an underground dog fighting ring. Vick was suspended from the NFL for two years and was only reinstated conditionally this year and will miss the first few games at which point, Commissioner Roger Goodell will make a decision whether or not to fully reinstate Vick.




Which of the two offenses are worse: Manslaughter or killing dogs? Neither one is condonable, but one is clearly worse than the other. The life of an NFL player is a special one and is one that should not be taken for granted. What Vick did was awful, but not so awful that he should not be allowed to show that he is a changed man and have a chance to win his life back.

In the case of Stallworth and Little, justice may have never been served. Little continues to play in the NFL and Stallworth will surely be fully reinstated sometime next year. These two playing football will not make up for the two families that lost loved ones because of these players mistakes. Little apparently never learned his lesson as in 2004 he was once again arrested for driving under the influence.

I applaud Coach Gary Pinkel for showing all football coaches at both the college and professional level how to handle their players: With very little lee-way. Marquis Booker threatened to put lives in danger so Pinkel dismissed him. Dalton was given a second chance to prove himself, screwed up and Pinkel dismissed him. End of story. That’s it. No more football for you. Pinkel did not hesitate and gave these two players the wake up call they needed.
If the NFL is smart, they will instate a similar policy: The Pinkel Policy. When a player screws up, the repercussions meet the level of the offense.

Athletes will always make mistakes because they are human. But how can we expect them to behave better when the precedent set for the ultimate offense is a slap on the wrist followed by large paychecks? Nobody is above the law, including athletes. Gary Pinkel realizes this. It’s time for the NFL to realize it too.

Sports Munchies 9-2-09

1. The latest Cardinals news.

2. Chase Daniel

3. Grab Bag