drama in the club house

It's barely a week into spring training and the Cardinals have already gone through quite a bit of drama. What we've got this time is our amazing pitcher Adam Wainwright returning to st. louis because of an elbow injury. here's the ESPN article if you want to read more about it.

Everybody relies on their bull pen for a good game, but it seems the cardinals rely more heavily on it than others. This is because the Cards batting lineup isn't all that strong. With the exception of Pujols and Holliday (and possibly Rasmus once he gets another season under his belt) the starting lineup hasn't been known for their exceptional slugging skills.

Who knows if the injury is actually as serious as they think it is. But, the fact that they sent him back home isn't a great sign.

good for a laugh

unfortunately I didn't get to watch the celeb NBA all-star game last night. But I don't need to watch it to know that this was my favorite part

c'mon man

c'mon Pujols! I personally blame his agent for wanting an exorbitant amount of money. I can understand Pujols wanting more money because he deserves more money, but his agent was making that the only factor. I just don't want to see him ending up in an Angels, Yankees or even worse...Cubs uniform next year. Free agency it is.

As a St. Louisian and Cards fan I will always love Pujols. An announcer on Sports Center just said that if he goes to another team next year, then he won't be regarded well in St. Louis anymore. I don't know what he's talking about; but he clearly doesn't know anything about the town's love for Albert. No matter what team he plays for, we will always cheer for him. Always.

can't wait

one phrase: Pitchers and catchers report monday

mizzou basketball

Before I start, my disclaimer is that I love the mizzou basketball team and go to every home game. But I'm being completely honest in this one.

Lets be honest, the men's basketball team is less than impressive during away games. It's very frustrating seeing your team lose every Big 12 game on the road. With the exception of the most recent game against ku, who is a truly good team, they could have won those games. They plain and simple don't play good on the road. This was evident by the fact that they lost to Colorado on the road and won at home.

My theory (among many others) is that they get overwhelmed by away crowds and pressure. Every team plays better at home, but it seems more poignantly obvious with the basketball team. I saw how pumped up Kim English got when the crowd was on their feet and cheering for MU at our most recent home game. And stats speak for themselves: we're undefeated at home this season. It just seems that they get affected by away games more than they really should. And as a fan, it's frustrating.

The three other main problems that keep the team out of a high rank is their lack of 3 point shooting ability, lack of rebounds and tempo of the game. I've seen them throw away too many points, and lets be honest potential game winners, by missing a substantial amount of 3 point shots. Although I'm not one for excuses, lack of rebounds isn't fully their fault. In comparison to other teams, the majority of our players aren't horribly tall. With the exceptions being Steve Moore, Richardo Ratliffe and Justin Safford. But, still that's no excuse for being more aggressive for the rebounds. They also tend to rush the floor too much. They did an amazing job at the beginning of the ku game in slowing things down and not rushing the net quickly every possession. I believe this is why they were able to lead for a short time in the beginning of the game. When they rush the floor they make bad decisions, which tends to lead to a bad shot which the other team rebounds.

With that all said I love Phil Pressey and Marcus Denmon. Phil is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to beat on defense, and is so much fun to watch. I'm glad he's just a freshman and will be around for a while. It's gonna be exciting to see him as a senior when he's got a few years under his belt. And of course Denmon is just good all around. Next year is going to be a great year with a lot of the star players being seniors.

pujols trade

Being that I'm from St. Louis, I love the Cardinals. And being that I love the Cardinals, I love Albert Pujols. There's been a lot of talk the last year or two about his contract ending at the end of the 2011 season.

This article describes the situation better than I can. But I'm going to highlight the basics and things I've heard from other sports people. Albert has the option to veto any trade decisions that may come along. This leads to him either re-signing with the Cardinals or becoming a free agent at the end of the season. If he decided to re-sign he will cost a lot of money to keep. This means that the Cards won't have a whole lot of money to spend on other big hitters or getting new, young players into the clubhouse.

The reality: He's going to stay with the Cardinals. He loves the town and the team too much to leave. In the past he expressed that he wants to stay with the Cards his whole career. He's done too much with the community (like setting up a charity) to leave. Even if he does leave and they get two picks from the draft, nobody can replace our slugger. Basically him staying is a win-win for both him and the team.

pro bowl

I don't want to talk too much about the pro bowl, but I figure it's worth at least highlighting it. I don't expect for the players to play like it's a playoff game but I expected a bit more. The AFC was just messing around the whole time, as evidenced by their half dozen picks. I'm fine with messing around, because this game is meant to be fun, but they didn't care and it was painfully clear. Oh well, maybe next year they'll put a little more heart into it.